A Billionaire's Treasure (The Ellsworth Brothers #1)

by Cece Baker

  “I can’t believe Landen would do that. He loves you, Thea. I’m sure of it. I know my son and he has never been this happy before. It’s you. He lights up like a Christmas tree every time he sees you,” Caroline said.

  “All I know is what I saw, Caroline, and that is what I believe. Now, let’s move on. I really don’t want to talk about this anymore,” said Thea.

  Caroline agreed grudgingly and they went about their day as usual. After Thea left that evening Caroline called her son. She got his voice mail. “Landen Ethan Ellsworth, you need to call me the instant you get this message and tell me what is going on with you and Amber. How could you go back to her? I’m very disappointed in you, son, and I don’t understand your thinking. Well, I still love you but I’m very angry, so call me right away.”

  Tuesday passed and Caroline still had not heard back from Landen. She was getting frustrated. On top of that her husband, William, was cranky and tense. “What is with everyone?” she thought. Again, she phoned Landen and left a message similar to the first one.

  Wednesday came and went with no word from Landen. By this time Caroline was downright angry. She didn’t think she’d ever been just plain angry at any of her kids. Frustrated, she dialed her youngest son, Westin. Thankfully, he picked up on the second ring. “Hi, Mom,” Westin said in a tired voice.

  “Hello, Westin. How are you, dear?” she inquired.

  “Well, truthfully, I’m tired. Exhausted actually. Work is out of control. Everyone has been working 12 or 13 hour days,” Westin explained. Caroline could hear voices in the background asking her son a question.

  “What’s going on, Westin? I’ve left messages for Landen and he won’t even return my calls to say hello,” Caroline said angrily.

  “Landen’s working day and night mom. There is a vote of the board on Friday. Didn’t dad tell about this?” Westin asked.

  “No. Your father has not told me anything. He has been out-of-sorts and very grumpy lately, however. It’s driving me crazy,” said Caroline.

  “Dad held a secret meeting last Saturday and convinced the board to vote on the direction Landen is taking with the company. If Landen loses the vote, he’s out,” explained Westin.

  Stunned Caroline answered slowly, “Your father is trying to force Landen out of Ellsworth Construction?” By this time Caroline has completely forgotten about the Amber situation.

  “Unfortunately, that is what it amounts to. We’ve all been working day and night to help gather data, research and metrics to prove that Landen’s vision is the right thing to do for the company. All the staff is supporting Landen, and they don’t want to see him leave. The support is amazing. But, it’s all up to the board. If they vote no, then it’s all over.”

  “Oh Westin, I had no idea this was going on,” Caroline said with sympathy. “When you see your brother, please tell him that I support his initiatives and I support him. Change is good.”

  “Will do. Listen, Mom I have to run. I’ll call you as soon as we know anything more, okay?”

  “Thank you, Westin. Please do that,” she said then adding, “I love you dear.”

  “Love you too, Mom. Talk to you soon.” And with that, the conversation ended.

  So, that’s why William has been in such a bad mood and not sharing what is going on. He doesn’t want me to know that he’s trying to oust our son from the family business! Caroline called for Arthur and asked him to have Mr. Ellsworth come see her at once upon his arrival home.

  “Very well, Ma’am,” Arthur replied.

  When Thea arrived on Thursday morning, Caroline told her everything she had learned from Westin. Thea was shocked.

  “Thea, dear. My friend Jane Rollins will be visiting me this afternoon after lunch,” Caroline informed Thea. “We’ll sit in the living room. I’ll need your help to get situated.”

  Promptly at 2 p.m. the doorbell rang and Arthur escorted Jane Rollins to Caroline’s quarters. Thea had just situated Caroline in the living room by the window.

  “Jane. How wonderful to see you,” Caroline said, greeting her friend. “Please come in and sit down. Jane, this is my health care worker, Thea Jeffries. Thea, this is my friend Jane Rollins.”

  Thea offered her hand to Jane and the ladies shook hands. “It’s a pleasure to meet you Thea,” said Jane.

