Melody Anne's Billionaire Universe: Refuse to Settle (Kindle Worlds Novella)

by Stephanie Haefner

  “But only if I do things your way.”

  He sucked in a breath. “It’s not my way. It’s the way of successful businesses.”

  “I don’t care. I refuse to settle. And if that means I will never be a success, then so be it. I have to live with myself and the choices I make. Not you.” She bent to pick up the clothes she had tossed on the floor the night before, dressing as fast as she could.

  “What are you doing?” he asked, exhaustion in his voice.

  “Leaving.”

  “Come on. Don’t be like this.”

  She looked him dead in the eyes and all the admiration she’d felt was gone. “I knew this all had to be too good to be true. My initial instincts about you were true. You’re a typical rich boy who wants to control people.”

  She stomped out of the room before he had a chance to say anything. She expected him to call after her, catch her before she turned the doorknob, like in the sappy chick flicks Charlene loved. Maybe Jilly hoped he would. That he’d grab her and tell her she was wrong about him and apologize. Beg for forgiveness. Reassure her that the last few weeks of her life hadn’t been an impossible dream.

  But he didn’t.

  Jilly held it together until she reached her car. Once inside, she let her tears fall. Man, she had been so stupid. This whole mess was her fault. She never should have let him in. Never should have believed he was different.

  * * *

  Jilly opened the door to the café, freshly showered, hoping she looked only half as miserable as she felt.

  “What are you doing here? I wasn’t expecting you for at least an hour.” Charlene then noticed her red, puffy eyes. “Uh oh. What happened?”

  “Everything’s a mess.” Jilly erupted in tears, unable to keep them in. Good thing the café was empty. For once that was a blessing.

  Charlene pulled her into her arms then ushered her to a table. “Is he cheating on you? I’ll kick his fucking ass.”

  Jilly shook her head. “No. It’s nothing like that.”

  “Then what?” Charlene smoothed Jilly’s hair and wiped away her tears.

  She tried to explain, but much of it came out mixed with sobs. Charlene held her tight, usually the one in need of consoling after an asshole boyfriend had done something horrific. Now it was Jilly’s turn for misery.

  “I thought he was different,” Charlene said, once Jilly had calmed down and relayed more of the story.

  “I did, too. That’s what happens when you ignore what the past has taught you.” She shook her head as another tear rolled down her cheek. “So so stupid.”

  “You’re not stupid. You just got lost in the love and magic.”

  “I did. And I’m smarter than that. I completely disrespected my mother’s memory by getting caught up with such a selfish jackass.”

  “Jilly…” Charlene pulled her in close again. “Don’t do that to yourself.”

  “It’s true. She must be so disappointed in me.”

  “You listen to me,” Charlene said and held Jilly at arm’s length. “I never met your mom, but you are not a disappointment. You are awesome. Look at the way you stood up to him! It was something she was never able to do and I bet she’s so damn proud.”

  Jilly met her eyes and thought of her mom, how she’d obeyed her husband’s every wish, cowered to him, but when they were alone, she’d encouraged Jilly to be strong and independent. To be the woman she was unable to be. And she would be that woman now.

  Her mom had been broken and weak, taking the only way out she knew, but Jilly was not weak. Her mother had raised her to be strong. She’d gotten out before it was too late, before she’d been sucked into Colin’s world. She’d stood up to him and refused to play by his rules. She’d be successful. She’d prove him wrong. She’d prove she didn’t need him for a damn thing.

  * * *

  Colin lay in bed, still frozen with shock. What the hell had happened? Somehow Jilly had viewed his offer to invest in the café as an all-out attack on her lifestyle. That’s not what he’d done. And who the hell had given her the right to insult him like that?

  The last few weeks with Jilly had been wonderful. They’d started to build something real. She admitted she had misjudged him in the beginning, and knew how much it hurt him to have been judged at all. How much he hated being compared to someone like his father. So how could she say the things she had before she stormed off?

