Page 161 of These Summer Storms

He cut her off with another kiss, and Alice turned away, not wanting to play awkward witness to whatever this was (she knew what it was but there was no reason to commit it to memory).

As she left, she heard Tony growl, “I should never have left without you. I should never have left you afraid.”

Grinning wildly, Alice headed back toward the house with a singular goal. Finding Jack. She didn’t have to go far, as he was looking for her, too. He came down the back steps of the house, dressed in a light blue linen button-down and cream-colored linen trousers. His aviators were on and she wasn’t sure he saw her right away, until a wildly handsome smile whispered across his lips and the shiver was back again.

As they neared, she said, “You know I used to hate those sunglasses.”

He reached up and whipped them off, frowning at them. “Why?”

“I hated how handsome you were in them. Very distracting when I was trying to dislike you.”

One dark brow rose in acknowledgment. “In that case.” He slid the glasses back on.

She made a show of considering him. “Exactly my point. You look like a hot bodyguard.”

“I’ll take it.” He snaked an arm around her waist and pulled her to him for a kiss. “You weren’t there when I went back to find you.”

“You weren’t there when I woke up.”

“I had some things to do.”

She didn’t want to think about the game. Instead, she tilted her head toward the helipad, far enough away that Greta and Tony had an approximation of privacy, but close enough for Jack to clock what wasgoing on. “Look who’s back. I think those crazy kids are going to work it out, finally.”

“Considering Tony is an incredibly rich man this morning, I think that’s probably true.”

“He is?” The words came out sharper and more inquisitive than she’d intended. Tony’s finances weren’t any of her business.

Jack nodded. “Your father left him one percent of his holding in the company.”

Her brows rose, the only indication of her surprise, partly because she wasn’t that surprised anymore, now that it was so obvious that Franklin was tidying things up before his death. Honoring Tony’s years of service to Franklin and the company and the family was exactly the kind of thing her father would have thought to do—no game required.

It was the right thing to do; Tony had paid his dues in every possible way, giving up everything for Franklin…and for Greta. And now, he was a significant shareholder in one of the biggest companies in the world. Not that it would matter to Greta.

Alice looked to where Greta and Tony were deep in conversation. “After last night, Greta doesn’t care a bit about the money. She’d live in a yurt with him if she had to.”

“A yurt, huh?”

“Emily made me sleep in one once. We were supposed to set intentions during some full moon. Leo, maybe?” He nodded, like it mattered (what a man). “Anyway it rained all night and the yurt did not do a great job of keeping us dry or warm or happy.” She paused. “Well, Emily was pretty happy, but that’s because I’m beginning to think she’s an alien of some sort.”

“Next time, I’ll come and keep you dry, warm, and happy.”

She had no doubt of that. “Do you have intentions to set during the Leo moon?”

“Can my intention be to make love to you under the Leo moon?”

With a laugh she replied, “It’s good to set the bar low.”

“I don’t know,” he said, pulling her close. “In my experience, making love to you is astronomically good.” She giggled (truly, a new day), andhe pressed a kiss to the side of her neck, and she sighed her pleasure as he added, “Anyway. Tony and Greta won’t have to sleep in a yurt. They get to have it all.”

Hand in hand, they made their way in silence along the east side of the house, toward the oak, downed across the grass, and Alice lingered on that thought—the terrifying promise of having it all.

“You know, that was my dad’s lifework,” she said to Jack. “Having it all.”

He looked down at her. “I see that. He was consumed with ambition. From the moment he set foot in your grandparents’ garage.”

“One thousand, one hundred and seven dollars and a dream,” she said, parroting the words Franklin had said in every interview he’d ever given. “I’ve never met anyone with such a desire to win, and I spent my childhood around tech barons. He hated losing—cards, wagers, arguments.”

“Negotiations.”

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