Hunt choked. “Emily Wright?”
Levi’s shoulders tensed. “Yeah, so?”
“Levi, man, how well did you know your ex-girlfriend?” Hunt asked.
Levi ran his tongue across the top of his teeth, mouth shut tightly. “Not well enough,” he growled, barely able to tolerate Hunt’s presence these last four years.
Hunt had the dignity to look ashamed, but only for a split second. “I’ve apologized a million times for that. When are you going to forgive me?”
“You slept with my girlfriend. Who says I have to forgive you?”
Hunt stretched his neck and stood. “I see coming here today was a bad idea. I’ll be in the boathouse if anyone needs me. Oh, and Levi?” He shot him a hard look. “Emily Wright is Lisa Wright’s half-sister. You know, Lisa, the girl you claimed to love? If you’d loved her so much, maybe you should have taken the time to get to know her. Or at least remember she had a sister.”
Fuck me.
Chapter 2
Emily Wright was Lisa’s sister?
She couldn’t be. But every time Levi reconsidered it, he worried his brother might be right. Hunt was much better at keeping up social appearances—and remembering people’s names.
Emily looked nothing like Lisa. It was the reason Levi had ignored his initial reaction when the lawyer mentioned her name. But sisters didn’t always look alike, especially when they had different mothers.
Levi had rarely seen Lisa’s sister in all the years he’d dated her. The younger girl had been away at college, then off to graduate school. He’d met her once—twice? Over a winter break, maybe? But Levi could remember few details about her, which was probably why he’d forgotten she existed. And because back then he’d rarely thought of anything besides fighting fires and a future with Lisa.
His ex-girlfriend was petite, dark-haired, and voluptuous. She was also full of life and capable of breathing life back into Levi when his job fighting fires and rescuing people—or losing them—had stolen it away. He internalized his feelings, but Lisa had never experienced a stoic moment in her life. She’d brought out the best in him. At least, that was what he’d believed.
Until she’d slept with Hunt.
A knock sounded at his father’s rustic mahogany double door—now the door to Levi’s office. Today, he wore slacks and a button-down dress shirt. Couldn’t bring himself to wear a full suit, but he figured he’d better get used to working in uncomfortable clothes in preparation for next week.
“Come in,” he called, closing the email he’d been staring at for the last ten minutes, too distracted by thoughts of the past to finish it.
Esther entered, wearing her classic skirt suit, this one a navy blue. She was always a welcome sight, with her stately smile and short white hair swept off her face. She looked like the quintessential executive assistant, but Levi and his brothers knew her to be more. She was an exemplary executive assistant, but she also had a heart of gold.
“Good morning, Levi. I’d like to introduce you to Emily, your new assistant.” Esther gestured behind her with a smile as the younger woman entered his office.
There she was again. The leggy blonde who still looked too young to be a Harvard business grad with a year in Korea under her belt.
Emily’s entrance into his office wasn’t grand or commanding, but she displayed a confidence Levi appreciated. He stood, and she reached across the desk to shake his hand.
“Good to see you again, Levi.”
And now he felt like an ass. She remembered him? The most he’d managed to recall last night were murky images of a slender girl who wore glasses and Converse high-tops, her light hair falling in her face. “Morning.”
“I’ve been training Emily,” Esther said, interrupting the maelstrom going on inside his head. “She’s going to make a wonderful executive assistant. Though that title seems insufficient. She’s qualified for a managerial role and took this position as a favor to your father.”
Levi pulled his gaze off Emily. “Did he say why he’d hired her?”
Maybe Levi should have waited until he had Esther alone to ask that question, but it was out of his mouth before he could stop it.
“No,” Esther said. “Just that he felt she’d be a good fit for you.”
Emily coughed lightly into her fist. “I might be able to explain that. Your father was a bit of a mentor. He encouraged me to attend graduate school after my mom moved to Europe with her new husband.” At Levi’s blank stare, Emily added, “Lisa and I have different moms, but do you remember our dad?”
