“Hmmm... Only if the man of my dreams is there.”
“Anyone I know?” I prompt.
“He’s arriving tomorrow morning.” There’s a sparkle in her eyes, so I know she’s teasing.
“Jim’s married,” I remind her.
“I know.” She snaps her fingers. “I was too late.” She narrows her eyes. “I guess you’ll do in a pinch.”
I smile. “I’ll show you a pinch.”
She giggles and her voice drops. “I look forward to that.”
As we exit the highway, we make our way over a giant green bridge that drops us right into Stanley Park. The Range Rovers park just as I point out the first floatplane taking off. The girls are getting out of their car, and I’m disappointed that I can’t hold Lilly’s hand any longer. An electrical current passes through our touch that I really like.
We wander into the Visitors Centre and take in the indigenous totems. “These are beautiful,” Katrina says.
An older woman with a British accent turns to her. “If you have the chance to go to Granville Island, there’s a man there who carves them. So much talent.”
Katrina looks at me expectantly. “Sounds fun. Maybe we can come back after Uncle Jim heads out?”
I smile and take her hand. “We’ll see.”
Next we walk around the point, looking at the giant trees. At one point all four of us link hands, and we still can’t reach the whole way around the tree trunk. Katrina uses my phone to take a ton of pictures. Each time a float plane comes in to land on the water, Bex watches it the whole way. She’s sure one of them is going to flip over.
The park is full of activities. I can tell the playgrounds and water parks are huge attractions for families during the summer months, and even now, the water is full of boats, and countless bicycles and runners pass us on the path. It’s great to see so much activity.
Eventually we come to the backside of the aquarium. As we walk up, we ask a stranger to take a picture of the four of us in front of the fountain—a twenty-foot salmon carved from local stone with indigenous symbols. Lilly tries to slink away each time the camera is turned to us, but we always pull her in.
“Why don’t these people know who my dad is?” Bex asks Lilly.
Lilly smiles at me. “They probably know who your dad is—he’s very famous because of his company—but they don’t know his face and aren’t expecting him here, so they don’t recognize him.”
“It’s nice not having so many interruptions,” she says, and I wonder why I’ve allowed anything to interrupt my time with my girls.
I vow to do better, but in the same moment I realize that as the case builds against Christina and whoever else was part of Cecelia’s death, things will likely get more chaotic before they improve.
We enter the aquarium and take the tour of all the strange sea life that lives in these waters. We all love the octopi for their crazy colors and the way they hover at the top of their tanks, as if trying to escape.
“They’re going to give me nightmares.” Lilly shivers.
After we’ve seen all there is to see here, Rod calls up the cars, and we continue our tour around the huge park. This time the girls are in the car with us. Bex and I sit behind Katrina and Lilly.
“You could spend weeks exploring this park,” Lilly marvels.
We stop at the mouth of English Bay at Ferguson Point to see all the tankers lined up, ready to come into port. “Think of all the goods that are arriving from far and beyond and will be moved around Canada and the US by train and truck,” I point out.
We finally arrive at the Teahouse for dinner just as the sun sets. If Landon hadn’t recommended it, I would have just assumed they served English high tea. But it’s actually a beautiful restaurant that overlooks the water. Everyone finds something on the menu they like before we begin the drive back to Whistler.
The girls plan on watching a movie in their car, and I’m happy to get time with Lilly again. As we drive, I take her hand and kiss her. “Someday, I’d like to escape for a weekend, just the two of us.”
Lilly stretches. “Where should we go? San Diego? The South Bay?”
I laugh. “I thought we might go farther than that. What about Jackson’s place on Maui? Or we can go hide in Fiji in those beautiful suites on the ocean.”
“Hawaii seems far from the girls, and Fiji is definitely far.”
“We could leave the girls with Alicia. They could manage for a week without us.”
“Maybe once all this settles down they could, but could you?”
I look into her eyes. “If it meant I was with you, I think so.”
She smiles and settles into the seat, closing her eyes.
Back in Whistler, we pull into the circular drive, and it looks like the lights are on in the living room. The girls go in first, and after a moment, I hear them squeal. My brow furrows, and when I look at Lilly, she shakes her head.
We walk to find Mason and Caroline sitting in the living room. “The honeymooners are here,” Mason says.
“We’re here drinking all of Walker’s booze,” Caroline announces.
“Have you been here long?” I ask.
“We arrived before dinner. We’re staying at the Four Seasons next door, and we had dinner there before coming back over to wait,” Mason says.
“You should’ve called,” I say as I embrace them both.
“We arrived under the radar on purpose,” Caroline says as she waves the notion away. She hooks her arms with Katrina and Bex, and they walk toward the kitchen. “I smelled some wonderful desserts Amy was making earlier. Let’s investigate.”
Lilly starts to follow them out, but Mason reaches for her. “Could we have a quick conversation while Caroline keeps the girls busy for a few minutes?”
Lilly’s eyes grow wide, but she nods.
“I spoke with Jim and Gage at some point,” Mason begins. “My body clock is totally fucked up right now, so I can’t even pinpoint the day.”
“I have no pity for you, and I hope your dick is so chapped it’s going to fall off,” I tell him.
