“Not this time.”
“Jimmy-Jaymz, are you behaving yourself?”
“Of course. I’m a model citizen, you know that.”
“Is there anything lively to do here?”
“Anna has plans for us. You won’t have time for much extracurricular activity.”
“Wow. That sounds underwhelming.”
“Shush.” Jami laughed quietly.
Fiona’s dominant voice pierced even Kyle’s bored veneer as she launched into a round of stories of the accomplishments of her children. Beck edged away and entered into a deep conversation with one of his nephews who’d brought a set of small model race cars and was showing them off at the side of the pool.
Beck’s rich laugh carried to the far side of the patio, and Jami’s pulse fluttered. She turned, but all she could see was the dark whorl of that blasted cowlick and his shirt straining across his muscled biceps.
Caitlynne let out a tiny huff, and her eyes narrowed as attention had veered away from her, and she was poised to launch a new attack. Jami took a steadying breath. This was going to be some kind of wedding.
“Hey, the waiters have arrived,” Teddy Barrett interrupted. “Looks like the buffet is open. It smells fabulous. What can I serve you, my dear?” He waved jauntily to his adult children and tugged his missus toward the food.
By some misfortune, Beck sauntered behind her and slipped next to her in the dinner line. An instant buzz fluttered up her spine, and curiously, her cheeks burned hot.
“Enjoying yourself?” Beck’s tone was bland and conversational. “The food looks delicious.”
Jami glared at him and his pathetic small talk, but with an army of witnesses, she silenced her snarky retort.
“It does, doesn’t it,” she replied, mimicking his overly charming tone of voice. “I’m so ready for the succulent tropical fruits.” Were they seriously discussing produce? “We just can’t seem to get them fresh enough in our little rural hometown. You must be used to them in Los Angeles.” Jami had done her research after the nerve-racking hearing. BK Industries was based in L. A., and she wished he’d stay down there.
“Nothing like a fresh mango or pineapple. They’re a luxury anywhere on the mainland.” Beck’s hand brushed hers, and she dropped the tongs as if she’d received a shock from a fork stuck in a toaster.
Jami ignored him and focused on plucking up choice chunks of golden and peachy fruit. So much for trying to convince him Barrett Ridge was too rural for his cosmopolitan tastes.
She fought back irritation. He was standing too close, and every inch of her skin tingled with awareness. She shot him a sideways glance, and her fingers itched to comb back the curl that threatened to fall to his forehead as he leaned down to snag what looked like a small mango cheesecake.
He was definitely the better looking of the two brothers. She pressed her lips together. Not that she cared, of course. She tromped to the opposite side of the pool deck and settled at the kids’ table, and lost herself in joking and teasing with the flock of children, and with Kyle, who joined in the merriment.
After dinner, all the kids begged their parents to let them splash in the pool. Kyle doffed his loose, tropical flowered shirt, and hopped into the water and started chasing the kids around with many squeals and screams.
With a frosty piña colada in her hand, Jami decided the alcoholic content must be rather light since she wasn’t even feeling a buzz and this was her third cocktail of the night. Buzz or no buzz, it was no doubt loaded with calories. She’d better work it off tomorrow. She wondered if there was some kind of spin class.
As she bounced her foot in rhythm with the island music streaming from the strategically placed speakers, Jami’s gaze wandered around the various tables scattered in intervals around the stamped concrete patio. Jo and Sam were deep in conversation with two of the Edwards sisters, Elaine and Mandy. Austin, Dillon, and Beck were tipping back beers and seemed comfortable while Anna gazed adoringly at Rob as he told a story to the rest of the family, new and old.
Dillon’s laughter roared out as Austin and Beck clinked their bottles in some kind of congratulations.
Jami fumed. How could Beck Kavanagh possibly be her future brother-in-law, or at least the sibling of an in-law, and be the lowlife scumbutt who was trying to take over her town? Oh sure, Beck’s company looked all environmentally friendly with their electric motorcycles and wave of the future, but she knew the company was bad news. She’d seen the filings. They’d filed for bankruptcy two years ago and had only been saved by some white knight investment group with a Wall Street connection.
