by Evie Jordan
“Okay, Trace.” He pulled his hands from the steering wheel. “Get out of the car. Be straight. Tell Mr. Mason where you’re at and what your plans are.”
The spring night was warm, and Trace took in the view of the Atlantic from the parking lot. He adjusted his coat and the collar of his shirt before stepping inside. A sea of wood paneling and ivory table cloths swept in front of him until the wall of windows, showcasing the ocean.
The second Mason left his lips, the hostess smiled wide and gestured for him to follow. The meeting he’d been prepping for was now. Yes, he and Colby could continue without investors, but he loved the legitimacy of having backup—proof that they weren’t a one-trick pony. Actually, any pony who could do a trick would be pretty cool…
The waitress stopped at a table with four chairs—one on each side. Mr. Mason stood, immediately stretching his hand toward Trace. They shook, sat across from one another, and suddenly a calm fell over Trace. He wanted this man’s help, but he could survive without it. He knew his skills, knew Colby’s skills, and knew what they were creating was comprehensive and ground-breaking.
“Let’s order and jump right in, shall we?” Trace asked. “I think you’ll like what we’re working on.”
Mr. Mason didn’t touch his menu. “Give me the down-dirty on what’s next, then we’ll order.”
Trace licked his lips. Released a slow breath. He wouldn’t be able to eat yet anyway.
“Colby and I have mapped out an app for travelers. Different levels, or coding, indicates different levels of travel,” Trace started.
“Aren’t there a lot of those out there already?” he asked.
He’d known this question was coming. “There are also a lot of apps for college students, but what Colby and I bring to the table is a lack of fear of scope.”
A corner of Mr. Mason’s mouth quirked up. Perfect.
“So, similar to what we did with the COLLEGE LIFE app, we’re taking all of the pieces that are out there for travel—hotels, menus for restaurants, unusual sights…and we’re putting them all in one place.”
Mr. Mason’s brows went up. “How tricky will the navigation be if that much information is going to be stored in one place?”
Trace gestured to the chair just to Mr. Mason’s right. “May I?”
A nod sent Trace shifting one place over. He flicked on his iPad and showed Mason the prototype.
“The information isn’t there yet, but this will give you an idea of the navigation.”
Mason’s brows pulled down as he flicked over the tabs across the top. “What’s this level stuff here?”
“We want max users.” This piece had been Trace’s idea. “So, let’s say you were using it to plan your next trip—you wouldn’t get any notices for hostels because you’d want level one, whereas someone selecting level four would get those.”
Mr. Mason laughed heartily at that. Trace had him. One simple joke, and Mr. Mason was at ease with the way his money was being used.
“We’ve already reached out to some established travel apps, as in information sharing that users would decide on, to help them gain more information on the area they’re visiting.” He paused. “COLLEGE LIFE was big enough that we’ve been taking seriously and met with positivity everywhere we’ve turned. Collaboration won’t be an issue.”
After a few more minutes and a dozen more questions Trace had answers for, Mr. Mason sat back. “You’ve been busy.”
“We don’t take your interest in this project lightly, sir.”
Mr. Mason chuckled before his attention drew to the door of the restaurant. “Always late, those two. I’ve barely seen my daughter since her friend got back into town.”
Wait. They were being joined?
Trace turned to see Katy. His Katy. Next to a tiny woman with pale hair.
She stopped. “Trace?”
He jumped up so fast, his chair nearly toppled. “Katy.”
The world stopped. His heart raced.
“I forgot to tell you that my daughter and her friend were joining us,” Mr. Mason said. “I had no idea you two knew each other.”
“We met…” Katy started, but her stare of shock said that she may be out of words.
“We met on vacation,” Trace finished for her. He had no idea how Katy would want to handle seeing him in front of a long-time family friend.
She stepped toward him and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before quickly taking a seat. Did that mean something? Nothing? He wasn’t sure what the protocol was in this situation.
Olivia kissed his cheek next, a subtle smirk on her face. “Nice to meet you, Trace.”
So, was the cheek-kissing thing universal here? Crap, he had no idea how to navigate this situation.
How on earth was he going to handle this? All he wanted to do was grab Katy in his arms and kiss her senseless.
Olivia’s smile was far too knowing for his taste—at least in this situation. Although, it did mean that Katy had been talking about him. Katy was now on his right, Olivia sat across from him, and Mr. Mason to his left.
Was he supposed to stay or…
“Small world, isn’t it?” Mr. Mason chuckled. “We’d love you to stay for dinner, Trace.”
He took a quick glance toward Katy who gave him a subtle nod.
“That would be fantastic.” He had to find his best business face. “This is my first time on the island.”
“You’re kidding.” Mason’s attention was fully on him.
He was supposed to be upfront, right? That had been on Katy and Olivia’s list? “When you come from a home where money is saved up for shoes, Martha’s Vineyard isn’t high on the priority list.”
Mr. Mason nodded thoughtfully. “And this…Someone without a safety net is the exact kind of person I like working with.”
