Acquiring Ainsley_A Billionaires of Palm Beach Story

by Sara Celi

  I should have known better than to think that it would stay that way.

  Ashton had just stepped away from me on the way to the bar when it happened. Over the rim of my glass, I saw the one thing that would change the night forever—Oliva van Hewitt swept into the party.

  Seeing her there was like seeing the iceberg ahead of the Titanic and being helpless to do anything about it.

  She had on a black dress and a long, green necklace. I almost choked on my drink when I saw her, and panic pulsed through me. Keeping my attention fixed on her, I dropped my glass off on a nearby table, then walked toward my ex-girlfriend.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “It’s the season,” she said, her mouth smeared with red lipstick. “Everyone comes down to Palm Beach during season.” She shivered. “No one wants to stay in New York if they can avoid it. You know that better than anyone, sweetie.”

  I closed my eyes and willed my patience to arrive. When I opened them, it felt like the rest of the party had faded into the background. I only saw Olivia. The past. The pain. All the things I had wanted to leave behind.

  And now it all stared me in the face.

  I grabbed Olivia by the elbow and pulled her to the side of the party. No matter what, she wasn’t about to get farther into the event. Not if I could help it. “Why did you come? You weren’t invited. You know that.”

  “If you didn’t want me here, then why did you make your engagement so public?” She braced herself against the wall. Her gaze locked with mine. “This whole time, these last few weeks. I know why you were doing it—to tell me something. You wanted me to understand, didn’t you? Well, I get it now. I heard what you were trying to say and I—”

  “Stop. Just stop. I don’t give a damn what you think I was trying to say. I don’t care at all if you think I still love you. I don’t.” I looked over my shoulder at Ainsley, still in conversation in the center of the room. “One more time. I don’t love you. I’m falling in love with her. Simple as that.”

  “But I—”

  “You need to leave right now.” I set my jaw as the anger inside me built. “I’ll give you thirty seconds to get out of here before I call the police.”

  She recoiled. “You wouldn’t.”

  “Don’t try me, Olivia. You won’t like the outcome.”

  “But this is…” Her lip quivered. “This is our destiny. We’re supposed to be together, Trevor. This is how it is meant to be.” She placed her hand on my arm, but I jerked it out of her grip. “Don’t do that; don’t push me away. You don’t know what you are saying, or what you’re doing. You’re just fooling yourself.”

  “Trevor, who is this?”

  I whirled around to find Ainsley standing behind me with her hands on her hips. “Oh, my god.” I glanced back at Olivia, then toward the woman I considered my future. “I didn’t see you there…”

  “I’m Olivia.” She stepped around me and held out her hand. “And I’m guessing you are Ainsley. I’ve heard a lot about you and seen even more photos.”

  Ainsley didn’t shake the offered hand. Instead, she sneered at Olivia. “Oh, really? I’ve heard so little about you.”

  God love this woman. She could turn on the snobby elitism in a nanosecond.

  Oliva widened her eyes. “Oh, wow, insulting me right away, I see. And all I wanted was to come here and congratulate the two of you on your upcoming nuptials.”

  I took a protective step toward Ainsley and hooked my arm around her waist. She didn’t pull away from me, and I liked that. I liked it a lot. “If you don’t leave now, then we’ll have security escort you out,” I said to Olivia. “Fifteen seconds.”

  “But I don’t think—”

  “Ten.”

  “That was a fast five seconds.”

  I nodded. “And getting faster.”

  Olivia focused on Ainsley. “You probably have no idea what you’re getting into, and I pity you for that, honestly. It’s sad. If only someone had told you the truth about the guy that you’re marrying.”

  “I’ve had enough.” I signaled a passing waiter, one who had an empty tray. “Can you help us remove this guest, please?”

  He nodded. “Of course.”

  “She’s not wanted on this property and wasn’t invited,” I told him. “And the sooner she leaves, the sooner we can get back to enjoying our evening.”

  The server made a move toward Olivia, and she cried out. “I’m not leaving! I won’t go.”

