She frowned, and he could almost see the gears turning in her head. “What is it?” he asked.
“Gavin never told me you were childhood friends.”
He glanced down at her smooth fingers, remembering how they felt against his skin. “I wouldn’t be too hard on him. Gavin has a lot of secrets.” They both did.
“So, you both hung out with your brother?” she asked after a long moment.
“When he’d let us, yes. Sometimes he kept to himself.” Tate shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “Rob always marched to the beat of his own drummer and never got along well with my dad. The two of them fought all the time. In fact, Rob died in that motorcycle accident after one of their big fights.”
“Your father must have felt awful about that.”
“Yeah, he did.”
“What happened?” When Tate didn’t immediately respond, she added, “After your brother died?”
Tate steeled his jaw as memories of countless etiquette lessons, social engagements, and business dealings bubbled to the surface of his mind. “My father and I both mourned him in our own individual way.”
“You didn’t talk about it?”
“No. My father threw himself into his work.”
“What about our mother?”
“She died when I was still a baby. I never really knew her. My brother and father were all I had.”
“And after your brother died, you were all your father had. It must have been so lonely for both of you.”
Guilt sliced through Tate over how he had abandoned his father. He pushed it aside. “You get by, I guess.”
“We’re both alike in that regard.” When he flashed her a questioning look, she continued. “We were both lonely growing up.”
“True…but we’re not lonely now.”
“No, we’re not,” she agreed.
“I’m glad I found you, Zoe.”
“I’m glad I found you, too.”
He hooked his finger under her chin and lifted her head until she met his gaze. “I wish you told me how serious your money problems were before this,” he said.
“My mother’s care is my problem, Tate. Not yours. Besides, once I get that commission, I’ll be able to catch up on my medical bills.”
“Until you fall behind again,” Tate added.
“Well, there’s that. My salary isn’t enough to cover expenses each month, and I can’t count on there being huge Sadie Harris-like commissions to bail me out all the time. I’m going to have to get a little creative if I want to keep making ends meet, but that’s a problem for after the wedding. Right now, I just need to get my head back up above water.”
He twisted his hand and brushed his fingers along her cheek. “You have shouldered this burden alone for so long. There must be something I can do to help you.”
Tears shone bright in her eyes. “I appreciate the gesture, but unless you have a big pile of money sitting around, there’s nothing you can do.”
A big pile of money… Of course. Why didn’t he think of this before? He had his trust fund, which would be more than enough to cover Zoe’s expenses. Of course, touching his trust fund would mean that he lost the deal. His father would see the withdrawal and expect him to come home and run the family business. That was okay, though. Tate had planned on coming clean with his dad after the wedding anyway.
He slid his arm around her shoulder and leaned back in the swing.
“Don’t worry darlin’. Everything will turn out just fine. You’ll see.”
Chapter Ten
Several days later, Tate walked into the small resort cafe and scanned the tables. It was the middle of the afternoon, long after the lunch-hour rush, but even so the small dining area was filled with people laughing, talking, and munching on the elegant desserts served from behind the counter in the back.
Gavin signaled to him from a table by the window. Tate waved back and started to navigate the maze of people toward his friend. When he finally pulled out the seat, Gavin leaned back and chuckled.
“I thought I was going to have to go down to the site myself and drag you away kicking and screaming.”
“Nah, I just needed to finish up the altar before I took a break. It looks quite elegant, if I do say so myself. I think Zoe will be pleased.” Tate waved down a server and ordered an iced tea. After working in the sun all morning, he didn’t need anything hot to drink.
“You guys have been working hard,” Gavin said as the server walked away.
“Yeah. The men have been working overtime. A week ago I didn’t think we’d make Zoe’s deadline, but now that we have all of the pews and altar built—”
“Now?” Gavin raised his brows.
Tate shrugged. “Anything is possible.”
Gavin let out a bark of laughter and shook his head.
“What’s so funny?” Tate asked.
“You.” He took a sip of coffee and grinned. “Zoe said the very same thing this morning.”
“She did?” Tate leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms. “Must be a coincidence.”
“I don’t think so.” Gavin put down his coffee and studied Tate’s face a moment before continuing. “In fact, Zoe’s the reason why I wanted to talk to you.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” He held up his hands in mock surrender. “In fact, everything is going amazingly well. Zoe has a constant grin on her face, and she told me that she received a surprise this morning that was going to make all of her problems with Sadie go away.” Gavin leaned his elbows on the table and lowered his voice. “You wouldn’t happen to have anything to do with that surprise, would you?”
Tate waited to answer while the server brought him his iced tea. “So what if I did?” he asked once she left. “It isn’t a crime to help out a friend, is it?”
Gavin snorted and sat back in his chair. “Not unless helping a friend gets you in trouble.” He picked up his coffee cup, then put it down again without taking a sip. “You didn’t dip into your trust fund, did you?”
Tate took a long sip of his tea before replying. “Maybe.”
