Liberty raised an eyebrow over her cup.
“What, dead because we tried to rescue our pet dog?” she said quizzically.
“No. Regretting things that we should have done.”
Liberty almost spat out a mouthful of coffee.
“I don’t think you can compare us being sensible and not getting into something we can’t predict to…”
Nate interrupted, pointing at the TV to emphasise his words.
“Not being sensible and getting into something they couldn’t predict. It’s the same. If you don’t think too hard about it.”
“No, it really isn’t.”
Nat held up his hands to concede.
“Okay, it’s not. But I’ve wasted enough of my life trying to pretend to be someone I’m not. I don’t want to do that anymore. I want us to give it a go. Ever since I first talked to you it’s all I’ve wanted. You make my heart sing, Liberty. Even if you are an accountant.”
Her scowl brought a smile to his face. She could understand what he was saying and she wished she could believe him. But deep down, somewhere right in the bottom of her stomach, sat like a prawn that wasn’t cooked properly, was a feeling that he needed to be properly single for a while before he settled down. And he needed to settle down with someone who lived in his own world. And he needed to be allowed to be honest and not live a lie.
“Tell me what you’re thinking?” Nate said, his smile fading.
Liberty watched as he took a sip of his coffee. It was vile, she knew that, and she had wondered if he would avoid drinking it. He must be used to fresh, wonderful, coffee. He probably had his own coffee plantation, he was a billionaire after all. But he sipped it like she had done, seeming to ignore the bitter aftertaste and furry tongue coating that came with it.
“You’ve seen the worst of me,” he continued. “My family. What’s left of it.”
He looked at Liberty as if a thought had just occurred to him.
“I am nothing like my brothers or my dad, if that’s worrying you?”
It hadn’t been, but it certainly was a darn sight better than him saying he looked up to them. Liberty knew that, although Nate wasn’t like his family, he would still want the lifestyle that his family had, including the fancy wives. She wanted to be with him, she wanted to lean across the table and kiss him right there, but she couldn’t do that to him. She shook her head.
“No, I can see that you have more compassion in your little finger than they all do combined. But…”
“Let me show you. Give me one day of your time and I’ll show you that we’re not all that different. Please?”
She toyed with the idea, a small flame igniting in her chest. Maybe this could happen. Maybe they could be together. She looked at his big blue eyes, staring at her with such anticipation.
“Okay,” she said, her throat so tight with excitement that the words came out as a squeak. “Okay, Mr Parker. When all this settles down, when dad is stable, you can have your one day.”
20
A few days later, Liberty sat on the steps of the Pebble Cove porch, willing her heart to return home to her chest. She hadn’t slept much at all that night, and it wasn’t anything to do with how uncomfortable the chair at her dad’s bedside was—although that didn’t help matters.
No. She hadn’t slept because today was the day.
Last night, she’d had a particularly angsty dream that woke her every hour, panicking that she’d overslept and had no time to get ready for her date. As it happened, she’d been up and ready for at least three hours already, and it was only nine am.
Her dad was still asleep in the hospital. The doctors had given her a percentage chance that he’d reawaken. A percentage. Liberty couldn’t understand the fairness in that. How could somebody’s life be reduced to a fraction? She was in turmoil at allowing herself to even go on this date with Nate. A whole day away from her vigil felt selfish. But Fred and Ginger, who had been her saviors at Pebble Cove, had relayed some of her dad’s own motivational verses to her. As they had recounted tales he’d spun them about living life to the max, or loving what you do, a wry smile had spread over Liberty’s face. She couldn’t help but picture her dad pinching the words from an energy bar or an advert on TV or yet another song. Now she knew he hadn’t made them up himself, she was spotting extracts of ‘his’ saying everywhere she looked.
Right now, she could use a calming mantra to soothe her anxiety. She couldn’t sit still. She was up and down from the wooden steps more times than she could count. And she didn’t dare think about how many times she’d been for a pee that morning. Her nerves were shot. Nate wasn’t even due to pick her up for another half an hour.
