Beneath a Billion Stars

by Julie Carobini

  Priscilla collapsed into the chair with a high-pitched sigh. “Feels good to get off of my feet for a few minutes.”

  “Girl, don’t give me that—you usually work in heels.”

  “Yes, but I don’t chase teenagers around in them.”

  “True.” Katrina called out to a woman across the room. “Frankie, we need a shoulder massage over here—stat!”

  Just as she was beginning to feel a sense of revival through her nerves and muscles from the massage, Priscilla’s phone rang.

  “Don’t answer that.” Frankie pressed her thumbs harder into Priscilla’s shoulders.

  She let it go, but it started up again. Priscilla reached for her phone, concerned it might be her social worker. “Hello?”

  “Priscilla? Oh good, it’s you! This is Laura. Have you seen Wade?”

  She sat up abruptly. “He’s in the pool right now. Is it urgent?”

  “You better believe it is. I must find him immediately. Will you have him call me?”

  “Of course.” She stood, looking for her shoes. “I’ll go out to the pool and have him call you from there.”

  Priscilla dashed out to the pool, slowing as she approached. If she could, she would have stood and watched him from the shadows a little longer. Wade was sitting on the edge of the pool, shirtless, his legs dangling over the side. He appeared to be refereeing a water volleyball match, his muscles flexing in response to the game’s activity.

  Her knees weakened, as did the rest of her. Priscilla caught her breath, keenly aware of the message she had to deliver, and regretting how doing so would disrupt the idyllic picture she was walking into.

  Wade’s face lit up when he first caught sight of her, but that high-wattage smile dimmed when she said, “Laura wants you to call her. She says it’s urgent.”

  He looked at her for a beat then turned toward the lifeguard tower. He put his thumb and forefinger into his mouth and caught the guard’s attention with a whistle. “Take over for me, will you?”

  Before he left, Wade cupped Priscilla’s chin and kissed her soundly. Then he left in a hurry.

  Chapter 18

  Amber pushed off from the shore, her paddle board gliding quickly away from everyone else. She threw a shout over her shoulder to Priscilla. “You think this fog’s ever gonna let up?”

  “Darling, we’re going to enjoy this day, fog or not.”

  Behind them, Gwynnie knelt on her paddle board. “I like this weather. Not too hot.” She paddled to keep up. “Reminds me of the Pacific Northwest. Very mysterious.”

  Priscilla laughed. “Ah, mysterious. A wonderful way to put it!”

  “Hey, wait for us!” Sadie’s tiny voice piped up from the shore.

  Priscilla turned her board around and shaded her eyes, watching as Wade strapped the little girl into a life jacket before she climbed into a bright yellow kayak.

  Amber slowed too. “Can’t believe your boyfriend’s goin’ old school on that yak.”

  Priscilla laughed. “The old softie!” When she first met Wade, she couldn’t imagine ever calling him that. He was direct, not quick to smile, and had an evil eye for days—one sexy, evil eye.

  Then again, perhaps those qualities had helped him succeed. Though the New York deal had dipped and climbed like a roller coaster, in the end, the property sale went through. Her mind replayed the thrill of hearing the news.

  * * *

  “It’s done,” he said that first night of camp, after all the kids had gone to sleep.

  “Darling, such wonderful news!”

  He pulled her into an embrace and she peered up at him. “You were worried?”

  “I was ... concerned. However, I never let them see a drop of sweat.” Wade leaned his forehead against hers. “Priscilla, the sale is complete and an exchange is in process.”

  “Exchange?”

  “Yes. I have already reinvested the funds into commercial property on this coast.”

  “Wait. So you’ve bought another building?”

  He rubbed his thumb over the corner of her downturned mouth. “Don’t worry. I have reinvested the profit to defer paying taxes on capital gains. This has allowed me to invest in property that, in this case, already generates millions in rental income.”

  “I have no idea what any of that means.”

  “It’s good news.” He kissed her, more slowly than in the past, as if staking his claim. She rested her hand on his dress shirt, palpably aware of the hardness of his chest beneath the fabric.

  She tilted her head up, meeting his gaze. “You remind me of the cover of a bodice ripper.”

