Executive - The Complete Series Box Set (A Single Dad Romance)

by Claire Adams

  “Well, if it helps, you could still pass for a teenager.”

  Jess smiled and bumped my arm. I was glad to be someone who could bring her out of a bad mood.

  She groaned. “Sorry, Noah. Being here stirs up a lot of shit in my life.”

  “Do you want to talk about it?” I asked.

  She wrung her hands together. “I don’t want to burden you.”

  “It’s not a burden. I want to get to know you. The real you. No matter if it’s good or bad.”

  Without answering me, she leaned over and took her shoes off. I looked out at the sand and waves ahead of us.

  The sand was soft under my bare feet. Since there weren’t any other people on the beach, we left our shoes by the entrance. I wasn’t sure if we were breaking any rules by being out there so late, but I didn’t question it. I wanted Jess to confide in me.

  We had walked a little while before I said, “So, you were saying?”

  “I didn’t say anything yet.”

  I chuckled.

  She sighed. “My mom was an alcoholic until I was seventeen.”

  “Oh.”

  “The woman you met today is nine years sober. I took care of her for most of my life. Then she took a terrible spill down a set of stairs, and it somehow knocked some sense into her. After she took care of herself and became sober, then she decided she wanted to be a mom. She probably feels sorry for the way she treated me all those years but too little too late in my opinion.”

  “Did she hurt you at all?” I asked.

  “Not physically, but I took a pretty big beating mentally. Developing thick skin was my only defense.”

  “I’m sorry, Jess.”

  “Don’t be. It helped get me through high school. Even though you think Aussies are kind, most kids that age are assholes.”

  Jess dealt with shit from home and at school. I wished I could have been there for her, even though I was close to a decade older than her.

  “Anyway,” she said, taking my hand. Hers was cool in mine. “I’m a firm believer that life turns out well for those who wait.”

  She turned to face me, and I took her other hand, holding them between us.

  I wanted to take away all that heartache and pain, at least for a little while. I leaned close, kissing her as the sun dipped low in the sky and the waves crashed against our feet.

  CHAPTER 22

  Jess

  I woke up wrapped in Noah’s arms. I scooted closer to him, snuggling against his bare chest. He stirred but didn’t open his eyes, giving me a moment to watch him sleep.

  Even after one day, I started to feel like a different person. The old me, minus all the crap Mom had given me. Reconnecting with the place of my youth was invigorating, though I was happy to have moved on to my life with Noah and Gina. It was as if good karma had finally found me and created the perfect life for us.

  Noah inhaled sharply, and his eyes fluttered open. I propped myself on my arm to check the clock on his side of the bed. I groaned. “It’s already six-thirty. Gina’s going to get up soon.”

  “She’s still jet lagged, I’m sure,” he said, stretching his arms over his head.

  “And if she isn’t, she’s going to see that you aren’t in the bedroom with her,” I said.

  Last night, Noah stayed with me in my old bedroom after checking to make sure she was asleep. The house was small enough that we would be able to hear her in the other room if she needed us, but we thought of plenty of excuses for him to be out of the room if she asked. So far we were in the clear.

  “Give me five more minutes,” he said, slipping an arm around my waist. He hefted me on top of him and held me against his rock-hard body, kissing me until my head spun.

  I loved waking up next to this man. “Two minutes,” I said against his lips.

  “I can do a lot in two minutes,” he said.

  I gently bit down on his lip and tugged at it. “Why don’t you show me?”

  He tightened his arms around me and showed me that he was ready.

  We found out just how much we could do in that short amount of time.

  As we got out of bed and redressed in our pajamas, Noah helped me make the bed.

  “What do you want to do today?” I asked.

  “Let’s have a lazy day at the beach,” he said. “I want to relax right away so we can get this vacation started off right.”

  “That sounds nice,” I said. In the time I was away from home, I missed being so close to the beach. It was nice to make a split decision and head down to the sand for an hour or all day. That was much harder to do in the States since the weather rarely cooperated in Minnesota, and I had to travel quite a distance to any decent beach.

  Today, I was going to soak it all in and relive the memory whenever I missed this place.

  Even thought my relationship with Mom wasn’t perfect, I could tell she was trying. She mentioned a few times yesterday that I was good with Gina and I was suited for the job. A compliment was a step forward. Then she mentioned not getting too attached to Gina and Noah because if something went wrong, then I would lose them forever. So then we went two steps back. Why couldn’t she just stop talking after the positive remarks?

  I wanted to talk to her more about our past, as I was finally ready to face it. But not with Noah and Gina around. I wasn’t a coward, but this was something we’d have to talk about when we had an ocean between us. We Holland women had a nasty habit of holding grudges, something that was easier to deal with when we had distance. I hoped it would turn out all right in the end, but it would take time.

  Noah and I changed into our bathing suits. I slid on a terry cloth cover-up dress and Noah wore a white shirt. I noticed he didn’t like to show off his body unless we were making love. His modesty added to the many things that I liked about him.

  We went out into the kitchen where Mom was working on breakfast. The scent of bacon filled my nose the moment I opened the bedroom door.

