Just One Taste (Kimani Romance) (12 page)

Chapter 14

T
he Titan company helicopter landed smoothly on the pad and four men got out and headed away quickly. Bane, Chase’s grandfather’s personal assistant, grabbed the briefcase and the dossier and led the way to the house. Andre shook hands, and then hugged his grandfather and Chase, then headed to the garage to get his car and go home to his wife. The last two men, Chase and his grandfather, Jacob Buchanan, CEO emeritus of Titan Energy Corporation, stepped away from the helicopter as it took off and headed back to Titan’s main office.

Chase looked up and watched it go. It was good to be back in Alaska and to see his family again even if just for a few days. It had been too long. The good thing about this trip was that he didn’t have to deal with Daniel’s questions since he was in Washington, D.C., meeting with the Director of the Department of the Interior and members of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

Chase turned in the direction of the massive family home, but his grandfather didn’t. He headed in the opposite direction, away from the house. Chase followed him. The two men walked out and stood at the edge of the helicopter pad and just looked out at the lush greenery and expansive blue sky. Everything seemed calm and perfectly serene.

Nature was at its best here. Although mostly urbane, there were secluded pockets of undeveloped land just on the edge of the wilderness—this was one of them. The Buchanans owned a mountain, or rather the mountain owned them, and hence they would never leave. Here the land was pristine and the air was crisp and clean and along with the idyllic scenery. It seemed everything around them regenerated and was always brand-new.

“Breathtaking, isn’t it?”

Chase nodded as he looked around the sprawling Juneau estate. It boasted spectacular panoramic views from its many generous decks and balconies. It was by far the most stunning estate of its kind. “Yes, it is.”

“This is where life begins and ends for me.” Jacob paused a moment then chuckled. “It took me damn near all my adult life to grasp what Olivia knew all along.”

Olivia, Chase’s grandmother, passed away a while ago, but Jacob was still feeling the loss and loneliness. “What’s that, Granddad?” Chase asked.

“That you and my other grandchildren and soon-to-be great-grandchildren will carry this legacy on. In you and your children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren, I’ll live forever.”

“That’s a lot of responsibility,” Chase said.

“Nothing you can’t handle,” Jacob said knowingly.

“Okay. I’ll do my best.”

Jacob nodded. “There’s something very different about you this trip. What is it?”

Chase shook his head. “Nothing I’m aware of,” he said.

“No, it’s there—something very settled, very different. I can see it in your eyes. I saw it as soon as you walked in the office. You were distracted during the meeting like you were a thousand miles away. I know that look.”

“Maybe I’m just tired.”

“Perhaps,” Jacob said skeptically. “So, I hear you’re having trouble securing the Key West property.”

Chase looked at his grandfather. “I’m working on it. The time table isn’t as desperate as Daniel would have us all believe. It’s a delicate situation and it needs a delicate solution.”

“It always is where a beautiful woman is concerned,” Jacob said, then turned and headed back to the house. They went straight to Jacob’s office. Bane had already deposited the briefcase on the credenza and the dossier on the desk. Jacob sat behind the desk with Chase across from him. “You want to tell me about her?” Jacob requested.

“Who?” Chase asked.

“The woman who’s got you all twisted around.”

Chase looked at his grandfather, knowing there was no need for denials and false bravado. He took a deep breath and answered. “Nikita Coles.”

Jacob nodded. “I gather’s she’s the same Nikita Coles that Daniel has been raging about for the last few weeks.”

“Yes. She owns the property we’ll be taking.”

“Do you love her?” Jacob asked plainly.

Chase didn’t respond. He merely looked at his grandfather. Jacob’s eyes were crystal clear and joyous. They were the eyes a man who had lived and enjoyed life and knew the answers to questions before he asked them. Chase shrugged silently. Jacob waited a few minutes. “Son, it’s an easy enough question. Do you love her?”

“I don’t know.”

“You need to find out.”

“It’s not that easy.”

“Of course it is. When I first met your grandmother, God rest her soul, I knew instantly that I wanted her.” Jacob chuckled, and then coughed. Chase grimaced, stood and poured a glass of water for him. Jacob took a small sip while shaking his head, still chuckling. “Olivia, she was impossible, took me through hell and back and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I knew right then she was the one for me.”

