The Conflicted Billionaire (The Conflicted Love Series Book 1)

by Sharon Sue Thorn

  Owen’s tall frame sagged. “Molly, I’m so...”

  “You’re an asshole, Owen Kaine.”

  Owen glanced at Jeff, hoping for a sign of forgiveness.

  Jeff only shook his head as he reached out and drew Molly to him.

  “You know,” Jeff said, “you had the opportunity to come clean when you stayed at our place. We came all the way here to surprise you and encourage you to do the right thing where Jenny is concerned. We wanted you to have what we have.” Jeff sighed. “But this lying thing you’re doing—it will never have a good result. I love you, man, but I need time. We’re going back home.”

  “Guys, I’m sorry.” Owen’s throat thickened, and the words stuck. The shame he felt pained him physically. Nauseated him.

  Molly got back in her car, and Jeff leaned down to tell her he’d follow her back in the Jeep. Without another word or even a glance, they both pulled away.

  Owen stood there for several minutes, unable to move. His eyes burned with unshed tears.

  When his phone buzzed, he nearly dropped it as he pulled it out of his pocket. He hoped it was Jeff.

  But it wasn’t Jeff. It was a text from Patty. CALL NOW. URGENT BUSINESS. Even better. He needed a distraction.

  Chapter 19

  “You let him take your Jeep?” Sammie shouted. “Jenny, what were you thinking?”

  “Stop screaming at me. I don’t know. I don’t get what’s going on, but his wife was so hurt, and I was worried about her.”

  Sammie crossed her legs on Jenny’s couch and placed her palm on her forehead. “You were worried about her? I don’t know anyone else like you, Jenny. I love you so much, but I truly don’t get you.”

  Jenny’s phone rang. “It’s Betsy.” Jenny answered the phone, and Betsy let her know her Jeep was back, with a full tank of gas. Jenny thanked her and hung up. “I think Owen is who I’ve been talking to online all this time. He kept saying it was all his fault and wanted to explain.”

  “How can you be sure? I think he’s a lunatic, and you should be scared.”

  “I’m not scared. I didn’t see it all right away, but after I calmed down and thought it through, it made sense. There was something familiar about Owen. It was like I knew him. I always pick the wrong guys, Sammie. I think I’m destined to be single for the rest of my life.” The butterflies in Jenny’s stomach went wild as she thought of the bold way she’d kissed Owen. Even with the terrible ending to their situation, she wasn’t ready to share that part of the story with Sammie yet.

  “Shut up. I’m only a year younger than you, and I’m still single.”

  “Someone will come along who can handle that strong personality of yours. Don’t worry. Besides, you like being single.”

  Sammie shrugged. “Most of the time, anyway. Well, if you’re right, and Owen is who you’ve been talking to, you lucked out.”

  “How’s that?”

  “You said he’s hot. You don’t normally end up with another hot guy in a situation like this.”

  Jenny gave Sammie her best you-are-a-weirdo look and stood up. “Want some hot tea?”

  “I want a beer. Anyone would need a drink after hearing that story.”

  “You need to slow down, woman.” Jenny shook a finger at Sammie.

  “Crap. So, no Florida, huh?”

  Jenny groaned and turned away. In the kitchen, she pulled down her favorite red cup. On the bottom of the inside was a picture of a cat curled up. It made her smile every time. She put the tea kettle on, and while the water warmed, she opened a tea bag and put a dab of sugar in the empty cup.

  Sammie walked in and leaned against the counter. “Okay, I’ll take a cup.”

  Jenny grinned and pulled down her second favorite cup, a white one with simple red print that read Love. “It soothes the soul, I tell ya.”

  “I think we should still get out of town. Go to the beach.”

  “You know, I think you’re right. Besides, I already have the time off. I work tomorrow, but I’m free after that.”

  “And I’m free now,” Sammie said. “Since I quit my job today.”

  The tea kettle screamed from the stove, and both girls jumped.

  “Blast that thing!” Sammie clutched her chest.

  “What! Oh, Sammie. Why didn’t you tell me before now? Are you sure you still want to go?”

