by Jeff Adams
Best of all, the night ended with a kiss. When he brought me back to my hotel, he gave me the sweetest kiss that I was all too happy to return. I went to my room deliriously happy. And, while I wanted to have sex with Miles, I was glad we weren’t moving that fast. The good-night kiss was the right cap for the evening.
By the time lunch rolled around the next day, I’d already sent six business reviews to Alberto. To celebrate, I invited Miles to eat with me.
“This is becoming a thing.” Miles dropped into the seat across from me in the booth. “We’re eating together more often than not. People may talk.”
“You mean they’re not already?”
He laughed, and I loved being the reason for it. There was no doubt now that I was falling for Miles. I just wasn’t sure what that meant in the long term, and for now, I didn’t care.
“You know small towns?” he asked.
“I know that your family goes back a ways here and I’m sure everyone keeps an eye on you. Plus, I’ve gotten extra smiles and nods on the street these past couple of days. I’m thinking people approve.”
“Well, you’re here past end of season, which already makes you extra special. But, yeah, people are talking.”
My face warmed in embarrassment, even though I already suspected I was the subject of town gossip.
“Don’t worry. It’s good talk. There was even a message from my mom when I got home last night because the news reached her and she wanted details.”
“No,” I said in shock as my face went from warm to blazing hot. “She did not.”
“Scout’s honor.” Miles raised the three fingers in the proper salute.
“Oh my God.” I dropped my head into my hands, mortified it’d gone that far.
“It’s okay.” He pulled one of my hands toward him and wrapped it in his strong, callused grip that I’d already come to love. I wondered often what those hands would feel like exploring my naked body. “What I went through with my last guy is pretty well-known, so folks are watchin’ out for me.”
“Hey, Miles.” A waitress came up to our table. “What can I get you guys?”
“Tina, this is Jordan.” I gave a nod, and Miles let go of my hand.
“I’ve seen you around. Nice to finally meet you.”
“You trust me?” Miles pierced me with those hazel eyes. I’d have said yes anyway, but his look gave me little choice.
“Of course.”
“Okay, we’ll go with burgers, medium. Tell Marty to use the maple bacon and throw an onion ring and pepper jack on it. Oh, the special toasted bun too.”
“Fries?” Tina asked.
“Of course.” Miles made it sound like she was crazy to ask the question.
“Drink?”
He looked at me and raised an eyebrow.
“Up to you.” He’d done great so far, so I saw no reason to stop him from completing the order.
“Gotta go with root beer, then.”
“You got it.” Tina leaned in and whispered near my ear. “You’re in for the best burger ever.”
A grin broke out across my face. She bounced up and headed behind the counter to put the order in.
“And here I thought it was just a normal lunch,” I said.
The diner’s door opened with such force the bells sounded like they were hanging on for dear life. My back was to the door so I couldn’t see who came in making such a racket, but Miles made a face of scorn.
“What?” I asked so I wouldn’t have to turn around.
“You should see this guy. Fancy-looking suit, fancy overcoat. Don’t usually see that in the middle of the day here. I mean he’s dressed beyond what the Grand requires for dinner. And he’s looking around like he’s meeting someone.”
“Jordan.” My blood went cold. “There you are.”
I turned to find Drake coming toward the table.
“Fuck me,” I said softly as I turned back to Miles.
“What kind of godforsaken place is this? I have to take a carriage or bicycle from the airport? How do you deal with that?”
He stopped at the edge of the table, looking at me and not acknowledging Miles. Everyone eyed him, diners and staff alike. I’d have been okay if the bench swallowed me up so I didn’t have to deal with this.
“How the hell did you find me here?”
“Since you didn’t tell me where you were staying—and, again you weren’t answering your phone—I had my assistant waste his time calling around until he found it.” He made it clear to everyone sitting within earshot how much he’d been inconvenienced. “So I came up here. Of course, you weren’t in your room, but as I was walking around, I saw you in the window here.” We stared at each other for a moment. “Are you going to scoot over?” he asked coolly after I didn’t move or speak.
“No.” I sounded far calmer than I felt. “I’m having lunch. Drake, this is—”
“Come on,” he interrupted before I could introduce Miles, “you need to at least talk to me since I managed to get here.”
“No. I kinda don’t. Whatever you had to say could’ve been done on the phone or waited until I got back to Chicago.”
“That’s days away.”
He looked at me expectantly. One of the looks he often used on people to get what he wanted. I let him use it on me at times when it was just easier to relent. I didn’t want to make a scene, but I wasn’t giving in either.
“Just go. Get back on the plane and go home. We’ll talk next week.” I shot an apologetic look at Miles. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m in the middle of lunch.”
“You don’t get to brush me off.”
“This fancy man bothering you?” Tina had just the right amount of disdain in her voice. It was difficult not to smile at her. I had the feeling she’d throw him out if I asked her to.
“Yes.” I pushed out of the booth so fast that Drake had to dodge out of my way. I looked to Miles and Tina. “Will you make sure my lunch stays warm, please?”
“You got it,” she said, as if I was one of her regulars.