“You’re going to wear a hole in that step,” Ginger said with a giggle. “But I’d be the same. He’s cute.”
“Argh, you’re not helping, Ginge,” Liberty said, hopping from one foot to another.
“You look beautiful, by the way,” the girl said. “So you’re probably going to hate me for asking you this, but there’s a blocked toilet in room four and I need you to plunge.”
Liberty’s face fell. She’d been ready for three hours and now it was all going to go to waste over some sewage. She’d have to shower again then change and redo her hair and makeup. It had taken her the best part of the first hour to make herself look lovely without looking overdone. Her outfit was a white, pleated midi length skirt with a gray sweater, and some gray pumps to finish. She wanted to go for elegant but not overstated, and she’d gotten it down to a tee. Her hair had behaved itself for once, and each corkscrew curl shone in the morning sun.
There was one item that Liberty had taken off each time she’d tried it on, the fear of not living up to its memory was too much to bear. But eventually she had steeled herself and looked in the mirror. The gold necklace twinkled back at her, the small heart reminding her of how much her mom and dad had been in love when her dad had gifted it to her, and that was enough to give her the strength to keep it on. A good luck charm if ever there was one.
Except it wasn’t acting as a good luck charm right now.
“Okay,” she sighed, gesturing to her clothes. “Just give me five minutes to get out of this?”
Trudging wearily into the motel, she hated Ginger for a millisecond before reminding herself the run-down building was her responsibility, not theirs. Besides, as she kept telling herself, she and Nate could never work. Surely it was best that she smelt less than fragrant when he turned up. Anything to put him off.
“I’m pulling your leg, Liberty,” Ginger called out behind her, laughing. “It’s fine. Everything is fine. Fred just wanted me to come and wind you up.”
“And to be fair, it was quite funny,” Fred shouted from the front door.
“I could throttle the pair of you!” Liberty yelled, almost faint with relief. “Do I not look stressed enough without the added worry of a blocked toilet? Seriously, I should fire you both on the spot.”
“The place’d collapse without us, we know we’re safe,” Fred shouted before shutting the door to avoid hearing what Liberty shouted back.
It was true, she thought. The place would collapse without them. She wasn’t sure what she would have done this week if they hadn’t been here, especially as the motel had been booked almost at capacity. It was lovely how the twins had risen out of themselves with the drama of the last few days, too. They’d started treating her like family instead of the useless stand-in for her father that she felt like on most days.
“He’s still joking,” Ginger said with a slight hesitation. “We do respect our positions.”
“It’s okay, I know he is.” Liberty said with a reassuring smile. “But I really am not worthy of you two.”
“Talking of which,” Ginger said, nodding down the dirt drive of the motel. Liberty saw the Cadillac heading in her direction. Her heart leapt into her mouth and she couldn’t swallow for lack of saliva.
“Good luck,” Ginger said as she ran off into the motel, leaving
Liberty alone on the porch.
She looked absolutely exquisite.
But more than that, she looked welcoming, albeit nervous.
Nate had thought about turning his phone off the last couple of days, just to avoid any last-minute cancellations that she might try to throw in his direction. In the end, he’d decided to have confidence and leave it to the fates. He had one last chance to persuade the girl of his dreams that they could be together, because no matter how different their lifestyles were, it was the people living them who really counted. He had thought about her reservations, about how they would have to keep their relationship a secret for a while, but that didn’t faze him. He knew she was worth the wait. He just had to persuade Liberty that she was worth the wait, and more. He didn’t know the reason for her self-criticism, but he knew he wanted to help her see her worth.
His palms felt sweaty on the steering wheel as he pulled up in front of Pebble Cove. He wiped them on his jeans and took a deep breath before he opened the door.
“Hi,” he said as he stepped out of the Cadillac. “Wow, Liberty, you look beautiful.”
