Chapter 3
Angela
“Sweet Jesus, that’s a long line.” My cousin Nick stops inside the door of Seaside Mobile and stares.
I pause beside him as the door swings closed. “I wonder what the maximum occupancy is here.”
“Why?”
“I’d bet good money they’re exceeding it.”
The place crawls with customers and the single clerk behind the counter doesn’t instill confidence.
He moves at a snail’s pace, bored—annoyed even—gaping at a young woman as she explains a problem with her tablet for the third time.
The man standing behind her catches my attention.
He’s easily as tall as Nick’s six-foot-three, with dark hair and a rugged jawline that hints at the kind of bone structure I love.
Strong jaw. Straight, angular nose. Full lips.
Black dress slacks hug a fantastic ass and a white button-down drapes perfectly off broad shoulders.
Everything about the guy screams “disgustingly rich with romance hero sex appeal.”
“Let’s get out of here.” I give Nick’s hand a tug. “I’ll come back after I drop you at the airport.”
“We’re here. There’s time. Let’s get this taken care of.” He throws an arm around my shoulders. “A brilliant businesswoman needs the right tool for the job and a five-year-old phone is not gonna cut it.”
I laugh off his compliment and roll my eyes.
“I have the education of a brilliant businesswoman, but a track record that belongs to someone more like him.” I lower my voice, jerking my chin toward the clerk.
Maybe the guy’s having a bad moment. Maybe he kicks Seaside Mobile’s ass every other day of the month.
But something tells me we’re looking at the best he has to offer.
“Angel—”
I lift a hand before Nick can continue. “Here’s the thing though, having a crappy track record gives me something to overcome.
And I’m good at overcoming things. Some might say I’m a master at overcoming things.
The more I overcome, the better I get.” I run a hand through my hair because come on now, how many times can one woman say ‘overcome?’ If only my mouth didn’t have a mind of its own most days.
“What I’m trying to say is that I’m going to harness the rocket fuel of this mistake and let it launch me to success. ”
Nick’s eyebrows hit his hairline. “You’re going to do what now?”
“See, this feeling of having something to overcome…it’s rocket fuel. I can let it destroy me or…” I trail off as my cousin looks more and more incredulous. “Or I can ride the rocket,” I finish lamely. “To success.”
“You want to ride the rocket to success.” Nick can’t hide his laughter now and I smooth my hands over my stomach before punching him in the arm.
“It sounded cooler when Dad said it.”
“Obviously. Your dad’s much cooler than you.” Nick gives me a squeeze. “You’re gonna have to come to terms with that, Angel.”
Growing up, I loved that nickname. Angel, short for Angela, after my mom’s mom, who passed away a few years before I was born.
To my little ears, being called an angel made me feel like I could take care of the whole world if I wanted to—and oh man, did I want to.
Still do. But one of my college professors suggested the name sounded “unprofessional,” so with much reluctance, I switched back to Angela.
“Believe me. I’m fully aware I’m not living up to my dad. He would never be in the position I’m in.”
Nick runs a hand over his freshly cropped hair, a clear sign he’s frustrated.
We were born one day apart. Raised more like siblings than cousins.
Our fathers are brothers, Lucas and Wyatt Hutton, both blond haired and blue eyed.
Nick and I got the Hutton eyes and our mothers’ hair, which means I have copper locks while he sports this full head of chocolate hair that shines with a light of its own.
It’s a cryin’ shame the Marines require him to keep it short—though, with him in his dress blues right now, he’s drawing a lot of attention from the women in the store, even without the help of his hair.
There’s something about a man in uniform that gets the imagination flowing.
Though personally, I’m more of a fantastic bone structure, white button down, and black slacks kind of woman. I let myself enjoy the view in front of me while Nick brushes a fleck of lint off his chest.
“Even if your dad did pass all his coolness down to you, it couldn’t have prepared you for a company to go under and leave you with the bill.” Nick shakes his head like he still can’t believe what happened.
I get that.
I still can’t believe it, either.
“I got excited and overconfident and now our family’s livelihood is at risk.” I square my shoulders and lift my chin. “You’re being very sweet, but I’m owning my mistake. It’s the first step to harnessing that rocket fuel.”