“Granddad, wanting and loving are two different things. I want Nikita, yes. Being with her is like heaven. When we make love the skies open up,” he said. “We get along great. It’s perfect.”

“You remind me of that in a few weeks when she finds out that Titan is taking her property.”

“Nikita is stunning. She’s intelligent, she’s fun to be with, she’s wise and she’s a million other things, one of which is fragile. I betrayed her. I let it go too far. I’m going to hurt her and I don’t want to. But it’s too late. It’s already done.”

“Trust me, nothing is ever already done that can’t be undone.”

Even with his words of encouragement, Chase knew his grandfather was right about one thing. As soon as Nikita found out about eminent domain she’d be furious. The federal government would take her property, pay her, and then turn it over to Titan.

“I need to go.” Chase stood. Jacob walked him to the front door. Bane had already pulled a house car around front for him to drive to the airport.

“Chase,” Jacob began as he and Chase stood in the open doorway, “listen to an old man who has been down this road. Love trumps everything. I’ll tell you a little secret about loving a woman. When you’re in love you know it. Love isn’t about the woman you want to live with. Love is about the woman you can’t live without.

“Now, you say you don’t know if you love her—that’s not true. You already know. Fighting it won’t change what you feel,” Jacob continued as he followed Chase down the front steps to the waiting car. “In the meantime, find a way to make this work. This is essentially out of our hands. Still, I don’t want the last chapter of my book to read that I followed in Louis Buchanan’s footsteps too closely and became a land-grabber. Make it work. Daniel isn’t a patient man.”

Chase nodded. “I understand.”

A few hours later Chase was back in the air. This time he was on his private plane with his GPS locked. He was headed southeast toward Key West.

* * *

Nikita washed her hands and glanced at the clock on the wall. She’d been going nonstop since before dawn and now it was time for a break. Leroy was humming as he put a special order cake batter into the oven, Russ was taking his break with a trigonometry book from his summer college class and the rest of the staff were at the front counter servicing the last few customers of the morning. It was the perfect time to step outside and get some fresh air.

A few minutes later Nikita stood at the café’s front door, looking out as the construction workers continued going in and out of the building next door. It had started four days ago. A demo team had come in and begun removing carpet, lighting fixtures, doors, drywall and flooring from the building. The building was bare. She couldn’t help thinking that it would look great if it were finished as part of her café next door, but today she saw firsthand the impossibility of that. It was official. She was too late. It was like the universe had given her a dream, placed the possibility in front of her, and then all of a sudden yanked it away.

Thankfully, there had been no significant changes to the outside structure of the building and she was happy about that. She had no idea who her new next-door neighbor would be or what kind of business it was. All she knew was that she wanted them gone.

“Hey, you okay?” Darcy asked as she walked up to stand behind Nikita just outside the café’s doorway.

“Yeah, I’m fine, why?”

“I don’t know. Everybody seems kinda gloomy and depressed today. It’s like we all need an energy boost.”

Nikita looked up at the overcast sky and heavy clouds. “Maybe it’s just the weather that’s got us all down.”

“Yeah, maybe,” Darcy said.

They both knew it wasn’t the cloudy day. It was Nikita. She was the spark and energy of the café. When she was preoccupied and pensive, they all felt her mood. Today she was very pensive.

“So,” Darcy began, “are you all set for the Teen Dream Center demonstration this afternoon?”

“Yes. I have everything ready to go. I was just looking at all the commotion going on next door. There’s a lot of activity today. Looks like it’s official.”

Darcy glanced over, too. “Have any idea what or who’s moving in yet?” she asked.

“No, not yet and the workmen apparently don’t know, either. The area is still zoned for general business so it could be just about anything. They’re probably setting up some kind of office.”

“Well, at least that’ll mean more foot traffic and customers for the café.”

“Yeah, I guess,” Nikita said, still distracted.

“Still, talk about lousy timing,” Darcy added.

“Yeah, I know. Just as I’m ready to make my move, someone beats me to it. It’s like they knew I’d been looking at it all this time,” Nikita said.

