by Nomi Summers
Avery got up to excuse herself. “I’m going to the Bloody Mary bar,” she announced, holding up the glass that Rylee had delivered, awaiting its toppings.
“I’ll go with you,” Shane said, rising to his feet and meeting her with his own glass. They shimmied their way through the crowd and into the restaurant, where a massive table was set up along the back wall with all the fixings from bacon to pickles and blue cheese stuffed olives.
“They sure do put out a nice spread,” Shane finally said, dropping treats into his glass as they both built killer Bloody Marys. It soon became a competition to see who could build the best one. By the end of the line they both had a mountain of fixings towering out of their glasses. They compared masterpieces and laughed.
“So nice to see you two kids back together.” Shane recognized that voice. He didn’t even have to turn around to know Hunter had walked up behind him.
“Who are you calling a kid? You’re my little brother, remember?” Shane said, knocking his brother’s arrogance down a notch. Hunter was dressed in his best. Didn’t he ever just kick back and relax? It was Sunday, after all, and Shane doubted his brother was coming from church, so what was with the sports blazer at the beach? Sometimes he wondered how it was possible they had the same genes.
Hunter turned to Avery. “I hope your mother has given my offer some thought. It will expire soon. It’s a good offer for the two of you, and it’d be a shame for you to miss out.” Shane could see the heat rising in Avery. He knew what was about to go down, and this time, he welcomed it. He contemplated putting Hunter in his place, but he knew Avery could handle herself in this situation, and to be honest, he was looking forward to the show.
“Actually, Hunter, I’m quite certain we won’t be accepting your offer. We’ll be sending an official reply in the morning,” Avery said, taking a sip of her drink and staring him square in the eye. Shane could tell she was trying her best to keep her cool, but if he knew Avery, he also knew that would only go so far, and his brother was on thin ice.
“When was the last time you took a look at the financials?”
“Excuse me?”
“The financials. Clearly, you have no idea how bad it actually is. I’ve already talked to your bank, and unless you can come up with a steep investment very quickly, you will go into foreclosure. You can take my offer and walk away with a nice nest egg, or you can lose the resort and walk away with nothing. Either way, Knox Enterprises will end up with it. It’s up to you.”
Shane watched as Avery's face flushed with anger. How dare his brother talk to her like that. He had just opened his mouth to give Hunter a piece of his mind when Avery stepped forward. “Actually, you won’t be acquiring the resort. We’ll have all the money needed to pay up the loan within the next few weeks. Unfortunately for you, Arbor Shores is staying in the Cooke family.” She gave him a smirk. Now it was Hunter’s turn to show signs of anger.
“And how do you plan to do that? With your little Fourth of July Jamboree you have planned? I’ve seen the flyers around town. Do you actually think that is going to raise the kind of money needed to save your resort? Clearly you have no idea just how bad of shape you’re in. You and your mother have to let it go, Avery. It’s time to allow someone to come in and make something of that property.”
“That’s enough, Hunter.” Shane stepped forward, closing the space between him and his brother, but Avery had put down her glass and stepped forward to meet Hunter eye-to-eye.
“Two things. One, don’t ever speak of my family again; and two, Shane’s hosting a concert next weekend, so I don’t think I’ll have any trouble filling my little Jamboree.”
Shane nearly choked on an olive he’d popped into his mouth. Did she just say what he thought she did? Did that mean she’d agreed to allow him to have the concert?
Hunter turned to face Shane. “Really?” he asked dryly. “You’re putting on a concert at the resort next weekend?”
“You have a problem with that?” Shane set his glass down, fully prepared to put his brother in his place if need be.
“Man, I don’t know how you can even call yourself a Knox,” Hunter snapped. “You go ahead and play your pro bono concert to save your girlfriend’s resort, but I promise you, you can kiss your place in the Knox family goodbye if you do.”
“I said goodbye to being a part of the family long ago, Hunter,” Shane said coolly. “Ain’t no skin off my back.”
