The Angler, the Baker, and the Billionaire (Destination Billionaire Romance)

by Day, Amberlee

  “What did you do, clear out the poor sample lady?” Cathy asked.

  “Had to get enough for everyone.” He passed them out, and the three of them silently consumed their samples. “Good, right?”

  “Not bad.” Cathy finished hers and wadded up the paper trash.

  “Not bad? These are amazing! Considering they were frozen and reheated. I think there’s a phenomenal amount of flavor packed in here. Sophie, what do you think?”

  Sophie swallowed the lump of filled dough and sauce. “There’s nothing wrong with it.”

  Jamie watched her. “But you don’t like it?”

  “I don’t love it, but—” she glanced at Cathy, not wanting to complain about PJ’s anymore. “Maybe I’m not the best judge. It seems a little chewy, though.”

  “I agree,” Cathy said. “Good flavors, but chewy.”

  “You think?” Jamie looked at his half-eaten second sample. “I wouldn’t call it chewy, but … Hold on, there’s some cheese two aisles up you’re really going to love. Smoked Gouda squares.”

  “That’s okay—” Sophie protested, but he was already dashing out of sight. She sighed. “That’s weird. Why does he care? You’d think he picked the samples out himself. Is he just excited about free food, or is it really so offensive that I’m not a big-box-store-type girl?”

  “Maybe he just wants you to enjoy your Alaskan experience.”

  “Please, PJ’s isn’t exactly an Alaskan experience. It’s more about the lost American experience. Places like this are an attack on the small business owner. I guarantee, before this PJ’s went up, there were dozens of smaller shops providing the same services. In fact, I could—”

  While Sophie was lecturing and straightening a display of ground cinnamon, Cathy had waddled off, pushing the too-heavy cart. Sophie rushed to catch up. “Sorry. Here, let me do that.”

  Jamie caught up to them in dairy, three bite-sized cheese blocks on skinny toothpicks pinched between his fingers. This time, even Sophie had to admit PJ’s smoked Gouda was good cheese. To Sophie’s utter confusion, Jamie smiled like he’d just hit a home run and insisted on treating her to a two-pound package as a souvenir from Juneau.

  8

  A few days after the Juneau trip, Jamie drove the company truck up to the little pink bakery. As he often did when he was happy, he whistled. He hadn’t whistled in quite a while, maybe not for the last year. The happy mood that settled over him was no mystery. Ever since that first moment Sophie looked at him on the charter boat, he was lost. Her beautiful dark eyes, the shape of her mouth. That fascination might have passed if she’d only been a pretty face, but her expression when the humpback surfaced was pure magic. The close encounter with a whale impressed him as well, but seeing it through the joy and wonder on Sophie’s face energized him and lifted his heart like nothing had in years.

  And it wasn’t just the whale. The light that came to her eyes lit him up as well. Taking in the sights in Sitka, seeing the moose in the road. You would have thought she was a kid at Disneyland.

  She hated PJ’s Warehouse, which was weird. Who didn’t like the pot sticker samples? But he could overlook that. Nobody’s perfect, and Sophie’s other qualities enticed him to want to be around her more, to know her better.

  He did feel pretty happy that she liked the smoked Gouda.

  But today, today was going to be a big day. He’d made plans. It hadn’t occurred to him that she would be too busy helping Cathy to go, but he did worry she’d say no anyway. Maybe she didn’t want to spend the day with him. Why would she? He knew what he looked like in the mirror. Soon he’d shave the beard, get a haircut, and change out of his grunge clothes, but not yet. He wasn’t ready yet.

  Yes, she could say no to the day he had planned. But she did owe him a date. He counted on her keeping her word to go out with him one more time.

  He was still whistling as he walked up to the door, only stopping when he poked his head into the brightly lit interior. His eyes immediately met Sophie’s.

  While business had kept him away for a few days, her dark eyes and beautiful smile never left his mind. Now that he finally saw her again, it was all he could do to keep from getting closer to her. Closer, as in wrapping-her-in-his-arms-and-holding-her close. And o-o-h, he did want to kiss her.

  But he didn’t.

