Take Me To The Beach

by K. L. Grayson, Karina Halle, A. L. Jackson, Marni Mann, Monica Murphy, Devney Perry, Kristen Proby, Rachel Van Dyken

  Thea and I shared a look, then she smiled and jumped on the bed with Charlie.

  The two of them laughing together gave me hope.

  My plan was going to work. After a few days, Thea would relax and feel comfortable here. She’d feel at home.

  Then I could ask her to stay.

  “She’s out.” I walked up behind Thea, wrapping my arms around her shoulders.

  She relaxed, leaning into my embrace, and brought her hands to my forearms. “Thanks for tucking her in. Though, I’m getting jealous that she doesn’t want my bedtime stories anymore.”

  “Tough. I’m stealing bedtime.” I kissed the back of her hair, inhaling the soothing lavender scent.

  We’d spent the evening lounging in the living room. Charlie had taken over my remote for the television and found some Lego movie for us to watch. Sean had come over hefting bags of every snack available and my favorite Chinese.

  After we’d done introductions, he’d excused himself and we’d enjoyed a quiet dinner. Charlie had eaten her snacks, plus some required chicken tenders, and Thea and I had decimated the takeout.

  If the rest of the week went like the last three hours, I had no doubt that I could convince her to move.

  “Is this your family?” She reached out and touched a picture frame. We were standing in front of a bookshelf in the living room. Mostly it held books from law school, but there were a few pictures too.

  “Yes. That was for Mom’s holiday card last year.”

  “I feel bad.” She sighed. “All the time we’ve spent together and I haven’t once asked about your family.”

  I often had to remind myself that we’d only been a couple for a week even though it felt like much longer. Thea had been hiding deep in my heart for years.

  “Don’t feel bad. We’ve got time to learn all about one another.”

  “Do we?” she whispered. “Do we have time?”

  She tried to step away, but I held her tight. “There’s no clock on this, Thea. I’m not going anywhere.”

  “But I am.”

  I closed my eyes, forcing my mouth to stay shut. I wanted to tell her she was staying. To declare this was her home now. But I knew exactly how that would end.

  With me sleeping on the couch.

  “Let’s not worry about geography tonight.”

  She relaxed again, then pointed to the picture. “Those are your parents?”

  “Thomas and Lillian. And those are my sisters, Aubrey and Sofia. That’s Aubrey, next to me. She’s four years younger than me. And that’s Sofia, next to my dad. She’s six years younger. You’ll meet them all this weekend.”

  The plan was to let Thea and Charlie explore the city during the week while I worked. I’d chosen to delay the introduction with my family so Charlie could do fun things in the city and Thea could settle into the penthouse. I wanted them both to feel at home here without the pressure of strangers invading. Then over the weekend, we’d take a trip to my parents’ place outside of the city.

  “Charlie and Aubrey look a lot alike.” Thea nodded to another picture of Aubrey on the shelf.

  “They sure do.”

  While I’d simply trusted Thea to tell me the truth about Charlie’s paternity, my parents wouldn’t do the same. They’d been emailing and calling regularly to pressure me into a test. I’d continually refused because once they saw Aubrey and Charlie in the same room, they’d realize what I’d known all along.

  Charlie was a Kendrick.

  “Tell me about them.”

  I let Thea go, taking her hand and pulling her over to a couch. “What do you want to know?”

  She settled into my side. “Anything. Everything. What do they do?”

  “Well, my dad is in charge of everything, really. He runs the business and all of the family affairs. He says he’s going to retire, but we all know he’s too attached to the business to step away.”

  “What is your family’s business?”

  “Investments mostly. At the turn of the century, my great-great-grandfather made a name for himself by investing in businesses throughout the city. Flower shops. Restaurants. Real estate developments. Steel factories. Shipping companies. Businesses of all sizes. You name it and he had his hand in it. He was a real go-getter.”

  He’d built himself up from nothing, and his hard work had built the foundation for the Kendrick fortune.

