Baby For My Billionaire Rival (Billionaire Daddies)

8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Jake

I pause as I emerge from the kitchen to watch Caroline leaned over, clicking through slides on the presentation. The blue light of the computer shines onto her bare face.

I never thought I’d see Caroline Gladstone in sweatpants. In fact, I didn’t even think she owned a pair. But, then again, there have been a lot of surprises over the past two and a half months. Namely, how well we’ve worked together on cultivating a business plan for our ready-to-eat meal kits we’ve developed in a joint effort from Simmons Sauces and Gladstone Manufacturing. It’s a microwavable meal for the modern worker, containing a Simmons Sauces-inspired entrée, fresh veggies, and cutlery from Gladstone Manufacturing.

It’s all hypothetical, of course. We’ve had to structure the business as if it doesn’t already exist, talk about the different vendors we would use to make them possible, research potential investment opportunities, and draft a five-year plan and a matching budget.

And we’ve done it all together.

Now, that’s not to say we haven’t butt heads from time to time. Caroline is right. We’re both stubborn.

But we’re also passionate. And you can’t discount that.

However, there has been an unwelcome side effect to spending all this time with Caroline.

It’s made me like her more. In fact, it’s made me want to be her friend.

More than that, even.

Caroline’s head suddenly snaps up, staring right at me. I freeze. Relief spreads across her face. “Is one of those glasses of wine for me?”

“Uh… yeah.” I snap out of my reverie and hand her the glass of wine. “Thanks again for hosting tonight,” I say, looking around her perfectly manicured apartment. I’m afraid I’ll spill something on the immaculately white couch. Although knowing Caroline, she’d probably just chuck the whole thing and get a new one.

“And thank you for bringing the wine,” she says, going back to the presentation. “You’re a lifesaver.”

I sit down on the couch next to her and watch the slides scroll by. I like being Caroline’s lifesaver a little too much. Sends up all those feelings of wanting to take care of someone and… feel for them. “How many times have you read through this, Gladstone?”

“It’s my patented method of quadruple checking…”

I touch the top of her laptop and start to shut it. “I think you’ve had enough.”

“No, no, no! Wait, I think I used the wrong spelling of –” She braces her hand against the screen.

“You need to take a break and enjoy the wine.”

Caroline looks up at me, her lower lip poking out. Two and a half months ago, I would have been annoyed at her pouting. Now, it’s so desperately cute it makes my heart sing. “Please, Jake, I just want it to be perfect.”

“Nothing’s ever perfect, Caroline.”

“Don’t tell me that!” she huffs.

“Ten minutes. That’s all I’m asking, we take a break for ten minutes and drink the wine…” I gesture out the window. “Enjoy the Christmas lights…”

Hard to believe the holidays are only a week and change away. And I feel leagues different than the man I was a year ago around this time.

Caroline sighs, removing her hands from the computer. “Fine. Be that way.”

I chuckle and shut the computer. “You won’t regret it.”

“Mm. Debatable.” She takes a long swig of the wine. I watch her shoulders unfurl. They could unfurl more if she let me knead those muscles for her.

Jake… don’t be a creep in this woman’s own home .

“Mm, that’s good.” Caroline looks at the wine, sniffs it, then takes another sip. “Really good.”

“Would you believe me if I said that it’s tomato wine?”

Her eyes bug out. “Shut up!”

“Serious!”

“You didn’t tell me you make tomato wine!”

“Small batch. A little experiment I’m trying. I wanted you to be one of the first to try it.”

Caroline grabs my shoulder, her touch singeing right through my sleeve. Then, she pushes me away playfully. “You’re obsessed with tomatoes.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” I tease.

“No, it’s…” she pauses. “It’s cute.”

The coil of my core tightens. Did she… did she just call me cute? Move along, Jake, don’t linger . “D’you –” My voice cracks. Ugh. Let me try that again. “Do you have any big holiday plans?”

Caroline leans into the corner of her couch, curling her legs up underneath her. “Well, this is the first Christmas with my brother’s new girlfriend.”

“Ah… is that a good thing or a bad thing?”

“Both, I guess. See, she’s my best friend and –” “

I wince. “Ouch.”

“It’s not all bad. I mean, I love them both, I know they’ll be good to each other.” Caroline sighs. “It’s just this whole complicated story of them getting together. Basically, my whole summer was the Jude and Chase show.”

“You don’t have to get into it if you don’t –“

“They pretended to be engaged.”

My eyes widen. “Yeesh, that is complicated.”

Caroline nods, eyelashes fluttering in annoyance. “My Gram, she has these rules for my brother and me in order to earn our inheritances. And Chase’s was that he needed to be married before his fortieth birthday. Jude volunteered and before you know it, we’re all sitting at a wedding that is revealed to be fake when Chase leaves her at the altar and – they’re fine now. They’re together. It’s just… anyway… not really interesting if you don’t know them.”

I guffaw. “I’d beg to differ. That sounds like the plot of a Hallmark movie.”

Caroline giggles.

“Must have been… awkward though. Afterward.”

She nods. “Yeah, it was. I mean, it still is. We’re all fine. I see them all the time when I’m home in Savannah, but… the two people I trusted most in the world decided to keep something huge from me. I still can’t believe it.”