He saw a pink flush spread across her cheeks and hoped it was a happy blush.
“Thank you. You don’t look too bad yourself.”
He had spent hours trying to work out what to wear. It wasn’t supposed to be this hard. Especially with a walk-in closet that was bigger than his first apartment, chock-full of designer labels. He’d wanted to look good for Liberty, of course he had, but he’d also wanted to make her feel at ease, not shoving flashy labels in her face. In the end he’d opted for a smart pair of blue jeans and a white shirt. He’d rolled his shirt sleeves up to the elbow when he’d realized how humid the air was, not wanting to switch to a T-shirt.
If today went according to plan, though, he wouldn’t have to swelter in the shirt for too long.
“Please will you tell me what we’re going to be doing?” she asked him. “So I know if I need to bring anything with me?”
He shook his head.
“You’re perfect as you are. Can I ask how your dad is doing?”
“He’s okay,” she said. “No worse.”
“I’m glad,” he said.
He realized he hadn’t properly greeted her, he’d been too busy gazing at her in awe. He stepped tentatively up the first few stairs of the porch and kissed her on both cheeks.
“Hello,” he said again.
A huge grin spread over her face.
“Hi.”
“Your carriage awaits.”
He walked to the passenger side of the Caddy and opened the door.
“A little bit more dignified than last time,” she laughed, lowering herself into the seat.
“Wouldn’t be hard,” he grinned. “But we’ll let you off, given the circumstances.”
He shut her door and rushed around to the driver’s side.
“I hope you’re feeling adventurous?” he said.
And with a wary grin from his passenger, they were off.
21
They took the highway out of Little Norwich and headed up the coast. Despite the earlyish hour the sun shone fiercely over the ocean. The road was quiet, and Nate’s driving was smooth, or maybe it was the car. Liberty shut her eyes and felt the sun on her face, warm and soothing. If she hadn’t been so excited and nervous about what the day held, she probably would have dozed off.
She felt something brush against her hand and the next thing she knew, Nate had her hand in his as he drove. Yes, she could definitely get used to this. She was trying to protect herself from the heartache she knew would come. Having this day together didn’t change the simple fact that they were too different, and at some point Nate would realize this and run—and that’s if he didn’t get fed up of waiting to be open and honest with the world first. But Liberty had decided to at least relax and enjoy the experience. It wasn’t everyday she went on a date with a billionaire, and a hot one at that.
“This is divine,” she said. “I’d be happy to spend the day doing this.”
Nate laughed and Liberty felt the car slow.
“We’re almost at the end of the road.”
She watched out of the window as he pulled the car into a small parking lot, screened by trees. Opening her door, Nate offered Liberty his hand. They walked together in the heat toward the trees and whatever lay behind them. There was a skip in Liberty’s step that she’d missed over the last few weeks. Today was a chance to forget about all the troubles and focus on being happy. Although her dad would always be in her mind, she knew she couldn’t help him when she was feeling so low. A day to recuperate her strengths was just what the doctor ordered.
They rounded the trees and Liberty’s jaw dropped. She knew she looked like a crazy cartoon character, but she had no control over her reaction.
They were at the top of a cliff—not at a great height, but enough to give amazing views over the ocean. The cliff formed part of a cove, and stone steps led down to a dock. In the dock sat the most beautiful boat Liberty had ever seen. To call it a boat was really a disservice. It was a luxury yacht, brilliant white, with a hull like a razor at its bow. There were three stories, each with huge, jet-black windows. It was quite unlike anything Liberty had ever seen before.
“Yours?” she asked him, her smile so wide it hurt her cheeks.
Nate nodded sheepishly and gestured toward the steps. Liberty didn’t need telling twice as she skipped down them. As a lover of the water, she had always wanted a boat growing up, but her family had never been able to afford one. She’d spent a lot of time out on her best friend’s small motor boat in the beach around Little Norwich, but this was something else.
