Billionaires On the Beach: The Anderson Brothers

by Elizabeth Lennox

  While Ollie lounged in a shaded area in the back yard, over the next few hours Olivia and Maria discussed the progress of the project. Then Maria checked her cell and realized the time. “I have to go, Liv,” She said with regret in her voice and her face. “Sandra’s babysitting Tyler and Jordan.” Olivia smiled. Maria and Sloan’s adorable two-year-old Tyler and Gemma and Grey’s seven-month-old Jordan were no doubt being spoiled rotten by their doting grandmother.

  “Both you and Gemma are so lucky to have such an incredible mother-in-law.”

  “Sandra always tells us that her grandkids keep her young,” Maria smiled. “She insists on babysitting her grandchildren as often as possible, especially when her boys and their families visit.”

  Olivia knew that whenever they spent time in Wrightsville Beach, Sandra encouraged her respective sons and daughters-in-law to have frequent ‘dates’ to keep the love and romance flourishing. “I don’t blame her for loving and enjoying Tyler and Jordan so much. Kiss both those cherubs for me, and see you tomorrow bright and early.” They hugged before Maria rushed off with the ever-obedient Ollie by her side.

  Olivia was in her element here. Aunt Jenny had maintained her small early 1900s beach house and, despite the damage caused by the more recent hurricanes in the 1990s, she had lived the rest of her years in the cottage overlooking the sea. Olivia missed her so much, and knew that she would have been so proud of the resurrection and the extended part of the house.

  The once rudimentary fireplaces were now gorgeous focal points in the living area and in two of the three bedrooms.

  When Olivia had spent some time over the summers here as a teenager with Maria, warm and funny Aunt Jenny had adopted her as if she were her long lost granddaughter. Thank goodness Maria had generously shared her grandmother’s affections.

  Transforming and updating Aunt Jenny’s home to its former glory was more than her passion, and repaying the special woman’s kindness and unconditional affection. She was honored that Maria had waited for her these couple of years so they could restore the Ellis cottage together. Shortly after her treatments were all behind her she lost her mother and then a few months after that her father died, too. Olivia had stayed to look after her younger sister Lisa and their small house in Arlington. They had only one distant aunt who had been there for them, and Olivia had learned first-hand what it meant to grow up fast. Suddenly all adult responsibilities for herself and her then nineteen-year-old sister rested solely on her shoulders.

  Now that Lisa was settled in her second year of college and was becoming stronger, Olivia had accepted Maria’s invitation to come and help redesign the beach house. She loved visualizing the potential of the beach house, planning the extension and renovation and then making it happen.

  Olivia stared at the chaos around her and saw it all in her mind’s eye, perfectly polished and ready for a family to move in and enjoy for years to come. She didn’t dwell on the fact that it was going up for sale. Maria didn’t need it, as she and Sloan already had their own family beach house and wanted to offer the cottage to a family who would enjoy it. Wishing she had this home, or at least imagining ever owning a place like this only made Olivia miss Aunt Jenny and her own parents even more.

  She inhaled a positive breath and sighed with a smile. Now, for the current state of affairs, what would Aunt Jenny suggest I do about Alexander’s offer? The question followed her all day.

  Picking up the blueprints and the agreed-upon fabric swatches Olivia ascended to the top floor to check on the tile setter’s progress in the new master en-suite shower-room.

  ***

  “I’ll do it,” Olivia said, and Alex forced himself not to give a triumphant fist pump. “But,” Olivia added, “let’s go through your requirements and my rules to avoid any misunderstandings.”

  He nodded, still reeling from gratitude at Olivia’s generous nature. She still seemed uneasy but appeared more open to helping him.

  Watching the waves lap the quiet shore, they sipped the cold white wine he had generously brought with the two large glasses. How thoughtful the classy guy was. The setting sun from the grassy area at the back of Aunt Jenny’s beach house threw a warm glow over Olivia’s gorgeous face, and her dark green wrap dress highlighted those luscious curves. He had so much to be grateful for, especially for having known Aunt Jenny all those years ago.

