by Alexa McLean
Cherishing His Best Friend:
A Billionaire Protector Mystery Romance
By Alexa McLean
Table of Contents
Title Page
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BONUS SERIES
Chapter 1: Brandi
Chapter 2: Reis
Chapter 3: Brandi
Chapter 4: Reis
Chapter 5: Brandi
Chapter 6: Reis
Chapter 7: Brandi
Chapter 8: Reis
Chapter 9: Brandi
Chapter 10: Reis
Chapter 11: Brandi
Chapter 12: Reis
Chapter 13: Brandi
Chapter 14: Reis
Chapter 15: Brandi
Chapter 16: Reis
Chapter 17: Brandi
Chapter 18: Reis
Chapter 19: Brandi
Chapter 20: Reis
Chapter 21: Brandi
Chapter 22: Reis
Chapter 23: Brandi
Chapter 24: Reis
Epilogue: Brandi
BONUS SERIES
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Chapter 1: Brandi
5:00 A.M.
My alarm echoed its ear-piercing song and it penetrates right through my skull. I groaned and rolled over to the other side of my bed, attempting to drown out the sound with my pillow. Unfortunately, it didn’t work.
The alarm grew louder and louder with each passing minute but I just couldn’t force myself to get out of bed. I was so warm and comfortable – couldn’t the day wait just a little bit longer?
Just then, there was a knock at my door. “Brandi, sweetie, it’s time to get up now.” His tone made me want to gag. Despite my age and my financial stability, he still treated me like a child. But I had a hunch that he would continue to treat me as such until I was sixty-two and collecting retirement checks. “The diner isn’t going to run itself, you know.” And another thing, my father was incredibly chipper, especially in the morning. How someone could be such an early bird was beyond my level of understanding.
“Alright, I’ll be out in a minute,” I called as I finally turned off my alarm. What followed was pure silence. I basked in its peacefulness before raising my head just a tad to look out the window. The sun was cresting over the horizon, casting the town in an orange hue. Most people were still enjoying the sleepiness of their sheets but not me. Living with my father meant waking up at the crack of dawn. You would think that after working with him all my life I would have developed some of his early morning energy but I was never blessed with such luck.
I forced myself out of bed and stretched my sluggish limbs. From there, I shuffled into the bathroom and splashed some cold water onto my face. It helped wake me up but not by much.
By the time I stood in front of the closet, my brain was just starting to defog. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes before grabbing my uniform. It wasn’t anything fancy. Just a pair of black jeans and a shirt branded with the diner’s logo. My father, ever original, had named the restaurant after his only daughter – me. And, for this reason, I was never able to get away from it. Oh, trust me, I had plenty of dreams but with time they were snuffed with the reality that I would be expected to take over the family business whether I wanted it or not. To deny that inheritance would mean breaking my father’s heart and that wasn’t something I could ever bring myself to do.
With a sigh, I looked over at the guitar hanging from my wall. I couldn’t remember the last time I had picked it up. My fingers ached to run along the cords – to practice the way I did when I was a kid.
The thought did nothing but make me sad so I pushed it away. I squinted against the darkness of my room and managed to find my apron hanging on the edge of my cluttered vanity. I should really find the time to clean that thing but then again, I could never be bothered to put in the effort. It wasn’t like I really needed a vanity to begin with. Jeremy, my boyfriend, never paid attention to what I did so I slowly stopped caring about dolling myself up in the morning. What was the point?
When I finally made my way down to the kitchen, my father was waiting for me at the table. He had a cup of coffee in his left hand and the newspaper in his right. He looked up just long enough to smile at me before sticking his nose back into the sports section. “How is the team doing?” I asked.
“Horrible.” He grumbled. “Their track record this season is absolute trash. I had a hunch that this new coach of theirs would be a good-for-nothing –”
I had a sense that my father would dish out a string of obscenities so I tossed him a reprimanding look that stopped him dead in his tracks.
He chuckled. “You’re so much like your mother.”
“I had to get my good looks from somewhere,” I said with a wink.
“Ouch.” He faked a wince and put down the paper. “But I mean it. She used to look at me with that same look whenever I took a drink too many.” His shoulders sagged with the memories. “I should have strived to be a better husband... she deserved a king and I was nothing more than a pauper.”
“Dad...” I frowned. “Mom wouldn’t want you getting depressed this early in the morning.” I reached into the pantry and pulled out a fresh jar of peanut butter along with some of our favorite crackers. “You always told me that she woke up with a smile.”
“She did.” He nodded. “She was always smiling and it was the sort of smile that could light up an entire room. I tell you, she was the prettiest girl in town. I still can’t figure out how I managed to snag her as my wife.”
