The Conflicted Billionaire (The Conflicted Love Series Book 1)

by Sharon Sue Thorn

  “Time to shake things up. Just a little bit.” He held his thumb and index finger slightly apart.

  At that moment, several breathless reps rushed through the door.

  “Right on time,” Owen said, glancing at his watch. “Who are we missing?”

  “Tim Mott isn’t here yet,” Mick said.

  “Let’s go ahead and get started,” Owen said, giving Patty a wink. “I don’t want to take up too much of your time.”

  Everyone settled into the comfy chairs and listened intently as Owen gave them a quick update on the latest acquisition. “As you all know, we’re moving at a strong and steady pace. Making smart purchases without overpaying and charging a fair rate. However, I’ve decided to delve into the B&B business, and I want to be involved on a personal level. Patty, here, will continue to do much of what she already does, but she’ll also handle negotiations for the business you all bring in.”

  Patty laid a hand over her chest, and her mouth fell open. Owen waited, but she didn’t speak.

  “Patty, you’ll need an assistant, and I have someone in mind. The last thing we want is for you to be overwhelmed, like right now.”

  “Thank God!” Patty fell back in her chair.

  The group chuckled.

  “If you end up needing more help, we can figure something out.”

  “May I ask what your plans are for the B&B business, Mr. Kaine? Will it be something we can assist with?” David, one of the reps, asked.

  “Possibly,” Owen said simply. “I’ll be away far more than I’ll be here, but you can always reach me, and I know how to reach you.”

  “Well,” Patty said, standing up. “Congrats, boss.”

  “Thanks.”

  Tim walked in, and Owen greeted him. “I’m going to take my leave. Would someone please catch Tim up on the news?”

  Back in his suite, the excitement of his announcement wore off as Owen celebrated with a bottle of water. As he paced the room, an ache in his heart took his breath away. He had no one to share his news with. No one to share his life with, or talk about his plans. Everyone he could tell had been in that board room. They already knew, and they only cared because of the pieces that affected their jobs.

  He missed his best friend. Other than apologizing one more time, he hadn’t texted Jeff. He didn’t know what to say. Molly would likely hate him for the rest of her life.

  After arriving home, he’d checked his eMatch account multiple times a day for the first couple of days. But after he got no response, he decided to stop torturing himself. In the last several days, he’d been tied up in so many meetings, all of them terribly long and mostly boring, that it wasn’t quite as hard not to check. But right now, he wanted to log in more than anything.

  “One more time. If she hasn’t written back, I’m going to delete the account again.”

  His fingers flew over the keyboard, and with his password saved, he was logged into his account in seconds. A new message notification sat next to the tiny envelope icon at the top of the screen, and his heart pounded so hard, he could hear it thudding in his ears.

  Staring at the notification, he wondered what she’d said. Fear kept him from immediately opening it. Maybe it was a note telling him to buzz off and never contact her again. Was he ready for that? Did he have a choice? Hovering the cursor over the icon, he held his breath and clicked.

  As he scanned the message, disappointment flooded him, settling in his bones and making his whole body feel heavier. The message wasn’t from Jenny. It was just an automated one from eMatch advising him the name had been changed on his account. He deleted it.

  Why had he hoped this time might be different? There was no message. After Jenny’s experience with him on eMatch, he wouldn’t be surprised if she never logged in again.

  Owen closed his computer and slid his thin wallet into the pocket of his jeans before he headed downstairs. On his way out, he handed Pete a card. “Call this lady and tell her your name.”

  Pete stared at the card in confusion. “Yes, sir. I mean... Owen. What do I say then?”

  “Just tell her that you’re who I had in mind.”

  Owen grinned and waved goodbye. When he walked out to the curb, a black Mercedes pulled up. Quickly opening the door, he told the driver not to worry about opening it for him, he could do it himself.

  “Take me to the airport, please.”

  “You got it, sir.”

  Owen dialed Patty’s number. He had an hour to kill during the drive.

  “You’re not calling me to give me a second heart attack, are you?”

  “No, but has Pete called yet?”

  “I just got off the phone with him.”

