Then Came You (The Wilde Sisters #2) (4 page)

She looked up to Thyme for permission, her green eyes glowing with excitement. Oh, the simple things that pleased children. “Go ahead. But use your manners.”

“Thank you, Mr. Almond.”

He chuckled graciously. “Your chariot awaits.” He opened the door and helped them into the backseat.

The simple beauty of the ocean and the exotic flowers erased some of the anger she harbored toward Grayson. They took winding roads along the coast, passing commercial hotels—the obvious tourist spot for those not as ridiculously rich as the Montgomerys and their kind—and came to a stop in front of a high-rise. The ride was longer than she expected, giving her too much time to cool her head. She wanted to give Grayson Montgomery a piece of her pissed-off mind.

The grounds to the hotel he was working on were a bustle of landscapers and masons building fountains, planting shrubs, and laying stone patios. The exterior of the building looked finished and polished.

Just like Grayson.

Armand opened the door and held his hand out to Thyme. “I couldn’t reach Mr. Montgomery this morning. He must be in a meeting. There may be someone inside who can tell you where to find him. I’ll wait out here until you’re ready to leave.”

“You don’t have to do that. I’m sure you have better things to do.”

“Oh, no. Working for Mr. Montgomery is a wonderful job. And driving his guests around is a pure pleasure.”

“Oh, does he have a lot of guests?” She didn’t mean to sound nosey. Or jealous.

“You’re the first that aren’t family.” He winked as he helped Maddie out of the car. If he only knew. “I’ll be here when you are ready to leave.”

Thyme grabbed Maddie’s hand, caressing her soft skin as they walked through the arsenal of construction workers.

The hotel wasn’t as grand as the Montgomery; the tall, arched entryway was inviting instead of overwhelming. It felt more like a family–friendly hotel rather than the luxury palace where she feared she or Maddie would spill fruit punch on the white furniture.

Electricians were stationed on scaffolding, hanging brightly colored ceiling fans. The walls were not the typical white or beige, but bright, vibrant shades of turquoise and orange.

“Miss, can I help you?”

A beautiful, tall redhead in a beige dress too tight and skimpy for a construction site sauntered up to Thyme, her black stilettos echoing on the unfinished floor. She pointed her bright red fake nails at Maddie. “This is no place for kids. You’ll have to leave. The hotel doesn’t open for another month.”

How ironic that the “family-friendly” hotel was not a place for kids. However, the bitchy model did have a point. The place was a madhouse of contractors.

“We’re actually here to see Mr. Montgomery. Could you please tell me where to find him?” Thyme plastered on an over-the-top fake smile and pulled Maddie into her hip.

“What do
you
want with Mr. Montgomery?”

“That’s between Gray—Mr. Montgomery—and myself.”

As if on cue, Grayson appeared on the stairway, a tall blonde on his arm. The woman was beautiful, a few years older than Grayson, and seemed comfortable and relaxed in his presence.

Thyme scowled. The man had a thing for older women. How could she forget?

The gorgeous blonde held a sincere smile as she gently patted his hand wrapped around her arm.

Grayson’s gaze moved from his arm candy and took in his surroundings. He frowned at a group of men standing idly in the corner, then nodded his approval at the painters working on the exotic flower mural behind the reception desk.

Thyme studied him as he inspected the artwork. He wore a bright blue button-down shirt and black slacks that she was sure fit his tight butt to perfection. Her belly betrayed her by quivering at the sight of him. The blue shirt made the color of his eyes pop, even from thirty feet away. She could read the intensity on his face as he took in all the commotion going on around him. Then he continued scanning and stopped when he met Thyme’s heated stare.

She quirked an eyebrow and rested one hand on her hip before shooting him a fiery glare. He stopped in his tracks, nearly tripping the woman on his arm. She, too, looked around and spotted Thyme. Then Maddie. Then smiled. A real smile, not the
What the hell do you want with my boss?
smile the redhead gave her.

Damn. She really didn’t want to like the cougar. No, the woman wasn’t old enough to be a cougar, or maybe she was, it was hard to tell from afar. The way she carried herself and wore her hair and makeup screamed rich and upper class, and her skin had to have been touched by a plastic surgeon to be so smooth and flawless. Her white fitted dress was stylish and mature, not sexy and showy like the redhead’s.

Thyme looked down at her twenty-dollar dress, sucked in her stomach, and threw her shoulders back, even though the extra inch of height wasn’t going to bring her any closer to Red’s or the classy lady’s height. Vertically challenged, she was.

Red huffed and stormed off toward Grayson, most likely in an attempt to warn him of the shorty with the kid who wanted to harass him. He shook his head and smiled, lightly resting his hand on Red’s shoulder, never taking his gaze away from Thyme.

Once again she got all tingly and melty inside. Surely it was from the Arubian heat. Definitely not from the sexy man who had two beautiful women draped all over him.

Red flicked her hair over her shoulder and stormed off. He turned to face the classy one, whispering something in her ear before kissing her on the cheek, and leading her down the hallway to the left. Once she was halfway down the hall, he turned and his long legs carried him to Thyme and Maddie.

“Hi, Grayson. You should see my room. It has a big bed and a tub that can fit four people. Thyme said so. We went to the beach, even though it’s January, and swimming and in the hot tub. But Thyme said I can’t stay in too long or I’d cook and then she’d have to eat me for dinner.”

Grayson’s eyes twinkled, causing what was becoming a too-common stir in her belly, and crouched in front of Maddie. “I’m glad you like your room. I’ll have to come see it soon.” He playfully tugged on her ponytail.

“Since we haven’t seen you in the four days we’ve been here, I thought I’d stop by, you know, to let you know we’re in town,” Thyme said pleasantly, her glare not matching her tone.

