“Yeah, well, I’m afraid that eclectic mess
will need to go.”
Confusion, along with a dash of alarm,
bounced around Gavin’s brain. “Excuse me?”
Max half-smiled, half-snarled, an expression
Gavin had seen a million times. It was Max’s pit-bull face, which
meant Max wanted something that someone stood in his way of
getting. Which, in Max’s book, meant war. “You know the
resort/condominium complex I’ve wanted to build in Anticue?” He
paused for Gavin’s nod. “I finally have a group of individuals who
can make it happen.”
Gavin leaned back in his chair and tried to
appear relaxed, even as prickles of unease danced across his skin.
Most coastal areas of the North and South Carolina coast had been
overly developed, but a few barrier islands, like Anticue, remained
virtually untouched. The locals liked it that way and had measures
in place to keep the area protected. “What about zoning? They have
ordinances restricting things like this. That’s why the area wasn’t
developed long ago.”
Max’s smiled broadened, losing some of its
nastiness and gaining in the confidence department. “Having a group
of hand-picked… investors has been the key to getting this project
off the ground.”
Ah, in other words, money in the pockets of
the right people would ensure the zoning ordinances were modified
to accommodate Max's needs.
“That little bar, however, is a fly in the
ointment.” Max’s words were like gunshots echoing around the room.
“The owner is elusive and obstinate and won’t return phone calls.”
Max’s unwavering determination was evident in his expression and
demeanor. “We need that property in order to move forward. You need
to make it happen.”
Gavin averted his gaze and stared out the
window. He understood why the owner had an attachment to the place.
Hell, after thirty minutes, he development a warm fuzzy attitude
toward it. Well, mostly for the bartender. But the teak bar and old
woodwork trimming the windows made the place warm and friendly. The
artistic displays added flair, and the people reminded him of the
TV show “Cheers.” Everyone knew each other, and it was fun to watch
their playful ribbing.
“Why didn’t you tell me any of this
yesterday?”
“I was going to. But after you expressed an
interest in taking Callie—”
“I didn’t express an interest in taking
Callie. She wanted to go. You told me to take her. End of story.”
His comment came out harsher than intended, but this deal had him
irritated and edgy. He didn’t want to mess with the Blackout. He
thought he was checking it out because it was popular and could be
duplicated in a Holden resort. Not demolished.
Gavin swallowed the unease swelling in his
throat. If they excavated the building, where would Sunny work?
What would happen to her and Robby?
Maybe she’d move back to Myrtle Beach.
That thought tempered a little of his
trepidation and settled the upheaval in his stomach. If she lived
here, maybe he could see her on a regular basis.
But she didn’t like Myrtle Beach. She made
that clear when she talked about living here before moving to
Anticue.
He drew a hand down his jaw and pulled in a
deep breath. “Who owns it?”
Max steepled his fingers
and propped his chin on them. “A.L. Black. I don't know any more
than that since none of our calls have been returned. I've tried,
unsuccessfully, to use my local contacts, since you don't like
dealing with the…”—Max waved a hand around in the air, searching
for a word Gavin knew would mean
underhanded
—“unpleasant
details.”
Gavin dropped his foot to the floor and
grabbed a pen and paper from the corner of Max’s desk. He wrote the
owner’s name, then asked, “What’s the owner’s address?”
“311 Atlantic Avenue.”
His gaze shot to Max’s. “That’s the address
for the bar.”
Max nodded.
“I suppose this is a priority.”
“Top priority,” Max said. “I need you to make
this happen. Fast.”
“Okay,” Gavin said, standing. “I guess I’ll
go to Anticue today.” Not a bad way to spend the day. Not only
would it give him the opportunity to see Sunny sooner than
anticipated, but he’d like to check the island out in the daylight
to see how much had changed. Or, as was more likely the case, had
not changed.
The same wave of sadness he’d experienced at
seeing the abandoned pier crept over him again. After the resort
went in, the landscape and atmosphere of the island would change
drastically. Nothing about Anticue would ever be the same.
