The Billionaire's Hideaway

by Jenna Brandt

  Nicole got in her Toyota Corolla and made her way over to the opposite end of the island, telling herself the whole way not to give up. She arrived, filled with a new measure of determination. She hopped out of her car and rushed to the first massive house. It was made of slate and exposed metal. No one around the island left their doors or gates locked, so she opened it with confidence. After several knocks, she realized no one was home. She placed a flyer in the doorframe and headed back the way she came.

  The next two houses met with better luck than she’d had all day, rounding out her donations to just over four hundred dollars. Unfortunately, it still wasn’t enough to make a dent in what she would need to save the lighthouse. She reached the last house, the most recent to be built on the island. It was completely walled off, leaving no ability to see beyond the brick structure surrounding the compound.

  There was one side door by the edge of the sliding metal gate. She turned the knob, but to her surprise it was locked. Obviously, whoever lived here didn’t know it was unnecessary, making it clear they were an outsider. Would that make them more or less sympathetic to her cause? She wasn’t sure, but it didn’t matter. Whoever it was, she needed to win them over and get them to help her.

  She pushed the wrinkles out of her blouse and skirt, fluffed her curls, and put on her prettiest smile before buzzing the button at the gate. The screen clicked on and there was a video of herself. She glanced around, looking for the hidden camera she assumed was somewhere around her.

  A gruff voice came over the speaker saying, “Who are you? What do you want?”

  Nicole was taken back by the abruptness of the man on the other end of the speaker. He didn’t even know what she wanted, and he was greeting her with hostility.

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you,” Nicole stammered out, trying to excuse away whatever boundary she crossed with the man to make him so upset.

  “What are you talking about? You didn’t upset me. I just want to know why you’re here? Were you sent here to help me? I wasn’t expecting anyone, but maybe the old man changed his mind about that.” There was a small buzzing sound as the gate slid open. “Fine, come on in.”

  Nicole entered the compound and made her way towards the massive modern home. Extremely contemporary in every aspect, from the full-length windows to the exposed steel beams, the house exuded state-of-the-art money.

  Before she reached the metal front door, a man with dark brown hair, blue eyes, and a skeptical look emerged. His hands were shoved in the pockets of his blue jeans, and from under his white t-shirt, she could tell he had a strong physique.

  “Did the old man send you to help keep this place up?” The stranger scanned her up and down, then added, “You’re not dressed for housekeeping? Why is that?”

  Nicole’s eyes grew round with surprise as she said, “I think you’re mistaken as to why I’m here. I’m not a maid. I came here to find out if the owner of this property would be interested in sponsoring the restoration of the Angel Island Lighthouse. The lighthouse is one of the oldest buildings on the island. With the right attention and support, it could be brought back to its former glory so that it could be registered as a historical landmark.”

  “Look, if I knew you were soliciting, I wouldn’t have let you in,” the man stated with a sigh. “You should probably leave.”

  “I get that you’re trying to protect your boss—I think you referred to him as the ‘old man’—but I honestly think if he knew what I was trying to do, he would be interested in giving his support. You shouldn’t dismiss me or my cause without presenting it to your boss.” She pulled out one of her flyers, and shoved it towards the stranger. “Please, at the very least, take this and give it to him.”

  Reluctantly, the man took the flyer before gesturing towards the gate. “I’ll give it to him, but I can tell you now, I doubt the owner is going to care to get involved in local matters. After all, this is just an investment property meant to turn a profit after a couple of years.”

  Nicole should have figured. More and more people were coming from the cities building or buying summer homes to either rent out for income or flip after a couple of years. None of them actually cared about the small towns or the people there, just the bottom line of their profit spreadsheet.

  As she made her way back through the gate, Nicole decided she was going to have to figure something else out. Going door to door just wasn’t cutting it. Maybe a fundraiser or some big auction could do the trick. At least she had a year. The mayor promised to give her that time to raise the money to save the lighthouse. Otherwise, the mayor would be accepting the developer’s offer and allow the lighthouse to be torn down. Nicole couldn’t let that happen.

  Chapter 2

  Ethan’s cell phone rang, interrupting the TV show he was watching, not that he minded. He’d watched more TV in the last month than he had in the past decade.

  As he brought the phone up to his face, his father’s name flashed across the screen. Great, just what I need, another lecture, Ethan thought to himself as he took in a deep breath before answering the call.

  “Hello, Dad,” Ethan greeted, repressing the sigh that wanted to erupt from his throat.

  “Ethan, we need to talk. I thought we got the bad press under control, and you would be able to come home soon. That doesn’t seem likely since new information has become public.”

  “What type of information?” Ethan asked with trepidation.

  “Photos have surfaced of Tinley covered in bruises. Now, I know you’re not a violent man, but she got those bruises from somewhere. People are accusing you, and I’m worried this is going to follow you for the rest of your life if something isn’t done about it. I’ve decided there is only one course of action.”