  So much for the normal, healthy relationship he’d thought they had.

  He got out of bed and headed for the bathroom. Once there he found one of her tank tops. He picked it up and brought it to his face, inhaling her sweet scent. He missed her already. He longed for her. In his arms, in his bed…in his life. In that moment he knew he loved her.

  Somehow he had screwed up, but this was fixable, right? He loved her, and knew she loved him. He could figure out what he did wrong and make it right. It sounded sappy, but love could conquer all. He just needed the opportunity.

  Colin dressed and trotted out the door. He needed to see her, find out what he did that was so horrible, and beg her forgiveness. He’d get down on his knees if he had to.

  He pulled into a parking spot in front of the café. Once inside, he called for her.

  “What do you want?” Charlene stepped out from the kitchen, a look of disgust across her face.

  “I need to talk to her.”

  “No you don’t.”

  “Where is she? This doesn’t concern you.”

  “Oh, yes it does. As the only person on this planet who gives a shit about her, it sure as hell concerns me.”

  “I do care about her. I love her.”

  “You love her? Does your definition of love include making people do things they don’t want to do? Asking them to change who they are in the name of money?”

  “Of course not.”

  “That’s exactly what you did.”

  “No I didn’t.”

  “See, that’s your problem. You are such an egotistical asshole that you can’t even recognize when you’ve hurt someone.”

  “Call me what you want, but I know how to run a successful business. That’s what I was trying to help her do.”

  “By insisting she change it? I know you have this legacy you’re building for yourself with the car thing, but has it ever occurred to you that she wants to leave a legacy of her own? And do it her own way, just like you are? How dare you ask her to give up on her dream? If you really love someone, you support them. You don’t try to change them.”

  Is that what he had done? Is that how Jilly saw it? “That’s not what I meant to do.”

  “Well, you did it. So either buy something or get out.”

  Colin didn’t know what to do, what to say. It was probably best if he just left. It was probably best if he left Jilly alone forever. He’d hurt her and he hadn’t even known it. He couldn’t bear the thought of doing that again. She was better off without him.

  Maybe he was turning into his father after all.

  Chapter 14

  Jilly pressed her cheek against the cool metal of the refrigerator, tears trailing down her cheeks.

  “Did you hear all that?” Charlene asked.

  Jilly nodded.

  “Are you okay?”

  Another nod.

  “I can handle the café for the rest of the day. You should go home.”

  Jilly wiped her cheeks. “I can’t. I’ll just lay in bed and obsess. I need to be here. I need to figure out a way to pay my bills.”

  “It can wait.”

  “No! It can’t!” Jilly didn’t mean to yell at Charlene, especially after she’d been so wonderful. “He may be an asshole, but he was right. He’s a good businessman and I’m failing at it.”

  “Don’t listen to him. You’re doing great.”

  “I’m really not. My bills are piling and I can’t pay them. At this rate I’ll be out of business by summer.”

  “What? Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “It’s not easy to
admit you’re a failure.”

  “You’re not a failure.” Charlene took her into her arms again. “We’ll brainstorm and find a way to bring in more customers. There’s gotta be a way to fix it.”

  “Maybe.”

  Jilly breathed deep. She’d just have to work harder. Find a way. She owed it to her mother to succeed.

  Charlene stayed with her the rest of the afternoon, taking care of customers so Jilly could concentrate on growing the business. She made a list of more local restaurants to call, places that might be interested in her desserts. And she looked into alternative venues as well. Gyms, spas, yoga studios. Anything that sounded like it might be interested in healthy all-natural treats.

  “You ready to go?” Charlene said as she peeked her head into the small office.

  “No. I have a bunch of fruit I need to use up before it goes bad. And I want to make up some sample boxes. I’m hoping to drop them off tomorrow at some local restaurants.”

  “Okay. Don’t stay too late.”

