Reforming Hunt

by Jules Barnard

  When Hunt turned fourteen, he liked girls even more: the pretty ones, the sweet ones, the ones who wore glasses…and he worked hard to find out what they all wanted so he could give it to them. He carried their books between classes. He shoved letters into their lockers, rhapsodizing over their beauty, and it wasn’t long before Hunt lost his virginity to one of those girls he so admired.

  A few years later, Hunt’s pirating skills were put to the test when he fell in love with a beautiful, vivacious woman.

  There was only one problem. Lisa was a few years older than Hunt, and the jerk trying to do his beloved harm was none other than Levi, Hunt’s oldest brother.

  Because Lisa was Levi’s girlfriend at the time.

  Hunt knew he was the worst man alive for falling in love with his brother’s girl. Knew he was an even bigger ass for flirting with Lisa and giving her everything his older brother hadn’t, as any good pirate would. But he couldn’t help himself. And he couldn’t have predicted the damage his love for Lisa would bring on his family.

  Over a decade later, Levi still hadn’t fully forgiven Hunt. But they’d made strides in getting over their estrangement. Levi had long since moved on, in particular with Emily, Lisa’s younger sister. And how was that for irony?

  Levi had fallen head over heels in love when Emily joined the management team at Club Tahoe. Going through that got Levi to acknowledge what a hard-ass he’d been to Hunt all these years, because no one was perfect. Not when Cupid played a part in matters.

  Hunt had also moved on after that disaster of a first love. He was a Cade, after all, and Cade men didn’t lack for female attention. But Hunt worked harder at achieving a woman’s affection than his brothers, because he craved it.

  Being with a woman—any woman—was essential to his well-being. As long as he didn’t fall in love again. That had been the worst mistake he’d ever made, and nearly tore his family apart.

  Hunt was fortunate that Abby had turned him down last night at the club. He wasn’t sure what it was about her, but he suspected that had she allowed him to pursue her, he wouldn’t have escaped unscathed.

  Hunt’s brothers were all he had. Oh, they fought like hell and argued constantly, but they had each other’s backs. Always.

  He lifted his arms over his head and stretched, glancing across the Club Tahoe beach he managed. It was close to six in the evening, and the sunbathers had gone inside to change for a night of fine dining and gambling at the Club Tahoe resort.

  His favorite Club Kids patron walked toward him, kicking sand, his head bent down.

  Hunt checked his phone. It was well past pick-up time. And unfortunately, it wasn’t unusual for Noah to be the last one to leave the resort. “What’s up, little man? Everything okay?”

  Noah just turned five and had been coming to the club for several months now. Pretty soon the boy would be in school, but Hunt was hopeful that Noah’s parents would continue sending him to the club’s after-school and summer programs. Hunt had grown attached to the kid, and he wasn’t eager to see the little guy go.

  “My grandma isn’t here,” Noah said, his eyes glassy with unshed tears.

  Hunt’s chest pinched. If there was anything worse than seeing an unhappy woman, it was seeing a sad kid.

  Hunt could easily relate to Noah, because he’d been that child left behind more times than he could count. He was the youngest of five brothers, with no mother, and a father who put work ahead of family. Hunt had learned at a young age to stick with his brothers or be left behind.

  He squatted, putting himself at eye level with Noah. “Good, because I need your help cleaning up the beach and dock. What do you say?”

  Noah looked suspicious, but then he glanced at the boat. A smile spread across his fair face, blond hair sticking up at odd angles. Noah loved the boats as much as Hunt, and Hunt used them to turn the end-of-day loneliness into a game for taking Noah’s mind off things.

  The little boy nodded, and they made their way to the dock right as Hunt’s cell phone vibrated in his jeans pocket.

  He glanced at the screen.

  Chris: We’re going out tonight. Just met the hottest chicks, and they’re ready to party. Meet me at the entrance in fifteen.

  Hunt pocketed his phone and put his hand on Noah’s shoulder. “You know where the rags are? Grab one so you can help me wipe down the side of the boat.” He really didn’t need help polishing the boat, as he’d done it earlier, but it was one of Noah’s favorite jobs. “Remember to keep your feet on the dock. No leaning over. I’m not up for fishing for Noahs tonight—water’s cold.”

