by Jenna Brandt
He let out a small chuckle as he turned onto the small road that led to her parents’ house. “If I didn’t know any better, I would think you were upset. I know that can’t be the case considering how you’ve never wanted to come back here to visit until now.”
“I never had a reason until my boss gave me this assignment.”
“And your reunion has nothing to do with it? You’re not coming back here to show off your awesome life?” He reached out and patted her arm. “Otherwise, why would you have invited me along?”
She shrugged. “I’m not saying it won’t be nice to show the people from school they didn’t break me; however, it’s just a bonus. The reunion will be the perfect cover for my real reason for being in Crystal Cove.”
“Right, you’re investigating some lawyer from here.”
Molly stiffened, not liking how casually Richard threw around her real purpose for returning. She didn’t need him ruining her chances of finding out the truth for her story. She had spent hours online going over Spencer Wilmington’s social media and newspaper articles after years of trying to forget about him. She knew all the public details of the past ten years of his life, including the fact that he went to the University of Southern California where he created his social app that subsequently made him billions. Then there was a two year blimp where he partied and was seen running around LA with vapid blondes and a slew of Hollywood A-listers.
The part that didn’t make sense was that shortly after those two years where he seemed to have left college in the past, he transferred to Stanford law school. Considering he could have gotten a job anywhere, there was no mention of why he returned to Crystal Cove to take a position as a local defense attorney. It was one of the pieces she needed to figure out. Perhaps it would reveal a connection to the district attorney, Jeremy Jacks, the other person secretly accused of unethical conduct. She had looked into him too, not finding anything out of the ordinary. Until she figured it all out though, she needed Richard to stay quiet.
“Remember, we discussed how we need to keep my work part of the trip a secret. If anyone gets wind of the real reason why I’m here, they won’t talk to me, and my whole investigation will be over before it starts.”
“You’re so dramatic. You act as if everyone in this town cares about what happens to this guy.”
“You say that in jest, but you have no idea how right you are,” Molly said, pushing her long, brown hair behind her ear. “Spencer Wilmington is the darling of Crystal Cove. He has been ever since we were kids, despite the fact he was an awful person.”
“Wow, you really don’t like the guy, do you,” Richard stated. “I mean, every time he comes up, you become hostile. What’d he ever do to you?”
“Nothing I want to talk about,” Molly stated adamantly. “It’s in the past, anyway.”
Without her wanting it to happen, her mind drifted back to the first time she met the handsome billionaire’s son.
Oh, goodness, there was Spencer Wilmington coming through the front doors of the town’s public library. Molly saw him every day in the school hallways and in two of her classes, but she never talked to him. He was popular, being rich as well as the varsity football quarterback—and Molly was most decidedly not part of the “in” crowd.
He looked good, really good, with his thick, sandy-blond hair and his blue and white letterman jacket hugging his body in all the right ways. He had his backpack slung over one shoulder, and his hands shoved into the front pockets of his jeans.
Her blue eyes drifted to his perfect pair of lips, and for a moment, she let herself wonder what it would be like to kiss them. She knew she wasn’t the only one to imagine it. Every girl in school was obsessed with Spencer Wilmington, but she had made it a point to avoid his crowd. They were mean, and made it a point to pick on anyone unpopular. Even though she knew all the reasons that she shouldn’t have a crush on him, Molly found herself doing it anyway.
“Stop it,” she chastised herself. “Spencer Wilmington is completely off-limits. Besides, you don’t want to be with someone like him. Just keep this about tutoring.”
As Spencer approached the table, he looked annoyed, like he didn’t want to be there. Good, I don’t want to be here either, she thought to herself.
“You’re late,” Molly stated with frustration, pushing her long bangs out of her eyes. “If this is going to work, you have to be on time.”
He shrugged, placing his backpack on the ground next to him as he slung himself into a seat across from Molly. “What can I say, I had football practice.”
“You’re not the only one that has a busy schedule. I have commitments too.”
“I’m sure; math and science club I’m betting, right?” he asked with a smirk.
“No, yearbook and church.”
“Ah, you’re one of those,” he said with a knowing smile.
“One of what?” Molly asked with confusion.
“A Jesus freak.”
“You know that’s offensive. I believe in Jesus, but that doesn’t make me a freak. You should really think before you speak,” Molly suggested to him.
His face pinched up for a moment as if he was thinking, then a moment later, he gave her a big grin, making sure to flash his smoldering blue eyes at her. “So, how are we going to do this?”
“Do what?”
“The coach said this was all lined up by the school,” Spencer said, gesturing between them. “You’re supposed to take care of this English thing for me.”
“Correction, the school counselor assigned me as your tutor. Mr. Marks wants me to help you pull up your grade since you’re in danger of failing.” Irritated that everyone jumped through hoops for him, she added sarcastically, “Otherwise, no more sports for you, and the town can’t have that. I mean, heaven forbid, the star quarterback for the Crystal Cove Lions can’t play anymore. It would be a sign the end of the world is coming.”
“Exactly, the team has a real chance of making it to State this year, but only if I can play. The season is over if I can’t.”