  “Well?”

  “I’m pretty certain he fainted while we were on the phone. Though if he did, he recovered swiftly.”

  “He’s a good guy.”

  “Seems like it.”

  “Patty, I’m not sure when I’ll be back. Just let me know when you need me.”

  “Can I say something to you?”

  “Of course,” Owen said.

  “Open yourself up a little more. Don’t be such a recluse, and let an old lady know how you’re doing.”

  “What do you mean?” Owen asked, resting his elbow on the door.

  “I mean, life is too short to be alone all the time. Look, I don’t pretend to know about your private life because you don’t tell me much, which isn’t a bad thing. But your father and I were good friends. He asked me to keep an eye on you, but you make it hard to get close to you.”

  “I don’t try to make it hard.” Owen paused. This was a fine time for Patty to go into this territory, he thought wryly. “I just don’t connect with the people there. All they’re interested in is status. I’m sick of talking about holdings and profit margins.”

  Patty sighed into the phone. “I know that’s true with some of them, but it’s not true for everyone. You were a loner before your dad died, and now you’re so closed up, it’s hard for people to approach you. Sometimes I think they try talking business because they don’t know what else to say to you.”

  Owen had never considered he could be part of the problem. Had he come off as unapproachable? Out of all his friends, Jeff had been the only one to stick with him into their adulthood. They rarely spoke about business or money. Did best friends normally know about each other’s finances?

  “You still there?” Patty asked.

  “I am. You just got me thinking.”

  “You’ve always been a thinker, but think about yourself for a while. Adopt a dog, for goodness’ sakes. It’s no good to be alone all the time.”

  He’d been thinking about getting a dog, but he worried about the fact that if he lived a normal life span, he’d have to lose the dog too. “What about you, Patty? You’re not married. Do you have a dog?”

  “I have two dogs and a friend.”

  Owen grinned and switched the phone to his other hand. “A friend, huh? Don’t tell me I’m being lectured by a commitment-phobe.”

  Patty laughed in his ear. “No, Owen. After my marriage failed, I was scared to try again, so I didn’t. I buried myself in my work and got Max Kaine’s attention because of my no-nonsense attitude. He appreciated that about me. Now I work for his son, and I love my life. But it was time for me to have at least a friend. We’ll see where it goes.”

  “Whoever he is. He’d be stupid not to try to keep you, Patty. You’re pure gold.”

  “So are you, Owen. You may not let people in much, but your kindness and compassion are obvious. You don’t spend your time running around with random women. Whoever you end up with will be a very lucky woman.”

  Owen fell silent, thinking of Jenny. She’d been his one shot.

  “Kiddo,” Patty said.

  “Yeah?”

  “I’d tell you the same thing if you only had a dollar to your name.”

  “Thanks, Patty.”

  “Talk to you soon.”

  “Okay. Bye.”

&n
bsp; Owen disconnected the call and spent the rest of his ride in thought. As he boarded the plane, he wondered what he spent in a year to maintain the jet.

  “Good afternoon, Mr. Kaine,” the steward, whose name was Michael, greeted him.

  “Good afternoon.”

  Michael moved aside, allowing Owen to pass. “Do you need anything to get settled, sir?”

  “No. Nothing I can’t get on my own. Thanks.”

  Owen set his bag down and went to the bar. Pouring the wine into a glass, he eyeballed it and stopped when the glass was about a third of the way full. Picking the glass up by the stem, he swirled the liquid around, opening the wine and releasing its wonderful aroma before he took a sip.

  He wondered what kind of wine Jenny liked.

  As he eased himself into his seat, he kicked himself for not being strong enough to delete his eMatch account yet. Hanging on to senseless hopes wouldn’t help. Determined to do it this minute, he set his wine down and reached for the bag sitting next to his chair.

  His phone rang, and his heart jumped, thinking it might be Jenny. But when he slid it out of his bag, Jeff’s name was on the screen.

  Chapter 23

  “I could live here,” Jenny said as she scoped out the décor in Café Beignet.

  “In the café?” Sammie flashed her a cheesy grin.