Grayson caught on to her sarcasm and stood, towering over her. “I apologize, Thyme. Things have not been going smoothly here and I haven’t had a chance to get away.”

“Yeah, looks like you’ve been up to your eyeballs in work.”

“I have.”

She’d only seen the man twice before. The first time he’d just learned he was a father. The second was the morning after when reality sort of sunk in. However, today he appeared more stressed and frazzled than upon learning he had a child. Maybe the bazillionaire with more women than he knew what to do with really was working overtime?

“Phone’s not up and running around here yet?” She wasn’t about to back down and let the man get away with neglecting his daughter all week.

“I was planning on calling soon. This job has been…stressful.” Grayson shut his eyes and breathed in deep.

Thyme’s gaze traveled down his long throat and took in his gorgeous shoulders. Wide, strong, and able to carry the weight of the world. Or maybe not. Even his sun-kissed skin couldn’t hide the bags under his eyes.

No. She wouldn’t cave at the sight of a sexy man with eyes as green and fresh as the ocean who could make her forgotten parts tingle. Remembering why she was here—Maddie—she snorted. He looked at her questioningly. “Never mind. This was a mistake. We’ll leave you to your
job.”
She reached out for Maddie’s hand and pulled her, a bit too firmly, around Grayson and out the front door. Thankfully Armand was leaning against the Caddy, reading a newspaper.

“Ah, my ladies. The chariot is ready for you. How about some shopping, yes? I can show you the best places to spend Mr. Montgomery’s money.”

Oh, God. Now she felt like one of his mistresses. “No thanks, Armand. We don’t need anything from Mr. Montgomery.”

“Thyme, wait,” Grayson hollered from behind.

She ignored him and shooed Maddie in the car. “Can Grayson come with us?” Maddie asked.

“No, princess. Grayson has to work.” She slid in next to Maddie and closed the door before Grayson could charm her panties off. Not that he would. Or had ever tried. Or that she wanted him to.

Liar.

***

Grayson

The woman was exasperating. She had no idea the amount of stress this project had caused him. The delays, order mix-ups, and crew problems were enough to make him back out. But he couldn’t. This hotel had been his father’s challenge to him. And then his mother showed up.

Montgomery Designs had prided themselves on designing luxury buildings, but with the economy in such decline, Grayson had pressured his father into appealing to the middle class. Creating designs that still had the Montgomery flair, yet were accessible in today’s hurting economy, and making them eco-friendly.

The island was known for going green and he’d already had a windmill installed behind the resort, plus high-efficiency plumbing and light fixtures. The hotel would encourage touring the island by bicycle, offering a range of sizes, tandem bikes, and trailers for families with little ones. Between the solar-paneled roof and the windmills, the energy bill for the resort should be next to nothing.

Designing a building or structure on an endless budget was easy. Designing something unique, eco-friendly, and classy on a budget the fraction of the size he was used to was a bit more challenging. But Grayson was up for the challenge. And he felt like he really nailed it with the The Green Sands.

The hotel was bright and fun, not the typical ostentatious and stuffy ones he was used to designing for the elite uppercrust. Like himself.

The mini-waterpark and waterslides were sure to attract families and the rooms would accommodate children with special needs. The family suites had bunk beds and trundle beds for those with more than two children. It was a complaint many larger families made: staying at a hotel was challenging and not financially possible. Instead, more and more families were renting houses. But at The Green Sands he was bringing luxury, families, and eco/green all together.

A portion of all sales would go toward providing free vacations for families who had sick children. Grayson had presented the idea to his mother, offering a weeklong vacation every week to a different family in financial need who’d had a child in the hospital for an extended period of time.

Now if only
he
could stay in budget and meet his deadlines. Having a daughter and perky nanny added two more challenges to the mix. If his head foreman hadn’t come down with the flu this week, he’d have been able to slip away and at least have lunch with the girls.

His mother, bless her, flew down for a surprise visit two days ago not knowing about Grayson’s additional
challenges.
This was one introduction he wasn’t prepared for just yet. After asking his mother to check on the status of the water park, he turned to do damage control with Thyme. He could tell she was miffed.

Time had completely gotten away from him. Not that he didn’t know exactly how long she and Madeline had been in Aruba. They were in the back of his mind twenty-four-seven. And Thyme was in the front of his mind more often than that. Her lush curves and angelic face had a kind of innocence he wasn’t accustomed to.

Grayson had always dated women like…Veronica. Her tall, lithe body and mane of red hair were stunning, but her personality was not. She was the best interior designer he knew and he respected her work, putting up with her territorial ways.

Sure, they had dated once or twice. Attended charity events and fundraisers. Always as friends. He never asked for anything more, even though he knew she was more than willing to give it all.

Veronica and all the other women he knew treated him like royalty, were agreeable to whatever he suggested, and were always there when Grayson needed a date. Unlike Thyme, who made him feel inferior and constantly questioned his motives. He didn’t think she liked him very much. Or respected him.

Feeling like a fool chasing after her, and a bigger fool when she slammed the car door in his face, he glared at Armand, who didn’t dare say anything, and turned on his heel back to the comfort of his family-friendly hotel.

Oh, the irony. Now he had a family. And he sure as hell wasn’t feeling very friendly.

***

Thyme

After two hours of shopping, Maddie was wiped. Armand drove them back to the suite where both she and Thyme took a brief nap. They floated in the pool before dinner, cooked a frozen pizza, and then sipped Shirley Temples in the hot tub before bed.

The following day they walked down to the beach so Maddie could play with other children in the water and build sand castles. Thyme stretched out on a lounge chair and watched in amazement how quickly Maddie made friends.

Lost in her own thoughts of the adorable blonde’s father, she nearly jumped out of her skin when a shadow loomed over her.