  Once again he thanked his lucky stars for Maria’s grandmother, who had helped him come out of his shell in his late teens and into his early twenties. She had taught him how to appreciate life and not take its privileges for granted, and how to pay it forward. Aunt Jenny had been such a romantic, regaling him with intriguing stories about her past and what could be if only people believed in their potential and life’s possibilities.

  His memories of Aunt Jenny always instilled a sense of calm over him. Thanks to her, he valued every member of his adopted American and his biological Greek families even more. The time spent together with Aunt Jenny had been very special over those years before he had left for Greece to live with his biological father in the large house overlooking the bay of the small fishing village in Porto Heli.

  Now, sitting here with Olivia, he wanted to share that part of his life with her. She would love beautiful Greece and its people. He imagined her around a table filled with fresh and delicious food shared by his many cousins and other relatives. He could see her laughing at their over-the-top physical expressions of love and affection. He wondered if she would lose her inhibitions after a glass of ouzo and dance with him and the others under the grape-vine covered trellis hiding the big moon above them.

  He would do whatever it took to get her to spend time with him, even if it was under these pretenses. He needed to get to know her and reclaim her trust. He refused to acknowledge that she could discover his ploy and he would lose her trust irrevocably.

  “I don’t think it’ll demand more than an hour or two a day, and evenings will be good.” He studied her trying not to betray his inner excitement at the prospect of spending time with her. “For the next six weeks until I leave. And I’ll cover all expenses in addition to this amount.” Alex offered her a piece of paper with a number on it.

  She blinked and stared at his offered compensation. “Are you serious? There are too many zeros here.”

  “I’d like your commitment—outside of your work hours, of course—and we can discuss the number if you change your mind and if you want to charge me more along the way. After all, you haven’t heard my needs yet.”

  Olivia put down her wine glass and stared at him. He hoped he wasn’t frightening her away. “It’s simple. I know what I want, and I’ll do anything you think that will get her attention.”

  “I won’t pretend to be your girlfriend or anything like that.”

  “No, no need for that.” He shook his head, “But this is a very special woman who’s very stubborn and I need to deal with her very carefully, as I don’t want to lose her.” He nearly said ‘again.’

  ***

  Olivia’s heart thumped and she hated her mind playing tricks on her. She was actually wishing Alexander meant she was the girl he was talking about. Keep on dreaming, romantic fool. Seeing Maria and Gemma so blissfully happy was tinting her reality.

  Not everyone was fated for the happy-ever-after romance. And Alexander had made it clear that he saw her as his trusty pal from their geeky and awkward years. He had opened up to her, taking for granted that she would help him like he obviously expected her to help anyone else. Good old Olivia.

  Suddenly she knew she couldn’t do this. “Why not talk to Maria? She’s very discreet and trustworthy. I can vouch for her. I’m sorry, I’m not sure I’m the best person for this.”

  “Please, Olivia, I don’t want anyone else to help me, just you. My gut has never been wrong.” Before she could try to dissuade herself, he asked, “Where would you suggest we start? Imagine it from her point of view. That’s all I want,” he asked her.

  “But we may be ve
ry different, with opposite priorities.” Olivia sighed and watched the last of the blood-orange sun disappear into the horizon. Why had she agreed to help him in the first place?

  “I don’t think so.”

  “What’s stopping you from asking her out right now? Is she even here, is that why you’re in town?”

  “I admit I haven’t asked her out yet, we know each other from . . . afar, but I want to get a woman’s perspective on what I’ve been doing wrong all these years,”

  Olivia wondered if he was remembering his quick escape to Greece all those years ago.

  “And how to get to know her and discover what I can offer her.” He lowered his head with those lovely black curls and added, “This is not easy for me to admit to anyone. If you’re game, I’ll do anything you say, appearance wise, etc., and I’ll answer any questions you have.”

