Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Epilogue
The Trust of a Billionaire
By Michelle Pennington
The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
Copyright © 2018 by Michelle Pennington
First eBook edition May 2018
All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written consent of the author.
http://www.michelle-pennington.com
This book is dedicated to Hannah
For being such an influence for good in the world and for loving children so generously.
This isn’t your story, but your happily-ever-after is coming!
Chapter One
Carter Ellis strolled over to the wall of glass at the far side of his top-floor condo. His new home was the height of luxury and designed to his specifications, but it couldn’t compare to the breath-taking view through the windows. The rising sun had tinted the sky with a swirl of pinks and purples as it rose over the dark waters of the Emerald Coast. He couldn’t see the sun from his vantage point since his condo faced south to the gulf, but soon it would rise high enough to gleam off the white sand beach and turn the shallows to the green and turquoise waters that made Destin famous. It was no wonder their tourist trade was booming here. A sense of peace settled over him. He had definitely made the right decision to build his resort here.
Seascapes Resort and Spa was due to open in two weeks at the beginning of June. He had a million things to do to ensure the success of this, his first solo business venture, but he had never been afraid of hard work. He’d been on-site since construction had been completed, living in a nearby hotel and driving over every day to manage the final stages of the resort’s completion. Everything was running on schedule and going as planned—except for one final problem.
At the far eastern edge of his property, between his resort and the beach sat a privately-owned home. It impeded the view of his east tower, thus devaluing all of the condos on that side. He had held off selling any of those units, hoping to finally convince the owner to sell so that he could tear down the house and increase the asking price for them. With the pressure of investors to keep happy, he needed to turn a profit within two years, but without getting the best price on those units, it would be very difficult. The weight of all his new employees’ livelihoods and everyone who had invested in the resort by buying condos sat heavily on his shoulders. He clenched his jaw as he thought of the very generous offer he had just made that no doubt would be rejected. Somehow, some way, he was going to convince the owner to sell.
Turning away, he breathed deeply to control his frustration. He looked over at his assistant, Brenda, who stood with her reading glasses perched in her grey curls and her tablet ready.
“Everything looks good,” he said. “The designer did a great job. Addilynn is going to love her room.”
Brenda nodded. “What little girl wouldn’t? It’s a room fit for a princess. When is she arriving?”
Carter’s tension eased off at the thought of having Addilynn with him again. He’d missed her terribly the last few months that she’d stayed with his mother while the resort was being finished. They’d agreed that it was best for her to stay in her school, and he’d flown back to spend the weekends with her. But it had still been hard. “In a few days. My mother is determined to bring a nanny to take care of her when I’m working, and apparently she doesn’t think I can find a suitable person locally.”
Raising her thinning eyebrows a fraction, Brenda stared back at him but didn’t comment.
Carter walked past her to the door, knowing she understood the situation all too well. Brenda had been working for him for eight years and knew better than anyone the power struggle he had with his mother over the raising of his six-year old daughter. He’d first hired her when he’d been nineteen. After his rash marriage less than a year after he’d graduated high-school, his father had given him the job of overseeing several of the family ski resorts in Colorado, saying if he was going to have a family, he needed to support it.
Without Brenda’s help, he never would have made it through his flash immersion in the business world or his miserable marriage to Mandy. Addi’s birth less than a year after his marriage led quickly to his divorce. Mandy hadn’t wanted children, it turned out, or responsibilities—or even him. When she’d informed him that she was willing to terminate her parental rights in return for a million dollars, his heart had turned to stone. But Brenda had strengthened and helped him better than his own mother had. The older woman was a treasure, and he was continually grateful she’d been willing to follow him here from Colorado. Luckily, Brenda’s retired husband was happy to move to a warmer climate and spend his days golfing and fishing.
Brenda followed him out of his condo, closing the door behind her. The electronic lock clicked shut automatically, and they walked together toward the glass elevator. “So, is all in order for filming the promotional video this morning?” Carter asked.
“Yes, sir. The drone will be filming at seven-thirty. I’ve personally checked the exterior of the resort. Everything looks great and all signs of construction have been cleared away. The staff knows that they aren’t to step outside for any reason and security will keep the gates closed so that no stray traffic or deliveries will be able to come through for the twenty minutes the drone will be filming the aerial shots.”
Carter glanced down at his watch and saw that it was ten after seven. “Excellent. That’s what I like to hear.”
But as the elevator door opened into the ground floor lobby, Brenda’s phone rang. She answered, a look of concern sweeping over her face. “Oh no. Well, try again. It can’t be that difficult to convince one woman to move. Good heavens, I’ll be there myself in a few minutes. This will delay everything and I don’t know if we can get the word out to everyone in time that the shoot is running behind.”
When she hung up, Carter asked, “What’s wrong?”