Halfway to the door, Gavin paused and turned
around. “Max, do you ever regret altering the landscape like we
do?” Max looked perplexed, so Gavin continued. “Anticue is a nice,
sleepy little beach community. They barely have a town, and the
beaches are pristine. Do you ever regret what happens after a
Holden resort is built?”
Max seemed completely bewildered. “Why should
I care? We build luxury condominiums with first-rate amenities.
Everything the condo owners and their guests could possibly want is
provided onsite. The beach is the beach, regardless of its
condition, and they don’t need a large town nearby.”
He should've known Max wouldn't understand.
Gavin had asked from the viewpoint of the residents, the ones who
liked things the way they were and enjoyed the solitude. Max was
single-minded in his pursuit of the next development, regardless of
the environmental or personal impact. He nodded to acknowledge
Max's answer and sighed. “I'll have my cell if you need me.”
As he exited through the large, oak panel
doors of the study, he heard Max say, “I'm counting on you,
son.”
From Gavin’s first day on the job, Max had
treated him like a son. It was evident from the beginning, for
reasons still unknown, that Max would groom Gavin to be his
successor.
But for months now, Gavin had been unsettled
about his future. This new development caused the unease to snarl
and expand, and once again, he questioned if he was the right
person for Max’s job. He didn’t think he had the stomach to make
the same decisions Max made, or to continue the company in the same
direction.
As he approached the massive front doors,
Gavin couldn’t shake the sensation that he wasn’t just leaving
Max’s house, but crossing over one of life’s significant
thresholds.
“Oh, God.” Callie squinted against the
debilitating morning rays and pushed her sunglasses tight against
her face, but the polarized lenses didn’t stop the blinding light
from piercing her bloodshot eyeballs. With every footfall drilling
a hole into the side of her head, she traversed the brick walkway
leading from the guesthouse to the patio, where her father sat
reading his
Wall Street Journal
and eating his
breakfast.
At her approach, he lowered the paper and
gave her the same warm smile that had greeted her every morning of
her life. “I was beginning to think you wouldn’t make it this
morning.”
As she dipped her head to kiss his cheek, the
sudden shift in altitude sent a wave of nausea from her stomach to
her throat and produced a sledgehammer-worthy whack in her temple.
She swallowed hard and gently took her seat, allowing everything in
the cranial region to settle back into place. “I’d never miss our
breakfast.”
He smiled at her, the adoring father he was,
and set the paper aside. “That means the world to me. How are you
this morning?”
“I’m good.”
Wise eyes studied her, and his mouth twitched
slightly. “Have you ever gotten away with lying to me?”
She tried to laugh, but the agonizing throb
in her temple stopped her short. She took a sip of her orange juice
and gently shook her head. “No, I don’t think I have.”
“Want to tell me what’s wrong?” After a brief
pause, he added, “Besides the hangover.”
She cringed and shook out her napkin. “Do I
look that bad?”
She’d hoped her large frame, Hollywood-style
sunglasses would keep him from seeing her red and glassy eyes
ringed with the deep dark circles, but apparently the disguise
wasn’t enough.
He shook his head and smiled. “You know I
think you’re always beautiful. Just had a feeling, is all.”
She picked up her fork and flipped a piece of
cantaloupe around in her bowl. “I don’t know what to do about
Gavin. It seems hopeless to think he’s ever going to care about me.
At least the way I do for him.”
“Why do you say that? I thought last night
was a positive step. I was a bit surprised, though, to hear you
took friends along.”
She stabbed the cantaloupe and brought it to
her mouth. As it neared her lips and she caught its sweet scent,
her stomach sent out a warning growl:
Don’t you dare.
Following her stomach’s command, she left the fruit untouched and
lowered the fork to her plate. “I thought it might make the evening
less awkward.”
She played with the corner of the napkin and
debated how honest she should be. Deciding she had nothing to lose
and everything to gain, she said, “Sometimes Gavin makes me
nervous. Not that I think he would ever hurt me. At least not
physically. But he’s so… intense.”
