Stranded in Paradise (The Blake Boys Book 13)

by Rhonda Laurel

  “Autumn, have you put together a plan? I was half expecting you to call me by now. I’ve been down the aisle a few times and—”

  “Autumn, just say the word and Bonnie and I would be happy to help in any capacity you deem fit,” Teri-Lyn interrupted. “Or better yet, give my friend Jenna a call. She owns Marry Me Now bridal consultants. She helped me with Ty and C.J.’s double wedding.”

  “We’re working with a tight timeframe,” Autumn said. “Isn’t it a bit late to call her if these two are getting married in eighteen months?” Autumn knew Bonnie was staring holes into her.

  “Nonsense. I’ll give her a call tomorrow and tell her you’ll be getting in touch. She can help you streamline things and that way Bonnie can be involved in both her sons’ weddings without the all the headache. Right, Bonnie?”

  “Sounds like a fine idea, Teri.” Bonnie clenched her jaw and sipped her champagne.

  Autumn felt immediately relieved. Teri-Lyn had a way of defusing situations with ease. When Tate and Isabelle came over and joined the conversation, Autumn took the opportunity to get out of Bonnie’s line of sight and go mingle. She went over and said hello to Seth and Morgan, who were busy playing videos games with the kids. It was times like these she was thankful her place was a technology haven because it was easy to keep them busy. With three plasmas attached to the wall, Jake and the boys were content with NuWave’s latest kid-friendly game, while Seth held Mackenzie in his arms as he tried to whoop Tyler’s butt at his own racing game. Both Morgan and Michelle offered to take her, but the little lady didn’t want to leave the comfort of her dad’s arms. The winner of the game would be playing their father, John Jacob. Autumn couldn’t wait to see that. Morgan said John Jacob had been getting pretty good at his son’s video game and it wouldn’t be as easy to beat him as either son thought.

  Satisfied they were having a good time, she headed to the bar for a refill of champagne and to see how college students Avery and Wyatt were doing.

  “I could totally do that job.” Avery flipped her hair behind her shoulder.

  “No, you can’t. You’re under age. If you can’t drink it, you can’t serve it,” Wyatt quipped.

  “Hey. What’s this I hear about underage drinking?” Autumn cringed when every man in the room looked over at them. She cleared her throat. “Which is what we are not doing over here.”

  “Princess here thinks she can be a bartender.” Wyatt rolled his eyes.

  “I could if I wanted. All you have to do is mix drinks.”

  “And remember the drink orders. You forgot to give me back the Intro to Psychology book you borrowed last week.”

  “Like you were going to read it.” She huffed.

  “Sounds like both of you should be on the debate team.” Autumn motioned for the bartender to get her a flute of champagne.

  “Autumn, you look gorgeous, as usual.” Wyatt flashed her a big smile and kissed her on the cheek.

  She adjusted his tie. “You clean up pretty good yourself, handsome. You look very dapper. Bo’s sense of style is wearing off on you.”

  “Actually, Avery helped me put this together.” He blushed.

  “She has good taste.” Autumn linked arms with Avery. “Avery, you look chic and pretty as usual. I would kill for those cheekbones. Doesn’t she look great, Wyatt?”

  “She looks all right.”

  Autumn bit back a smile as Avery scowled at him. Oh to be young and unaware that you’re in love. Hopefully the men in the room weren’t picking up on it. They were adamant that Avery should be studying, not dating, and least of all dating Wyatt.

  “I think she looks fabulous.”

  “If you say so.” Wyatt smiled at her again. He looked a little tipsy.

  She raised an eyebrow. “That better be apple cider in your glass.”

  “Of course it is. I just get this way when I’m around you.”

  Avery rolled her eyes. “Where’s a shovel when you need one?”

  “If you’ll excuse me, I have to put my name on the list for the racing challenge.” Wyatt hopped off the stool and went in the direction of the living room.

  “You know he only compliments me when you’re around,” Autumn said to Avery.

  “Really?” Avery smiled, then frowned. “Guys can be such jerks.”