  “Good morning, beautiful! Fancy a kayak ride?” He hoped it sounded more casual than he felt.

  Cathy and Sophie sat at the folding table, Cathy at her laptop. Did he imagine it, or did Sophie’s pupils dilate the closer he came? He felt electricity just seeing her, and the thought that she did too made that urge to grab her even harder to resist.

  The large ceiling fans were being installed by a middle-aged man in work clothes. When Jamie tore his eyes from Sophie long enough to look at the man, he grinned.

  “Hey there, Uncle Knuckles. They got you working, too?”

  “Oh, yeah. They’re letting me pitch in with the promise of free cinnamon rolls.”

  “Sounds like a fair trade.” Jamie realized Sophie wore a worried expression. “What?”

  “You said you know Uncle Wade,” she said, “and now you know Uncle Knuckles, too?”

  “Sure. Who in Sitka doesn’t? Uncle Knuckles can fix just about anything, isn’t that right?”

  The older man stepped down from his ladder and straightened his tool belt. “Now, don’t you go starting any rumors,” he teased gruffly. “I don’t want to find a lineup at my doorstep tomorrow morning with half of Sitka wanting their plumbing fixed and their garages rewired.”

  Jamie put his hands in the air. “Don’t look at me. I won’t tell a soul.” He turned back to Sophie. “What do you say? Can Cathy spare you for half a day?”

  For some reason, she still seemed to have trouble with him knowing her uncle but visibly shook her head to clear whatever was bothering her. “Sorry. Kayaking?”

  “Yes. There’re some beautiful places around Sitka Sound you can only get to by kayak. Fancy a boat ride?”

  Sophie glanced at Cathy. He couldn’t tell how she felt about the idea of spending hours alone in a kayak with him, so he quickly added, “You do owe me a date.”

  Cathy looked tired, as she always did lately. A twinge of guilt shot through him that he was trying to take her helper away.

  But really, Cathy’s had her for days. I’ve been good, and stayed away.

  “Yes, you should go,” Cathy finally said. “We have a couple of days to get this done. I might head out, too. Uncle Knuckles, do you need me here?”

  “Nope, I’m good,” he said, carrying part of the fan up the ladder with him. “Natalie’s stopping by to take those measurements for the sign, and she promised to have lunch in town with her old dad.”

  “Natalie? I’d love to see her,” Sophie said. Jamie’s heart sank. Was she looking for a reason not to go with him?

  “You’ll see her plenty,” Uncle Knuckles said. “She’ll be coming by with the sign and helping to get it in place. You go on and have fun. I’m guessing Cathy here’s off for a morning siesta.”

  Cathy yawned. “Isn’t it terrible? Seems all I do is sleep anymore.”

  “Hardly,” Sophie said. “I’m not sure how you’re accomplishing so much while growing a new person. Especially at your—”

  She stopped abruptly, her mouth frozen on her last word. Jamie thought she looked adorable, even when she put her foot in her mouth.

  “At my age?” Cathy chuckled.

  “Sorry,” Sophie said.

  “No, it’s true. If you’d asked me a year ago, I’d have said anybody would be crazy to have a baby at forty, but … here I am. You two should go have fun. The weather’s clear, so it’s a good day for an adventure.”

  “You’re sure?”

  “Absolutely.” Cathy hauled herself out of the folding chair—Jamie made a mental note to see about getting a more comfortable chair in the bakery until the booths came—and squeezed Sophie with one arm. He felt more than a little envious tha
t Cathy could just reach out and touch Sophie so easily. “It’s going to be a beautiful day, and there really are some amazing things to see by kayak.”

  “Can I take that as a yes, then, Sophie?” Just saying her name made him feel like a schoolboy talking to his crush on a dare. “Ready for a day exploring?”

  Her eyes were like dark velvet, and a tiny wriggling in his stomach made him suddenly wonder if this was a good idea. Just being around her had such an effect on him. It was only last year that he’d limped back to Sitka with a broken heart. Whatever else he might tell himself about Sophie, whenever he was around her, he felt more in danger of losing his heart completely than he ever had before. He tried to control those emotions, because so far in his life, they’d only brought pain. With Sophie, he felt his control slipping more every time she was near.