  She pushed him, and I stepped in, then grabbed her by both arms as if I held her in a bear hug. “Come on,” I said. “Let’s go.”

  Olivia kicked and cried out against me, rubbing her face into my shoulder. But I managed to yank her through the door and out into the pathway between the main house of the Flagler Museum and the entrance gate. Ainsley followed me, and we moved to the parking lot in front of the mansion.

  The police detail working the front of the mansion saw us coming. He rushed toward us, asking several questions.

  “I’m the man who rented this place, and I can assure you, Officer, that I did not invite this unruly woman,” I told hm. “I would like to make sure that she doesn’t come back to the party anytime soon.”

  “You’re Mr. McNamara?” the officer asked. He studied me, then, as if he’d received some divine clarity, his eyes widened. “Oh, yes. I remember seeing your picture in tons of online articles.”

  I nodded, continuing to hold onto a squirmy Olivia. “Yes, that was probably me. Now, could you please take custody of her?”

  “Right away, sir.” The police officer moved toward her and took out some handcuffs. “Miss, if you don’t mind, please, let’s end this in a sensible and reasonable manner.”

  “I am being sensible,” Olivia said.

  “She isn’t supposed to be here,” I said, raising my voice a little. I glanced back at the glittering lights of the Flagler mansion pavilion. We needed to stop this from being a big scene, and we needed to stop it now. “She’s not invited.”

  “Miss, you need to leave.”

  “No,” Olivia insisted.

  The officer sighed. “If you leave now, I won’t arrest you. If you don’t, then I’ll have to take some more drastic measures, and I promise you, you don’t want to have that happen. That would be one of the worst things for you. Let’s end this quietly, and without incident.”

  “Without incident?” Ainsley huffed. “That’s an understatement. I’m sure half of our party guests already noticed her. She made quite an entrance.”

  “I like to offer people a choice. They can do things the easy way, or the hard way. And, miss, that is up to you tonight,” the policeman said to Olivia.

  Our attention returned to Olivia, who by then had fought so hard that she had frazzled hair, a disheveled dress, and smeared lipstick that gave a harsh, joker-like quality. I’d never seen her like this before, and she was so far away from the woman that I’d thought I had loved once. It was like seeing the end of something and the beginning, all at once.

  You don’t want to get arrested, Olivia. You won’t be able to turn this one back on me,” I said. “Not this time.”

  Ainsley crossed to my side and took my hand. “This is supposed to be one of the most important nights of our lives. And I won’t let her ruin it.” She shot me a wide-eyed glance then focused on Olivia. “Miss van Hewitt, this is your last chance to leave and let us get on with celebrating.”

  “Yes.” I gripped Ainsley’s hand tighter. “It’s your last shot, Olivia.”

  Bizarre would have been an optimum word for this moment. I’d never pretended that my life made sense, I’d never kidded myself about the privilege my life had contained, or the access my family’s money and name had given me. But, through it all, we’d never ventured into bizarre territory.

  Until then.

  “Okay,” Olivia said after a long moment of staring at us. “I’ll go. But not willingly. I’m not…” She shook her head. “I know you don’t want a scene, so I’
ll honor your wishes.”

  I huffed. “You’ve already created one, trust me. I don’t think you can make it much worse.”

  She ignored me and turned to Trevor. “You’re going to regret this. Regret her.”

  “I don’t think so. I’ve never been surer of anything in my life.” He shook his head. “And I don’t have to justify that to you. I don’t have to explain it to anyone.”

  “Fine.” She backed away from us, and tears began to stream down her face. “I get it. She wins. You’re delusional, but I get it. I’ll go.”

  Before the officer handcuffed her, Olivia turned on her heel and stumbled away from the main entrance to the Flagler Museum. We watched her grow smaller as she staggered down the wide path to the main parking lot, then she got into her car and backed out of the parking space.

  When her car exited the lot, I gaped at Trevor. “I’m… I’m in shock.”