  “Thank you. It’s a pleasure to meet you as well, Jane. Can I get you anything to drink? Tea? Coffee? Water? Juice?”

  “Nothing for me, thanks,” replied Jane.

  “Well, I will leave you ladies to catch up and I’ll look in on you in a bit,” said Thea.

  Thea left the women as they began chatting and went to catch up on some paperwork and other tasks that took extra time. Two hours later she walked back into the living room to see the women deep in what seemed to be a serious conversation.

  “Excuse me, Caroline. I just wanted to check in with you to see how you are doing or if either of you need anything?” said Thea.

  Caroline looked at Thea and responded, “We’re fine, Thea. Arthur brought us both some tea a bit ago. Would you like to join us for a cup?”

  “Well, actually,” Thea said, smiling, “I think a cup of tea would hit the spot. I will join you. Thea sat in a chair opposite the women and asked what they’d been talking about. Caroline explained that there was a lot going on at Ellsworth Construction that she had just heard about yesterday.

  “Apparently my husband does not like the direction that Landen is taking the company and there is a board meeting tomorrow to decide which way to go. If the board votes against Landen’s ideas, he’s out. And the worst part of all of this is that William is the person waging the charge to oust his very own son!” Caroline explained her voice getting louder as she spoke.

  Aghast, Thea replied, “Seriously, Caroline? I had no idea. I remember Landen telling me all about his vision for the future of the company and how excited he was to be able to start building sustainable housing—well, communities actually—for low-income areas of the city. The plans include spaces for gardens and safe play areas for the kids.”

  “Gardens? Jane inquired. How can he include gardens in the middle of the city?”

  “That’s what I wondered too,” Thea said, and went on to explain, “They’ll create areas on the tops of buildings for the gardens and then in the winter the kids can play outside in the snow, without ever having to leave the building. And the wind and the sun will power all of the buildings so that utility costs will be very low. Not only that, but part of the plans for this first community includes a gathering space with tables and chairs and a kitchen. After this is completed Landen wants to revive the surrounding area by funding small family-owned businesses that residents can walk, to like a grocery or hardware store. His vision is all-encompassing. He did admit that maybe he’s a bit of dreamer but if one has the resources to make a difference in a person’s life then why wouldn’t you do that?” Thea paused because she could see Jane was thinking and appeared that she wanted to say something. After a few moments Jane spoke.

  “How would these communities be kept up? Would they be built and then the residents are on their own to care for everything? What if they don’t have the knowledge or the skills to do that?” Jane asked.

  “Well, that may be the part that Mr. Ellsworth is opposed to. Landen wants to offer support moving forward to keep the community and the buildings in good repair and give training to residents who are interested in learning how to do upkeep and maintenance tasks. Then, when the next community is built, they can teach the residents in that location. But the bottom line is that Ellsworth Construction won’t leave them hanging. They’ll be in this for the long haul.”

  Caroline interjected at that point, “I bet I know what William wants. He wants them to build a building, get paid and move on to the next project.”

  Jane looked at Caroline with a solemn expression on her face, but she made no comment. “Well Caroline I’m sorry to have to end so abruptly but I must get going. It has been lov
ely seeing you again and Thea it was very nice to meet you as well.”

  Caroline bid her friend goodbye as did Thea and they watched Jane leave the room. “Well,” said Caroline, “I’m worn out. Could you help me position my chair so I can lay my head back and rest a bit before dinner?”

  “Of course, Caroline,” said Thea with a smile. “Would you like to be here by the window or would you like to move into another room?”

  “Here is fine, thank you.” Caroline said as she closed her eyes. Thea adjusted the chair so Caroline was in a prone position and found a light blanket to cover her. Then she left the room to prepare for the night staff to take over duties in the next hour.

  Chapter 13

  The sun shined brightly on Friday morning and immediately Thea thought of Landen. “He must be so anxious. I wish I could be with him to support him,” she thought.

  Although she was devastated that he was back with Amber, she still believed in his vision and ideas for rebuilding local communities. Sighing, she showered, dressed for work, fed Sinatra and drove to the Ellsworth home. She was sure Caroline would be anxious today and she was right.