  “What’s for brekkie?” I asked her. My Aussie slang had come back easier than I’d anticipated. Sierra was going to go at me hard when I got back to the States.

  She turned around, holding a pan with sizzling bacon inside. “I wanted to show Noah and Gina a real Aussie brekkie.”

  “Are those baked beans?” Noah asked, leaning over the stove top.

  Mom shooed him away, and he narrowly avoided a poke from the metal tongs in her free hand. “I need to do the whole presentation.”

  “Sit down,” I said to him, laughing. I started up the coffee machine while Noah sat and picked up the local newspaper.

  In addition to being obsessed with my life, Mom read every single word in the paper each morning. She was up to date on everything going on around town and the surrounding areas. It was one of the hobbies she picked up after she put down the bottle. Volunteering at local events kept her busy at night, and still years later she kept up with it. Where she had alienated everyone in her life when she was drinking, our community embraced her completely. And as much as she annoyed me most of the time, she was still my mom, and I was proud of her.

  As Mom placed four plates on the table, the door to the guest room opened.

  Gina stepped out, rubbing her eyes. She made a show of smelling the food and then rushed over to the table.

  “Beans for breakfast?” she asked.

  Noah laughed and clapped his hands together. “See, I’m not the only one who thinks it’s different.”

  “Down here, love, it’s not strange,” Mom said. “So eat up and tell me how much you love it.”

  I cut one of the snags in half and popped it into my mouth. American sausage had nothing on these. “It’s good, Mom.”

  “Don’t talk with your mouth full,” she said in a teasing tone. “These two might think you were raised in a barn.”

  Gina giggled. “Like a piggy!” Then she snorted a few times.

  Her choice in farm animal was ironic considering what I was currently eating.

  “Gina, do you wa
nt to go to the beach today?” Noah asked.

  “Yes! Jess, can I use your boogie board?”

  I looked to Mom. “I have a boogie board?”

  She shrugged. “It was in the garage. It’s a little old, but I’m sure it will float.”

  “And if not, I’ll buy you a new one,” Noah said.

  For some reason, the remark bothered me. But I brushed it away. I had to stop being so protective over Noah’s money. He earned it and should use it as he saw fit. I hoped Gina would grow up knowing that money didn’t grow on trees.

  “Mom, are you coming with us?” I asked.

  “If you would like me to,” she said.

  “We do!” Gina said, jumping up in her seat.

  “Sit down,” the three of us said to her.

  Then we looked at each other and laughed while Gina slowly sunk in her seat with a confused expression on her face.

  We weren’t the first to arrive at the beach later that morning. But there was plenty of room to spread our things out.

  “Jess! Let’s make sandcastles!” Gina said, unpacking the bag of plastic toys that Mom found in the garage along with the boogie board. There were intricately designed molds to use, and I looked forward to making a masterpiece.

  “Sure, but let me show you how it is done,” I said, grabbing the large bucket and heading toward the water.

  Mom and I used to make sand castles together. It was one of my earlier memories of her. She drank then too, but at that point, it wasn’t noticeable to me since I was so young.

  We were far enough back from the surf that there was no danger of the water rolling over our hard work.

  Around noon, we huddled under the shade of the huge umbrella that Mom parked herself under for the entire time. Mom handed out sangers and chips. We ate them quickly so we could get back to work on our castle.

  Noah swapped between helping us and sun tanning. I didn’t push him to help since I knew he probably hadn’t had time to just lay out in a long while. And I doubt he would for some time after the vacation. I never saw him so relaxed in my life. I got a glimpse of how he’d look when he retired, and the picture was something to smile about.

  I had some idea of how much Noah was worth, and I hoped he took advantage of his financial situation to be able to retire early and be there for Gina in her younger years. Because when her body started to change, she’d want nothing to do with him for some time. It was the way girls worked. Though, I wondered if Gina would be different if Noah retired earlier than expected. They were a close-knit family, but Noah would have to make more time for her if that was going to be the case. Maybe being together this vacation would help him see how much she needed him in her life.

  Later that afternoon, we completed the castle. It stretched out in front of us and was a sight to see.

  Mom snapped a picture of Gina, Noah, and me in front of the castle.

  “Want to pretend we’re monsters?” I asked Gina.

  A playful smile danced on her lips. “Yeah!”

  Then the four of us stomped all over the castle, crushing our hard work, and having a blast in the process.

  Before dinner, the four of us sat on the patio with coffee. The cooler temperatures made my sunburn a little more bearable. Even though I’d lathered up on the sunscreen, my skin was far too pale for being outside for a full day. I knew within a few days it would turn into a beautiful shade of bronze, I just had to get through the pain first.

  Gina and I were on the porch swing, and Noah and Mom sat at the small table.

  Instead of coffee, Gina had a mug of hot chocolate. It wasn’t the choice I would have given her, but Mom insisted that Gina try her homemade recipe. I’d never tasted it before tonight, and when I had a sip of Gina’s, I had to admit it was good.

  Mom changed so much since I saw her last. And the walls that I put up to block our relationship started to crumble. In her way, she was trying to make up for lost time. I was the one being selfish now and the only one who was still upset about past events.

