“You’re supposed to be relaxing in the sunshine,” John Hunter said gruffly, crossing the office and reaching to pull his son into a hug as Jace stood up. “You’re still too damned thin, though at least you’ve got some color back in your face. Why’d you leave Sunfish?”
“It was just time, Dad. I hadn’t been to the Sydney offices in a while, figured I’d drop in and see how things are here.” He smiled through the open door at the anxious PA hovering outside and waved her off before closing the door. While he’d left orders he wasn’t to be disturbed, he hadn’t expected his father to turn up. She could hardly have kept the company CEO from walking in.
“Humph.” John scowled. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because you’d probably have ordered the pilots not to pick me up, and I’d have had to get a commercial flight. Which would be boring.” Jace grinned.
“You’re not too proud to fly commercial.”
“No, but I didn’t want to deal with anyone who recognized me asking why.”
John grunted again, but Jace could tell he was already forgiven. “So talk to me about the island. How did you like it?” John grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator hidden in an antique wooden cabinet and took a seat.
“It’s beautiful,” Jace said, knowing the word was inadequate. “And the setup is magnificent. I met quite a few guests and nobody had a single gripe. The staff are absolutely on top of customer service, going above and beyond to make everybody happy. I was incredibly impressed with Luke Collyer.”
“Good man, that.” John nodded in agreement.
“It was really nice,” Jace said, thinking it through for the first time, “to be in the middle of one of our businesses, for once. On the ground floor, seeing how the service gets delivered to customers. The staff at Sunfish, they’re the heart and soul of that place. They’re the face Hunter Enterprises shows to customers, and I gotta say they’re doing a hell of a job.”
John cocked his head curiously, listening to Jace’s impassioned words. “You really liked being there, huh?”
“Yeah.” More than liked, he’d loved it. He’d felt comfortable there, for the first time in a long time. The staff on Sunfish were down-to-earth, not afraid to get their hands dirty, hardworking people with a genuine love for what they did. They were far removed from the high-society crowd of New Yorkers who’d been Jace’s social circle for the last few years. The mere thought of returning to that sterile, artificial life repulsed him now, and he knew he had to say something.
“Dad–even though I’m feeling better, I don’t think I want to go back to the New York office. I… don’t think I want to take over Hunter Enterprises from you. Ever.”
To his complete astonishment, his father smiled broadly. “Took you long enough to figure that out.”
Jace’s jaw dropped open. “What?”
“Oh, you could do it, and you’d do it damned well, but you’d hate every minute of it. You’re not ruthless enough, son. I love you more than I’ve ever been able to express, but you’ve got your mother’s heart. God rest her soul.”
Jace could hardly believe his ears. He’d always been afraid of disappointing his father, had always striven to be someone John could be proud of. “What will you do with the company?” he asked, almost afraid to hear the answer. “I don’t want you to run yourself into the ground with it.” It was a large part of the reason he’d worked so hard to be able to step up, knowing John wasn’t getting any younger.
“I’m gonna privatize the company. The market’s ripe for an IPO, we’ll list forty per cent of the stock initially and see how things go. I’ll put twenty percent in a trust for you and your heirs; Hunter Enterprises will always look after you, but it was my dream, not yours.”
Jace was too choked up to speak.
John reached out to grab him into a tight hug. “I’m damned proud of you, son. Always will be. But you gotta find your own dreams to follow.”
Father and son embraced for several long minutes, and John’s voice was husky when he finally pulled back and said, “So what’s your plan?”
“I don’t know, yet.” Except he rather thought he did. “I think I’d like to go back into architecture.”
“You did graduate top of your class when you got your degree, and God knows Hunter Enterprises can always keep you in work even if you don’t take on any other clients.” John smiled a little mistily at him.
“I think I’d like to design houses rather than commercial premises, though.” Spending time in the villa he’d designed as his graduation project had made him think more about the ergonomics of design, about marrying beautiful design with a home that was easy to live in and maintain.