“His intensity is what makes him such an
asset to Holden Enterprises. He’s single-minded in his focus.” Max
smiled. “Sometimes that can be intimidating.”
He was right, as usual. Most people found her
father intimidating. Some even called him dangerous because of his
strong personality and tendency to be overbearing.
“There’s more.” His words were a statement,
not a question.
She tried to meet his gaze, but couldn’t.
“Sometimes, I wonder if he even likes me.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Everyone likes you.
You’re a beautiful young woman. Any man would be crazy not to fall
in love with you.”
“You’re a little biased, don’t you
think?”
“Absolutely. But that doesn’t change the
facts.”
She wished she shared her father’s
confidence. “On the way to Anticue, I tried to engage him in
conversation, but it only made him angry.”
Her daddy smiled knowingly. “Gavin’s not a
big conversationalist.”
“He spent a lot of time talking to the
bartender.” She slumped in her chair. “He was really into her.”
Her father’s gaze drifted to the pool and he…
smiled?
“Why are you smiling? It was awful.”
He jerked his attention back to her and
frowned. “I’m sorry you were uncomfortable.” Taking hold of her
hand, he said, “Sometimes, Gavin’s going to need to do things you
might find unpleasant. Probably, the less you know about his work,
the better off you’ll be.”
The hangover must be making her brain fuzzy
because she couldn’t have heard, or at least understood, her father
correctly. “You mean… he was supposed to flirt with the
bartender?”
His smiled returned and his eyes gleamed. “He
didn’t know it, but that was my plan.”
She pulled her fingers free of his grasp and
leaned back in her chair. “Then why did you insist I go?” How could
he be so insensitive to her feelings? And what kind of crazy
assignment required Gavin to flirt with a skanky bartender?
Her father’s brow rose. “You’re the one that
insisted you go. If you remember, I suggested it wasn’t a good
idea. But you argued. If I were too insistent that Gavin go alone,
he would've gotten suspicious.”
“Suspicious of what?”
“He would wonder why I didn’t want you to
go.”
Needing to concentrate so she could follow
this crazy conversation, she scrunched her eyes shut to block the
overpowering light. “So… You want Gavin to…”
“Become friendly with the bartender.”
Dread settled over her like a cold, wet
blanket. “How friendly?”
“As friendly as necessary.”
Reading her despair, he reached across the
table and patted her hand. “Eat your breakfast, sweetheart, and
don’t worry about Gavin.” His jaw took on a determined set, and his
eyes turned to steel. “Don’t worry about that bartender, either.
She’ll be a non-issue in no time.”
He dropped his napkin to the table and pushed
his chair back. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a few phone calls
to make.”
Knowing Gavin would be forced to spend time
with the bartender made the leftover contents of her stomach bubble
and churn like a test-tube science experiment gone wrong. Drastic,
heavy-duty diversion tactics would be necessary to get her mind off
his assignment, and she could think of only one thing powerful
enough to do the trick.
“I’m going shopping with Jen and Tiffany
today. Is it okay if I take the black MasterCard?”
“Of course.” He dropped a kiss onto the top
of her head and patted her shoulder. “Don’t forget to get something
for Lorraine’s retirement dinner tomorrow night.”
“Oh, shoot. I forgot about the party.”
Lorraine had been her father’s secretary since before Callie was
born. Her father was throwing a huge party to thank Lorraine for
her years of service. Translation: to thank her for all the years
she’d tolerated him. Everyone in the organization had been invited,
and Callie was sure Gavin would be there. Which meant she needed
something extra special to wear. “Do you know Gavin’s favorite
color?”
Max chuckled and shook his head. “No, Callie,
that’s not something I’ve ever asked.”
Last night, getting a new, wildly sexy, and
revealing wardrobe seemed like a great idea. The party offered her
the perfect opportunity to try out the new look. But today, in the
harsh daylight, she wondered if she had the nerve to go through
with it.
***
On the hour-long drive to Anticue, Gavin
formulated a plan and made a mental “to-do” list. First stop: the
Blackout to see if the owner happened to be around this early in
the day.