Chapter 9
Despite the coffee maker in the apartment, Cal dutifully swung by the Palmetto Perk for a to-go cup before heading to his meeting with Levi in Charleston.
Naturally, the coffee shop was doing brisk business, though it wouldn’t ever bring in the revenue of the chain’s other locations. The market was too small on the island.
Of course, Levi had enough successful business interests to float one coffee shop. For Cal, he had enough on his plate with Levi’s marketing needs and the profit and loss for this one location wasn’t his concern.
Normally, he would’ve indulged with a shot of espresso ahead of the early appointment, but his heart didn’t need an extra jolt today. It was already vibrating at a frequency that had nothing to do with caffeine and everything to do with the ghost of Grace’s lips against his.
His mind drifted on the heavenly memory of her kisses, present and past, as he made his way to the Charleston harbor where Levi’s yacht was docked.
Even the impressive luxury vessel wasn’t enough to put thoughts of Grace out of Cal’s head completely.
He was increasingly concerned that the feat was impossible for him.
Somehow, the decorator managed to strike a balance between top of the line, streamlined function and comfort.
Seeing the color palette and fabric patterns in the salon, he couldn’t help thinking Grace would approve.
Cal and Levi made quick work of the launch package for the newest Palmetto Perk and moved into the details and milestones for the music festival.
Across from him, Levi looked far too relaxed for a man whose empire spanned half the globe.
He leaned back in his seat, a mug of coffee in one hand while his gaze scanned the sunny harbor view.
“When did your reading comprehension crash?” Levi asked.
Cal jerked his mind away from Grace and back to the task. “Pardon me?”
“You’ve been staring at your screen without any reaction or movement for twenty minutes, Cal,” Levi said, amused. “Either the contract is significantly more complex or you’re thinking about the owner of a certain dress shop in Brookwell.”
Calvin closed his laptop and sighed, the sound carrying in the quiet morning air. “Is it that obvious?”
“Especially to a man who’s been there,” Levi allowed. “But in Brookwell, news of that kiss is surely traveling.”
Cal wanted to believe his top client had only heard about the kiss because Grace had confided in Willow, but small towns were notorious for their rumor mills.
Levi’s expression softened. “I know what it’s like when the right woman is within reach,” he said with the quiet confidence of a man who’d made things work.
Cal couldn’t be sure of anything with Grace.
Standing, he paced toward the bow, his hands gripping the rail.
“I didn’t expect to feel so much,” he admitted.
“She’s different. So am I, but she’s the same.
” He swore. “And I want to help her, Levi. She’s carrying the weight of the shop, the house, and her grandmother’s legacy in town like it’s a penance. ”
“According to Willow, she loves Brookwell. She’s happy here.”
“She’s alone,” Cal snapped. As if seeing her with someone else would’ve made her feel any better. “She had big dreams. And she deserves to see them come true. I have the resources to help her. To give her room to breathe in the process.”
Levi set his coffee aside and joined Cal, both of them watching the sunlight play over the water. “But you haven’t offered.”
“She’s prickly. I’m looking for the right moment.”
“A word of caution?” Levi offered. At Cal’s nod, he continued. “I had similar thoughts about Willow’s situation,” Levi admitted. “I was sure I could help her find the right investment, happy to be an angel investor and use my resources as her shield.”
“But?”
“She didn’t need that from me. Didn’t need me to take the lead.
Hell, she still doesn’t.” He chuckled. “What she needed was a partner. Advice if and only when she asked for it. My urge to step in and handle things only annoyed her. She’s intelligent and capable and me making it all about what I could give was cheating both of us. ”
“Grace is stubborn,” Calvin muttered, the memory of her fierce defense of the quilting club’s peach preserves bringing a reluctant smile to his face. “She backed our festival initiatives in the meeting, despite looking at me as if I was about to pave over her heart.”
“Brookwell is her heart and her strength,” Levi said. “They got her through the worst year of her life. You weren’t here.”
“Because she wouldn’t allow it.” Cal shoved at his hair. “Which was the right call. I would’ve been a burden.”
“Hardly,” Levi disagreed. “I know you. But the point is you both made choices in the moment. Choices, I’d say, that served you well. You’ve conquered where you needed to. Doesn’t it make sense that while you were building your empire, she was doing the same thing?”
“She toed the line, that’s all,” Cal countered. “You didn’t know her then.” Levi had never seen her eyes gleam when she talked about her vision of the future. “She gave up her dreams for the sake of responsibility and family legacy.”