“The only thing I have to ask you is that you keep everything on the down low until we’ve taken the initial stock offering to market.” John gave him a serious look. “There are a fair number of our senior staff, folks who’ve been with us a long time, who have a stake in the company.”
Jace knew most of the people his father was talking about. He’d grown up around them, called them uncles and aunts, absorbed the business of Hunter Enterprises by learning from their expertise.
“It’s only right to do our best to make those shares worth as much as possible,” Jace agreed. “Of course, Dad. You can count on me.”
“I know.” John clapped a strong hand on his shoulder. “We’re taking Hunter Enterprises straight to the top of the Dow Jones.”
“Just one thing,” Jace said. “That twenty percent share you’re putting into a trust? Could it maybe include complete ownership of Sunfish Island?”
“Of course.” John looked at him curiously. “Sunfish is pretty special to you, eh?”
“It’s a pretty special place.” He wanted to make sure nobody else could ever come in and impose their own wishes on the island, sack staff and change the guest relations policies that gave the resort such a special atmosphere. Wanted to make sure no matter what, that Sunfish would always be Nessa’s refuge.
“It’s yours. Forever. I’ll make sure of it,” John promised, no further questions asked, for which Jace was grateful.
* * *
The news that Hunter Enterprises was going public sent shock waves through the staff at Sunfish Island. They all worried about what it might mean for their jobs, at least until John Hunter phoned Luke personally and told him Sunfish Island was being specifically excluded from the sale.
“Ownership of the island, the resort and everything to do with it has already been transferred into a trust, the sole beneficiary of which is Jace, at the present time, though any heirs of his will also be included at a later date.”
After getting his breath back, Luke had to ask why.
A rich chuckle answered the question. “Seems he fell in love with the place, wanted to make sure no corporate types could come in and ruin it. He has ultimate say over anything that happens on the island now–and he asked me to let you know that he has full confidence in you.” John paused to let that sink in. “You impressed him, Luke. He’ll be in touch soon to let you know that himself, I’m sure, but we’re both up to our eyes at the moment, as I’m sure you can imagine. He’s in London right now.”
Luke was still in a certain degree of shock. “This is so unexpected, Mr. Hunter, but thank you so much for calling to tell me in person. I really appreciate it.”
“You’re welcome. Don’t know what magic you’re working on that island but Jace came back a changed man, determined to follow his own dreams. If it was something you said to him, thank you.”
“I… don’t think it was me.”
“No?” John asked curiously.
Luke said nothing.
There was a brief silence on the line, and then John said, “There was a girl, huh? Jace wouldn’t talk about it, but I read between the lines.”
Luke rubbed his forehead, wondered how much he should say. “He didn’t tell her who he was. I accidentally dropped him in it, and she didn’t take it well.”
&nbs
p; “Ahh,” John said. “Well, whoever she is, she made him take a good hard look at himself, and he realized he didn’t like the path he was on. I must ask you to keep this particular tidbit quiet, but after the stock goes to market, Jace is stepping back from his role here. Going back to architecture, and I have to tell you, I couldn’t be happier for him.”
Thanking John, Luke ended the call and sat dumbfounded in his office chair for several minutes, thinking through the implications of what he’d just learned. At last, a broad smile on his face, he pushed himself to his feet. The staff would all be relieved to know their jobs were safe, but there was one person he really should tell first.
***
Nessa had taken a few days off after she broke up with Jace, but knowing he’d left the island, she found herself returning sooner than she had originally planned. Dropping back into her usual routine, she still sometimes found herself looking at the seat he’d always taken at the end of the bar, wishing he was there, looking at her with those steady ice-blue eyes. She’d asked herself a thousand times if she’d done the right thing in ending their relationship. We were ships that passed in the night, she told herself. Now I’m back in my safe harbor and he’s off across the ocean somewhere.
“Hey.” It was Luke who slid onto the bar stool, smiling at her. “Got some news.”
“You’re not saving it for the staff meeting?” She wiped up a small puddle of spilled soda on the bar with a rag, but couldn’t avoid meeting his eyes. It was quiet today, and she had no customers to tend to.
