by Rayne, Piper
“I had no idea. After you turned eighteen, your mom stopped sending me any updates.”
My breath hitches. “My mom sent you things?”
He smiles as though they were treasured moments. “Yeah, every year, she sent me five or six photos and a letter of what you’d been up to. I was so proud when you got accepted to Yale.”
But not proud enough to call me. “I’m sorry. I have to ask this…”
He leans back in his chair, his arms on the armrests.
“How could you be proud of someone you didn’t even know?” I ask.
His jaw clenches. “You’re half me. I’d like to think you got those qualities that led you to that kind of success from me. Did your mom tell you I graduated from Notre Dame? It’s not Yale, but considering your mom didn’t even go to college—”
Rage zaps through me like lightning, and I purse my lips, counting to ten before I embarrass both of us. I throw my napkin on the table. “I’m sorry, Clint, but I think this was a very big mistake on my part.” I grab my purse and stand from the table.
“Holly,” he calls, but I put up my palm to stop him.
I weave through tables of people laughing and enjoying their dinners. At the front door, I bend over at my waist and catch my breath while tears prick my eyes.
“Holly?” a familiar voice says.
I look up and run right into Austin’s arms, letting his large frame swallow me up as the tears burst from my eyes.
“It’s okay. It’s okay.” He runs his hand down my hair and my back, and I soak in the feelings of comfort and safety.
“Austin?” A female voice behind him alerts me that we’re not alone.
I move out of his arms, though he takes my hand before I can pull away completely.
“Rome, Savannah, go ahead and take my Jeep. I’m going to drive Holly home.” He gives the keys to his brother, who looks like a younger version of himself.
“Sure thing,” Rome says.
“Come on.”
He drags me toward the door, and once we’re out beside my car, he digs through my purse and finds the keys. He helps me into the passenger seat, rounds the SUV, and starts the car.
“How are you here? Why?”
Austin starts the car then shifts to face me. “My brother is a chef, and he was looking at a restaurant that’s for sale. He wanted Savannah and me to have a look with him.”
Embarrassment scorches my cheeks. “Oh, I’m sorry. You go do what you have to do. I’m fine.”
He tucks one lock of hair behind my ear. “We’re done. The place wouldn’t pass inspection, and he’d prefer a place in Lake Starlight anyway. We were just going to grab something to eat before heading home.” He pauses. “Why are you in Greywall? I thought your dad lived in Sunrise Bay?”
“He wanted to eat here.”
Austin’s eyes close briefly, obviously understanding without me having to explain it. “Let’s get you home.”
He backs out of the parking spot, and I tell myself that it’s okay to let him help me feel better tonight, given the circumstances. If there was ever a time to go against the rules we set for ourselves, it’s now, right?
Twenty-Five
Austin
The entire ride home, I stop myself from turning the car around, strolling back into that fancy-ass restaurant, and knocking Holly’s dad on his ass. She hasn’t revealed what has her so upset, but I can’t say I didn’t think this would happen. A man who can stay away from his daughter her entire life isn’t deserving of a relationship with her.
I pull into her driveway and park in the garage. “Did you eat?”
She shakes her head, grabbing her purse and climbing out.
“I’m going to run to Slice of Heaven Pizza. I’ll be right back.”
“I’m not hungry,” she says, looking sad and vulnerable.
“Maybe not now, but just in case. You can always heat it up later.”
I meet her at the back of her SUV before she heads to the house, and I wrap my arms around her waist, pulling her into me. “I’ll be right back.” I kiss her temple, and she nods. “Get dressed in your pajamas, okay?”
She nods.
By the time I knock on her front door with a pizza in hand, the lights are on in her house. I don’t give a crap about Buzz Wheel. I’m over that shit.
She opens the door, grabs my arm, and tugs me into her house. “Austin.”
“I don’t care anymore,” I say as she slams the door as though the paparazzi are snapping pictures on her front porch.