“There’s some tourist on the beach in front of the resort. She refuses to leave or even move her stuff further down so she’s out of the shot. The drone will be filming in,” she glanced at the time, “In eighteen minutes.”
Carter took one look at Brenda’s pudgy feet in high heels and knew there was no way she’d get down there in time. “I’ll take care of it.” He shrugged out of his suit coat and handed it to her, along with his tie. Lengthening his stride into a jog he headed out the back entrance that led to the pools and the beach. When he reached the sand, he wished he’d taken off his dress shoes since every step sent more of the powdery sand into his shoes. There was no time to worry about it though. Thirty yards to his left, he saw his resort manager and several security guards clustered around someone. They stood just in front of the beach house that was his nemesis, which was definitely an issue since she was not on their beach but would
still be within view of the drone. They’d hoped that they’d have empty beaches for the shot by filming early on a weekday before the summer crowds arrived.
Walking up behind them, he said, “Good morning, ma’am. What can I offer you in exchange for clearing this beach for about twenty minutes?”
The security guards stepped aside for him and he finally saw her. Carter’s brain scrambled. She was…attractive, dang it. Even worse, she was his kind of attractive. Lovely and natural, emanating confidence, her hazel eyes drifted over him.
She raised one eyebrow and met his eyes squarely, not the least bit intimidated by him. “And who might you be?”
Carter stared in surprise. The lilting twang of her southern accent surprised him, though he wasn’t sure why it should. People came here from all over, and this was Florida after all. He took a calming breath to refocus. “I’m Carter Ellis. I’m the owner of Seascapes Resort.”
“Oh? I suppose that means these guys work for you?” She pointed to his manager and security.
“Yes. Did they tell you why we need the beach cleared for a few minutes?”
“They told me all right, but that doesn’t mean I have to leave. I’m in the wet-sand area that is public beach.”
He wanted to clench his teeth, but a glance at his watch showed him that he only had about ten minutes left before the drone was due to fly over the beach. It went against the grain for him to bribe someone, but it was probably the fastest way to get things moving. “Look, I’d be happy to compensate you for the trouble.” He pulled out his wallet and took out several hundred-dollar bills. “Will this do?”
The woman looked down at the bills in his hand. When she looked back up at him, her eyes flashed. “No thank you. This is my first day of vacation and I don’t appreciate having it ruined.”
Carter looked at her in shock, not sure where to go from this point. He had a feeling that offering her more money would just end up embarrassing him more. A sudden gust swept in from the gulf, catching him off guard. The money once held loosely between his fingers was ripped away, then sent fluttering around on the sand. His manager and security guards lunged after it while the woman laughed. They did look incredibly stupid, flapping around like seagulls after crumbs. But he was more focused on the woman’s beautiful laughter. He looked at her a second time, taking in her smooth, flawless skin, long brunette hair, and strong, athletic form. There was something fresh and free about her cut off shorts, white bikini top, and sheer, floral cover-up. With sunglasses perched over her side-swept bangs and a multitude of beaded hemp bracelets on her wrists and bare ankles, she had a chic, bohemian vibe that grabbed his very male attention.
“You know, while y’all try to catch your money, I’m gonna slide on down the beach a hundred yards or so. I don’t really mind. It was just the way y’all came in pushing and demanding. Where I come from, you say please and ask nicely. But I guess not everyone was raised the way I was.”
Completely dumbfounded, Carter watched as she bent and gathered her few belongings—a water bottle, a towel, and a phone with earbuds. She slipped them into a bag and headed down the beach. Her long cover-up undulated in the wind, clinging to her figure. He didn’t know what to think or do but squashed the urge to chase after her. Not only was it a stupid impulse, since she clearly had a poor opinion of him, but he knew better than to get involved with tourists. He’d married one once, after all.
Chapter Two
Summer had not begun the way Hannah had expected it to. Throughout the whole school year of teaching squirming, hyper, but always-treasured-children, she had longed for lazy summer mornings on the beach. She’d gone out to the beach that morning, intending to bask in the brisk, salty breeze and the glorious colors of the sunrise. Instead, she’d been jumped on by three looming, official looking men from the new resort next door, all puffed up like tom turkeys. As if she wasn’t bitter enough about that encroaching monolith as it was.
But the rich, arrogant developer that she’d been loathing for so long was…well…flipping gorgeous—which seriously irritated her. If life was fair, he would have been balding or pudgy or weak-chinned. The blond Adonis who had joined her harassers on the beach certainly had none of those issues. His wind-ruffled hair, brilliant blue eyes, and fit, muscular build were more similar to a Ken doll than any man she’d ever met. At least she’d been able to bring him down a peg before she’d left him to enjoy the rest of his grabbing, beach-stealing life.
