by Lola Kidd
"You try to be nice. I mean, you hide it, but you still try to be nice. You sent Patrick and Potter on a ski vacation at the last minute just because. Most people wouldn't do that for your servants. Plus, your animal is supposed to be like the truest form of yourself. Like your soul made real or something."
"Sending them on vacation wasn't purely altruistic. That was for my own benefit. I need to keep in their good graces. I ask a lot of them so I have to give as much in return."
She shook her head and locked eyes with him again. "You can't hide from me. You want to seem like you're some jerk, but you aren't. You're a nice guy, Beckett Hansen. Underneath it all, you're good."
It was unnerving the way she stared at him. As if she saw straight through his gruff exterior into the very heart of his soul. He really had gotten himself in trouble when he had hired her.
"I like you," he said. "I like having you around. I think maybe I even..."
He couldn't finish the sentence. He couldn't say it.
"I like you too," she said. "I'm glad I took the job."
"I hope you stick around long after your contract ends."
She nodded. "I hope so too."
He couldn't say it yet, but his bear wasn't going to let him forget this feeling. It wasn't going to let him hide for much longer.
Mate. He was looking at his mate and soon enough he was going to have to let her know. He was going to have to put it all on the line and find out exactly how much Miss Belle liked him.
Chapter Sixteen
The stewardess tapped her on the shoulder. "We're going to be landing in about an hour."
Lenni nodded.
"Thank you," Beckett said.
"Is there anything else you'll need for me?" she looked at them both expectantly.
Lenni shook her head. There wasn't a single thing she needed. It was a short flight, but it was exciting to be flying so much in the last few days. This time they were even taking a private jet. There were no flights from the island to the airport near the Collins' estate.
"Nothing for me either, thank you," Beckett told her. "We won't need anything else for the rest of the flight."
She nodded and left them alone. Lenni leaned back and sighed. She could get used to traveling like this.
"Alone at last," Beckett said arching his eyebrow.
She giggled. "Did you have something in mind?"
He checked his watch. "There's not enough time for that. Why don't you give me a rundown of everything you packed. Take my mind off all the things I would love to be doing instead."
Lenni looked for her phone. "I don't know everything off the top of my head, but I have a list."
And she hadn't been expecting to do this until after they had landed at least. She had other things in mind. They were on a private plane for goodness' sake. Beckett really did take things so slowly. She hadn't been expecting it, but it was nice. She guessed getting to know each other slowly was better than having a fast and passionate affair that burned out quickly.
She knew it was going to be awkward going back to employer-employee relationship after the vacation. Still, this was tough. In her mind, she thought it would be all sexual tension and longing glances. This was so mundane. It was like a switch had been flipped and now they were just back to how they were. There was still a spark between them, but he was having an easy time keeping it under wraps on his end.
"Oh, here's pictures of everything." She handed him her phone and watched as he swiped through the album. "What do you think?"
"It looks good. Potter is already there and you're going to go ahead to meet her. Before you go to your room I would like you to head to Jasper's and make sure all of my stuff is where it needs to be."
She was going to have to work harder to match his cool exterior. His icy professionalism was throwing her off. "Yes, she let me know what was going to happen when she called me. She wanted to make sure I had a dress for the wedding."
"You don't have to wear anything special if you don't have it. I'm not sure if I'll need you at the wedding. The people who are looking after Jasper's brothers will be keeping an eye on me and my things too." He didn't even look at her as he said it.
Lenni swallowed around the lump in her throat. "Potter invited me to come as her guest. That way I wouldn't have to sit around while everyone had a fun time."
"Oh, how nice of her." He took the paper from next to his chair and looked for the last page he had read.
Lenni looked out the window and held back tears. She was being silly. Obviously, he wanted to get back into the professional relationship quickly. He didn't have to be any more clear with her. It was fine. It didn't lessen the connection they had, and it wasn't like they had even talked about going to the wedding as boyfriend and girlfriend or something. She was making too big a deal out of this. She had a job to do and she was going to do it well. They would have all the time in the world to figure out where their relationship was going after this wedding.
Once they landed, it was easy to spot Potter next to a sleek town car.
"There she is." Lenni got up once the stewardess said it was okay. She put her hand out to Beckett. "Thank you again for taking me with you. I had a lovely time."
He eyed her hand but shook it anyway. "No problem. I had a great time too."
She had only one small bag, so it was easy to get herself off the plane.
"How's the trip?" Potter asked as Lenni swung her suitcase into the trunk. She had expected the driver to do it, but she guessed that was only something they did for the rich guests, not the help.
"Wonderful." She couldn't mention anything about what had transpired between her and Beckett. That was for the two of them. There was still lots of exciting things for her to tell Potter about. "I got to see turtles and a turtle shifter. And we went ziplining one of the days. Mostly, we just sat around the beach and relaxed. It was great. How about you?"
"Well, I got to ski at one of the premier resorts in the entire world. I didn't spend much time relaxing next to a fire, but I had a great trip. It was nice going away with Beckett. He didn't work you too hard I hope. I know how demanding he can be even on vacation."
Lenni snorted. "I didn't work at all."
