The Billionaire’s Second Chance
Billionaire Bachelor Mountain Cove
Holly Stevenson
Olive Leaf Press
Copyright © 2020 by Holly Stevenson
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
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To Boyd and Sally for the magical time in McCall. Thanks for the inspiration!
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Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Epilogue
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Also by Holly Stevenson
1
Lily pulled out her compact, checking to make sure her makeup was in place before getting out of the car.
“Oh, how pretty. Can I see?” her mom, Meredith, asked, reaching for the compact as Lily closed it.
Lily smiled and handed it over, pleased by her mom’s reaction. She’d designed the case herself, and a tiny thrill ran through her every time she saw the scrolling L.O. logo on her products which stood for Lily O Cosmetics, the brand she’d poured her heart and soul into over the past few years.
Meredith turned the shiny teal compact over in her hands. “Is this new? I haven’t seen it before.”
“It just came out last week, and it’s the best pressed powder on the market, if I do say so myself,” Lily added with a wink.
“Can I try some?”
“Of course. And I have a new one in my suitcase you can keep.”
Meredith beamed. “Thanks, sweetie. You know I love each and every one of your products. I’m getting all of my friends hooked on them too. Expect to be hounded with questions as soon as they see you. My daughter, the celebrity.”
Lily laughed. “I doubt they’ll give me a second glance when there’s a real celebrity in the room.” She and her mom were parked outside of Bound and Determined, Eureka Springs’ local bookstore. Her sister Sadie was doing a joint book signing of the memoir she wrote for her boyfriend and famous Australian movie star, Gavin Stone. But unbeknownst to Sadie, Gavin was also planning to pop the question during the signing.
Although Lily had already booked a flight from New York to attend the signing—how often do you get to support your sister and her new book?—as soon as Gavin had called to tell her about his secret plan, she couldn’t wait to come. Her stomach filled with butterflies knowing that her sister was about to become an engaged woman. Gavin treated Sadie like a queen, and after Lily had watched Sadie deal with an on-and-off jerk ex-boyfriend for years, she was thrilled that her sister had finally found Gavin.
“Okay, are you ready?” Meredith asked, closing the compact and handing it back to Lily with an eager smile.
“Yep.” Lily stowed the compact in her purse. “Gavin said we can start recording as soon as he begins his speech.”
Meredith squealed. “It’s so perfect! Sadie won’t suspect a thing since I’m sure everyone will be recording him. Half the town is planning on coming and then some.”
Lily’s stomach lurched in nervous anticipation. Half the town? She bit her lip. “Cool.”
Meredith looked at her sideways. “Something wrong?”
“Nope. I’m ready to go in, are you?” she said without blinking.
Meredith watched her for another moment. “Yes. Let’s make sure we get a good spot near the signing table.”
“Good thinking.” Lily smiled, trying her best to appear calm, but her racing heart refused to be still as one question circled on repeat: will Sawyer be there? She hadn’t seen her high school boyfriend in nearly five years—but she’d thought about him plenty.
Crowds were already lining up outside the bookstore and Meredith grabbed Lily’s hand, giving it a squeeze. “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to this, Lil,” she admitted. “The crowds and cameras and everything … it’s bizarre.”
Lily nodded. “I know what you mean.” It was surreal that her sister was about to get engaged to one of the world’s most famous movie stars. Sadie was never one to seek for fame, but she’d taken the paparazzi and all of Gavin’s notoriety in stride. Watching how happy she and Gavin were almost gave Lily hope that soulmates actually existed.
Lily had believed in soulmates once. In fact, she’d believed she’d found hers when she was seven years old and Sawyer McCall kissed her on the playground. He’d caught her in a game of tag, giving her that boyish grin of his that even back then made her stomach flip. But instead of tagging her, he’d taken her by the shoulders and planted a kiss right on her lips.
“Caught you, Lily O’Brien,” he’d said, before quickly running away again.
She’d stood there, touching her lips for several seconds before tearing off after him to tag him back.
Years later when they were sophomores in high school, Sawyer had called to ask Lily on a date. She could still remember him helping her into his old pickup and the heart-stopping moment he’d reached for her hand in the movie theater. As soon as his fingers intertwined with hers, it was like an electric current ran straight up her arm to her heart. Sawyer had looked at her in that moment with an expression of almost awe in his brown eyes, and Lily knew without a doubt she’d found him: her soulmate.
They’d become a couple after that and were basically inseparable. They were voted homecoming and prom king and queen. Lily rarely heard her name spoken alone. It was always, “Lily and Sawyer,” as if they were one person—and that was exactly how she’d liked it.
Sawyer became part of the family. Since Lily’s dad didn’t have any sons, he and Sawyer would go fishing together, or tinker around in the garage on the old Corvette Lily’s dad was forever working on.