“Well, I do.”
“Why?”
She blows out a breath, takes the pizza, and walks into the kitchen. “Not now. I don’t want to talk about us.”
“Can I ask you a question?” I grab a water from the fridge, but my gaze shoots to the bottle of white wine on the counter, so I exchange my water for one of the six beers in her fridge.
“No.” She pulls two plates from the cabinet.
“Have you ever thought about going to California?”
She stills for a second then glances at me. “Don’t. Not tonight.”
“So, you’re up for this conversation another night?”
She rolls her eyes and plops a piece of pizza on a plate.
I know we had an agreement, but after my conversation with Fay, my mind kind of went crazy. I’m not staying here, but neither is Holly, and she’ll be unemployed, so technically she’d be able to move wherever she wanted. Is it crazy to ask her this, since the two of us haven’t been together that long? Probably. But I’m not ready to give her up yet. That much I’ve been able to admit.
“Okay, fine. We’ll put that conversation on the back burner—for now.”
She probably doesn’t feel the same way. Maybe I’m good as a friend and a fuck buddy to her, but that’s all. My chest feels tight at that thought, but I push it aside, knowing she really does need someone in her corner right now.
“So, what did your dad say?” I ask.
She shakes her head. “I don’t much want to talk about that either.”
“Okay. We could talk about the weather, or if you want, we could read Buzz Wheel.” I take our plates to the table, and we both sit down.
She lets out a frustrated breath. “He actually said that I got into Yale because he’s smarter than my mom.”
I cringe. “He said that?”
“Not in those exact words, but that was the gist. Can you believe it? He takes me to that expensive restaurant my mom would have to work an entire week to afford and then says that.” Her head falls to the table. “Add on that I lied to my mom when I came here and she just found out where I am, and it has not been a good night.” She looks at me. “What have I done to my life?”
I slide my chair out and open my arms. “You’ve done nothing except try to connect with your dad. That’s not a bad thing.” My phone buzzes inside my pocket, but I ignore it.
She gets up from her chair, sits in my lap, and puts her head on my shoulder. Her usual vanilla scent makes my dick stir. Would it do that if I had her with me every day?
“I feel like an idiot, and my mom is probably so sad right now.”
I cup the back of her head with one hand and rub her back with the other. “Why don’t you call her?”
I feel a little out of my element here. I hugged Phoenix and Sedona when they were eight and crying because they missed our parents. I would whisper promises of how much our parents loved them and were watching over us. This time, I don’t have a clue what to say to make Holly feel better. How do I comfort someone whose parent doesn’t want her in his life?
“I probably should get it over with.” She turns to check the clock. “She should be off work by now.”
She climbs off my lap, but I yank her back down and hug her, kissing her neck below her ear. “I meant what I said. You are an amazing person, and your father is a jackass for not seeing that.”
A small smile crosses her lips as she slips from my lap and heads into the living room.
I pick up my pizza when my phone buzzes again, reminding me of the text. Holly is talking in the other room, so I figure I’ll answer it while I have the time. There’s a missed call from Rome from a half hour ago and two text messages, so I slide those open.
Rome: I need you to come back and head to the Greywall Police Department.
Rome: Never mind. Forget I messaged you.
What the hell? I dial his number, but Holly walks back in with the phone clutched in her hand, so I end my call.
“What did your mom say?” I ask.
“I got her voicemail. She’s probably so mad at me that she’s decided to forget I exist, so I left a message.”
I open my arms, meeting her halfway across the room.
“A little dramatic?” she asks, leaning into my arms, her own at her side.
“Maybe a tad.” I chuckle, and the feeling of her back vibrating from her own laugher warms my heart. My phone rings and I pull back to take a look. Rome’s name flashes on the screen. “Sorry, let me just grab this quick.”
She nods, and I head into the living room, sliding my thumb over the screen.
“What’s going on?”
Rome laughs. “Sorry, it was a prank.”
