Page 11 of Off-Limits Silver Fox Billionaire

There was no sign of Bree, and that created a deep hollow inside me.

“Hey, Sanders,” Phil Dell greeted once he saw me. Phil and I lived a stone's throw from each other, our daughters were best friends, and we had seen a lot of each other over the years since he moved to the island.

We could consider ourselves friendly neighbors. He invited me over for a barbecue he hosted once, we ran into each other at grocery stores and markets, and he even visited my art store when he wanted to set up his wife’s bakery.

“Great day?” I asked him when I got to the counter.

“Regardless of this horrible weather, yes, I would say it’s a great day,” he replied.

My keen gaze drifted past his toward the kitchen door and I hoped I would see Bree, but I didn’t. Asking was also not an option. It would only make Phil wonder why I was looking for her, and there was no way I could tell him what had transpired last night.

That was out of the question!

“What would you like?” Phil asked, and I forced on a smile.

“A coconut bread, please,” I answered, pretending like the reason I drove down to his bakery amidst the storm was because I wanted to have bread.

5

BREE

Get him out of your head, Brianna Dell.I needed to remind myself of the reasons why I couldn’t think of Josh. “It was a momentary lapse of judgment,” I murmured as I worked on whisking the eggs in a bowl for the cake I was baking.

Josh's touch made me remember what that one night with him was like. It had taken months to get it out of my mind back then. I was young, and it was never going to happen again, so I avoided him for the rest of the summer and left the island the first chance I got.

No man had made me experience that much pleasure before. Josh had left a mark on me back then, and now, my heart was starting to flutter because of him again.

“What is?” My dad asked, and I gasped. I didn’t realize he had entered the kitchen and he folded his arms over his chest as he looked at me. “What are you thinking about?”

“Nothing,” I quickly answered. “I chose to make a coconut-flavored cake instead of red velvet at first, but that was a lapse in judgment because I prefer red velvet any day,” I lied.

My dad smiled then walked over to me. “You worry too much,” he said. “In the end, your cake will turn out just. Fine.”

He kissed my cheek, then moved to the fridge to get himself a drink.

“How was your day?” I asked as he poured himself a glass full of fruit juice and sipped from it. “How’s Samuel?”

He was always with Samuel, the perfect dotting father, and since they did everything together, Allison rarely ever had to worry about Samuel.

“He’s in his room. I was working on a new shelf for his books. Once he starts school after the summer break, I don’t want him messing up the place with them and making his mother worry.”

“Aww, that’s so sweet,’ I commented. “When did you become so handy?”

My father had changed much over the years. Falling for Allison and marrying her had brought a homier side to him. He was someone who paid anyone to do anything he wanted, and he did just that while we lived in New York.

Back then he had focused a lot on his work and not the family. I guess it was the one reason why my mom had filed for a divorce. While he worked, she had wanted adventure, and the duo had fallen out of love.

I got used to the fact that they wouldn’t get back together after I saw his love for Allison. He had been miserable without her, and my mother had married someone else too, so why couldn’t he be happy?

He put his hand on my shoulder and squeezed a bit. “While we are waiting out the storm what else can I do? I have to do what I can around the house.”

Allison walked into the kitchen then. She had just showered, so she was wearing fresher clothes and it didn’t look like she had spent her morning with me in the kitchen baking.

She walked over to my dad and planted a kiss on his lips. They still seemed as happy in love as they were five years ago, and that made me wonder if I would ever find true happiness like theirs.

“Eww, get a room you two,” I told them and laughed when they grinned.

Allison joined me and we worked on baking and decorating the wedding cakes for the next hour. Once they were done and ready for delivery, I let her do the rest and went into my room to freshen up and rest.

---