  “In New Orleans, dork.”

  “I knew what you meant, but I don’t believe you. I can’t see you leaving Kansas.”

  Sammie’s comment bothered Jenny, but she didn’t know exactly why. While she definitely fell into the homebody category, she could be outgoing too. Just because she wasn’t into the party scene didn’t mean she didn’t like to have a good time.

  They placed their orders, then they each took a seat in a white iron-backed chair and pulled up to the matching table to wait for their beignets. Jenny sipped her tea.

  “Hey,” Sammie said, pulling her chair close to Jenny’s and nudging her shoulder. “I just meant you seem content with being a vet in Dover. You like knowing everyone, and you’re comfy there.”

  “I’m not boring, Sammie.”

  Sammie blinked and looked at her. “I never said you were.”

  “You didn’t have to.”

  A waitress approached their table and set down a white plate filled with beignets. “Need anything else?”

  “No. Thank you,” Jenny said, giving the waitress a smile she knew didn’t reach her eyes. As soon as the waitress was out of earshot, she put a hand over Sammie’s forearm just as she was going to grab a beignet.

  “Hey!” Sammie protested.

  “I’m sorry,” Jenny said, giving her a squeeze and then letting go.

  “You should be. You know better than to come between me and my food. Especially deep-fried goodness with powdered sugar.”

  “Not about that!”

  “I know, I know. Don’t worry about it. Try to have fun.” Sammie laid her head on Jenny’s shoulder briefly and then popped back up. “Let’s eat these.”

  Jenny picked one up. “Ready?”

  “Oh, yeah.”

  “Cheers.” Jenny raised her beignet and tapped it against Sammie’s. Then they took their first bite at the same time.

  Sammie closed her eyes and groaned. “Awesome.”

  Jenny giggled. “Stop that.”

  “Hey, I’ve been alone so long, I need good food.”

  Jenny gasped first, then snorted. “Samantha!”

  “Hey, I’m just being honest. And I’m glad we took this trip. I would’ve gone anywhere you wanted, but I must say, life has sucked recently.”

  Jenny’s shoulders drooped, and she looked away for a moment. “I haven’t been a very good friend lately, have I?”

  “You’ve been great!”

  “You’re a terrible liar. I was so absorbed in Jeff.” Jenny made air quotes around the name. “I let myself get so wrapped up.” She shook her head.

  “Are you sure Owen is Jeff?”

  “He has to be.” Jenny set her unfinished beignet down on her plate. “So, what I didn’t tell you is that I kissed Owen.”

  Sammie’s eyes bulged and she swallowed hard, sending a half-chewed piece of pastry down her pipe. Coughing, she began pounding her chest with her open palm.

  “Jeez. Are you okay?” Jenny patted Sammie’s back with some force. “Take a drink.”

  Guilt pricked her. Her friend was close to choking, and she could only think of when Owen had choked on his pig-in-a-blanket.

  Sammie took a drink of lukewarm tea as a different waitress rushed a glass of water to her. “Thank you,” Sammie croaked out, then gulped down half the glass. With a final cough, she announced, “I’m okay.”

  “You manage to draw every eye in the house no matter where we go,” Jenny chuckled.

  A woman entered the café, sauntering toward Jenny. Her hips swung like a bell, and as she passed Jenny, she gave her a wink. A moment later, a lanky man followed, his back bowed by the equipment he carried, and a saxophone hung around his neck by a wide strap.

  The woman took an empty seat kitty-corner from Jenny’s table and made herself comfortable. The man handed her a mic and adjusted a setting on the box before positioning the saxophone on his lips.

  When the woman began to sing, Jenny swayed in her seat.

  Sammie shook her by the shoulder, but Jenny shook her head. “Wait ’til the song is over.” Sammie rolled her eyes but waited.

  As the man blew out his last note, the patrons inside the café and some who stood in the doorway began to clap. He immediately took his hat off his head and rested it at his feet before he began to play a softer tune.

  Jenny rifled through her purse, digging for a couple of dollars. Unable to find anything smaller than a five, she tossed it into the man’s hat. The performing duo nodded their thanks without pausing, and Jenny gave her attention back to Sammie.