Potter's eyebrows rose. "I have never been able to take a trip with him where he didn't make me work. Patrick either. You must have cast some spell on him to get a break the whole time."
"Just lucky I guess."
Lenni looked out the window while Potter described her trip for the rest of the drive. It was shorter than she had imagined. The Collinses basically had an airport in their backyard. She thought Beckett's house was big, but it was nothing compared to this. When people talked about estates, this was what they meant. There was enough room for her entire block to fit on their grounds.
They drove around to one of the guest homes where Jasper and his bride-to-be were living.
"I'll just take a quick trip in to make sure his things are here," Lenni told Potter.
"Sure thing, dear. Want me to come with you?"
"No, I'm fine."
She wasn't, but she didn't want to make this little detour longer than it needed to be. She wanted to get everything checked out and then get to her room. She needed time alone. Maybe once she was by herself, she would be able to get back in the groove. This beach vacation had thrown her off her game.
Chapter Seventeen
Beckett smiled when pulling up to the familiar house. His oldest friend was waiting for him outside "What took you so long?"
Jasper laughed and pulled him into a bear hug. "Shouldn't I be asking you that?"
"Don't tell me I missed the baby?" Beckett looked into the house behind, hoping to see Leah.
"You did. You shouldn't have taken so long." Jasper pointed to the driver and then Beckett's carry-on bag. "His room is the third on the right, thank you."
He turned back to Beckett. "Sorry to tell you that your new assistant is going to have to stay in a different house. We're all full up tonigh
t and my place is for boys only. My brothers are staying here, while their wives will be at the other house."
Beckett stiffened. "She's staying with Potter."
Jasper laughed and looked at him sidelong. "I was only kidding. She told me where she was staying. And so did Potter when she first got here."
Beckett's heart hammered against his ribcage. "I knew that. I was just kidding too. But only a little. I could see you having your assistants here 24/7. You're a pretty soft guy. You can barely take care of yourself."
He forced a laugh that sounded fake to his own ears. Jasper only shrugged and let him inside.
He was being too obvious. This was his old friend and they were at his wedding celebration. He didn't know why this was so hard for him. It wasn't like he'd never dated before.
It felt different this time, but that didn't mean that he had to be so awkward about it all. Not that they were even dating. They hadn't talked about anything like that yet. Maybe that's why it was so weird? As soon as this whole wedding thing was over, he would sit her down and lay it all out. How is bear felt, what he was thinking, the whole shebang. But not now. He couldn't do it now. These next few days weren't about him. It was about Jasper and his big day.
"I really wanted Potter to enjoy her time here and not feel like she had to wait on me," he told Jasper. "I really did her a favor hiring Lenni to come along and assist."
"Sure, man. Whatever you say. Hiring a beautiful young woman was all for Potter and not an ounce for you." Jasper rolled his eyes.
"Glad we could clear that up." Beckett took a seat in the living room.
"You want a beer?" Jasper opened the mini fridge under the end table. Bottles of milk had replaced all the usual beer and soda.
"Can I get one of those bottles?" Beckett joked. "I prefer one of the small ones. Too full for a tall one right now."
Jasper looked into the fridge and laughed. "Damn. All of these are going to have to get thrown away. I thought we had packed everything before she left."
"No worries, man. I think I'd like to rest."
"All that relaxing must have made you tired, huh?"
Beckett nodded. "You know it."
"It's cool, I'm pretty tired too. The tent went up today and everything is falling into place. Things have been going so smoothly it's scary. I've never had an event come together so well. We're only two days out and not a single problem. Just two more nights and boom, I'll be a married man. Can you believe it?"
A tinge of jealousy shivered down Beckett's spine. "I can't, but I'm happy for you, man. I don't have enough good things to say about Lenni... I mean Leah. I can't say enough about Leah."
He cursed himself. Their names began with the same letter, but the two women neither looked nor acted anything alike. There was no reason for him to be saying his assistant's name right now. He shouldn't even be thinking about her.
"Since you brought her up again, I have to know, how was your little romantic vacation?"
"What?" It was the most intelligent thing Beckett could think to say. There's no way that Potter said anything about the vacation he and Lenni took. It was in no way romantic either. "We just went to the beach. We didn't stay in the same room or anything."
"Really? I could have sworn it was a romantic vacation. At least that's what they said on the website." Jasper scrolled through his phone for a moment and showed it to Beckett. "That's you two right? She really looks great."
His heart fell to his feet. He leaned back on the sofa muttering curses.
There were pictures of him and Lenni frolicking on the beach with the turtles. They had even drawn hearts over his eyes and between the two of them in some of the pictures. "They must have been miles from the beach using long lenses. I didn't see anyone close taking our pictures. This kind of thing hasn't happened at this place before. That's why I chose it."
Jasper nodded. "It doesn't change how you look at her though. Is there going be a another wedding soon?"
"I didn't want these pictures getting out. That means there are going to be more paparazzi for your wedding." Beckett groaned. He wasn't going to answer Jasper's question. "I'm so sorry I let this get out."
"Don't worry about it. You couldn't do anything about this."
