The Billionaire's Kiss (The Sherbrookes of Newport Book 14)

by Christina Tetreault

  “Hi,” he said, closing the door into the garage.

  “You’re home earlier than I expected,” his sister said after both women greeted him.

  When he spent the day working in Boston, it was anyone’s guess when he’d get home. Since he’d arrived at the office long before just about everyone else today, he’d left right after his meeting with Stephen to avoid the worst of the traffic.

  “Is there any more of what you baked left?” He’d eaten a rather early lunch and nothing since.

  Candace pointed toward some kind of cake on the counter near them. “Have you thought about greeting your eyes checked?”

  Although there were pieces missing, the majority of the cake remained. Perhaps if his eyes hadn’t been so focused on their guest, he would’ve seen it himself. It didn’t seem to matter how many times he saw Juliette, he had trouble looking at anything but her when they were in the same room.

  “I’ll add it to my to-do list.” After leaving his stuff on a kitchen chair, he got a dish from the cupboard. “What is it?” He pointed toward the cake with a knife. He didn’t wait for an answer before cutting into it, because, in the end, it didn’t really matter. When it came to food, he wasn’t fussy, and it smelled great.

  “Lemon-blueberry upside down cake,” Juliette answered. Her voice pulled all his attention her way. “Today’s baking lesson.”

  He didn’t bother with a fork. Instead, he ripped a chunk off the slice he’d cut and popped it in his mouth. “It’s delicious.”

  His compliment earned him an immediate smile from Juliette, and for a moment, he could not look at anything but her.

  “I planned to order pizza for dinner tonight. Anything specific you want?”

  Candace’s voice broke whatever spell their guest’s smile put him under. He dropped his gaze toward the cake and ripped off another piece. “Whatever is fine. You know what I like.”

  “Do you want to stay and eat with us?” His sister pulled out the menu for Bruno’s Pizza and opened it.

  Juliette shook her head, causing the few pieces of hair that had escaped her braid to sway. “Not tonight, thanks.” She tucked the stray pieces behind her ears the way he wanted to. “But if you don’t mind, I’ll take a piece of cake home with me.”

  “Take the whole thing if you want.”

  Please don’t. Aaron would want a second slice later. He couldn’t get one if the cake was down in cottage number ten.

  “No, I just want a piece.”

  While his sister wrapped up a substantial slice, he grabbed the menu she’d taken out. He hadn’t lied. He didn’t care what kind of pizza she ordered, but looking at the menu gave his eyes something to do other than stare at their guest. The traitorous things had a mind of their own whenever Juliette was in the same room.

  “Are you sure there isn’t something specific you want?” Candace asked once they were alone.

  Well, maybe, but it wasn’t available from Bruno’s Pizza. He pushed the menu across the counter toward her. “Whatever you want.”

  Her eyebrow inched ever so slightly up, but she didn’t say anything. Instead, she called in an order before retaking her seat. Before she could spew out whatever was on her mind, and he knew something was tumbling around in her head, he needed to start a conversation.

  Following his and Tiegan’s conversation at George’s Diner, he’d run the idea of getting his niece tickets to the ballet by his sister, since she was the one who would have to take her. Although she’d argued it was potentially an expensive gift, she’d given him the green light. He’d hoped for something much later in the spring or perhaps the early summer, since Tiegan’s birthday wasn’t until April, and although the calendar claimed spring had arrived, it didn’t mean they couldn’t still get some nasty wintery weather. Last year, they’d gotten eight inches of snow on April Fool’s Day. If a late season storm hit, he’d prefer his sister or mother didn’t find themselves stuck driving in it.

  “I got tickets for Tiegan to see Swan Lake on Saturday night with you and Mom for her birthday. And I booked a hotel room for the three of you to stay in the city for three nights since Tiegan doesn’t have school on Monday. The show is leaving Boston at the end of March, and there isn’t another ballet being performed in the city until November.” In his mind, making an eleven-year-old wait more than seven months to see a show wasn’t an option.