But the loud noises behind him and the walkie-talkies I can hear says it wasn’t.
“Rome,” I say through gritted teeth.
He sighs. “Okay, it’s not, but damn it, you should’ve told me how crazy Savannah gets over this Clint Edison guy. She saw him in the restaurant and went crazy.”
Shit. I pinch the bridge of my nose. With everything going on, I forgot to follow up with her on the issue of him trying to steal our client.
“But I got Liam coming,” Rome says, trying to assure me.
“Liam? He’d usually be the one joining Savannah in a cell, wouldn’t he?”
“Well, he’s the only one I knew who’d have the bail money. I didn’t want to call grandma.”
“Bail?” I shake my head.
Holly comes into the room, and my stomach turns as all the events from this evening unfold. Rome, Savannah, and me heading to Greywall, finding Holly there after meeting her father, and now Savannah has been arrested because of a confrontation with Clint Edison.
I stare at Holly for a moment. How did I not put this together?
“What did Savannah do?” I ask, admiring Holly’s auburn hair. It might be a shade more orange than Clint’s, but Clint is graying already. Maybe I’m wrong. I blink, but still, I see some of Clint’s features in Holly.
“She picked a coffee mug up off a table and threw it at him. It hit him in the nose, and he filed charges.”
“You’re shittin’ me, right?”
“Nope. It was funny. I mean, except for the police being involved. But that man does something to her. Who is he anyway?”
I shove my hand through my hair. “Long story. About five years ago, he moved his operation to Sunrise Bay, and he’s been trying to poach our clients ever since. He’s been successful more than once. He plays dirty—lies, cheats, who knows what else—and he’s trying to take down Bailey Timber Corp.”
“Fuck him. If I’d known, I would’ve used my fist, not a damn coffee mug.”
Holly puts her arms around my waist and rests her head on my chest. She has no idea what I just figured out, what it means. If she did, she’d never be cuddling up to me right now.
“Rome? I gotta go. Tell Liam I’ll pay him back.” After I hang up, I nudge her chin up and place a chaste kiss on her lips with the fear that I’ll never do that again. “Let me ask you a question.”
“Okay.” A crease forms between her eyebrows.
I savor this moment between us before it all changes. She looks at me as though she never wants me to leave, and I see her only as Holly Radcliffe, the woman who’s slowly weaseling inside my heart every day, not the daughter of my family’s sworn enemy.
“How is…” I steal one more kiss, savoring the soft touch of her lips and closing my eyes. “Clint Edison?”
Holly’s eyes widen.
Fuck, this is one time I wish I was wrong.
I stuff my phone into my pocket.
“Austin.” She steps back. “What happened?”
“If I’m right, then my sister threw a coffee mug at your dad’s face, and now she’s in jail and he’s pressing charges.”
Her hand covers her mouth. “No.”
“Is your dad Clint Edison, owner of North Forest Lumber Company?”
She nods.
Son of a bitch. Or bastard, as it were.
“Why? Why would Savannah…?”
“Because your dad is a fucking asshole and is doing his best to kill Bailey Timber. Shit.” I pace, pushing a hand through my hair. “This is crazy.”
Her phone rings. “Seriously, we need to shut off our phones.”
“Answer it. I need time to think anyway.”
She heads back into the kitchen. All I hear her say is, “How did you get this number?” She continues on. “Yeah, okay… yeah, me too. Okay.”
I sit on the couch, getting dizzy from circling the small space.
“Sure… yeah, that sounds good. Talk to you then. Bye.” She walks back into the living room and sits next to me on the couch. “That was my dad. He apologized and said he wants to start over.”
I glance at her, my fingers itching to thread through her hair. “Magnificent.”
Her hand lands on my leg. “This doesn’t change anything, does it?” Her small voice tells me she knows it does.
“No, because we’re only fun, right?” I smack on a smile.
She doesn’t smile.