  “Hell, yeah. And your drama was way worse than mine, anyway. I’ll tell you the story later. It’s actually more of a realization, and I know what you’re thinking.”

  Jenny rolled her eyes as she poured hot water into one cup at a time. “You probably do.”

  “But I already have another job. I start in two weeks.”

  “Wait. What?” Jenny held up her hand as if she were directing traffic.

  “Yep. I got the job offer today, and I was going to hurry and put my two weeks’ notice in until my boss pissed me off, and I said, ‘Screw it. I’m out of here.’”

  “So, what’s the new job?” Jenny handed her friend the cup of tea.

  “Wait for the ride, and I’ll tell ya all about it.”

  “Deal.”

  Sammie held up her cup. “To new beginnings.”

  Jenny clinked her cup against Sammie’s. “Yes, even if I’m not ready for another one.”

  Chapter 20

  “Hi, Patty,” Owen said into his phone. “I’m taking the rental back, but I need you to book me on the first plane to Destin. First class, please.”

  “You really thought I might select economy?” She laughed in his ear. “Want me to send the jet?”

  “No, that’s okay. Just send a car to pick me up.”

  “You got it. I’ll text your flight info to you shortly. Hey, just FYI, I know what you said, but the sellers called.”

  “Did they, now?” Owen rolled his eyes. Some people never learned. The irony of his judgment stuck him. I’m one of those people. “So, what did they say?”

  “They apologized profusely and offered ten percent more than our asking price. Said they would have liked to make a larger offer, but they simply couldn’t afford it.”

  “What did you tell them?” Owen asked. His forgiving nature was kicking in big-time.

  “I told them to go fly a kite!” Patty sounded pleased with herself.

  “Call them back and tell them we’ll take ten percent under list price.”

  Owen tossed his bag onto his bed and unzipped it. He managed to get it half-full while Patty lost her temper. He rode it out.

  “Are you done?” Owen asked calmly. He could hear Patty’s ragged breathing.

  “Yes.”

  “Will you call them, please?” He knew she would.

  “You’re the boss.”

  “Thanks, Patty. They deserved your wrath. Let them think it’s your idea.” Owen hung up the phone and finished packing. Patty was miffed at him, but she would come around.

  A few minutes later, he headed downstairs and found Betsy at the stove.

  “Betsy,” he said. “I need to speak with Jenny.”

  “I can’t give you Jenny’s number.” Betsy shook her head as she stirred the pasta boiling on the stove.

  “Will you give her mine?”

  “That, I can do.” Betsy gave him a sad smile. “You know, no matter what, things will work out however they’re supposed to. Just don’t make up any more stories.”

  “Believe me, Betsy, I’ve learned my lesson.” Owen reached into his messenger bag and withdrew two business cards. Handing them to Betsy, he said, “You keep my number too. In case you ever think about selling this place.”

  Betsy drew her eyebrows in. “Funny you should mention it. It’s crossed my mind recently, but I haven’t given it any serious thought.”

  “Well, I meant to talk to you about it. But—” Owen shrugged. “Things got crazy pretty fast, and since Jenny won’t talk to me, I don’t think I should hang around. But we could work something out. Whether it’s in a year or five, keep my number.”

  “I will, Handsome Owe
n. I’ll pray for safe travels for you.”

  “Thanks, Betsy.” He bent and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. “Take care of yourself.”

  “Oh, I will.”

  Owen left through the front door, waving to the other guests on the way out.

  Jenny hadn’t picked up her Jeep yet. It was still parked where Jeff had left it in front of the B&B. His stomach twisted as he thought of the kisses they’d shared in that Jeep. The idea of Jenny hating him was bad enough, but the fact she felt played made it all that much worse. He never imagined that he could ruin so much in one short trip. He’d hurt three people and made himself look like a creep in front of Betsy and the other guests. Heat burned his face and neck as he thought about what the guests must be saying about him.

  Shame followed him all the way home to Destin.

