Summer Temptation (Hot in the Hamptons Book 2) (12 page)

By the time Leigh came over for dinner that night, I was having a hard time controlling my anger. She’d lied to me about who she was. Maybe not outright, but a lie of omission was just the same, in my book. We’d welcomed her into Murphy’s small, somewhat rundown home. Leigh DeGray, daughter of a billionaire fund manager, slumming it.

What did a man like me have to offer a woman like her…besides sex? Nothing she couldn’t buy for herself, that was for sure. That made me even angrier. At some point, my subconscious had started to think of our relationship as more than a summer fling. At some point, my heart had gotten involved. And now my heart hurt.

Leigh was perfect for me.

Or so I’d thought.

Now, every time she smiled at my granddad or enthusiastically encouraged him about his plans for the huge, and growing-by-the-day, yard sale, I wanted to scream, “Stop patronizing his paltry attempt to raise money! What do you know about needing money?” Every time she smiled at me or touched my arm, or made some other familiar, caring gesture, I wanted to scream, “Stop pretending to like me or care about me! All you want me for is sex.” And didn’t that feel shitty? Call me petty, but I wanted to make her feel as shitty as learning the truth had made me feel.

But not in front of my granddad, which meant I had to wait for Jeopardy to start before I could confront her.

Finally! As Murphy carefully closed the screened door behind him, I swallowed down my second beer, trying to remain outwardly calm. Inside I felt anything but calm.

“Are you okay?” Leigh asked, looking concerned. “I know I promised not to ask you about your job search, but did something happen today?”

Damn right something happened today. “What’s your last name?”

Confusion showed on her face. “My last name? Why?”

“I want to know.” I sat back, casually resting one elbow on the arm of the deck chair, my impersonation of a completely relaxed male. “Indulge me. Please.”

“DeGray,” she said matter-of-factly, like it was no big deal.

“DeGray as in ‘The DeGray Fund’ DeGray?” I found sitting back and faking calm didn’t work for me, so I sat up then, hell, I stood, could not sit one second longer. “DeGray as in Garrett DeGray’s daughter?”

Leigh stood too, only hesitantly. “What’s wrong, Nick?”

“Do Storme and Kelsey know?” Or had she been lying to them, too?

She let out a breath. “They know my father works on Wall Street but, as far as I know, they have no idea how successful he is. I doubt they’d care, even if they did.”

“Why didn’t you tell
me
?” I asked.

“I don’t typically tell people my last name because I don’t want to be thought of as a rich, snobby, pardon the term, bitch, because I’m not.”

No. She wasn’t.

“And what do you think,” she went on, “would have happened if I had told you, a Wall Street analyst, my name? Would you have come to apologize to me at the bonfire? Would you have invited me to your grandfather’s house for dinner? Would we have what we have now if you had known who my father was?”

No, we most likely would not have what we have now if I’d known who her father was. I would have realized she was too far out of my league and stayed the hell away from her.

“It shouldn’t even matter.”

“Of course if matters. Your father is a billionaire. You’re rich. Richer than rich. I don’t even know the correct word to describe what you are.”

“No,” Leigh said calmly as she walked to the railing beside me and looked out over the garden. “My father has a lot of money, but it’s his money not mine. He’s not an extravagant spender. We live a simple life.”

“You drive a Subaru!”

“Yes, I do.” She looked at me like I was crazy. “It’s a dependable car.”

So damn practical.

“What happened that’s got you so upset?” she asked quietly.

I turned to face her, crossing my arms over my chest in the process. “I had an interview today. At The DeGray Group. Imagine my surprise when your dad knew all about me.”

“My dad interviewed you?”

“Surprised me, too.” It’d damn near shocked the shit out of me. “Apparently you’ve been talking about me, which is very unlike you.” I should have been flattered, but I was too pissed off.

She blushed, and that softened my anger a bit.

“So daddy wanted to check me out,” I told her, “and had his director of HR contact a few head hunters until he found one I’m working with.”

“And he interviewed you
himself
?”

I nodded.

“I swear,” Leigh said, with her hand over her heart, “I didn’t put him up to it. I didn’t know anything about it. I promise you.”

“I know.” At least I knew for sure as of that moment, because the sincerity of her tone and the look on her face told me the truth.

“Did he offer you a job?”

“Would it matter if he did?”

She looked away.

That gave me my answer. I asked again anyway. “Leigh? Would it matter if he did?”

She stared into the backyard, avoiding me. “I’d never stand in the way of you taking a job at my dad’s company.” An ant crawled toward her on the old wood railing, and she brushed it over the side. “It’d be a wonderful opportunity for you. He gets hundreds of applications a month, from all over the country.”

I could almost hear the ‘but’ in her voice, so I gave her a prompt. “But…”

She turned to face me. “But…nothing. If he offered you a job and you want the job, take it,” she glanced into the backyard, “as long as you’re okay with seeing me…after.”

After we were over, like there was no doubt in her mind that when the summer ended our relationship would end, too.

“Just so you know,” she continued. “Whenever I can, I stop by to see him at work. I attend all of his holiday parties and some business functions. Plus, I’m on his board of directors…”

“Wait.” What? “You’re on his board of directors?” Unbelievable.

She nodded. “Since I turned eighteen. Dad wants me involved so I know what’s going on in his company. In case anything happens to him…In case I have to…” She inhaled a shaky breath, and I could tell just how much losing her father worried her.

