Problem was, she couldn’t imagine going back to that bank tomorrow, let alone for another twelve months.
Maybe she could transfer again….
She pushed the idea out of her mind. She couldn’t keep running from her problems, because she was the problem, and she couldn’t run and hide from herself.
“Thank you,” she said, wishing she wasn’t in a hammock. She hated trying to get out of a hammock, especially in front of a handsome man she really wanted to be with.
“So you’ll come back tomorrow?”
She nodded and extended her hand toward him. “Help me up, okay?”
He dashed forward and put his hand in hers, and her skin sizzled with heat and electricity still. “Dinner?” he asked, keeping her hand in his.
“Yes,” she said. “I need dinner.”
Maizee returned to the Getaway Bay branch of Gladstone Financial the next day, polished and professional and perfectly put together. She wanted to walk in with a makeup-less face and wearing a pair of jeans, but she simply couldn’t do it. She was programmed to wear skirts and heels and dangly earrings. She actually liked doing so.
She ignored the looks from her co-workers, stopped by Will’s office to pick up the paper she needed to fill out, and clicked her way over to her own office. She closed the door behind her, something she hadn’t done very often in the several weeks she’d been there.
Working through the morning, she managed to get several things done that she should’ve accomplished yesterday. She took a lunch outside of the office, enjoying the autumn sun and the cool breeze.
The whole hour passed, and she stopped by a grilled cheese food truck for something to eat, and then a shaved ice truck with a pretty red-headed woman handing out the treats. When she returned to the bank, everything was back to normal.
Well, as normal as things could be when Lawrence wasn’t in the building. She wondered where he was that day, but he hadn’t texted her and she wasn’t going to initiate the conversation. She had work to do, and she was going to do it.
That evening, she rode her bike along the coastal highway, all the way out to the ranch, where she ordered strawberry lemonade and a burger. Then she biked back, barely making it before darkness consumed the island.
She almost rear-ended a midnight-blue Benz.
“Where’d you go?” Lawrence asked from the front steps.
“Riding,” she said.
He smiled at her warmly, but Maizee felt like something between them had shifted. And it had. She’d shifted. She’d changed.
“Lawrence,” she said. “I think I need to take a page out of your book, and be brave.”
“All right,” he said.
“I need some time.”
“Time?”
“Alone.”
He looked like she’d punched him in the throat. “I—I—”
“Maybe I just need….” She sighed and looked away. “I don’t know what I need, but I do know I need to figure it out. By myself.”
Lawrence pocketed his hands. “So that’s it.”
“For now.”
“I don’t even know what that means.”
“It means maybe I had just ended one relationship with my boss when I started another one, with an even bigger boss.” Maizee didn’t know what she was saying. “And I don’t want to hurt you, and—”
“You haven’t hurt me.”
“Oh, well, good.”
“Good.” He fished his keys out of his pocket. “So I need to go.”
“Of course.” She walked her bike past his car as he got behind the wheel. The car roared to life in a way she’d never heard before, and he practically shot out of her driveway, obviously never looking back.
Maizee stared into the darkness at his fading taillights, wondering when things between them had gone off the rails, and if she’d ever be able to get them back on track.
The plane touched down on the island of Lanai, and a relief spread through her like a warm blanket covering her internal organs. Her mom would be waiting to pick her up, and they were going to lunch before heading back to the house, where Evie would be waiting for Maizee to help her get ready for her date with Tommy.
Maizee leaned her head against the thick airplane window, mourning the part of her heart that she’d left behind in Getaway Bay. Lanai would always feel like home, but she had enjoyed her time on the Big Island of Hawaii.
She wondered how much of that was due to Lawrence, though. She’d met him on the third day she’d been in Getaway Bay, and they’d spent so much time together since. She tried to put him out of her mind, but he wouldn’t seem to go.
He did have a stubborn streak. And while she’d never been in his office, she knew he was brilliant and hard-working. She’d seen the exhaustion on his face in the evenings, listened to him talk about the Austin Exchange and the deal he was trying to work for a few minutes before he dragged himself back to his penthouse.
