The Billionaire Playboy

by Christina Tetreault

  “You're up early. I took you as more of a night person,” she said sparing him a quick glance.

  Jake watched as she poured cream into her coffee. “I'm meeting with the town administrator in about thirty minutes to assess the damage down by the river. And the first shipment of supplies from the foundation is arriving later.”

  Charlie didn't reply. Rather she studied him over the rim of her coffee mug. “Do you always go where the foundation gives out aid?”

  Jake nodded. “There have been a few times that I haven't, but I try to get there.”

  She made a surprised sound in the back of her throat but didn't comment.

  He didn't know why she was surprised by his answer. She probably knew that he was in charge of the Falmouth Foundation. It wasn’t a secret. “You seemed surprised?”

  Stepping away from the coffee so someone else could get some, she took a sip before answering. “I assumed you were more of a poster boy for the foundation. I didn't picture you as the hands-on type.”

  Annoyance swept through his body. She didn't see him as the hands-on type after all the work he'd already done. “And how do you see me?”

  Perhaps hearing the anger in his voice, Charlie's eyes narrowed and her back became ramrod straight. “You’re not exactly described as the hardest working man alive in the media,” she answered matter-of-factly. “According to them you're out with a different woman every night driving around in expensive cars. I assumed someone like that wouldn't be interested in physical labor.” Her tone wasn't rude. Rather she sounded as if she was reciting facts from a book.

  The media was great at portraying people in a way that was best for their ratings. Very rarely did they get the truth right. This wasn't the first time someone had assumed he was nothing more than a spoiled rich playboy and he was confident it wouldn't be the last. Normally, he would shrug it off. If someone wanted to believe the media's image of him he wouldn't bother with them. However, this time it troubled him. For some reason, he wanted to prove the doctor wrong. He wanted to show her the real Jake Sherbrooke.

  “I'm not going to lie. I like fast cars, but a different woman every night isn't my thing. You can't always believe what you read.” Jake clenched his teeth to keep his anger from creeping into his voice. “Why don't you spend the day with me? See what I really do.” He expected her to say no.

  Tilting her head to the side she studied his face. “When do we leave?”

  Jake forced himself not to smile. “Meet me by my truck in ten minutes.”

  Once again Charlie nodded and then headed in the direction of the kitchen. Jake couldn't help but watch and admire her retreating form. There was no mistaking her confident no-nonsense step. By inviting her along he knew he'd made his day more difficult, but he didn't regret his invitation. Not one bit. Only an insane man would regret having a beautiful woman by his side all day.

  After unwrapping the blueberry muffin he'd grabbed before coming outside, he raised it to his mouth. It was still warm from the oven and his mouth watered just looking at it. He bit into it just as his phone rang. With his free hand he pulled the smart phone from his pocket and checked the number.

  Blair again. She'd called earlier that week and he thought he'd made it clear that he wasn't interested in getting back together. Part of him wanted to ignore the call and let it go straight to voice mail. If he answered all he'd get was a repeat of their past conversation. If he ignored the call though, she'd only call again. Swallowing his mouthful of muffin, he answered the phone. Better to get the conversation over with now. “I don't have a lot of time Blair. I have an important meeting soon. What's up?”

  “I'm heading up to New York City this weekend and I wanted to see if you would join me. I thought maybe some time alone would be good for us.”

  Jake held back a groan. Time alone would only accomplish one thing; to remind him how ill-suited they were for each other. “I'm in the field right now, Blair. I can't go anywhere.”

  “Come on. You can sneak away for a weekend. Who'll know? There are others who can do the work.”

  “Blair, I told you before I'm not interested. We had fun together but it’s over.” So far he'd tried to be polite about the whole thing but she just didn't get it.

  On the other end of the line Blair droned on, but he didn't pay much attention as she reiterated their earlier conversation almost word for word. Instead his gazed focused on Charlie as she approached his SUV with a backpack slung over one shoulder and a travel mug in each hand.

  “Listen, I've got to go. I need to head out for my meeting. Have a safe trip to New York.” Jake cut Blair off in mid-sentence. He heard Blair mutter goodbye right before he hit the end button and stuffed the phone back into his pocket.

  “I thought we might both want some more coffee.” Charlie stopped next to him and handed him one of the mugs.

  “You read my mind. Only had time for one cup inside.” Before she could do it herself, Jake pulled open the passenger door for her.

  Surprise skittered across Charlie's face but she only murmured thanks before climbing into the front seat.

  “So what's the best way to Church Street?” he asked as he climbed behind the wheel and started the engine.

  ***

  Charlie carried another case of bottled water into the senior center. Situated near the center of town it worked perfectly as a temporary supply distribution center. Outside there were several other volunteers helping to unload the trucks filled with bottled water and canned food, each one sent by the Falmouth Foundation. They had already unpacked one truck containing blankets and clean clothes for those in need.

  After dropping the case next to the others she rubbed the dull ache in her back. She'd been working nonstop since climbing into Jake's truck that morning and her body felt it. First they'd met with the town administrator near the flooded areas of town. Together with the fire chief the four of them had gone out by boat so Jake could survey the damage firsthand before heading back to the town official's temporary office in the high school. The high school was one of the few buildings with electricity thanks to the generator supplied by the Falmouth Foundation. Workers were currently delivering the rest of the generators to other key buildings.