Just like that, my anger dissipated. Suddenly, comforting Leigh took priority. My feelings of inadequacy no longer mattered…for the time being. “Hey,” I said quietly, reaching out to touch her chin, to make her look at me. “When I saw your father, he looked fine.”

“He’s not. He works too hard, needs to slow down, but he won’t.” She tried to look away. I didn’t let her.

“Come here.” I opened my arms.

She stepped into my embrace, so vulnerable, and I held her. “You know, no matter what happens at the end of the summer, I’ll always be here for you if you need me. For any reason.” Stupid idiot that I was, I wanted to take care of her and protect her and help her in any way I could.
Like helping her run her father’s multi-billion dollar company if, God forbid, the need should arise?
Yes, if that’s what she needed. Only how would she look at his offer to extend their relationship past the end of the summer, now that she knew that he knew who her father was?

Leigh

I
came awake slowly, lying on my left side. I inhaled the cool, ocean-scented night air and listened to the waves crashing into the shore nearby. A body pressed in behind me. Strong arms held me close.

Nick.

Six weeks together, and I hated to think about saying goodbye to him, about living the rest of my life without him in it.

“You’re awake,” he said quietly.

I nodded, opening my eyes to see we were together on a padded lounge chair by the pool at Storme’s house. “I’m sorry. I fell asleep on you again.” That made four nights in a row. Each time, I’d woken up in Nick’s arms.

He kissed my hair. “You’ve worked hard this week.”

Yes, I had, but so had he and Murphy. We’d all put in dozens of hours at his granddad’s house, going through every closet and drawer, every cabinet and box, sorting out things to keep, to sell, and to throw away. He’d had A LOT of stuff crammed into that small house.

“I can’t believe we pulled it off in only three weeks,” Nick said. “And that it was such a success,” he kissed me again, “thanks to you.”

With word of mouth, Murphy’s yard sale had grown into a full-fledged flea market. “Your granddad and his friends put everything together.” They’d coordinated the location, the vendors, forty-two of them, and the permits. “As a public relations professional, publicity is part of what I do.” With a little creative sign-making help from Kelsey – using key words like ‘vintage,’ ‘antique,’ and ‘fun for the kids,’ — and strategic posting of said signs by Storme, who had lots of connections in the area. Plus, I’d taken out ads in two local newspapers and, after some research, set up Murphy and Nick to record two different radio ads at two different radio stations, each to appeal to a specific demographic.

“You got hundreds of people to show up on Saturday
and
Sunday.”

“I didn’t do it alone, and the cloudy days helped.”

“Well, thank you.” He hugged me tightly from behind.

“You’re welcome.” I rubbed my bare feet along his hairy calves.

“Murphy figures he made over three thousand dollars.”

“That’s great. Hopefully it will ease his imagined money worries for the time being.”

“I think his money worries eased when I told him I’d been offered two jobs,” Nick said.

“Two? That’s fantastic!” I waited for him to provide more information.

He didn’t.

“Last I spoke to him, Murphy was trying to decide between hopping a bus to Atlantic City, hiding his bundle of bills in the freezer, or putting the money into the bank. I got the feeling he was leaning toward Atlantic City.”

I turned in Nick’s arms, laughing as I did. “You have got to be kidding me! After all that work he’s going to blow his money on blackjack and slot machines?”

Nick smiled, so handsome in the moonlight…in any light, for that matter. “No. He’s planning to
double
his money on blackjack and slot machines.”

I shook my head. “Well, it’s his to do with as he chooses.”

Nick looked deeply into my eyes as he smoothed his thumb along my cheek. “You really went all out for us.” He kissed my forehead. “I promised you a ‘Summer of Fun.’ This past week wasn’t very fun.”

“Yes it was.” Exhausting but fun. “I enjoyed spending time with you and Murphy, going through his pictures and mementos from years past, and listening to his stories.”

“That man sure can talk.”

Yes. He could. But I didn’t mind. “He gave me a beautiful brooch that belonged to his mother and a vintage handbag and silver bangle bracelet that belonged to Lilly.” I’d tried to turn them down, but he wouldn’t let me.

“He really likes you.” Nick kissed the tip of my nose. “So do I.” He slid his lips down to meet mine, so gentle and caring.

I smiled. “I like you, too, Nick.” So much. I could be myself around him, without feeling like I had to go out of my way to impress him. I could be quiet around him, without feeling like I had to fill the silence with conversation. I felt comfortable around him...happy…content. I hugged him.

“What was that for?”

“No reason.” I shifted to my back to look up at the stars in the sky, resting my head on Nick’s upper arm. “Remember how you asked me if I had one wish, what I’d wish for?”

He nodded.

“It pains me to admit that I would selfishly wish this summer didn’t have to end. That you and I could stay here in the Hamptons, together, just as we are tonight, forever.”

“I like that wish.” He took my hand into his and rested them on my slightly rounded belly. “If only I had the power to grant it.”

If only. “Two weeks left.” Until he went back to his life and I went back to mine.

“You know we could—”

“Don’t.” I reached up and put my finger to his lips, couldn’t bear to hear what he had to say. There was no future for us. While I had yet to take a pregnancy test, I could see and feel the changes in my body, knew what they meant. I wouldn’t saddle Nick with a wife and a baby that wasn’t his, an instant family he didn’t want or deserve.