So he knew how to work. Knew how to run a huge, global financial company. But he didn’t know how to explore the island, or sea kayak by himself. Maizee found those simple things ironic, and a smile touched her lips as the last of the passengers deplaned. She finally stood and collected her bag from the overhead compartment.
She smiled at the flight attendants, thanked the pilots, and dragged her carryon down the ramp to the cement. Once inside the airport, she stopped in the bathroom and steeled herself to see her mother for the first time in a few months.
She didn’t want to cry, but she felt dangerously close to it already. Sure enough, when she caught sight of her mother’s beautiful, brassy, blonde hair, tears pricked her eyes. “Mom,” she called, and their eyes met.
Maizee hugged her, so glad she’d always have the comfort in these arms. “Hey, Mom.”
“It’s so nice of you to come help Evie,” she said, stepping back and holding onto Maizee’s shoulders. “Jules has been kind of a nightmare already, and the wedding isn’t until next summer.”
Maizee nodded. “She’s always been high-maintenance.”
Her mom laughed and reached for Maizee’s bag. “Well, we all have, haven’t we? I mean, you love jewelry and makeup. Evie loves headbands and anything that sparkles. And Jules is just the worst. She loves lipsticks and glitter and tight dresses. And flowers and water fountains.” She started for the exit. “I keep telling her we can just have the wedding in our yard, but that doesn’t seem good enough for her. Did you know she’s hired and fired three wedding planners already?”
Maizee could actually believe that, and while she wanted to see her sisters again, she was glad she was in Lanai just for the weekend. “There’s a great wedding planning place in Getaway Bay,” she said. “Or so I’ve heard.”
“Oh? Be sure to tell Jules about it.” Her mom took a few steps and added, “She’s not listening to anything I say anymore.”
“She’s only been engaged a few weeks,” Maizee said.
“Like I said, bridezilla.” Her mom threw a small smile over her shoulder, but Maizee heard the hurt beneath her mother’s words. Jules would be the first of the sisters to be married, and her mother had probably been looking forward to the weddings of her kids for a long time. After all, she loved fine china and perfectly placed centerpieces and entertaining more than anyone Maizee knew.
She kept the conversation away from Jules during lunch, instead deciding to say, “So I met a man in Getaway Bay.”
Her mother’s fork stopped halfway to her mouth. “You did?”
Maizee nodded and tucked her hair behind her ear. “He’s the owner of Gladstone Financial. We hit it off. Instant fireworks. He’s so handsome.” She half-laughed and half-sobbed as tears made another appearance.
“Oh, honey.” After putting down her utensil, her mom covered Maizee’s hand with both of hers. “It’s over already?”
Maizee sniffed. “I mean, maybe. I don’t know. I don’t know how to be…alone, Mom. I was with Winn for so long, and I met Lawrence almost as soon as I got to
the island. I hadn’t even started work yet.”
“You know how to be alone,” her mom said, picking up her fork again and stabbing at her chicken salad.
“Not really,” Maizee said. “I dated Chad for four years before that ended. About a month later, I started dating Perry.”
“Now, he was a disaster.”
A laugh exploded out of Maizee’s mouth, because she could only agree. “Yes, he was.” But the truth was, she’d started dating Lynn after that, and then Michael, and then Homer. Some of them were flings, men she spent summers with hiking and laughing and flirting. Sometimes kissing. Sometimes making a real relationship for a few months. Maybe six or nine.
But none had been as long as the one with Winn, and she’d only ever worn one engagement ring. So no matter what her mother said, Maizee actually just did not know how to be alone.
After lunch, they drove to her childhood home, where Evie sat on the front steps, her head bent over her phone. She glanced up when their mom turned into the driveway, and she met Maizee with a smile, a squeal, and a squeeze.
“I’m so glad you’re here,” Evie said, linking her arm through Maizee’s. “My hair needs serious help.”