“You sure about that?”
Cal nodded. “Yes.” Grace had done well for those priorities, but her dreams had been so much bigger than Brookwell. “It’s honorable. But she deserves a chance to go for what she wants. Every day she stayed here was an act of courage,” he agreed. “I’m not dismissing that.”
“Coming in with the idea of optimizing her life, is exactly that,” Levi said. “You’re signaling that the life she’s chosen isn’t good enough.”
Discomfort swarmed like a wasp nest in his chest. The last thing he wanted was to undermine her confidence. “How do I get her to open up?”
Levi went back for his coffee. “My advice is to be the first to bend. Open a vein and prove what you want is to support her. If that is what you want.”
He wanted to give her a chance to have everything. To sparkle the way she had in college. He wanted to be the person she celebrated with—his victories and hers. No, he couldn’t turn back time, but if kissing her proved anything to him, it was that their connection was stronger than ever.
What a crime if he botched this second chance.
Having the money and influence to see things through was relatively new for him.
He kept assuming Grace needed both because it was how he navigated the world these days.
If there was a problem, he threw brilliance, brainstorms, and either capital or campaigns at it until it was resolved.
But Grace wasn’t that kind of problem. She was the woman he never stopped loving and he had to earn her trust.
“How did you do it?” Cal asked. “How did you convince Willow that you were all about her and not just a high-powered distraction who would eventually walk away?”
“Wasn’t easy.” Levi laughed. “I didn’t convince her. I listened to her. And nearly screwed it all up anyway. Bottom line? I stopped trying to buy her happiness and focused on sharing it.”
Once again, Cal’s mind went back to that kiss at Benny’s and the way Grace had melted into him for a split second before the walls had slammed back into place. She was scared of the disruption he represented, that was clear.
His worry was that she was more afraid of his intrusion into her life, while he teetered on the edge, waiting for her to push him away again.
“She says we’re from two different worlds,” Cal said, the words tasting like ash.
“So, change the orbit,” Levi said, as if it was simple. “Clarify that you’re not just here for my business interests and the festival improvements. Show her you’re still the guy who waited for her between classes and ate bad pizza on study nights.”
“How did you know?”
“It was a guess. And Willow,” Levi admitted. “In case you haven’t noticed, people in Brookwell don’t care nearly as much about your net worth as they do about your word. That’s the world Grace was raised in. The world she’s living in.”
And, if he was reading the signs correctly, Brookwell was the world Grace didn’t want to leave.
Before he made any big declarations, he should probably figure out if he could accept Brookwell.
Being in love with Grace was plenty of incentive to like the area and change things up to spend more time here.
He figured that was the first step in proving his commitment to a future with her.
Changing the orbit, to use Levi’s phrase.
But if she never allowed herself to love him back or if she never trusted him enough, he had to know he could be happy here.
Calvin nodded slowly. He had spent so long focusing on the marketing tasks for the new Perk and the festival logistics that he’d neglected the root of why he’d come.
He was consulting for Levi, but deep down he was here for Grace.
And if he wanted her to believe in their second chance, he had to stop acting like a visiting CEO and start acting like a man who was willing to stay.
For her.
“The ferry party is coming up,” Calvin mused, his mind shifting between his business and personal agendas. “I’m planning to announce the national sponsorship deals. I sent the information to Holly. She’s the Bugle editor putting it all together.”
“I’ve met Holly,” Levi said. “Maybe she could add in a special slide for you. Something sure to get Grace’s attention.”
He hadn’t considered that sort of big move. He wasn’t even sure Grace would welcome the effort. “I don’t know what that looks like,” he muttered.
Levi clapped him on the shoulder. “You’ve never failed a brainstorm, my friend. You’ll figure it out.”
As Levi prepped for his next appointment, Cal headed back to the car, his mind on Grace and the upcoming party. What would send her the strongest message about his commitment and intentions?
Instead of driving away, with Levi’s advice echoing in his ears, he grabbed his laptop.
Grace didn’t need a rescue, but everyone needed support.
Opening the layout for the local vendor booths from last year, he made a note of the quilting circle’s spot as well as the Beach Belle’s location.
Then he looked at the big new sponsors and what he and Levi had promised to encourage their involvement.
Quickly, he made notes as several potential ad ideas popped into his head. He was creating the most important campaign of his life, starting with proving that his wealth and success weren’t a wall between them, but a bridge he was willing to build no matter how long it took.