“Jesus, Tate.” Gavin slapped the table with his palm, drawing the attention of the people around them. “Why would you do something so stupid? You know your father is going to find out.”
Tate glanced around at the crowd in the cafe, fully aware of all the people listening to the conversation.
“It doesn’t matter. I was planning on going home after the wedding anyway.”
“You’re going to run the family business?”
“No, but I’m going to see my dad. He’s already been asking me to come home for weeks now. It’s time that I stopped avoiding him and let him know that I’m never going to be part of that life.”
Gavin leaned on the table once more and lowered his voice. “You forget, Tate. I’m your best friend. I’ve seen what your father has done to you.” He shook his head. “You know that once you step foot in that mansion, he’ll twist you around his finger. The man is just too powerful. You can’t go back.”
Tate took a sip of his tea and said nothing.
“The only reason why your father let you walk away from the family business in the first place was because you convinced him that you didn’t need his money.” He pressed his finger into the table. “This is going to make him feel vindicated. If you thought he was tough before, he’ll be even tougher now because he’ll want to teach you a lesson.”
“I’m not my brother, Gavin. I won’t crack under the pressure like he did.”
“So you’re going to let him run your life?”
“I didn’t say that. I’m going to visit and talk to him. Lay everything out and let him know that I’m done playing his games. I have my own life now, and it doesn’t involve money or oil.”
“And your father won’t believe you because you dipped into your trust fund. Don’t you get it? You might have had a leg to stand on before, but taking out that money will give your father an advantage. He’ll feel justified
in everything he did to you as a kid. He’ll insist on protecting you by cutting you off from everything you love.” Gavin shook his head. “I just don’t get it. Why would you do anything so stupid?”
Why, indeed? While it was true that Tate didn’t need the money, he knew that Zoe did. The other night, after he confessed about his brother, they retreated into the condo to talk. For the first time since he’d met her, they had spent the entire night talking. He spoke of how much he missed his brother. She talked about how difficult it was to watch her mother’s health deteriorate and how nice it was to finally have someone to talk to.
He was amazed at the hardships Zoe had endured up until this point. He admired her courage and sense of family commitment. While he was running away from his responsibilities, Zoe was facing them head-on and working for change. He had never met someone so determined, or so resourceful, in his entire life.
He felt unworthy of her and wanted to change that. It was because of Zoe that Tate realized he had to stop running. It was time to face his father and his responsibilities.
“I know what I did when I touched that money,” he said. “But it was worth it. She was worth it.”
“I hope you’re right,” Gavin said as he finished his coffee. “You gonna tell her?”
“I had thought about it, but no, I’m not. I don’t want to weigh her down with my problems. She has enough to worry about.”
Gavin shook his head. “So you’re dipping into your trust fund—guaranteeing yourself a miserable fight with your father—and getting nothing in return.”
Tate flashed him a half smile. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”
“You’ve changed, my friend.”
“I guess I have.”
“You better be careful, or that woman will have you giving all of your money away to charity.”
Tate laughed.
“Speaking of which…” Gavin nodded toward the door to the cafe. “Here she comes now.” He stood and picked up his empty cup. “Hey Zoe.”
“You don’t have to leave on my account.” She gave him a hug.
“I have to get back to work. Besides—” He glanced at Tate. “I would only feel like a third wheel.” He winked at her and left before Tate could say anything.
“I didn’t mean to intrude,” she said.
“You weren’t.” He fought the urge to kiss her—things were still too unsettled at the resort and he didn’t want to get her in trouble. Instead, he motioned her to the chair opposite him. “You texted that you had something to tell me.”
“I do.” She grinned as she slid into the seat. “The best thing happened to me this morning. You’re never going to believe it.”
Oh, he’d believe it, and as Tate listened to her tell the story, he couldn’t help but feel that he’d done the right thing. Sure, he’d have to suffer the consequences, but Zoe’s smile made everything worth it. The woman positively glowed, and Tate knew that he would remember that smile for the rest of his life.
…
It had been a couple of weeks since Zoe had received that anonymous letter and cashier’s check. At first, she had worried over who had given her such a large sum of money. The check was not only enough to cover all of the co-payments for her mother in that elite facility, but it paid for the next twelve months of her care. It had come with a mysterious note, one which thanked her for going “above and beyond” in her duties as wedding planner. At first, she had thought the note had come from Sadie, but the singer denied knowing anything about it. She had talked it over at length with Tate, who seemed disinterested in her theories.
“Don’t worry about where the money came from,” he had said. “The point is that someone appreciates your work and gave you a bonus. Stop worrying and just enjoy the moment.”
Enjoy the moment. In the end, she couldn’t find the mysterious benefactor, so she couldn’t thank them for such a generous gift. While it bothered her to keep the money without a thank you, in the end, she decided to take Tate’s advice. After the Harris-Potts wedding, she would travel back to North Carolina so she could visit her mother. She couldn’t remember the last time they had talked face to face.