  “You’re gonna go broke if you give every street performer five bucks,” her friend announced.

  “I won’t do it for everyone,” she said, unwilling to meet Sammie’s eyes. “Okay, I’ll try not to do it for everyone. But they work hard, and it is lovely.”

  “Yes, it is.” Sammie gave her a pointed look. “The kiss. Or, I should say, kisses.”

  “I feel silly now, but...” Jenny launched into the story of how she’d felt emboldened and had decided to take charge for once. “Sammie, I swear, he made every nerve in my body buzz.”

  Sammie fanned herself. “I can’t believe you did that, but why did you let him go?”

  “Because he’s a liar and I can’t trust him.”

  “Okay, he did lie, but did you ask him why he lied?”

  “It doesn’t matter why.”

  “Sure it does. What if he had a good reason to not use his real name? Most people want anonymity online, anyway.”

  “We talked for nearly six months. You’re telling me that all that time, he had some wonderful reason for lying and chose to never spit it out?”

  “Hey.” Sammie put her hands up. “He showed up, didn’t he?”

  Jenny stared at her best friend. Her thoughts were scrambled. In her heart, she wanted to go with what Sammie had said and make excuses for him. But in her mind, she couldn’t reason out six months of lying.

  “Stop thinking,” Sammie said, snapping her fingers. “What happened after your smoldering kisses?”

  “He asked me to dinner.” Suddenly, Jenny remembered what Owen had said and fell back in her chair.

  “What?” Sammie asked, leaning in.

  “He said he had something he needed to talk to me about.” Jenny’s eyes filled. “I bet he was going to tell me.” She covered her mouth with her hand and swallowed the lump in her throat. “And there’s something else.”

  “Tell me, tell me.” Sammie eyed her eagerly.

  “So, that day we delivered to Mr. Hidy, I stole his electric bill.”

  “What?” Sammie quipped, her nose scrunched in confusion.

  “It was a disc
onnect notice, and I was going to pay it.”

  Sammie grabbed her hand. “See, this is why I love you. Continue.”

  “Long story short, I forgot about it with all the drama, and I was going to pay it today—but he already did. Owen. He put a five-thousand-dollar credit on Mr. Hidy’s account.”

  “Hallelujah. I bet he’s rich. It makes perfect sense.”

  “What does?” It was Jenny’s turn to scrunch her nose.

  “Why he set up his account with a fake name. What’s his last name?” Sammie tapped on the table and wiggled in her chair.

  “Uh, I don’t know.”

  “Ugh. You’re hopeless. But since you didn’t have to pay Mr. Hidy’s bill, I can give you mine when we get home. It’ll have the same big red letters across the top.”

  “You have a disconnect notice?” Jenny’s voice rose.

  Sammie straightened in her seat and looked around. “You gonna tell the whole café?”

  Chapter 24

  Owen hung up the phone. Grateful for the olive branch Jeff had extended, he tried to think of ways to apologize. He’d said enough words, now he needed to find a way to walk the walk. One thing he knew for sure was that his money wouldn’t buy Jeff and Molly’s forgiveness, so he wouldn’t even try that.

  But that alone was another reason to be thankful. They were the truest of friends, and he’d abused their trust selfishly. If only they hadn’t surprised him at Betsy’s place. He would have told Jenny the truth, and all the risks would have been as good as gone. Well, except for his own risk in telling her the truth.

  Shaking his head like a dog, Owen ordered the thoughts out of his head.

  “You all right, Mr. Kaine?” Michael asked with a quirked brow.

  As he twisted in his seat, Owen’s face heated. He hadn’t seen Michael there. “I’m fine. Did you need me?”

  “No, sir. I just wanted to let you know we’d be landing in an hour.”

  “Wonderful.” Owen stood and stretched, then headed to the restroom to throw some water on his face.

  Standing in front of the mirror, he studied his features. “Who are you?” he asked the man staring back. Then he took a deep breath. “I’m Owen Kaine, the son of Max Kaine, but I’m not Max Kaine.”