by Nomi Summers
She just needed to get home where she could finally cry the tears that had been building up inside of her all day.
Shane was left alone at the table with nothing but his bruised ego and the salad sitting across from him. He could feel everyone’s eyes on him and it made his skin itch. He was ready to get out of there.
He glanced at his watch. Quarter to six. He was due at the Knox estate for dinner in fifteen minutes, something he’d been dreading since his arrival. News traveled fast in this small town, and when Carter Knox got word that his estranged son had returned to Arbor Shores, Shane got a call from his stepmother, Valerie, to arrange the dinner.
Shane didn’t care for his father or Valerie. He still had a good relationship with his mother, but she lived in Florida, far from the sting of the nasty divorce battle that had ensued for nearly two years once she’d discovered Carter had been having a decade-long affair with his executive assistant. Shane blamed his father and Valerie for the demise of the family, and the pain and humiliation they’d caused his mother. He hadn’t spoken to either one of them since he’d left nine years ago. To say this dinner was going to be awkward was an understatement.
“Shane, can I get you something?” Rylee appeared with a rag in hand, scooping up Avery’s salad and wiping the table. “A cold beer maybe?”
“Nah, thanks anyway. I have to get out of here.” He got up and grabbed his aviators that were hanging from his shirt and put them on. “Can I just ask you something?”
“Go for it. As long as it’s quick. I’m slammed out here today.” Rylee paused to wait for his question.
“Why won’t she talk to me? I mean, I understand she’s upset about the way things ended. But that was so long ago. Why does she still hate me?”
“Oh, Shane. That’s not hate.” Rylee tossed the towel over her shoulder and gave his arm a sympathetic squeeze. “Hate doesn’t have anything to do with it.” She gave him a wink and headed to greet a new table.
Chapter 5
Shane drove fast down Pine Ridge Way, taking the curves like a racecar driver. He’d always loved driving down this road; it was the going home part that he’d never cared for. He flipped on his left blinker, ready to pull into Lakeview Estates, a gated community just south of town where the wealthiest of Arbor Shores resided. The community was set across from the yacht club and marina where the residents docked their boats. There was only one road in, and it snaked up a large hill with sprawling estates spread acres apart from one another. At the top of the hill sat the Knox residence, which overlooked all of Arbor Shores below and boasted the most breathtaking view of Lake Michigan you could find.
As he approached the guard shack, a middle-aged man with peppered hair came out and held up his hand, motioning for Shane to stop.
“May I help you?” the man asked.
“Knox estate.”
The man looked him over. “Your name?”
Shane was growing annoyed. It wasn’t often that people didn’t recognize him. “Shane Knox.”
“ID,” the man demanded, not moving from beside the vehicle.
“You’ve got to be kidding. Where’s Ben?” Shane peered around the man to see if anyone else was in the guard shack. Ben had manned the gate for as long as Shane could remember.
“I’ll need some ID. All guests must be announced and approved.”
Shane fetched his ID from his wallet and handed it over with an audible sigh. The man disappeared into the shack for what seemed like an eternity.
“Clear.” The man finally returned and handed Shane’s ID back, with no apology for the hassle. “Follow this road all the way to the end. The Knox estate is at the top of the hill.”
Shane snatched his ID back, maybe a little too aggressively. How did this man not recognize him? He put the car in drive and headed through the gate. As annoyed as he was at the guard, he was thankful for the delay. Any minute he could delay this dinner was fine with him.
The road wound around sprawling acres with homes set back on manicured lawns, until it reached the top of the hill, and there, towering high above Arbor Shores, sat his childhood home. The Knox estate was the largest single-family residence in the region, with rolling greens for the front lawn, and a backdrop of evergreens behind it. When Shane was a young boy, he had thought those trees reached all the way to the sky. The massive home was chalet-style and could be seen all the way from town. From there, it looked more like a ski resort than a home.