  “Yes,” she finally said, and he was worried she’d hear his relieved exhale. “I’d love to go. Kayaking sounds like fun.”

  “Good,” he said, his eyes transfixed by hers. “Good.”

  He only realized he was staring at her awkwardly when Cathy took his arm. “Could you come outside a minute?” she asked. “I’d like to talk to you.”

  Once outside, she led the way to an old bench overlooking the water. There was less business here than downtown, but it was still just as beautiful as any spot along the waterfront. He sat down next to her and waited for her to speak.

  “How are you, Jamie?” Cathy asked.

  “Fine. Are you doing okay? I mean, your doctor. Does he say everything’s …?”

  “Everything’s perfect, thank you for asking. What I’m wondering about is you. A few weeks ago, I predicted you were ready to get out of Sitka for a while. Am I right about that? We love having you around, you know that. And … of course, you have every right to be here. I’m not trying to pry, but have things changed for you since Sophie came?”

  “Things?”

  “Your plans. Would you still be here in town if Sophie hadn’t come?”

  Jamie leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees. He looked at his hands linked in front of him. “Honestly? Yeah. I was getting that itch to leave. I had to run out of town for business after that Juneau trip, but …”

  He left the thought hanging, so Cathy finished it. “But you came back.”

  “Yeah.”

  “To see Sophie.”

  He shifted, and sat up to meet her eyes. He’d known Cathy for a long time. Like Sophie, Jamie was an only child. In some ways, he saw Cathy as a surrogate older sister, and in return, he often noted affection in her eyes when she looked at him. If anyone would understand, it was Cathy.

  “Yes,” he said softly. “To see Sophie. I can’t seem to stay away.”

  “Then you shouldn’t,” she said. “Just take it slowly, okay? If you ask me, both of you are vulnerable right now. She’s had a rough couple of years and is just starting over. And you. You’ve had a rough—”

  “I know.”

  She patted his hand. “You’re good people, Jamie. I trust you. Just don’t rush this. For both of you.”

  “I won’t.” He reached out and hugged her. “I don’t know. Maybe I am good people, but you and Roger are the best people. I got pretty lucky finding you two.”

  Jamie’d been serious about kayaking. He must have been confident she’d say yes, as he had a double kayak and gear ready on a nearby beach. Within an hour, Sophie found her arms aching from paddling, but the beauty around her helped her find a comfortable rhythm as she and Jamie made their way along Sitka’s Causeway Islands.

  It was a still day for Sitka, which Sophie was grateful for. Jamie was mostly quiet that first hour, letting Sophie experience the views from the water. They stayed close to the shoreline for the most part. The islands loomed large from her seat so low to the water, and when an eagle dove down to catch a fish, she could see its hooked claws, its black eye, and even make out individual feathers on its white head.

  The scenery was surreal. As the paddles rhythmically lapped at the water, they passed a long-wrecked fishing boat left to rot, decayed and overgrown with moss and branches. She wondered if they’d see a seal or other sea life so close to shore, and gasped when the creature she did see swimming by was a deer. She turned around to see Jamie watching her reaction.

  “Wow!” she silently mouthed, not wanting to frighten the doe.

  Although the day was calm and quiet, saltwater spray clung to her cheeks and lashes. This far out, the occasional eagle cry, passing motorboats, and planes above were only interspersed with the gentle dipping of the paddles.

  All the while, just like when she was in the seaplane, Sophie felt full of warmth enjoying both the beauty around her and Jamie’s presence. She was starting to associate the two of them together—this playful but take-charge vagabond in a beard and the rugged Alaskan landscape. And to be honest, she found both unexpectedly attractive.

  Caught up in her ride with Jamie around the wilder edges of Sitka, Sophie gasped a second time at what met them as they rounded a bend. Cut into the otherwise densely wooded island hillside, a structure of concrete blocks rose up to meet them. A gaping doorway at the bottom of the edifice yawned, weird and menacing.

  “What is it?” Sophie asked. “Some sort of abandoned mine?”

  “It’s the Lost Fort,” Jamie said. “An old Army command center for Fort Rousseau. Parts of it are spread all over the Causeway Islands.”