  “I won’t.”

  Jilly locked up behind Charlene and turned her Open sign to Closed. She headed in back and got to work, testing out a new muffin recipe as well as some tried and true pies.

  A knock sounded from the front door, startling Jilly. She looked up to find Sandra and her wide smile.

  “I saw your car outside,” she said when Jilly opened the door. “What are you doing working so late on a Sunday?”

  “What are you doing here at all?”

  “Prep work for a party. Your turn.”

  Jilly sighed. “Trying to save my business.”

  “Want some help? Or an ear?”

  “Sure.” Jilly let her in and made her some coffee. “I just don’t know what to do. Bills are piling up and I don’t have the money to pay them. I haven’t heard back from the restaurants I was waiting on, but I’m going to try some more. I also want to approach some other businesses, too. Maybe spas will be interested in buying my treats to give out to clients.”

  “There you go. Thinking outside the box. You’ll find a way. I almost lost my shop not too long ago, but it all worked out.” She sipped as she eyed Jilly. “So, are your eyes that red and puffy over the business, or is there something else?”

  She turned away from her friend. “Something else.”

  “Does it have anything to do with that young man I saw you with? He sure seemed like he liked you.”

  “He did. But that’s over now.”

  “Why?”

  In the end, it was a very simple reason. “He wanted me to be someone I’m not.”

  “If there’s anything I’ve learned in my fifty-some years on this earth, it’s that misunderstandings and assumptions can be detrimental to any relationship. Are you absolutely sure it wasn’t one or the other?”

  Jilly thought about it. Colin wanted to help her, but his idea of help meant taking over and doing things his way. He wanted her to change her values in order to find business success. That was not her style. Never would be. And she couldn’t be with a man who asked her to do that.

  “I guess I’m to blame. I assumed he knew me,” she said. “Because someone who knows me, and claims to love me, would never try to control me or ask me to change.”

  “Very true.” She took another sip. “Trust your gut instinct. It will never steer you wrong.”

  “Thank you.”

  Sandra stood and headed for the door. “Let me know if I can help.”

  Jilly went back to her pie making. Sandra was wrong. Her gut didn’t know anything. Her gut had told her to trust Colin, a man she knew was wrong for her. It had made her kiss him at the shelter, then fall for him over and over. Her gut made her think she could have a happily ever after with a man so different from her. Made her think he was different from the men like him from her past.

  Her gut had been very, very wrong, and from here on out, her brain was in control.

  * * *

  Jilly made it home by nine and found Charlene on the couch with a bowl of popcorn.

  “She’s All That just started. I know how much you love it.”

  “Yeah. Just what I need tonight. A movie about a rich boy who tries to change the poor girl into what he likes instead of accepting her for who she is. Perfect.”

  “Oh. Sorry. We can pick something else.”

  “It’s fine. You watch it. I’m exhausted.”

  Jilly headed for her bedroom.

  “Wait,” Charlene said. “Can we talk a sec?”

  Jilly stepped back toward her. “What?”

  “He said he loves you. You did hear it, right?”

  Of course she had. And she refused to admit how fluttery her chest had gone when he’d said it. Jilly plopped onto the open end of the couch. “It doesn’t change anything.”

  “You didn’t see his face when it clicked. When he realized what he’d done. I don’t think he meant to hurt you.”

  “But he did.”

  “No one’s perfect.”

  “Are you implying that I should forgive him? Run off and marry him? Subject myself to a lifetime of misery and control, just like my mother?”

  “Colin is not your stepfather, and you know that. I think you should talk to him. Give him another chance.”

  “Another chance to break my heart? No way. You watch way too many sappy movies. Life doesn’t work like it does in Hollywood. Real people don’t always get happily ever afters.”

  “They can if they work for it instead of giving up after the first fight.”

  Jilly couldn’t believe this. Was Charlene for real? “Whose side are you on?”

