24 Jax
Jax stood in front of the mirror to tie his bow tie. This event was the whole reason he’d come back to town. Or at least,
it was the reason he’d come back when he did. This was the night his uncle and the board of directors would announce the new
Senior Vice President of Operations. The night they would announce his name.
And yet, now that he was here, the anticipation felt different than he’d imagined.
There was still plenty of excitement. He was giddy, like a kid getting ready to go to his birthday party. He couldn’t help
the goofy grin plastered to his face. He felt like yelling out random phrases like let’s go , and he had an odd feeling there was a decent chance he’d high-five the next person he saw.
But very little of that excitement had to do with him getting the job he wanted.
He pulled his tie into the perfect knot and stared at his reflection, his goofy grin spreading wider across his face. “Let’s
go!”
He grabbed his jacket off the bed and slipped it on as he headed out of the room.
The entire hotel was gleaming. This event was the pinnacle of the year at their flagship hotel, and it was always a chance
to show off. There were cocktails in the lobby. The formal dinner was set up in the grand ballroom, and a silent auction to
raise money for local nonprofits was set up in the smaller conference rooms. There was dancing and a live band out by the
pool and bonfires with relaxing seating areas set up on the beach. And every single space was dressed accordingly.
But this year’s event had an added layer of anticipation with the announcement of the new SVP.
It had been ten years since there was any sort of change at the top, and in that ten years, their business had boomed. Since
his uncle had already announced his plan to retire in five years, this position came with even more weight.
What they were really naming was the next CEO in training.
Jax cruised into the lobby, taking in all the ways the space had been dressed up for the occasion. There were flower arrangements
on every surface. Several new drink stations had been erected throughout the room, and tuxedo-clad servers were manning them.
There was a wall completely covered in fresh white roses with the hotel’s glittering gold logo hung in the center.
He didn’t care who you were, it was impossible not to be impressed.
His brother-in-law was standing in the middle of it all. And since he couldn’t be avoided, Jax walked over to say hello.
“Big night,” Travis said. Technically speaking, his wife—Jax’s sister—was in the running for the job, too. But they all knew
she didn’t want it. Even if his uncle was trying to prove a point to Jax, he wouldn’t have appointed her just so power-hungry
Travis didn’t try to take it over.
Jax wasn’t the only one in the family who wasn’t keen on his sister’s husband.
But it didn’t matter how Travis tried to bait him. Tonight, nothing could shake his mood.
“It is.” Jax swiped a stuffed mushroom off the tray of a passing waiter and popped it in his mouth.
“You think you really pulled off the coup by rolling into town with your I-charm-everyone attitude and taking your uncle’s ridiculous bet?”
“What bet?” Jax played innocent.
“Really? You forget I know everything that goes on in this place.”
“Which is what makes you such a great assistant GM of this hotel .” He put an extra emphasis on the last three words because as far as Jax was concerned, that was the highest role he would ever get. The only reason he had the role to begin with was because he was married to Trina.
Travis seethed. “You think you’ve got this all figured out, don’t you?”
Confidence surged through him. He tucked his hands in his pockets, standing firm in his position. “I guess we’ll see. Now,
if you’ll excuse me, I’m expecting someone.”
Without waiting for a response, he strolled out the giant automatic glass doors to the covered arrival area.
The valet station was a flurry of activity. Cars pulled up. Well-dressed guests stepped out as the valet team rushed to move
their cars so the long line of vehicles could cycle through.
He greeted a few guests as they walked past him and paused to talk with a couple he knew. When he turned around he saw another
familiar face. Bianca, with a man he didn’t recognize.
He walked over to greet her. “I heard you were an addition to the guest list. My sister tells me they’ve been impressed by
your work and are looking forward to your possible partnership.”
The compliment made her glow. “That’s the hope. We’re excited to work with Padua. Well, Luke will be, at least.” She held
her hand out toward the man who was with her. “Let me introduce my fiancé, Zander. Zander, this is Jax Verona, the man Cora
is seeing.”
“Zander.” Jax extended his hand. “I’ve heard so much about you. It’s nice to meet you.”
Zander took it with a grip that Jax would have classified as beyond confident and bordering on aggressive . “A fellow fitness enthusiast, I see. What do you bench-press? Like, two-fifty? Two-eighty?” He said the numbers as if they
were meant to be belittling, but the insult rolled right off Jax.