“Thought you might like to hear it first. Turns out Hunter Enterprises no longer owns Sunfish.”
“What?” Nessa’s jaw dropped. “It’s already been sold–before the share offer? Who’s the new owner?”
“Jace Hunter.”
The cloth she’d been using to wipe the bar fell from nerveless fingers. “Jace?”
“Got the news from John Hunter himself. Jace apparently wanted to make sure Sunfish was safe from any corporate meddling. I’ve been assured he has complete faith in my ability to run the place… though I’m pretty sure there’s one particular staff member I daren’t fire.”
Nessa found herself clinging to the edge of the bar to hold herself up because her legs felt too shaky to support her. “He did that for me?”
“Pretty sure you’re a fairly large part of his motive, yeah.” Luke eyed her sympathetically. “You know,” he said in an apparent non sequitur, “Olivia still knows a hell of a lot of New York movers and shakers from her days as a marketing guru in the Big Apple.”
Nessa eyed him curiously. “So?”
Luke grinned. “So, I have an idea.”
Chapter Nine
Nessa smoothed her hands over the skirt of her tangerine silk dress once more, before stepping forward and handing the printed invitation she held to one of the PAs manning the door into the massive ballroom. Olivia’s friend had assured her the invitation was completely legit, but Nessa still had the terrible feeling the PA, a beautiful blonde with a snooty expression on her face, would dismiss her as a fraud and probably have her arrested.
“Your name is Tennessee Williams?” The blonde gave her a skeptical look. Nessa cursed the last-minute rush which had meant Olivia had to email her friend a copy of Nessa’s passport in order to get the invite organized in time for the event.
“Blame my mother, and please, please just call me Nessa,” Nessa replied.
The blonde actually chuckled. “I know just how you feel. I’m Donna… but my real name is Chardonnay.”
They exchanged conspiratorial grins, and Donna found Nessa’s name on the list on her tablet and checked it off. “Have a good evening… Nessa.”
“Thank you, Donna.” Taking a deep breath, she tightened her grip on the fashionable little clutch Olivia’s friend had provided, along with the designer dress and heels, before moving through the huge doorway into the ballroom.
Luke’s brilliant idea had been for Nessa to fly to New York and use Olivia’s old contacts to wrangle herself an invitation to the special Hunter Enterprises post-IPO party. Nessa still wasn’t entirely sure how they’d managed to talk her into it, but here she was, wearing a dress worth more than a month’s salary and a pair of shoes which probably cost as much as a new car, despite each apparently consisting of little more than a couple of flimsy straps, some rhinestones, and a sharp heel.
There had to be five hundred people here already and more arriving by the minute. How was she ever to even find Jace, never mind get close to him? She’d arrived in New York early that morning and spent the day being pampered in a ridiculously high-class beauty salon before coming here, but she’d taken the time to check the stock market. Wall Street was going crazy over the offering, the stock already soaring to almost five times its initial list price. Everyone here tonight looked to be celebrating pretty hard.
“Nessa?” a voice said behind her and she startled, spinning around and almost tripping over her heels. A slim Chinese woman in a designer business suit stood there; agelessly beautiful, her eyes told Nessa she wasn’t nearly as young as she might be mistaken for.
Who the hell knows I’m here? “Um, yes, I’m Nessa.”
“I thought you might be. I’m Nancy, Jace’s assistant.”
“He knows I’m here?” Nessa fought the urge to panic.
“Actually, he doesn’t.” Nancy reached out, giving her a gently reassuring pat on the arm. “Luke Collyer called Mr. Hunter–Mr. John Hunter, that is–and let him know you were coming. John asked me to be on the lookout for you.”
“Oh.” Nessa’s shoulders relaxed a tiny bit.
They tensed right back up when Nancy said, “I can take you to Jace now, if you’d like?”
“I think maybe I need a drink first. Liquid courage and all that,” Nessa admitted.