Ugh, he is so full of himself, Molly thought to herself. He literally thinks the world revolves around him.
Trying not to let his ego get to her, she focused on making it clear he wasn’t the only one being inconvenienced by the forced arrangement. “So to keep you eligible to play, I have to give up three hours of my life every week.”
He narrowed his eyes as he crossed his arms. “Hey, there’s no reason to be so snotty. You think I like this? I can think of like five other things I would rather be doing.”
“Only five? And I’m sure all of them center on the cheerleading squad,” Molly mocked with a roll of her eyes. “I can think of a dozen myself, and all of them are much more practical than yours.”
“Why do I feel like you’re judging me, and you don’t even know me,” Spencer stated defensively. “Didn’t you just say you’re a Christian or something?”
Molly stiffened under his rebuke. He was right, she wasn’t acting the way her parents or God would want her to.
She pressed her lips together as she averted her eyes. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. I think we’ve gotten off to a wrong start, so let’s just focus on working at raising your English grade. What’s your latest assignment?”
Spencer bent over and opened his backpack. He pulled out a bent, blue folder and slid it across to her. “Everything’s in there.”
Molly opened the folder and glanced through it. “You have three essays you’ve never turned in; plus, a test you could have corrected to get some extra points.”
“What can I say, I’m busy with football,” he said as he rolled his shoulders, “but that’s why I have you now. How about I meet up with you in a couple of days and you can give me the essays so I can turn them in.”
She shook her head. “No way; I’ll help you write them, but I’m not doing your work for you.”
“Seriously? You can’t just do it?” Spencer asked with incredulousness as he ran his
fingers through his hair.
“Nope, this is going to be a partnership. We’re both going to put in 50/50.”
He seemed to contemplate what she was demanding from him. After several moments, he unfolded his arms and said, “Fine, we’ll do it your way.”
As Molly looked across the table at Spencer, she wondered if she had made the right decision. Could she sit across from him three times a week and not be taken in by his good looks and charm? She didn’t want to fall for the football star like all the other girls in her school, especially since she knew it would remain one-sided.
Pushing the troubling thoughts out of her mind, Molly picked up Spencer’s first essay assignment and started to explain what he needed to do.
“We’re here,” Richard said, drawing her attention back to the present.
Molly’s jitters were strong as they pulled into the driveway of her parents’ two-story bRichard home. Though her parents had come to Miami to visit at least two times a year, she hadn’t set foot in her childhood home in a decade.
Grab your copy of The Billionaire’s Reunion!
Sneak Peak of Waiting on the Billionaire
Bryce Montgomery stood on the edge of the grassy field and glanced around with apprehension. Over three weeks had passed since the release of The Top 10 Most Eligible Bachelors of New York list, yet the droves of women who hounded him hadn’t subsided.
He had reluctantly agreed to attend the Saturday afternoon polo match since it was for a good cause, not to mention he often made powerful business contacts at such events.
“Relax, Bryce, I’ll fend off the ladies for you if they get too close,” Roger Boswell, Bryce’s best friend and heir to a tech tycoon, offered.
“Oh, I bet you will,” Bryce stated with a roll of his eyes. “You’d be only too happy, I’m sure.”
“Hey, it’s not my fault I barely missed the list. I still can’t believe the reporter told me I got the eleventh spot.”
“Should we head to the spectator area?” Bryce inquired, opting to change the subject rather than focus on the blasted list for one more minute.
"I guess," Roger shrugged. "I don’t understand how you can despise all this attention."
Roger wouldn’t understand. Bryce was a naturally private person. He didn’t enjoy attention of any sort, preferring to live his life in the shadows of their social set. Roger, on the other hand, was an extrovert of the highest order. His favorite pastimes were attending or throwing an over-the-top party and making sure the paparazzi was there to catch every moment.
In the beginning, it attracted Bryce to Roger. He opened a lot of doors for Bryce when he was first starting out in the tech business. When his first app was a massive hit, Bryce needed to find the right connections to turn the app into a company and the company into an empire. Roger was more than happy to introduce him to the right people as long as Bryce played the diligent wingman. It was the reason that the role reversal was so difficult for Roger to handle. He despised being the runner-up with the women they met.
Before they could make their way to the viewing area, a hand on Bryce’s arm stopped him in his tracks.
“Why if it isn’t Bryce Montgomery, #1 hottest bachelor in Manhattan. Fancy meeting you here,” the platinum blonde woman cooed as she batted her fake eyelashes at him. “You want company?”
Bryce flinched under the woman’s unwanted advances. He wished he had put more thought into the ramifications of letting Roger talk him into letting the magazine publish the puff piece on him. They believed both of them would make the list, but a last-minute addition of a new actor knocked Roger off the list. Bryce was squarely left on his own.
“Don’t you have the most gorgeous blue eyes and thick brown hair I’ve ever seen. The picture in the magazine didn’t do you justice,” the woman complimented as her hand moved up his arm, resting just below the shoulder. “And these biceps. My, my, I had no idea you had muscles under that suit. What a surprise.”