Perhaps, she shouldn’t be so judgy. Lots of companies had troubles. Even Barrett Logistics had been on the rocks any number of times, but Dad had always pulled through. Jami watched as her eldest brother, Austin, cracked a joke with their father.
Austin had been the lifesaver this last time. She shuddered and tried not to remember the scary days after her father’s massive heart attack and then multiple bypass surgery. The recovery had been fraught with setbacks, and Austin had taken an extended leave from his career in Denver to run the family’s trucking company while Teddy had been slowly recuperating in the hospital and at home.
Jami scowled and polished off the rest of her slushy. She was not going to let Beck off the hook. His company was horning in on their business deal to buy the property next door so Barrett Logistics could finally expand their yard and truck repair facilities. Besides, she did not like to lose.
She’d missed an opportunity to scoop up an alternative property for the family business. Her father had been furious that she hadn’t been able to close that deal. He hadn’t spoken to her for two months after that. A knot formed in her throat. She was not going to let this chance slip through her fingers.
No. She shouldn’t worry. They’d presented a generous offer to the current landowners, and the business plan presented to the county commissioners was perfect. Every t was crossed and every i was dotted. It didn’t matter that electric motorcycles were exotic and interesting. That wouldn’t matter, would it?
With a clink, she set the glass on the stone mosaic tabletop and eyeballed a narrow opening in the lush growth surrounding the patio. That looked like an escape route. She needed to get away and calm down.
She cast a quick glance over her shoulder. No one was watching, so she pushed past a thick fern, and tramped along the pea gravel pathway. A puff of ocean breeze whiffed past her nose and lured her onward.
The gravel pathway turned to flat paver stones that finally ended in a fine, light sand. The ocean beckoned, and she tugged off her sandals and plunged her toes into the cooling sand. She groaned and wiggled her toes as she sank deeper into the sandy beach.
She swept up the long hem of her skirt and was poised to make a dash for the surf when she froze.
There was Beck, reclining in an Adirondack chair with his cell phone glowing in the darkening sky. He thumbed through emails or messages, Jami wasn’t sure which.
She considered backing away. The last thing she wanted was Beck spoiling her first splash into the Caribbean, but it was too late. Beck looked up.
“A word with you?” Beck’s tone was polite, distant.
“I’m busy.”
Beck studied her, and his flint gray eyes were chilly.
CHAPTER THREE
“NEVERTHELESS. WE NEED to talk.” Beck studied Jami. Her long brown hair was glossy, and the golden flecks in her hazel eyes drew attention to the sprinkling of freckles dotting her nose and cheeks. She was lean but somehow curvy in all the right places, and the expression on her face was mulish.
Here he’d been thinking this was going to be a boring, and possibly uncomfortable torture session with relatives. Now, he was thinking there might be some sport involved. Jami Barrett looked mutinous and ready for battle, but then an angelic smile sprouted on her lips, and Beck braced himself.
“You’re right. What can I help you with?” Jami smiled and fluttered her eyelashes as
if she was enchanted by him, but the tightness around her mouth told a different story.
“Look. I don’t know what you’re so bent out of shape about, but we’re both here for a wedding, so let’s not cause any more scenes.”
“We are in complete agreement...about that. Anna and Rob and their kids are the top priority this week.”
“So we can keep our business dealings separate?”
“I’m happy to ignore you this week. Will that suit you?”
“To a tee.”
Jami turned away, but then she spun back. “But don’t think I’m fooled by your veneer of niceness right now.”
What was wrong with this chick? Did she hate everybody? “You don’t even know me, so I don’t think you’re in any position to say I’m nice or I’m faking nice.”
“I know enough. You are a coldhearted player.”
“Okay. Based on what evidence?”