“Who do you think it is? The property was bought outright. How many people have that kind of up-front capital?”

“Good question. Around here, not many, but broaden the scope and it could be anyone.”

“You know I tried to pop over a few days ago all friendly-like and see what they were doing inside,” Darcy said.

“How’s it look?”

“That’s just it. You know things are strange when even I can’t get a little peek inside. I even pulled out my best Southern charm. They didn’t budge.”

“Well, I guess we’ll find out sooner or later.”

“I prefer sooner,” Darcy said.

“Yeah. Me, too,” Nikita said.

Nikita turned to head back inside when Darcy stopped her. “Hey, wait. Look, look, isn’t that your architect coming out of the building? He’s talking with that other guy with the blueprints in his hands.”

Nikita turned back around and looked over. “Yeah, that’s him. What’s he’s doing here?” she muttered.

“It looks like he got the job redesigning your building for someone else.”

“Yep, I guess he did.”

Then they saw Crystal Davis come out of the building. She was on her cell phone. A few minutes later Oren came out nodding his head as he talked to a man who walked out with him. They stopped, shook hands with the architect then, along with Crystal, he headed to his car parked down the street.

“Looks like we know who bought the building next door,” Darcy said. “I guess that answers your question.”

Nikita stared as Oren’s car drove down the street and stopped at the traffic light. “Yeah, I guess it does—and asks a whole lot of new ones.”

“What do you mean?”

“There’s no way Oren can afford to buy that building. He must be fronting for someone.”

“Nikita, in Oren’s defense, you realize he didn’t know you had the money for the building.”

Nikita took a deep breath. She knew Darcy was right. There was no way Oren would have known she finally had the money to buy the building for herself. But that still didn’t make it any easier to see.

“Hey, you okay?” Darcy asked.

Nikita nodded. “Yeah, fine,” she said quietly. But for real she wasn’t. It was like the dream she’d lived for the last few years had suddenly ended. Her stubbornness had killed it. Had she sold the cottage months ago, she would have her building, but it was too late now.

Darcy walked back into the café. Nikita followed slowly. Since the early-morning rush was pretty much over and the lunch crowd hadn’t yet descended, the place was calm and quiet.

Suddenly, Nikita felt it, too. Darcy was right. There was a gloominess in the café today. From outside she heard a car horn blow. She turned, seeing a familiar car stop in front of the café. Nikita stepped back outside and hurried over to her sister Natalia. “Hey, what’s up?”

“I think my cold is finally here. I feel lousy. I’m on my way to a doctor’s appointment. Can you watch the boys for an hour or so? I’m sorry for the short notice, but…”

“Don’t be silly, of course I can watch the boys. We’re in between craziness right now so this is perfect timing.” She looked in the backseat, seeing her nephews smiling at her. “Hey, guys, let’s go hang out in the café and make come cookies for Mom and Dad, okay?”

They cheered, immediately excited. She helped them out of their car seats then held their hands as they waved, and Natalia drove away.

As soon as Nikita and the boys walked in, the place livened up immediately. They were the energy recharge everybody, including her, needed. The counter staff laughed and joked with them, and Darcy spoiled them like another aunt.

Nikita took the boys to the kitchen and as promised prepared to make cookies. Half an hour later, with hands washed and aprons in place, dough already chilled and ready, Nikita and the boys chose cookie cutters and began making giant cookies for everyone. They baked them and when they came out of the oven and cooled, they spread on lemon butter icing. Everyone ate and enjoyed their special cookies, saving two for their mother and father.

A short time later Natalia returned. She had a smile on her face that lit up the room. Nikita instantly knew the reason. Wordlessly they hugged. “I’m so happy for you, Nat,” Nikita said, still holding her sister.

“I can’t believe I thought I was catching a cold,” she said shaking her head. “For real, it’s not like I’ve never been pregnant before.”

Nikita smiled and chuckled. “True, but not exactly the same installation process.”

“You’re right. In vitro wasn’t as much fun.” They laughed and hugged again.

“I have to call David. He’s still on location. He’s not scheduled to be home for another two weeks,” Natalia said.