by Marina Adair
He’d been riding the high of a good meeting and an even better night before, and he’d gotten cocky. Allowed himself to get distracted.
“That’s just it,” Jason said. “I did say yes, and so did my sisters, but my older brother, Walter, thinks it’s a bad move, and since he took a business class back in junior college, he thinks he’s fucking Warren Buffett.” Jason sat back and took a swallow of cider.
“You’re each an equal owner, right?” Luke asked, trying to ascertain the situation the best he could, in hopes of finding a creative solution that appealed to everyone. “What if I buy a few acres of Yarlington Mill and Kingston Blacks from your quarter of the harvest?”
“If I owned a quarter of the apples, I would do it just so I wouldn’t have to deal with the mess of harvesting them,” Jason said. “And because I know how much this means.”
“I know you would.”
“But I own a quarter of the estate. So whatever affects the estate needs to have unanimous consent.”
Luke felt the muscles at the base of his skull contract.
“What does Walter need to feel comfortable saying yes?” Luke asked, because he had known Jason for most of his life—they’d played hockey together in high school. Jason knew that Luke’s word was good. Just like Luke knew that Jason had tried his best.
But Luke didn’t know a lot about Jason’s brother, Walter. Other than he was a decade older, had moved to Chicago the day he graduated high school, and hadn’t been back. Not even for their dad’s funeral.
“I don’t know, I could ask him, but Walter is a tough sell,” Jason said. “He thinks that if we sell you the apples, and you decide to pass on the property, then we’ve sold off the estate’s most valuable asset.”
Walter might be a prick, but he wasn’t stupid. If the roles were reversed, Luke would be worried about the same thing. But the roles weren’t reversed, and if he couldn’t figure this out, he’d be in a bad way.
“I am going to buy the property,” Luke assured him. “I just need more time to come up with the down payment. But did Walt think what will happen if I don’t? The harvest will be ending and you guys will have zero time to pick and sell the apples.”
“Don’t remind me.” Jason took a deep breath and ran a hand down his face, because he knew what Luke knew—harvesting that many acres was a full-time job. And every one of Old Man Stark’s kids already had jobs—none of them here in Destiny Bay. “Walter says he already has another buyer lined up. He’s hoping you pass.”
At his statement, a forty-eight-thousand-pound weight settled on Luke’s chest. “What are they offering?”
“A half million more, all cash, and a five-day escrow,” Jason said, and Luke had a hard time breathing. “I guess the buyer is ready to close the deal the second your option runs out.”
Luke gripped his forehead, hoping to relieve some of the growing pressure. “I need to talk to Walter, see if there is any way to sway him.”
“The only thing that will sway my brother is money.”
That’s what Luke was afraid of.
“Want to go see a Blackhawks’ game with me? Owner’s box?” Luke asked, remembering one more thing about Walter—he was a die-hard hockey fan.
“I didn’t know the Blackhawks were coming to Vancouver.”
“They’re not,” Luke said, knowing he was going to owe Hawk big time. “We’re going to Chicago to see Walt. And catch a game. You in?”
* * *
Hours later and Luke was still reeling from the news of another buyer when he walked into the Penalty Box.
“Ah shit. I know that look,” Hawk said from behind the bar and cracked open a cold cider. “It’s the same look you gave me right before you told me Bridget was screwing the pool guy.”
Hawk had traded in his usual uniform of a black tee and dark jeans for slacks and a button-up, transforming himself from hockey bad boy and bar owner, to VP of Business Development of one of the fastest-growing ciders on the market. Hawk hated slacks almost as much as he hated reliving his hockey days—that he’d done it tonight to impress Rogers showed just how invested in the business he was.
“He was named the Sharks’ MVP last year,” Luke pointed out quietly, sliding behind the bar with a big smile so that everyone could see that things were going great. Just great. He lowered his voice even more. “And this isn’t that look.”