“You have to be a calculating, self-centered ass to bid against your future sister-in-law’s family’s business.”
“That’s a big assumption.”
“I find it hard to believe you had no idea that you were horning in on our family business.” Jami jammed her hand on her hip.
“Whatever you might believe, it’s the truth.” Beck contemplated mentioning his distant and barely existent relationship with his mother and family but decided this was not the moment for full disclosure. Attack seemed more profitable. “Unlike you Barretts, I don’t spend all my days gossiping with my family members. I run a business, and I have much better things to do than keep track of all my in-laws and outlaws, and whatever stray family members I might have.”
Jami made a face as if the gossip comment stung. “Seriously, who doesn’t know the name of his brother’s next wife?”
“You might have noticed that Anna’s last name is not Barrett, nor have I met her before.”
“It would be rude to call you a liar, so I won’t.” Jami scowled, and her foot tapped. “I will take you at your word.”
Beck shrugged and studied the five freckles sprinkled on the tip of her nose. They were really quite adorable, despite the fact that Jami’s eyes were shooting daggers in his general direction.
“I appreciate your generosity.” Beck’s tone was clearly sarcastic. “Despite your unfounded accusation that I’m here to ruin your family business, Barrett Ridge has a lot going for it. Two universities within a seventy-mile radius. Great weather. Affordable land. Great wineries. A sweet ski resort. Ring any bells?”
“I’m glad you noticed. Now, why don’t you just go back to California like a good boy? Or how about Nevada? I’ve heard their tax structure is far more beneficial than Oregon’s.”
“We took a vote. The trees and wineries beat out casinos and desert.” Beck tried not to laugh as Jami chewed that over. It wasn’t every CEO who allowed his employees a vote on relocation. He tried not to look smug. He was really quite proud of it.
“How democratic of you. You might as well start looking at other properties because the Barretts have a long tradition of helping our community and being one of its best employers. I’m confident our bid on the Anderton property will be the successful one.”
“That’s too bad for you.” Good Lord, she was smug and arrogant. He was so ready to take her down a notch.
“What do you mean?”
“Your self-delusion will make the news of my victory all the more painful and embarrassing.”
“I’m not worried.”
“That’s your problem.”
“Whatever.” Jami scowled. “Let’s just pretend everything is peachy and dandy.”
“Isn’t it?”
“We have five days to ignore each other.”
“That should be easy. I’m completely bored with you already.” Beck examined his fingernails and followed up with a bland smile.
“Wow. You are such a charmer. Your personality is so repellent that it will be a cakewalk for me.”
“Perfect. Conversation over.”
“Exactly.”
Beck rolled his eyes. She was one of those women. She had to have the last word. Ha. Not on his dime. “I’ll make sure to avoid eye contact, too. Will that help you out?” He smirked and waited for her response.
“That won’t be necessary. I won’t even notice you so no such effort will be required on your part.” Jami pivoted with a dismissive hand wave.
“Peace, sister Jami.” Beck waited for an eruption.
“Don’t sister me, buddy.” Her eyes narrowed, and her nostrils flared. “I know all about your callous business ways. You don’t care about Barrett Ridge or bringing jobs to our town. You’re looking for the best tax breaks, and the first time something goes wrong, well, I don’t doubt you’ll declare bankruptcy again and clear out of town.”
Beck’s nostrils flared, and a fire crept up the back of his neck, but he said icily, “I’d advise you to check your facts. I’d hate to slap you with a libel lawsuit.” This wasn’t the moment to quibble over details; he’d filed for bankruptcy but had never acted on it. BK Industries had survived by the merest of threads before he’d wooed new investors and cleaned up the messes left by his old partner.
“Truth hurts.” Jami flipped her hair over her shoulder. “Don’t worry. Your secret is safe with me. Anna’s wedding is hardly the place to start a feud.”
“As far as I’m concerned, there’s no war going on. You’re just a momentary inconvenience.”