  Noah giggled and ran to the bucket of rags, set aside especially for this purpose. He picked up one and scrunched his nose. He tossed it then grabbed another and ran toward the boat.

  Hunt shook his head. His “assistant” was becoming as particular as Hunt when it came to babying the boats—and it looked like Hunt needed to do a better job of getting the polishing cloths washed.

  Hunt was in charge of beach and boating activities for Club Tahoe. Out of the four brothers who worked at the club, Hunt had the best job by far. Levi filled the role of CEO, and Hunt would rather be kicked in the teeth than deal with the stressful shit Levi put up with.

  Hunt’s middle brother Bran ran the restaurants. Again, fuck that job. Bran dealt with idiot servers calling in sick minutes before their shifts, and hangry (hungry and angry) customers. Then there was Wes, who ran the golf clubhouse and course. Wes and Hunt often collaborated on kid events now that the club had created a kids’ golf program. Wes’s job might be stressful from time to time, but he was a pro golfer. Somehow Hunt didn’t think Wes suffered too much being in charge of the links.

  Hunt had also taken on the role of helping plan kid events for the Club Kids program, because that shit was fun. Playing with kids, when he wasn’t running boat tours for tourists and resort guests, kept the day moving along nicely.

  Noah sank to his knees next to the old woody, the boat Hunt’s father had purchased two decades ago as a throwback to Lake Tahoe’s early days. Club Tahoe owned other boats, but the woody was everyone’s favorite.

  “That’s it,” Hunt said. “Rub the side to a nice shine.”

  Hunt put away the bucket of rags and cleared a few things off the dock. He glanced across the beach. All the kids had gone home, and still no one had shown up for Noah.

  Hunt motioned for one of the attendants near the Club Kids playroom.

  Brin waved back, setting her clipboard aside. She walked quickly across the sand toward the dock.

  “Good job, Noah,” Hunt said. “Go ahead and toss the rag in the helm. We’re all good here.”

  Hunt lifted the little boy onto the boat and Noah ran to the front. He threw the rag, and it landed on the steering wheel. Hunt had been teaching Noah boat vernacular, so he was damn proud the kid had gone in the right direction. They’d work out the specifics of orderliness later.

  Hunt grabbed Noah and swung him back onto the dock. “Here’s Brin.”

  The part-time college student/Club Kids worker stepped onto the dock, a bright smile on her face as she peered at Noah.

  Everyone was aware of Noah’s flaky family, and they tried as a team to make things easier for him.

  “Hey, Noah,” Brin said. “Want to help me feed the animals before you head home? I could really use your help.”

  Noah looked up at Hunt.

  “Go ahead, buddy. I’ve got an errand to run, but I’ll be back.”

  Hunt watched Noah walk away with Brin, and he frowned. If he could smack Noah’s parents upside the head and get them to appreciate their son, he would.

  He made his way to the entrance of the resort to catch up with Chris, but his mind was still on Noah and the little boy’s lack of reliable family.

  “You got my text?” Chris said.

  Hunt smiled at a family entering the club and stepped aside to let them pass. “I got it.”

  “You in?”

  “Of course I’m in.”<
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  Chris eyed him. “Took you long enough; you never responded to my text.”

  “You’re not my girlfriend. Simmer down.” Noah came before any stupid shit Chris set up. So in some ways, yes, other things took priority over chasing women.

  Hunt was closing in on thirty and helping his brothers run a multimillion-dollar resort, while Chris was a doorman Hunt went with to the clubs. Hunt might be a player, but he wasn’t completely oblivious to what mattered in life.

  Chris flicked a piece of lint off his Club Tahoe uniform. “Usually, you get back to me the moment I text about a hookup.”

  “Your point?” Hunt’s gaze caught on a car that sputtered to a stop in front of the club.

  “First you ditch me in the middle of picking up a hot chick at the bar last night, and now you’re dragging your feet about going out. What was up with that, anyway? I had that hookup in the bag until you took off and left her friend stranded.”

