Chapter 14
Clayton
“So, junker?”
I settled into said junker more intrigued by the woman and the family than I had a right to be. Than I should be.
“Sue me.” Her gaze traveled my way as she cranked the engine, which was lucky it turned over in my opinion. I’m not proud to admit, I thought about crawling across the seat when she bit her lower lip. “Don’t you want the full country experience?”
“If you meant dying by deathtrap, then no, I wasn’t quite looking for that when I came here.
” Knowing I shouldn’t follow up with anything was a lot different from seeing that plan through.
So I dropped my voice and looked directly into her eyes, my meaning impossible to miss.
“I’m sure there are other things we could get up to in a truck that would fulfill that desire. ”
“Clay, you promised.”
I would not point out that I didn’t exactly promise.
I should have, I knew that. What I also knew was that something about this woman kept drawing me in, like the proverbial moth to the flame.
Every word, every look, every gesture, did something to me.
Even when she managed to get me in a truck that was more likely to fall apart than not on the way back to the B&B. Everything about her fascinated me.
It was fucking stupid and dangerous.
“So, what did you think?”
On the surface, her question sounded routine, but I heard the worry in her tone.
The need to have me find potential in what they had.
The funny thing was, I did. Her vision aligned itself perfectly with the Montgomery brand, something slow-paced, where relaxation and reconnection were the hallmarks of a visit.
I had no doubt we could do everything she wanted as soon as they signed on the dotted line.
We could take control, creating their plans, but it would be a Montgomery property.
Intuitively, I knew Father would see another Palm Cove in Reese’s plans, where Montgomery would be the money, but the Henley’s would remain the owners.
He would have been like a kid in a candy store, seeing opportunities for growth, rebranding, and expansion around every turn.
He would have already been pouring over ideas with Reese, eager to work with the family and build something perfect for both parties.
Like I wanted to.
Unfortunately, I was not my father.
“You could be, Clayton. Nothing in the deal with Reginald precludes it.” Grandmother’s voice sounded in my head as if she were here with me. Those would be her exact thoughts and she’d be accurate.
So what was my problem?
“I think you would be taking on a lot of work.”
It was nothing less than the truth. I simply didn’t add that from even spending only a few moments with some of her family, I thought they’d be able to tackle it with the right guidance. Reese leading the charge wouldn’t settle for anything less. Montgomery could be that guidance. I could be it.
Except what if I ended up ruining her. What if working with us took something away from them.
“I know that,” she spoke softly, not in her I-can-do-anything voice, “but do you see potential? Do you see something we could really make work?”
“What is it you see, Reese? You’ve given me a lot of tidbits, sound bites if you will, but what is your dream?”
I was an idiot for asking, but I couldn’t stop myself. I wasn’t asking as a business executive. Hell, I wasn’t even asking as someone who was interested in helping.
I asked as a man.
I asked because it was a way to get to know her.
To know her plans was to know the inner workings of the woman sitting next to me, and I wanted that with a desire that was likely to bite me in the ass in the end.
Knowing her was important. Something vital in a way I didn’t recognize or understand, but I couldn’t turn away from.
Fortuitous.
Grandmother’s voice, her word, played in my head, but for the life of me I couldn’t figure out why. Nothing about this need was fortuitous given that nothing could come from it in the long run.
Glancing her way, I watched as she nodded and took in a breath, as if pulling her thoughts together.
“I want everything to be connected. Not like in terms of buildings, but in aesthetic, in feel, in accessibility. A cohesiveness across all the businesses, separate and unique but tied together by the Henley name. We operate so independently of each other right now, it’s sad.
People stay at the B&B, not even realizing the brewery is part of the family.
We’re a bunch of separate businesses.” She smacked her hand against the steering wheel, and for a second, I feared it would fall right to the floor. “We’re a fucking grape sign.”
“What?”
“Grape sign. Wineries in Virginia use grape signs on the side of the road to mark their locations, and there are hundreds of them in the state. I don’t want to be a fucking grape sign anymore.
Though never tell Beck I said that. He gets really sensitive if he thinks someone’s complaining about his grapes.