Suddenly this part of the past came back to him. Lisa’s father was a right bastard. He never showed up for family events and rarely spent time with Lisa. Levi imagined the same held true for Emily. “I remember him.”
“Justine, Lisa’s mom, was great to me, growing up. When she found out I wasn’t interested in leaving the country or living with my dad, she offered me the option of living with her and my sister. Over the years, Justine became like a second mom to me. And far less judgmental than my own.” Emily chuckled as though she’d said something funny.
Levi’s brow furrowed. He couldn’t imagine why anyone would judge this girl in a bad light. She was beautiful, if Levi was being honest, though beautiful in a different way than Lisa. Subtler. And intelligent, with a master’s degree and fluency in another language. But that didn’t explain how she’d gotten the job. “When did you meet my father?”
Emily’s lips parted, and she blinked twice. “At a holiday party.” She glanced down. “I came here one year with you and Lisa. But I don’t blame you for not remembering. I was really awkward back then.” She tucked her wavy blond hair behind her ear and wouldn’t look him in the eye.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I…” Was in love with your sister? Was obsessed with my job? Or had he simply been hyper-focused, like his father? “I can be oblivious sometimes.”
“No, no, it wasn’t your fault. I snuck off for most of the party. We really didn’t spend much time together.” She gave him a shaky smile, and Levi wondered if she was trying to make him feel better. “I cornered your father at the party and picked his brain about business. He invited me to visit his offices, and I took him up on it. Over the years, we stayed in touch. I went to him with questions about graduate school. He was a really great man.”
Levi had no idea his father had mentored anyone, let alone Lisa’s younger sister. His ex had never mentioned it. The notion that his father had done something so selfless—helping a young woman with few resources—left Levi feeling…speechless. Like he’d never known his own father.
“In any case, I’m truly honored to work at Club Tahoe for the next year to help out with the transition.”
Transition. That was one way of putting it, when the man who’d built the place died and left his sons, who have little to no experience, in charge.
Emily’s full lips pressed together and a sad look crossed her face. “I haven’t said so yet, but I’d like to extend my condolences for your loss. I attended the memorial, but didn’t want to disturb the family. I stayed in the back.”
Esther silently slipped out of the office, and Levi wanted to grab her and hold her there. He didn’t want to be alone with Emily, remembering the past. Or not remembering, in Emily’s case. Lisa might have wronged him, but he was an oblivious ass. “Thank you. And forgive me for not remembering you right away. You don’t look…”
“Like Lisa?” Emily chuckled. “No, there’s no chance of that. No one’s as striking as my sister.”
Levi didn’t sense jealousy from Emily; she truly believed her sister outmatched her. Sure, they looked different, but Emily was beautiful too.
Rather than get mixed up in that hornet’s nest, he changed the subject. “I’m happy to have your help. God knows my brothers and I need it.”
“Yes,” Emily said. She missed Levi’s lifted eyebrow at her honesty, and set a large leather satchel on the conference table. “I’ve been looking over Club Tahoe’s finan
ces and marketing, and the general running of the resort. I have some ideas.”
Levi held up his hand. “It’s going to have to wait. I have no doubt this place needs an overhaul, but more importantly, we need capital. Lots of it and fast if we’re to stay in business. Being a luxury resort doesn’t come cheap, and with the loss in business due to Blue Casino’s recent successes, we’re bleeding funds.”
Emily folded her hands in front of her, a lock of thick hair falling across her cheek. “What did you have in mind?”
“I take it the finance director and lawyers you met with yesterday informed you of a certain company coming into town next week?”
“The Korean conglomerate, yes. They’re looking for a high-end resort where they can entertain their West Coast business associates.”
“Right, well, we need to land that account.”
Chapter 3
Deep breath. Levi Cade really wasn’t as handsome as Emily remembered.