Katy squeezed his knee under the table, and his breath caught. “Well, Colby and I are very grateful to have the Mason’s in our corner.”
Olivia beamed. Katy’s smile was faint, but she was probably a bit shocked to see him. Yeah, he should have warned her.
Menus rose, and Trace caught Katy’s gaze behind the leather folder.
“Good to see you,” she mouthed, and Trace took his first full breath since landing.
Chapter Fourteen
The four people stood in the parking lot, Katy’s body vibrating at the nearness of Trace, but also that he was here—in the real part of her life, whatever that meant.
“I’m assuming you’re staying with Katy again?” Mr. Mason asked his daughter.
Before Olivia could answer, Katy piped in, “Of course she is!”
Olivia’s brow quirked up.
But Katy wasn’t at all ready to have Trace to herself. She’d missed him like crazy and now he was here and…the way she felt was a lot to process.
Katy vaguely was aware of the half hug from Mr. Mason before he parted their company, but her brain kept spinning around the idea that someone from her scattered, free life, was here…on Martha’s Vineyard.
“You’re here,” she said again.
Trace glanced at his feet before meeting her eyes again. “If I’d known he was inviting you to dinner, I’d have told you I was coming early. I just didn’t want to seem…”
“I can’t tell you how happy I am to meet you.” Olivia grinned at Trace before turning her attention back to Olivia. “I’ll drive back to your place so Trace can give you a ride, and I’ll just see you two…whenever…”
And then Olivia was gone and Katy stood in front of Trace at a restaurant she’d been to hundreds of times because he was here.
“Is this okay?” he asked.
“Yes…Of course…” she stammered.
He slipped his fingers through hers. Katy let her eyes fall closed before stepping forward and resting against him.
“I didn’t want to push, but I’ve missed you,” he whispered, his breath tickling her neck.
Katy tightened her arms around him. “Me too.”
“So,�
�� he started. “I guess you need a ride home.”
With one more squeeze, Katy pulled back and studied his face. “I do need a ride. And I think your meeting went well.”
“Smashingly,” he agreed. “But Colby and I have a lot of work to do.”
Because no one could actually escape real life.
“I’m headed right back down to the Bahamas,” he said. “Colby and I have to get a few more things ironed out before we start the tedious task of connecting to other apps for information.”
Katy thought about her parents, who still hadn’t come to visit, and Olivia, who was just now feeling okay about a simple trip to town. “I’m guessing it’ll take me longer than that to be ready to leave again.” Where did that leave them?
His arm tightened around her. What had she started with him? Katy followed him to his car, and they pulled up to her house far too soon. The large gravel circle had been her father’s nod to the idea of their “cabin” being rustic.
Trace leaned over her to see the house through the window. “Wow…”
She cringed.
“This is where you grew up?”
Her parents would be appalled that someone thought they lived here full time. As much as she’d judged him for his money, now she was sure he’d do the same to her.
“Vacation house,” she squeaked as she pushed out the passenger’s side door.
Trace followed. “I’m just…I know that people live lives that include this kind of thing, but experiencing it is something else entirely.”
She watched as his gaze traveled over the house. The barn style roof and wood shutters had been her mother’s idea of creating a rustic feel. There was no explaining to her mother that an oceanfront home of twelve thousand square feet would never be rustic. Add in the pool and the tennis courts, and the place was about as far from rustic as one could get.
His fingers threaded through hers as she stared at the place through new eyes.
“You seem stunned silent, and I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.” His nervous chuckle carried through the night air.
Katy wasn’t sure either. Why couldn’t she sort out her needs and her wants? How was she supposed to move forward to put her life together after taking two years off?
A snort escaped as she punched in the code to the house.
“What’s that?” he asked.
“I took two years off to live life, and I find myself feeling more confused than ever.”
He followed her into the house. “Again, I don’t know if I should be terrified or thrilled.”
Her eyes met his—the same boyish sincerity was there. And that spark of mischief she’d never want to go away. “All depends on what you want, I guess.” She kicked off her shoes.
“I…”
A light flicked on behind them.
“I love that place, but the portions are small!” Olivia called from the kitchen. “I’m making popcorn and then I’m gonna go watch a movie!”
Katy needed space to process. What even was wrong with her? “I’m gonna use the restroom. Meet in the kitchen?”
Trace nodded, swallowed, and Katy sprinted up the hallway, closing the powder room door behind her.
She stared at herself in the mirror. All the eye shadow and mascara… “What do you want, Katy?”
The guy she’d been missing was here. She splashed water on her face and smeared her makeup all over the white hand towel.
What on earth was next for her, and would making Trace be part of that something be really smart, or really reckless?
She couldn’t answer.
Chapter Fifteen
Every corner of the house, in all its blues and grays, looked magazine photo-shoot ready. Did people really live like this? Like, every day?
He rounded the corner to see Olivia in legging and a hoodie that dwarfed her small frame.
“Where’s Katy?” she asked. “I didn’t figure I’d see you two for a while.”
“Bathroom,” he explained. And why hadn’t they taken more time to be together before coming here? Nerves? Katy? Him?