“Morning, Master Parker.” A white-bearded head bobbed up out from the window of the pilothouse.
“Captain, may we board?” Nate shouted back, giving a friendly salute.
“She’s yours, Nate.” He winked at Liberty. “You can board without asking the Captain!”
“Shhhh, I’m trying to impress the guest,” Nate pretended to whisper back. “I want her to know how impeccable my manners are.”
Liberty snorted.
“I’ve not known you very long, Nate, but I do know you have impeccable manners. It’s one of the things I lo… I like about you.”
She looked away, cursing herself for what she’d almost said. Nate’s nervous smile made it pretty clear he had guessed. He couldn’t meet her eye.
“All aboard then,” the Captain belted over a blast of engine noise, drowning out any need for them to engage in conversation.
Not loud enough to drown out the thoughts flying around Liberty’s head, though.
She caught Nate’s eye and the corner of his mouth lifted.
“After you,” he said, holding his arm out to the passerelle leading to the stern of the yacht.
The water was calm and as Liberty stepped up to the walkway she could peer down into the clear blue ocean below. A few brightly colored fishes swam around in the water, no doubt eating the plankton on the bottom of the boat—not that it looked like there was any, it was so glossy white. The captain came down to meet them and held Liberty’s hand as she stepped down onto the deck.
“Miss Reynolds, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” he said, letting go of her hand.
Liberty gave him the slightest nod but could not draw her attention away from the rest of the boat. It was utterly beautiful. The deck where she had just boarded gave way to glass sliding doors, through which she could see the most elegant living area. She ignored the gentle laughter of the two men behind her and climbed the stairs—not a ladder, actual stairs—to a fly-bridge. Here, her jaw hit the floor. There were sun loungers lining the stern, facing the cliff right now, but once they set sail the beds would give a wonderful view of the ocean as it fell away behind them.
A jacuzzi sat square in the middle of the deck, the bubbles already going. Behind that, toward the bow, was a table to sit at least eight passengers, adorned with a breakfast fit for a king, or
queen in Liberty’s case. There was an abundance of fresh fruit, croissants, yoghurt, smoothies of all different jewel like colors, and what looked like pancakes and maple syrup. A galley made up the rest of the deck, except Liberty didn’t think galley really did it justice because it was better equipped than her apartment back in San Diego.
The whole of the fly-bridge was an elegant gray and white, with splashes of color from the cushions on the seating area and the towels on the sun loungers. Everything had been thought of, she knew she would want for nothing whilst aboard.
She was so engrossed in the wonders of the yacht that she didn’t realize Nate and the Captain had climbed the stairs behind her until Nate slipped his arm around her waist. She let him, enjoying the feeling of his strong body next to hers.
“Is this okay?” he asked with concern in his voice.
She looked at him with tears prickling her eyes. She was so overwhelmed by the day already and it was only breakfast time.
“I mean…” he continued, turning to face her and wrapping his other arm around her waist. “I mean because of your mom? I know you won’t go in the water, but I wanted to make sure you felt safe here.”
Liberty couldn’t stop the tears from falling so she just nodded vigorously at Nate. He wiped them from her cheeks with his thumb.
“Breakfast?”
Liberty’s nodding reached new heights as she pictured the food. Nate laughed.
“Can I quickly introduce Tom? He’s the best captain ever, except me of course.”
Tom nudged Nate in the ribs and held out a hand to Liberty.
“Hi, again.”
They shook, and Liberty smiled properly at him this time.
“Sorry for not saying hi the first time around,” she said, grimacing.
“It’s okay. She takes your breath away. That’s why I love to play captain when Nate’s too busy.”
He walked off in the direction of the wheelhouse, leaving Nate and Liberty alone once more.
My Bereaved Billionaire: A Clean Billionaire Romance (My Billionaire A-Z Book 2) Page 10