Who was she kidding? He was as good-looking as he was the day she’d met him seven years ago. When he was dating her sister. Better looking—because he was older now, more refined yet rugged, with a small red scar above his eye that hadn’t been there before…and he was single.
Emily might have had a daydream or two about her sister’s handsome boyfriend back in the day. At the time, he’d been training to become a firefighter and had just landed his first job. Emily hadn’t realized he was no longer fighting fires until his father came to her over a year ago to check in on her. Or, at least, that was what she’d thought Ethan Cade was doing. Now she wasn’t so sure.
Had Levi’s father known he was sick those many months ago? Why would he seek her out, of all people? Sure, he’d mentored her, but there had to be dozens of qualified locals to fill the position. Ethan could have given it to one of his employees as a promotion. But he’d hired Emily instead.
Levi had seemed genuinely surprised when she told him his father mentored her. She shook her head. It didn’t make sense or even matter why she got the job. Because she would have taken it regardless…to repay Ethan for his kindness.
She’d had no one, aside from her adopted mother whom her half-sister had been generous enough to share. Ethan had spent long lunches explaining the importance of gaining a higher education and teaching her how he ran his business—tools she would later use to attain her dreams. So when he’d shown up and asked her to fill the executive assistant position at Club Tahoe, she’d accepted without hesitation. She had been days away from leaving for her temporary job in Korea, but it was only a yearlong commitment. With a short, one-month break between jobs, the timing had been perfect.
Now she wasn’t so sure this was a good idea.
Breathe in. Breathe out. Did all firefighters have biceps that bulged beneath business shirts? It was seriously distracting.
All she knew was that she could hardly catch her breath or keep a clear head around Levi Cade, which took her straight back to when she’d first met him. She’d yammered on in his office like the awkward young woman she’d been. She might have education and life experience behind her now, but not much had changed when she was around Levi.
Emily propped her elbows on the desk she’d been given until Esther’s official last day on Friday, and rubbed her temples. How would she get through this? Even if Levi saw her as nothing more than his new assistant, she didn’t see him as merely a boss.
It had been years since Emily last glimpsed Levi. She’d completed graduate school and had a boyfriend or two between then and now. She’d moved on from her dirty, secret crush on her sister’s boyfriend.
Until she walked into Levi’s office yesterday and saw him again. The rush of emotions that hit her today had been no different.
What kind of woman lusted after her sister’s boyfriend?
So. Wrong.
She pressed her palms on the desk and stared straight ahead. “It’ll be fine.” The guy didn’t even remember her. Once she was around him for a while, her crush would wear off the way all young crushes did. Levi was a fantasy; Emily didn’t really know him. She’d simply liked the way he looked. But she was older now, wiser. She needed more than a pretty face. And a hot body. And a powerful, masculine demeanor…
She was so screwed.
Emily stacked a few files together and pulled her workbag over her shoulder. She’d simply have to focus on work and keep her eyeballs trained elsewhere. There were plenty of handsome men at the resort. Lots of eye candy to keep her mind off her boss. Matter of fact, with the foreign company coming in next week, she’d be far too busy with preparations to ogle Levi. And she knew just where to start distracting herself.
She’d go visit another handsome Cade—one who wasn’t off-limits.
God save her from attractive Cade brothers.
“You’re Lisa’s sister?” Wes—tall, fit, with dark hair and blue eyes—scanned Emily’s face, gaze dropping to her figure. He turned back to stacking bags of golf clubs on a rack.
Okay, so she wasn’t as physically impressive as her sister, whom she dearly loved, but ouch.
She smoothed her poufy hair, cursing the wavy locks her father had given her. Lisa got her mother’s silky, dark hair, while Emily was damned with their father’s blond mop. “We look different.”
“I’ll say.” He snapped his fingers at a clerk lining up golf shoes on display. “Get those buckets in the aisle out of the way before someone trips and breaks their neck.”