  “By the time he died, he’d amassed a huge wealth for the time. It all went to my great grandfather, who doubled it. And then to my grandfather, who doubled it again. And my dad has nearly tripled it from there.”

  Billions of dollars, all because the original Logan Kendrick had made his first investment in a small bakery on Fifty-Seventh Street.

  “But you didn’t go into the family business?”

  “No.” I tucked Thea closer to my side. “It had always been the family plan for me to take over, but I went to college and never found a real passion for my business classes. I took one pre-law class and knew it was the right fit. So I broke the family chain. The eldest son of the eldest son went to law school instead of to work for the company.”

  Since then, I’d been working my ass off, trying to prove to my family, and myself, that I hadn’t made a mistake. I was still business savvy. You had to be in corporate law. I just hoped that my success at the firm would show I was still worthy of the Kendrick legacy even though I hadn’t gone directly into business with my father.

  “I am still involved,” I told Thea. “Just because I don’t work side by side with dad every day doesn’t mean there isn’t a ton for me to do with the family’s ventures. I spend a lot of time with the foundation, and I’m starting to take over some of dad’s responsibilities with our family.”

  There was always a cousin in need of an internship or job referral. At times, Dad or I would step in to settle a squabble between my aunts or uncles. And as of a week ago, Dad had asked me to take over managing trust fund disbursements.

  “Was your dad disappointed that you didn’t go to work with him?” she asked.

  “At first.” I sighed. “But not long after I started working at the firm, Aubrey graduated college and went to work with Dad. It helped smooth things over. He named her his successor a few years ago.”

  “Does that bother you?”

  “Honestly? No. It was a relief. I’m not as passionate about being an entrepreneur as I am about representing them. The legal aspect of business fascinates me. I love bringing two parties to a table, figuring out what they really need from each other and finding a way to give it to them. But the rest isn’t as exciting. And Aubrey just fits. It’s in her blood and comes so naturally for her. I do the things she doesn’t love as much, like run the foundation.”

  Maybe it was because Granny had started it as her pet project, but the foundation and its mission had always called to me more than anything else in the Kendrick empire.

  “And Sofia? Does she work too?”

  I snorted. “Sofia is living her best life as a socialite. She hasn’t worked a day in her life and can spend money with the best of them. My mother is good at spending money too, but she lucked out and fell in love with my father, who adores her. Sofia, on the other hand, plays games like an adolescent and has managed to land herself two ex-husbands.”

  Sofia’s husbands had been scum, leeching off her money while fucking other women behind her back. It was unfortunate because I think she really had loved them both. I’d hoped that, after her second divorce, she would take the time to reflect on her life and the men she’d chosen.

  I’d tried to convince her to stay single for a while and wait for someone nice to come along. She’d laughed at me and rumor had it she was already seeing another money-grubbing loser. This one was a professional poker player who wasn’t all that good at poker.

  “See this gray hair, right here?” I pointed to my temple. “That’s from Sofia.”

  Thea giggled. “You don’t have any gray hair.”

  “But someday I will
, and it’s going to be her fault.”

  We’d all hoped that Sofia would find an interest in one of the Kendrick businesses. But so far, she’d yet to make much of herself but a brat. And my parents did her no favors by spoiling her rotten.

  “Thanks.” Thea snuggled closer. “It’s nice to hear about them all so I’m prepared for when we meet.”

  “You have nothing to worry about.”

  It was a half-truth. Aubrey would embrace Thea and Charlie immediately. My parents would likely be hesitant but polite. They’d come around when they realized Thea wasn’t after the family fortune.

  Sofia was the risk. Either she’d want to play dress-up with Charlie, or she’d throw a tantrum to make sure she stayed the center of attention.

  I didn’t know how she’d play this, but one thing was for certain. If she made this a bad experience for Thea, I’d take her financial freedom away with a snap of my fingers. Because while Dad and Aubrey were in control of the working capital, I had the power over the legacy money.

  I had the power over Sofia’s trust fund.