  “Glad to hear you’ve got an idea to fix this. Which public relations firm did you hire? Sutherland is good for family affairs, but I think that since this is more about public image, we might want to go with McGuire. He’s a bulldog, but he gets the message across in a way that the press loves. When should I fly home? I’m sure McGuire is going to want me back for a full makeover and apology tour. If you have the jet ready, I can be back by…”

  “That’s enough, Ethan,” his father interrupted. “This isn’t something a good PR manager can simply fix. Besides, I’m tired of you getting into trouble. It’s time for you to settle down, and the best way for that to happen is for you to find a wife—specifically one with a good reputation who isn’t tied up with all the controversy. I’ve got a couple of candidates in mind. You went to boarding school with Marissa Swanson. Her father tells me she’s ready to settle down too. There’s also Rebecca Taylor. I heard her latest relationship ended—amicably—but it puts her back on the market. Both are pretty, come from the right families, but most importantly, aren’t troublemakers. They can stabilize your reputation.”

  Ethan couldn’t believe what his father was saying. Was he living in the 1800s? No one demanded their children to agree to arranged marriages nowadays.

  “You want me to agree to marry one of your friends’ daughters? That’s your solution? You sound crazy, Dad.”

  “You left us little choice,” his father countered. “I expect you to pick one and get married immediately. If you don’t, I will cut off your access to the family assets and you will be on your own. Think about that, Ethan, no private jet, no yacht, no penthouse in Boston, or a penny from your trust fund. I know you, and you can’t live without any of it, so you will do what I’m saying.”

  Ethan’s mouth went dry. He wished he didn’t care about all the perks of his multi-billion dollar trust fund and family influence, but he did. He wasn’t even sure he would know what to do if it all went away.

  “Relationships have been like changing clothes for you, quickly swapped and forgotten. At least up until Tinley, and she’s been the worst of them all. If you give the right woman a chance, she can ground you and make you better. I think you need to be forced to commit to something healthy, and obv
iously, you can’t figure out how to do that on your own.”

  “I disagree,” Ethan objected. “I think I’m capable. Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve accepted how toxic Tinley is for me. I don’t want to be with anyone like her again.”

  “I think you want to believe that, and since you’re not around here, it’s easy to convince yourself. The moment you have a chance, you would go running back to Tinley. A wife will make that impossible.”

  Ethan didn’t like the idea of being forced to marry a random woman his father picked. If he was going to be forced to spend time with someone, he would rather do it with a woman he picked himself.

  “Will you give me time to select someone of my own choosing?” Ethan pleaded.

  “We don’t have much time. The bad press is only getting worse. Soon, they’ll be calling for your blood. How about this, I’ll give you one week. If you don’t find a wife that fits my requirements in that time frame, you’ll pick one of the women I’ve mentioned.”

  Ethan thought about his father’s deal. From his father’s tone, he could tell there was no room for negotiation on finding a wife. Of course, his father didn’t say how long he needed to stay married. He could manage a marriage of convenience for a few months, couldn’t he?

  “I accept your terms,” Ethan stated. “As soon as I’ve picked my future wife, I’ll let you know.”

  Not waiting for his father’s response, Ethan hung up the phone.

  Where did one go to find a wife? Clubs and bars were out. They definitely wouldn’t provide the type of woman his father was requiring. Online dating would take too long, nor did he have time to sift through the pool of candidates. Did he hear about a matchmaker at some point? He wasn’t sure, but that might be the best way to find someone in such a short amount of time. Which one of his friends had mentioned an upscale one in New York?

  Irritably, Ethan stood up from the couch and made his way into the gourmet kitchen. He knew he shouldn’t, but binge eating on junk food always made him feel better. He glanced in the fridge, even though he knew there wasn’t much in there. He realized he didn’t feel like cooking anyway. Take-out sounded good.

  He rummaged through the kitchen drawers, looking for any menus from the past few days. His hands stopped as his eyes landed on the flyer with a giant lighthouse on it.

  The image of the petite strawberry blonde who handed it to him a few weeks ago came floating into his mind. Her number was right there, and she said she was in need of money. If he presented it as a business arrangement, would she be interested?

  Wait a minute, wasn’t he getting ahead of himself? Was she the type of woman that would fit his father’s requirements? He didn’t know a lick about her, other than she was willing to raise money to save a lighthouse. His gut told him that he didn’t have any better options at the moment.

  Besides, what he needed to remind himself was that this wasn’t going to be about love or attraction, though he did find the woman who delivered the flyer rather cute. This was simply a business arrangement, and if he presented it that way to her, was it possible she would be interested? He picked up the phone and dialed the number. What did he have to lose?

  “Hello?” Nicole said into the cell phone. “Who is this?”

  “You probably don’t remember me, but you gave me a flyer at a house in Angel Island Estates.”

  “I did?” Nicole asked in confusion, then remembering him, she added with recognition, “Oh, right, the groundskeeper. Look, I’m not sure why you’re calling me, but if you’re thinking about asking me out, I’m not interested in dating right now.”

  “Wait? What?” the man stammered in bewilderment. “That’s not what I’m doing. I’m calling because I have an idea that can help you save your lighthouse, but I think we need to meet in person. Do you want to come over to my place?”