  “One night would’ve been sufficient.”

  Aaron knew that. But this was Tiegan’s first birthday since Eric walked out on her and Candace. He wanted to make it as special as possible. “The hotel has a pool. Good luck getting Tiegan out of it.”

  “Since you’ll have the house all to yourself for the weekend, maybe you should have a little fun.”

  Her tone told him the kind of fun she had in mind. And while he hadn’t been on a date or had any woman over since his sister and niece moved in, it wasn’t only because they were there. Aaron hadn’t met anyone he wanted to spend time with.

  “Did the town get an influx of women between the ages of twenty-five and forty-five? Because if not, there isn’t anyone in Avon I’d want to spend my weekend with.”

  Candace steepled her fingers underneath her chin. “Liar.”

  Like every other human on Earth, he’d told the occasional little white lie from time to time. Now wasn’t one of those times. “If you think I’m interested in Nelly, you’re wrong. Besides, isn’t she with Jeff?” The previous summer, he and Nelly had gone out a few times, but it never developed into anything. Now, if they saw each other at the store or George’s, they said hello and went about their business.

  “Wow, you’re being difficult. I’m talking about our guest in Cottage 10. You can’t take your eyes off her whenever she’s here.”

  She’d already called him a liar anyway, so he might as well prove her right. “You’re imagining things.”

  “Please. We both know I’m not. While we’re gone, invite Juliette up for dinner. Who knows what will happen.”

  Any additional denials wouldn’t help him, but the truth might. “If she was Juliette Belmont, high school English teacher or accountant from New York, I’d consider it.” He’d never gotten involved with any of the campground’s guests, but then they’d never had a guest stay as long as she planned to, either. “But not heiress Juliette Belmont. We both know people like her live in a world that plays by a different set of rules.”

  “That just might be the dumbest thing you’ve ever said. And you’ve said some stupid stuff in the past.”

  “Huh, then if Bryon’s parents had been schoolteachers instead of multimillionaires, he still would’ve gotten only three years of probation, right?”

  Candace scowled and crossed her arms over her chest. “You’re right. Stuff like that unfortunately happens. But I still like Juliette, and if you asked her up for dinner or to a movie, I’m confident she would say yes.”

  At least every time he’d been around her, she’d been nice enough. She never put on airs or talked down to anyone in the family. And much to her credit, she hadn’t tried to change anyone’s mind when Candace told her Tiegan wasn’t interested in modeling. That didn’t mean he wanted to get involved with her.

  “And I didn’t say you couldn’t be friends with her and spend time together. I just do not want to.” Standing, he retrieved his jacket and computer bag from the kitchen chair. “I’ll be right back.”

  Aaron dropped off his laptop in his office before continuing upstairs to his bedroom so he could put away his jacket, which he usually hung in the closet near the front door. Today though, he wanted a few minutes alone to deal with the emotions his conversation with Candace brought up.

  Born nine months apart, he and Troy had been more like brothers than cousins. They’d played on the same sports team, hung out with the same friends, and graduated high school together. Hell, they’d even taken a set of identical twins to their senior prom. Even when they’d gone off to college, they’d seen each other all the time, since they’d b
oth attended in-state universities. And seven years ago when his mom called and told him Troy had been killed in a car accident, it’d been like losing a cousin, best friend, and brother all at once. An accident caused by a Bryon Casella, a seventeen-year-old who’d been as high as a kite and behind the wheel of his wealthy parents’ SUV. While both cars had been totaled, Casella and his sister had walked away without a scratch on them while Troy died before the EMTs even reached the crash site, and his girlfriend spent weeks in the hospital. As if that wasn’t bad enough, Casella’s high-priced lawyers from Boston saved him from serving any jail time. Instead, the judge suspended his license for two years and gave him probation, proving to Aaron that a different set of rules applied to the wealthy. And at least in the United States, there weren’t too many people wealthier than their long-term guest—a woman he would be polite to whenever he was around her, but not one he intended to get to know any better.