“That’s because mom saw that you were a good man.” I pushed a plate of crackers in his general direction. He ignored them. Lately, he had been stuck in the past more and more often. My mother had been dead for over 25 years and yet, he couldn’t move on. He was completely heartbroken and it was only getting worse with age. “You know... maybe you should think of finding a companion –”
“I will not replace your mother.” He said with such firmness that I nearly dropped the knife I was holding.
“I wasn’t implying another woman. I meant along the lines of a dog or something. I think it might do you some good. That way you wouldn’t have to go on your morning runs all by yourself.”
“I don’t need a dog.” He folded his arms over his chest and I knew that the conversation was over. He no longer wanted to talk about it but I wasn’t about to let it go so soon. The man needed a dog.
“We could go down to a shelter. There are plenty of dogs that need a good home.”
“Brandi.” Now he was using his ‘dad voice.’
“Okay, okay, but I still think it’s a good idea.”
“You know what I think is a good idea? That we hurry up and get to the diner before we’re late.” He was up on his feet before I could even blink. A second later, the front door slammed behind him.
THE DINER WAS QUIET that day. By the afternoon, the booths were empty and only a couple of regulars lingered by the counter, sipping on their coffee.
“Can I refill that for you?” I asked a veteran that spent every afternoon in our establishment.
He looked up and fiddled with his hearing aid. He was about to ask me to repeat myself when he noticed the coffee pot in my hand. So, he nodded and offered a semi-toothless smile. “Thank you.” His hand crept onto mine and he gave it a squeeze. “It’s always a pleasure to see you, Brandi.”
“And you, Mr. Alves.”
When I was finished refilling everyone’s coffee, I busied myself by polishing the mirrors that lined our back wall. I really scrubbed down the surface, wanting to make it sparkle and my reflection shine. I considered myself for a moment and frowned. I had way too many freckles and my nose was slightly crooked. Compared to all the models I saw on TV, I was the epitome of a plain Jane.
Ding!
I turned around, ready to greet our newest customer only it wasn’t a customer at all. It was my boyfriend, Jeremy. He worked as a letter carrier but he sucked at his job. Most of the time, people failed to receive their packages and he was the one to blame for it.
“Hey, toots.” He said with a wink. I hated it when he called me ‘toots.’
“Shouldn’t you be working right now?” I returned with a hand on my hip. “If your supervisor finds you slacking off again, you’re going to be out of a job.”
“Don’t worry about it, baby. He isn’t going to find out. I’m slick.” He boasted as he tugged on his shirt like he was wearing an expensive suit or something. “So long as you’re with me, you’ll never have to worry about anything.”
“In that case, where’s our mail?” I asked.
“Hmm...” He searched through his satchel but it was a complete and utter mess. No wonder mail was always going missing during his shift. “Doesn’t look like you have any.”
“Ah,” I said, unconvinced. “Well, maybe tomorrow.”
“And maybe you should hit me up with some of that delicious coffee. I could really use the caffeine. I was up all night –”
“Let me guess, you were up all night playing that new game of yours.” Jeremy had a video game addiction. More often than not he picked playing a game over spending time with me. Honestly, I didn’t know why I kept him around. He wasn’t doing anything to improve my quality of life. Maybe I was the one that needed a dog. It sure would beat the lowlife I called a boyfriend.
Wanting to get him back through the doors as quickly as possible, I poured his coffee into a to-go cup. Despite this, he still sat down and took his jolly old time drinking it.
“Wanna come over my house tonight?” He asked.
“Um...” Agreeing would most certainly result in a night spent watching him scream at the TV while his bros shot him dead in some shooter game. “I have some stuff I need to work on with my dad – you know, for the dinner.”
“Aww, come on. Can’t you do it some other day?”
“Actually, no.”
“You’re missing out.” He said. “But, suit yourself.” To my relief, he got up and grabbed his bag. “Anyway, I should probably get going. I’ll see you around, toots.”
“See you,” I mumbled under my breath.
As soon as he was gone, my father emerged from the kitchen with a permanent-looking grimace on his face. “Seriously, Brandi. Why do you put up with that guy? I’ve told you time and time again that he isn’t worth your time. You deserve so much more.”
“I don’t need to hear it, dad.” I returned to cleaning the mirrors. “Jeremy isn’t a bad guy. He just needs to get his life together.”
“Get his life together? There’s a better chance of hell freezing over. Is that really the sort of guy you want to spend the rest of your life with? I thought I raised you better than this.” He continued his lecture.
And honestly, he was right. I didn’t want to marry Jeremy. He was more a filler – someone that helped take the edge off the loneliness I felt. It was hard living in such a small town. There really wasn’t much to choose from in the romance department. But the longer I waited, the less chance I had at finding Mr. Right. Time was quickly passing me by and I didn’t know what to do about it.
“You should have stuck with Reis when you had the chance.”
