The Billionaire's Heart Read online

  “Fourth of July must have been more than okay and fun if you’re cooking her dinner, Gavin.” She filled the other glass with tea and handed it to him. “Yes, those were your exact words when I asked how the weekend went.”

  “Who said I cooked dinner for anyone? I do have to eat too. Maybe I made the meal for myself.”

  “Sure, it’s possible. It’s also possible Harry will wake up tomorrow and decide to stop sleeping around and become a monk.” She gestured for him to sit before pulling out a chair and sitting down.

  “Scientists finding little green men living on Mars is more likely than Harry giving up woman.”

  She nodded in agreement. “True. But I still don’t believe you cooked something that would impress Gigi just for yourself. So please start at the beginning and don’t leave anything out this time.”

  If she wanted him to start at the beginning, then he’d start at the beginning. “I told you she invited me to the party. But it was more of a friendly demand than an invitation.” He smiled at the memory of her outrage when he’d told her he planned to work on the Fourth. “She threatened to drag me out of my office if I didn’t come willingly. She even insisted we drive down together because she was afraid I’d back out at the last minute.”

  “I’m liking her a lot already,” Vivian commented.

  As far as he knew, his sister had only met Leah once, and it had been a brief encounter. If their relationship continued the way he hoped, he wanted the two women to get to know each other better. Getting that to happen would be tricky, considering the distance between them, but he’d figure out the logistics of it later.

  Gavin went back to giving his sister enough details to satisfy her curiosity without recounting the entire weekend. Or at least he tried. Vivian wasn’t known for remaining quiet during a conversation, and several times she interrupted him to ask a question or make a comment.

  “I still can’t believe Tasha Marshall was hitting on you. Didn’t she know you came with Leah?” Vivian asked, coming back outside carrying the pizzas that had just arrived and two plates.

  “Beats me,” he admitted. He hadn’t thought about it one way or the other. “You know her?” Before the party, he’d never seen or heard of the woman.

  “Mostly from fundraisers. Last time I saw her was about a year ago at the Helping Hands Bachelor auction. She made a complete fool of herself.”

  Gavin didn’t wait for his sister. He opened the top pizza box and pulled out a slice. “I knew Mom went. I didn’t know you did too.”

  She slid a plate his way before opening the second box. “It was for a good cause and I was in the area. I didn’t bid on anyone, but it was an entertaining night. If they hold another one, I might go again.”

  Entertaining for her maybe, but it sounded like torture for the men to him. No matter how good of a cause, he wouldn’t have participated in such an event even if someone threatened him with bodily harm.

  Vivian added two slices of pizza to her plate but didn’t start on either of them. Instead she grabbed a napkin and said, “If you want, I’ll tell you all about it sometime.”

  His twin traveled a fair amount and enjoyed trying new things, so she usually had a lot of interesting stories to share. Her experience at a bachelor auction wasn’t one he cared to hear about. “I’ll pass, thanks.”

  With a shrug Vivian moved their conversation back on track. “A party at her parents’ and a cookout at her brother’s. Sounds like a busy weekend. Before you continue, did you tell her about Erin?”

  He’d skipped over the conversation they’d had during the fireworks. He wasn’t going to rehash it now either. “She knows all about Erin.”

  “Good. Please continue. I promise not to interrupt again.”

  Yeah, right.

  When it came to her sex life, his twin had always been open with him, even when he didn’t care to know, like when her first sexual experience had been with his then good friend in high school. He’d never shared her willingness to talk about what did or didn’t happen in his bedroom. So while they enjoyed their pizza, he gave Vivian the condensed, G-rated version of the past few weeks. And even if his twin wanted to know all the intimate details, she knew not to ask if he’d slept with Leah.

  “How does Harry feel about you dating his ex?” Until now she’d kept her promise and hadn’t said a word.

  “I don’t think he knows.” Other than at work, they hadn’t spoken in weeks. He saw no need to tell Harry or anyone else whom he was involved with anyway. “If he doesn’t like it when he finds out, that’s his problem.” Harry had had his chance with Leah and blown it.

