by Nomi Summers
Christmas Break with the Billionaire
A Christmas in Arbor Shores Novella
Nomi Summers
Copyright © 2019 by Nomi Summers
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
Write from the Heart Books
P.O. Box 66202
St. Pete Beach, FL 33736
Cover Design by Elizabeth Mackey Designs
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Epilogue
Stay Connected
Also by Nomi Summers
Chapter 1
Jordyn Jacobs glanced at her watch for the fifth time in three minutes. Any second now, the bell would ring, commencing Christmas break.
She’d given up on the lesson she’d planned for her fifth grade class. It seemed her students had mentally checked out before they’d even walked in the door that morning. Who could blame them? They knew that once the school day was over, they wouldn’t be back to school until the new year. Santa, presents, and all the holiday festivities that kids look forward to were surely top priority on their minds. Certainly not the history lesson she had planned to teach on just who Saint Nicholas was and how the legend of Santa Claus came to be in the first place.
Instead, she’d allowed them to do arts and crafts and chat amongst themselves for the last two hours of the day. In hindsight, not her best idea. Their excitement had caused a bit of rambunctious energy to build inside the room, which had grown louder with each passing minute, and was likely the cause of the dull ache that had settled behind her eyes.
Riiiiinnnnnnggggg.
The bell finally went off, and the kids erupted with cheers as they barreled over each other to get to the door.
“Bye, Ms. Jacobs!” “Have a nice Christmas, Ms. Jacobs!” a couple of them yelled as they made their way out of the classroom and into the hallway. Jordyn surrendered to the chair behind her desk and dug at her temples as she watched the last child file out the door. It’s not that she didn’t love her students—she cherished them, along with her job—but she was ready for the day to end.
What really weighed on her mood was the thought that this solidified the start of her own Christmas break as well. Sure, she was excited to have some time off, but this also meant the inevitable trip was ahead of her—the trip back home to Michigan that she’d been dreading since she’d received the wedding news three months ago.
It’s not that she didn’t love a good wedding, and she was happy for her friend, but attending a wedding solo was never a good time. Especially over the holidays, when reminders of just how alone she was would be everywhere.
“That’s a wrap!” Ignes Jones announced as she poked her head inside Jordyn’s classroom. Ignes taught third grade down the hall. She and Jordyn had become close friends since they were both in their late twenties and among the youngest teachers at Kentwood Elementary.
“Hallelujah to that,” Jordyn said, greeting her friend with a smile.
The chatter from the hallway faded as the kids boarded their buses. It was finally time to go home. She pulled herself from the chair and began gathering her things from inside the steel-gray cabinet in the corner of the room, careful not to leave behind the handmade Christmas cards a few of the students had made for her. They would make nice Christmas decorations for her apartment. In fact, they would be the only holiday decorations she’d have on display this year. After the Christmas she’d had last year, she just hadn’t been able to catch the Christmas spirit. Which was a shame because growing up, it had always been her favorite holiday.
“I thought it would never end,” Ignes laughed as she collapsed dramatically into one of the small chairs behind a desk in the front row of the class.
“Girl, you can say that again,” Jordyn agreed, turning to face her friend as she traded her heels for snow boots. “Any big plans for the holidays?”
“John and I are taking the kids to his parents’ in North Carolina. You?”
Jordyn paused and blew out a sigh. “Just that wedding in Michigan I told you about.”
“Oh, that’s right. Well, that’ll be nice to go back home for the holidays. When was the last time you went home, anyway?”
“It’s been two years. Last year, my parents were on the rocks and cancelled our family Christmas. Now that their divorce is officially final, my mom has booked a cruise for herself. My dad will be alone, so I’m glad to go keep him company after the wedding is over.”
“Ouch. Alone for the holidays. Well, I’m sure he’ll be happy to have you.”
“I’m not staying with him, though, that’s the thing. I’m staying at the resort where the wedding is taking place. It’s just easier that way since I’m in the wedding party. Plus, I think he turned my old bedroom into a home gym.”
“Sounds like your dad might be going through a bit of a midlife.” Ignes laughed. “Hey, maybe there will be a handsome groomsman to keep you warm on those cold Northern Michigan nights.” She bounced her eyebrows up and down.
“Don’t count on it. The handsome ones are never single, and if they are, they’re usually players. I’m not looking anyway.” Jordyn tied her scarf around her neck. It was a blistering cold day in Illinois, and she wasn’t looking forward to scraping the snow off her car windows.
Ignes pulled herself up straight in the chair, a serious look taking over her face. “Jordyn, I know Garrett broke your heart, but it’s been almost a full year. Don’t you think it’s about time to start dating again?”
