by Kira Blakely
“Uncle Brayden!” she called as she waved.
Captain Bob brought the boat alongside the dock, and I leapt off to tie it to the cleats. I hugged Meghan, grinning at her excitement.
Just as I’d thought, her first question was, “Did you bring me anything?”
“I sure did, but not what you might think. Harper, come here, would you?” She appeared at the side as Captain Bob helped her over and she came to stand on the dock next to me, a big smile on her face. “Harper, this is Meghan, my niece. Meghan, I’d like you to meet an old friend of mine, Harper Filkins.”
Harper laughed. “Can we go with my being a long-time friend? Nice to meet you, Meghan. I can see the family resemblance.” I liked that. It made Meghan feel instantly included, something she got very little of.
“Oh, so you’re that Harper.” Meghan grinned. “Love your hair,” she added in a typical pre-teen gawking admiration.
“There’s more than one?” Harper asked. “And personally, I think your hair is beautiful. I see you were lucky enough to inherit the Campbell copper color.”
“Thanks. No, you’re the only Harper here, but you’ll find out,” Meghan teased, a pleased look on her face. I knew Meghan was dying to show her what she meant so I herded us toward the house.
“Oh, Bray, it’s gorgeous!” Harper complimented me as she saw the house. I’d had it designed by an architect from Hawaii and it was, despite the massive amounts of glass that made up wall windows, created to withstand hurricanes, unless the entire island went underwater. It was low-roofed and spread out with over eight thousand square feet. The foyer opened with an artisan water feature and recessed lighting that highlighted three-dimensional wall art carved from sandstone. Harper looked up at the skylight and her pace slowed, as if taking in a museum. The home had several wings with a total of six bedrooms and seven baths. Indoor garden planters were filled with tropical blooms, and I’d asked for as much light as possible to filter throughout the house. I liked the sense of being outdoors.
I had matching five-hundred-gallon saltwater aquariums set into one wall, a coffered mahogany ceiling and a black grand piano rested on the stone-tiled floor in the gallery we used as our living area. Additional carved sandstone commanded the master bed wall as a headboard opposite a window wall and view of the rest of the island. The home occupied the highest point so the views were spectacular all 360 degrees. The baths all featured separate showers and soaking tubs and the bedrooms each had cherry cabinets in their walk-in closets. I’d had them add an in-home projection theatre and an interesting workout room with woven bamboo ceiling and cabinet accents.
The same stone that lay throughout the home continued out the glass walls to form a patio around a diamond-shaped pool. Cushioned banquettes lay both in the open sun and were slid beneath the pillar-supported roof.
Meghan was watching Harper’s face as we walked through the rooms. I knew she felt like a proud hostess, and I let her have that job. I don’t think Harper was prepared for what she saw. I was the bad boy who had made good, and I don’t think she any idea of the level of “good” I’d achieved. I was as proud as Meghan, to tell the truth. Neither Harper nor I had grown up with much in the way of money as kids. I’d made some early mistakes as I’d bought into the house-flipping craze, but I learned quickly. Like a game of Monopoly, I kept trading up, reinvesting every dollar I’d made. The result lay around us, and now she was here to make it perfect.
“I just don’t know what to say.” Harper was effusively generous in her comments. “It’s like something out of a dream.
“There’s more,” Meghan chimed in, her eyes sparkling with mischief.
“More?”
“Well, there’s actually lots more if you count the stables, tennis court, golf course and all that stuff, but what I meant is for you.”
Harper looked at me quickly, a questioning look on her face.
“But you didn’t even know I was coming, Meghan,” she said, astonished.
“Ohhhh, news travels more quickly than you might think around here,” the girl answered with a giggle.
“Evidently.”
“Why don’t you show her, Megs?” I invited and she clapped her hands together and then took Harper by the hand, dragging her out the opened wall door to the pool area. I was glad Meghan was around. She made the whole thing less intimidating from Harper’s point of view.
“See?” Meghan was pointing.
Harper looked and then at me. “What is it?”
“It’s where you get to work!”