He put his car in park and got out just as Valerie made her way down the front walk to greet him. “Shane, welcome. So nice to see you here. It’s been far too long.” She leaned in for a light hug, which took Shane by surprise. He had never once hugged her, not even close. He noticed she didn’t seem as young and scandalous as he remembered. She had to be at least forty-five now, although not even a hint of age lines showed around her eyes. She was still strikingly beautiful with long, silky black hair and ice-blue eyes. Her looks were obviously well-maintained. Shane knew the look of Botox and fillers well. She looked just like every other gold digger he’d run across in LA.
“Yes, it has been a bit.” He stepped back to create space between them. “Dad around?”
“Oh, yes, he’s inside pacing a hole in the floor. You know how he feels about punctuality.” She gave him a pointed look as she tapped a shiny red nail on her diamond encrusted watch. Punctuality? It was only seven past the hour. It’s not his fault they hadn’t announced him to the guard as a visitor.
Shane ignored her comment and followed her up a long, flower-lined path that led from the driveway to the front door. The welcoming scent of honeysuckle filled the air. They were high atop the lake and the views of blue freshwater stretched so far it was hard to tell where the water ended and the sky began. The air felt a few degrees cooler up here than it had in town. He’d forgotten about this view. Or maybe he’d just never appreciated it before.
Valerie led Shane through the foyer and straight to the library where Carter was standing with his back to the door, arms crossed and gazing out the window. Shane’s stomach twisted into a knot at the sight of his father. The smell of expensive leather and cigars lingered in the air, transporting him to unhappier times. Growing up, his father had always called each of the Knox boys into the library one by one when they were in trouble. As the eldest of the four boys, Shane usually got the worst of it. Just being in this room made his stomach turn.
“Carter, dear, Shane has arrived,” Valerie announced. “I’ll leave you two to catch up. Dinner’s in ten minutes.”
“Shane.” Carter Knox barely acknowledged his son as he turned around, not looking him in the eye more than a brief second before taking his place behind the desk.
“Dad.” Shane mirrored his tone. He was still bitter, and not just about the divorce, or that his father had never supported his music career. Shane carried around too much baggage, all related to the way his father treated him. He wasn’t willing to let it all go just because he was back in town for the weekend.
“Sit,” Carter demanded, motioning toward the seat across from him. “I hear you’re back in town for Dax Cooke’s wedding.”
Shane took a seat in one of the two leather armchairs situated across from the desk. Still the same chairs he remembered all too well, although this one felt a bit smaller than he remembered.
“He and Leila are getting married on Saturday at Arbor Shores Resort. Dax asked me to stand up in his wedding. I wouldn’t miss it,” Shane said.
“So that’s what it takes to bring you back home after all these years? A wedding?”
Here we go. “I didn’t have a reason to come back before.”
“Your family isn’t reason enough?” Carter leaned forward and peered over his glasses.
“Listen, I don’t really want to get into all of this.” Shane scrubbed his hand over his face and sat up straight. “I was hoping we’d be able to set our issues aside for one evening.”
“And what issues are those, Shane?” Carter was not going to let up, an
d Shane was growing more annoyed by the second. “I didn’t know we had any issues. All I know is that you left Arbor Shores nine years ago, and nobody in this town has seen you since. You’ve been too busy becoming some drifter trying to play music to—”
“A drifter trying to play music?” Shane rose to his feet, prepared to give his father a piece of his mind. He couldn’t believe it. He’d finally made it. His band was one of the most famous of their time, and his father still wouldn’t acknowledge his success?
Words pulsed inside Shane, but he couldn’t say any of them. There was something about his father that still intimidated him, something that stopped him from saying what he really wanted to say. “Coming here was a mistake.”
“Sit down, Shane,” his father demanded in a steady tone, making Shane feel foolish for getting worked up. How did his father still manage to make him feel so small? Shane sank back in his chair and stared his father down, waiting for his next passive-aggressive remark.