There was creaking on the stairs and Beckett stood up quickly.
"I thought I heard your voice. Glad you made it safely," Lenni greeted him from the stairs. "I've set everything up in your room and there doesn't seem to be any problems. Would you like me come by tomorrow morning and pick out your clothes?"
"I don't think so, but I'll let you know if I need you," Beckett told her. "I think I can handle it all from here. I'll meet you after the wedding to make sure everything of mine is packed back up and gets to the plane on time."
Lenni nodded. "What are you looking at?"
"Very nice pictures of you two," Jasper chuckled.
Beckett shot daggers at him with his eyes. "Paparazzi got us from offshore."
He showed her the phone. She paled but quickly recovered. "Well at least I looked good. I'm glad I was wearing those shorts. I mean, I could've been sunbathing topless or something. These are pretty great all things considered."
"That's the spirit," Jasper told her. "You can't take these paparazzi things too seriously."
Lenni zoomed in and showed him the picture again. "My legs look so long. I never look this good when I take pictures myself. Maybe I should have these guys follow me around more often. I had no idea I could look like a model."
He wanted to tell her that she looked like a model every day. Hell, she looked better than a model, but that wouldn't be appropriate right now.
"You wouldn't say that if they followed you around everywhere," he grumbled. "This is your first time. Give it a few more days, you'll think differently."
She smiled and shook her head. "If you say so. Well, I'll get out of your hair. Have fun guys."
He hoped this paparazzi thing was a one-time thing. He didn't like how excited she got from her own picture, but Jasper was right. It was better to let it roll off your back than to make it a big thing. In the future, he would be more careful. He didn't need any more pictures of him and Lenni floating around.
It was a good thing he wouldn't be seeing her for the rest of the wedding. There wouldn't be any more chances for them to get her picture.
Chapter Eighteen
"Are you almost ready, dear?" Potter asked her through the door.
"Almost?" Lenni called back. She was not almost ready. She had her dress on, but she couldn't decide how she was going to do her makeup. She had thought it all out the night before when Potter asked her to come with her to the "rehearsal dinner." It was just a meet and greet dinner for Jasper and Leah's closest friends and family. Both Potter and Beckett had been invited, and Lenni had planned on spending the night relaxing.
Unexpectedly, Potter has asked her to come with. She had a dress, the same one she'd worn to dinner with Beckett on the island. It was a little naked for a formal dinner, but this was a hip restaurant that had a club attached. It was more of a drinking establishment than a dining one Potter assured her. But now she was panicking. What if Beckett didn't want her there? He hadn't asked her after all.
If she showed up looking sexy, it might reflect badly on him or Potter. She didn't want to embarrass anyone. A barely-there dress and sexy makeup would make her look like a streetwalker. She needed to come up with a whole new makeup look in the next two minutes or she and Potter were going to be late. And the last thing she wanted was to call more attention to herself when she showed up.
"Dear, that sounded like a question." Potter knocked on the door when she didn't answer. "Lenore? Are you in there still?"
"I'm here." She grabbed her mascara and hastily put on three coats, then reached for a her favorite lipstick. It hadn't let her down yet, and this seemed a great time to break it out again. Red lips and mascara. She had great skin so she could pull this look off. It was chic. She would spend the whole night pret
ending she was a chic, aloof French woman. They didn't wear makeup, right? And she could use some sophistication. She would be spending the evening with billionaires and their gorgeous partners after all.
"Do you think you'll be coming out soon?"
"I do." Lenni took a deep breath and slipped her lipstick into her clutch before exiting the bathroom. Potter's eyes bulged and she wolf-whistled.
"I guess I'll have the hottest woman in the room on my arm tonight. Goodness dear, if I'd known you were going to look like that I would have warned poor Leah. You better have something much frumpier for tomorrow."
Lenni smiled and looked at the floor. "Go on. I won't look as nice as Leah. This dress cost less than a hundred dollars. I'm sure she's wearing something designer that literally cost a million bucks."
"It doesn't matter how much what you're wearing costs. It matters how it looks on you. And you, my dear, look like a million dollars. Beckett is going to be so jealous that I asked you first."
Lenni's head snapped up. "Was he going to ask me to come?"
"I'm sure he was. He asked me what you were doing tonight and I told him you were accompanying me to the dinner. He sounded disappointed."
"Disappointed that I was coming or you asked me first?"
"I'm not sure. Does it matter?" Potter grabbed her clutch from the front table. "Are you ready?"
"Yes."
It did matter, Lenni thought as they pulled away from the guest house. It mattered a lot. If Beckett didn't want her to come, it was going to be a disaster. His entire family would be there and many of his closest friends. This may as well be an event for him too. He and Jasper were close with so many of the same people. It was insane she didn't ask him before accepting the invitation. She was overstepping her bounds. She should have been more considerate of his feelings.
He had stressed that he wanted this to be a professional time. He hadn't even driven with her to Jasper's house. What was wrong with her? One little weekend trip and she was already acting like they were something serious.
By the time they got to the restaurant, she was in a tizzy. She didn't even remember what she and Potter had talked about the entire way there.