Not The Billionaire

by Noorman, Krista

  They walked into the yacht club office to meet with Barbara, head of events, and Sebastian listened while Genevieve went over her plan for the regatta. It would take a lot to spread the word about this event in six week’s time, but she was confident it could be done, and come the end of July, they’d have an excellent turnout. Listening to her talk about it, she had him convinced as well.

  Sebastian enjoyed all facets of business—marketing being one of the focuses of his college education—and he enjoyed spending time with Genevieve. So working together to come up with a plan to publicize this event was a giant win-win situation.

  Barbara led them through the building to the half indoor/half outdoor event space—the possible location for the gala.

  “It’s perfect,” Genevieve gushed.

  “We host several regattas through the yacht club each summer,” Barbara told them. “People from the community enjoy coming out to watch, and your ideas to get them involved with activities for them and their children will make this a wonderful event.”

  Genevieve’s smile said it all. “I believe it will be.”

  “Well, let’s get the paperwork sorted out and talk payment.”

  After all of the details were in order, Sebastian opened the door for Genevieve, laying his hand on her lower back again. He thought he felt her wince like she had earlier and nearly removed his hand, but then she leaned into him more as they walked.

  “I think that went great,” he told her.

  She did a little skip and a hop as they reached her car. “So do I. Thank you for coming along.”

  “Just doing my job.” He waited for her to unlock the car and opened the door for her again.

  She rewarded him with a smile that made his heart skip a beat.

  He closed her door gently behind her and rounded the car to get in. “We should stop by the beach before we head back,” he said as he pulled his door closed.

  She looked over at him in surprise. “Are you serious?”

  “Heck yeah. Why not? You said you hadn’t been in a while.” He hoped she’d go for it, because he didn’t want their time together to be over yet.

  She appeared to be turning the idea over in her mind for a few moments, and then a smile spread across her face, revealing the cutest dimple in her right cheek. “Why not.”

  As she drove them down Ottawa Beach Drive to Holland State Park, he repeatedly glanced over at her. He couldn’t help it. All he wanted to do was look at her. He tried not to stare. Not at her smooth legs when he opened the door for her. Not at her bare feet when she kicked her shoes off and tossed them into the car. Not at her light pink painted toenails, which made her even more adorable. He tried. But in this case, he didn’t mind failing.

  The beach wasn’t overly crowded, scattered mostly with moms and their babies or small children, but it was still quite busy for a day in early June. The air temperature was definitely warm enough for a day at the beach, but not many people were in the water, which meant it was probably too chilly for swimming.

  They walked across the sand, sinking in here and there, bumping into each other, and laughing. It was the most fun Sebastian had had in a long time.

  When they strolled closer to the water, he removed his shoes and socks, rolled up his pants, and waded in ankle-deep. “Oh, that’s cold.”

  Genevieve walked in beside him and went deeper until the water was almost to her knees. With her petite frame, it would only take a wave that would make it to his knees to completely cover her lower body.

  “Wimp. It’s not that cold.” She kicked a little water at him.

  “Hey, we still have to go back to work, you know.”

  She kicked at the water again, soaking one of his rolled up pant legs.

  “Genevieve!” He moved closer to her and bent down with his hand hovering over the water. “Two can play that game. Do you really want to go there?”

  Her lips pressed together as she thought about it. “You’re right. We do have to go back to work.”

  He straightened again and nodded. “That’s what I thought.”

  She moved slowly toward the shore, eyeing him with each step.

  He watched her curiously, turning toward her as she moved, the two of them circling each other. “Genevieve.” He said her name slowly, as if in warning.

  She suddenly began kicking water right at him, and he immediately bent over, cupping his hands, and tossing water at her.

  When they’d both had enough, they were soaked, head to toe, and laughing so hard they could barely breathe. Her hair was plastered to her head, and she was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. Droplets of water trailed down her face. He stepped closer and watched one slip over the light smattering of freckles across her nose and hang from her lip before falling. His eyes remained fixed on her lips. Never in his life had he wanted to kiss a woman more than he wanted to kiss Genevieve now.

  Instead, she smiled shyly, breaking his stare, and walked up onto the sand.

  Sebastian took in a steadying breath and followed her, grabbing his shoes and socks as they headed across the beach.

  “I probably should have thought about what I was wearing before our little water fight.” She crossed her arms over her chest. Her white button-down shirt was completely soaked, and she kept pulling it away from her skin as best she could so she wouldn’t give him or any other beachgoers something to see.

  Sebastian tried not to look as he pointed toward the snack bar. “The gift shop probably has towels.”

  “Awesome,” she replied. “I’ll go hide out in the bathroom while you find out.”

  He chuckled. “Okay.”

  She gave him a little smile and scurried off to the women’s restroom. He watched her hurry along the sidewalk until she disappeared around the corner, then headed into the gift shop. There were all the usual staples—sunscreen, beach umbrellas and chairs, sunglasses. He stopped by a rack of souvenir T-shirts and chose one in a dark heather grey with “Holland, Michigan” embroidered on the front in pink before moving to the display of towels. His attention immediately went to the pink striped towel with the same embroidery as the shirt, and he picked one up for Genevieve and a blue one for himself.