“They had sex in my pool, so he will forever be the fucking pool guy.” Hawk leaned in close, lowering his voice. “And that’s the same look, man. Women like her suck you in, you don’t see it coming, but one kiss and suddenly you’re thinking with the wrong head, making shit decisions, and everything falls to hell.”
“Kennedy isn’t Bridget,” Luke said, referring to Hawk’s ex-wife.
“I wasn’t talking about Bridget.” And since his friend was as puckered as a baboon when it came to talking about his love life, he added, “In fact, we aren’t talking about women at all, according to you.”
Luke scanned the area. Noticing that Rogers was chatting up a stacked brunette with a hockey puck tattooed on her cleavage, he lowered his voice. “It’s nothing I can’t handle.”
“Thank God.” Hawk made a big deal over wiping the nonexistent sweat off his brow. “Because from here, it looked like you bet everything on the wrong horse, then blew the backup plan to shit. Which, by the way, the backup was supposed to be the deal with Stark.”
“Stark isn’t my backup, just another possibility.” Luke reached in the fridge, bypassed the cider, and went straight for the Jack. “And nothing is blown, just a little setback. We need to go meet with Jason’s bother, give him a little nudge in the right direction.”
“How much of a nudge are we talking?”
“Enough to show him we’re serious about the property.”
Hawk grabbed two tumblers and set them on the counter. “Or I know, what if I gave him enough for the down payment on the property? We close the deal by the end of the month. Problem solved.”
Luke shook his head. “That isn’t your problem to solve, man. We go fifty-fifty, that was the deal from the beginning.” Because Luke would never again slacken on his responsibilities. Not when it came to family—and Hawk might not be related, but he was family.
“Then let me loan you the money.”
“I don’t need a loan.” And he didn’t want his friend to bail him out. “I need this deal to close.”
It wasn’t like he was asking for Hawk to front him the money for a few acres of woodlands. Fifty prime acres of apples on Destiny Bay’s bluff were going to cost a solid seven figures. Heirlooms had skyrocketed since Luke originally sold the property, but as long as the demand for cider continued to increase, so would the value of mature, producing trees.
Hawk poured two fingers in each glass and slid one to Luke. “And if you can’t convince Walter?”
“I can convince him.” Luke took the glass and smiled. “One night hanging with the legendary bad boy of the ice, throwing back a few while watching some hockey, and he’ll be ready to talk.”
Hawk groaned. “So you won’t use my money, but you’ll use my fame?” Luke held up his glass. “Fine, but if the Sharks are playing and the pool boy steps out on the ice, shit will go down.”
“No Sharks,” Luke promised. “Oh, and can you get us in the owner’s box?”
“What happened to Bay View Orchards being our backup, your way of showing Shop Girl that she wasn’t the only game in town?” When Luke said not a word, Hawk laughed. “Wouldn’t want a little thing like our business to get in the way of you getting laid.”
Luke choked. “Who says I’m getting laid?”
“You just did.” Hawk shook his head with disgust. “Come on, man, didn’t they teach you in that fancy business school you went to that sleeping with the competition is a conflict of interest?” Hawk lifted a brow. “No? Then how about sleeping with a girl your mom already loves is the fast track to some pretty complicated shit.”
“We were both
clear on how things stand,” Luke assured him.
At least he hoped they were. He’d been careful to keep all talk off business, then he’d caught sight of her in his shirt, sans the bra, and asked her how things were going. He saw her confused look, which quickly morphed into the hope that he’d given up on running her out of town. And he had. Until Stark shut that possibility down. Leaving only Kennedy and her apples.
“Then why are we meeting with a guy who you know is going to bend us over on the prices of apples, because he knows he can’t on the price of the property?”
Luke took a swig and let the Scotch burn all the way down. “I like having options.”
“So this is just about options, and not admitting you have a problem?” he asked.
“No problem,” Luke said, wondering who he was trying to convince, since neither one of them believed a word he was spewing. “I’ve got this handled.”
