She wanted to kick something, but she was surrounded by sand and that just didn’t have the same impact.
“Fine! Stay out here!” She turned around and headed inside. Ollie had his doggie door, so he could go out anytime he wanted to, which meant he could come inside as well.
She was so furious, she stormed into the bedroom, not paying attention to where she was stomping, and stubbed her toe against her dresser and had to hop into the bathroom to take a shower. The hot water took longer than normal to arrive, at least to her mind, and she jumped into the cold water, yelping when she realized that the hot water wasn’t there yet.
After her shower, she pulled on a clean pair of jeans and a nicer than normal shirt, wishing she could just avoid this day completely, but it wasn’t to be.
Looking out at the beach, she realized that Ollie was still out there, still waiting for her to throw his balls with that stupid toy. Opening the back door, she whistled for him and, thankfully, he came running up the beach. Prancing inside, he looked up at her. “You’re coming with me,” she announced, grabbing his bag of toys, her tote bag, and purse. “Come on, Ollie.”
He obviously was not ready for the day, having skipped his usual romp on the beach, and even that further increased her fury. The man was making her a nutcase. And he’d spoiled her dog!
Okay, Maria knew that she did enough of that on her own. But she was allowed to spoil her dog. It was her dog. If he wanted a dog to spoil, he should head to the animal shelter. There were plenty of dogs that needed spoiling. Sloan Anderson had ruined her life! She wasn’t going to let him ruin her dog.
Back at “The Pearls,” she looked around, startled to realize she was already here and not sure how she’d gotten here. Obviously, she’d driven to the small cove of stores because her keys were dangling from her fingers but…
“Good morning, sugah!” Cassandra called out.
Maria looked around and realized that she hadn’t gotten everyone’s coffee and muffins as she normally would. “I’ll get coffee and stuff and be back,” she told Cassandra.
The woman called to Maria, but she only lifted her hand as she hurried out of the store. Ollie, the traitor, snuggled closer to Catherine, not daring to follow Maria when she was in this kind of a mood. Silently, Maria agreed with her dog.
Normally, when she walked into her coffee shop, she felt a renewed sense of purpose. Smelling the coffee grounds, hearing the soft music and the low hum of conversation, she knew that things were getting better. But even the line of people waiting for coffee this morning couldn’t soothe her soul.
Her employees glanced in her direction, but the line for coffee and muffins was so long this morning, they couldn’t take the time to ask her why she was obviously in a grumpy mood.
For her part, Maria realized that everyone was swamped and grabbed her apron. Quickly, she filled orders as fast as they were coming. By late morning, she had to sneak into the back to make more muffins because they were down the last few. Normally, she had three or four that needed to be tossed by the end of the night.
And as soon as she started baking the next batch, people were abandoning their coffee to put in orders for those muffins since the smell was filling up the whole store. Between the chocolate muffins and the scent of coffee, she was almost delirious with the smells.
And the whole morning, all she could think about was that nothing could save her small shop. It was going under. As soon as she had a break, she’d have to tell her employees. They deserved to know that their jobs were disappearing.
But as morning shifted into afternoon, there was no time. As soon as they’d cleaned up from the breakfast rush, the lunch rush was lining up. Never had there been such a crazy long line of people coming into the store.
Around mid-afternoon, she saw the tall man walking through the doorway and her heart leapt with joy. Until she remembered that Sloan was the enemy now.
But boy, he was a shockingly handsome enemy! His dark suit and crisp shirt were perfectly paired with a red silk tie. He looked around and, as soon as he spotted her, he moved through the tables and customers towards her. She wanted to run and hide, but there wasn’t any time.
Not to mention, her pounding heart wouldn’t allow her much flexibly to move. Traitorous heart. She hadn’t told her heart that it was broken or it wouldn’t be pounding so hard at just the sight of the man.
“We’re busy,” she snapped at him as she steamed yet another pot of milk. “Go away.”
He ignored her, of course. And instead of listening to her, he grabbed her arm and pulled her away. “We need to talk,” he replied but with that no-nonsense voice that never failed to make her body respond. Goodness, did he practice that tone? Did he study it to make sure that all the women just melted at his feet?
“What do you want?” she demanded as soon as they were in the back hallway.
“This!” he said and pulled her into his arms. He was kissing her before she had a chance to tell him that she wasn’t going to kiss him back. And before she told her arms to stop moving around his neck, they were already there, her fingers diving into his hair.
This would be the last time, she promised herself. The very last time she would kiss him. The last time she would feel his arms around her. The last time she would…
He lifted his head, his breathing just as ragged as her own. “We’ll continue that tonight,” he told her. Stepping back, he handed her an envelope. “Read. I’ll pick you guys up tonight.”
And then he was gone, walking out of the coffee shop.
Maria looked down, not sure what was in the envelope. Rushing out of her office, she called to him. “You’ll pick up who?”
“You and Ollie,” he said as he stepped out of the coffee shop. He disappeared before she could chase after him. And then the timer went off on the muffins so she didn’t have a chance to question him anyway.