  After a meeting to discuss what further aid and funds were necessary they headed over to the senior center and converted it into a makeshift distribution center. They finished the job a mere ten minutes before the first supply truck rolled in.

  Charlie leaned against the wall. All around her people were coming and going. There wasn't a sole standing still including Jake Sherbrooke himself. When he wasn't carrying supplies off the trucks he was helping people bring what they needed to their cars. He treated them all as equals. Never once did he put on any airs and, like the day before, there wasn't any media around taking note like she expected. She was still trying to get her head around that fact. According to what she'd seen yesterday and today, he wasn't at all what she'd expected. And she had to admit, if it wasn't for him and his foundation the town would be in much rougher shape. The governor in Boston had declared a state of emergency for most of the North Shore but few towns had been affected as badly as North Salem. Still, state aid was spread thin and so far they'd received little help from the state itself.

  “All the trucks outside are empty. Sherbrooke said the next few won't be here for an hour or so. He wants everyone to take a break.” Michael Smith, a former high school classmate, said stopping next to her. “I'm heading home to check on things. “Want a ride?”

  At the mention of Jake, she began searching for him. The last she'd seen of him he'd been helping Mr. Wilson carry supplies out to his ancient pickup. “I'm good Michael. I think I'll just stick around here in case someone needs help.”

  “Suit yourself. See ya later.” With his final comment Michael headed towards the main doors with several other volunteers.

  In no time the senior center was virtually empty of workers. Only a handful of volunteers remained to distribute item
s as residents stopped in.

  After getting a bottle of water and an energy bar, Charlie pulled a folding chair over to the table and sat down. Damn, it seemed like every time she came home Mother Nature went crazy. The last time she'd come back a blizzard dropped 20 inches of snow on the state. The time before that an early winter nor’easter roared through New England. Maybe Mother Nature was trying to give her a hint. Maybe she should ask her family to visit her instead.

  From across the hall, the sound of the main door opening and closing echoed. Looking up just in time, she saw Jake enter the building and she almost sighed like a lovesick teenager. Normally she didn't get all worked up when she saw a good-looking man. She certainly came into contact with enough of them in the military. But there was something about Jake that turned her insides to mush and sent her heart rate into overdrive.

  “I thought you might have headed out with everyone else,” he said as he crossed the hall toward her.

  Jake entered the room and it felt like the temperature jumped twenty degrees. Today he looked more like a hard laborer with his sweat stained Cal Tech t-shirt and torn jeans than a pampered playboy and Charlie's pulse leaped with excitement. She shrugged and reached for another bottle of water. “I thought I would stick around in case anyone showed up looking for something. Besides I'd only have to come back in a little while.” Charlie slid the water bottle across the table toward Jake before he could say anything.

  Jake downed half the bottle in one long drink. “So what do you think?”

  Focused on the perpetual five o'clock shadow Jake seemed to favor, Charlie didn't immediately realize he was talking to her. Typically she didn't like any facial hair on a man. It reminded her too much of her father; he'd always sported a full beard. She could do without any reminders of him. Even after all this time the pain caused by his leaving remained. Yet she didn't mind facial hair on Jake. On him it only added to his sexiness.

  “Doctor?”

  “Think about what?” What had he asked her?

  “You more or less called me a lazy playboy this morning. What do you think now?”

  His tone was cool and direct but Charlie thought she detected a hint of vulnerability. Did her opinion matter to him? Could this man, who had everything, be insecure?

  “You're not lazy,” she answered without any hesitation. Man, she wished she'd chosen her words more carefully this morning. He'd been working just as hard if not harder than everyone else and not because he had to. He didn't live here, didn't have any family here. He could have just as easily directed everything from his office back in Virginia and had an assistant come out to give him updates. “Are you always this involved?”

  Jake finished off his water and reached for an energy bar. “Just about. The foundation is my baby. I like to make sure it's being run properly. I can't do that by sitting behind a desk all day.”

  If what she had seen here was any indication, the foundation and its employees ran like a well-oiled machine. Whatever else Jake Sherbrooke might be, he was a good leader. “I'm glad you offered aid. The town hasn't gotten a lot of support so far from the state.”

  Jake rolled his shoulders as if trying to work out some stiffness and Charlie couldn't help but notice the way his chest muscles rippled under his shirt. Without warning, memories of how that chest felt under her hands when she'd crashed into him the day before filled her mind. The memory brought an instant twinge of desire to her insides, and she found herself wondering what it would be like to be held against his broad chest.

  “The states have limited resources. They do the best they can but there's too much bureaucracy. That's one of the reasons I started the relief foundation.”

  His words cut through her momentary day dream. “You started it?” She could hear the utter disbelief in her voice and the expression on Jake's face told her he had heard it as well.

  “Even we playboys need something to do during the day when we are not cruising around in our expensive cars looking to pick up women.” Jake's voice was both sarcastic and amused at the same time.