  “Is he still with Milan or has she realized what a jerk he is and moved on?”

  “Beats me.”

  Vivian looked about to say something else when the sound of the doorbell reached them from inside. “I’m not expecting anyone but you tonight.” She pushed back her chair and stood. “Be right back. It is probably another campaigner hoping to get my vote. They’ve already started coming around, and the primary isn’t until September.”

  With his sister gone for the moment, he pulled out his cell and sent Leah a short text message. He’d prefer to call, but he didn’t want to be in the middle of a conversation when Vivian returned. Almost immediately a reply appeared on the screen.

  Call me when you get a chance, Gavin. I miss you.

  Miss you too. Talk to you soon.

  Gavin returned the device to his pocket as a male voice drifted outside. “I didn’t think you’d mind if I stopped over.”

  So much for Vivian’s theory about a campaigner at the door.

  Interest piqued, he listened for his sister’s reply. “I don’t. I’m just surprised. I didn’t think I’d see you until tomorrow.”

  It sounded like Vivian had been so busy prying into his personal life, she’d neglected to share some new developments in hers. That wasn’t something she usually did, and he intended to give her a hard time about it later.

  Vivian stepped back outside, her arm around a man he recognized but had never met. “Jeff, I’d like you to meet my brother Gavin.” She swung her gaze toward him. “Gavin, this is—”

  “Jeffrey Moore,” he said. He’d watched the professional soccer player enough times to know exactly whom his sister had her arm around. Gavin shot Vivian a quick look to let her know she had some questions to answer later before extending his hand toward Jeffrey. “Nice to meet you.”

  ***

  A drive up to New Hampshire today hadn’t been anywhere on her radar until last night. With Gavin in California until Sunday, she wanted something to occupy her free time. A visit up to see her brother and his newest project struck her as the perfect distraction, which was why she’d worked a half day from home before jumping on the highway and heading to New England. While with Curt, she intended to not only pass the time but also get some advice.

  When she’d first found out Gavin had a daughter, it seemed like no big deal. She liked children and even assumed someday she’d have her own. The closer it got to Erin’s arrival in New York, the more anxious she got. From what she’d seen, Curt’s relationship with his girlfriend’s niece was going well, so he was obviously doing something right. Hopefully he’d share some insight on how to develop a similar relationship with Gavin’s daughter.

  Following the GPS directions, she turned onto Marsh Road and passed the village green. At the moment, a small farmers’ market was set up on it, but a sign near the entrance mentioned a car show would be held there tomorrow. When Curt first told her about the town, he’d referred to it as quaint. From the little she’d seen so far, Leah agreed with his assessment.

  She’d only visited the first home Curt renovated. It’d been a cute cottage in upstate New York. She’d seen pictures of the other two, however, and the house she’d just parked in front of was by far the largest he’d tackled. Instantly she wondered if perhaps this time he’d undertaken more than he could handle.

  It took a few minutes for her broth
er to answer the door. When he finally did, he wasn’t alone. Reese stood next to him. Both wore clothes that had seen better days and old sneakers. Several paints smears were on Curt’s arms, and Reese had one on her chin and a smaller one on her forehead.

  “I didn’t expect you for at least another hour,” he greeted, releasing the door and taking a step back so she could enter.

  “Except for a little around Hartford and then again around Worcester, I didn’t hit any traffic today,” Leah explained. Avoiding traffic had been the main reason she left the city when she did. The summer traffic heading northeast on a Friday could be horrendous.

  “I’d hug you, but Reese and I have been painting.”

  “Yeah, your blue skin kind of gave you away. And since you have more on you than Reese does, I’m guessing she’s better at it than you.”

  The comment elicited a giggle from Reese, but Curt ignored it and closed the front door. “Feel free to explore while we clean up. It won’t take us long.”