I snatched Drake’s hand and dragged him from the diner. The more he tried to take his hand back, the more my grip tightened. At least outside his yelling wouldn’t interrupt people’s meals. Of course, diners would no doubt watch our show through the window.
“Why, Drake? What made you think coming here was the right thing to do?”
“Is that man why you’re staying here?”
“Miles is my client.” Drake didn’t need to know that there was more going on than that.
“Is Alberto okay with you being up here so long?”
“That’s not your concern. Should I be asking if your boss is okay with you being here in the middle of the week?”
I felt bad going for the jugular. It was always a sticking point for Drake that even though he was only an executive vice president in his firm, I was copresident and cofounder in mine. I outranked him and had no one to answer to except my equal partner and myself.
“Everything okay, Jordan?” It was Mrs. Tanner, the owner of the inn I was staying at. She parked her bike on the rack next to us.
“Yes, ma’am, just a slight disagreement. Sorry to have disturbed you.”
“Oh, it’s no bother.” She waved her hand in front of her face as if clearing a bad smell. “Just wanted to make sure that one of my favorite guests wasn’t having trouble.”
“It’s none of your concern even if he is,” Drake sneered.
Mrs. Tanner didn’t even flinch. I suspected she saw all kinds at the inn. With one more look of concern, she went into the diner.
“You need to go.” I hoped the firmer I sounded, the more the message would get through to him.
“I’m sorry.” He was calmer but still exasperated. “It’s just…. How am I supposed to make up with you if you’re up here?”
He reached out and ran his hand over my flannel shirtsleeve. I didn’t want him touching me, but I knew if I pulled back, he’d start yelling again. I took a deep breath,
letting the smell of the clean air, mixed with a bit of fudge help me keep my emotions in check.
“What can I do to fix this?”
“Nothing. It’s been months now, Drake. You need to let us go.”
“Come on, we were together long enough we have to at least try.”
He stepped closer and tried to kiss me. This time I backed away. After the kisses I’d had from Miles, I didn’t want one of his, which in no way compared to Miles’s.
“No.”
As if he hadn’t heard me, he continued forward and managed to get his lips on mine before I shoved him back.
“I said no!” My anger unleashed.
“Why are you making this so hard?” He matched my pissed off tone.
The bells on the diner door jingled, but my attention stayed on Drake—at least until a hand came down on my shoulder. I looked to my left and found Miles.
“Everything okay out here?” he asked.
“No. It isn’t okay.” Drake was barely hanging on to his patience. “Why can’t everyone mind their own business?”
“Drake was just leaving,” I said.
“Not until we talk.”
“I think he said you were leaving.” Miles stepped up on Drake. He was imposing, and I was grateful I’d never brought this out in him. “You’re not from around here, so I tried to give you the benefit of the doubt. But you were rude to Mrs. Tanner and to Jordan. I think you should be on your way.”
The wheels were spinning in Drake’s head. He wasn’t often at a loss for words and it frustrated him when he was. Apparently, Miles was more than he was ready to handle.
“We just need to talk,” Drake sputtered.
Miles looked to me.
“Not right now we don’t,” I said. “He just needs to go back to the airport.”
“That I can help with.” Miles stepped out into the street for a moment and I saw why. “Caleb?” He flagged down the carriage.
Caleb pulled to the curb on the opposite side of the street.
“Yeah, boss?” the young man shouted over.
“Can you do a pickup?”
“Sure can. Just did a drop at the ferry.”
“Perfect. Mr.…” Miles looked to me for the missing word.
“Billings,” I added, drawing a flash of anger from Drake.
“Mr. Billings needs to get to the airport.” Miles swung back around to Drake. “There’s a ride for you, on the house. He’ll get you to the airport so you can be on your way with no more bother.”
Drake and I stared each other down. It felt like the world stopped until he eventually broke the stare and walked away.
“Did you catch that, Caleb? It’s no charge for our friend here.”
“Got it. I’ll be back to the stable as soon as I’m done.”
Drake fumbled his way into the passenger area, continuing to stare at me. If he was trying for a guilt trip, it didn’t work.
Miles and I watched until the carriage was out of sight.
“Who the hell was that?” Miles turned his full attention on me. He wasn’t happy. “And why was he trying to kiss you?”
“That was my ex.”
I didn’t know what else to say. How much detail would Miles even want?
Miles’s look was skeptical. “That looked more like a lover’s spat.”
I sighed and managed to keep looking at Miles rather than away. “He’s got this weird idea we should get back together. I tried to fix things for so long before I broke it off. I’ve no idea why he’s making these overtures now.”
He nodded. “I wish you’d told me about him.”
“I would’ve when we got to that talk. It’s not like I know about your exes.”
“Point taken,” he said, a smile returning.
Tina knocked on the diner window nearest us and motioned for us to come back inside. The confrontation made me hungrier, so I was even more ready for that burger.
“Glad that’s over with,” Tina said as we returned to our table. “I wasn’t sure how much longer Miles’s jealousy was going to be contained. I’ll get your lunch.”
“I wasn’t jealous,” Miles called after her. “I wasn’t,” he added, quieter, to me.