  Dad was making the announcement next week, so with the exception of Mom and Granny, none of the family knew that, as of a week ago, I was in charge of trust fund withdrawals for the Kendrick lineage.

  We had a fairly simple trust fund setup considering the size of our fortune. If you were a direct descendant of my great-great-grandfather, you were entitled to a percentage of his legacy. Once you turned thirty, the money was yours to do with as you pleased.

  But until then, withdrawals required approval from Dad. Now me. It was a safeguard to ensure the younger adults didn’t take hundreds of thousands of dollars to spend on hookers and blow.

  After all, that would tarnish the family image.

  I’d planned to follow Dad’s precedents, approving all withdrawals unless there was cause for alarm. I wanted to stay out of each individual’s financial business. But if Sofia hurt Thea or Charlie in any way, I’d make an exception.

  She might be in our family, but she’d learn the hard way not to mess with mine.

  Thea

  “I wish you didn’t have to go to work.”

  Nice, Thea. That sounded just as clingy and pathetic out loud as it had in my head.

  I also didn’t give a shit.

  What I really wanted to do today was curl up with Logan on a couch, watch movies and let Charlie have a quiet day with her parents. One thing I’d learned over the past four days was that New York City was just like I’d remembered: loud, chaotic and expensive.

  Logan’s apartment was a haven and had quickly become my favorite place in New York.

  Everything else was for the pigeons.

  “Sorry, baby.” Logan’s arms pulled me closer, his front to my back. “I wish I didn’t have to go either and we could just spend the day in bed. But I can’t.”

  “I know,” I muttered, closing my eyes to draw out these last few moments together in his bed.

  Logan’s bed was massive, nearly as large as my entire room at the cottage. It sat opposite a wall of windows that overlooked the city. It was still dark outside—I’d learned this week that Logan went to work before dawn—but the sun’s glow was beginning to light the sky and slowly filter into his bedroom.

  Just like the rest of his penthouse, this room was magnificent. His thick gray quilt was heavy, and with his warm body pressed against mine, I was in a cocoon of luxury.

  “I love your bed.”

  “I love you,” he whispered into my hair. My eyes popped open just as he added three more words. “In my bed.”

  I relaxed, hoping he hadn’t felt me flinch.

  But he had.

  Without hiding his disappointment, he kissed my head, let me go and rolled out of bed. As he walked to the bathroom, the muscles of his back and shoulders were bunched. His hands were in fists.

  Goddamn it. I hadn’t meant to hurt him with my knee-jerk reaction.

  We were there? We’d been together for such a short time. Were we at I love you?

  He’d told me last week that he was falling for me. I’d fallen for him too. And as much as I wanted to hear those three little words in his deep voice, I wasn’t ready.

  I love you meant making decisions about the future. It meant changing names and talking babies.

  I love you meant me and Charlie would need to move.

  After Logan had talked to me the other night about his decision to go to law school, I had a better understanding of why he worked so hard.

  He loved it.

  His drive to succeed was stronger than I’d ever seen. And in a way, I think he was still trying to prove himself to his family. He was showing them that even though he hadn’t gone the route everyone had expected, he was still worthy of taking over as head of the family.

  Logan thrived on challenges and responsibilities. Achievement fueled him. But I knew after four days that I couldn’t compete with it all. He needed his career, one he wouldn’t find in Montana.

  The shower in the bathroom turned on and I sat up, knowing I wouldn’t be able to fall back asleep. I went to Logan’s closet and pulled out some clothes from my suitcase. Dressed, I headed downstairs and peeked in Charlie’s room to see she was still zonked out. Then I went to the kitchen for coffee.

  The first morning I’d been here, I’d offered to make Logan breakfast, but then Sean had arrived with a breakfast sandwich in hand and whisked Logan away to the firm. Monday was their early morning catch-up meeting.

  The morning after that, I hadn’t offered breakfast, but I’d made him coffee. He took two sips before Piper, his assistant from the foundation, showed up with a special latte and his favorite bagel. Tuesday was their meeting day because Logan filled every moment, even those commuting to and from the office, with work.