Yes, her morning had been ruined, but she sat out on the sand, watching the change from dawn to day out of sheer stubbornness until Carter Ellis and his minions left the beach. A few minutes later, a drone flew over the resort and out to sea, then circled back around, flying at the resort straight on. For just a moment, Hannah felt an impulse to run across the sand in front of the resort, do cartwheels and dance like a crazy person to ruin the shot.
Unfortunately, she wasn’t so mean spirited. Besides, she doubted it would be anything more than a minor annoyance to Mr. Moneybags anyway. It certainly wouldn’t stop the hordes of tourists that would be flocking to the luxurious and pristine beach-front accommodations. She wondered if they would ever realize that a whole neighborhood had been torn down to accommodate their vacation paradise.
Hannah heard her phone vibrating in her beach bag and pulled it out. It was her sister. “Hey, Leah.”
“Hi. Enjoying your first morning of vacation? I didn’t wake you up did I?”
“No. I came down to the beach early so I could have it to myself for a while. Too bad that didn’t work out.”
“It can’t be crowded already. It’s not even eight o’clock your time.”
“It doesn’t take much to make a crowd if you’re surrounded by annoying people. You know that developer who’s been building the resort next to the house? Well, they came and tried to pay me to shift down the beach so they could have a clear shot for their promotional video. They were so mean about it that I dug my heels in.”
“Of course you did.”
“Hush your mouth. I’m trying to talk. So then, the rich guy himself came down, acting like he owned the place, but I was on public sand. And the worst part was, he didn’t even have the decency to look like a billionaire.”
“What on earth is a billionaire supposed to look like?”
“Well, it’s not what they’re supposed to look like exactly. But did you ever see a billionaire who wasn’t old with bad hair and teeth? This guy looks like he just stepped out of some frat girl’s spring break fantasy. And then he had the gall to bribe me.”
“Bribe you? With what?”
“Cash. I have to admit I was tempted to accept it for about two seconds. Of course, I didn’t though. What a hot shot. I’d love to take Mr. Hunky Honeypot’s face and…”
“And what? Kiss it?”
“No! Smack it.”
“Really? You keep going on and on about how hot he is. I think you’re smitten.”
Feeling her cheeks warm, Hannah was thankful Leah was in Boston and couldn’t see it. “I’m saying it in a disdainful way. Can’t you hear the tone of my voice? Besides, as an artist, I can appreciate beauty when I see it without it meaning anything.”
“Hannah, you’re an elementary school teacher. The only art you deal with is construction paper collages and stick figure drawings.”
She hated it when her sister ran down her profession. Maybe Leah was living in a more cultured city, surrounded by wealthy friends, but Hannah still knew more about fine art than her sister ever would. And someday she’d start selling some of her own work. At least Leah was distracted from her slips about Angel Face.
“Why’d you call, Leah?”
“Oh! Funny enough, I got another offer for the house from your new crush. He must really want the house out of his way because he offered more than it’s worth. Way more.”
“Well, the answer is a bigger no than ever before.”
“I get it, Hannah. I know. I don’t want to sell the house either. Especially
not to someone who will tear it down. But have you even paid the taxes and insurance yet? If you can’t afford to do that, maybe we should consider selling the house.”
“No way.”
“You could get a really nice house with the money from the sale.”
“But not one with memories. And not one on the beach. I’d be giving up something I’d never get back.”
“Okay. I’ll decline the offer. But only because I know he’ll be ready to buy whenever you’re ready. I’ve got to go, darling. I have a PTA meeting in two hours and I haven’t even showered yet.”
After hanging up, Hannah shook her head. Only her sister would need two hours to get ready for a PTA meeting. It was startling how different they were even though they were only eighteen months apart. Of course, Leah was light years ahead of her in the game of life with her wealthy stock broker husband and two over-achieving kids.
Their parents had been older when they’d had Leah. They always called her their miracle baby because they’d given up on having kids. Then their mom finally got pregnant out of the blue when she was almost 40 and their dad was in his early fifties. Getting pregnant nine months after Leah was born had been more of a shock for them. The shock had only increased when Hannah had turned out to be quite the free spirit compared to her easy-going and biddable older sister. Leah had been the perfect child for an older couple. Hannah…not so much.
But having older parents had come with certain advantages—like her parents being able to afford a vacation home in Destin. Of course, when they’d bought the house in the late nineties, the real estate here had been a lot more affordable. She wished they’d lived to enjoy it longer.
Her insides twisted with grief that still felt too fresh even two years later as she thought about her parents’ deaths. She stared out at the choppy waves washing up on the sand in a crashing, foaming tumult. The gulf breeze whipped her hair into tangles and the rising sun warmed her skin. Eventually the constant, soothing cadence of the waves and the shriek of seagulls scouting the beach eased away the last of her tension. The only thing she could do right then, about anything, was enjoy the moment she was in. It was the mantra she tried to live by.
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