  Warning bells went off in Nicole’s head. This seemed like something a pervert would do to set up an unsuspecting woman. He hadn’t tried anything while she was there, but that didn’t mean he didn’t have time to come up with a plan to try it the next time. “Um, I’m not really sure that’s such a good idea. You know, stranger danger and all.”

  The man let out a small chuckle as he said, “Right, weirdos. I totally get it. How about this, why don’t we meet at the local coffee shop in an hour? My treat?”

  Relief flooded her as she realized that he was willing to meet somewhere public. She still wasn’t sure what he wanted, but he couldn’t do anything to her with a dozen witnesses around.

  “You’re lucky I’m not working today,” Nicole teased, “but sure, I can meet you there.”

  Hope flooded her for the first time in a long time. She had tapped out on all the known resources on the island, but maybe this guy could help. Granted, as a groundskeeper, she didn’t think he had the deep pockets she needed, but she was willing to listen to any idea if it could help save the lighthouse.

  An hour later, Nicole climbed out of her car and made her way towards the Morning Perk Coffee Shop on Main Street. The man from the other day, wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses along with the same outfit as before, was sitting at an outside table. He waved her over.

  “Thanks for meeting me,” the man said with a tentative smile. “Why don’t you take a seat?”

  Nicole sat down in the metal chair waiting for the man to continue.

  “First off, I was thinking I should introduce myself. My name is Ethan Winthrop.” He looked at her like he was expecting her to recognize the name, but when she didn’t, he added, “I’ve been thinking about your situation with the lighthouse. You need money, a lot of it, in order to save it, right?”

  She nodded.

  “Well, as it turns out, I need something too. I figure if you would be willing to provide that for me, I could arrange for you to receive the money you need.”

  “All of it?” Nicole inquired with skepticism.

  “Yes, all of it,” he confirmed.

  Nicole leaned back in her chair. If she could get all of the money from one person, it would make registering the lighthouse and renovating it achievable. Looking at the man though, Nicole doubted he had the money himself. Plus, he hadn’t told her what he needed from her in exchange.

  Doubtfully she asked, “How can you get me the money? What do I have to do for it?”

  “You mistook me for the groundskeeper the other day. The truth is, my family actually owns the estate. I have more than enough money in my trust fund to save your lighthouse. I’m willing to put it in writing that I will give you that money, but I have one condition.”

  “And what is that?”

  “I need a wife—and before you object—it would be in name only. My parents think I need to settle down, and that a wife will get me to behave the way they want. It would be for six months only, after which, we could part ways. You would receive the money that will be held in a bank account for you until then. No one would have to know about the terms of our agreement.”

  “What’s wrong with your behavior now?” she probed. “Do you have peculiar predilections?”

  He shook his head. “Nothing like that. I just have a habit of hanging out with a rowdy crowd that gets me into trouble, the kind of trouble that ends up all over the internet. Quite frankly, I’m surprised you didn’t recognize my name when I introduced myself. I’ve been all over social media as of late.”

  “I don’t go on social media much,” Nicole said with a shrug. “But it does explain the hat and glasses.”

  “My father sent me here to hide out from the latest round of bad press. I’m not even supposed to be out of the house, but I took a chance to come meet you.”

  “You must have done something pretty messed up to be banished all the way out here on Angel Island,” Nicole observed. “Do I even want to know what you did?”

  “It’s not so much what I did, but what my ex caused after the fact. None of it’s factual, but of course, the press doesn’t care. They just like a juicy story.”

  “
To be honest, I’m not even sure why I’m asking. Your life is none of my business. It’s not like I can accept your offer, no matter how tempting the money is.”

  “Why not?” he asked with audible disappointment in his voice.

  “I hate the idea of faking a marriage. I’m sorry, but I just can’t do it.” Standing up from the table, Nicole slung her purse over her shoulder before turning around to leave.

  It was hard walking away from the money, but she knew she had a year to figure out another way to save the lighthouse. There had to be a better way, and she would find it.

  Once in her car, she found herself driving towards the island’s only church out of old habit. Before her parents died, she had been active in the church and her faith had been strong. All that changed once they were gone. She found herself angry and blaming God for the loss; she stopped going to church, and it was a wound she didn’t like thinking about.

  Instead, she drove towards Lucile’s house, a friend from their book club. Nicole could use some advice, considering how discouraged she was after turning down Ethan Winthrop’s offer.

  Before she reached Lucile’s place, however, her Bluetooth in her car rang. She clicked the button to accept the call from Cindy, another book club friend helping her out with the lighthouse project.

  “Hi, Nicole, I hate to just spring this on you, but I have some bad news.”

  “What is it, Cindy?”

  “So, I just found out that the developer who has been trying to get his hands on the lighthouse land just coaxed the mayor into fast-tracking the sale.”

  “What? You can’t be serious? How fast are we talking?” Nicole asked in disbelief.

  “One month,” Cindy said in a whisper. “I’m so sorry, Nicole.”

  “I won’t stand for this,” Nicole declared, turning her car down Main Street and heading towards the mayor’s office.