Things were going smoothly with the wedding, too. Thanks to the arrangement she had with Tate, the construction crew had been working overtime and it looked like the chapel would get done on time. All of the furniture had been imported or built, and the flowers for the garden had come in. Tate had come up with the brilliant idea of using wood from the island to construct the skeleton of the building, since none of it would be visible. An outline of the chapel now stood tall and proud underneath the hot Caribbean sun. They were still waiting for the pink ivory to finish the structure, but Tate assured her that the shipment would come in any day now. Once the outside of the building was finished, all they’d need would be those damn rainbow bushes, and they’d be done.
Which was good, because the wedding was only ten days away.
Zoe had mixed feelings about the event. While she was glad to be finished with Sadie and her demands, she knew that the event would mark the end of her time with Tate as well. He’d told her that he’d be returning to Texas to finish some business there, but had never mentioned how long he’d be gone, or if he planned to return to the island to see her. Despite how much fun they seemed to have together, despite how close they’d become, he’d given no indication that things might continue after the wedding.
The knowledge hung like a dark cloud over her head. She’d come to depend on his quiet and steady presence. She looked forward to his comforting embrace, and how he quietly encouraged her decisions about the wedding. She knew that she never would have weathered Sadie’s drama without his help. It was going to be difficult to manage all of her daily pressures once he finally left the island.
“What’s the matter?” Tate asked one night after their lovemaking. “You seem a little distant.”
She didn’t want to tell him her real thoughts—that she didn’t know how she was going to manage without him—so she searched her mind to give him some other plausible explanation for her behavior.
“I got a call from Sadie today.”
They had been lounging in his bed at the trailer, and he leaned up on his elbow to look at her. “Was it about the roses again?”
Zoe couldn’t help but smile. Sadie was still intent on having rainbow rose bushes at her wedding, despite Zoe telling her that they didn’t exist. “No, not this time. She wanted to know if the chapel was ready.”
“And you told her…”
“I told her it was.”
He frowned. “But it isn’t.”
“I know that, but she doesn’t know that.” Zoe sighed. “I’ve been giving her excuses on why she couldn’t see pictures for weeks now, and she’s starting to become suspicious. Besides, it’ll be done soon. I figure, what she doesn’t know won’t hurt her. I just wanted her to get off my back for a little bit.”
He smiled and skimmed his finger along her jaw. “Smart woman.”
“I thought so.” She leaned forward and gave him a kiss. As their lips touched, her phone started to ring.
Tate groaned as she started to pull away. “It can wait.”
“It might be important.”
“It’s eight o’clock on a Monday night. What could possibly be so important?”
She gave him a playful slap on the arm. “It might be from my mom’s nurse. I’ll only be a minute.” She reached over for her purse and fished out her phone before he could protest any further.
“Oh no,” she said as she sat up and looked at the text on her screen.
“What?” Tate sat up and peered over her shoulder.
“It’s a text from Sadie. She’s cleared her schedule and she and Kaleb are coming tomorrow to see the chapel themselves. She’s really excited to see what we’ve done.” Zoe’s heart sank as she lowered her phone and turned to Tate. “What am I going to do? She’s going to be furious.”
He kissed her shoulder. “I’m sure it will be
fine.”
“No, it won’t.” She got out of bed and went to the window as panic gripped her chest. “There is so much pressure on me to make her happy, Tate. Sadie has a lot of influence. One tweet or status update from her—good or bad—could really impact the resort.”
“I’m sure it’s not as bad as you think.” Tate came up behind her and put his arms around her middle. “But if you want, I can try to handle it.”
“What?” She turned in his arms to face him. “I can’t let you do that.”
“Why not?”
“Sadie is my responsibility.”
He kissed the base of her neck, right on the sensitive spot above her shoulder. “I’ve dealt with her kind before.”
She turned in his arms so she could get a better look at him. “When?”
“It doesn’t matter. Let me do this for you.”
“I can’t lose this account.”
He kissed the tip of her nose. “You won’t.”
Zoe looked up at his face. He seemed so sincere. More than anything she wanted to believe him, but how often did a construction company owner have to deal with someone like Sadie? Sure, he may have done construction in one of the gated communities in the States, but how many rich people took an interest in the day-to-day activities of a construction company? He probably dealt with assistants or other support staff.
She shook her head. “She’s a high-society snob without a conscience or a care for others. You work in construction. When would you have dealt with someone like her?”
He hesitated for a moment, then kissed her forehead. “Trust me. I may not know Sadie, but I know her type. I can handle it.”
“No.” Zoe rested her head on his shoulder. “I have to deal with this. It’s part of the job.”
“Let me go with you for moral support, then.” Tate led her back to bed. “Who knows? I might be able to divert her attention and help smooth things over.”
“I don’t know…”
“If nothing else, you can blame me. I can take full responsibility for the chapel not being done. That way she’ll be angry at me, not you.” He kissed her forehead. “Now that we have that out of the way…” He tugged her down onto the mattress and kissed her until she no longer thought of Sadie, weddings, or anything else but the wonderful man in her arms.
Secret Games (Tropical Temptation) Page 9