“Something like that.” He took his hand back and discreetly wiped the sweatiness on his pant leg.
“Zander showed up in Sunnyside to surprise me,” Bianca threw in.
“How fun.”
Zander snaked his arm around Bianca’s waist. “I thought I’d come down here and treat her well on her vacation. Why have money if you can’t spend it spoiling your lady, am I right?”
“Right.” He had a whole new appreciation for Cora’s aversion to her sister’s fiancé. Maybe he would run that background check
after all.
Bianca motioned to the bar. “We’re going to grab a drink.”
“Absolutely. Enjoy your evening.” He could’ve asked if Bianca knew any details of her sister’s arrival, but since he didn’t
want to prolong his time with her fiancé, he opted to end the conversation there.
Although, he couldn’t wait to hear Cora’s thoughts about the surprise visitor. He wasn’t sure how it was possible for anyone
to be more ridiculous than Cora’s description, but somehow Zander managed to do it.
He scanned the lineup of cars waiting for the valet, looking for hers, when his uncle Anders walked up.
“It’s a fine night for a gala,” Anders said, taking a position next to Jax.
“It’s a fine night for the Senior Vice President announcement.” He gave Anders a confident side glance.
“Yes. It’s that, too.”
“You know you want it to be me.” Jax didn’t even try to hide his cheekiness.
His uncle looked at him with a serious expression. “Wanting it to be you was never part of the problem.” He let the words
hang in the air for a second before he continued. “On that note, I hear I will be meeting someone tonight. A date? Perhaps
something more?”
Excitement sparkled through Jax as he thought of her. “Cora.”
“And what do I need to know about this Cora?”
“You’re going to like her.” There wasn’t even a hint of hesitation in his response. “She’s smart and funny. And she doesn’t
put up with anything from anyone, but she also has this compassionate side. She’s an artist and a businesswoman and loves
her family but is also fiercely independent. She can be so incredibly difficult, but so incredibly...” He let the words
trail off as the corner of his mouth tugged upward.
In a word, she was perfect, but he kept that description for himself.
His uncle looked at him, amused. “Has the untamable Jax Verona really been tamed?”
“Tamed? No.” There might have been a scoff attached to his emphatic answer because he wasn’t some wild stallion who needed
someone to make him settle down. In fact, no one said anything about the future. While he liked Cora, maybe even a lot, no
one was talking about settling down.
He looked anywhere but at his uncle, trying to separate this notion from whatever this thing was he had going on with Cora.
“It’s only been three weeks. It’s not like we’re—” He turned back to look at his uncle to deliver the last line, but his words
fell away when he saw her.
It was almost as if a spotlight was on her. Everything else seemed to fade away, and the only thing in his awareness was her.
She was breathtaking.
She was wearing a long silky dress with thin straps and a sort of draping neckline but was fitted everywhere else. Technically
the color could’ve been classified as blue, but it wasn’t like any shade of blue he knew. It was the color of the ocean on
a perfect day and every bit as magical.
Her long dark hair hung in soft curls perfectly framing her beautiful face. And silvery, strappy high-heeled sandals peeked
out as she strode down the sidewalk with the confidence and determination he loved.
He had no idea where her car was. She cruised past the long line of vehicles waiting for the valet from the direction of the
main road. The only parking lot in that direction was over a block away. From what he could see of her shoes, they didn’t
exactly look like they were made for walking, but things like that never seemed to stand in Cora’s way. She took life by the
horns, which was maybe one of the things he loved most about her.
There was that word again.
“It’s not like we’re putting a title on it,” he finished. It wasn’t exactly how he thought that statement was going to go,
but then again, nothing with Cora had gone how he thought it was going to go. In the very best way possible.
“I have to admit, I didn’t think you had it in you.” His uncle regarded him with a bemused look. “She must be something.”
At least that’s what he thought his uncle had said. It was kind of hard to listen when his focus was somewhere else.
“Excuse me a moment.” Jax stepped around his uncle and took a few steps toward Cora so there wasn’t anyone in between them.
Her gaze met his and his heart, which had been rapidly beating in his chest, seemed to soar.
Or to be technical about it, his entire being seemed to soar. He felt lighter. Freer. Happier in a way he couldn’t quite explain,