  When Owen stepped into his condo sometime after midnight, a wave of loneliness swept over him so intensely, he wanted to sink to the floor. Instead, he showered and got ready for bed.

  After two hours, he gave up the fight of trying to sleep and got out of bed. He tried to work and responded to a few emails, but he found he couldn’t focus. Without allowing himself to think about it, he went to eMatch’s website and clicked to create an account. But it recognized his email and asked if he wanted to restore his account. Apparently, it took thirty days to permanently delete one. He clicked yes, and his profile came up, but without a picture. He’d deleted Jeff’s before he closed the account.

  Stricken again with guilt over causing strife in his best friend’s marriage, Owen quickly edited the profile. He changed the first name to Owen and the last name to ‘K.’ Instead of uploading a photo, he simply uploaded a ready-made meme that read I’m Sorry in black letters on a white background.

  When he saw that his account was still linked with Jenny’s, a spark of hope lit up in his heart that he might be able to apologize to her.

  After staring at a blank message for a while, his fingers began to move over the keys.

  Jenny, it’s me, Owen. Please read this entire message...

  Chapter 21

  Jenny carried her bags out and threw them into the Jeep. She and Sammie had decided to drive to New Orleans instead of Florida. They’d rented a condo and scheduled a swamp tour, a ghost tour, and an evening on Bourbon Street. Sammie had insisted on the last one.

  Climbing into the Jeep, she took a deep breath. “This will be fun, and it’ll take your mind off the craziness,” she told herself.

  She turned the key, the Jeep roared to life. Blinded by the sun, she reached up to pull the visor down and saw a white slip sticking out of her visor.

  She gasped. “Oh my gosh!” In the midst of all the drama, she’d nearly forgotten about Mr. Hidy’s bill. Fishing her phone out of her purse, she decided to take care of it right then. She pulled the paper out and unfolded it with one hand as she dialed the customer service number listed at the top. Hoping she could just pay the past due amount today and the remainder with her next paycheck, she pressed the number three to get the breakdown.

  While the automated voice went through its regular spiel, she dug her credit card out of her purse. Fortunately, she had Mr. Hidy’s phone number stored in her phone. Otherwise, she would have had to speak to a representative. But when the message got to Mr. Hidy’s balance, there wasn’t one. Instead, it said that Mr. Hidy’s account had a five-thousand-dollar credit.

  “What?” Jenny held the phone away from her ear and stared at it. I must have mis-keyed the account number.

  She hung up and redialed. Repeating her previous motions, she pressed the three, entering the account number and Mr. Hidy’s phone number. When the automated voice said the same thing, she pressed zero multiple times to get a representative on the phone.

  “Hi. I’m trying to pay a friend’s bill. He received a disconnect notice, but I just called and it says there’s a credit.”

  The representative paused, then said, “Ma’am, I can’t give you any account information if you’re not the account holder, but I can process a payment for you. Could you provide me with the account number?”

  Jenny read it to her.

  “Thank you. Just one moment.”

  Jenny waited silently, tapping a foot on the floorboard.

  “Oh.” The rep cleared her throat. “I can’t provide any details, but I will say, ma’am, that while I am able process a payment for you, it’s not necessary.”

  Jenny thanked the rep and hung up.

  How could Mr. Hidy go from a disconnect notice to a credit balance of that size? She didn’t know of any organization that would help someone to that extent. Folding the paper back up, she decided she would check again tomorrow. If there was a mistake, she wanted to ensure he didn’t get disconnected after all.

  Unclipping her seat belt, she reached over and popped the glove box open. As she prepared to drop the bill into it, she saw handwriting on the back. She pulled it back to inspect it. I’ll take care of this. ~Owen.

  Jenny’s mouth dropped open as if the hinge of her jaw had given way. Mr. Hidy wouldn’t have to pay an energy bill for a long time. Why had Owen done this? If he had just paid the actual bill, her reaction would have been the same level of surprise, but he had gone way above the minimum. Had he done this to impress her? To make her want to see him again? She didn’t think so, but one thing was for sure, she couldn’t trust her own judgment.