Emily cleared her throat. Charming the Cade men one by one. Not. “So anyway, I’ll be taking over for Esther.”
“That sucks.”
“I’m sorry?”
He glanced over. “Not you. It’s just that this place won’t be the same without Esther.”
If Levi could be stoic and hard-edged, Wes was straight up brusque. “I’ll have large shoes to fill. Speaking of which, I actually came here to talk to you about the guests arriving next week. I thought we could plan some activities and make sure the course and club are prepared.”
He looked over, and this time his stare held. “What do you think we should do? I could close off the course one morning for a couple of hours so they have it to themselves.”
“That would be great.” She typed notes onto her tablet and looked around. “I’ll grab a few items to add to the gift baskets we’re providing for their rooms and find out the number of people who might be interested in a round of golf. Do you have extra clubs? Rentals, maybe?”
“If they’re diehard players, they might bring their own, but yeah, we’ve got plenty of high-end rentals just in case. Finding out the number of players who’ll need them would be a big help, though.”
Emily made another notation. She looked out at the course. It seemed nice. Green. What other criteria were important? She’d played golf, but she wasn’t an expert. “The grounds need to be gorgeous. Are they in good condition?”
He shot her a look of disbelief. “First of all, we have some of the finest greens on the West Coast. Second, if they weren’t perfect, one week wouldn’t be enough time to change that.”
She gave a humble smile. “Good point. I guess I’m not much of a golfer. But you were, right? Are you still competing?”
Wes’s eyes darkened and he snapped his fingers at another clerk in a red Club Tahoe shirt. “The yuppie over there has been standing for thirty seconds looking around,” he said to the younger guy. “Go help him.”
The clerk scurried away, clearly intimidated by Wes’s attitude.
Wes shoved another bag full of new clubs on the rack. “My game is shit. It’s good enough to be the pro at this place, but not for the tour. That won’t last forever, though. As soon as we have this place running like a machine, I’m going for the tour again, no matter what Levi says.”
So that was a sore subject. Great job, Emily. “Um, okay, well, I hope it works out.”
“It will.” He stopped what he was doing, sighed, and turned to her. “I’m glad you’re here, Emily. We need all the help we
can get. Let me know if you have any more ideas for next week. Email me.”
“Of course. It’s good to see you again, Wes.”
He scratched his smooth jaw. “Have we met before?”
Emily nearly laughed. “Yes, we’ve met, but it’s been a long time. I look different. My hair is…bigger.”
Her hair was bigger. She didn’t wear it as long as she used to, and that made it poufier. But long hair was a pain. She accepted the lesser of the two evils and wore it a few inches past her shoulders.
He stared blankly, then shrugged. “Okay, well, let me know if you need anything else.”
A short while later, Emily returned to her desk inside the executive offices. Wes was handsome, but she felt no spark of attraction to him. When he didn’t remember her, it hadn’t stung the way it did when Levi had forgotten she existed.
This wasn’t a romantic comedy where the handsome hero secretly pined for the buttoned-up nerd. She might have come a long way emerging from her shell, but around Levi she was the same awkward girl she used to be. Only now she wore heels instead of sneakers and pencil skirts instead of jeans.
Deep down, nothing had changed.
She was still attracted to Levi Cade.
And she still didn’t have a chance with him.
Chapter 4
You’re really working with Levi?”
Emily plopped onto her sister’s contemporary white velvet couch in the condo she shared with her boyfriend Jared. “Yes.”
Lisa set her glass of Merlot on the island, staring at Emily from across the room. She crossed her skinny-jean-clad legs, the heels of her spiky sandals poking out. Her forehead scrunched. “How is he?”
“I don’t actually know. I mean, his father died a few months ago, so…”
“I heard about that.”
Lisa was a really sweet person, but she could be somewhat oblivious to those outside of her immediate world. “You did?”
Tempting Levi (Cade Brothers Book 1) Page 2