  Reese and Curt headed up the curved staircase, leaving her alone in the large wood-paneled foyer. Although smaller, it reminded her of the one inside her grandparents’ home. Tipping her head back, she studied the mural covering the vaulted ceiling. Even faded it was beautiful, and she wondered if her brother intended to paint over it or have it restored. Her favorite part of the foyer, though, was the stained glass windows. A large one filled the space above the front door, allowing in sunlight, and two matching panels flanked the door.

  She didn’t know the house’s history, but by the looks of the foyer, whoever built the home had had excellent taste. Anxious to see more, she walked down one of the two hallways. A few of the rooms she peeked in looked untouched while others had obviously been painted. The huge room at the back of the house was clearly a work in progress. Sheets of plastic covered the floor, and cans of paint sat in the middle of the room next to some rollers. Since the walls in the room were burgundy and not blue, Curt and Reese had been working somewhere else today.

  “What do you think?”

  At the sound of Curt’s voice, she turned. “I’m glad you’re the one doing all this work and not me,” she replied. Painting her nails was about the only painting she engaged in. “Where’s your sidekick?”

  “After I helped her get the paint off, Reese went to change into a bathing suit.”

  “Are you finished in here or just getting started?” The room looked nice and she honestly couldn’t tell.

  “It’s about half done. It’s needs another coat, and I plan to replace the floor.”

  “Was this a dining room or something?” She crossed to the wall of French doors and looked out at the large veranda. At the moment it was empty, but she could picture it filled with various flowering plants and a few tables, or maybe a couple of benches.

  “Ballroom. When I moved in mirrors were mounted on the walls and a mural similar to the one in the foyer covered the ceiling.”

  Cliff House in Newport had a ballroom, but considering the time period it had been built in it had never seemed odd to her. In the late nineteenth century, Newport had been the place to be. Pelham, New Hampshire, didn’t seem like the place to be no matter the century.

  “Why would anyone in this town need a ballroom?” Leah opened a door and stepped outside for a moment to get a better look at the backyard. Curt followed her out.

  “The family who built the house were the wealthiest people in southern New Hampshire at the time, and they liked to entertain. Did you see the kitchen? I finished it last week.”

  “Not yet.”

  He took her hand and led her back inside. “Follow me.” Other than when he discussed his writing, he’d never sounded as excited as he did now.

  Reese nearly knocked them over as she rushed down the hall. “Curt, I’m ready to go swimming,” she announced with an amount of excitement only a child could conjure up.

  “I need to show my sister the kitchen before we head out back, short stuff.”

  Reese didn’t complain but her smile dimmed as she turned and down the hallway, the sound of her flip-flops echoing around them.

  Entering the kitchen, Leah came to an abrupt stop. If Curt had done all this, he’d learned a lot since he first started this hobby of his. “You did all this by yourself?”

  “Thanks for the vote of confidence,” he replied, sounding a little hurt.

  “Sorry, it’s gorgeous. I didn’t realize you were so good at this renovation stuff.” She moved farther into the room to get a better look around. “It resembles Trent and Addie’s kitchen.”

  “That was the idea.” He moved past her and to the refrigerator. “Do either of you want something to drink?”

  Reese didn’t hesitate to answer. “Juice please.”

  Curt pulled out a juice box and a can of root beer for himself.

  She didn’t drink soda often and never kept it at home, but she loved both root beer and cream soda. “I’ll have a root beer too.”

  “Can we go outside now?” Reese asked, already on her way to the side door.

  Her brother handed her the soda and grabbed the bag of pretzels on the counter. “We’re right behind you.”

  Neither of them had a chance to sit before Reese jumped into the pool.

  “I think she’s part fish,” Curt said, opening the umbrella at one of the patio tables outside.

  Leah watched the girl swim to the ladder, climb out, and head back toward the diving board. Once there, Reese cannonballed into the pool again.

  “Don’t take this the wrong way or anything, but does she spend every day with you?” she asked.