  Sammie blamed Jenny’s impaired senses on her desire to rescue everything. Did Owen need to be rescued from something?

  Her phone rang, and she jumped. Speak of the she-devil. “Hello.”

  “You on your way, or what? I’m ready to get this party started.”

  Laughing, Jenny said, “You’re always ready to get something started.”

  “I know, and you never are, but we’re going to bring some fun to Bourbon Street.”

  Jenny rolled her eyes. “I doubt Bourbon Street needs our help. Be there in four minutes.”

  The funny thing, Jenny realized, was that her and Sammie’s relationship was mutually based on their rescuing each other. She kept Sammie out of trouble while Sammie kept her life interesting. ‘Opposites attract’ didn’t apply to couples only; it applied to best friends too.

  Jenny pulled up in front of Sammie’s place, and before she could put the Jeep in park, she spotted Sammie galloping toward her, her dark hair in a ponytail, wearing a long shirt over black leggings and Converse sneakers. Pulling her suitcase behind her, the wheels bumped on rocks. Another large travel bag was thrown over her shoulder.

  How does she jog that fast when she’s loaded down with all that stuff?

  Jenny pressed a button on her key fob, and the window on the back gate popped up. Sammie opened the door and threw her bags inside, keeping only her purse. She pushed the window down and ran around to the passenger door. Using the running board, she launched herself into the passenger seat and reached out the window to bang on the roof.

  “Whooo! Let’s go!”

  Sammie’s excitement was contagious, and Jenny grinned at her. “You look comfy.”

  “I am. I decided not to put my boom-boom in jeans for this trip.” Sammie slapped the side of her butt. “Do I need to bang on the roof again? Why we still sitting here?”

  Jenny threw her head back and laughed, then hit the gas. “Let’s make this one for the books. We have to do something really different.”

  Chapter 22

  Owen dragged himself out of the water, laid his surfboard flat on the sand, then lay down on it. His heart wasn’t in it today.

  He’d been home a week and hadn’t spoken to anyone except Patty, his maid, Pete and Thomas in the lobby, and a prospective seller. If he was honest with himself, he was sick of buying up properties. It had been different when he was working with his dad. They’d always had a special relationship, and without him, work didn’t feel the same.

  After spending time at Betsy’s and seeing her connection to her business, he wanted to do things with a more perso
nal touch. Kaine Industries could stay on its current path without as much involvement from him. In fact, he planned to create a fork in the road and travel a parallel route with slightly different scenery.

  Checking his watch, he saw he had an hour to get ready for his meeting and decided to get a move on. His father had taught him early on never to keep people waiting.

  Following his usual path to the building, he stopped at one of the outside showers and rinsed off his surfboard before heading into the lobby.

  “Hi, Owen!” Pete greeted him, heading around the counter to take the board off Owen’s hands.

  “Hey, Pete. You’re on for the evening, huh?”

  “Yes, sir. The boardroom is ready for the attendees when they arrive. How was the water?”

  “Better than I am today.” Owen shrugged. “Always beautiful, though.”

  “Nothing like it,” Pete said wistfully. “Would you like a reminder ten minutes before your meeting?”

  Owen shook his head. “Nah.”

  After a quick shower, Owen dressed and stood in front of a full-length mirror, fixing his tie. His mind was full, and he felt jittery, anticipating the move he was about to make. A couple of deep breaths later, he decided he was ready.

  “I can’t believe I’m going to do this,” he said as he grabbed his messenger bag and headed to the board room.

  Pausing for a moment outside the door, he took one last deep breath and allowed his lungs to fill before he slowly exhaled. Here I go. Displaced nerves caused a few butterflies in his stomach. Not because of the meeting, but because he was ready to step outside his comfort zone.

  He opened the door, and Patty’s gaze snapped to his. A petite woman dressed sharply in a gray skirt and matching jacket, her silky blush-colored top matched the color in her cheeks.

  “You look lovely, as always, Patty.”

  “What are you up to, Owen?” She held him at arm’s length and eyed him. “I can feel it. Something’s off.”