  He paid and walked to the end of the building, pulling open the women’s restroom door.

  “Genevieve,” he called out.

  “Yeah, I’m still in here. Did you get me a towel?”

  An older woman standing just inside the door by the sink gave him a dirty look. “You can’t come in here.”

  “I wouldn’t do that, miss.” He flashed her a devastatingly handsome smile, which turned her look of disapproval into a shy blush instead.

  Genevieve walked out of one of the stalls at the end of the room, washed her hands, then met Sebastian at the door, grabbing the towel he offered and quickly wrapping it around her shoulders and chest.

  They walked outside, and he wrapped his towel around himself and leaned back against the brick wall while she went about drying off. She was short enough that the large beach towel practically wrapped around her entire body like a cocoon. Her arms slid out from under the towel as she began squeezing excess water from her long blonde hair and combing through it with her fingers. He couldn’t take his eyes off of her. Every move she made was hypnotic.

  “Kurtis?”

  He shook himself out from under her spell. “Sorry, what?”

  “I asked if you were ready to go.” She smirked, obviously amused that he was staring at her like some kind of fool.

  “You don’t want to walk out on the pier?”

  She looked down at her appearance. “I really think we should be getting back, don’t you?”

  “Probably.” He was enjoying just being with her, and going back to the office was the last thing he wanted. “Oh, I got you a dry shirt.”

  She took the bag he held out to her and pulled the shirt from within. “That was thoughtful. Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  “Let me change,
and we’ll go.”

  Sebastian lay his head back against the brick wall. He really didn’t want to go back just yet.

  Genevieve rejoined him a few minutes later, looking adorable in the shirt he’d bought her. Her hair had been pulled back in a wet ponytail, giving him a better view of the smooth skin of her neck. He was enamored by the spot where it curved into her shoulder and fought himself from leaning forward and pressing his lips there.

  “Ready?” she asked just as her stomach growled. Loudly. She let out a little laugh. “Guess we should stop and pick up some lunch on the way.”

  “I have an idea.” He reached for her hand as if it was the most natural thing in the world, but the surprised look in her eyes told him it was too much, too soon. He gave it a quick squeeze, let go, and started walking toward the car.

  Get it together, Sebastian.

  Genevieve wasn’t like the other girls, the ones who knew who he was and would’ve done much more than hold his hand if he’d asked. And thinking he might scare her off terrified him.

  “Where are we going?” she asked when they were back in the car, driving out of the parking lot.

  “To a place that’s pretty much required after a day at the beach.”

  A smile spread across her face. “It’s Captain Sundae, isn’t it?”

  His shoulders sagged. “You weren’t supposed to guess so quickly.”

  “Oh my gosh, Rhonda and I always went there. I haven’t been in so long.”

  “So, you approve?”

  “I approve.” The smile was still there, and it made him so happy every time he caused it. “Who doesn’t like ice cream for lunch?”

  “What’s your favorite thing to get there?” he asked.

  “It’s been years since I’ve been, but probably the Peanut Pirate, if they still even have that. What do you like?”

  “The Tommy Turtle, of course.”

  She laughed. “I forgot all about the Tommy Turtle. I’m not a big pecan fan, though.”

  “But Tommy Turtle’s so good. Buttered pecans and all that caramel and chocolate.”

  “I wonder if they use Schultz Chocolate,” she said with a smile.

  “I don’t think so, but I’m willing to overlook it.”

  “That’s very big of you.”

  When they were only a few minutes from arriving at the Captain Sundae entrance, Sebastian’s phone rang. He nearly answered with his name, but he caught himself at the last second and simply said, “Hello?”

  “Sebastian?”

  “This is.” He hoped Genevieve hadn’t heard the man’s voice through the phone.

  “It’s Officer Wood.”

  Sebastian groaned, knowing full well what this call was about. “What’s he done this time?”

  “He got mouthy with a guy at a bar over in Eastown.”

  “Where is he now?”

  “In my car. Should I take him home?”

  “Please.”

  “Will do.”

  “Thank you, Oliver. I’ll be there shortly.”

  “See you when you get there.”

  Sebastian hung up and stared at his phone for a few seconds, unsure if he should call Skylar, hating the idea of calling their parents. He’d wait and see what condition Gus was in this time before he decided on the next step.

  “Is everything all right?” Genevieve interrupted his train of thought.

  “I’m sorry. We’ll have to get our Captain Sundae fix another day. I’ve got something important to take care of. Can you drop me back at the office?”

  “Of course.”

  “Thanks.” He looked out the window, feeling disappointed that his time with Genevieve was cut short, but even more disappointed in his brother. Gus had gone a long time without getting into trouble. Over a year, in fact, since his last brush with the law. He’d been lucky so far to have escaped any kind of actual police custody or time in jail. Thanks to their good friend, Oliver Wood, who had luckily been there the few times police had been called to intervene and had let him off with a warning every time. So far. But that could only go on for so long if Gus continued his irresponsible behavior.

  A hand on his arm stole his attention. “Is there anything I can do?”

  He lay his other hand over hers and shook his head.

  She gave him a little smile and drove on toward the office.

