Page 30 of Billionaire's Coastal Haven

“Just get me my own copy, okay?” She slams the mask and goggles into my chest and marches outside. “I have Mom’s research in the back of my car. Do you want it, or should I give it to Collin?”

Thunder crackles overhead, and the first gigantic raindrops hit my head. “I want it.”

Carrying the boxes to the house, I hunch over them to protect them from the weather as the rain intensifies. Zoe’s reasoning for the extra set of blueprints isn’t good enough. Once we’ve moved the boxes, I corner her next to her car. “Why do you need your own copies?”

She tosses her purse onto the passenger seat. “I told you why—to keep you honest.”

“I don’t believe you. Why do you look scared?”

“What would I have to be scared about?” But her voice trembles.

“You tell me.”

“I’m fine.”

“I don’t believe you. What is going on? Is the town council giving you a hard time? Do I need to talk to them about the house? Explain everything?”

She cackles. “Goodness, no. That’s the last thing I need. A savior? Give me a little credit.”

“Then tell me what’s going on.”

“You don’t live in my world. I can’t explain it. You don’t understand the pressure I’m under.”

“Face-off with a tech bro during a hostile takeover, then we’ll compare notes.”

“At least you have privacy. Living in a small town means every minute of every day, I’m under a microscope. Watched, judged, gossiped about. If I don’t do my job perfectly—”

“They’ll give you the benefit of the doubt. They elected you mayor.”

“Ha.” Her shoulders shake with sarcastic laughter. “No. No, they did not.”

My mouth drops open. “You weren’t elected? How are you mayor? Or…” Has she been gaslighting me this entire time?

“I lied to you. My dad was elected.” She blinks rapidly and shifts her gaze to the overlook. Raindrops cling to her eyelashes. “He’s been sick, so I’m helping out. Filling in when he can’t meet with people face-to-face. You wouldn’t have given me the time of day if I’d told you I was the mayor’s assistant. You would have walked over me like you did that day when we were kids. Dad needed me to do his job better than he could have. So I lied. Go ahead, judge me, hate me. I can take it.” She lifts her chin defiantly.

I step back. Rain splats against my shoulders, soaking my suit. Droplets stick to Zoe’s lips. That urge to caress her cheek intensifies.

I should be pissed off. She lied. She impersonated a government official.

Manipulated me into turning my haven into a hotel.

But she’s shivering.

I need to get her somewhere warm and dry. Every minute we stand in the rain, she sinks deeper and deeper into herself.

She’s here to protect her dad. To make him proud.

I understand that need better than she can imagine.

My parents created our corporation one invention, one acquisition, one expansion at a time. After Mom’s first big break, they were unstoppable.

Dad is the marketing wizard.

Mom is the inventor, with an innate sense about which branch of the economy would be our most lucrative next step.

Filling their footprints hasn’t been easy since it’s just me doing the job they tag-teamed. Oliver helps, but he’s following his passions on deep water rigs and impossible dives year-round. He gets that from Mom, so I’m alone to fight and build and carry on our family reputation.

Zoe’s fighting alone too.