  Hunt had played his role last night, but there were limits to what he was willing to do for a friend. Making a woman uncomfortable crossed the line. “I’m not forcing a dead end,” Hunt said, his attention still on the clunker and the woman exiting it.

  Her back was to him as she tucked a lock of light brown, wavy hair behind her ear and said something to the valet. She waved her hands, gesturing to the car and the entrance of the club.

  “So that’s what the problem was?” Chris said. “Some woman finally turned you down—”

  And that was the moment Hunt tuned Chris out entirely. Because he caught a glimpse of the woman’s face. She was flushed, but there was no mistaking it.

  Hunt flagged the valet, and the man jogged over. “What’s going on?”

  “The woman’s car broke down at the entrance. I told her she can’t park there.”

  Hunt’s blood pressure rose. “If her car broke down, she can’t exactly move it. Go back and tell her you’ll take care of it.”

  “I will? I-I mean,” the valet stammered. “How?”

  “Call the head of maintenance. See if he can get it started. If he can’t, tell him to have it towed to Jeffery’s Mechanic shop. The club will pay for the tow. This isn’t some shoddy hotel. We take care of our customers.”

  The valet ran back to the woman and appeared to apologize.

  Her arms were wrapped around her waist, and she nodded. And then she looked in Hunt’s direction, and, for some stupid reason, he didn’t look away.

  Abby met Hunt’s gaze, and her mouth parted in surprise.

  She was wearing scrubs—which explained the clogs from last night.

  “Hunt?” Chris snapped his fingers in Hunt’s face. “You still there?”

  Hunt glared at Chris. “Do that again and you’ll lose a digit.”

  Chris held up his hands. “Relax, man.” He glanced in the direction Hunt had been staring. “Who’s that woman? She looks familiar.”

  “No one,” Hunt said, but in his periphery, he watched Abby enter the club, rushing through the door the valet held for her.

  “Ah,” Chris said, nodding and looking between Abby and her car. “I get it. You’re one of those chivalrous bastards. That’s how you get all the women.”

  Hunt turned his attention to his pseudo-friend who was becoming less of a friend every day. “If women like me, it’s because I give them what they want. And I’m nice to them. You should try it sometime.”

  Chris laughed. “Whatever. See you at ten in the Sky Lounge.”

  Hunt entered the lobby, but Abby was nowhere to be found.

  When he returned to Club Kids, Noah was gone too.

  For a split second, Hunt wondered if Abby had picked up his favorite club kid, but she hadn’t mentioned having a child. Only baggage. And Hunt didn’t consider kids baggage. If Noah was Abby’s kid… Well, it was best he never got to know her, because that was something even his loose morals couldn’t abide. He’d never spend time with a woman who left her child behind.

  As far as Hunt knew, Noah got picked up by his grandparents. Abby had to be here for some other reason. And given he couldn’t find her, it looked like Hunt would never know what it was.

  Chapter 3

  Abby was putting in another twelve-hour day, dog-tired after covering her own shift plus part of another LVN’s who’d called in sick.

  She’d been in classes to become a registered nurse when her life had taken a sharp turn. Now she was left with long shifts as a licensed vocational nurse and so much responsibility that her dream of completing her nursing degree had faded years ago. She wondered on days like today, when everything seemed to be going wrong, if she’d ever manage to come up for air.

  “Abby,” Noah’s paternal grandmother, Vivian, said over the phone. “We won’t be able to pick up your son today.”

  Abby nearly choked on the caffeinated soda she’d been chugging during her short break. “But I’m pulling a long shift.”

  “Are you telling me you can’t handle being a mother? This is your job. But I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Trevor’s father and I would be more than happy to shoulder the responsibility of Noah’s upbringing if you were to pursue your career.”

  In other words, if Abby wanted to give up custody of her son.

  No way. Not ever.

  After Trevor’s sudden death when Noah was a baby, nothing else mattered except caring for her young child. “I have things under control.”

  But she didn’t. Not really.