“You do this, and I’ll make sure that you’re out of Dad’s will once and for all.”
“Go right ahead. Last time I checked, I make my own money, and I don’t need my daddy’s money to get through life, unlike some people I know.” Shane knew that one would sting. He always suspected Hunter might be the sole heir of the Knox fortune, although it was never officially announced, but he also knew that deep down Hunter had always wanted to make his own money. That’s why he was always looking for these side real estate deals to try to impress his father. Hunter lived to impress Carter Knox.
“Gentlemen, I’m going to need you to take this outside.” Big John had approached the threesome and inserted himself between the two brothers. A crowd had formed around them, and all eyes in the room were on the Knox brothers.
“No need,” Shane said. “We’re done here.” He stared down his brother, jaw clenched, fists balled at his sides, as if to dare him to say another word. It was clear that Hunter knew when to stand down to his older brother, because he turned and walked away. “Avery, shall we?” Shane said, holding out his hand for her. She took it and allowed him to guide her through the crowd.
When they were out of the view of the prying guests, he turned to her. “So that means you’ll take me up on my offer? I’m going to play at the resort next weekend?”
“You bet your bottom you are,” she said through gritted teeth, clearly still seething from the run-in with Hunter. “And Shane,” she said, squeezing his hand and looking up at him, her face softening. “Thank you.” She finally let the anger flush from her face.
“Anything for you, Ave.” He was thrilled that he’d broken down the walls she had built up and was just glad he could do something to help her and Meredith with the resort. Now, his only issue would be what to tell his manager and his band.
“I don’t know how I’ll ever thank you for this,” she said, looking down at her flip-flop as she drew an imaginary circle with her foot.
“Well, there is one thing you could do.” His eyebrows danced with his words.
“And what’s that?” Avery asked Shane, intrigued by his comment.
“Chelsea is coming on strong. You’d be doing me a real favor if you acted like we were back together for the rest of the afternoon.”
“What?” she laughed, assuming he was joking.
“She’s all over me, Ave,” he said, holding his hands up innocently. “Come on, she leaves tomorrow. It’s just one day of pretending, and it will keep her out of my hair. I’d really like to relax and enjoy my Sunday without prying her wandering hands off of me every five minutes.”
Avery was growing tired of watching Chelsea paw at Shane herself, and the idea wasn’t half bad.
“I suppose I could do that since you are going to such lengths to help me,” she agreed. “But only for today,” she added quickly with a pointed finger.
“Of course. Tomorrow we’ll go back to you playing hard to get.” He grinned at her with his sexiest of smiles.
She playfully slapped him on the arm. His arrogance came peeking through at the most opportune moments, but not a Hunter-level arrogance. It was more like a sexy confidence that only Shane Knox could pull off. One that secretly drove her crazy. In a good way.
He held out his hand. “Shall we?”
Avery took his hand and headed back to the table. It felt good to be by his side. It was almost as if he’d never left, and they were picking up right where they’d left off. Even if they were just pretending. Something was happening between them that couldn’t be denied, and she wa
s running out of will to fight it.
When they reached the table, the looks on everyone’s faces made it clear they had some explaining to do. But she didn’t mind that everyone in the vicinity was whispering and probably making up their own version of Avery and Shane’s story.
Perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad to fake a relationship with Shane after all. In fact, it was the most natural feeling she’d had in a very long time.
“Well, look at this,” Leila sang in approval. “Looks like the two of you are finally getting along.”
“She finally stopped fighting it,” Shane announced, kissing the back of Avery’s hand that he was still holding.
It was showtime; everyone at the table had stopped mid-chew to check them out as they approached the group hand in hand. She met her brother’s gaze, disappointment flitted across his face. Avery looked away quickly. She didn’t need a lecture from her brother right now.
“What can I say?” Avery responded. She didn’t quite know what to say, and the looks were making her uncomfortable. “It’s hot out here. Anyone up for a game of volleyball? I think net three is open.”