  “Thea,” Caroline said in a soft voice, “I’m so worried about Landen I didn’t get much sleep last night. I’m not hungry for breakfast either. I just don’t know what to do with myself.”

  “Caroline,” Thea said, “you need to eat something. Why don’t you stay in bed for a while and rest. I’ll fix some oatmeal and you can eat in bed this morning. When you feel up to it I can get you up and dressed.”

  Caroline agreed grudgingly. She lay back in her bed and closed her eyes. Thea left her to rest and went to prepare her breakfast.

  At 9 a.m. Caroline received a call from Westin telling her that the board meeting had just begun. Landen was up first to give his presentation. No one knew how long the meeting was going to take. The office staff was on high alert and everyone was anxious. Caroline thanked her son for the update and he promised to call again if and when anything else happened.

  Finally, just after noon, Caroline’s phone rang again. It was Westin.

  “He did it! He won! Landen won!” Westin was yelling because there was so much loud cheering in the background. Caroline couldn’t speak. Tears ran down her cheeks and at first Thea thought the worst had happened. Caroline held the phone away from her face and assured her, “Landen won. I’m so proud of him.”

  “Mom, wait. Hold on a second,” Caroline heard some muffled voices. “Mom, I have someone who wants to talk to you,” said Westin.

  “Ma, is that you? I did it. By one vote. Can you believe it? I’m so sorry I haven’t called you, but I’ve been working on this all week,” Landen said breathlessly.

  “Oh, Landen. I’m so proud of you and so happy. I understand why you didn’t call me. Please ignore the terrible messages I left you. I didn’t know what was going on,” Caroline responded.

  “No worries, Mom. Listen I have to go, but I wanted to talk to you. Thanks for your support. It means everything to me. I love you,” Landen said his voice cracking.

  “I love you too, dear. Now you go and celebrate and thank all those people who helped get you here. Bye dear.”

  Westin got back on the line and the two said their goodbyes and hung up.

  “I’m so relieved,” said Caroline with a smile. Thea could see that the woman’s body had released all the tension she’d been holding since early that morning.

  “I’m so glad for you Caroline. And, Landen too, of course,” replied Thea.

  “I know things aren’t good with you and Landen, Thea,” Caroline said, “but I know that you still support him and his vision and that means so much to me. Thank you for that.”

  Thea could only nod and mumble a quiet, “You’re welcome.”

  The next day was Saturday and Thea was pleased that she could sleep in for once. She was annoyed when her phone rang, but she cheered up once she saw the caller was her friend, Jill. “Hey, Jills?” Thea said sleepily.

  “Thea! Wake up and face the day. Time to drag that ass of yours out of bed. I’m coming to pick you up in twenty minutes and I’m taking you out for coffee, or in your case tea, and muffins. Up and at ’em!” Jill said enthusiastically.

  Thea hung up the phone and grudgingly got out of bed and put on her most comfortable pair of yoga pants and shirt, dragged a comb through her hair and stuck her tongue out at her reflection in the mirror. She had just found her keys and purse when there was a loud banging on her front door. Thea threw open the door and was greeted with a smothering bear hug. “He-woah,” Thea mumbled her face pressed to Jill’s shoulder. Jill ushered Thea to her car and they were off to their favorite coffee shop that made the best muffins she’d ever tasted. They always got the same thing when they went there. Jill always got a latte and an almond cherry muffin and Thea got her Earl Grey tea with a pistachio muffin. It was tradition.

  Once seated and beginning to eat, Jill got down to business. “So Thea, how’d things go with that Forest guy? You know, when you broke things off with him,” Jill asked.

  “His name is Landen.”

  “Whatever. Land, Tree, Dirt. It doesn’t matter. Talk to me.”

  Thea rolled her eyes and updated Jill on everything that had happened since they last spoke.

  “What an asshat!” Jill shouted.

  “Jill keep it down,” Thea whispered loudly. At that moment Thea glanced up at the door and the color drained from her face.