Jami grimaced and flounced back the way she’d come, back down the sandy path, toward the resort.
At least he’d gotten the last word in. Beck tried to smile but failed.
He’d been dreading coming to Rob’s wedding and spending an extended time in captivity with his family. This island was too small. Apparently smaller than even he’d thought.
Beck rubbed the back of his neck and wondered how the heck he had not known Rob was marrying into the Barrett family? It was his mother’s fault. Beck huffed under his breath. It was always her fault. He always found a way to blame her. Her constant stream of ever-changing husbands drove him crazy, and he’d never been close to his older siblings.
At the end of the day, he never really counted them as full brothers and sisters. Maybe it’d been because they were older and never bothered with their little brother by another father. Besides, it was hard to be close when they’d grown up in different households eleven months out of twelve. He’d always figured they’d gotten the better deal living with their father and not their shared mother. He, on the other hand, had had to struggle with his mother’s boyfriend or husband of the week.
Not that he felt sorry for himself. He thought of it rather matter-of-factly. The death of his father when he was only seven had been a stroke of bad luck on so many levels. No father, and stuck living with Fiona. His reality while growing up hadn’t been Ozzie and Harriet but had been more like an episode of The Real Housewives of Orange County.
A tall Barrett brother with a shock of tangled, dirty blond hair waved at Beck from the edge of the sand near the forest pathway. “Is it safe out here?”
“Coast is clear. I’ve only seen one of your sisters. You’re Kyle, right.”
The two shook hands.
“This is going to be one of the longest weeks of my life,” Kyle said with a cheerful tone. “Anna’s got a ton of activities planned for us. I’m thinking about booking an all-day fishing trip instead.”
“Sign me up if you do.” Beck laughed. “What does Anna have up her sleeve? You’ve got me worried.”
“It starts with a group photo in about ten minutes at the Plumeria Pool.”
“That’s not so bad.”
“There’s a treasure hunt, and I think she might have a round of Survivor, family reunion style up her sleeve.”
“I’m speechless.”
“And that’s only what I could pull out of her.”
“Yet, you flew all the way from Oregon for this?”
“It’s family. What are you goin
g to do?” Kyle shrugged fatalistically, but he didn’t sound too concerned. “I’ll still manage to have some fun. At least this isn’t some couples resort. I’ve got my eye on some interesting targets.”
Beck chuckled at Kyle’s easygoing tone. He definitely seemed like he made the best of any situation. Unlike his sister. Jami was a different kettle of fish altogether. Her attitude was about as smelly as day-old fish guts.
“Let’s go get this photo over with. I noticed a bar down by the beach. Maybe we can hit that later.”
Fifteen minutes later, the whole family was mashed up against one another on the far side of the Plumeria Pool deck as the resort’s photographer fussed, fidgeted, and implored people to hold still.
Beck exchanged a grin with his brother, Rob, who was fiddling with the crooked collar on his youngest son, Ryan.
“No, no, no.” The photographer pouted. “We have too many boys on this side. We need balance.” He paced four steps and then stalked back. “You two. Move to the other side of the groom.”
His sister, Elaine, and Jami nodded obediently while the photographer studied Beck up and down. Beck smothered a laugh and waited patiently.
“You, with the braid. You stand to the groom’s left.” Elaine smiled and squeezed in next to Rob. “And you, pretty lady, with the glossy chestnut hair.” The photographer pointed at Jami. “You stand next to this gentleman.”
Beck’s smile faded as Jami’s gaze narrowed. Jami was going to have to stand next to him, one from the end.
“We’ll make room for you, Jami,” one of the six-year-old twin girls said.
“Thank you, sweet pea.” Jami’s voice was honey sweet, but her expression was stony as she stared straight at Beck.
He stepped to the side and made a generous space for her.
Jami stepped next to him but pulled her shoulder away as if even being that close to him was distasteful. “Excuse me.”
Two Reckless Hearts (Barrett Ridge Book 1) Page 2