  “Bodice ripper?”

  “You know, those romance novels with a billionaire on the cover, the buttons of his starched white shirt undone to here.” She demonstrated, playfully.

  Wade leaned his head back at that, his laughter a quiet roar. “No, I didn’t know, but thank you for filling me in. Everything you said is about right—except the starch.”

  Priscilla stilled. She flicked her gaze to his eyes. “Wait. Does this mean you’ve earned your billionaire status?”

  A slow smile stretched across his face then ... and he kissed her into silence.

  * * *

  Priscilla’s mind returned to where she and the others waited out on the water. The three of them—Amber, Gwynnie, and Priscilla— floated along as Wade gave his kayak a brief push from the shore and jumped in. The boat rolled side to side and Sadie screeched. But Wade deftly pulled her onto his lap, grabbed his paddle, and pushed their boat hard off of the sand. He glided toward them, his smile triumphant.

  “We ready?” Priscilla asked.

  Amber dug her paddle into the harbor water. “Let’s do this already.”

  “Woohoo!” Gwynnie said, still in a kneeling position on her board. “This is so much fun!”

  “So embarrassing.” Amber wagged her head back and forth.

  It was almost too much. Priscilla stood tall, reveling in the sea air’s embrace, unconcerned with the way it tied tendrils of her hair in knots. It had been too long since she had traversed these waters. After her scare last month, she’d planned to “get back on her board” right away. But life grew crazy. Meetings and classes to attend. Meals to cook. People to care for.

  She wouldn’t change a thing.

  “Hey, beautiful.”

  She glanced over her shoulder, a smile edging on her face. Wade had reached her, looking both sexy and paternal, with Sadie’s fingers digging into one of his arms as he gripped the paddle that moved them forward.

  “Hey, yourself.” She grinned at the little girl in his lap. “What do you think, Sadie?”

  “I love it! Go faster Uncle Wade, go faster!”

  Priscilla winked at him. “I’ll try to keep up—just don’t go over the speed limit or you might find yourself in hot water.”

  His eyebrows raised, presenting a challenge. “Race you to the dock where I rescued you?”

  She clucked her tongue. “Darling, you mean the place where I let you rescue me.”

  He threw back a laugh, those dark eyes of his still trained on her. “So that’s how we’re going to play it.”

  “Uncle Wa-de, go faster!”

  Gwynnie groaned as she floated on her paddle board nearby, trying to push herself up into a standing position. “Stop bossing your uncle around, young lady!”

  Amber had already pulled out far in front, so Priscilla gripped her board hard with her toes and dug in her paddle, chasing after the teen. Her biceps flexed with each pull against the water, her breathing surprisingly choppy. She glided alongside Amber, thankful to have caught up with her when she had.

  “Pretty soon you’re not going to want to do this with me,” Priscilla said with a laugh, clearly winded.

  Amber stood still, her board pointed toward the main channel, which was already delivering small, wind-driven waves from the open sea. Her strawberry-blonde hair played on the wind behind her, but she didn’t flinch or say a word.

  “Amber?
”

  A tear ran down the side of the girl’s face and she flicked it away, sniffling once.

  “What’s wrong?”

  Amber shrugged in her usual way. “Nothin.”

  Priscilla set her gaze on the water where birds hovered, looking for lunch. She inhaled, allowing the fresh air to fill her. “You know, I cried on a boat a few months ago. We were heading out to sea and a pod of dolphins started showing off. Really took my breath away.”

  “That’s weird.”

  Priscilla bit her lip, slightly exasperated. “I’m just saying it’s okay to cry when you see something beautiful. God gave you a tender heart. Nothing wrong with that.”

  Amber stayed quiet, but more tears began to fall faster than she could flick them away.

  Priscilla grew concerned. “Honey, is something else bothering you?”

  “I-I just don’t want it to end.”

  For a brief second, Priscilla looked out at the foggy sky and measured in her mind how long she thought they would stay out today. She’d planned this excursion for all of them a week ago and had hoped for blue skies, but alas, it wasn’t meant to be. She had no thoughts of canceling, though, nor shortening their adventure for she had learned that life had a way of upending her plans anyway. She reached over and patted Amber’s shoulder, careful not to knock them both over.