Luke knew how to separate his personal life from his professional one. Understood what was on the line, for everyone involved. He’d been doing it for the past decade. But asking Kennedy for her apples now, after he knew what Sweetie Pies meant to her, felt like a dick move. Leaving Hawk hanging to dry, after all that he’d put into this company, felt even worse.
God, this was a mess.
“Good,” Hawk said, grabbing his tumbler and tipping back. “Because Shop Girl just walked in here in a pair of thigh-highs and enough cleavage to be a problem.”
Luke turned around and nearly choked on his shot. Problem wasn’t the word he’d use when talking about those boots. Or that woman.
Kennedy was dressed to be seen, and every man in the bar was looking. Including him. He couldn’t stop. She had on these ridiculous leather boots, black and high, and a slinky blue top that matched her eyes and slipped off one shoulder, exposing skin that he knew to be softer than silk. And that skirt, don’t even get him started—it was black, fitted, and made her khaki one look like a habit.
She glanced around, worrying that lower lip and giving herself away. She was nervous and felt out of place, he could tell. But she’d come anyway.
She’d come for him.
Her eyes locked on his, and with a sweet smile that nearly knocked him off his stool, she made her way through the crowd, not stopping until she was by his side.
“Sorry I’m late,” she said. “Lauren had a study group and I got an order from Destiny Bay Presbyterian Church for a dozen HumDingers, and…” She shrugged. “I’m here.”
She was. And suddenly he didn’t see a single problem. How could he, when she was smiling up at him like that? Big blue eyes all wide and nervous, and that smile. Man, that smile was contagious.
“Hey, Hawk,” she said. “Good turnout. People love the new cider.”
“Make sure you grab a few bottles to go, they might be a limited run.” Hawk lifted a single brow in Luke’s direction then headed to the end of the bar. “I’ll be back.”
“Why do I feel like we were just warned?”
“He’s just being moody,” Luke said, leaning closer. “You look amazing.” His lips brushed her hair. “And smell incredible. Like Christmas morning and slow kisses.”
“I took a quick shower before I came.” She lowered her voice, “And used pumpkin spice–scented body wash.”
Luke groaned at that image.
“How is the party going?” she asked.
“Better now,” he said, and Kennedy licked her lips, smoothing her hands down her waist and thighs. Luke’s gaze locked on the target, taking his time to absorb every inch of her. She didn’t seem to mind because she was doing a little perusing of her own. Maybe she was thinking back to last night, too. Or this morning.
When the challenge was gone, Luke usually lost interest. He’d never made much of a habit of seeing where things led with women. With this woman, Luke not only knew exactly how it would turn out—a disaster of epic proportions—but couldn’t seem to walk away. Getting his hands, and his mouth, on her had been a mistake.
A mistake he wanted to make over and over until they both passed out from the pleasure.
She cocked her head, and a frown marred her face. Before he could ask what she was up to, she went up on her toes and checked his arms, his neck, behind his ears. Her soft fingers traced as she examined.
“What are you doing?” he asked, not that he minded her hands on him; he just had some other, more creative places she could put them to use.
“Checking for marks.” She laughed. “You had vegetables last night, so I wanted to make sure you didn’t have a reaction.”
“Ha ha. Any more touching and I will have a reaction right here that wouldn’t be conducive to working the room.” He lowered his voice. “And I do have marks, but we’d have to go in the back office for me to show you.”
Two high spots of color dusted her cheeks. “Which wouldn’t be conducive to you working the room. Well, maybe this will help.” She reached into her purse, and Luke’s head spun with all the possibilities. Last time she’d given him a key, then the best sex of his life. Maybe tonight she’d give him her panties. Or maybe it was one of those IOU sex cards.
She handed him a small to-go box. “Pie?”
“It’s a mini pie. I figured you’d be nervous about tonight.”
Luke found himself laughing. “Do you think pie fixes everything?”
“Of course not. Cake and strudel work just as well, and tarts are my personal favorite, but I only had pumpkin and I didn’t want to push my luck.” She handed him the box. “No veggies, I promise. It’s my Everything’s Better with Chocolate chocolate cream pie.”