  “Thea, what’s the…”

  Thea cut Jill off, turned her head and tried to duck down behind her friend. “That’s him!” she whispered.

  “Him?” Jill asked.

  “Yes. Him. Land, Tree, Dirt guy. Landen. And he’s with her!”

  “Okay. Don’t panic. You go into the ladies room and lock the door. Don’t come out until I text you that the coast is clear. I’ll eavesdrop on their conversation and tell you what I hear—good or bad.”

  Thea agreed quickly, and, stooped over, she ran to the ladies room. A few patrons watched her a little perplexed, but Thea ignored them. Thankfully the ladies room was empty, so she ran inside and locked the door behind her.

  The minutes ticked by like hours. Thea was getting very anxious. Someone had knocked on the door too, so she knew other people were waiting to use the restroom. “They’re just going to have to wait,” she thought to herself. “This is a matter of utmost importance. Any other woman in my shoes would understand,” she told herself.

  Finally after what seemed like decades, she received an urgent text from Jill. “Outcome now. No to gather.”

  “What the hell is that supposed to mean?” She thought confused. At that moment someone started pounding on the door and Thea quickly unlocked and opened it. “What was with your text…?”

  Jill interrupted her, “Get out here now. They are not together! Damn autocorrect. Why must we type messages to each other on keyboards the size of postage stamps? When did we stop speaking to each other?” Frustrated, Jill pushed her friend towards the front door of the shop. “He is not with Amber, because he’s in love with you! You have to go after him!”

  Without another word Thea ran outside, paused, and looked both ways. She spotted Landen crossing the street a half a block away. Thea began to run dodging children, dogs, and window shoppers. “If God had intended people to run we’d have been born with Nike’s on our feet,” she mumbled to no one in particular. The crosswalk started to blink the red “stop” hand. Thea ignored the traffic warning and propelled herself in midair into the intersection. Horns honked and people shouted. Vaguely, she thought she heard some tires screech. The noise made Landen stop and turn around. Her landing was less than graceful, but thankfully she was upright when Landen spotted her running towards him, her purse flopping on her arm, her breath coming in loud gasps. “Landen!” she shouted waving one arm in the air. She leapt onto the sidewalk, stumbled, and grasped his body for support. She plowed into him and finally came to a stop. Thea panted as she heard Landen’s v
oice.

  “Thea?”

  “Landen. You’re…you’re not…not…not with Amber?” she said as she gasped for air.

  “No, of course not,” he replied, starting to smile. He brushed a lock of hair out of her face.

  She sucked in a breath quickly and her face flushed with color. She put her hand to her mouth as tears began to form in her eyes. She raised her face and felt both of Landen’s arms encircle her body. “The only person I want to be with is you, Thea,” he said looking directly into her eyes.

  In a rough voice she said, “Good. Because I only want to be with you, Landen.” A moment passed and before she could comprehend what was happening. She had her arms around his neck, and his arms were around her back so tightly that she knew she’d never want to let go.

  He leaned back so he could pick her up. Her legs bent at the knee and he spun around with her in his arms. No one else existed. They came back to the present when they heard applause and cheers from the strangers that were watching them. Thea blushed and nestled her head in Landen’s neck. She was embarrassed, but she was smiling.

  She’d never been this happy before. She looked up at Landen’s face and saw that he, too, was grinning from ear to ear. Quickly she brought her lips to his and they kissed greedily. The cheers and catcalls continued.

  Chapter 14

  Thea rolled over in bed to find the other side empty. What the…? In the next room she heard Landen talking to Sinatra as he gave him his breakfast. Sinatra had taken quite well to Landen. The two seemed to have formed a male bond. This pleased Thea to no end. She smiled.

  Landen wandered into the bedroom wearing only his black boxer briefs. “Hey, Babe,” he said with a smirk. He crawled back under the covers and pulled her to him. He kissed her neck and playfully bit her earlobe. “You taste good,” he said. Thea turned her head to face him and kissed him on the mouth. In an instant the kiss turned wet and passionate.

  “Mmmmmm…. So. Do. You,” she answered a kiss between each word.