I stood there with a lopsided smile on my face as my parents dashed out of the room. I sighed with relief as I hunched my shoulders and let my stomach roll out a bit. I looked over at my brothers as they grinned at me, then they escorted me over to the kitchen table.
“So, where were you really?” Hunter asked.
“How far did you get this time?” Lorenzo asked.
“Kettle,” I said. “I got as far as Kettle.”
“Holy shit. You made it over an hour outside of the city,” Finn said. “What happened?”
“Did you guys get a massive storm here?” I asked.
“Nope, but you probably did in those mountains. They get them there all the damn time. It’s insane,” Finn said.
“You got caught in one, didn’t you?” Hunter asked.
“I did. It was bad, too. I thought I’d totaled the car,” I said.
“Wait, slow down. You were in an accident?” Lorenzo asked.
“It wasn’t bad, I swear. I just skidded off the road and ended up in a ditch,” I said.
“How the hell did you get out of it?” Lorenzo asked.
“I just waited it out. The water got high enough and it carried my car back to level ground, then from there I could get home,” I said.
“But you obviously stayed the night somewhere,” Hunter said. “What happened?”
“A hotel, you nimrod. Where else would I have stayed?” I asked.
My eyes darted between my brothers, hoping they would buy what I was selling. The last thing I needed to tell my overprotective brothers was that I had stayed in a cabin on the mountain with some burly man with sparkling brown eyes. They all looked at one another before they drew in a deep breath, and I just knew I had been caught.
Until Finn started talking.
“The banker prompted this, didn’t he?”
Tears crested my eyes as Hunter began to rub my back.
“I can’t marry that man, you guys. He’s forty-four years old. Ready to have kids. Allergic to everything under the sun. I don’t know anything about him,” I said.
“Who said anything about marriage?” Lorenzo asked.
“Dad. The last argument we had before I packed up my things was that I was going on a date with my future husband. They wanted us to meet, get to know one another, then our family and theirs were going to start arranging wedding plans,” I said.
“What the fuck is that bullshit?” Hunter asked. “We didn’t know about this.”
“Yeah. Mom hasn’t said anything about it,” Lorenzo said.
“I figured she wouldn’t. Mom will speak up if she doesn’t like someone, but she likes this guy. And I have no idea why,” I said.
“Does this guy’s name happen to be Timothy Wells?” Hunter asked.
“The third? Yeah, that’s him. Wait, do you know him?” I asked.
“The entire family does. His father is the man who monitors all of the family company’s investment accounts,” Hunter said.
“Are you serious?” I asked.
“Yeah. That’s probably why this is important to Mom and Dad. They probably feel if they marry you to him, then once he hands the investment company to his son, he’ll cut them some kind of deal or work extra hard on their accounts or something,” Hunter said.
“I’m nothing but a business transaction to them,” I said.
“Don’t worry. We’ve got your back,” Finn said.
“We’ll talk to Mom and Dad,” Lorenzo said. “We’re not going to let them marry you off to someone you don’t want to be married to.”
“They won’t listen to you guys,” I said.
“Ava, you’re our baby sister,” Hunter said. “And it’s our job to protect you. Even if that protection means bucking up against Mom and Dad. What they’re doing is wrong, and you know we’ve always been behind you on this.”
“Yeah. When we went to bed last night and you didn’t come home, we know what you had done,” Finn said.
“And quite frankly, I was hoping you would make it this time,” Lorenzo said.
“I can’t marry that man, you guys. I can’t stay here,” I said.
“Just stay put for now. If you try to leave again, it’s going to throw up flags. Let us talk to Mom and Dad. I’m sure with enough digging and enough prodding, we can get them to drop this idiotic decision,” Finn said.
“Yeah. Just give us some time and you just lay low,” Hunter said.
I was thankful for their help and support, but I knew it wouldn’t do any good. My father was dead set in marrying me off, so if this fell through, he would just find someone else. There was no amount of arguing, debating, or reasoning that would ever make my parents see that I was just as capable as my brothers. I was their little princess, but in the Lucas family that came with a price.
And it was a price I was going to pay no matter what.
Whenever I decided to make my leave again, I had to make sure it was foolproof. Because when I left again, I couldn’t ever come back. Not for my brothers, not for my family, and not for Cassie.
I had to leave all of it behind for good.
Eight
Travis
I needed some things from town after the shit with the storm cleared out. I was out of almost everything, especially since I wasn’t prepared for the next storm that came barreling behind it. I grabbed my keys and cranked up my truck, sighing as it sputtered to life. This thing was beat up and old, and I knew at any moment it would stop working on me.
This truck had been my life support going through the transition with my ex. After she left me at the altar, I made the decision that the family business was not for me. After jetting around the world and treating her to all of the decadence this planet had to afford, I was ready to settle down and go nowhere. I wanted nothing to do with the family business because I wanted nothing to do with the money that woman drained me of. I took the trust fund that opened up for me when I turned 30 and invested it wisely. Now, I lived off the quarterly dividends as well as the interest that was building as my money continue to accumulate.