Despite my outward confidence, the spinning ball of nerves in my stomach speeds up.
My grandparents started the Hutton Hotel—mostly called The Hut within the family—by turning their oceanside home into a bed and breakfast, then expanding into a full-blown wellness resort as the years progressed.
After my grandpa passed, Dad and Uncle Wyatt took over, leading the Hut through an era of unprecedented success.
I spent my entire life preparing to continue what they started, and what do I do?
Put the entire thing at risk the first chance I get.
“I never did understand why you want to expand, anyway.”
Tearing my attention away from the man in front of us, I glance at my cousin.
“You’ve seen the way our guests look when they check in.
They’re tired. Life is hard and it’s heavy and they’re wearing it all on their shoulders.
You just see the weight of the world on ‘em. But when they check out?” I grin as I watch him understand.
“It’s gone.”
And there it is. The reason I want to expand our hotel into other markets.
“It feels like we’ve made an impact. They’re smiling and hopeful and excited to get back into the world and what if…what if we could do that for more people? You know? We’re booked to capacity every day, but if we had other facilities, we could help more people.”
“That’s a beautiful dream, Angel.”
“It’s more than a dream. It’s our future. I know we hit this bump in the road…” I laugh and hold out my hands. “Okay, okay, I know I drove us headfirst into this bump, but this is right. This is real. Everything will be better after tomorrow’s meeting with this new guy. I’ll make sure of that.”
Step one, assume everything that comes out of Garrett Cooper’s mouth is a lie.
Step two, remember he is not my friend, no matter what he says.
Step three, trust nothing, verify everything.
“That’s the kind of attitude that makes a great Marine.”
“I don’t understand why you couldn’t be something a little less…murdery?” I shift my weight, worrying about his upcoming flight. We should have left as soon as we saw the store was this busy.
“Can you imagine how I’d handle the situation you’re in right now?
” Nick whispers. “A shady investment company adding The Hut as collateral to a loan they knew could fall through, squeezing as much money as they could out of things before they filed bankruptcy and disappeared? I’d…
” He huffs a laugh, shaking his head as his fists clench. “It wouldn’t be pretty.”
“I can see it now. You’d roll into the meetings like an oversized ape with extensive training in combat and weaponry.”
“Speaking of combat and weaponry…” He glances at the time. “If we don’t get some help soon, I’m gonna miss my flight.”
“I told you we should have left.” I grab his arm and start for the exit, but a second clerk comes out of the back and gestures us forward.
“What can I do for you today?” he asks as I approach.
Beside me, the sexy stranger leans on the counter, watching intently as the first clerk brings out his new phone.
He meets my eyes and frowns, his gaze strong.
Intense. It sends my stomach into a tizzy, and I blink as I give my attention to anything else, but damn.
There’s something in the way he looked at me.
Something that feels like he saw right through all the bullshit to my most secret hopes and dreams. It makes me feel equal parts alive and uncomfortable.
“I’m here for an upgrade.” I smile at the clerk and place my phone on the counter, rattling off the specs for my new one.
“Solid choice,” the frowny man says in a deep voice. He taps a phone sitting next to one with a shattered screen. “Picked the same model.”
“Good to know I’m not making a mistake.” My eyes lock with his, an unbelievable shade of blue with flecks of green dancing through them. I could stare into them forever…assuming I had time to waste by staring into the eyes of beautiful men.
Beside me, Nick casually checks the time, then rubs his hand through his hair again.
“It’s not too late to leave,” I say, bumping my shoulder against his.
“It’ll be fine. You’re almost done and as long as we get out of here in the next ten minutes, we’re good to go.” He glances at my clerk, a short man with greasy hair and a name tag that reads JJ. “What do you think? She’ll be done in ten minutes, right?”
“Totally.” JJ nods, smiling confidently as he meets his colleague’s eyes like they’re sharing an inside joke.
“Great. I’m gonna get the car and pull it up front.” Nick holds out his hand for my keys. I pass them over and he taps me on the top of the head before heading for the exit.