  “I hate to break it to you, but they don’t get any more mature with age. There are men my age that have more trouble expressing themselves than Wyatt.”

  “Like that baseball player you just dumped?”

  Autumn’s eyes widened. She’d thought her relationship with Ryan Boggs was pretty low-key considering they’d only dated for a few months. “Uh, yeah.”

  “He looks like he’s stuck on himself.”

  Leave it to a teenager to hit the nail on the head. Ryan was many things and he did have a very healthy ego. “He is his own biggest fan, but they’re not all like that. There are a few guys out there like your uncles. They are definitely diamonds in the rough.”

  “They are pretty great.” Avery looked around the room. “Too bad you never met my Uncle Jared. He’s a sweetheart and not even remotely stuck on himself, despite how handsome he is. I think you would have liked him. I know you’re just his type.”

  Teri-Lyn approached the bar and said, “Avery, honey, you’re preaching to the choir.”

  Something caught Avery’s eye. Wyatt was chatting up Anna Beth, J.J.’s executive assistant. “Excuse me, ladies.” She headed toward him with her shoulders set and a scowl on her face.

  Teri-Lyn asked the bartender for another glass of champagne and turned to give Autumn a knowing look. “See, I’m not the only one who thinks you and Jared would make a good match.”

  “I know, everyone in the family thinks so too.” Autumn took a deep breath. “I want you to know you don’t have to worry about me once Summer’s married. I won’t be the spinster sister that lives with her and Bo. So you don’t have to find someone for me to date.”

  “Is that why you think we’ve been trying so hard to get you and Jared together?”

  “The thought had crossed my mind.” She’d been told he was gorgeous, successful, sensitive, and great with kids. The perfect man by all accounts. But if he were so wonderful, why was there a brigade of females trying to find him a woman?

  “When I see two people who could be happy together, well I meddle and play cupid. I know you have no trouble finding dates. You are a beautiful young woman who’s smart and funny and charming. Jared’s handsome, respectable, successful, and sensitive. He’s the kind of man who would be careful with your heart. I think you could use some of that in your life. From what I read, that baseball player was an egomaniac who wants a pretty woman to drape on his arm as long as she keeps her mouth shut. And that’s definitely not you. I knew it wouldn’t last long.”

  “How did you know about that?”

  “I know everything.” Teri-Lyn gave her a warm smile.

  “I don’t know if I’m ready to meet anyone else. Summer is the longest relationship I’ve ever had with another human being.” She bit her lip. She felt silly for saying it, but damn it, that’s how she felt.

  “Thanks to you and Summer, I’ve been able to understand the connection between twins a little better and that’s helped me understand my grandsons. It’s a powerful connection that no one will ever be able to break. Bo can never replace you, and when you find the right person, you won’t be replacing Summer, you’ll just be ready for a different kind of happiness. I’m never wrong about these things. And I know my instincts are right about the two of you.”

  Autumn raised an eyebrow. “And your instincts tell you the key to my happiness is a divorced architect from Philadelphia?”

  “Don’t let the divorce thing scare you off. J.J. was divorced when he met Sam. He didn’t get it right with his first wife Eden, but it taught him about what he wanted and needed in a life partner. He found all of those things in Sam. I just want you to be happy too.”

  “Thank you. You are the
best.” Autumn hugged her. “I can see why Cassidy loves her mother-in-law so much.”

  “You’re very welcome.”

  “I’m going to call Jenna tomorrow. I could use the help planning the wedding.”

  “Good. Don’t worry, I will make sure Bonnie doesn’t turn into an obnoxious mother of the groom. She’s making up for lost mothering time with Bo. She just needs some parameters to work within and she’ll be fine.”

  It was comforting that Teri-Lyn understood about her connection to Summer and how it was affecting her. She felt a little sad that it wasn’t just the two of them anymore. As Bo Sr. asked everyone to gather so he could toast the couple, Autumn slid in next to Summer and squeezed her hand. She was happy her sister had found a great guy. It made her hopeful that one day she’d also find someone who was perfect for her. But for now there were more important things to be done. She had a multimillion-dollar company to run and the wedding of the century to plan.