  “Yours. Always yours. But you were happy with him and if there’s something there, I don’t want you to throw it away.”

  Jilly stood. “I’m going to bed.”

  “Please think about it.”

  She didn’t want to. If she was lucky, she’d forget she ever met Colin Rutherford IV.

  * * *

  Colin tossed and turned all night. “Welcome back, Insomnia.” He ached for Jilly’s touch, her body curled around his, her sweet scent lulling him into slumber. He missed her, and for so much more than just her body.

  He replayed their argument a hundred times, finally realizing where he had gone wrong. He’d acted like his father. So fucking stupid. But he wasn’t his father. His actions came from a good place, not a selfish one. All he wanted to do was help her, build a future with her. A silly little dream of happily ever after.

  But he did indeed ask her to change. It was a sobering realization for him. He’d wanted to help her, but on his terms, and that was wrong.

  At three a.m. Colin was out of bed. He booted up his laptop. He had a lot of friends in a lot of high places, and he was going to take advantage of that. He firmly believed in Jilly and her product and there was nothing wrong with nudging business in her direction. He was sure one of her biggest issues was that people just didn’t know she existed.

  He was going to make damn sure the world knew she existed. That everyone knew who she was and the amazing food she could create. He wanted her to make her dreams a reality, even if he couldn’t be a part of it. Even if he never got to hold her again.

  Colin opened his email, drafted a quick letter, then accessed his contact list. He added about a hundred people who he thought would be interested. Maybe it would help her.

  Chapter 15

  Jilly parked her car then rounded the corner toward the café. Weird. There were a bunch of businessmen milling around her patio, papers and smartphones in hand.

  “Good morning,” she said as she opened the door. They filed in behind her. As they looked over her chalkboard menu, she flipped the light switch and turned her Open sign. The second she stepped behind the counter, they formed a line behind it. “What can I get you?”

  Jilly took orders and filled them: coffees, lattes, pastries and breakfast items to go. The stream of customers remained steady all morning. She panicked for a moment when a young girl came in, definitely some s
ort of assistant or intern, and asked for a dozen breakfast wraps to go. Jilly barely had enough supplies to complete the order.

  A lull finally fell at ten. What the hell was going on? She took the moment of quiet to clean up and make a shopping list of breakfast ingredients.

  As the noon hour approached, business picked up, as it did most days, but not quite like it was that day. The line at her counter was ten-customers deep and she was starting to panic.

  “Jilly! What’s going on?” Charlene had stopped in, as she often did on her lunch break.

  “Please help me.”

  Charlene grabbed an apron, washed her hands, and jumped in.

  After about forty-five minutes, they had things under control and Jilly took the opportunity to walk around the café, checking on customers and cleaning tables.

  “Is everything okay here?” she asked a table with two women in chic business suits.

  “Perfect. I’ve had the hardest time finding a lunch spot near my office with gluten-free offerings. I think this is my new favorite place.”

  “Wonderful.”

  Jilly stopped by another table and took away a plate with a crumpled napkin. “Is there anything I can get you?” she asked the man.

  He held up a Lemon Dream cookie. “These are amazing. Can I have a dozen to take with me?”

  “Sure!” Jilly went to the display case and realized it was getting pretty low. There were only a few Lemon Dreams in there. She turned to the back counter and the sample boxes she had made to drop off at local restaurants and businesses. Looks like she was going to have dig into those.

  “Are you gonna be okay if I leave?” Charlene asked.

  “I hope so.” She threw her arms around her friend. “Thank you so much. You didn’t even get to eat anything.” Jilly pulled back and grabbed a sample box, handing it over. “Take this.”

  “Thanks. I’ll see you at home.”

  As the lunch crowd left, one by one, Jilly cleaned up and made a mental list of things to do. The café was pretty much tapped out on all sandwich and salad ingredients and her display case of goodies was looking pretty pathetic. This had never happened before and she had no clue why it was happening now.