  As her hand touched the young girl’s shoulder, she realized where she’d been wrong. Amber was crying openly now, the sound and picture of it ripping at her insides until her heart began to tug at her, aching. She shook her head and whispered, “I have no plans to end anything, Amber.”

  Amber shook off her tears and turned away, using her paddle to keep her balance. “I’ve heard that before.”

  Priscilla heard Sadie’s squeals behind her. She glanced back to see Wade paddling the kayak toward them with Gwynnie struggling to stay upright next to him and Sadie. His smile stilled. Everything okay? he mouthed.

  She nodded, though her smile took effort. Amber began to pull away, digging in her paddle and gliding away faster now.

  “How come we going slow, Uncle Wade?” Sadie looked truly concerned about their lack of speed. “Is our boat broken?”

  Wade gave her a comical wink. “We don’t want to leave Priscilla alone, now, do we, Sadie?”

  Priscilla flashed him a fake laugh. “I beg your pardon?”

  Sadie peered up at her. “You have to go slow, Pa-cilla?”

  Priscilla gazed at Wade, still aware of Amber’s distance and keeping an eye on her the best she could. He was so ... gorgeous. His dark hair, salted in spots, framed piercing eyes that she’d found she could lose herself in. Watching him with his precious niece was like seeing a muscle builder holding a puppy—he was strong yet doting at the same time. She very well could lose her mind if she stayed focused on him too long ...

  “It looks like Amber’s going rogue on us.” He gestured toward the teen who had gone on ahead of them. “Should we be concerned?”

  A sliver of sunshine had wrestled its way through the cottony fog, sending hope of blue skies ahead. If she’d had her camera with her, Priscilla could post a photo of Amber and her board on social media as an ad for stand-up paddle boarding.

  They’d make a mint.

  But Priscilla had learned that making money and living a full life had little to do with one another.

  Priscilla threw a look over her shoulder at Wade. “I’ll go catch up with Amber. Can y’all meet us at that infamous dock?”

  Gwynnie gasped. “The one with the sea lion the size of Sasquatch?”

  Priscilla tried not to laugh too hard. She knew the likelihood was slim that the same sea lion still resided there. “That’s the one!” She took off after Amber, eager to finish their conversation.

  Priscilla paddled hard, grateful with each stroke for health, for ability, and for the adventure that each day brought. The fog was clearing, indicating midday had nearly arrived. Even so, a kind of fog had infiltrated her mind and she would not rest until it had cleared once and for all.

  “You’re going to have to cut me some slack!” Priscilla pulled the paddle hard against the tide, grateful that she’d finally caught up with the teen. “I think my biceps are cramping up.”

  Amber gave her a droll look. “You have biceps?”

  “Ha ha ha.”

  The teen slowed some, as if she wanted Priscilla to catch up with her. Priscilla’s heart began to race, but she licked her lips, took in a deep breath, and pushed forward. “I want to ask you something, Amber.”

  Amber peeked over her shoulder. Priscilla saw anxiety residing there, but she also saw resolve. And a hint of affection. “Yeah?”

  “Let’s sit.”

  Amber’s brows knit together. “On our boards?”

  “Why not? Kind of like our own oasis out here.” Carefully Priscilla lowered herself to the grip pad on her board and balanced the paddle on her lap.

  Amber rolled her eyes in fitting teenage fashion, but she dutifully followed Priscilla’s lead.

  They sat across from each other, each on a board, riding the loll of the surf. Priscilla could see Wade and Gwynnie keeping their distance. She swung a look back at Amber. “Tell me the real reason you were crying today.”

  The teen scowled, but Priscilla held her gaze. Amber snapped a look at her. “Fine. I just”—she shrugged—“wanted, you know, to not have to move again.”

  Priscilla reached out to her. “Have I said anything to you to make you think that you’d have to?”

  She pouted, picking listlessly at the grip pad on her board. “No. But I always have to.”

  Priscilla stilled the girl’s hand with her own. “Look at me.”