  “Shock is a pretty good word for it.” He set his jaw. “Just can’t believe she showed up, as if she thought that she’d be able to convince me in some way that we could get back together again. I don’t—she’s crazy.” He threw up a hand. “The biggest mistake of my life.”

  “Unbelievable.”

  Still not sure she was gone, I strode through the parking lot, then out to the main street, and up to the large sign for the museum. The balmy Florida air kicked up around me, blowing my dress in the wind. I shivered as I studied the street, half expecting her to show up again. What a night it had been. What a week. What a month.

  “At least most of the party guests didn’t see her,” Trevor said when he reached my side. “So, we have that going for us.”

  I laughed. “I’d hardly call that a victory.”

  “We have to take what we can.”

  I laughed again, louder and fuller this time. “I never thought I’d have a life like this, I have to say it. And I never thought I’d end up with someone like you, but I’m so glad that I did.” I shrugged. “And I’m—I’m falling for you, Trevor.”

  “You are?” He took me by the hand. “You mean that?”

  “I don’t say things that I don’t mean.” I smiled at him. “And lately, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about what you told me that afternoon in New York, when you said you wanted a chance for this to be real.” I put a hand on the lapel of his suit. “Well, I want that, too, Trevor. In fact, I want more than that.”

  He grinned back at me. “Good, because it would be a shame if you didn’t.”

  With that, he kissed me. His lips molded to mine, and the warmth of his passion spread through my body. Every part of me felt amplified, and I knew I was right where I needed to be. I’d found someone I liked, someone who wanted to save my family. Most of all, I’d found someone to love.

  Which is why I didn’t see the car until it was too late.

  With a screech, the speeding Acura crossed two lanes of traffic, then jumped the curb, headed right to us. We had a nanosecond to get out of its path before it slammed head-on into the Flagler Museum sign behind us. I only heard a crunch of glass and a twist of metal as the car crashed against the concrete at a rate of speed I guessed to be three to four times the speed limit

  Everything seemed to slow down, and I could have sworn that I was floating above my body as I heard myself scream. “Oh, my god! Oh, my god! Oh, my god!”

  The crash lasted only an instant, but the damage proved profound, and when the moment cleared, I saw Olivia slumped across the front seat. I had broken glass in my hair, and dust all over my dress; she’d missed me by only a few inches.

  But worse than that was what I saw when I looked across the car, at the place where we’d been standing only a few moments ago. Trevor hadn’t been as lucky as me. He lay on the small grass lawn behind the sign.

  The impact must have thrown him there…

  “Trevor!” I shouted his name several times as I ran to his side. “Are you okay? Trevor, please, talk to me.”

  He didn’t move. He just lay there with his eyes closed and blood all over his suit. He was hurt, but I couldn’t tell where. I couldn’t tell how. I just screamed for him again, and again, and again.

  “Trevor, wake up!” I shook him a few times, and as I did, the Palm Beach police officer working security at the museum that night arrived next to us.

  “Miss Ross, I’ve already called 911. An ambulance is on the way. Let me see if I can get him to wake up.”

  He took me by the shoulder and helped me move out of his way so that he could help to revive Trevor. Only then did my attention turn to Olivia, who still slumped over the steering wheel. I rushed over to her.

  “Olivia…” I reached through the broken window and touched her body. Her limp arm fell to her side, and she didn’t make a sound. Sirens wailed in the distance, coming closer with each breath. “Olivia, can you wake up?”

  I touched her again. Nothing.

  “Please,” I begged. “You didn’t have to do this. You didn’t have to act out this way. If you could just—” The faint crooning of Elton John still played on the car stereo, and that gave me a sense of dread. She was dead. I knew it. I felt it in every cell of my body.

  “Miss, I think he’s waking up,” the police officer called out to me.

  I yanked my arm from the window and rushed over to him. “Trevor! Please, honey.” I knelt beside him again, and he groaned. “Trevor, can you please let me know if you are okay?”

  He moaned.

  “There was a bad accident,” I said over the deafening sound of two ambulances from the Palm Beach fire department as they parked in front of the museum. “And you’re hurt, but it’s going to be okay, if you can please just say something.”