Mason grins but doesn’t respond to that. “Anyway, he told me about the pictures and trespassing you’ve been dealing with. He’s working with Jackson and his team to move you to Maui.”
I sit down hard in a side chair. I like it here.
“The parabolic mic and the cameras seem to match the technology used by the group that attempted to board the yacht before our wedding.”
I cock my head. “What would anyone in Russia care about me, my family, or my company?”
Mason shrugs. “Jim will talk to you about it tomorrow when he arrives, but they think even the pictures that were sent to Katrina may have come from the same group.”
“What did Cecelia tumble into?” I wonder out loud.
“Jim has a team at Corrine and Jackson’s in Maui overseeing some security upgrades.”
“What are they doing?”
“I can’t be sure, but once you arrive, between you and Corrine, Jim’s hoping you can put some things together.”
Lilly has been twirling the bracelet on her arm. “I need to go see my mom. I can catch up with you in Maui, but I haven’t seen her in person since we returned from Italy. I need to hug her and explain all this.”
Mason looks at me, confused.
“My mom lives in an assisted-care center in Calistoga. She’s a nonverbal, paralyzed stroke patient.”
He nods. “I’m sorry.”
“Me too,” Lilly says.
“Does she travel well?” I ask.
She looks at me, her brow furrowed.
“The weather in Maui might be great for her. There’s plenty of room, and we can bring some caregivers with her to Hawaii.”
Lilly sits back hard in her chair. “That’s a big commitment.”
I reach for her hand, not caring if Mason sees. “If it would make you feel more comfortable, it’s no problem, and I’m happy to do it.”
“I’d need to talk to
her social worker and get her thoughts before I commit.”
“That’s fine,” I tell her.
“Lilly! You have to see this,” Bex yells from the kitchen.
“Anything else for me?” Lilly asks as she stands.
“While the girls are doing their schoolwork with the online tutor, we can meet with Jim and Mason,” I tell her.
“Okay.” Lilly nods and she disappears to figure out what the girls are so excited about.
“Are you sure about including her mom?” Mason asks.
“I’m a package deal, and so is she.” I shrug.
“Looks like you two have made some progress.”
“Not as much as I’d like. We have to be very aware of the girls and their feelings.”
Mason smiles. “That’s better than ignoring them, right?”
“Yes, but it means we sneak around a lot, and I don’t like how that feels.” I stare down at the carpeting. “I really like her.”
Mason smiles. “She’s good for you and for the girls.”
I nod. “Thanks. I think so, too.”
Chapter 20
Lilly
When I step into the kitchen, it’s hard to tell what requires my attention, but then I see the rainbow of sprinkles and frosting set up on the far counter. Caroline and the girls are wearing aprons, but they’re still generously smeared with wild colors.
Bex shows me a flower that looks like it belongs at a Grateful Dead concert.
“I love it!” I tell her. “Look at all of these options. Amy is amazing!”
Caroline and Katrina are working away, so I sit down with Bex, and we watch a TubeIt video about how to frost the cookies. Amy also has some fantastic examples—better than what we find on TubeIt, and I don’t even think I can manage that. I pick up a few different flower-shaped cookies. I carefully do the outline and then flood the frosting like the video shows, but mine overflows. Soon the table has more frosting than the cookies.
My head is spinning, and I’m grateful when Bex gets going on a project and gives me a moment to think. A part of me thinks it’s a fantastic idea to take my mom to Maui, but I realize I don’t really know what all that would entail. What if the sun dehydrates her and she gets a kidney infection? Can the local hospital manage that? Or can we get the right medications? I think we’d need four full-time caregivers, and that’s a lot. That doesn’t include physical therapists and occupational therapists, too… But it would be amazing to take my mom to the ocean where she can see the waves and see me interact with the girls.
It’s almost midnight, and the kitchen is covered in cookies decorated with varying degrees of expertise when I send the girls up to bathe and go to bed. They’re both on a sugar high, so it’s hard to determine whether they’ll be able to sleep.
Caroline is kind enough to help me pick up so poor Amy doesn’t come upstairs to a disaster.
“How are you doing?” she asks.
I nod. “It’s been good here. I adore Amy.”
Caroline works hard at some royal icing that’s dried on the table. “I can see why. She’s a total delight.”
“Did someone tell you and Mason what happened here?”
“Yes, but it’s not gossipy, like you might think.” Caroline pauses to look at me. “The three of them are tight. Nate is Jim’s best friend, and I think Mason’s right there behind him. They made their fortunes together. And because of that, they work together like a stool—it needs three legs to stand. They support some of the most prominent technology billionaires in the valley. But when Cecelia died, it crippled Nate. The stool was broken. You were a lifesaver with the girls, and Jim and Mason were there to support Nate, but now they think whoever is behind all this is going after the three of them.”
I nod. That does make sense. “Do you think someone connected to the Russian government is involved?”
“Not in the least,” she says. “But they do have access to Russian tech.”
“That group can’t be that big,” I say. “Right?”
“They don’t know. But part of getting their stool back is to have Nate back, and I believe you’re a big part of that.”
