Barefoot Bay: The Billionaire's Convenient Secret (Kindle Worlds Novella) (10 page)

It’d been so long since anyone had put themselves out there for him without expecting some sort of quid pro quo that he lay back on the couch completely enthralled. “I know my way around a spreadsheet,” he volunteered at last, refusing to dampen her enthusiasm for the project by confessing that he had the power to resolve the entire issue with a phone call or two. For now, they’d do things her way.

“Good.” Charlie’s smile lit her entire face. “While you work some magic with the computer, I’ll call the other owners, see how many of them can meet us in Orlando on Monday.”

Josh felt his eyebrows lift. “This Monday?” That was fast, even for a time-sensitive project like this one. They’d barely have time to bring Charity up to speed after her ship docked Sunday morning.

“I was able to get us an appointment for 9 a.m. It was the only time David had open. He leaves the next day for an extended vacation with his family.” The tiniest hint of doubt crept into Charlie’s voice as she asked, “That’s okay, isn’t it?”

Rather than explain that he’d planned to spend the better part of next week catching up on work he’d postponed in order to spend a week on Mimosa Key, he only smiled. “Better order room service, then. We’re going to need coffee and plenty of it. It’s going to be a long day.” Standing, he flexed his fingers, prepared to get started. The move helped clear his thoughts, and a new concern leaped to the head of a long line. “Charlie…”

“Yes?” She looked up from the room service menu.

“I was wondering… How’s this going to impact your future with W&B?”

For the merest fraction of a second, her expression fell. In the time it took him to blink, though, she banished the sad look, replacing it with a bright smile. “It’s your job we’re trying to save. Don’t give mine a second thought. Besides, W&B rewards independent thinkers.”

He hadn’t thought it was possible to love her more, but in that moment, he knew he’d been wrong. No matter how much she tried to make light of the situation, no matter how much she danced around the issue, they both knew she was putting her job on the line…for his aunt. And for him. Only the enormity of the job before them kept him from doing the one thing he wanted to do—profess his love and promise her forever. There wasn’t time for that right now. Right now, they had work to do, and the sooner they got started on it, the better. But he couldn’t resist the urge to show her how much her sacrifice meant to him. Before she had a chance to move out of his reach, he swept her into his arms and let his kisses do the talking for him.

* * *

Late that night, Josh poured himself yet another cup of coffee and eyed his cell phone. He stretched muscles that had grown stiff from the hours he’d spent hunched over a keyboard and surveyed the room. Plates and serving utensils from their dinner were piled on a tray by the door. Discarded spreadsheets littered the coffee table. A laptop rested nearby, its screen dark. Charlie lay, curled up on the couch, her hair tumbling loose about her shoulders.

He had to give her credit. She’d developed a top-notch presentation that any CEO worth his salt would appreciate. Then, she’d powered on, working the phones until her voice gave out. Still, she hadn’t had as much success as she’d hoped for. Of the ten owners she’d managed to reach, only half had expressed any interest in retaining their properties…and they weren’t all that certain they wanted to go up against the big company.

He massaged his temples where a headache threatened. During the past ten years, he’d rubbed elbows with enough corporate types to know that in a clash of civic mindedness versus profits, the bottom line won every time. Even if Charlie had been able to pack the meeting room with disgruntled owners, without giving W&B something they wanted as badly as they wanted the Favor Oil deal, her plan was all but certain to fail. Could he really let the Super Min’s future hang on such an insubstantial peg? Even for the woman he loved?

He shook his head. Setting aside his coffee cup, he tucked a light blanket over Charlie, lingering only long enough to brush a kiss through her hair. He wanted nothing more than to curl up beside her and hold her in his arms. Duty called, though. Problems with a major delivery of wine from South America had prompted a flurry of incoming calls. Unable to answer questions while Charlie was in the room, he’d delegated the task of tracking down the lost shipment to a trusted member of his trusted staff. Now that Charlie had nodded off, though, he needed to follow up on that and a few other things. Two hours later, after resolving several issues, he reassured his top admin that he’d be back in the office the following week and disconnected.

“Are you going away?”

He turned at the quiet voice. Behind him, Charlie stood in the doorway, her hair disheveled, sleep softening her features. His breath caught, and he offered up a quick prayer of thanks. Thanks that she’d walked into his life. Thanks that she hadn’t walked into the room in time to overhear the details of his last conversation. Hearing him discuss the finer points of running a multinational corporation would have surely wiped the sleepy look right off her face. Which would have been a shame, considering how enticing she looked when waking from a nap.

“Are you leaving?” She blinked owlishly.