She’d never had such a busy day before and, once things slowed down for the afternoon, she leaned against the counter and looked around. There was a diverse group of people here and she wasn’t really sure where they were coming from. Unfortunately, at this point, it didn’t matter.
“You’re tired,” her night shift manager said as she prepared to start the evening shift. “Go home and relax. It looks like you haven’t slept in a few days.”
Maria smiled weakly, but had to agree. She was exhausted and heart heavy. She wanted to just hide somewhere, but she had to regroup.
Besides, Sloan was coming over tonight.
Thinking of him, she walked back to her office, staring at the envelope he’d left behind. She couldn’t imagine what it was, but she picked it up and stuffed it into her bag. As she walked out, she whistled and Ollie came running down the boardwalk. He’d been in Melvin’s antique shop but slipped out as Melvin closed up for the night.
“Good night, Maria!” he called out and took Samantha’s hand as she met him in front of his doorway. Odd, they didn’t seem to be trying to hide their romance any longer. It was nice that they were being open now.
She waved to Suzy as she walked by her friend’s doorway but hurried to her car. Ollie jumped up onto the seat, then over to the passenger side, his tongue hanging out the side of his mouth as he waited eagerly for his car ride home.
Back at her grandmother’s cottage, Ollie hurried over to his doggie dish, waiting for his usual nightly serving of kibbles. As soon as Maria dumped the food into the bowl, he dove in after the food. His doggie dish was halfway across the kitchen floor by the time he was licking the bowl clean.
Unable to make any more excuses to avoid it, Maria tore open the top of the envelope and pulled out the papers inside. When her eyes skimmed over the words, she had to stop and re-read, not sure if she understood what the paper was telling her.
But as she read through the details again, her mind started bouncing around with excitement.
The doorbell rang but even as she turned to read through it, Sloan opened the front door and walked inside.
/>
“Are you ready?” he asked, bending down to scratch Ollie’s ears and rub his fur.
“Ready?”
“Yes. You’re coming with me. Ollie too.”
She shook her head but he stood up and walked over to her. “No, Maria. Yesterday, you pushed me away because I hadn’t told you the full truth. Now you’re going to hear it all. You’re going to know everything about me and then make a decision.”
She opened her mouth to say something but he only pulled her into his arms, kissing her once again. She gripped his shirt but he lifted his head before she could lose herself in the kiss.
“How many times are you going to do that?” she asked, trying to sound grumpy, but after reading the papers in that envelope, she wasn’t sure she had much to be angry about.
“As often as it takes to make you realize that you and I are meant to be together.”
“You sound like Samantha,” she said, realizing that she was still gripping his arms and pulled her hands away. He didn’t release his hold from around her waist though. “Samantha is right.” Looking over her shoulder, he must have spotted Ollie. “You ready to go, boy?” he asked.
Ollie started dancing, obviously eager for whatever might happen next. Traitor, she thought. He didn’t realize that Sloan Anderson was the enemy.
At least, she suspected he was.
Pulling out of his arms, she picked up the documents again. “Explain these, please,” she demanded of him, crossing her arms over her stomach.
He leaned against the countertop. “You haven’t read them yet?”
“I skimmed through them, but I’m not sure I fully understand their meaning. We were busy at the coffee shop this afternoon so I didn’t get a chance to absorb the legalese. This is my first break today.”
He nodded as if he were satisfied. “I had my marketing people tweet out your location and the chocolate muffin information.”
Her mouth fell open in shock with that announcement. “You marketed my coffee shop?” she asked, trying to sound stern, but her question came out in a whisper. When he nodded curtly, she shook her head. “Why would you do that? Why help my business if your bank is just going to close it down?”
He pushed the papers towards her. “My bank isn’t foreclosing on your business. Or any of the other businesses. You showed me your plans and, I realized that your idea was better.”
Maria blinked, staring at him for a long moment before she finally reacted. “Better?”
“Yes,” he nodded, affirming her words. “Better. Better locally, and in the long term, it will make more money for me. So I’m taking your idea and helping you realize it. This is a company we’re forming together. You own fifty percent of the stock in this particular endeavor.”
He pulled out the papers outlining what he’d just said and Maria let her fingers slide over the words. She then curled her fingers into a fist, not wanting him to see that she was shaking. When she glanced up at him, she was confused. “Why would you do this for me?” she asked, not ready to release her anger yet, despite the fact that he was being more than fair.
“Because it is your idea. You’ve already laid out the ground work, talked with an architect and established vendors to fill the retail spaces. I also saw the spreadsheets you sent to Barclay earlier this week. Your marketing ideas are excellent. If you can develop a plan to market this shopping plaza and make the same kind of progress that you’ve done for The Pearls of Wisdom cove in the past few months, then you’ll deserve your fifty percent of the business.” He moved closer as he said, “But you’re going to get to know me.”
With that, he walked out the back door and bent down, coming back with the ball flinging toy in his hands. Immediately, Ollie jumped up and down with excitement. Stuffing several balls and the envelope into Maria’s tote bag, he grabbed her hand, the keys, and whistled for the dog, pulling Maria out the front door behind him.
Jostling everything in his hands, he turned to lock her front door.
“I can help,” she told him.