“Chef Louis has prepared a nice dinner, and Hunter will be joining us. Surely we can enjoy one meal as a family.”
A family? This was not a family. Shane’s band was his family. His fans were his family. As far as Shane was concerned, his father had lost the right to call this a family when he’d decided to step out on his mother and bring a new woman into their home. This would never be a family to Shane. It took everything he had to keep years’ worth of anger from slipping past his lips.
The large mahogany library doors cracked open, and Valerie poked her head in. “Hunter just pulled in. Let’s move this to the dining room, shall we?”
Shane had never been so happy to see Valerie. One more second and surely he would’ve given his father a piece of his music-chasing mind.
“Well, well, if it isn’t our long-lost rock star.” Hunter entered the dining room, leaning in to kiss Valerie on the cheek. The sight of Hunter’s affection and approval of her in their mother’s home warmed Shane’s blood.
Shane ignored his brother’s snarky remark. Truth is, he’d never been too close to Hunter. They were polar opposites. Of the four Knox brothers, Shane was the oldest and Hunter was the youngest, with four years between them. The brothers didn’t even share one common interest. Hunter was on track to become the youngest billionaire Michigan had ever known. Once he took over the family business, that is. As the baby of the family, Hunter was always favored, and in Shane’s opinion, he was the do-good boy who lived his life for Carter’s approval. It nauseated Shane beyond words. Their other two brothers were twins, and they both left Arbor Shores separately after they graduated high school a year after Shane. Ethan was recruited to play college football for the University of Michigan and then went on to go pro when he was drafted to the NFL. Chase, the other twin, was the real drifter of the family. Shane didn’t know where he was; they had lost touch long ago.
“Aren’t you going to say hello to your brother, Shane?” His father raised an eyebrow in his direction as he took his spot at the head of the table.
“If it isn’t Mr. Businessman himself,” Shane mocked. Two could play this game.
“Boys, please sit. Jeffrey is ready to serve dinner,” Valerie interjected, breaking up the banter. The family butler hovered in the doorway with a large bowl in each hand, waiting for everyone to take their seats.
“Jeffrey!” Shane was happier to see the family butler than anyone else in the room. “Good to see you’re still here, my man.”
“Shane, nice to see you come home, boy!” Jeffrey put down the salads and made his way around the table, filling each water goblet. “I’ve been following your music career all these years. You’ve really made something special of yourself.” He flashed a proud smile in Shane’s direction. Jeffrey had been more of a father figure to Shane than Carter ever had. It was Jeffrey that had shown Shane how to throw a baseball, taught him how to fish, had the birds and the bees talk that fathers are supposed to have with their sons. Carter had never been around for those moments. Always too busy out chasing the mighty dollar. Another thing Shane still held resentment over.
Valerie cleared her throat, and Jeffrey disappeared out the door without another word.
“Shane, I was sorry to read about you and Naomi,” Valerie said. “It must be hard dating actresses with the way they are always on location. That distance would surely put a damper on any relationship.”
“We weren’t dating, we were married.” Shane closed his fist around his fork. “And distance or not, we took vows. Some people hold those vows sacred.” His father’s glare bore into him, and he almost regretted his words as fast as he’d said them. Nah, he meant it. Shane was bitter. He was bitter at Naomi, and he was bitter at his father and Valerie.
“I saw Avery Cooke today. Have you seen her yet?” Shane’s head shot in Hunter’s direction. “She’s looking pretty good.”
“Where did you see Avery?”
“Didn’t Dad tell you? I’m acquiring Arbor Shores Resort. I was there this afternoon finalizing the terms with Meredith Cooke.”
“Acquiring the resort?” Shane stared at his brother in shock. The resort had been in the Cooke family for over fifty years. Passed down through the family from Avery’s grandfather. Families had been vacationing there since the sixties. It was one of the most iconic vacation destinations in the region.
“Why do you sound surprised?” Hunter challenged.