I knew that at any moment my father would accept me back into the family company fold. I kept my eyes peeled for people who scouted the mountains when they didn't need to be here, just to make sure no one would try to blindside us again. It was how I continue to repay my father for the graciousness he afforded me after my heart had been broken.
Even after I had worked to pay off the cabin he had built for me.
Now, the mountain life was all I knew. I hunted down my own meat, I grew my own vegetables when I could, and I fixed up old cars and machinery to turn around and sell for a little bit of money. Fixing things was more of a stress release for me than it was a blossoming company. I knew that when my parents passed, I would have to step up alongside my twin brothers in order to take it over. Which meant it wasn’t wise to get myself into anything that would tie me down after they passed.
I could already identify a few problems I needed to fix with the truck as I drove down the mountain. The steering wheel shook a bit and the brakes didn't have as much traction as they needed to have. Plus, there was a roaring sound coming from the back of my tires as they hit the highway. Which meant that the wheel bearings need to be checked.
It sounded like I was going to have to make a stop at a junkyard before I made my way back home.
After scouring through a junkyard and finding a few things, I headed to the grocery store. One of the things about heavy rain storms like the ones we were getting was that it washed away the seeds I planted. I knew I was going to have to start over with the little garden I planted in the back of my cabin, which meant I needed fresh vegetables until I could sprout my own.
I walked through the grocery store and grabbed a few items. Things like toilet paper and cleaning supplies. Kleenexes and paper plates. I didn't have a lot of proper dishware in my cabin because the only person eating it was me. Paper plates, napkins, and plastic silverware just made things easier for me. I walked through the
produce section and pick out a few things I knew I could use. Nice red peppers and some spaghetti squash as well as some vegetables that were already chunked up so I could make a nice stir fry. I ran down some recipes through my mind as I walked up and down the aisles, grabbing snacks I didn't need and a case of beer just to help the time fly by.
But when I turn down the spice aisle to pick up some things for dinner, I saw a very familiar face.
There she was, with her long brown hair and her dazzling hazel eyes. She carried a small handheld basket as she stuck a few spices in her carrying case. It was the first time I had gotten a good look at her since I found her on the side of the road. I got a moment to take in just how beautiful she was. Her rounded hips and her luscious breasts. The way her hair cascaded down her back and the way her legs were toned and full. She stood with her shoulders rolled back even though she was hunched over a spice, her teeth biting down on her lower lip as she concentrated.
My eyes scanned Ava as she stood there, turning the bottle of cumin around in her hand.
“It’s a good spice,” I said.
I watched her eyes whip over to mine and take me in.
“If you’ve never tried it before. It’s a good all-around spice,” I said.
“I have,” she said. “Tried it, I mean.”
“I thought you said you lived in Seattle.”
“I do. I mean, yes. On the outskirts of the city. But my parents own a house not too far from here,” she said.
“Which mountain?” I asked.
“They aren’t on one,” she said.
“So, you didn’t recognize the area when you got lost?”
“Never been up the mountains. I thought my GPS was taking me through a shortcut. I hit some traffic coming in on the main road and I told my phone application to reroute me.”
“Yeah. You’ll hit a lot of traffic on Main Street. It’s the only way in and out of Kettle,” I said.
Her eyes settled onto mine as a small grin twitched her cheek.
“I’m sorry I never called you or anything. To thank you properly for fixing my car. But I didn’t have your number and you struck me as the kind of person that isn’t listed in any phone book,” Ava said.
“Well, I don’t have a cell phone, so it wouldn’t have done you any good,” I said.
“Ah,” she said.
I watched her stick the bottle of cumin in her cart before she turned her body toward me.
“Could I buy you a cup of coffee?” she asked. “You know, to thank you for fixing my car.”
“You don’t need to thank me.”
“You’re just glad I got home safe?” she asked.
“Not really,” I said. “I’m glad that you’re safe, but not that you went back home.”
“Oh,” she said.
“But, if you want to buy me a cup of coffee and just… sit and talk… that would be fine.”
Her eyes lit up and I had no idea why that made me as happy as it did.
The two of us walked around the grocery store together until we had everything we needed. Then we went through the lines, purchased our stuff, then stored it in our cars before we went to get coffee. She followed me to this coffee shop I was familiar with. It was the only place in Kettle where someone could get a decent cup of coffee. I ushered her into the shop and the two of us ordered, and I tried to convince her to let me pay.
But she wasn't having it.
“I told you, I’m buying it,” Ava said.
“Then the next one’s on me,” I said.
“Deal.”
“So,” I said as I grabbed my cup, “what happened when you got home?”
“The usual. My parents tried to railroad me, my brothers came to my rescue, they helped bail me out, and now I’m back to figuring out how I can get away,” she said.
“How many brothers do you have?” I asked.
“Three. Do you have any siblings?”
“I do. Two twin brothers. Both younger than me,” I said.