  The sound of the doorbell disturbed the silence in the room. A moment or two later, he heard feet running down the hallway.

  Grabbing the ballet tickets from his jacket pocket, Aaron stuffed his thoughts of Troy back into the corner of his mind where they usually resided and left the room.

  Chapter 7

  Saturday morning, Aaron rolled onto his back and opened his eyes. As if Clifford had been sitting there just waiting for some sign Aaron was awake, the dog jumped on the bed. Yesterday, Candace, Tiegan, and his mom left for Boston as soon as his niece stepped off the bus. With his usual bed partner gone, Clifford slept on the dog bed in Aaron’s room, the spot he’d always used at bedtime before Tiegan moved in and invited the dog to sleep with her.

  At first, he’d been against letting Clifford sleep in Tiegan’s bed because at some point Tiegan wouldn’t be living there, and he didn’t want the dog to suddenly be jumping into his bed at night. When he suggested they put the dog bed in her room instead, she went along with it, although there had been a lot of pouting involved. At least, they had thought she’d gone along with it. But then Candace started finding the dog in his niece’s bed almost every morning when she went to wake Tiegan up for school. After that short-lived experiment, Aaron put the dog bed back in his room, and Clifford slept with his niece, which meant last night was the first time the dog had used it in months. He hadn’t been happy about it either. Twice, the dog had jumped on the bed, and Aaron had to move him back to the floor.

  “Hey, bud.” He scratched the dog behind the ear and reached for his watch on the nightstand. The combination of room-darkening shades and curtains blocked out a significant amount of sunlight, making it difficult to gauge the time.

  Almost six-thirty. No wonder his dog was not only awake but watching the bed for any signs of life. He wanted to eat. Tiegan got up early for school, and she fed the dog as soon as she came downstairs. He’d never assigned the chore to her; she’d simply taken it upon herself when she moved in.

  “You want to eat.” At the word “eat,” the dog’s tail wagged. Aaron raked his hands down his face and then stared at the ceiling.

  If it was up to him, he’d stay in bed for another hour or two. With the house to himself for the first time in seven months, he’d stayed up late watching movies he enjoyed. Movies that had a lot of action and often a lot of swearing. The type his niece was too young to watch, and his sister hated. Or he’d done that until the power went out around midnight.

  The icy rain and hail accompanied by strong winds had started sometime around nine. Earlier in the day, the meteorologist had predicted the storm would begin around dinnertime, which was one of the reasons his sister insisted they leave when they did. He hadn’t been surprised when the storm didn’t begin on time. After all, this was New England. And if New England weather was anything, it was unpredictable. It also hadn’t shocked him when the power went out, considering the wind gusts outside. Later, when he got around to going outside, he’d no doubt find some downed limbs on the property.

  What he wanted right now made little difference. Until he got up and fed Clifford, the dog wouldn’t leave him alone, which would make falling back to sleep impossible.

  Chilly air greeted him when he tossed back the blankets, and he didn’t need to try the lamp next to his bed to know the power was still out. After pulling on the flannel pajama bottoms he’d tossed at the end of the bed, he pulled on a sweatshirt and some wool socks. As if he knew exactly what Aaron intended, Clifford jumped off the bed and waited by the bedroom door.

  “I’m coming. I’m coming.” In response, the dog wagged his tail again, and as soon as Aaron opened the door, he bolted into the hallway. When he reached the stairs, he turned and looked back to make sure Aaron followed.

  Growing up, they’d always had a small generator to power the water pump on the well, because without water, it was impossible to flush the toilet or wash your hands. After purchasing the home from his mom, he’d replaced it with a slightly larger one that could also power the refrigerator. More than once when he was a kid, they’d lost power, and as a result, all the food in the fridge. He’d considered getting something powerful enough to run the heating system and all the electrical outlets in the home too. In the end, he’d decided the cost wasn’t worth it. The house had a woodstove that did a decent job of heating the first floor, and he made sure he was never without wood no matter the time of year. Plus, when they lost power, it usually wasn’t for very long. Only once could he remember losing it for more than two days. He’d been twelve, and an early winter storm consisting of heavy wet snow brought down tree limbs and electrical wires across the state. The entire town had been without power for five days. While they’d had at least heat thanks to the woodstove and running water, many of their neighbors hadn’t been so lucky. In fact, his cousin Troy, his sister, and their parents had stayed with them until the electric company restored the power.