“What?”
“C’mon.” Meghan dragged her. “It’s the guest cottage but now it belongs to you! See?” The young girl pointed to the heavily-cushioned wicker furniture on its covered porch and then opened the pastel-painted door.
Harper looked back at me, and I nodded encouragingly. “It’s okay. Megs is right. It’s what we’ve laughingly referred to as the guest cottage but since we never have guests, it has sat empty. With Meg’s excellent instinct for design, I let her fix it up for you. Your own little place, so to speak, although you’re free to do anything to change it that you like, naturally. That was Meg’s idea, by the way.”
Harper walked into the 2,000-square foot cottage and the first thing that struck someone entering was the height of the ceiling. It was tall enough to house an entire second floor, but I’d had it built with windows so it felt as though it was open to the sky. There was an open room centrally located, furnished with pale, white-washed furniture covered with pastel cushions. Like-colored rugs were randomly placed atop the bamboo floor and a state-of-the-art kitchen with all white appliances and a breakfast bar sat to one side. Even the cottage had its own guest suite but the master was the largest and had the most spectacular view of the ocean and that vantage of the island. It also had its own back patio and hot tub. It wasn’t my taste because it was essentially feminine, but when it came to Harper, I couldn’t think of a more perfect atmosphere.
She drew in her breath when she saw her office. I’d brought in a special designer for that. There was an L-shaped, white-washed desk with a floral-covered office chair. One wall held a matching floral sofa with cushions and was banked by end tables with fabric-covered lamps. The desk held an adjustable computer caddy that could be raised or lowered at the touch of a button. I’d been told that for people who spent many hours at a computer, it provided a comfortable option to avoid eye, back and wrist strain. Meghan’s contribution had been the choice of computer with large, high-resolution double screens, printer, external drives and all the fripperies like pencil holders women loved to have on their desks.
Harper literally fell into the chair and she spun about slowly. When she faced me, there were tears on her face and those gorgeous eyes were iridescent with the moisture. “I can’t believe my eyes. Brayden, Meghan, this is too much. Just too much. It’s like you’ve made my whole life’s worth of dreams come true all in one moment.”
“Do you like it?” Megs asked, her face consumed by the biggest smile I think I’d ever seen.
“Are you serious?”
I grinned. “I’m glad. And now, Miss Meghan, if you’ll go back to the house and inform Mrs. Sims that we’d like dinner out by the pool in about thirty minutes, we’ll join you there.” Meghan nodded and hugged us both. “Don’t forget to wash your hands,” I threw in, not because she had dirty hands, but because it seemed like the parental kind of thing to say. She skipped out the door and disappeared into the main house.
“Now then, my girl, let’s talk about locking this in. Will you accept my invitation to work for me, but more importantly to live here with us at Red Sapphire?”
“Is that it? Are there any more conditions?”
“Well, just a small one, but it’s no deal breaker. As my hostess, you’ll need a wardrobe and a few things. Meghan has offered to accompany you to the mainland, and I’d like you to meet with a personal shopper to help you pick some things out. It’s not that you can’t do it on your own, but
she knows the shops. And especially the ones that have no doors to the street. She can pick out whatever you tell her, or you can do it yourself. Then I want you to know I’ve opened an account in your name. In that desk drawer behind you, you’ll find a checkbook, debit card, and a variety of credit cards. Their statements will be paid as a business expense by Utopia, but you’re to use them for whatever you like. Oh, and that set of keys on the ring? That’s to your car, which is parked at Utopia, obviously. You have the parking garage next to mine. So, what do you say?”
“It’s too much.”
I was stunned into silence. Where had I fucked up this time? “No, seriously, honey. You’ll need every bit of this, and I know you’re not in a position yet to get it for yourself. If it makes you feel better, when you make your first million or so, you can pay me back. But it would make me very happy if you’d just look at this as what you deserve and what I want to give you.”
“Brayden, it feels wrong. Things don’t come this easily to me!”
“No, no, honey. You never had them, but that doesn’t mean you don’t deserve them. They’re yours. This is yours. Take it all and anything else you want.”