Meredith often invited Sawyer to stay for dinner, and after he and Lily helped clean up, they would sit on the front porch swing and talk for hours about their future plans—at least, they talked about her future plans. Lily would rest her head on Sawyer’s shoulder, breathing in the scent of laundry soap mixed with the musky scent of his cologne. Sawyer would stroke his thumb over her knuckles as he listened to her talk about the cosmetic line she was going to create someday, and he would tell her that she could do anything she put her mind to.
Sawyer didn’t talk much about his own future plans. That fact didn’t strike Lily as strange until later. He’d started a lawn mowing business in high school, and he’d worked hard at it, even dropping out of football so he could take on more clients on the weekends. Trisha, Sawyer’s mom was a single mom, and Lily knew that Sawyer worried about being a burden on her. She’d had Sawyer young—a bit of a scandal in Eureka Springs. Sawyer’s father was a biker tourist from out of town who’d left Trisha alone and heartbroken after a whirlwind romance. Trisha had deci
ded to keep the baby, but the experience had jaded her against men and she’d never married.
“Mrs. O’Brien … Lily!” a woman called, breaking Lily out of her thoughts.
She turned toward the store and saw Edith, Gavin’s agent, waving to her and her mom through the open door of the bookshop. The people in line gave them curious looks as Edith spoke to the security guard at the door. “Will you let these two women in, please? They’re with the author.”
“They are indeed,” a man near the front said, turning.
Lily smiled when she recognized him. “Jed Carpenter? Oh my goodness, how are you?” She stepped forward and gave him a quick hug. “Is Amy here?” she asked, looking around for Jed’s daughter who’d been her close friend growing up.
Jed shook his head, his salt-and-pepper hair giving him a distinguished look. “She couldn’t get off of work, so she begged me to come and take pictures,” Jed explained. He glanced at Meredith and gave her a slight nod. “Morning, Meredith.”
“Good morning, Jed.”
Jed smiled at her with warmth in his eyes before turning back to Lily. “How long are you in town for? I know Amy would love to see you.”
“I fly back tomorrow night,” Lily explained. “It’s just a quick trip out here to support Sadie in her book release.”
“It’s a shame you can’t stay longer.” Jed tilted his head thoughtfully. “But I hear you’ve been keeping yourself busy in the Big Apple.” His eyes found Meredith again. “Both of your daughters are making names for themselves. You must be proud.”
“I certainly am.” Meredith beamed. “Lily’s company is taking off, and Sadie has worked so hard to get to where she is now as an author.”
“She really has,” Lily agreed, not wanting to take anything away from her sister’s big day.
“This way, ladies.” The security guard waved for them to enter.
“Oh … I guess we get VIP privileges.” Meredith blushed, giving Jed an apologetic shrug.
He nodded. “As it should be. I’ll see you both inside.”
She gave him a small wave before she and Lily bypassed the line, moving toward the waiting guard.
Lily glanced back at Jed before nudging her mom in the elbow. “What was that?” she whispered.
“What was what?”
“You, blushing when you talked to Jed.” Lily baited her with a look. Her mom hadn’t shown the slightest interest in dating anyone since Lily’s dad had passed away a few years ago.
Meredith scoffed, but her blush deepened. “Don’t be silly. I was just embarrassed about getting special privileges.”
“Mm-hmm.” Lily raised an eyebrow and smiled. She would love it if her mom opened up to the idea of dating again. Meredith was in her mid-fifties and too young to spend the rest of her life alone. Every time either Lily or Sadie brought up the idea of meeting someone, Meredith shot it down.
Why hadn’t Lily thought of Jed before? He was divorced; his ex-wife, Amy’s mom, had wanted a divorce when Amy was in high school and then had quickly remarried after. Amy had chosen to stay with her dad and Jed had never remarried, but Lily knew from spending time at Amy’s house growing up that he was the nicest man in Eureka Springs. He might be perfect for her mom. Hmm.
They reached the entrance to the shop and the security guard let them through. Edith stood waiting for them with a big smile that said she was in on Gavin’s big secret. “Gavin and Sadie are just about to sit at the table,” she said. “Why don’t you go on over and say hi?”
“Good idea. Lily just flew in this morning and I know Sadie will want to give her a hug before the crowds are released in here,” Meredith said.
“Exactly.” Edith nodded before taking a step closer and lowering her voice, “I’ve saved you a spot close to the table for … you know.” She winked at them conspiratorially over her half-rims.
Lily grinned. “Thanks. We’ll want a good spot for the video.” She scanned the room, looking for the best vantage point, but also instinctively looking for Sawyer. Her senses were on high alert, buzzing with the fact that she might see him today.
“Well, I think we’re going to open the doors in about five minutes, so you’ll want to go find them now—”
“Lily!” Sadie called across the store, cutting Edith’s words short.