  Nice going. You've managed to insult him twice in one day. “I'm sorry. Really I didn't mean to...”

  “You need to stop listening to the media, Doc. More than half of what they print is either pure B.S, or skewed beyond belief.”

  Charlie opened her mouth to reply but the cell phone in Jake’s pocket went off at that exact moment.

  “I need to take this. It's my assistant in Virginia.”

  Without another word he left, leaving Charlie to wonder what else the media got wrong about Jake.

  For the rest of the afternoon Charlie didn't see much of Jake. He had not spoken to her again after his phone call. Whether or not that was because he was annoyed by her earlier comments, she didn't know. After hanging up with his assistant he spent some time making other calls before the last few supply trucks rolled in and the volunteers returned to unload them. Every once in a while Charlie got the feeling that someone was watching her, but only once did she catch Jake eyeing her.

  He's probably right, she thought as she helped carry things out to Mrs. Anderson's car. The news and media rarely got the important news right, so why would it get anything else right? Besides she should know by now not to judge a person without getting to know them. And even if Jake was a rich playboy who went from woman to woman it didn't matter right now. All that mattered was that the town got the help it needed.

  Turning to head back inside, Charlie stopped when she saw a short chubby figure running up the road toward the senior center. At first the person was too far away to make out a face, but when the individual got closer Charlie recognized the runner. Jessica Quinn lived at the bottom on the hill with her grandparents.

  Panting, Jessica all but collapsed at Charlie's feet when she reached her. “My grandfather...fell...off... the ladder. Can't … get...up. No...phone or ...car.”

  Charlie didn't wait for Jessica to continue. She knew Jessica's grandfather and a fall from a ladder could kill a man his age. “Don't move.”

  Without any hesitation Charlie bolted into the senior center. Thankfully Jake stood just inside when she entered. “I need a ride … now.”

  Jake pulled his keys from his pocket. “Let's go.” He didn't need any further explanation. He knew by her expression it must be important. Before he could say anymore, she rushed back out the door and was half way to his SUV.

  “Where to?”

  “Down the hill to the big old yellow house. Jessica's grandfather fell.” Charlie nodded towards the other woman who climbed into the backseat of the SUV. Charlie handed the woman her cell phone. “It's 911, tell them what happened.”

  Gravel and dust kicked up as Jake sped out of the parking lot and he listened as Jessica answered the 911 dispatcher's questions from the backseat.

  “He turned eighty last month. He wasn't moving when I left. Please hurry.” Jessica's voice quivered and he sped up. He could only imagine how she must be feeling.

  There was no missing the huge monstrosity of a house with the crooked wooden sign hanging out front that read Blackthorne Farm; it was the only house on that stretch of road.

  Before the truck came to a full stop Charlie opened the door and jumped out. Throwing the truck into park, Jake watched as she sprinted across the lawn toward the prone figure on the ground. Would it be better if he kept Jessica back at the truck, out of the way? An upset granddaughter might make the situation worse. Then again, Charlie might need help and who knew how long it might take for the EMTs to arrive. He'd passed the fire station on his way into town so he knew it was located on the other side of town.

  Pulling the keys out of the ignition, Jake looked back at Jessica whose breathing remained labored from her run. “You're welcome to stay and wait here. I'm going to see if the doctor needs help.”

  Jessica shook her head causing her light brown bangs to fall into her eyes. “I want to be with him and my grandmother.”

  Jake could see the worry and fear etched on
her tear-stained face. He could understand her desire to be with her family. After getting out himself, he pulled open her door and helped her out of the SUV. Then he grabbed the first aid kit from the trunk and he followed Jessica up to the house where a seven-foot ladder remained propped against the house. On the ground lay an unmoving figure, his white hair covered in blood and his left arm bent at an unnatural angle. Next to him sat a weeping woman with a long gray braid and glasses.

  “He's breathing but unconscious. His pulse is strong though,” Charlie said when they joined her. “I need something for his head. He's got a nasty gash and is losing more blood than I'm comfortable with. There is no question that his left arm is broken.”

  Jake handed her the gauze pads from the kit, impressed at how calm and collected she remained as she continued to do an assessment of the elderly man. She didn't appear fazed at all by the situation unlike the two crying women kneeling next to the man.

  “His neck looks fine, but I don't want to move him. His skin feels cool. Is there an emergency blanket in the kit?”

  A quick search turned up the blanket the doctor wanted. Jake tore open the package and covered the injured man with the metallic-colored blanket. “What else can I do?” He felt useless standing there as she worked.

  Charlie didn't say anything, she only nodded toward Jessica who had started to sob uncontrollably the minute she saw the blood.

  Nodding to let Charlie know he understood, he leaned down and placed a gentle hand on Jessica’s shoulder. “We should move so we're not in the way.” Jake tugged Jessica and her grandmother to their feet and led them past the driveway where a Honda Accord sat squashed beneath a huge tree and towards the farmer's porch.

  “I've never seen a car that flat before. Have you?” It was a stupid statement but his intent wasn't to have an intelligent conversation. He meant to distract the women. In the distance the wail of an ambulance siren could be heard and he feared its arrival would only distress them even more. “I think you might need a new car.”