Everyone gathered their things, and Avery could see Chelsea sulking out of the corner of her eye. It was obvious she was not pleased about the match between Shane and Avery, and it secretly made Avery gloat. Every time Chelsea touched him, Avery had wanted to scream. She doubted she would’ve made it through a full afternoon if it hadn’t been put to a stop.
Plus, she was enjoying the idea of having him as a boyfriend for the day, although she’d have to avoid any chance of kissing. She knew Shane, and he’d take that chance if he thought he could get away with it. That part she wasn’t quite ready for. At least, not yet. Her defenses were weakening though; she was slowly running out of reasons to avoid his lips.
The crew enjoyed an afternoon of fun in the sun. Once evening set in, the guys built a small fire in one of the beach firepits, and everyone gathered around. Shane had brought his guitar and played and sang while everyone listened; he grew quite a crowd once people caught wind of the action.
Watching how Shane always drew such a crowd, Avery wondered if she could handle a life with him now that he had this new level of stardom. It seemed he couldn’t go anywhere without being stopped or gawked at. As someone who loved her privacy, that would prove to be a challenge for Avery.
Pretending had started out fun, but after a few hours in, it was messing with her head. It hadn’t been as easy as she’d originally thought it would be. Having him so close to her made it impossible to ignore her feelings, but she also couldn’t ignore his fame. People everywhere knew who he was. It was giving her a glimpse of what a future would be like with him. She wanted to believe she could handle it, but she wasn’t so sure. She was sure she loved that Shane took every opportunity he could to put his arms around her, hold her hand, or kiss her gently on the forehead. That part felt good. Better than she had anticipated.
When Shane finished his song and put down his guitar, Avery leaned over and whispered into his ear, “I have to go soon. I have to be at the resort early tomorrow.”
“I’ll take you,” he offered with a smile.
“I drove myself here, remember?”
“Well, I’ll walk you out then.”
The couple rose to their feet and Avery said her goodbyes to Dax and Leila who were scheduled to leave for Bimini the following day. This would be the last time she saw the newlyweds for two weeks.
“Avery, thank you so much for everything. You really made our wedding day special.” Leila leaned in and gave her new sister-in-law a long, appreciative hug.
“You two have fun in the Bahamas, and be safe!”
“Be good to my sister while I’m gone.” Dax slapped Shane on the back and gave him a one-armed hug. Avery watched the interaction and knew Dax was giving his best friend a warning, in his big-brotherly way. She was just thankful he hadn’t given them a hard time about their “relationship.” Perhaps he could see that she was happy today. Even though Dax was overprotective, she knew he only wanted the best for her.
“I’m glad you’ve decided to stay the week.”
“Me too, man. I just wish you were going to be here. But enjoy your honeymoon.”
“Yeah, I’ll take sipping margaritas on an island over painting cabins, but you two have fun with that!” Dax teased. Then his tone turned serious. “Think you’ll be back this way again soon? When will I see you again?”
“You’re going to be seeing a lot more of me. I promise you that,” Shane said to Dax, but he stared at Avery as he spoke the words. He took Avery’s hand in his as she turned to say goodbye to the rest of the guests, even Chelsea.
“I’m happy for you two. It’s clear that you really do belong together,” Chelsea told them both as she took turns hugging each of them. Guilt flooded through Avery’s system. She could tell Chelsea meant her words, and now she felt terrible for faking this relationship. She’d never wanted to hurt her.
“Thank you, Chelsea.” Avery gave her a genuine smile, and the two parted ways. At least they’d leave on good terms. Not that she was ever likely to see her again since Chelsea was flying home tomorrow.
Shane walked Avery to the parking lot, holding her hand the entire way, long after the group could no longer see them. When they reached the car, he turned to her and said, “Thank you for today. I had fun with you.”
“Yeah, me too.” She was starting to soften, and knew she had to pull herself together. “Tomorrow it’s back to business as usual. No need to keep up the fake relationship after everyone leaves.”