“I’m going to head out. I have to deal with this situation with Savannah.” Rome and Liam have it handled, but I need some time to think. Thinking clearly with Holly in the room is near impossible because all I see, all I smell, all I want is her.
“Okay. Thanks for tonight,” she whispers.
“Sure.” I walk to her front door.
“Do you want to take some pizza with you?” She points behind her to the kitchen.
“Nah, I’m not really hungry anymore.” I look at her one more time. Clint’s conniving face masks the beautiful woman I’ve come to… I shake my head. Don’t even go there.
“Okay.”
“See you tomorrow.”
I leave without looking back and head past Main Street for a mile until I walk up the sidewalk to a two-story house with a flowery wreath on the door and a welcome mat on the stoop. I ring the doorbell and hear voices approaching on the other side. The door opens.
“Austin,” Jack says. “You look like hell.”
“I need a drink.” I walk past him while Jack glances at Francie with concern.
Twenty-Six
Holly
I pull out my laptop after Austin leaves, searching Bailey Timber Corp and North Forest Lumber Company. There it is. A rivalry that’s existed the last five years, ever since my dad moved his company here, documented in the local online newspaper.
I sink into my couch, reading the horrible things my dad has done to them. Poaching customers with promises of lower prices and then not sticking to it. Bailey Timber accepting the customers back at the lower cost my dad promised when his company couldn’t deliver. Spreading lies about Austin’s family’s business to make it seem like they were shutting down and workers were going to lose their jobs. One article implied that my dad’s company might have something to do with a fire that destroyed some of Bailey Timber’s harvesting land, causing them to miss an important delivery date for one of their largest customers.
My eyes close, unable to read the nasty words about my dad any longer. He can’t be that bad, can he?
Moving my search to California, I look up teaching jobs. Maybe I could go there with Austin. Was he serious when he asked me? If he was, would he still want me to join him now? I scroll through a few listings then shut the laptop, my mind a complete mess. What am I doing?
Dialing Dana, I wait, praying s
he’s on break.
“Figured you’d call,” she says.
“I think I’m in trouble.”
“Well yeah, Karen’s probably calling the authorities and telling them you escaped a mental asylum.” She laughs, but I can’t find it within myself to do the same.
“No. I think I really like Austin.” I throw the words out there fast, as though they’ll be less true the faster I say them.
“I know,” she says nonchalantly.
“How do you know?”
“Because you’re you.”
I don’t even know what she means by that. “You’re never going to believe what happened.”
“What?”
I picture the meme of Michael Jackson eating popcorn, because I’m sure that’s what she’s like on the other end of the phone right now. “My dad owns Austin’s family’s company’s biggest competitor’s company.”
“Sorry, say that again?”
“Austin’s family owns Bailey Timber Corp.”
“Yeah, I got that from Buzz Wheel.”
I roll my eyes. “My dad owns North Forest Lumber Company.”
“Okaaay.”
“They hate one another. I just googled it, and my dad has done some unthinkable things to try to ruin their business.”
“Can’t say I’m surprised. He left you when you were a baby. Not exactly a stand-up guy.”
“Well, we just figured it out because Austin’s sister threw a mug at my dad and—”
I’m interrupted by Dana’s laughter. “These Baileys are awesome. I want to be an honorary Bailey when I grow up.”
“Okay. Focus. What do I do? He just left, and the look on his face said I disgust him.”
Her laughter seizes. “Oh, isn’t this so much more fun than when you’d go to those knitting classes?”
I roll my eyes. “Once. I went once because I wanted to knit you a hat.”
“I live in Florida. I don’t need a hat.”
“One day you will, and you’ll say, ‘Thank goodness Holly was so nice and knitted me this gorgeous hat.’”
She guffaws. “Whatever. Anyway, who the hell cares who your father is? The two of you don’t work there. And besides, you don’t even really know your dad. It’s not like you had any part in his evil ways.”