  Yesterday, Wednesday, I’d woken up alone in bed. I’d come downstairs to find Logan emerging from the penthouse gym. He’d come out shirtless with his muscles bulging and glistening with sweat. I’d almost pounced on him until Yuri, his personal trainer, had followed behind carrying a protein shake.

  Now it was Thursday and I had no idea who would be his first appointment of the day.

  Probably another assistant.

  Not long after I sat down at the extended island in the kitchen, coffee cup in hand, Logan came down the hall, fixing a cufflink.

  God, he was sexy. The suits he wore to work every morning were drool-worthy. Every angle and every line were perfect. Today’s was a solid black three-piece with a crisp white shirt under a fitted vest. His golden tie matched his pocket scarf.

  And here I was in five-dollar gray leggings and an oversized peach sweatshirt I’d bought when I’d been pregnant.

  “Want some coffee?” I asked.

  “Don’t get up. I’ve got it.”

  I soaked him in as he poured a cup. “No personal assistants this morning?”

  He looked over his shoulder and grinned. “Thursdays I normally go into work early and meet with my assistant there. But I’m going to be late today because someone hit the snooze button three times.”

  I smiled. When his alarm had gone off, I’d climbed on top of him, taking advantage of his morning erection and hitting snooze until we’d both come together and collapsed in a sweaty heap. “That was a good twenty-seven minutes.”

  He set down his coffee and came around the bar, spinning my chair so he could stand between my legs. “Guaranteed the best meeting I’ll have all day.”

  I wrapped my arms around his waist, hugging him tight and breathing in his cologne. He seemed to have shrugged off his disappointment from earlier, which was a relief. I didn’t want our last couple of days together to be strained. Who knew when he’d have time to come back to Montana for a visit, and I’d need a long break before considering another trip to the city.

  At least a year. Maybe two.

  “I was thinking we could go out to dinner tonight.” He toyed with the ends of my ponytail. “I’d like to take you and Charlie to my favorit
e restaurant.”

  “Sounds good.”

  “You’ll want a cocktail dress. Maybe while you’re out shopping for your gown today, you can pick up something for you and Charlie to wear tonight.”

  I forced my shoulders to remain relaxed so he wouldn’t feel my cringe. “Sure.”

  Logan had invited me to a gala tomorrow night for his family’s foundation, so today I was charged with finding a ball gown. I could handle buying a nice dress. But to get one for Charlie? He had no idea the challenge he’d presented.

  “I’d better get to work.”

  “See you tonight.” I let him go, tipping up my chin for a quick kiss.

  His shoes clicked on the marble as he walked to the door. When it shut behind him, I took my coffee out to the terrace and sank into a wide chaise lounge.

  Besides his bedroom, this terrace had become my favorite place in Logan’s penthouse. His gardener had planters and pots everywhere. Green leaves and bright flowers spilled over the edges of stone and concrete. It was as close to my cottage porch as I could get, minus Hazel and her cigarette smoke, which I missed more and more every morning.

  I sipped my cup, watching as the sun rose higher. There were people who loved the city skyline, but this place had nothing on the lake view from my backyard.

  And today, we’d be thrust out of the penthouse and into the madness, for shopping of all things.

  All I wanted to do today was hang out with Charlie and show her parts of the city she might actually enjoy, like Central Park. Because so far, she was unimpressed with New York. And while I had my reasons for not liking the city, I did want Charlie to enjoy it here, for Logan’s sake.

  But nothing about this trip had gone well.

  The first day, Logan’s assistant Sean had taken us shopping for her room. We’d gone to a large department store to find some toys and books, but it had been a zoo and she’d been completely overwhelmed. After an hour of wandering through the store, bumping shoulders and squeezing through tight spaces, she’d only chosen one stuffed lion to bring home.

  When Sean had offered to take us shopping somewhere else, she’d refused, saying her room didn’t need anything else.