Olivia glanced toward the opening to the kitchen and jogged to his side. She leaned in and whispered, “She really likes you, and I think that scares the hell out of her.”
“What?”
Olivia’s eyes widened. “She’s been on this search to find herself or whatever, but I really think she was just running.”
Trace blinked, grateful for the information, and worried Katy would walk in as Olivia was talking.
“She’s stubborn and impossible, but I love her,” Olivia said.
“What do I do?” he asked.
Olivia shrugged, the microwave beeped, and Katy stepped back into the room.
Katy’s face was scrubbed clean and her hair was now piled on her head.
“Should I leave you two, or…” Trace started but faltered. How didn’t he know his place here?
“Not before movie time!” Olivia chirped.
But was he invited?
Katy’s eyes found his and the most genuine smile he’d seen from her all night, lit up her face. “Please?”
“I’d love to.”
An old black and white movie rolled on the giant screen in the theater room of Katy’s parents’ vacation home. The apartment he’d grown up in could fit in this space. She slept, curled against him, her breathing soft and even.
The giant couches sucked him in, warmed him up, and he felt his eyes drifting closed as well. Her arm stretched around his stomach, holding him close.
“I want you to come back to the island with me,” he whispered into her hair. “I can’t imagine that place without you.”
Whispers pried at Trace’s sleep. He blinked. Dark ceiling. Speakers. Giant leather couch…
Crap! He’d fallen asleep at Katy’s place.
The women’s voices carried from the hallway.
“What do you mean you can’t pick up and leave?” Olivia whisper-hissed. “That’s exactly what you’re telling me to do, and I love the idea!”
“But I have things to get done here. Fences to mend. You’re looking for an escape,” Katy fired back.
“I’m a grown woman, Katy, as are you.” A short pause. “Why not go together?”
A long sigh. “You’re ready for a vacation, and I have fences to mend with my parents. They know I’m here. We’ve texted.”
“You’re gonna have to drive over to see them.”
“But it shouldn’t just be up to me, right? I mean, they usually come here anyway.”
“Why do you keep wanting them to do things they won’t do?” Olivia whispered.
Trace sat up. “I can hear you!” he called.
The two women stepped into the room.
“I know you’re headed back soon because you and Colby have things to do, and he needs to be there,” Katy said before glancing at her friend. “We have a proposal.”
Trace rubbed his face, willing his brain to wake up.
“When you head back…” Katy paused. “Do you think Olivia could tag along?”
“Of course,” he said, but…”You mean, both of you, right?”
Katy had said she needed to come home for her friend, now that her friend was leaving, and he was leaving, she’d come too. Wouldn’t she?
The two women shared a look and when his attention moved to Katy, she was biting her lip. “I’ve ignored everyone for so long that I can’t go, but Olivia could ride back with you and enjoy the peace there, you know?”
Wait. Katy was sending Olivia but wasn’t coming back herself? “That’s…”
“Crazy,” Olivia finished while staring at Katy. “That is crazy.”
If her friend was going to be there, and he knew part of Katy had to want to be there, too…Surely there was some middle ground.
“Do you even want to see your parents?” Olivia asked. “And even if you’re missing them, why not head home and have dinner with them or something, and then leave?”
Katy’
s brows pinched. “I have some serious fences to mend.”
“Katy,” Trace said. “There’s this brilliant concept where you can have both worlds.”
Olivia laughed.
“You can come back to the island and keep your phone on. You can make sure your parents and friends know they can come see you, but you don’t have to be here with clothes you don’t like, or—”
“Or people you don’t like,” Olivia teased.
Trace was so glad that these two women had each other. He’d wither away without Colby’s steady nature. These two seemed to do the same for each other.
“I’m sorry, but I need to stay,” Katy said. “At least for a while. I have Regan set up well enough, and it sounds like they’re a short step away from hiring Junior and his wife full time.”
“Just fly down with both of us tomorrow,” Olivia said. “Call your mom and dad, and they can drive this way, just as easily as you can go that way.”
Smart woman.
“I want you happy,” Trace said. “So, I’m for whatever makes you happy.”
“Keeper,” Olivia said immediately.
Yeah, he definitely liked this woman.
Katy bit her lip. “I’ll think on it.”
Trace checked Olivia for any sign that Olivia knew which way her friend was leaning, but Olivia just folded her arms. “Now you choose to be practical.”
And Trace didn’t know exactly how he felt about Katy, but he did know that he didn’t want to go back without her. But he also couldn’t stay here. Maybe the best thing he could do for now, was to help out her friend. Anything to keep whatever tenuous connection they’d started was what he’d do.
“Katy,” he said, half wishing Olivia wasn’t there, but then, if Olivia was on his side, maybe this would help.
“Yeah?”
“I like you a lot. Don’t give up on us before we’ve had a chance to start.”
Chapter Sixteen
Packing slowly and methodically forced Katy to think with her head. She barely knew Trace. He said himself that he was in a phase of going a little crazy with his new money. Was he safe for her?