“For the record, I like being single. Garrett doesn’t have anything to do with it.” It sounded good in theory, but who was she trying to kid? Ever since her fiancé dumped her for another woman last Christmas—on Christmas Eve of all days—she’d sworn off dating. Add her parents’ divorce on top of it, and she’d pretty much written off the idea of true love altogether. They had been married for thirty-two years after all; if they could call it quits, then anyone could. She always thought her parents would be together forever. Their marital problems had blindsided her. Even at twenty-eight years old, it still weighed heavily on her heart.
Ignes rose from the desk and made her way back to the door of the classroom. “All I’m saying is be open to it. You don’t have to go looking, but if someone should happen to pop up on this trip, why not have a little fun?”
“Goodbye, Ignes.” Jordyn dismissed her as politely as possible. “Send John and the kids my love. And have a Merry Christmas.”
“All right, will do. You have a Merry Christmas as well. See you next year.”
Ignes vanished out the door, and Jordyn was left with her words ringing loudly in her head. Was it time for her to start dating again? After all, she wasn’t getting any younger. Nah. She’d written off relationships; they always ended in heartbreak. And that’s not what this trip was about, anyway. It was about her childhood friend Avery’s wedding to her rock star groom. Now, there’s a love story you didn
’t hear about every day. But those types of love stories didn’t happen to everyone. They only happened to women like Avery.
An hour later, Jordyn finally arrived at her apartment after sitting in thick Chicago traffic. It took longer than usual to make the seventeen mile commute to the suburb where she lived. She dashed straight to the closet of her spare room and pulled her red suitcase from behind the wall of bridesmaid dresses that hung there. She paused and let out a groan. It seemed she was always a bridesmaid, and this collection of dresses was yet another painful reminder. Would she ever be the bride?
She pulled the dress that she was to wear to Avery’s wedding from the closet and laid it across the bed next to the suitcase. She pressed a finger to her lips and made a mental calculation of just how many outfits she would need for the trip to Arbor Shores. She would leave in the morning to make it in time for the rehearsal tomorrow afternoon. Then, the ceremony was on Saturday, and since Sunday was Christmas Eve, she planned to head over to her dad’s to cook him dinner, and spend Christmas Day with him as well. She was booked at the resort until the day after Christmas, so she concluded that she needed to pack enough clothes for at least five days—six to be on the safe side.
Before heading to the dryer to get the load she’d put in that morning, the easel that sat in the corner of the room caught her eye. She rarely had company, so her spare bedroom, which she’d originally intended as an art studio, looked more like a makeshift laundry room. Piles of folded clothes were perched in various nooks: on the dresser, the chest at the foot of the bed, on the chair that sat in front of her easel. A wave of disappointment washed over her. How long had it been since she’d painted? It was a shame she hadn’t used this space as much as she’d intended.
Jordyn walked over to the easel and tugged at a scarf that was draped over the corner, revealing the half-painted winter scene that she’d started over a year ago. She’d planned to surprise Garrett with it for their new home once they were married. Was it the reminder of her lost relationship that squeezed at her chest? Or was it the fact that she’d lost her passion for painting when she’d abandoned this piece after their breakup?
She fingered the brushes that sat on the ledge of the easel, and a twinge of excitement jolted through her at their touch. For the first time in over a year, she longed to create. It was time to get back to her art.
Finally, she had something to look forward to. When she returned from Arbor Shores, before the kids went back to school, she would start a new painting. It’s exactly how she wanted to spend the remainder of her Christmas break.
That was her plan, and it certainly didn’t include any romance.
What could possibly change her mind?
Luke Bradford took the steps up to the jet two at a time.
“Welcome aboard, Mr. Bradford,” Chelly, his regular flight attendant, greeted him as he made his way inside the Legacy 500.
He nodded and forced a smile. “Morning, Chelly.”
This trip couldn’t have come at a worse time for Luke. As the owner of a software development company, he’d personally developed an app that was about to be bought out by the biggest social media platform on the planet. The last thing he needed at a time like this was to head to a small town in Northern Michigan that more than likely had terrible cell reception.
That reminded him. They’d better have Wi-Fi at the resort where he was staying. He should have thought to ask three months ago when his neighbor, Shane, called to ask him to be a groomsman. They’d become close when Shane moved in next door to Luke’s Malibu beach house. Shane had since relocated to his hometown in Michigan, but before he left, he and Luke had hit it off. They both had a passion for surfing and had bonded over late-night pizza deliveries and bad eighties movies. Luke always felt like Shane appreciated the dose of normalcy Luke brought to his rock-star life. And Luke cherished their carefree friendship just the same.