“Do they live on the mountain, too?” she asked.
“Nope. But they do live in Kettle. Just on different mountains. My parents moved to Florida a couple of years back, but we stayed here.”
“Born and raised?” she asked.
“Yep. You?”
“In Seattle, yes.”
“Did you enjoy it there?” I asked.
“I enjoyed it when I wasn’t at home. I loved my schools and the friends I made. But once my father started having opinions on who I was to hang out with, only one of my friends made the cut.”
“Your father doesn’t sound like a very nice man,” I said.
“I’m sure he’s got his redeeming qualities somewhere, but I don’t see them. Anyway, I don’t want to talk about them.”
“Then what would you like to talk about.”
“You,” she said.
My eyes rose and connected with hers as she took a sip of her coffee. She eyed me carefully, like she was sizing me up. And I couldn’t blame her. I was still a stranger to her. A stranger that couldn’t get her out of my thoughts at night.
“What do you want to know?” I asked.
“Have you always been a recluse?” she asked.
“I’m not a recluse.”
“You live on a mountain by yourself with no friends to speak of.”
“I have friends,” I said.
“What are their names?”
“Leo and Jasper,” I said.
“Those are your twin brothers, aren’t they?” she asked.
“Why can’t they be friends as well as siblings? Aren’t you friends with your brothers?”
“Yes, but they don’t count.”
“That’s not fair. You just said they counted.”
Ava giggled as she took a sip of her coffee and the sound warmed my chest. Her smile lit up her bright hazel eyes, pulling from them yellow specks that reminded me of the sun. She was easy to talk to. Easy to banter back and forth with. It had been a long time since I enjoyed mindless conversation like this with someone.
And it had been even longer since I had been willing to open up about myself.
“What do you do for a living?” Ava asked.
“For now, I’m an investor of sorts. Until it’s time for me to take over the family business,” I said.
“Ah, so you have one of those, too.”
“One of those what?” I asked.
“Pesky family businesses. We have one of those. But I’m not allowed anywhere near it because I don’t have a penis.”
“Good piece of information to know,” I said.
“I don’t understand that. Why I can’t be a part of the family business because I’m a woman.”
“I don’t get it, either. It’s an archaic notion. Some of the world’s top companies were built and are currently run by women,” I said.
“I could do great things with that company if my father would just get out of my way,” she said.
“I thought you didn’t want to talk about them.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” she said, grinning.
“Right now, I’m living off the trust fund that opened up when I turned thirty. I worked for my family’s business all through college and set all of it aside in savings. But life happened and it threw me down a different path, so when my trust fund opened up I invested it wisely. I live off my savings and the quarterly dividends I get from some of the companies I’ve invested in,” I said.
“Sounds smart. You’re a smart man, Mr. Travis Benson,” she said. “I’d love to live like that. Off money I invested so I wouldn’t have to deal with people. You’ve got the life.”
“It was a very hard road getting here, so I wouldn’t be too envious of it,” I said.
“Why?” she asked.
I sighed as I looked up into Ava’s eyes.
“It just was,” I said.
“If you don’t want to talk about it, that’s fine,” she said.
“Well, I don’t.”
“Okay.
What’s your favorite color?”
“What?” I asked.
“Your favorite color.”
“What does that have to do with anything?” I asked.
“It doesn’t. It’s a change of subject. That’s what you wanted, right?” she asked.
I snickered and shook my head as I took another sip of my coffee.
“You’re a piece of work, you know that?” I asked.
But then, a movement caught my attention out of the corner of my eye.
I turned my head over toward the shadow, but there was no one over there. I studied the darkened corner and could’ve sworn I saw the outline of someone there, but Ava’s voice pulled me back to the conversation.
“I try to be,” she said. “My favorite color’s yellow, by the way.”
“For your sunny disposition?” I asked.
“No. Because I really like lemonade,” she said.
The two of us sat there and talked for hours, but now I had this darkness looming over me. It felt like someone was watching us. Like someone knew we were sitting together. I wasn’t sure why that weirded me out as much as it did, but I tried my best not to alert Ava to my worry. With everything mounting between my family’s company and Breathline Energies, I had to prepare myself for the idea that someone might be watching what I was doing.
“Travis? You okay?”
“What?” I asked.
“You look a bit dazed,” I said. “Am I boring you already?”
“Nope. You were talking about how if you went to college, you’d get a business degree, wait out your parents, then take your family’s company over anyway,” I said.
“So you were listening,” she said, grinning.
“To you? Yes,” I said.
I looked back over at that corner and it was now filled with people. The corner was no longer dark, and in its place was a shelving of books and board games. I shook the feeling from my mind as Ava continued to talk about all the things she wanted to do with her life. I needed to not get so paranoid.
After all, it wasn’t like I was doing anything that could get my family’s company in trouble. Just having some coffee with a beautiful woman with a fire in her gut to make something of herself.
Her Dirty Billionaires_An Office MFM Romance Page 28