Page 6 of The Reluctant Billionaire

“How’s the sun, sea, and sand?” John Hunter boomed down the phone, making Jace grin. His father was always a larger-than-life character.

“I haven’t actually been in the sea yet.”

“Why not? It’s not jellyfish season, is it?”

“No.” Jace chuckled. “I just haven’t got around to it, honestly. The villa’s got almost everything I need, I haven’t wanted to leave. I went over to the resort yesterday, had dinner with Luke. Don’t worry, though, he told me straight up he’d kick me out if I even tried to talk business.”

“I know.”

“Of course you do,” Jace realized. “You’ve been checking up on me.”

“Actually, I called Luke to congratulate him on the restaurant getting a Michelin star. He told me he saw you yesterday, and that you seemed well but still kinda tired.” John’s voice softened, gentled. “And if Iwaschecking up on you, Jace, it’d only be because I’m worried about you. You gave me a damn scare.”

“I know. I’m sorry, Dad.”

“I never wanted you to run yourself into the ground, son. You don’t have to prove anything to me. I’m already proud of you.”

A lump welled in Jace’s throat; he took a moment to clear it before he simply said, “Thanks.”

“Everything is fine here without you. Frankly, I think Nancy could run the place perfectly well without either of us.”

Jace grinned at that. “I don’t doubt it. Hey,” he said as something occurred to him, “you should take a break here too, Dad. How long is it since you’ve been on vacation?”

“Flew up for Hamilton Race Week last year,” John answered promptly. “Might come up this year too. It’s only a few weeks away now, I’ve got several friends with yachts in the races. Maybe you’ll still be there?”

“I hope not. I’ll go stir-crazy by then with nothing to do!”

John laughed richly. “Go find some pretty girls to flirt with or something.”

Unbidden, Jace’s mind flew to Nessa. “Maybe,” he said unguardedly, then changed the subject before his father could ask any awkward questions.

Hanging up the phone at last, Jace found he felt almost light, as though a weight had been taken off his shoulders. The news Hunter Enterprises was ticking along just fine without him should have been a cause for concern, a worry he was replaceable. Instead, the knowledge was strangely reassuring. Was it a sign, he wondered? A sign maybe his future really didn’t lie in the company’s executive offices?

Well, he didn’t have to make the decision today, or tomorrow, or even next week. He had plenty of time to consider it, and where better than here, in this island paradise, with nothing else to distract the mind? Dropping the phone on the coffee table, he lay back on the couch, putting his feet up, and gazed up at the ceiling. The sunlight reflecting off the pool outside made little ripples of dappled rainbow light on the white paint. Gazing at them, Jace’s eyes slowly drifted closed until he was sound asleep.

Chapter Three

Nessa hadn’t expected to see Jace back at her bar, and certainly not so soon, but she was serving lunchtime drinks when he came ambling down off the hiking trail again. He looked a lot better today and better equipped as well, with a small pack slung over his shoulder. She guessed he had a water bottle in it. Too busy to do more than give him a quick nod in greeting as he slid onto a barstool, she took a few minutes to clear the order the waiter had just handed her for a dozen complicated cocktails.

“Hey,” she slid a coaster in front of Jace and smiled. “You look better today. Got some color in your cheeks.”

He smiled back. “I totally had a grandpa nap after breakfast. It was fantastic.”

That made Nessa laugh. “Good for you. What can I get you?”

“Haven’t had lunch yet, so I’d better keep it virgin.” He cocked his head at her. “Something long and cold. I brought water with me today, but it’s still pretty hot walking.”

She nodded and reached for a tall glass, shoveling ice into it before mixing orange, mango, and pineapple juices and topping it off with club soda.

“Looks great,” Jace said enthusiastically as Nessa placed the glass in front of him with a flourish. He took a long drink, eyes closing with pleasure. “Ohhh. Beautiful.”

“You’re welcome.” She set one of the food menus down beside his glass. “If you want to order lunch, I can put your order through here and the kitchen will send it out shortly.”

“Oh, you do bar food here?” He picked up the menu and looked through it with interest, seeing a wide variety of dishes, from pizza and sandwiches to Asian dishes and Spanish tapas.

“One of the resort’s restaurants is right over there,” she gestured to a large hedge to one side of the pool. “The kitchen’s just behind the bar. You can go in there for lunch, if you’d prefer.”

“No, I think I’d like to eat here,” Jace said thoughtfully. “Turkey and cheese focaccia with cranberry sauce sounds good, please.”

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