  Slowly, Amber lifted her gaze until her eyes met Priscilla’s. In them Priscilla saw the dawning of hope and the future that she’d always longed for. Tears of her own began to flow freely. “Your home is with me now, Amber,” Priscilla said, squeezing the young girl’s hand. “For as long as you’d like it to be.”

  Meg and Gwynnie blocked Wade’s view. The women were bent over a glass case peering at diamond rings presented on velvet as Wade jostled to see the offerings.

  The elderly man in the impeccably tailored suit who stood on the other side of the counter cast Wade a sympathetic look. His name tag read Javier. He slid his gaze to the women admiring rings. “Perhaps the gentleman would like to take a closer look?”

  Gwynnie grabbed her brother by the arm, pulling him between them. “Come in here already—these are gorgeous!”

  Wade examined the rings, each one creative, bold, beautiful, adventuresome—and brave. The words he had used to describe Priscilla when asked.

  “Here we have a princess cut,” Javier said, pointing to the fat, square solitaire. “Over here, an ivy scroll in white gold, and here is a spectacular pear-shaped two-carat diamond.”

  Meg shook her head. “No woman wants to be associated with anything pear shaped. Trust me on this.”

  Javier looked to Wade, his brows raised in a question.

  “That one will be a definite no,” Wade said.

  Javier nodded once, put the ring away, and quickly replaced it with an equally monstrous-sized ring.

  The round three-carat solitaire drew a gasp from Gwynnie.

  “Why do I feel as if I am on an episode of the The Bachelor?” Wade quipped.

  “Well, those guys are all rich,” Meg said.

  Gwynnie tapped her forefinger on her chin. “Which leads me to a question, brother dear. How come you don’t live in a mansion?”

  He raised an eyebrow.

  Meg laughed. “Something tells me that once Priscilla says yes, he’ll be putting that tract house on the market.”

  “Yeah,” Gwynnie said, her voice dreamy, “she’s a goddess. I can’t imagine her living in that bachelor pad.”

  Wade stuck a hand on his hip. “I beg your pardon?”

  Meg quirked a look at him. “It is kind of, um, brown in there. Don’t get me wrong—that’s some pret
ty expensive brown decor you’ve got in your home, but our Priscilla is more of a chic whitewash-and-glass type of gal.” She gave him a quick side hug. “Don’t worry, my friend, she’ll set you straight.”

  Wade exhaled. This simple trip to choose a diamond for Priscilla had taken several turns he had not expected. He made a mental note to call his real estate agent. Perhaps a stager would be in order. And would there be time for him and Priscilla to choose a new home while planning a wedding? Where would she prefer to live? He would certainly have to include Laura in his plans, as she controlled his calendar ...

  “Sir?” Javier’s gaze held a question.

  Wade brought his mind to the present. He ran his gaze across the rings on velvet, looking for the one that had “life,” but nothing quite said Priscilla to him. He shook his head. “I would like to see everything you have.”

  “Yes, sir.” Javier slid the rings back into the case. Then he began unlocking case doors and pulling out rings. Just as Javier reached inside another case, Wade said, “I found it.”

  Meg cooed. “Oh, Wade, it’s gorgeous.”

  “Oh my word ...” Gwynnie said. “It’s perfect in every way.”

  Javier’s face lit. “A beautiful choice, sir.”

  “And this one, too.” Wade pointed to a much-slimmer version of the ring he had chosen for Priscilla.

  “Look at that,” Gwynnie said. “So rich he can buy two and decide which one to give her later.”

  Meg laughed raucously now. “That is pretty disgusting, Wade.”

  Wade shook his head, giving them both a half-hearted warning look. “You two are incorrigible.”

  On the drive home, with the rings safely in Wade’s pocket, his mind soared. This decision was the best one he had made in a long, long while. Of course, she would have to say yes.

  “What if the weather doesn’t cooperate?” Gwynnie, riding shotgun, suddenly asked.

  Meg cut in. “Fall is one of the clearest times out here. Besides, any night on the beach is a good night.”

  “True,” Wade said.

  “But she does love the stars,” Meg added.