“I’m not going anywhere.”
Ever.
“Not without you.” He opened his arms.

Heeding his invitation, Charlie stumbled into his embrace, her head landing in the soft space below his collarbone. He bent, feathering kisses across her forehead.

“Mmmm.” With her eyes closed, a sleepy smile teased her lips. “Josh?”

“Yeah?”

“I want you.”

Josh stilled. “You don’t know how much I’ve ached to hear you say that, sweetheart.”

Wanting nothing more than to spend the rest of the night proving exactly how much he adored her, he hesitated. Despite her declaration, Charlie had to be dead on her feet. Except for a twenty-minute nap on the couch, she’d spent the last twenty-four hours working nonstop to try to save his aunt’s business.

“Tell you what,” he murmured. “You climb into bed while I turn out the lights. I’ll join you in a minute.”

For an answer, Charlie padded softly to the king-size bed. There, she slid aside the chocolate the housekeeper had left when she slipped in to perform the nightly turndown service several hours earlier. Pulling the covers up around Charlie’s chin a minute later, he kissed her cheek.

“Hurry back,” she whispered dreamily.

He would, though he imagined he could move through the villa with the speed of Mercury and it wouldn’t make a speck of difference. Sure enough, by the time he made the rounds, checking windows and locking doors, and slipped in beside her, Charlie’s soft breaths had evened into a deep sleep. Which was all right, too, he assured himself. Assuming she loved him as much as he loved her, they’d have a lifetime of nights together. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, pleased when she snuggled closer. Drinking in the cool, fresh scent of the woman he loved, he brushed a kiss into her hair.

Chapter Five

The muted clink of silverware and the hushed buzz of quiet conversation drifted in Junonia’s herbal-scented air. Seated next to her, Josh cleared his throat when their server passed by their table as if he were on a mission to save the world…for someone else. Probably for the handsome couple who now occupied the spot she and Josh had shared during their first visit to the restaurant, Charlie thought. And no wonder. Playboy Nate Ivory’s chestnut hair and Roman nose had appeared on the cover of every tabloid in the nation until, in a story that had broken hearts all over America, he’d fallen for Liza Lemanski. Now the reformed bad boy’s face was most likely to grace the covers of influential business magazines.

She toyed with the nearly empty glass of house wine that, claiming the need to stay sharp for tomorrow, she’d ordered instead of the bottle of champagne Josh had suggested. Ten minutes passed before their waiter scurried by again, this time ferrying a tray of palate-cleansing sorbets to the famous couple.

“It’s okay,” Charlie whispered, reading irritation in the slight stiffening of Josh’s arm around her shoulders. “I’m kind of glad we’re tucked in here out of sight and, apparently, out of mind. It makes it so much easier to do this.” Leaning up, she pressed a kiss against the chin of the man she loved.

Immediately, the perplexed look Josh had aimed at their waiter’s retreating back faded. His fingers traced lazy circles on the palm of her hand. “I’m sorry Charity couldn’t join us tonight,” he said into the lull of a conversation that had centered on their trip to Orlando the next day. “The last I saw of her, she was headed straight into her bedroom, a box of tissues under one arm, a bottle of cold and cough medicine in the other.”

“What about tomorrow? Will she join us?” She’d heard from David. Word of their presentation had whispered through W&B’s hallways until it reached the ears of the corporate bigwigs. As a result, their nine o’clock meeting had been moved to the partners’ conference room.

“Better not count on it. But I’ll be there. Right beside you.”

Did she really intend to put her job on the line for a woman who wouldn’t even show up at the meeting? No matter how sick she was?

Charlie squeezed her eyes tight. She wasn’t taking this stand for Charity. She was doing it for Josh. Because, heaven help her, she’d fallen hard and fast for the man who stood to lose everything if the Super Min closed. She was so in love with him, in fact, that she’d walk away from everything she’d accomplished at W&B if it meant giving him a chance to fulfill his dreams. Which was exactly what she was prepared to do tomorrow. No matter how much W&B said it rewarded people who thought outside the box, the truth was, unless the company agreed with her stance against Favor Oil, her career in Mergers and Acquisitions was over.

Was she willing to take the risk? She bit her lip. Leaving W&B wasn’t nearly as difficult as she’d thought it would be. Not if the company condoned the pressure Favor was placing on the store owners. And not when she had plenty of money in savings to tide her over till she found another position.