  He popped open his soda and took a long swallow before answering. “Only Tuesdays and Fridays. Camp ends at three, and I pick her up because both Taylor and Priscilla are still at work. The rest of the week Priscilla gets out in time to get her.”

  “Curt, watch this,” Reese called out before doing a handstand in the shallow part of the pool.

  When Reese popped back up, Curt gave the girl two thumbs up. “Nice job.”

  “I never knew you had such a paternal streak.” Unless holding a baby counted, until this summer she’d never seen him interact with any children. Yet he looked perfectly comfortable and at ease alone with Reese. “She really likes you. How did you win her over?”

  “Promised to teach her to play lacrosse, and I let her teach me all she knows about soccer. I think I’ve played more soccer games in Taylor’s backyard than I ever did in school.” Curt shifted his gaze her way. “Things not going well with Gavin’s daughter?”

  “She’s been in Florida all month with her mom, so I haven’t met her. Gavin’s picking Erin up next Friday and bringing her back to New York for two weeks. And honestly, I’m getting nervous.”

  “Why? You’ve been around kids before, Leah.” He tore open the pretzel bag and pulled out a handful before sliding the bag her way.

  “But all of them are still in diapers. It’s easy to make them happy. Erin’s nine.” She estimated Reese was a little younger than nine, but not much. Whatever strategies he’d used with Reese in the beginning might also help her. “Since teaching Erin lacrosse is out, do you have any other suggestions?”

  Rather than answer, he looked back at the pool where Reese was now floating around on a large pizza-shaped raft. “Reese was friendly from the beginning. The first time I had dinner at the house, she asked if I had a girlfriend. When I told her no, she suggested Taylor could be my girlfriend.”

  “You’re not helping,” Leah grumbled before pulling out several pretzels.

  “Be yourself. Find something you both like and do it together,” Curt suggested.

  She’d hoped for something more enlightening, but it was a start. Once Gavin had started talking about Erin, she’d learned the girl loved all kinds of physical activity and art. There was no shortage of art museums in and around the city, and Leah could happily spend hours at any of them. A day exploring one might be the perfect way to start building a relationship with Er
in. When Gavin returned on Sunday, she’d run the idea by him.

  Leah watched the girl relaxing in the pool. “Did she really say Taylor should be your girlfriend in the middle of dinner?”

  Her brother picked up his soda can again. “It was at the end of dinner, but yeah. First she wanted to know if I had kids. Then she asked about a girlfriend. When I said no, she made her recommendation and added in how her grandmother was always telling Taylor to date more.”

  She envisioned the scene in her head and laughed. “Just a little embarrassing for everyone.”

  “I don’t know about all children, but Reese says anything that comes into her head. If Gavin’s daughter is anything like her, be prepared for some entertaining conversations while she’s around,” he warned.

  They both remained silent and enjoyed the sun while Reese swam. Eventually another concern that had been popping up over the past week had Leah looking over at her brother. She’d never dated a man with a child, so she had no idea what kind of changes to expect when Erin came to New York. Would Gavin prefer she not stay at his place while his daughter was around? Two weeks without sex certainly wouldn’t kill either of them, but she’d miss it. Even more, she’d miss falling asleep and waking up next to him, if he decided it was better she not spend the nights with him.

  Although Reese was not biologically her daughter, Taylor was, in all the ways that mattered, Reese’s mom. How did her brother and Taylor handle the more intimate side of their relationship?

  “I’m not looking for details or anything, but how do you and Taylor handle sex?” she asked, her voice much lower than normal even though she doubted Reese could hear them on her raft in the pool.

  Curt’s hand paused inside the pretzel bag. “The same way everyone does. Didn’t Mom have the birds and bees talk with you?” he asked with a grin.

  “Very funny. You know that’s not what I meant.” She yanked the bag away from him and pulled out a handful for herself. “Reese and Taylor stayed with you in Newport. Did Taylor sleep with you or did she stay in a separate room? And I’m sure you don’t go weeks without sex, so either Taylor comes here or you go to her house.”