“It’s fine,” Maizee said. She’d always been a bit envious of Evie’s cornsilk hair, and she ran her fingers through it as she said, “I’ll get this curled right up. Tommy won’t be able to keep his hands to himself.”
Sixteen
Lawrence sat on the beach, a bottle of diet Dr. Pepper in his hand that was half-empty and almost too warm to swallow. He hated the beach. Well, he liked the look of it. The smell of the ocean. The beautiful horizon line.
But he didn’t like sand between his toes, or the smell of sunscreen, or wearing a hat for long periods of time. It was too windy today for an umbrella, and Lawrence didn’t own one anyway. He rarely sat on the beach, because he didn’t have the time nor inclination to do so.
But the wives of some of the other billionaires in the Nine-0 Club had some sort of women’s club that literally sat on the beach for hours on end, chatting. Families came to the beach everyday. Heck, people paid good money to come to Getaway Bay and the beaches here to vacation. Relax.
But Lawrence did not feel relaxed. He hadn’t since Maizee had told him she needed some time to figure out how to be alone.
He’d been alone for a long time, and it wasn’t that great. Like, right now, sitting there in the sun, in the sand, listening to the surf, and he wasn’t any happier than he would’ve been with her in her hammock. Or behind his desk, reading a report or researching a company and if he should invest in it.
The next day, he went sailing alone, about the bravest thing he knew how to do. He went to work, but he didn’t come face-to-face with Maizee. She’d either kept track of his arrival and departure times so she could schedule her trips to the restroom or over to Polly’s desk or out to lunch.
He wondered what she was doing on weekends, and if he might run into her if he decided to go hiking or biking or kayaking. Parasailing. Surfing. Ziplining. He could do all of it right here on Getaway Bay.
He’d started with the hike to Umauma Falls, but he’d never finished it. So after a few weekends sitting on his couch and watching four movies a day, he put on his hiking boots, filled a backpack with food, and even checked the weather before he left the penthouse.
The hike up the trail wasn’t that hard though Lawrence wasn’t exactly an athlete. He did climb a lot of stairs every day and the hike up to the falls wasn’t much harder than that. The trees were still in bloom though October had arrived, and the air held a nice crispness this early in the morning.
He’d half-hoped he’d run into Maizee on this trail, but at the same time, he didn’t want to see her quite yet. She’d said she needed time to be alone, and he wanted to give her that.
Her words for now circled in his head, giving him hope no matter how long the day was or how hopeless he felt. And so it was those words which propelled him up the trail to the falls, where a handful of other people had already arrived.
He found a rock to sit on to guzzle a bottle of water, and he pulled a couple of granola bars out of his pack. The falls made a wonderful roaring noise, and Lawrence felt a rush of pride for having hiked a couple of miles in the wilderness to this spot.
He’d done it. He’d done it without Maizee, and it did feel amazing to check something off his list that he’d been wanting to do for a while.
So it was that the next weekend found him standing on the dock, wearing a life jacket, and listening to a boy no older than sixteen talk about currents and riptides, wakes and waves, and how to navigate in the sea kayak.
While Lawrence had wanted to get these instructions from Maizee and follow her blonde head out into the ocean, she wasn’t around. He wondered what she was doing that morning, and if there was any possible way five weeks was long enough for her to figure anything out.
The wind snaked down his collar no matter how he tried to flip it up, but his oar moved through the water easily as he propelled himself out with the other people in the group. The tour guide pointed out landmarks along the shore, and even the form of a sea lion in the water.
Once again, Lawrence was reminded of Maizee and how much she would love to be that sixteen-year-old boy, giving sea kayaking lessons and then island shore tours.
When he got back to land, he decided to do one more brave thing that morning. He pulled out his phone and texted her.
Just went sea kayaking. You were right. It was amazing!