Through her lashes she studied the broad, smooth planes of Josh’s cheeks. Peace with her decision seeped over her, calming her fears and filling her with certainty. One way or another, everything would change for them tomorrow. Either Josh would retain his job and she’d lose hers…or they’d both be standing in line at the unemployment office. She could handle whatever the future brought as long as she had Josh’s love. She gulped. Before things went another step farther, he deserved to know how she felt.

Suddenly thirsty, she drained the last of her wine in an unladylike gulp. “Josh,” she began, “there’s something I want to tell you.” Her breath deserted her, and her words stumbled to a halt. The glass trembled in her shaking fingers.

“That’s funny. There’s something I’ve been wanting to tell you, too.”

Josh’s finger at her chin tipped her face to his. When she took a single glimpse of the emotion that darkened his eyes, the world tilted beneath her. Was that what she thought it was? She relinquished the tight grip her teeth had on her bottom lip only long enough to whisper, “You first.”

Josh slipped his hand over hers. At his touch, her fingers stilled. He rubbed his thumb across her knuckles in a motion that turned up the heat beneath a simmering desire.

“Charlie…Charlotte.” Emotion spilled from the brown eyes he locked on her. “I know it’s too soon, but I can’t keep my feelings for you bottled up inside anymore. I love you. I have from the moment I first saw you. I want you—you and me—forever.”

Her heart, which had been hammering in her chest, picked up its pace. “I want that, too, Josh. More than anything.” She drew in an unsteady breath. “I love you, too.”

Sheer joy danced in Josh’s eyes. Taking advantage of their secluded booth, he leaned in for a tender kiss that sent her heart into overdrive. Aware that they were still in a public restaurant, she broke the embrace before things got too heated and much sooner than she wanted. When the warm weight of his arm once more rested on her shoulders, she confessed, “I never thought I could fall in love this fast. I tried so very hard not to. But I couldn’t help myself. You…you overwhelmed all my defenses. I feel more protected in your arms than I’ve ever felt before.”

Josh hugged her close. “It won’t always be this easy. No matter how much we might want to, we can’t spend our lives here in Casa Blanca.”

“I don’t need fancy villas or five-star restaurants as long as I have you,” she said, making sure he knew she understood what he was saying. “We’ll figure things out. We already know we make a good team. I mean, who knew you’d be such a genius with spreadsheets?” She finger-combed the hair she’d worn loose around her shoulders to please him. While they worked on the W&B presentation, Josh’s ability to manipulate numbers and financial data had been nothing short of uncanny. She tapped a finger to her chin, pensive. “You should think about doing something with that talent someday.”

A frown, however fleeting, crossed his face. “You don’t like the way I make my living?” he asked.

She rushed to clarify. “I wouldn’t change a thing. Leastways, not about you. No, I’m the one who needed to look at the world a little differently. I’ve been so focused on making the next rung on the corporate ladder, I nearly forgot the importance of love, home and family. My parents never lost sight of that. For a long time, I didn’t understand how they could be so happy with so little, but I do now. I want that kind of life, too. With you.”

She expected her reassurance to erase the troubled look on Josh’s face. Instead, the lines around his eyes only deepened. “Yeah, about that. There’s something else I need to tell you. There are some things you don’t know about me.”

“You’re not a serial killer or anything, are you?” She let a hopeful smile play about her lips. Whatever Josh’s secret, be it frivilous hobby or an ex-wife they’d deal with it together.

When he didn’t answer, she searched his face. Warning signs flashed in his dark eyes, and she stiffened. A split second later, their waiter put in an appearance.

“Can I show you the dessert menu?” he asked with what had to be the world’s worst timing. “Our special tonight is a blood orange key lime pie in a bittersweet chocolate cracker crust. Unless you’d like to see the menu.” Two leather-bound booklets thudded onto the table.

Hoping Josh’s sudden caginess was due to their server’s arrival and not bad news about his past, she mustered a lightheartedness she didn’t feel. She grasped one of the slim volumes as if it were a life preserver and asked, “Should we splurge on something decadent?”

Tonight, there’d be no quibbling over the cost. When Josh had suggested meeting his aunt at Junonia’s, she’d agreed, but only on the condition he let her expense the meal.

“That works for me. You pick.”

“The chocolate buttermilk cake,” she said with a single glance at the menu. When the waiter departed, she eased out the breath she’d been holding. Then, expecting him to pick up the threads of their conversation where they’d left off, she turned to Josh.

But his focus had shifted to the center of the restaurant where square-shouldered Nate Ivory had risen to his feet. Before the wait staff could rush forward, he pulled out his wife’s chair and cupped her elbow. Charlie blinked in disbelief when America’s favorite couple headed directly for their table.