  “Seems like they should close it off. It looks dangerous and creepy. Like a smugglers’ cave or a place to stash murder victims.” She gulped. Although Cathy wouldn’t have sent her with Jamie if he really was dangerous, best not to give him any ideas.

  “If there’ve been any bodies found here, I haven’t heard of them. Wild animals, though …”

  She twisted briefly to face him. He’d quietly steered the boat toward the rocky beach, preparing to go ashore.

  “Wild animals? You mean they go in there? Why are we stopping here if there are wild animals?”

  Jamie shrugged. “It’s Alaska. You’re going to find grizzlies prowling the suburbs. Don’t worry. They won’t bother us unless we bother them.”

  “Unless they’re hungry,” Sophie muttered under her breath.

  “Unless they’re hungry,” Jamie cheerfully echoed.

  It took a few minutes to step out of rain gear and find a flashlight before they were ready to enter the cave. Sophie wasn’t looking forward to it and kept one eye on the gaping hole while she helped Jamie with the gear.

  “Why is it called the Lost Fort?” she asked. “Was it ever really a fort? It looks more like one of those Halloween pictures where a clown is waiting in the doorway to give free hugs.”

  Jamie laughed. “I must have missed that one. No, it really was a fort. It was put up during World War II and then abandoned just as quickly as it was built.”

  “Is it safe?”

  “Heck no!” Jamie grinned like a boy through his frizzy beard, his hazel eyes twinkling. Sophie couldn’t help but laugh. How could he be so weird and so likable?

  And how did he make her pulse race the way he did? She’d had some sharp-looking men hit on her back in San Francisco at the bakery, but none of them really interested her. If not them, why Jamie? He surprised her; her reaction to him surprised her. She wished she knew why, but there wasn’t any use ignoring it. In fact, looking at him grin, the memory of her fingertips on that beard resurfaced along with the feel of his strong hand guiding her through Sitka. She turned her head so he wouldn’t see her blush.

  When they finally approached the doorway, Sophie’s apprehension increased. “Are you sure it isn’t booby-trapped or something?” she asked.

  “Like in an Indiana Jones movie?”

  “Yes. Maybe the second we walk in, a huge stone slab will slam down in the doorway and lock us in.”

  “Or,” he said, “maybe an ancient Tlingit native with a grudge will shoot poison darts at us.”

  “Or there could be bears.”


  “Or that clown thing.”

  Sophie shuddered. They were too close to the entrance now for that image to pop in her head. “Okay. Now I’m not going in.”

  “Don’t worry, I’ll protect you. I’ve been here before, so I know all the booby-traps, and all the places that man-eating beasts might be hiding.”

  “Are there really—”

  “I’ve never seen an animal in there and never heard of someone even getting surprised by one. I promise.”

  “Okay. But … you go in first.”

  “What?”

  “I’ll follow you.”

  Jamie put his hand to his chest, just below the end of this beard. “You’re willing to sacrifice me? I’m hurt.”

  “You’ll survive,” she promised. “You probably run faster than I do.”

  “Oh. Okay.” He walked forward, stopped right in the doorway, and looked back at Sophie. “If I don’t make it out alive, I leave you all my worldly possessions.”

  “I’m sure that’s very generous. Do you think it’s a good idea to have your back to the dark like that?”

  “I leave you my antique marble collection, my extra socks, and my beard trimming kit.”

  “Jamie, look behind you. What if something grabbed your shoulder?” she whispered.

  “I don’t use my beard trimming kit much, so it’s like new. I also leave you—”

  Sophie rushed forward and gave him a strong nudge—which was a terrifying thrill—into the dark interior, before retreating back to the sunlight herself. The darkness had just swallowed Jamie up, and Sophie’s heart raced as she waited to hear him call that it was safe to come in. When he remained silent, she inched forward toward the opening.

  “Jamie?” she whispered. “Are you there? What do you see? Why don’t you turn on your flashlight?”

  Her curiosity led her right up to the doorway, the last place she had seen him. There’d only been the one flashlight, so she had nothing to shine into the inky blackness ahead.