He read the words over and over and decided they were fine. He’d gone sea kayaking and had fun. They’d talked about it a lot, and he wanted to tell her. So he tapped the arrow on the screen to send the message, hoping with everything in him that she’d respond.
When a few seconds passed and she didn’t, he quickly tapped out They have tour guides who teach people about it and take them out. You should totally do that.
He wasn’t sure if she would resent him saying that, but she had told him that she’d like to be a tour guide, and she loved sea kayaking. It seemed like a match made in heaven—just like he’d thought the two of them were.
He pulled in a breath when he realized that he’d fallen in love with Maizee Phelps.
When had that happened?
Lawrence turned in a circle like the answer would be written right there on the dock somewhere. A couple who’d been in his group went by, smiles on their faces. “See, I told you you’d like it,” the man said to the woman. “And you didn’t die.”
They laughed together, and Lawrence wished Maizee stood next to him so they could joke and laugh too. His hand felt so empty, and the great experience he’d just had kayaking felt a little more hollow than it had a moment ago.
Then his phone buzzed, which was like a jolt of electricity straight to his heart. He almost didn’t dare check who’d messaged him—after all, he received dozens of calls, texts, and emails every day, weekend or not—in case it wasn’t Maizee.
But he was trying to be brave—wasn’t that why he’d hiked to the falls and buckled himself into a kayak?—so he lifted the phone so he could check it.
Good for you!
From Maizee. That was it. Nothing more. Nothing about the tour guide.
Didn’t matter. She’d responded, and happiness spread through Lawrence with the speed of the subway. Before, he had two words, and now he had three.
He tucked his phone back in his pocket and headed down the pier, thinking tacos sounded like a mighty fine lunch after a morning of sea kayaking and texting with his non-girlfriend.
“It’s been two months,” Jason said as he stuck the menu back in the holder on the table. He looked at Lawrence. “And you haven’t spoken to her?”
“We’ve texted a little,” Lawrence said, which wasn’t a complete lie. It wasn’t exactly true either, but he had messaged her and she had responded.
Jason ordered the pork nachos and the doughnut holes, got up and selected his club, and steppe
d over to the green. Lexie ordered colas and a BLT before the waiter turned to Lawrence. He got his drink as well as the poached eggs with ham before meeting Lexie’s eyes.
“I’m sorry about Maizee,” Lexie said.
“Me too,” Lawrence said, an idea occurring to him. “You guys…I mean, you didn’t get together right away.”
Jason turned, this conversation obviously better than trying to hit a golf ball into a target. “No, we didn’t,” he said. “Lexie wouldn’t allow it.” He grinned at her and returned to the table, leaning down to kiss her along the forehead.
“That’s not true,” Lexie said. “There were issues.”
“Every couple has them,” Jason said. “She’ll come back to you.”
“Maybe.” Lawrence didn’t know what else to do. It had been eight weeks since Maizee had said she needed time to be alone. The holidays were approaching, and Lawrence had spent plenty of them by himself and he didn’t want to do it again.
“You really like her?” Jason asked.
“Obviously,” Lexie said. “I mean, look at him.”
“Look at me?” Lawrence watched his friends. “What do I look like?”
“Like you’re in love with her,” Lexie said. “Which is fine, Lawrence. People fall in love. You don’t need to be embarrassed about it.”
“I’m not embarrassed about it.”
“Does she know?” Jason asked.
Lawrence shook his head. “No, I didn’t know until a couple of weeks ago.” He pushed out his breath, glad when the food arrived and the conversation stalled. He cleared his throat. “But the case at work was settled. Dismissed, actually. Closed.”
“That’s great.” Lexie smiled at him.
Lawrence nodded and said, “Yeah, it is. The branch manager in Lanai has been replaced, and the committee ruled that neither Maizee nor I did anything wrong. So that’s good.”
“Really good,” Jason agreed. “Look, man, you’ve just got to maybe go after what you want. You know? If you love this woman, go tell her.”
The Brave Billionaire (Clean Billionaire Beach Club Romance Book 11) Page 11