“Get in the car, Maria.” His voice didn’t allow for any arguments.
So she turned around and, with a secret smile, stepped into the car. It was a beautiful car, one of those powerful, expensive, black ones that she knew would feel just amazing once it was out on the highway without any traffic to slow it down.
As she watched, Ollie jumped into the back seat which was already covered with a doggie blanket to protect the soft leather seats. Ollie was sitting on his butt, facing forward as usual, with his tongue hanging out as he waited eagerly for his ride.
When Sloan stepped into the vehicle after storing her bags in the trunk, he looked at her. “Ready for this?” he asked.
She wasn’t sure what she needed to be ready for, but she shrugged, trying to be indifferent. She didn’t understand and she refused to get into a conversation with him about what she might or might not agree to until she understood all the details.
He revved the engine and backed out, driving down the quiet streets. In the summer time, the streets would be packed with tourists walking along the sidewalks, meandering through the shops and enjoying the warmth of the summer breeze. But right now, it was deserted and quiet.
It wasn’t long before he pulled off the main road and drove down a long, private drive. The sides of the driveway were higher with vegetation making the area even more private. At the end of the driveway was a high gate. When he pressed a button on his dashboard, a heavy, black gate opened up.
“What’s this?” she asked, looking around at all the security.
“This is where I live.”
“Good grief, you live behind bars.”
She was trying hard not to laugh, but Ollie was dancing behind them and Sloan…well, he seemed strangely on edge tonight. She wouldn’t say that he was nervous. She couldn’t imagine Sloan being nervous. But he was…on edge. That was the only way she could define his mood.
When they turned the corner, Maria gasped as her eyes took in the amazing structure perched on the hill. He must have left all of the interior lights on because the whole house was lit up against the night sky. The glass walls that looked out onto the ocean were…amazing!
“Let’s go. I have dinner in the oven.”
She stepped out of the vehicle, careful to keep Ollie from ruining Sloan’s leather seats with his claws. The dog danced around, eager to play.
“He’s already been here,” Sloan explained as he unlocked the front door.
“He has?”
“Remember all the tennis balls? He carried them here and left them on the front stoop.”
Her eyes widened as she thought about that. “But…my house is about five miles from here!”
“Exactly. I think he had help getting back and forth.”
Maria thought about that and only one name popped into her head. “Samantha!” she gasped.
“I suspected as much too, although I wasn’t sure which of your friends had been Ollie’s accomplice.”
He led her through the foyer and up a short flight of stairs. When Maria looked around at the room, she was amazed. It was modern and yet, not stark. The comfortable furniture surrounded the fireplace, but also allowed a person see the incredible views. “Dinner should be ready soon.”
He walked into what could only be described as a chef’s dream kitchen. A six-burner stove was at the center with a massive fridge and what looked like miles of counter space.
“Why on earth would one person need a kitchen this size?” she asked, afraid to move any closer. Everything looked clean and beautiful. Touching something might leave fingerprints.
He opened the oven and pulled out a casserole dish using oven mitts, setting it on the stovetop. “I have four brothers, all about the same size as I am. My father is about the same as well, although my mother is a couple of inches shorter than you and blonde, dainty. She rules all of us with a firm hand. But that means that cooking for all seven of us is a major event. When everyone is crowding in here, i
t gets pretty chaotic and crowded. So it might look big now, but wait until you see it in full holiday-operation mode.”
Maria laughed at the image. “I suppose with five boys in the house, your mother had to be pretty amazing.”
“She was. And is. And the most creative person at raising five rambunctious boys I have ever known.”
Her laughter died out as she looked around again, still not sure of what was going on. “So why are we here?”
He tossed the oven mitts to the side, bracing himself against the counter as he looked at her. “Because this is who I am.”
“You’re rich,” she observed, looking up at the designer lighting. The chandeliers probably cost more than her whole cottage.
“I do well enough.” He pulled two plates out of a glass-fronted cabinet and grabbed a bottle of wine from the fridge. “I have companies that do business all over the world. I won’t list out all of them for you, because there are too many and I continue to expand my operations, to make them more efficient.”
She crossed her arms over herself, intimidated again. “Why are you telling me all of this?”
“Because you accused me of not showing you who I really am, of hiding things from you. This is me, Maria. Anytime I don’t have evening meetings, I’m here cooking. Usually, one or more of my brothers stop by and they are always welcome. My parents live in the area as well, and we’re a loud, annoying family, filled with over achievers. Every one of my brothers has set out and made their mark on the world. My father’s no slouch either. He gave each of us starter money, but after that, we were on our own. He runs an investment company, so he’s pretty well off as well.” He paused, his eyes watching her carefully. “But I want you in my life. So this is me. This is who I am.”
She looked around, still not sure.
“Maria, your business is safe. I’ve approved an extension of your loans and even revised the payment structures for each of the shops. If your friends can’t make the payments, they will be foreclosed upon, but as of right now, they are safe. And I suspect that, with the revised payment schedule, they will more easily be able to make their payments, as well as put more money towards their retirements.”
Billionaires On the Beach: The Anderson Brothers Page 8