His name was enough to bring an acute sting of pain into the depths of my heart. Reis was my childhood best friend. We did everything together and I mean everything. All through preschool, we were inseparable. And sometime in high school, I started to like him as more than just a friend but I never acted on those feelings because I was terrified of ruining our friendship. So, I kept my thoughts locked away in a diary and they never came to the surface.
Now, it was too late because Reis no longer lived in town and he had made a name for himself in the world. “I just read that he achieved billionaire status.” Some nights, I couldn’t stop myself from stalking his success. I was happy for him but at the same time, I was insanely jealous. He had accomplished his dreams while I was rotting away in some rural part of Maine. It just wasn’t fair.
“I always knew he was a good kid.” My father nodded his approval. “He’s going places. The sky’s the limit for that one.”
“Can we change the subject, please?” I said. “I can regret passing up on Reis all my life but there’s no point in crying over spilled milk. It’s never going to happen. He’s probably soaking up the sun in Italy with some Venetian babe and here I am cleaning up tables for a living...”
Chapter 2: Reis
A FEW WEEKS LATER.
Do you know what the funny thing about money is? I swear the more you spend it the less you use it. For example, I spent over two million dollars – yes million with an ‘M’ – on a pool for my Miami mansion and yet, I never use it but once or twice a year. The same thing goes for my collection of fancy cars. Sure, they’re pretty swell to drive but that doesn’t mean much when you come home to an empty bed.
Now, I know what you’re thinking: if I’m as filthy rich as I say I am doesn’t that just mean I can get any girl on the planet? Sure. Money can buy you just about anything except one very important thing and that’s happiness. I know it sounds like a horrible cliché but it’s the truth.
All these girls that are more than willing to take my money in exchange for companionship, they don’t bring any value to their relationships. I’d probably get more bang for my buck trying to date a cardboard cut out from the local comic book store.
And yet, here I am surrounded with a bunch of women who want nothing in terms of a meaningful relationship. To them, I’m just a walking stack of cash and that’s all I’ll ever be.
“Reis!” Someone called out.
I looked up from my book and saw Kelly, the redhead of the group standing atop the diving board. She wore the skimpiest bikini I have ever seen. She probably would have been better off wearing nothing at all. Although that wouldn’t have improved her chances with me. I’m not a huge fan of redheads, especially those who dye their hair to that obnoxious level of brightness.
Still, I smiled. This was enough encouragement to get her to make the dive. She was graceful, I’ll give her that.
With perfect form, she sliced through the water and disappeared toward the bottom. A few seconds later she reemerged and leaned against the side of the pool. It didn’t surprise me that her top had vanished.
Her eyes dropped down to imply that it was okay for me to look.
But I had no intention of doing so. I just went back to reading my book. Frankly, learning about the healthcare business was much more interesting than anything she had to offer me.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her pouting like a child. That was another reason why I didn’t particularly care for her. Maturity just wasn’t in her vocabulary.
So, why did I bother to keep
her around? For one simple reason: loneliness. It can be the death of a man, especially a successful businessman such as myself. After a stressful day at work, its just nice to have someone to sit down and watch a movie with even if you don’t exactly like the girl. It definitely beats watching that movie on your own – trust me.
“Oh, come on!” She had gotten out of the water and snatched the book right out of my hand. Before I could stop her, she threw the book into the pool where I saw it sink toward the bottom.
A growl emerged from the back of my throat as I rose to my feet and towered over her. “Why would you do that?”
She giggled. “You know I like when you go all tough guy on me. It makes you super handsome.” As she spoke, she leaned forward, pressing her breasts against my torso. “And besides how can you just sit around and read a book all day when you can be with me instead?” She twirled a strand of bright red hair around her finger as if that would entice me to sleep with her.
Apparently, Kelly had the thickest skull known to man. I hadn’t slept with her during the six months of our relationship. Clearly, I wasn’t interested but she couldn’t seem to figure that out.
“Don’t you want to have a little bit of fun?” She cooed as she nibbled on my earlobe. “I promise you won’t regret it.”
I shrugged her off and turned toward the house. Through the fence I noticed the delivery man step onto the front porch with a rather large package in his hands.
“That must be the stuff you ordered,” I said in an off-handed manner.
Kelly shrugged with delight and ran forward to greet the delivery man. She didn’t even seem to mind that she was still topless and neither did the delivery man. Her laughter seemed to echo through my head and I started to get a headache from it.
So, I slipped inside and enjoyed the peace and quiet.
It didn’t last very long before Kelly came barging through the front door her lips stretching from ear to ear in a ridiculous smile. “Reis, babe, can you help me open this?” She practically threw the box into my lap. It weighed a ton. She had probably maxed out her credit card again. She would be begging for more money come tomorrow. I was starting to think that keeping her around was doing more harm than good. Why did I need her in the first place? Because I was terrified of finding myself alone.