I don’t know the feeling of not having someone to trust. But I do know the feeling of not knowing where to turn when you need an ear. “You can trust me, Caroline.”

Her gorgeous brown eyes lift to mine. And she smiles. A glorious little smile I’ve started saving in the back of my mind for moments when the world becomes too difficult to manage. When the pain of missing my dad hits too hard, I can remember that little smile. Warmth spreads across my chest. “Do… you have to get married before your fortieth birthday?” Is it crazy that I’d be willing to volunteer?

“No, thank God. I just have to get my MBA and take over the company,” she replies then gulps down half her glass of wine.

“You say that like it’s no big whoop,” I observe.

“Well, it is, isn’t it? It’s what I was born to do. What we were born to do, right?” Caroline says with a gesture between the two of us.

We’re more similar than we are different. That’s a known fact at this point. Both of us born into families that care deeply about legacy, and want to continue expanding their empires. Part of us married to obligation, while the other part of it is a real, genuine passion for our trades. “Tell that to the half glass of wine you just drank in one gulp,” I say, shifting on the couch to face Caroline.

She laughs. “You don’t miss a thing.”

“No, sadly, I don’t.”

We are both quiet. Outside, I hear the wheels of a car on wet pavement after the latest rainstorm.

“What about you?” Caroline breaks the silence. “Christmas plans?”

I sigh. “You know, I’m actually looking forward to Christmas a little this year.”

“Just a little?”

I nod. “Just a little.”

She moves her mouth to speak but decides against it. We’re not that close where she can just bring up my dad out of nowhere. But I wish we were. “Last year was hell. Without my dad. Didn’t feel very celebratory at all.”

“I can only imagine.”

“But this year, I think I have a few things to look forward to. I’ll actually have room in my stomach to enjoy Mama’s food. Last year I wasn’t eating because of the grief and –” I stop short. Why am I spilling my guts to her like this? How does she do that to me?

Caroline shifts just a bit closer to me so our knees nearly touch. I stare at that little inch of space, willing her to come closer. “I’m sorry. It must be really hard.”

My jaw clenches. So many things I want to say, but I’m not sure where to start. Not sure if I should even say them. “My dad was my best friend.”

And then Caroline reaches her hand out, resting it on her knee, palm upturned. It’s an invitation. To take her hand and…

Fuck it. I place my palm in hers. Her fingers curl around the back of my hand. Something unlocks inside me. In the center of my chest. I’ve been strangled for so long, trying to get by without the grief overtaking every piece of my life.

I’m tired of pretending I don’t want more of her.

“You can trust me too, Jake.”

I close my eyes and furrow my brow. This doesn’t make sense. We hated each other and now we like each other. Surely, we can just be friends and call it a day. But no, my heart has to want more. It has to want every little bit of her from her silky blonde hair to those stupidly high-heeled shoes she wears. What’s happening to me? “Thanks,” I murmur.

I feel her tug me closer. I give in. Her arms slide up my arms and around my neck. Not going in for a kiss, but a hug. A deep one.

I bury my face into her shoulder and let out a long sigh.

We stay like this long enough that I feel a question forming in the air. Feels like it’s asking, “More?”

Caroline tilts her head ever so slightly toward mine, her nose in my hair. Lips close to my ear. Just an inch further, please…

I slide my hands further up her back, pressing her front to mine. Locking her right where I want her.

“Jake…” she whispers.

“Yeah?”

Caroline pulls back, and places the pads of her fingers on my cheek, too nervous for a whole hand.

Yes, yes, yes…

“We shouldn’t,” she says, tearing her eyes from mine.

No, no, no…

“I like you,” Caroline explains. “A lot.”

“I like you too.”

“But like a lot ,” she reiterates. “You know?”

“Yeah, I get it.” I’m familiar with the school playground lingo for a crush. That feeling of like-like. That feeling of like-a-lot.

Caroline swallows, dropping both her hands into her lap. I’m not willing to let go of her, not yet. “But we have the program and, you know, we’ve just been spending a lot of time together. I’m sure with space it will get easier not to feel…”

Say it. Feel what?

“Confused,” she says firmly.

Not the word I was looking for. But I’ll take it. I pry my hands off her and retreat back to my corner of the couch like nothing ever happened. “I totally agree,” I lie.

Caroline, though, smiles. I don’t want her to smile because we can’t have each other. That breaks my heart. I didn’t know I was capable of having my heart broken after the way Dad’s death shattered it. “Good, I’m glad. That makes this easier.”

“Totally.” I bounce my knee nervously. This conversation has to be over or I might scream. I reach for the laptop. “How about I do a couple checks of the presentation while you relax or something, huh?”

She pulls on her sleeves anxiously. “Sure. I can order us some dinner.”

Last thing I need right now is to share dinner with Caroline Gladstone when she’s just broken my heart. “Yeah, sounds great. Get whatever, I’ll eat anything.”

Caroline retreats to the kitchen to make her call while I stare at the slide she left off on. It reads: Why Gladstone and Simmons Make the Perfect Team.

Yeah, fuck you too, universe.