  * * *

  Jared juggled the bags as he opened the door to his loft. He stepped inside and turned to punch in his alarm code only to find it was already disarmed. He could have sworn he set it when he left for work. Barring a surprise visit from Sydney, his dad, or one of his siblings, it should have been set. That could only mean an intruder must have deactivated it somehow.

  The sound of clanking came from the kitchen. It sounded like his copper Williams Sonoma pans were being moved around. He listened harder and identified a soft jazz tune playing softly on the sound system. Whoever was in his place was having a good time, but that was about to come to an abrupt end. He set the bags on the floor and picked up the vase on the foyer table. It wasn’t how he’d planned to end the evening, but he was ready for action. As he eased toward the kitchen, a shadowy figure turned the corner and scared the daylights out of him. They both screamed.

  Wait a minute…he recognized that scream. He turned on the desk lamp to find his ex-wife Taylor wearing his apron and holding a large wooden spoon.

  “Taylor!” Jared almost yelled. “How the hell did you get in here?”

  “That’s not the greeting I was hoping for, but I suppose it could have been worse.” She raised an eyebrow and pointed at the vase in his hand.

  “I was improvising. I keep my nunchucks and brass knuckles in the nightstand.”

  Taylor grinned. “You look handsome as ever.” She glanced around. “I like what you’ve done with the place. You’re finally utilizing the space the way it was intended.” She locked her beautiful eyes back on him. “Don’t I get a hug?”

  “Of course.” He put the vase down. The second he turned back around, she lunged into his arms and gave him a firm squeeze. He froze, taken aback by the uncharacteristic show of affection from her. But after a minute, he could tell she wasn’t going to let go until he reciprocated, so he did against his better judgment.

  “That’s more like it.” Taylor leaned back and stroked his face.

  He closed his eyes to the feel of her soft fingers on his skin. She had the true hands of a surgeon. Part of him wanted to kiss her and run his hands through her hair, but he thought better of it and broke the embrace. “How did you get in here?”

  “I still have my key. I knew you hadn’t changed the locks. You were always afraid of someone leaving tool marks on your precious metal door. I do believe it took you seven months to find that door. You just had to have it.”

  “Well this particular door was very hard to find. And you’re right. I don’t like people who aren’t aware of the value of something messing with my things.”

  “Or maybe you didn’t change the locks for sentimental reasons.”

  He stepped away and headed for the kitchen to see what she’d been up to in there with his cookware. “Anyway. What are you doing here?”

  “I’ll tell you all about it over dinner. Bruschetta on toasted baguettes for the appetizer and lobster capellini with a cream sauce for the main course.”

  He groaned. He loved her cooking. He could save the scolding for breaking into his place until after dinner. “What? No fancy dessert?”

  “Depends on what you had in mind.” She grinned.

  So much for the duck. Jared put up his groceries and helped Taylor put the finishing touches on the meal she’d prepared. They hadn’t seen each other in almost two years, but it seemed like only yesterday they were cooking dinner together after a long day at work. Jared’s eyes traveled slowly over his well-dressed ex, who was wearing a pretty lavender top, a pair of designer jeans, and black boots with a three-inch heel. The familiar smell of the rose oil she wore wiggled up his nose, bringing back fond memories of leisurely Saturdays antiquing and catching one of those art house movies she loved. For a moment it felt like nothing had changed.

  Time had a way of stopping when Taylor was around.

  CHAPTER TWO

  For someone who once described chatter as disorganized verbal noise, Taylor sure was doing a lot of it. Dinner was good. She hadn’t lost a step with her culinary skills. She’d paired the meal with a Chardonnay she’d found in his wine fridge that he’d been saving for a special occasion. It didn’t surprise him that she’d didn’t stop and consider if he might be saving it for something or someone else. As usual, she just dove right in and took charge. He was sure she thought her dropping by was cause for some celebration when he really only wanted to make a few calls and get some sleep.