She didn’t look convinced.
I pulled her over to sit by me on the sofa. “Harper, honey, listen. All this,” I said, sweeping my arm wide to refer to Red Sapphire, “means nothing to me alone. Sure, it’s a good home for Meghan except that she’s lonely. I’m lonely, if you want me to say it. I’m not asking anything from you except as we talked about on the way here. You’re not obligated to anything,” I said, emphasizing that last word to overcome her feeling used.
“But, you might meet someone, you might want to bring her home and here I’d be,” she objected.
“Are you serious? Honey, it’s right there in front of you! I don’t want anyone else. You and I were meant to be together from the start, years ago when you pushed me away as I tried to get your bra off. It was just a matter of timing, that’s it!”
She still had suspicion in her eyes. Finally, she nodded. Her hair, cascading over her shoulders in the bright light of the cottage, made her look like an angel. An angel who had finally found her way home. “I give. Yes, I’ll work with you and live here with you and Meghan. But remember what we said.”
“I remember. It’s all in your hands,” I promised her. “By the way, I’m guessing you understand that I’ve given you this place because it not only allows you to protect your privacy, but just seems more appropriate with a young, impressionable girl around. I have to take care with her, honey. I’m all she has, except Collin, and she doesn’t know about him. And he has no idea about her.”
“I think it’s the perfect solution. I have absolutely no problem with it whatsoever,” she agreed.
She hunched her shoulders upward with delight and sprang up from the sofa, looking around and touching things as though she was in a dream. I don’t think I’d ever felt more satisfied with myself—that I could make her feel that way. I’d had the place fixed for her earlier, knowing I’d get her there, eventually.
“Shall we go have dinner?”
She nodded and with a last look around, she led the way out the door, stopping to close it gently after I’d passed through. We walked leisurely toward the table set up by the pool. Megs was already there, patiently waiting with a Shirley Temple in her hand, topped by a paper umbrella. “So?”
I nodded. “She’s staying,” I affirmed.
“Oh, Harper, thank you! I hoped you would!” Meghan ran to hug her.
Chapter 11
Harper
I felt like Cinderella. That was the only way I could think to describe it. It felt unreal, but in a good way. Then, as is typical with me, I began to poke holes in it. I couldn’t let it be perfect—I didn’t deserve perfect. I’d always wanted a fly in the ointment so I could own it. I needed to own imperfection.
You’re being a fool, I told myself and instantly felt ungrateful. Here was this lovely child, who looked so much like my precious Brayden but had green eyes. What were the odds? She could have been our child, to look at her.
Brayden was different, and I recognized immediately why. Growing up and yes, even at Utopia, he was Brayden, the boy/man who was destined to be a screw-up and failure. He’d been on the defensive and in the same way I was hedging myself against disappointment by trying to poke holes in reality, he was doing the same thing. While at work, he couldn’t let himself get too full of himself. He had to stay on his toes, be vigilant and trust no one—not even me, when it came down to it. Here at his home, he was sure of himself and it was his personal paradise. I was very glad he’d decided to include me in it. Now came the question of whether I could keep from ruining it for him.
I knew what he wanted. He wanted me. I wanted him, too. I just wasn’t quite ready to let him know that.
We had perfectly grilled steak with new potatoes and a garden salad for dinner. Dessert was strawberry shortcake. I noticed Meghan grew quiet as she feasted on the real whipped cream and powdered sugar confection. She was a sweets eater, just like me. I’d have to be careful. With a chef cooking, I could balloon up like a puffer fish.
“I’ve never worked with a personal shopper,” I brought up, feeling a little insecure. “They’re used to working with rich people who don’t look at price tags.”
Brayden laughed aloud. “You don’t have to worry. Where she will take you, there are no price tags. It’s a painless pleasure and Megs here will be happy to show you the ropes. Won’t you, Megs?”
She nodded, her nose tipped with powdered sugar. “I love to shop for clothes,” she said quickly and got back to her dessert.