  Instead of saying, but I’m also a woman, and you’re very eloquent with me, she said, “But it’s not solely about her, you have to find out if she can make you happy, too.” As he seemed to consider this, she added, “Apart from some tweaks like shortening your beard and updating your wardrobe, the main work will be with the inner boost of your self-esteem, I suppose.” Part of her couldn’t wait to see what he looked like under those casual oversize sports pants and baggy sweat shirt. Scanning his face, Olivia wondered if she was insulting him but was gratified to see his eager nod.

  “Yes, that’s exactly what I need. It’s very astute of you. You see? A woman’s—your perspective - is all I need. Thank you, Olivia.” He put down his empty wine glass on the bistro table next to hers.

  The pragmatic and practical part of her confirmed that Maria was right, and that the money would immensely help her and her sister’s future. As long as she kept up Lisa’s college payments and got back home to Arlington, Virginia, by end of July everything would stay under control.

  What could be the harm in helping him?

  “About my rules.” She said firmly, trying to keep all this professional, even though she was undertaking such an intimate makeover. “I don’t think it’ll take more than a week. You don’t call me at all hours of the day or turn up here or at my hotel room at will. You’ll respect my privacy. You don’t expect me to go out with you unless it’s unavoidable.” Was that a twinge of amusement in those green eyes? They gravitated lower to her mouth and desire burned in them when he finally made eye contact again. She felt a warmth build within her and hoped her blush was not betraying her inner emotions.

  “A month.”

  “Pardon?” What had they been discussing?

  “I believe you’re here till the end of July. I’m around for another month.”

  About to refuse, about to stand up and run, Olivia took a slow deep breath and reminded herself that Alexander was obviously not as confident or as ready as she hoped he would be.

  “Okay.” As the word left her lips he leaned closer to her and took her hand in both of his.

  “I’ll be forever grateful for your help, Olivia.” As he looked into her eyes she wished for a crazy moment that he would lean closer and kiss her ravenous lips.

  What the heck had she got herself into?

  Chapter 4

  Their time together over the next few days became a routine. Over the next two weeks, Olivia began to look forward to their late afternoon or evening walks. Her days started at 6 a.m. to fit in her forty-five-minute run and plan the day’s work at the beach house and the questions she could ask Alexander that evening. With so much happening on site, her work hours rushed by.

  Yesterday had been a very special time when Olivia’s team of contractors finished installing the new roof, new windows and this coming week the hardwood and ceramic flooring would be completed throughout. By next week the kitchen would be decked out with swish new appliances. Then Maria and Olivia would have the fun of reallocating the reupholstered and new furniture in their intended places. The interior decorating and final touches would make this work in progress a finished, livable abode once more.

  She appreciated how Maria kept asking her, “What would you like better?” whenever Olivia needed her to make decisions. Maria had wonderful taste and had done a fabulous job with designing and finishing her and Sloan’s own beach house about five miles away. Over the months after her wedding, Maria and Olivia had spent many hours over Skype and email discussing the newlyweds’ home design project. Maria had used almost all her suggestions and Olivia loved her even more because her best friend knew how she had welcomed and needed the distraction in those months.

  She had refused to be a burden to anyone, especially her younger sister Lisa, or her friends during those months of recuperating after her cancer treatments.

  Now she could think of all the positives. Helping others had been the best healing process for her. Most of the time she even forgot what she had gone through, as if it had happened to someone else. She appreciated every moment as the gift that life was. Every rewarding day was an adventure, and right now ‘project Alexander the Geek’ was proving very exciting, revealing and too tempting.

  By 5 p.m. most evenings she was ready to shower at her hotel room and meet him either at the beach or at Aunt Jenny’s backyard lounge area. The area was private and the panoramic beach view was priceless.