The man’s insane. People stop because they see the grape sign or they have a map of wineries in the area. We’re a stop, not a destination.”
She slowed, and I realized we’d gotten back to the B&B already. Reese had the ability to make time stand still and speed by, and I didn’t know what to make of that.
She turned to me, tucking her right leg under her. “I want to be a destination so bad I can taste it, Clay Montgomery. Have you ever wanted anything like that?”
Answers rolled through my mind.
My father back.
My company.
Her.
Fuck.
“I have indeed, Reese Henley.”
“So, what do I do about it? How do I get what I want? How do I make sure I don’t screw over my family and prove that my plans aren’t too much?
That I’m not too much.” The last sentence came out of her mouth as barely more than a breathy whisper, but in the quiet of the truck I heard it and wondered why she’d said it.
Before I could ask, she continued on with a chuckle, “You’re still going to stay? Ever didn’t scare you off?”
“Was that your plan?” Unable to resist, I pushed myself closer to her, anticipating her rebuke.
When it didn’t come, I reached out, brushing her hair back from her face.
“Have your cousin talk a mile a minute to get me to leave? Show how much work would need to be done, and I’d turn tail?
Little Trouble, I’m made of sterner stuff than that. ”
“Um, well, um, in fairness…” She swallowed, the movement of her throat making me think of wholly inappropriate things.
“Ever always talks like that.” Tilting her head, she pressed into my hand.
I wasn’t even sure she realized she’d done it, but it felt natural.
“You really want to stay and learn about us? Work with us? It’s going to be a little different from what you’re used to, that’s for sure. ”
I wasn’t worried about the work. On the rare occasions I could slip out from Mother and Reginald’s insistence I only focused on the corporate side of the house, I learned from the crews at the properties. It was what Father would have wanted me to do.
“Clayton, you need to know everything. You can’t lead if you don’t understand what and whom you’re leading.
You can’t pursue a vision if you don’t know how to make it a reality.
This business isn’t all about sitting behind a desk and telling people what you want regardless if it may be ‘right.’ It’s about figuring out what works and making that happen. ”
I’d been hearing Father’s voice in my head more in the past week than in the previous years. Perhaps the promise of finally getting Montgomery brought back memories of the man I idolized until someone had taken him from me and from all of us.
Maybe it was something else.
“Fortuitous. You are not the man you think you are. You’re your father’s son.”
“Clay?”
Reese dragged me back to the present, which, to be fair, was a damn good place to be, considering the company. “Sorry, and to answer your question, I’m fine with hard work.”
Her gaze raked my body, taking in my shirt and suit pants, my jacket and tie lying on the seat between us. “You’ll probably get a little dirtier too. You’re really going to need different clothes.”
“Why don’t you come help me find some, Little Trouble. I’ll even let you come into the dressing room.” I leaned in, that subtle fruity scent of her shampoo tickling my nose. “You can see how well everything fits.”
I watched as she swallowed, the movement sending explicit and delicious images cascading through my brain.
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you, Clay?” She shifted slightly, bringing her body closer to mine. I had a split second to either act on the instincts flooding my body or try to build up the wall we should have between us.
“Oh, Reese. We both would.”
I wanted to take her down underneath me, sample more of what I’d only had a taste of the other day. Feel her hands on my body, her lips on my skin. I wanted to spread her legs wide and feast on her.
I wanted too much.
Against every male instinct I had, I sat back. The way her lips turned down at the corners told me she hadn’t been expecting me to pull away. There was no way this could go further unless something changed.
“So, yeah. Okay. Um…” Reese was adorable all flustered.
Adorable? What the hell? That was never a word I used about women, but then again I didn’t come in contact with any that were like Reese.
“Uh, I’ll tell Lo you’ll meet him bright and early tomorrow morning.
” She opened the door and climbed out of the truck. “He gets to the kitchen around four.”
I sat there watching her prance away and, for the first time in a long time, wondered if I had made the right decision by letting her go.
“Damn.” Logan stared at me as I walked through the door to the kitchen at four on the dot the following morning. “Have to admit, didn’t think you’d make it down here this early.”