That it was sans apples meant she’d made it especially for him. On a day that he knew was already crammed full of responsibility, Kennedy had taken the time to bake him something special. “Thank you.”
“I used to make it for my grandma whenever she pulled a double shift or had a hard day. A little sweet to get her though the night, and I know tonight is big for you.”
She was smiling when she said it, but her gaze was filled with a seriousness that forced Luke to clear his throat before he spoke. “What’s the other pie for?”
She looked into her purse and pulled out a second bag. “These are cookies for Ali. She had a big day with a client, too, so I am bringing her double chocolate chunk cookies. Her favorite. Nothing says celebration quite like chocolate.” Before Luke could respond, Hawk was back—all frustrated and pissy.
“Can you get security to throw Ali out?” Hawk asked.
Luke scanned the room until he found Ali, leaning against the pool table with a stick in her hand. “You’re security,” he reminded the guy who was six-five, two-twenty, and known on the ice as the Bone Crusher.
Hawk crossed his arms. “Yeah, well, she’s fleecing Rogers, and tends to do the exact opposite of everything I say, so I’m probably not the best solution.”
Luke sent Hawk a smart-ass smug look. “Is Ali too big of a problem for you?”
“Yes,” Hawk said, dead serious.
Luke wasn’t one to talk, because Kennedy touched his arm, and something stirred within him. She was a problem, all right, but she was the most appealing problem he’d had in years. Sweet, smart, and a breath of fresh air. “I’ll go distract her with cookies.”
He wanted to say he wanted his cookies, too, but Hawk was watching him closely, and Luke didn’t want to waste more of the night convincing the guy that he had this under control.
Because when it came to Kennedy, control was impossible.
“Oh, we’re not fucked at all, are we, bro?” Hawk deadpanned then rolled his eyes like a girl.
Luke poured himself another Scotch. He should be drinking cider. Then again there was a lot he should be doing as of late.
“Hey, Cosmo,” Hawk said as someone slid onto the stool next to Luke. “Glad you could make it.”
“And miss the chance to taste your new line?” Cosmo said, setting his hat, then a bouquet of flowers, on the bar. “Been telling customers for months
about your cider, had to try it for myself to see if it was as good as you say.”
“You won’t be disappointed.” Hawk grabbed a frosted mug out of the freezer and poured Cosmo a glass of their reserve. “What’s with the daisies? Are you here to meet a lady, Cosmo?”
“Got my eyes on someone,” Cosmo said with a sheepish grin. “But you know what they say? Patience and persistence are the keys to happiness.”
Hawk laughed. “And here I thought it was hot women and good cider.”
“This is about a woman,” Cosmo said. “After all these years, I am finally going to get my hands on Fiona’s pies.”
Luke choked. “Aunt Fi is selling you her pies?” This was news. Fiona would rather walk into a burning building coated with gasoline than see her pies in a retail shop.
“Well, not Fiona, but the new owner. Miss Sinclair.”
Luke felt the statement hit, his lungs struggling to work through the confusion. “You made a deal with Kennedy?”
“Yup.” Cosmo took a long drink, even smacking his lips when he was done.
One yup and Hawk looked ready to punch a wall, or Luke. “When did this happen?”
“Last week,” he said, and a strange knot formed in Luke’s chest. Which was all kinds of ridiculous.
So what if he’d opened up about how important tonight was, and Kennedy had had this incredible offer on the table and she didn’t share? So what? It wasn’t like they were dating. Or that this deal could ruin everything for him.
Jesus. It could ruin everything. Every fucking thing that Luke and Hawk had planned, and she didn’t bother to mention it.
To be fair, they didn’t talk business. Sure, he’d told her a few stories about his dad and the party, but it wasn’t as if he got down on one knee.
“Miss Sinclair and I are talking about licensing the rights to sell her Gold Tin HumDingers in all of my stores.” Cosmo raised his glass. “I have high hopes for this one, boys. Fi’s pies deserve to be recognized. Hell, they deserve to be in stores everywhere.”