  Oh, how he wished he could open up to her about his life, but she didn’t even know who he really was.

  Gus looked pale and sallow. Definitely not the dapper, put-together businessman he appeared to be only yesterday. He was seated on the floor in front of the sofa and looked past Sebastian as if he wasn’t really there. Oliver looked like a giant standing over him. He was a tall man, enough that he had to look down a little at Sebastian, and he was certainly intimidating in his police uniform.

  “He threw up in my car,” Oliver informed him.

  Sebastian rolled his eyes. “We’ll take care of that for you.” He pulled out his cell and phoned their butler, Gerard.

  “Yes, Mr. Schultz,” Gerard answered.

  “Oliver Wood’s police cruiser needs cleaned and detailed. We’re at Gus’s loft. And please send a car to take Oliver wherever he needs to go.”

  “Yes, sir. A car will be there in ten minutes and his vehicle will be ready within the hour,” he replied and hung up. What would they do without Gerard? He was more than just their butler and had been managing the Schultz family household since Sebastian was a kid.

  “One hour and your car will be good as new,” Sebastian told Oliver.

  Oliver nodded and glanced over at Gus. “I was starting to think he’d really done it, turned over a new leaf and all.”

  “So was I. So were we all.” He’d been hoping Gus was done with all the drinking. Dad had told Gus on more than one occasion that if he wanted to be part of the family business, he had to stop his playboy ways and prove he could be serious. And they’d all been so proud of the way he’d turned things around. He wasn’t always present to oversee all of the day-to-day at the office, but he had started to steer away from his old lifestyle, and it seemed like he wanted to take his responsibilities in the company seriously.

  Dad wasn’t going to be happy about this incident.

  “Thanks for all your help and your discretion, Oliver. You know we appreciate it so much.”

  “What are friends for?” he replied as they walked to the door.

  “A car should arrive downstairs for you in a few minutes.”

  “Thank you.”

  Once Oliver was on his way down the stairs, Sebastian closed the door and looked over at his brother, whose eyes were closed and mouth hung open. It saddened him to see Gus that way.

  Sebastian moved to the sofa and sat down. The sinking of the cushion startled Gus awake, and he slowly rotated his head to face his brother.

  “Oh, it’s you, Bash. What are you doing at the bar in the middle of the afternoon?” he slurred out.

  “We’re at your place, Gus.”

  Gus looked around, suddenly realizing where they were. “My puh-lace. Puh. Lace. Plaaaace. Place.” He chuckled. “Place is a weird word.”

  Sebastian handed him a pillow from the end of the sofa. “Sleep it off, brother.”

  “Mil …” He struggled to keep his eyes open or get his words out. “Milter … Milton insulted Skylar.”

  “Milton Hanley?”

  Gus managed a nod.

  “Why were you even talking to that guy?”

  He shrugged. “He came in after I got there.”

  “And what? You got drunk together?”

  Gus’s face scrunched up as if he was struggling to remember. “I think I was already drunk.”

  “Just rest, Gus. We’ll talk later.”

  A nod was Gus’s response as he squeezed the pillow close and slid to lying down on the floor, mumbling things Sebastian could not understand. Only three words slipped through.

  Never good enough.

  Sebastian shook his head
sadly. He really thought Gus would have it all together by the time he turned thirty.

  TWELVE

  On Wednesday, Genevieve settled in for the morning in her office. Kurtis hadn’t come back after his phone call, and she wondered what that was all about. It had seemed personal and something serious enough to take his happy mood and turn it sad in five seconds flat. And as much as she wished she could help with whatever it was, they barely knew each other. She couldn’t expect him to open up to her about what was going on in his life.

  She’d thought about calling him, but there was nothing urgent or pressing for him to help her with, and she needed to dig in to the tasks ahead of her. She pulled her notepad from within her bag and read through the notes she’d scribbled after she’d returned from the yacht club. Now that they had the location set, she needed to meet with vendors—caterers, light and sound engineers, bands, security, etc. There were guest lists to create, sponsors and donors to contact, volunteers to gather. They needed a marketing budget and a publicity plan. Invitations, press releases … the list went on and on.

  Strangely, when she read over the list again, she didn’t feel the slightest bit of apprehension. She felt certain that by the time the regatta arrived, every item on her list would be crossed off, and she was confident this would be the best event the Schultz Foundation had ever held.

  People on the marketing floor seemed chatty that morning. Genevieve wasn’t sure if this was the norm or if there was something special going on that made them so, but she could hear a lot of conversation happening outside her door. A few times throughout the morning, she nearly closed that door, but being new, she didn’t want to be antisocial, even though nobody had stopped by to talk to her yet that day. Except for Marjorie, an assistant at the Foundation office, who had come over to give her a list of vendors used at last year’s charity event. But she hadn’t really hung around to chat. In fact, she’d acted a little skittish and sort of rushed out as soon as Genevieve had thanked her.

  For lunch, Genevieve headed to the employee lounge. It was an inviting space with several round tables as well as a comfy little nook with cushy chairs surrounding a coffee table. She took a seat at one of the tables across from a couple of women who were chatting, one who looked familiar.