  Abby got off the phone and clenched her teeth. Vivian had been kind and sweet when her boyfriend Trevor was alive. Now his mother was an entirely different person. Loss could hit people like that sometimes, and it seemed that was what had happened to Vivian.

  Everything, including Trevor’s checking account, froze the day he died. The deed for his home was in his parents’ names. So even though Abby lived with Trevor, she was forced to move, unable to pay his parents the rent they demanded. That was around the time Abby realized just how far Vivian was willing to go to hold on to the last shred of her son.

  Abby ended up quitting nursing school, getting a full-time job, and moving into a tiny cabin she and Noah lived in to this day. She was barely able to make ends meet, but as long as she worked double shifts from time to time, she managed.

  Abby returned calls to patients who’d reached out to their doctors as quickly as she could, and left work early. Again. But there was no way around it. There was no room for error when it came to raising Noah. Vivian was too eager in the wings, ready to pounce the moment Abby screwed up.

  She made her way to her crappy car and headed to Noah’s daycare. God, she hated being late for her son. There was never enough time to work, take care of household chores, and spend quality time with Noah. She worried he didn’t know how much she loved him. Worried he didn’t know that he was her entire world.

  Abby neared Club Tahoe’s entrance, idling for a moment as a family exited in front of her, then pulled forward. But because this day had sucked hard and didn’t seem to be getting any better, her car took that moment to keel over and die in front of the fancy resort.

  Crap.

  Abby stepped out of her car and tried to explain to the valet her vehicle’s spotty history and how it sometimes died. That given five or ten minutes, it would fire up again. The valet wasn’t having any of it.

  Until he glanced at something—or someone—over her shoulder. “One moment, please.” The valet took off and Abby looked at the time. She wrapped her arms around her waist, frustrated with her unreliable car and worried about Noah.

  When the valet returned a moment later, his entire expression had softened. “I’ll have your car taken care of, ma’am. Go ahead inside.”

  “You will? I mean—you’re sure?”

  “Yes, ma’am.” He gestured for her to go inside the entrance.

  Abby took the favor for what it was, a godsend, and hurried toward the front doors of Club Tahoe. But not before she scanned the area where the valet had run off.

 
And saw Hunt, the handsome man from last night.

  What in the world?

  Hunt had been his friend’s “second” so the other guy could talk to Abby’s beautiful workmate. But what had begun as an obligation to talk to Hunt while her coworker spoke to his friend turned into something more natural and less forced as they chatted. She’d nearly lost herself in the conversation, until she realized spending time with men like Hunt would never be an option. Not while her son was young and needed her.

  She’d caught a look of disappointment on his face when she explained she really wasn’t interested, and though she regretted turning him away, it had been the right thing to do. She was sure of it.

  Nearly sure. Mostly sure.

  It had been a long time since a man had shown any interest in Abby. She was shocked she’d had the strength to not cave to his handsome face and sexy smile. Really, it had been a feat of immense strength when she thought back. She may have been celibate since Trevor died, but it wasn’t for lack of missing someone in her life. Her son and work simply filled up all her free time.

  She looked away, her face hot with embarrassment. Of course her car would die in front of this man.

  It was a strange coincidence to run into Hunt the day after she met him, but she didn’t have time to figure it out. If he’d played a part in helping her with her car just now, she owed him. And she’d worry about that later.

  Chapter 4

  Hunt woke with the mother of all hangovers. He’d been on a mission last night to fog his brain with alcohol, and damn if he hadn’t succeeded.

  Pain shot through his head, and he winced as he turned and glanced at the warm body next to him.

  He had left the lounge Chris dragged him to last night with a woman named Jade, who was now lying beside him. They’d gone to her place, where he’d given her an orgasm and then proceeded to pass out. He hadn’t even needed a condom. Hadn’t been in the mood for sex. If he thought about it, he’d taken Jade home last night—or rather to her home, given he never brought anyone to his place—in order to get the hell out of the lounge without having to explain to Chris why he was leaving early. Because it wasn’t normal for Hunt to leave early from a night out and go home alone.