Lily turned and smiled, moving to meet her sister. They threw their arms around each other, laughing and holding each other tight.
“I’m so glad you made it,” Sadie said. “Thanks for coming.”
“I wouldn’t have missed this for the world.” Lily shook her head, taking a step back to admire her sister. “Look at you. If I could somehow bottle that glow, I would make a mint.” Sadie was stunning on a regular day with her auburn hair and deep hazel eyes, but ever since she’d been with Gavin, her countenance held a new sparkle. Love looked good on her.
Sadie laughed and waved a hand. “You’re just trying to boost my confidence because you know I don’t like being the center of attention.”
“And you know I never give false flattery,” Lily countered. “You look gorgeous, and you don’t need to be nervous. Most of the people out there are old friends who want to congratulate you.” She was bursting to tell her sister that she was about to have more than one reason for congratulations, but she held her tongue.
“Hey, Lily,” Gavin said, stepping forward to give her a hug. “Thanks for coming out for this.”
“Are you kidding? There was no way I was missing this event.” She gave him a subtle wink.
He bit the edge of his lip, raising both eyebrows at her. She’d never seen him look so nervous. For a world-famous actor, he wasn’t doing the best job of hiding his anticipation. It was adorable, but if he wasn’t careful, Sadie would suspect something was up. Lily glanced at her, but she was busy talking to their mom and hadn’t noticed.
“Aren’t you going to introduce us, Gavin?”
Lily turned to see a guy standing next to Gavin. He draped an arm across Gavin’s shoulders, but his eyes were focused on her.
Gavin blew out a breath. “I don’t know that I dare to, mate,” he teased, giving Lily an apologetic look. “Lily, this is my friend Mike. He’s the biggest flirt you’ll ever meet, so keep your distance.”
Lily laughed, unsure how to take such an introduction as Mike protested, pushing Gavin away. “Hey! Don’t go telling her lies right off the bat.”
Gavin lifted his hands. “I have to give fair warning, especially to Sadie’s sister.”
Mike’s jaw dropped as he turned to her. “You’re Sadie’s sister?”
Lily shrugged. “Yep.”
The look of shock on his face melted into eagerness. “I should have guessed it. I mean … I expected you to be a redhead instead of blonde, but your features are so similar.” He stepped forward to shake her hand. “I’ve been looking forward to meeting you for a long time now.”
She blinked in confusion. “You have?”
He nodded and dropped her hand. “Ever since Sadie mentioned she had a sister.”
Lily tilted her head. “It’s funny that she never mentioned you before, especially since it seems that you and Gavin are close.” And she had to admit, Mike was good looking. Not on the same level as Gavin, of course—or Sawyer. She shook the thought away. Why was she so preoccupied with thoughts of Sawyer? If he didn’t end up coming today, all of these thoughts would only set her up for disappointment.
“Yeah … funny.” Mike crossed his arms, giving Sadie and Gavin accusatory looks.
“We were trying to protect you from him,” Gavin told Lily as he put his arm around Sadie.
Sadie shrugged. “Sorry, Mike. I told you months ago that Lily isn’t dating, so I didn’t bother telling her about you.”
Lily frowned, bugged that they were talking about her like she wasn’t there.
Mike turned his attention back to Lily, one eyebrow raised. “Is that true? You don’t date?”
Lily shifted her weight and blushed. “Um … ”
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“Okay, Gavin and Sadie,” Edith called from across the store, “time to take your seats. They’re opening the doors.”
Lily relaxed, grateful for the interruption. Everything became a flurry as Sadie and Gavin took their seats at the signing table.
“Good luck,” Meredith said, blowing them kisses.
“I’m so excited for you,” Lily added, giving Sadie a big smile and suppressing the squeal that wanted to bubble up at the thought of how happy Sadie was about to be.
“Why don’t the two of you stand over here?” Edith suggested, motioning to a spot with a good view of the signing table.
“Perfect.” Meredith winked at her.
“Mind if I join you?” Mike said.
Lily turned, almost forgetting he was there in all of the commotion. She thought she saw Sadie gesture to Edith out of the corner of her eye.
“Mike, I could actually use your help,” Edith interjected. “Gavin’s bodyguard is here, but I think we could use some extra backup, just in case. Would you be willing to stand over there on the other side of the table?”
Mike sighed, his shoulders slumping. “Sure.” He looked at Lily and rolled his eyes. “Duty calls. Some of Gavin’s fans tend to get a little over excited when they see him in person, so I guess they’re bringing in the big guns,” he joked, flexing his bicep for show.
Lily laughed. “He’s lucky to have such a devoted friend.” She glanced at Gavin’s bodyguard who was easily the size of two of Mike and didn’t look like he needed any help. Sadie was coming to her rescue, but it wasn’t necessary. Lily was a big girl now; a New Yorker besides. She could take care of herself.
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