“You gals will have a blast. I’ll have Captain Bob run me over, and he’ll come back and be at your disposal. Or, you can ride with me and then take your car.”
“Ohhh, I’d like that,” I burst out. “I’d love to see what it looks like. It’s been a long time since I had a car.”
“It’s baby blue,” Meghan supplied and then looked guiltily at Brayden. “Sorry,” she muttered. “I wasn’t supposed to say, was I?”
“I’m sure Harper will forgive you. She’s good at forgiving,” he said, and I knew what he meant by that.
We had coffee by the pool and were treated to the most breathtaking crimson sunset. “That’s where it got its name,” Brayden told me, and I knew he was referring the island name as well as that of the house.
“Meghan, about that time, honey,” he said.
She nodded and came over to give me a hug. “I’m happy you’re here now. Goodnight.” She turned to go into the house and called over her shoulder, “And yes, I’ll brush my teeth.”
Brayden looked peaceful and content. He brought about that same feeling for me. “This is truly paradise,” I commented.
“I’m glad you think so. I will agree, now that you’re here.”
He was growing sentimental in his old age.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. More than welcomed, in fact. Actually, you’re doing me a bigger favor than I could ever hope to return.”
“That cottage and office is a dream come true. How did you know?”
“Well, besides the very techy ten-year-old who is at this moment hopefully brushing her teeth, you aren’t a total enigma, you know. You’re a computer nerd, right?”
I threw a cushion at him and he laughed. “Well, aren’t you?” he repeated.
“Yeah,” I admitted. “I guess you could call me that. Do you think I’m silly for building a website?”
He was thoughtful. “No, not really. It’s what you do and the more experience you have at it, the better and in demand you will become. I’d love to have you do some projects for Utopia, too. I was thinking of automating more of the internal processes. I’d like the employees to be better in synch, without me having to run them down and keep an eye on them. Is that something you could help me with at some point?”
“Are you kidding? Of course! I’d love to,” I told him.<
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“And you never know… there are a lot of business people who stay at Utopia. You might make some excellent contacts. Just promise to work remote and not leave me.” His words were level but I could feel the plea behind them.
“I won’t,” I said softly and with those hushed words, the sun dropped below the horizon suddenly and there was nothing more than a few golden, latent rays pouring over the waves.
“Question?” I asked.
“Sure.”
“Why don’t you want Collin to know about Meghan or Red Sapphire?”
“I’m sort of surprised you need to ask. You know what he’s like. Vindictive, selfish and jealous. Oh, he puts on a good face but he’d very much like to strip me of everything I’ve worked for. He thinks it’s his entitlement as older brother. It wouldn’t have been like that with Cory. He was one of the most generous men I’d ever known. But Collin, he’s so different. It’s like he had different parents. No, Collin will not be coming here.”
“What if he finds out? I mean, don’t people wonder where you go when you leave Utopia via boat?”
“Did you wonder?”
I thought about it a moment. “No, not really. For one thing, I never saw you leave by boat and if I had, I think I’d just have assumed you were going to another Key or to the mainland somewhere.”
“There you go. Collin thinks I live at Utopia. If he sees me leave, he assumes the same as you do – that I’m off on business or a date. He won’t think twice about it.”
We were silent then, relaxing side by side on a double-wide lounge chair. I put my hand onto his and he took it. He squeezed it and sighed deeply. I knew he wanted more. The heat of his hand over mine was making me feel safe, and sleepy. Had our lounge chair been in a bedroom, I’m not sure I could have held out. The biggest gift he gave me that evening was to hold himself back. I could see his need, within inches of my hand. I wanted to slide my hand inside his waistband and reach downward until I could fasten my hand around its steely hardness. I wondered what it would feel like inside of me. Could he make me vaginally orgasm? I’d never gotten there with Steve. Well, that wasn’t fair because Steve hadn’t achieved anything to speak of. He’d been mechanical and analytical, considering sex to be something akin to brushing your teeth. A preliminary to get out of the way before you got down to the really good stuff, which I had no idea what that would have been for him.