“Yes, you were,” Tina said as she put plates in front of us. She leaned in closer to us and whispered, “Miles Colter, don’t make me take a poll of the people in here. They saw exactly what I saw.”
Miles studied his food intensely, moving fries around the plate. “Was not.”
He sounded like a child who knew he’d done something wrong, but was sticking to his story. It was sweet and just another signal that this guy was special. Was he as special as Elise was to Richard? Would I do something crazy to be with him—like travel back in time? Or try a long-distance relationship?
Tina laughed softly. “Whatever you say, sweetie.” She squeezed Miles’s shoulder. “Let me know if you guys need anything.”
We shared a smile before she moved a couple of tables down.
“He’s an ass.” Miles dressed his burger while I busied myself putting mine together too.
“Yeah, although that was a new level of ass. I’m sorry you got pulled into it.”
“’S okay. I suspected you had it, but I thought adding backup would help make him get outta here faster.”
“Worked like a charm. And I liked you in protector role.”
He grinned, in an aw-shucks way that was too cute for words.
“So was he always like that with you?” He got the question out between bites.
“He pushes to get what he wants. Though he was being more adamant than usual just now. He doesn’t usually mind a scene either. He believes it gives him the upper hand. Sometimes, I admit, I’d go along to get him to shut up, but I wasn’t having it today.”
“I thought he might hit you once you backed up from his kiss.”
“Feeling was mutual on that one.” I chuckled. “I was ready to clobber him. I wish he’d thrown a punch. I would’ve definitely ended that fight.”
“As long as we’re talking exes, my last boyfriend was eighteen months ago. He’d moved to the island thinking it was the perfect place to work on his sculptures. We were together over a year, but as his second winter approached, he decided he didn’t want this much isolation and cold. He bailed and went to New Mexico for the desert.”
“From one extreme to another,” I said.
Miles nodded. “He asked if I’d go with him, which I appreciated. But this is my home. I can’t imagine being anywhere else. Of course, when I retire, maybe I’ll move like my folks did. But I don’t see that happening anytime soon. And now we’ve got the ex talk out of the way.”
There was also no doubt on how he felt about this place. I was going to have to think about if this was going to be a long-distance thing, or would it be just a few vacation dates? Was he having similar thoughts?
Chapter Twelve
“HAVE YOU started taking drugs?” Alberto asked out of the blue while we were talking business after lunch.
“Maybe, a drug called Miles.”
With the phone at my ear, I spun around in my room’s desk chair. I was, possibly, a little too giddy for my own good. Maybe I was reading too much into how lunch ended. While I didn’t know what the future was, it seemed like there could actually be one.
“I see. I’m guessing there’s no twelve-step program for that. How does this play out when you come home?”
A valid question and one I’d thought about a lot in the past couple of days. My reality was the longer I stayed here, the more I wanted to be here even though my life was in Chicago.
“I don’t know.” I sighed as Alberto groaned in response. “We’re avoiding that talk. Can I take a pass from you on it too?”
“Sure.” I recognized Alberto’s soothing voice as the one he used when he’s trying to soften bad news.
“Let’s get on to the meeting we’re supposed to have.”
“All right,” he said. “You’re not going to like thi
s. Among the investors who tend to work with businesses the size of Miles’s, we don’t have any takers. I even hit up some of our more eccentric investors and couldn’t get a bite.”
I wasn’t surprised, but I was still disappointed. “Thanks for trying.”
“Of course.” Alberto sounded apologetic even though he had no reason to.
“You’ve seen all the information. What do you think about taking on a percentage through the discretionary fund?”
“I’d be okay going twenty-five percent.” Alberto paused, and I envisioned the wheels spinning in his head. “Maybe as high as thirty-five depending on the profit percentage because I’d want to replenish the fund as quickly as possible.”
“Reasonable.”
“But where does the rest of it come from? Even if we go in for the full thirty-five, there’s more than a hundred thousand dollars outstanding.”
“I’ll cover it.”
“Jordan, I get that you like this guy, but that’s a significant amount of money.” Alberto was understandably shocked. “For a single investor to put that much up in this kind of business is something we’d never recommend.”
“I know. I’m not our regular investor client either. I believe in the business, not just from the research, but I trust the guy behind it too.”
“Well, if you’re willing to stake your personal cash, I’ll authorize thirty percent to come from the fund with standard terms.”
“I’ll sign on for that. Thanks, Alberto.”
“Are you sure you want to mix business and pleasure like this?”
“He’s not going to know the business side.”
“What do you mean? He knows we’re looking into it.”
“Yeah, he knows we’re trying to put together investors. He doesn’t need to know that either the company or I invested.”
“Is that wise? Keeping that big a secret?”
“He’s got a stubborn streak. I’m not sure he’ll take our help anyway. I don’t think it needs to be complicated by knowing who the exact players are.”
“Okay. I’ll roll with it.”
“But you don’t like it.” I stated the obvious, but I wanted to acknowledge that I knew it.
“I just don’t think it’ll end well. You’re trying to save his business, which is great. But you’re also starting a relationship and it seems like a bad idea to mix the two. Not to mention deceiving him at the same time.”