“Joshua.” Nate hailed the man beside her with an easy grin. “Sorry for the interruption, but we couldn’t leave without at least saying hello.”

“Nate. Liza. Good to see you. This is my friend Charlotte Oak.” Angling his head away from the new arrivals, Josh mouthed a quick
I’m sorry
.

The apology made as much sense as learning her boyfriend was on a first-name basis with one of the wealthiest men in America, and Charlie managed a tense nod.

What is going on?
Every fiber of her being went on high alert.

“Nice to meet you, Charlotte.” A calculating pair of topaz eyes passed over her, while the stunning brunette on Nate’s arm murmured a similar greeting. Nate turned to Josh. “I didn’t know you were on Mimosa Key this week.”

“Oh, you know how it is. Family calls. You show up.”

Show up?
Where else did Josh spend his time? Charlie felt her brow pucker. Now that she thought of it, he’d never said where he actually lived. Did he commute from nearby Naples? That had to be the answer. Still, it didn’t explain his unexpected friendship with the man who insisted on using Josh’s full name.

“Listen, Joshua, we’re a man short for a softball game next Saturday night. Care to fill in and take a turn at bat?”

Charlie stilled. Nate’s softball team was the stuff legends were made of. As well it should be, considering the fact that the net worth of every man on the team rose into the billions.

“I’m honored.” Josh answered far more casually than she’d expect of a man who’d just been asked to hobnob with the rich and famous. “I’m not sure I can afford your entry fees, though. I hear you guys play for some serious money.”

“Nah, it’s all for charity. Why don’t you bring some wine, and we’ll call it even?”

Josh nodded thoughtfully. “I got my hands on a few cases of Peter Michael Au Paradis not too long ago. I’ll bring a few bottles.”

A tsunami of disbelief washed over Charlie as she listened to a conversation that grew weirder by the moment. She’d tried the cabernet in her wine appreciation class, but at nearly two hundred dollars a pop, it was too rich for her blood by far. And Josh had
cases
of it? Her image of the man she loved broke into jagged pieces that wouldn’t fit back together again, no matter how she twisted and turned them.

At his side, Nate’s wife glanced down at an iWatch on an elegant rose gold band. She pressed a finger to the device. “We need to go,” she said softly before aiming an apologetic look at Charlie. “Our son, Dylan, refuses to go to sleep until Nate here”—she tapped the arm of the man who beamed with paternal pride—“tucks him in for the night. You should come to the softball game. It’ll be fun.”

Nate nodded agreeably. “Pleasure meeting you, Ms. Oak. I’ll look forward to seeing you both Saturday. And drinking all your wine, Joshua.”

Rather than rise as she’d expected him to, Josh merely touched his hand to his forehead in a two-fingered salute that seemed oddly familiar. Charlie stared after the departing couple while she struggled to reconstruct her impression of Josh. Her eyes blurred when she couldn’t reconcile his easygoing attitude toward Nate with everything else she knew about him. She pressed her fingers to her lids as she recalled details that had troubled her over the past four days. Lacey Walker’s insistence on comping their meal that first night and the two-hundred-dollar tip he’d left their waitress. The deference shown him by practically everyone they met, including just now by one of the richest men in the world. She squeezed her eyes tighter, recalling his cocky salute. She’d seen that move somewhere before. She knew it. She swung toward Josh, her lips parting, all the air hissing from her lungs. Unable to look away, she saw his face superimposed on the cover of a recent issue of
Forbes
.

“I’m sorry,” Josh said. “I didn’t mean for you to find out like this. That’s what I was trying to tell you.”

Her mouth dropped open, but no words came out. She stared, unable to move, unable to make a sound, unable to stop the tears that welled in her eyes.

Their waiter chose that moment to reappear. With a flourish, he produced a dark dessert and slid it onto the table. Blinking, Charlie averted her eyes by staring down at an immense slab of chocolate layer cake that floated in a lake of vanilla cream sauce.

“Josh?” She laughed at the ridiculousness of what she was thinking. There had to be a better explanation, a logical justification. A bit of icing slid off the cake and landed in the sauce. She had to ask, “Josh, why are you working at the Super Min?”

He stared at her so hard she thought perhaps her face would melt beneath the intensity of his gaze. “This isn’t the way I wanted you to find out, Charlie.” His hand closed over hers.

“You’re, you’re
the
Joshua McLean?” Any hope that he’d tell her it was all a silly case of mistaken identity faded at his quick nod. There’d been a mistake all right, but she’d been the one who made it. Her trust in him shattered as she gazed at a man she didn’t know at all. Pain lanced through her chest.