  I knew it would take some time, but I sensed our relationship would change after this trip. And I wanted to come out here more often. Granted, it wouldn’t be first-class, which was incredible, but I couldn’t expect Noah to pay for my flight every time, especially if he and Gina wouldn’t be able to come along each visit.

  Noah and Mom were chatting about something when Gina leaned over me and placed her mug on the side table. “Jess, can you braid my hair again?”

  “Sure,” I said.

  Gina adjusted herself until she sat between my legs. I combed my fingers through her hair and started to separate three large chunks for the braid.

  “Thanks for asking us to come here,” she said.

  “You’re welcome. I’m so happy you came to visit.”

  “I had a lot of fun today. And I like your house.”

  “I had a lot of fun too.” Warmth spread through me with her words. Gina had latched onto my heart, and even though it was a great feeling, I couldn’t help wondering how long it would last before Noah and I had to take that next step together.

  I tried to push those thoughts away. The feeling of Gina’s soft hair in my hands brought me back to the moment, and I closed my eyes, holding onto the memories of this already perfect vacation.

  CHAPTER 23

  Noah

  On Friday morning, Jess and Gina wanted to go to the beach. As I needed to answer some emails that morning, they went without me.

  Chloe was a little burnt out from the sun, so she stayed with me. Though she kept to herself while I was working.

  “How about we break for lunch?” she said around midday.

  I closed my laptop and stretched my hands over my head. “I didn’t realize it was so late.”

  “I hope you got a lot done,” she said.

  “Mostly putting out fires,” I said, accepting the glass of water she handed to me. I placed it on the table and slid my laptop onto the empty chair next to me. “I’ll have some stuff to come home to, but it shouldn’t put me behind too much.”

  She nodded and took two plates from the counter and set them between us. A large toasted ham and cheese sandwich sat on each plate with a pile of chips on the side. It looked like there was a red pepper in there too. It was a strange combination, but everything I tried that I thought was strange ended up being good, so I went into each new experience without judgment.

  “This looks delicious, thank you,” I said.

  “It’s no bother,” she said sitting down.

  We ate in silence for a few moments before she said, “You know, Jessica has never brought a man home before.”

  “Really?”

  “Really. Not even in high school. At some point I thought she didn’t have any friends, let alone boyfriends.”

  I nodded. Knowing how Jess felt about her mom back then, she probably didn’t want to embarrass anyone by bringing friends home to a drunk. I couldn’t imagine Jess not having friends as a child, but I didn’t make any assumptions. It hurt my heart to think that way of her when she was the kindest and most beautiful woman I’d ever met.

  “So, you’re saying I’m lucky?” I said with a smile.

  “I suppose so,” she said. “To start, I think Jess made an excellent selection.”

  I grinned and couldn’t help but feel flattered that Jess thought enough of Gina and me to bring us to her home. I knew she liked me, but her actions spoke much louder than words.

  “I know you two haven’t had much alone time, other than your sleeping arrangements.”

  I raised an eyebrow.

  “I may be old, but I’m no fool.”

  “We weren’t trying to get anything past you—”

  “I know you’re trying to protect Gina. I understand that. But if you two wanted to go out tonight, I can watch Gina. You can go on a proper date since you only have one more day here.”

  “That’s very kind of you,” I said. “I would like to do that, only if Gina isn’t a burden.”
r />   “A burden?” she said then cackled. “Not at all. I’m going to miss her more than the two of you.”

  I matched her smile. “Is there any place you recommend for dinner?”

  Chloe sat back in her chair, thinking about my question. “There’s a nice place down by the beach with amazing views.”

  “Has Jess been there before?”

  Chloe avoided my eyes. “She hasn’t. It’s a little on the pricey side.”

  “That’s okay,” I said. “I want Jess to have a night to remember before we leave.”

  “Speaking of leaving,” she said. “I know you are her boss and all that, but this week has been special for me. Maybe you can give her some time off in the future to come down again?”

  I reached across the table and touched her hand. “I will do that for the both of you.”

  “Thank you, love,” she said.

  We shared a silent moment together, filled with unspoken words before I let go of her hand and we finished our lunch.

  I spent the remainder our time without Gina and Jess making arrangements for our date. Little did Chloe know that this was to be our first date and I wanted it to be perfect.

  When Jess and Gina returned from the beach later that afternoon, they looked exhausted but were grinning from ear to ear.

  They both sat down at the table and regaled us with their boogie board adventures.

  “On our seconds run, the board broke,” Jess said laughing.

  “And I rolled into the water!” Gina said.

  “I picked up another board from the surf shop down the road,” Jess said. “Sorry, Mom.”

  Chloe waved a hand at her daughter. “It was decrepit. I’m surprised it didn’t disintegrate when you got into the water.”

  Jess laughed.

  “I’ll pay you for the boogie board,” I said, reaching for my wallet.

  “Don’t worry about it,” Jess said. “It’s just a boogie board.”

  There was an awkward silence in the room before Chloe’s chair scraped across the floor. “Let’s get some water in the both of you before you shrivel up like raisins.”