  “So what did you do then?” Olivia asked Alexander after he had told her about the fiasco which culminated with Sophia’s break up.

  “First I was angry and sad that I’d not seen how materialistic she was. Even my Papa,” this was what he called his Greek biological father, “had been charmed by her. Then when my cousin Demetrius came and apologized for all that happened, I realized that although I’d believed I loved her, in reality I hadn’t really…and that I had wasted months of my life when we’d been together.”

  “So why do you think you haven’t gone out with anyone else since? Or have you?” Again Olivia felt like a little girl playing at being a psychologist with nothing but curiosity and her need to help him driving her forward.

  “No. I’ve been busy working. I see that look in your eyes, Olivia. I mean it sincerely.” Alexander said and then his grin widened as if her frank stare was his undoing. He took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose as if unaware he was doing this. “There weren’t any girls I was interested in. And it’s only been over a year.”

  “You’re still counting. Are you sure you’re not still in love with her? Because that wouldn’t be fair on this new girl.”

  “It’s not a rebound situation. I’m sure of it.” He put his glasses back on.

  “Okay, as long as you’re not kidding yourself. Now, you said you’re nearly ready, so tell me, why this girl?”

  “When I saw her recently I just felt something I haven’t felt in a long time.” When he looked away from her, the way he said those words quashed any silly childish hope within her that he was still talking about her.

  She was one lucky woman, whoever she was. Because Olivia knew that Alexander was the one-woman type of man. Once he fell in love.

  “So what’s her name?” She asked through the slight obstruction in her throat.

  For a moment Alexander froze and then said, “Jessica.”

  “So let’s do this. You’ll call her and ask her out, right?”

  Despite his masculine girth, he shook his head like a little boy facing a hated injection. “Maybe first we can do some more role playing and you can help me make conversation.”

  “You said the same thing last week and the week before that. I don’t get it, Alexander, you’re talking absolutely fine with me, and I’m a female… What’s really holding you back from just asking her out? What’s the worst that can happen? Rejection?”

  Slowly he shook his head. “No. That I get to know her, that she gets to know me and she doesn’t really see my true self.”

  “But surely everyone has that fear.” Olivia said.

  “Do you? When’s the last time you went out with anyone?”

  Her heart beat e
ven stronger under his gaze. About to turn the conversation back to him, she remembered that these were his delay tactics, and perhaps he needed the role playing more than she thought. “I’ve been too busy. Interior design is my passion. I’ve had a couple of challenging years, but I’ve not been interested in dating.” She kept it as honest as she could.

  “Who’s the last guy you got close to?” The split moment of something unrecognizable flitted through his bespectacled green eyes. Then his expression was unreadable as he listened intently.

  “His name was Ryan and we went out for eight months over three years ago, and he left the country to pursue his photography career.” She could not admit to Alexander that this happened the same week she had been about to go into hospital for breast cancer surgery. She had heard of men who could not handle this sort of thing, and was shocked at how little Ryan’s departure had meant to her despite her predicament. Her sister Lisa and Maria had been all she had needed. She had learned to be as self-reliant as possible, because after all she was the older sister on whom Lisa depended.

  “Are you counting?” Alexander stared deeper into her eyes.

  Refusing to look away she shook her head. “No, it wasn’t really his fault. We weren’t compatible.” Taking in another breath she added, “Aunt Jenny would say that all human beings are afraid to show themselves too soon, and maybe you should see it the other way. You have to start as you mean to go on. It’s better to find out if you’re compatible sooner rather than after weeks or months of wasted energy, like you’d said about Sophia.”

  Alexander smiled, “You see? You’re so wise. I was right to trust you.”

  Warmed by his words she nodded and asked, “So when do you plan to go forward with this?”

  Alexander shrugged, broke eye contact with her and said, “There’s a BBQ party this Saturday. I’ll invite her to go with me, I suppose.” His eyes seemed to ask her what she thought about that.