Only, JJ starts up a conversation with the clerk helping the man beside me.
Apparently, our new phones are exciting enough to warrant an eight-minute discussion about the upgrades from the previous year’s model.
The stranger glowers at the duo, watching the whole thing play out with complete and utter dissatisfaction.
“In a hurry too?” I ask, hoping to distract myself with a little conversation.
“Whenever I’m in a situation I can’t control, I remind myself everything always works out the way it’s supposed to, given enough time.
Setbacks are often opportunities, you know?
This little delay could be serendipity…or, you know, fate…
” I trail off before I mention anything about rocket fuel and the stranger’s jaw muscle starts pulsing. “…or something…”
The man turns his intense stare my way and I regret ever opening my mouth. “Because having my time wasted definitely means things are working out.”
His tone makes me recoil. The condescending curl of his lip. The arch to his brow.
I flinch.
Okay, then. Message received.
I turn and lean my back on the counter without another word.
I won’t waste my energy on him again. So much for romance hero sex appeal.
You can’t be that ugly on the inside and still pass for pretty on the outside.
I mentally rescind all thoughts and comments about his beautiful eyes and perfect bone structure. Jerks are jerks. The end.
On the other side of the store windows, Nick sits in my car, drumming his fingers against the steering wheel. If he misses his flight, I’ll never forgive myself.
“Are we good?” I ask JJ, interrupting him as he picks up both phones to continue his conversation with his colleague. “Because our ten minutes are up, and I need to go.”
“Yeah. Sure. I just need to turn this bad boy on and check that everything’s ported over.”
“I’m sure you’ve done an excellent job and if there’s a problem, I know where to find you.” I hold out my hand because we need to be on the road pronto.
JJ stares at the phones like he’s rebooting. For shit’s sake. Why is this so hard?
“I’m sorry,” I say, lifting my brows, extending my hand further, “but I’ve gotta go.”
Reluctantly, he gives me my device and I hightail it out of there.
“I’m so sorry,” I say to Nick as I slide into the passenger seat. “They were going on and on about how amazing these phones are. You know how guys like that get when they’re talking tech.”
“Relax, Angel. It’s all good.”
I slide my phone out of the box to power it on, but he puts a hand on mine.
“Don’t. Not yet.” His eyes dart away as he shifts the car into gear. “I sent you a goodbye text and I’ll feel stupid if you read it with me here.”
“Right. Who would want to express how they’re feeling to someone so they could respond in real time?”
Despite my response, I put the phone back in its box and close the lid. Nick hates goodbyes. He says it makes leaving feel too permanent and I get that.
I do.
Every time he ships out, I worry he won’t come back. Or that if he does, he won’t be the same. He’s been my best friend since the day he was born—one measly day after me. I’m close with a lot of my cousins, but Nick? He’s an extension of my heart.
“Right?” My cousin grins as he shakes his head. “All those emotions, just out there? In the open? Nobody wants that.”
“Nobody indeed.” My smile is as bright as possible to hide the lump in my throat.
The day he enlisted, I cried myself to sleep.
I put on a brave face when he’s around. We all do.
But Dad was a Marine and he almost lost his life in Afghanistan.
Technically he did lose his life. Clinically dead for several minutes, but some miracle brought him back.
I don’t know what I’d do if something like that happened to Nick.
When we arrive at the airport, I hop out of the car as he grabs his bags from the trunk. “Have fun playing Army,” I say, rising up on tiptoes to wrap him in a hug.
“As a Marine, I resent your implication, but something tells me that’s why you said it.”
“Of course that’s why I said it.”
He shakes his head as he squeezes me tight. “Why are you such a pain in my ass?”
“Just keeping that ego in check.”
Nick draws himself up to his full height, lifting his chin as he throws a bag over his shoulder. With a quick smile, he thumps a fist on his heart, smiles softly, then turns and heads for the doors, threading into the crowd and disappearing from sight.
I stare after him, a breeze whispering through my hair as I let out the breath I’ve been holding.
You better come home, I think as I cross in front of the car and lower myself into the driver’s seat. Because I don’t know what I’d do without you.