“You just don’t strike me as someone who would want to own a family-style resort, that’s all.”
“I don’t, and I won’t.” Hunter paused to take a sip of his wine.
“What are your plans for it?” Shane asked, trying to play it cool.
“That’s the best piece of commercial property in Arbor Shores. The resort is a tear down.” Carter chimed in. “Hunter’s been looking for a nice piece of waterfront land to develop into luxury condos. Arbor Shores Resort will be perfect, once we demolish and rebuild.”
“Demolish and rebuild? What’s wrong with keeping it as is?” Shane tossed down his salad fork, making a clanging noise against the other utensils and causing Valerie to flinch. “People love that resort. The cabins and the Beach Club are what draw so many tourists to this area every summer.”
“So now you’re a real estate expert?” Hunter jabbed. “Why don’t you stick to playing music and leave business to us.”
Shane pushed his chair back, ready to get up. He’d suddenly lost his appetite and was ready to remove himself from this dinner once and for all.
“The Cooke’s are in trouble, Shane,” Valerie began. “That place hasn’t been profitable since Sal Cooke passed away. Families rent summer homes and condos now. Fewer and fewer families are visiting the resort.”
“Things have changed since you left. But we wouldn’t expect you to know anything about that,” his father added.
Shane rose to his feet. “Valerie, thank you for the invitation.” He nodded in his stepmother’s direction. “Dad, Hunter.” Shane had a million things running through his mind that he wanted to say to each of them, but he knew better than to waste the energy. Nothing he could ever say would make a difference.
“Shane, dear ...” Valerie stood as he headed for the door.
“Let him go,” he heard his father tell her. And that’s exactly what Shane did. Straight out the door of Knox residence for what he knew in his heart would be the last time.
Chapter 6
Avery poured herself a mug of coffee and felt something soft rub against her leg.
“You hungry, boy?” Like clockwork, Tipper was waiting for his morning meal. She opened the pantry and fetched a can of cat food, peeling off the tin lid and dumping the contents into his bowl. She grabbed her coffee and headed out back to the deck, her favorite part of her home. Drinking her coffee on the deck was something she tried to do every morning that time allowed.
Her small two-bedroom home was just a few miles outside of town. Set back in the woods, it gave her just the privacy she longed for. She’d always loved nature,
and her backyard was surrounded with mature trees that backed up to state land that would never be developed. She loved sitting out there in the morning, watching the birds, feeling the crisp air, and taking in the sounds and smells of the forest that surrounded her. She couldn’t see her neighbors, and that was just how she liked it. The scent of sweet evergreen awakened her senses—just what she needed after the terrible sleep she’d gotten the night before.
Avery’s cell phone buzzed on the patio table, startling her. She wasn’t ready for the outside world just yet. She glanced at the screen. Dax.
“Morning,” she answered.
“Good, you’re up. I was hoping I wasn’t going to have to come over there.”
“Why wouldn’t I be up, Dax? I’m the morning person out of the two of us, remember?” She pulled her feet onto the Adirondack chair and tucked them under her legs, taking a sip of her coffee. “What are you doing up at this hour is a better question.”
“Just making sure you’re ready for the trip. We’re meeting at Crystal River in two hours.” Avery took the phone from her ear to glance at the time on the screen. Seven o’clock.
“Remind me why we are leaving so early.” Avery had planned most of the wedding festivities that were scheduled to take place at the resort, but she didn’t know much about this trip, other than it involved canoeing to their overnight campsite, something she would normally love. But knowing Shane would be there, she was dreading it.
“We check in at the river at nine. They’ll bus us north with the canoes to the drop-off point. We will spend the day canoeing back to the campsite where everything is already set up for us. Shane and I went there last night and pitched the tents and gathered wood. We’re good to go.” Her brother sounded excited and she didn’t want her dread to put a damper on his day. “It’s great to see Shane after all these years, huh, Ave?”
“I have to get in the shower,” Avery said, quick to change the subject.