Nancy smiled, beckoning to a nearby waiter. “After the chaos this last week has been, I wouldn’t say no myself. Champagne?” She scooped two crystal flutes off the waiter’s proffered tray and handed one to Nessa. “Cheers.”
“Bottoms up,” Nessa said with a smile in return. The champagne was fabulous; Cristal, she was pretty sure, though the glasses were pre-filled and she couldn’t see a bottle.
“Don’t go anywhere,” Nancy warned the waiter before draining her glass, handing back the empty and taking another one. “Come on, Nessa, keep up,” she chided.
Laughing, she decided she rather liked Nancy. Nessa followed suit and claimed another glass. On an empty stomach, the bubbles went straight to her head, making her feel floaty and relaxed.
“Okay,” she declared, “I think I can face him now.”
“Marvelous.” Nancy linked her free arm through Nessa’s and drew her through the crowd. She seemed to know almost everyone there, greeting many people by name but forging an inexorable path onward until the last group of people melted aside and Nessa saw Jace.
Wearing a pale gray suit perfectly tailored to his tall, lean form, his brown hair immaculately cut, his jaw clean-shaven, he looked every inch the billionaire.
Right down to the famous supermodel on his arm, laughing as he spoke and leaning in to press a kiss on his cheek, dangerously close to his mouth, leaving a scarlet imprint of her lips behind. A camera flashed to capture the moment and the group surrounding Jace laughed, knowing what picture they’d see in the society pages of the papers tomorrow.
Nessa froze like a deer in headlights, staring as Jace turned his head to speak to the other woman. His gaze passed over her briefly, unseeingly. But that was enough. She yanked her arm from Nancy’s and spun on her heel, rushing through the crowd as fast as she could manage in her narrow-skirted dress and ridiculously high heels, blinded by the tears running down her cheeks.
***
“Nessa?” It took a moment for Jace’s weary brain to process what his eyes had just seen; his gaze snapped back to the woman he’d spotted in the crowd. She’d already pulled loose from Nancy and turned away, running through the crowd, long black braids
swinging behind her.
Yanking his own arm free from the woman trying desperately to cling to him, Jace rushed forward. “Was that really Nessa?” he demanded of Nancy, waiting only for her nod before sprinting after Nessa’s disappearing back.
She’d come. She’d come to him. Only to arrive just as some fortune-hungry attention-seeker tried to sink her claws into him. He could only imagine what Nessa must have thought of what she’d just seen.
The crowd slowed him down, stockbrokers high on champagne and success trying to catch onto him, shouting their congratulations, demanding to know where he was going in such a rush. He ignored them all.
“Nessa!” he yelled, losing sight of her briefly. Damn, she was quick even in a dress and heels; he pulled loose from the hands grabbing at him and raced after her. “Nessa!”
By the time he reached the doors, she’d disappeared. He looked frantically around, wondering which way she’d gone.
“Did you see a beautiful black girl in an orange dress run past?” he begged the PAs at the door, all staring at him as though he’d lost his mind.
“Nessa?” Donna, one of his junior assistants, asked. At his nod, she continued, “She went that way.” She pointed to the hotel’s main doors leading out onto Fifth Avenue.
“Bless you!” He followed at a dead run, but reached the exit just in time to see a cab pull away from the curb. “Damn, damn, damn!”
“Mr. Hunter?” Turning, he found Donna behind him, her expression anxious. “Is everything alright?”
He took a deep breath. “No.”
He knew Nancy had trained the girl well when her expression smoothed to steely resolve, her chin lifting.
“Tell me what you need, sir.”
***
The only good thing about her hasty dash home was when she’d boarded the flight still in her designer dress and heels, the check-in agent had taken one look at her outfit and given her a free first-class upgrade. The plane had been halfway across the Pacific when Nessa finally gave in and cried. A concerned flight attendant promptly descended on her with tissues, chocolate, and alcohol, which at least made the interminable flight seem to pass a little faster, even though she couldn’t sleep.
The Reluctant Billionaire Page 7