  Like he often did when he reached the bottom of the stairs, he flipped up the light switch. “Idiot, the power is out,” he muttered.

  Rather than continue to the kitchen, his usual first stop when he came downstairs in the morning, Aaron kneeled next to the woodstove and grabbed some firewood from the log rack as well as some kindling. Not surprisingly, Clifford, who’d already made it halfway to the kitchen, turned around when he realized Aaron no longer followed him and headed back in his direction. After parking his butt next to him, the dog started whining while Aaron worked on getting a fire going in the woodstove.

  “I get it. You want to eat.” And he wanted some heat. “You’ve got a fur coat on. I don’t.” He paused long enough to pet the dog before retrieving the matches he kept in a drawer.

  Confident the fire wouldn’t go out, he closed the load door and stood. “Okay, Clifford, let’s fill that belly of yours.” He’d rather avoid any additional complaints from his four-legged friend this morning.

  Once he had the dog momentarily satisfied—he would undoubtedly beg for some of Aaron’s breakfast once he sat down—Aaron got the teakettle from the cupboard. He preferred coffee to hot tea, but since he couldn’t make any, he’d settle for caffeine in whatever form he could get it. And unless he wanted a can of cola, tea was all he had available.

  For years, his parents had used an electric stove in the kitchen. When he’d had the room remodeled, he’d replaced it with a gas one instead. Not only did he prefer it for cooking, an activity he’d done almost every night until Candace moved in, but at times like this, it allowed him or whoever else was here to prepare a hot meal or boil water. And while he waited for the stove to do just that, he got the box of oatmeal from the pantry. Since he was boiling water anyway, a bowl of oatmeal would be a quick, easy, and, more importantly, warm breakfast. Precisely what this morning called for.

  Juliette’s phone ringing penetrated her sleep and brought her pleasant dream to an abrupt and unsatisfying end. Rolling onto her side, she looked at the offending device on the nightstand. The name Daniel Green greeted her.

  Seriously. Her dream had been ruined by that c
reep. She didn’t bother to answer. There wasn’t a single thing he could say to excuse his behavior. Later, when she moved from the comfort of her bed, she’d delete his number from her contact list. Why she hadn’t already done so was a mystery to her.

  She moved onto her back again and stared up at the ceiling. Was the power still out? Around one o’clock or so, she’d woken up to use the bathroom only to discover the storm had knocked out the electricity. When the power went out at her condo, she didn’t think twice about it, since the building had emergency generators to ensure that the heat and the elevators worked. It was a similar case at her parents’ home, although there the generator kept every appliance and light working, making power outages no big deal.

  The cottage didn’t have any backup systems. While it didn’t matter to her if she could turn on a light, especially at the moment, she cared about the heat. Although the outside temperature was most likely higher than if it’d still been January, no one would consider it toasty.

  Reaching over, she tried the lamp on the nightstand. “Great,” she muttered when it didn’t switch on. She shoved her arm back under the blankets. In the city, service crews usually got things up and running again fairly quickly. But what about here? According to her phone, it was already nine o’clock. That meant the power had been out for at least eight hours. Perhaps even much longer, since last night she’d been unusually tired and had gone to bed before ten, an almost unheard-of event when she was in the city. Heck, some nights, she was just going out around that time.

  With no place to be and nothing waiting for her except the new novel she’d started yesterday, she stayed under the covers until an empty stomach forced her to leave the comfort and relative warmth of her bed. Even before she made it down to the kitchen, she was reconsidering her decision. The unpleasant rumble she felt in her stomach as she weighed how much longer she could go without eating sent her across the living room rather than back up to her bedroom.