“Unless you wanted to?” he asked with a hopeful grin.
“There’s no use in pretending to be something we’re not unless it evolves to that. Let’s just take it one day at a time and see where this takes us.”
“Well then, I’ll see you in the morning, boss. I’ll be ready for you to put me to work.”
“See you then,” Avery turned and began to open the door to her car, but she felt Shane push it shut. As she turned to face him to see what he was doing, he leaned in and pinned her gently against the car with his body. One hand on the door, he leaned in as if he were going to kiss her. With his other hand, he brushed his thumb along her bottom lip.
“What are you doing?” she tried to whisper, but her voice cracked.
“I’ve been dying to kiss you, Ave.” His voice was low, his breath warm against her cheek, as he leaned in to whisper in her ear, “Ever since I got here, I’ve wanted nothing more than to feel your lips on mine.”
“Shane …” she started, but her voice trailed off. Her legs were getting weaker and weaker. She was running out of fight with this man.
“Just one kiss, Avery,” he whispered softly. “And then we’ll know.”
Her eyes fell to his lips, so close to her own, and she began to close her eyes. She did want the kiss, more than anything. But she didn’t want her heart to break all over again. She wanted to be certain this could work before they took it too far. She straightened her back, placing a hand on his chest to create space between them. “I already know, Shane.”
Before he could say anything more, she leaned forward and dusted a kiss to his cheek. She turned and opened the car door, whispering a brief goodbye before she got in and backed out of her parking spot, leaving Shane alone to watch her tail lights disappear in the distance.
Chapter 13
Shane woke to the sound of a lawn mower off in the distance, the morning sun shining brightly into the cabin windows. For the first time in a long time, he was up with the sunrise. Some mornings, he was just going to bed at this time when on tour. He had to admit, it felt good to be up at this hour with energy and something important to do for the day. He never thought he’d be so excited to paint cabins.
He made a pot of coffee and took a cup out on the patio to enjoy the quiet morning. Directly in front of his cabin, a long dock called his name. He’d been dying to jump in the lake since arriving here, but he knew his body wa
s no longer used to the frigid waters of Lake Michigan, having been in California for so long.
He wasn’t sure if it was thoughts of Avery that he needed to clear from his mind, or the nostalgia of being back home that was affecting his logic, but before he could contemplate his decision, he put down his cup, removed his shirt, and jogged down the dock like a kid before diving off the end.
The water was frigid but rejuvenating, and energy surged through his system. He swam out as far as he could before he felt himself tiring, and then turned to head back to the dock. He was pretty far offshore now, but he could see a figure on the end of his dock—a figure in a pale-yellow sundress, that, make no mistake, was Avery.
“Good morning,” she greeted him with an amused grin as he pulled his wet body back onto the dock. He noticed her eyes scanning his body. He had nothing on but his board shorts that he had slept in.
“Good morning, boss.”
“I was coming to make sure you were up before I head to the main lodge.” She still wore the grin as if she was pleasantly surprised to see him enjoying the lake.
“Of course I’m up. I can’t wait to get started. What’s my first task?”
“Well, I’m going to have to go into the city and get the painting supplies. Do you want to come with me?”
“There’s nothing I’d rather do today than pick out paint with you,” he teased, but deep down it couldn’t have been closer to the truth.
“First, I need to tell my mom about the run-in with Hunter. I’ll let her know about the concert so we can begin selling tickets. You’re sure you want to do this?”
He was sure he wanted to, but how was he going to break it to his publicist and manager that he wouldn’t be headed to New York today for a week of scheduled appearances? How was he going to get out of The Aftershow on Saturday night?
His manager had arranged for a private jet to pick Shane up, and it was scheduled to arrive at noon. When Shane didn’t get on the plane today, everyone would find out. “There’s nothing I want to do more,” he said with a smile, but deep inside he had a gut feeling he was making a life-altering decision. Still, watching Avery’s face light up, he knew he couldn’t let her down.
