Pieces of Us - Carrie Elks Page 0,66

Walking outside, he let the warm California sun wash over him, heating up his bare arms and face.

A wry smile lifted his lips. Maybe Autumn was right. He was loveable. His friends’ concern certainly seemed to confirm that.

But right now, the only opinion he cared about was hers. What did she think of him?

Because after last night, he was pretty sure he was falling in love with Autumn Paxton.

22

“I have an offer for you,” her dad said, as she switched her phone onto speaker. Autumn leaned back in her chair, staring out of her office window at the sapphire blue ocean.

“What kind of offer?” She frowned, tracing her finger around a knot in the wood of her desk.

“A monetary one, of course. We’ve found a buyer for you, and you’ll actually make money on it. Isn’t that great?”

“We?” Autumn repeated, her body tensing. “Who’s been helping you?”

“A friend. He located a buyer in California. He already owns three piers up and down the coast. I sent over the details and he stopped by to take a look.”

“When?” She pressed her lips together. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because I didn’t know if he’d be interested. But he is.”

She didn’t like the thought of a stranger looking the pier over without her there. It felt invasive, like somebody rifling through her underwear drawer. “I told you before I’m not interested in selling. Not yet.”

“I know that. But that’s because you wanted to make it profitable first so you could get a better sale. But the buyer doesn’t need you to do that. In fact, it would be a waste. They have plans of their own, including ripping a portion of it apart and rebuilding it. Your efforts would be a waste of time.”

“They want to rebuild?” she repeated, ignoring the pulse thrumming in her neck. “What about the businesses here? That would affect their trade.”

“They’d be given notice. His plans for the pier don’t include them. He wants to build a casino there. It’s been lucrative for him in his other locations. Isn’t that a great idea?”

She sighed. A few months ago she would have agreed. From a pure business perspective, changing the use of the pier would be a savvy decision. Maybe one she might have made herself, if she hadn’t spent so much time here in Angel Sands.

“I don’t think a casino would work here,” she told him. “Angel Sands isn’t that kind of town.”

“Well he says it can. He thinks he can work out a deal with the resort there. It’ll be ideal for us, and that’s what counts.” His voice lowered. “I need you to think about it, okay?”

“I like the pier as it is.” Her voice was firm.

“Autumn, sweetheart. You’ll want to come home soon. It’ll be impossible to manage the pier from New York. And you said yourself it’s going to take years to make it profitable. You’re a real estate developer and agent. A businesswoman. I know you’ve been through a lot lately, but it’s time to get back on the horse. Come home. Let me help you.”

“I can’t,” she whispered. The thought of getting on a plane to go back to her old life made her feel sick. “I’m staying here.”

“Is it something to do with the man Lydia was telling me about?”

She let out a mouthful of air. “Yes it is.”

“The whaleboat captain?” Her dad laughed. “Come on, sweetheart. You had a vacation fling. It happens. And maybe you needed it. But that isn’t real life. Real life is here in Manhattan. It’s making deals and feeling the rush as you walk into an expensive restaurant knowing you’re the top dog. It’s winning, not settling for some humdrum life in a California backwater town.”

Maybe she should have been surprised he knew all this information about Griff. But he was a lawyer, he dealt in information. It had always been his currency.

“I’m not settling for anything,” she told him.

“He’s a rebound, Autumn. Josh hurt you, I know that. And maybe this is what you needed to get over it. But this sailor guy? He’s not the one for you, sweetheart. He won’t challenge you. He won’t make you be the best businesswoman you can be. And I know you, whatever you do you always want to be the best. He won’t be able to keep up with you. And then he’ll resent you, the same way men always do when their wives are more successful than they are.”

“Maybe success isn’t always measured in dollars,”