  “Ugghhh.” He struggled to open his swollen eyes. A large gash marred his forehead. “Mef… I…”

  The EMTs got out of their ambulances and ran over to us. The first group headed to Olivia and began working on her. The second arrived at my side just as I placed a hand on Trevor’s jaw. “I’m here. I’m not leaving your side. Just stay with us, please.”

  His eyes struggled open. “Ainsley?”

  “I’m right here. You’re hurt, but we’re working on it. I think you’re going to be okay.” I was trying to sound optimistic, so I said this even though I didn’t believe it myself. “I just need you to hang on. It’s going to hurt for a while, but…”

  “Miss, has he been out since the accident?”

  I stood. “She raced toward us with the car.” I wiped a few tears from my face. “She’d been angry, and she was threatening us. I managed to get out of the way, but he…” I looked down at Trevor. “I don’t know.”

  “That’s fine.” The EMT gave me a reassuring smile and patted me on the shoulder. He had gray hair, dark circles under his eyes, and a burly frame. “You’re doing great. You’re upset, but we can take over from here. Just please, give us some space.”

  I moved out of the way and returned to the police officer’s side. Adrenaline coursed through my body, and I felt like I was going to jump out of my own skin with every move that I made. “I can’t believe this happened,” I said in between ragged breaths.

  “I know.” He wrote something on a white sheet attached to a metal clipboard. “I feel a little like it’s my fault. She was unstable when she left the property, but I didn’t expect her to take it this far.”

  “Ainsley!” My mother’s voice clipped through the air. She and a group of partygoers had just walked up to the accident scene. “What happened? How did—” She stopped short of the main accident area. “I don’t…”

  “Crazy ex-girlfriend,” I said, my gaze still focused on Trevor. The EMTs were loading him onto a backboard, so I guessed he’d be headed to the hospital. “I knew she had a lot of anger and hostility about him, but she took it out on him tonight.” I exhaled. “And I can’t believe it.”

  Mom’s gaze searched my face. “This is too much, Ainsley. You’ve been through too much. If you want to call this off, you can. I don’t think anyone w
ould blame you if you did. It’s okay to say no to this.”

  “No,” I said, and turned my full attention to Trevor. “I don’t want to end this at all. I want to keep it going. For the first time ever, I’ve realized something about my life. I love him, and that’s it. I love Trevor McNamara, and I’m going to make sure that he knows it.”

  When I opened my eyes, I saw one thing—Ainsley. Furrowed brow, face inches from mine, her index finger in her mouth, chewing on her nail. I didn’t know where I was, but I wasn’t outside the Flagler Museum any longer.

  “Trevor, can you understand me?” she murmured. “You’ve been asleep for a little while.”

  “Have I?” I twisted, and for the first time, a sharp pain rippled through my neck. Panic flooded my body. “Oh, my god.”

  “They said you’d be in a lot of pain, but it’s not serious.” She ran her hand through my hair. “No major damage. They don’t think you’ll be in here very long, especially now that you’ve woken up.” She took my hand, and relief swept over me.

  “Doctors? Oh, shit, I’m in the hospital, aren’t I?”

  “Yes, they took you to Good Samaritan last night, but you’ve mostly been out since then. Lots of drugs in your system to keep you pretty knocked out.” She moved closer to me. “But I’m so happy you’re awake now.”

  I turned, and the dull ache spread through my body. I winced. “What’s wrong with me? I don’t really remember what happened.” It was starting to feel like a sea of hazy memories floating around in my brain. “We were at the party and…”

  Ainsley shushed me again. “There’s no good way to tell you this, but… Olivia is dead. She died at the scene when she hit you with her car.” She tightened her grip on my hand. “But let’s not focus on that right now. I just want you to get better. The police officer said it’s a miracle that you survived. All you have is a concussion, some broken ribs, and a broken leg.” She tossed me a soothing smile. “And they’ve got you hopped up on some pain medicine.” Her smiled into a slight frown. “Do you want me to get the nurse to give you some more?”