I turn a deep shade of crimson. I don’t know what to say. “Thank you,” I finally manage. “I care about all of them a lot… And things have progressed between Nate and me. But I still work for him, and the girls don’t really know. So, it’s just a strange situation. Sometimes I don’t know how it’s ever going to work out.” I’ve probably said too much.
Caroline smiles. “I’m sure it’s not easy, but I have every confidence that you’ll sort it out when the time is right.”
Just then Amy comes upstairs and shoos us out of the kitchen. “Let me do my job,” she insists.
“I’m so jetlagged.” Caroline runs her hands through her chestnut hair as we settle in the living room where Nate and Mason are still chatting. “I don’t know if I should be drinking coffee and starting my day or taking a sleeping pill and heading to bed.”
“You two go back to your room,” I suggest. “Do we know when Jim’s arriving?”
“He thought he could leave about six a.m., so that would put him here close to ten, after commutes and customs,” Mason says.
“Okay, I’ll let Amy know to expect seven people—or is Kate joining him and we’re eight?” I ask.
“I think she’s staying put for now,” Caroline says.
“Seven it is,” Nate determines.
Caroline and Mason give us each a goodbye hug, and we agree to meet around lunchtime tomorrow. “Get some rest,” I admonish.
They wave as they walk with their team down the path to the Four Seasons.
“We’re finally alone,” Nate says as he nuzzles my neck.
“And what are you going to do about it?”
“I think I need my own dessert, which is between those thighs.”
I grin. As we walk upstairs, we hear Bex having one of her nightmares.
“I got this,” Nate says. He goes in to cuddle with her and rub her back.
I wash my face and get ready for Nate, but after a little while I realize he must have fallen asleep. That’s okay. He hasn’t been sleeping well, so this is fine. Maybe I’ll get some work done instead.
My email pings, and I see it’s the law firm we paid to incorporate our company. They’re also helping with some patent work.
When I open the message, I’m stunned. My own company has fired me for cause and will not be buying out my shares. Instead, they’re taking them back and not paying me anything.
I feel dizzy and my heart hurts. Mackenzie knows my situation. She’s a fantastic biomedical engineer, but she needs me as the developer. Doesn’t she? And we wouldn’t have gotten the funding had I not talked Cecelia into investing. My mood moves from shock, to hurt, to anger, and back to shock. We’ve been building this company to work on a cure for my mother. How can they toss me out of my own dream?
Now I have nothing. My best friend fired me.
In the morning, I feel the bed dip and an arm wrap around me. “I’m sorry about last night,” Nate whispers.
“I understand. I’m fine. We’ll have other nights.”
“I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
Good, because right now I have nothing outside of this. I feel completely overwhelmed, and I hate being dependent on anyone. My dad taught me that lesson a long time ago.
Nate puts a cup of coffee on my bedside table. “You deserve a day off, but I don’t think you want it to be today when the house will be full in less than two hours.”
I sit up, and the strap from my tank top falls off my shoulder. Nate looks at me like I’m lunch. “What time is it?”
“Eight. The girls go online with the tutor in an hour. Amy has some questions about meals.”
“Do I have time to take a shower?”
Nate rubs his fingers along the V-neck of my tank. “You look so sexy right now.” He smiles and moves closer. “Depending on what they say today, we should be able to g
et over to the Fairmont for at least a few hours. Maybe we should take along some chocolate and caramel sauce? Some whipped cream?”
I reach for his hardness, and he’s ready to go. I stroke him.
“Or I could go for just bending you over and rubbing your clit until you come right here.”
I stand up, lock my bedroom door, and drop my clothes to the floor. “You were saying?”
I crawl on all fours toward him and pull his sweatpants down his hips. There’s his glorious cock. “Or you could just fuck my mouth?”
“No,” he says. “I want to slide into your hot pussy. Back on all fours, and here at the edge, please.”
I present myself to him and circle my clit. “I’m ready.”
He slides his cock through my wetness, teasing me. “You know the best part of doing this here? I can see you in the mirror.”
In one long stroke he’s buried balls deep, and I hold back a groan as I stretch to accommodate his size. He feels so good inside me.
Through his clenched teeth, he growls. “I want you to rub your clit.”
He pulls out slowly and pushes back in with a steady rhythm as I rub. My breasts are pendulums, rocking with each pull.
I’m close already when he reaches around and grabs my nipple. One pinch and I quietly groan as my core holds him tight and he shoots his load inside of me.
After a moment, he pulls out. “Fuck, I didn’t wear a condom.”
My heart beats triple time. I saw the doctor earlier this month, but my birth control hasn’t kicked in yet. “We should be fine, but we can’t do that again.”
Just then, Bex calls for me. I panic, practically shoving Nate away. I quickly pull my clothes back on, hoping I’ve disguised my situation, and I close the door behind me so Nate can dress. I move her into the bathroom as we talk, and I hop in the shower, careful to not show her any red marks.
Bex doesn’t even look at me, but she does talk the entire time I’m showering, so I don’t have even a second to process what Nate and I just did. And I don’t understand what she’s saying. She hasn’t been in touch with friends from home since we’ve been here.
Showdown: Tech Billionaires Page 18