  She’d always loved throwing dinner parties and would occasionally invite her supercilious colleagues over. They would pretend to catch up on each other’s lives, but they were really trying to find out who was doing the best since they left medical school. Then they would move on to pretentious topics that would leave Jared rubbing his temples and looking for aspirin by the end of the evening.

  He hadn’t realized how heavily he’d relied on her cooking skills until their relationship ended. But with assistance from the women in his life, he’d learned a few simple meals that wouldn’t leave him starving those nights he didn’t want to dine out. Jared sipped on the wine, wondering when she’d actually get to the reason why she broke in and fixed him dinner. As she droned on, he glanced at the clock. It was time to get her to tell him the reason for the visit.

  “By the way, I am waiting for a thank you,” she said.

  “Thank you for what?”

  “All my fine dining must have prepared you well for hob knobbing with your in-laws. The Blakes are billionaires. They must have formal meals all the time.”

  He laughed. “Not unless you count barbecue or a good steak. The Blakes may be loaded, but they are down-to-earth people that eat simple meals. Someone tried to serve Foie gras at a party and the kids used it to make handprint molds.”

  She gasped and almost choked on her wine. “Where was the nanny?”

  “They don’t have nannies. But their Uncle Tyler was in charge of them that night. I believe he initiated the impromptu art class.”

  “Oh.”

  “The Blakes rise to the occasion when necessary, but they don’t believe ostentatious formalities are necessary for family. That’s one of the things I love about them.”

  “Well they’ve certainly bolstered your career. I thought you were a housing development and mini-mall kind of architect. Now you’re working on commercial properties for Blake Enterprises and you won the Iconic Architecture Award last year. And I see you’re dabbling in interior design again. What sparked the leap to big business? I was always encouraging you to dream big, but you didn’t seem interested.”

  “Divorce has a way of inspiring you to take a new direction in life.” Jared reached over and caressed her hand. Taylor immediately covered his hand with hers. She was wearing the diamond tennis bracelet he’d bought her their last Christmas together.

  “Do you remember this bracelet? You got this for me…” She looked up and smiled at him.

  “I know. Our last holiday together. I saw it and knew you would love it.” He fingered the trinket. It was his last ditch effort to repair h
is marriage with a sentimental gesture before it officially went to pot. “What’s on your mind? Why did you come back to town?”

  “Dad’s getting an award for forty years of excellence in the medical community.” She shoved a forkful of the food into her mouth.

  “Of course. How is your father? Still hates my guts?” Doctor Eric Hastings, his ex-father-in-law, was the original overachiever and he doted on his little girl. Jared wasn’t fazed by the abrasive attitude the man sported. He got it that her father thought no one was good enough for his daughter, because the Reeds were just as protective of Morgan. What perplexed him was that Taylor often accused his family of coddling his baby sister when she’d received the exact same treatment from her father.

  “No, he’s pretty much gotten over that. He comes to Chicago often to visit, but he’s really checking up on my surgical technique.” She rolled her eyes.

  “How’s your mom?”

  “She’s great. She asks about you.”

  Jared smiled and intentionally paused. Taylor thought nothing of it and went back to eating her food. She hadn’t changed. She’d just unloaded for an hour and hadn’t asked about his family. His cell phone rang. He looked at the display. It was his cousin Charisma, probably calling about the job. Taylor glanced over at the screen and winced. Jared let the call go to voicemail.

  “Wow. Charisma calling, that can’t be good. What does that train wreck want?”

  “Hey. Lay off,” he said in a clipped tone and pulled his hand away.

  “Sorry. I thought your family hated her. Wasn’t she always trying to do something crazy to your precious little sister?”

  He dabbed his mouth with his napkin and placed it on the table. “Morgan and Charisma have turned a new page in their relationship. Charisma got a very scary wakeup call about her behavior and she’s working on her issues. Morgan asked us, as a family, to give her the benefit of the doubt and be accepting of the changes she’s trying to make in her life. And thanks for asking about my family.”