But the fast friends hadn’t seen much of each other since Shane had gotten back together with his high school sweetheart earlier that year. Come to think of it, Luke hadn’t even returned to his beach house since Shane left California. Luke spent most of his time at his home in West Hollywood since it was closer to his LA office. He sure did miss the salt and sand out in Malibu, but time wasn’t on his side these days. There would be plenty of time for fun after the buyout was finalized. For now, he had to keep his head in the game and keep the app up and running and in top shape through the final review stage.
“We’ll be taking off shortly, Mr. Bradford.” Chelly set down a room temperature Fiji water and a crystal glass in front of him—no ice—just how he liked it. “Can I get you anything else? A drink perhaps?”
“I’ll be working during the flight, so no drinks for me. The water is fine.” He dismissed her with a small smile before pulling his laptop out of its bag and placing it on the polished oak table in front of him. He wasn’t crazy about the long flight from Los Angeles to Traverse City, then another thirty-mile commute west to his final destination in a tiny town in who-knows-where. Luckily, his newest assistant, Anna, had booked him a car that would be waiting for him outside the jet once he landed.
At least he had his jet to himself, so he could work without interruption. He pulled his cell from his pocket so he could type out a text to Anna and let her know they were getting ready to take off in case she needed him for anything. Somewhere between his driver dropping him off at the hangar and getting onto the loud jet, he’d managed to miss seven text messages and four calls. All from his office.
Luke’s heart skipped a beat at the same time something twisted in his stomach. This couldn’t be good. What could be so urgent? He opened the text messages and began to read.
The app is down. Don’t panic. We’re working on it.
The first text was all he needed to see before picking up the phone and calling Jared, his right-hand man and vice president of his company, ProTek Enterprises.
“What do you mean it’s down?” Luke bellowed into the receiver.
“We were adding the new features, and something got crossed in the coding. The app is running, but it’s not working properly for anyone who installed today or received the latest update. We’re working on a new update that will fix the bug, and we’ll send out a push notification once it’s ready.”
Luke rubbed the back of his neck. This was the last thing they needed when the app was being monitored for a multimillion-dollar buyout. “Man, this isn’t good. We need that update ready. Now.”
“Like I said, we’re working on it. Try not to panic. We’ve got it handled on this end.”
The jet began to slowly pull forward. “We’re getting ready to take off.”
“By the time you land it should be fixed.”
“This is top priority. I want the entire team working on this until it’s resolved.”
“We’re on top of it, Luke,” Jared assured him, but there was a hint of doubt in his voice that left a hollowness in the pit of his stomach.
“Keep me posted.” Luke punched the end button and squeezed hard on the cell phone in his hand. He just knew something like this would happen the moment he decided to leave the office. Why hadn’t they tested the latest update before it was installed? He never would have let that fly if he’d been there. This was not a time for careless mistakes.
His jaw pulsed while he looked out the window as the jet lined up on the runway. There was nothing he could do now but wait and pray that this didn’t kill their deal.
Chapter 2
“Jordyn!” Avery Cooke’s familiar voice boomed through the lobby. Jordyn whipped around, excited to see her friend approaching her with open arms.
“Ave!” she squealed, returning the embrace. “How’s the bride-to-be holding up?”
“Better than to be expected considering the weather forecast.” Avery stepped back and motioned toward the falling snow outside the wall of windows that made up the backside of the lodge. “How was your drive up from Illinois?”
; “It wasn’t too bad for most of the way. The snow really started coming down as I got closer to Arbor Shores, but I have new snow tires on my Explorer, so I wasn’t too worried.” A high school graduation present from her parents, she’d had that SUV for ten years now. It had seen better days, but it was still going strong, and it was dependable. She couldn’t bring herself to trade it in and take on a car payment. Not with her limited budget.
“I’m glad you got here when you did. We have a nasty winter storm rolling in. I just hope all of our guests are able to make it.” Avery wore the look of a worried bride, so Jordyn did her best to comfort her friend.
“I’m sure everyone will make it in just fine. Try not to worry about the weather; it’s out of our control.” She offered a comforting smile to Avery and placed a hand on her shoulder. But the truth was, if the snow kept coming down like it was now, the airports would ground flights, and Avery and Shane had many out-of-town guests flying in for the wedding. “Hey, you look fantastic, by the way. You’re glowing,” Jordyn added in an attempt to change the subject.
Avery put a hand over her belly and smiled. “We just found out.”
“You’re pregnant!” Jordyn squealed.
Avery’s eyes widened as they darted around the lobby. “Shhh, we haven’t told anyone yet. But I had to tell someone and my long-lost friend who I never get to see anymore seemed like the perfect place to start.”
Jordyn leaned in and whispered with a smile, “Well, your secret is safe with me.” She was happy for her friend, but in the same moment, something tightened around her heart. Her own biological clock was ticking. Yet another reminder of just how single she was.