Bryce pulled back, not liking the fact she was sizing him up like a piece of meat she wanted to devour. “Miss, I think the match is about to start. You should find whoever you came with.”
A pout formed on the woman’s face. “Not so eligible after all,” the woman stated with irritation. She glanced over at Roger, who had been watching the exchange with amusement. “What about your friend? I don’t recognize him from the list, but he’s not bad to look at. I guess he will do.”
Roger tilted his head to the side, causing his blond hair to flip with the movement. “You know I’m not one to refuse a pretty woman, but I draw the line when the woman considers me a consolation prize.”
Her face scrunched up in confusion. “What are you talking about?”
“You should probably do as my friend suggests,” Roger stated dismissively, before turning to head towards the viewing area.
Once they were away from the obnoxious woman, Roger sighed. “Such a waste with a face like that to have nothing upstairs.”
“It seems it’s increasingly common every day,” Bryce observed. “I’m so tired of struggling models and social debutantes looking for a meal ticket when they see me.”
“That’s what a pre-nup is for, Bryce. A good lawyer can keep it all tidy if you ever get serious about another woman, though I doubt you ever will after Gabrielle. She seems to have done you in on that matter.”
Gabrielle Rodriguez was an up-and-coming model, and until six months ago, Bryce’s girlfriend. Their relationship ended when Bryce found Gabrielle cheating on him with her personal trainer.
“I don’t know. I’m not built that way. Casual dating isn't something I do. I want to trust the woman I end up marrying. If I can’t, then I’d rather stay single and focus on building up my business.”
The polo players on horseback took to the field, signaling the match was about to start. Everyone turned their attention to the game except Bryce, plagued by the prospect of never finding the right woman to love.
Grab your copy of Waiting on the Billionaire!
Sneak Peak of The Billionaire’s Birthday Wish
“Good job, everyone. We’re finished with this segment,” Wade McAllister heard the director shout out from behind the camera. “Let’s set up for the next one.”
Wade moved out of the way, letting the TV show staff scurry around him as they prepared the next part of the episode. The show’s makeup artist rushed towards him, using the pause in filming to touch up his face, while a hair stylist brushed his dark brown hair into place.
“Wade, can you move over to that red mark?” the director encouraged, gesturing to the other end of the counter where the contestants were standing ready to start their soufflés.
The rest of the afternoon sped by as Wade played his part as the host and head judge of America’s favorite baking show competition. He knew his lines and delivered each one with the handsome smile and endearing charm that was expected of him. As the guy-next-door turned pastry chef icon, he had a very specific image to protect. He couldn’t deviate from it or risk destroying the billion dollar baking empire he had built up over the past decade.
“Good job, Mr. McAllister,” one of the new production assistant interns said, as she passed by.
He nodded in return, racking his brain to try to remember her name. Finally, it came to him. “Thank you, Kari. How has your first week been here on the show?”
“Wonderful, Mr. McAllister, I’ve learned so much and it’s such a pleasure to watch you work. You’re so great at this,” the young blonde woman cooed with a glowing smile. “If you ever have the time, I could really use any private feedback you have about the job I’m doing.”
Immediately, Wade recognized the shift from professional admiration to veiled flirtation. He pushed down his irritation, then gently replied, “You should go over that information with Paula, the line producer. She’ll be better suited to help you with your job.”
He hoped what he said made it clear he wasn’t interested in mixing business with pleasure. Tr
uthfully, he didn’t spend a lot of time focusing on pursuing romantic relationships, choosing to put his energy towards business where he found more reward for his effort. The women he met either wanted him for the fame or the money, and in some cases, both. They didn’t care to know the man behind the image—the man who would prefer to stay in and watch Star Wars rather than go out and spend time at a trendy nightclub.
The woman nodded, a look of disappointment clearly displayed on her face. “I’ll do that, Mr. McAllister,” she whispered in a dejected voice, before turning around to leave.
“Tell me you got her number,” Samuel Butler, his friend and guest judge, asked with a wide grin as he came up beside Wade.
“You know me better than that; I don’t mix business with pleasure.”
“Which is a shame. All the best fun comes from mixing those two things together.”
Wade rolled his eyes. “I’ve worked too hard to ruin my reputation by getting involved with anyone from the show.”
Samuel shrugged before they both turned around to head towards their dressing rooms to change out of their chef coats and into their regular clothes. “I meant to tell you earlier, you were on point today while filming. It never fails to amaze me how good you are at playing it up for the camera.”
“What can I say, it’s years of experience. Though I have to admit, I’m getting tired of it.”
“Does that mean the rumors are true? Is this going to be the show’s final season?”
Wade shifted his stance, glancing away as he thought about how he wanted to answer his friend’s probing question. Wade had been contemplating retiring from the show for a couple of months now. When he discussed it with his CFO of McAllister Enterprises, it was clear it would cause a huge dip in the company’s revenue, not to mention how it would negatively affect all of the employees that worked for the show. He didn’t have the heart to disrupt everyone else’s lives just because he felt like something was missing from his own. “You know better than anyone not to believe everything you hear. There are always rumors circulating around about men like us.”