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Braxon shrugged. “I have no idea. He said he'd been trying your cell phone all night. He didn't say what he wanted, but it sounded urgent.”
“My cell phone died and I didn't have a charger,” he explained in a curt voice. Why was Simon calling the house phone looking for him? He'd told his assistant in no uncertain terms that he wasn't to disturb his mother or brothers by contacting him at the family home. It wasn't like his assistant to breach protocol like this unless it was an emergency. For some reason it felt jarring. Being back in Savannah had provided him with a well-needed break from business. It was something he rarely experienced.
“Sweet little ride you rode up in,” Joshua said with appreciation as he gave the Cherry red Porsche the once over. Joshua had always held a fascination for cars, particularly sleek little rides with fast engines.
“My bike gave out on me just over the state line. I had to call in for a car service to bring me back to town. The Porsche is a rental.”
“Let’s drive it into town. Give me the keys,” Joshua said. Hunter threw his brother the keys and they all walked toward the rental car.
“What did you leave Savannah for?” Braxon's brows were furrowed in confusion.
Hunter scowled at his brother. “What part of I don't answer to you didn't you understand?”
“I hope Jack didn't sit up last night waiting on Olivia,” Joshua said with a sly grin that made his rugged features even more eye catching.
Braxon smirked. “He might take you out to the woodshed for keeping his daughter out all night.”
“Mind your business, both of you,” Hunter spit out. “What makes you think I was with Olivia anyway?”
His younger brother looked at him with knowing eyes. “Cause some things never change, big bro,” Braxon said. “Who can forget the way you two snuck around back in the day?” He let out a loud snort. “As if you were fooling anyone.”
“Besides” Joshua added with a smirk, “Sadie was flapping her gums about the chemistry between you two the other night at the Renault's house.”
“Sadie needs to find herself a man and stay out of my business,” he said in a curt voice as he settled in on the passenger side. “And I was with Olivia last night, but it wasn’t anything scandalous. If any gossip about her gets around Savannah I’m going to trace it right back to the three of you.” He glared at them. “I promise you, it won’t be pretty. No one is going to tear apart Olivia’s reputation without consequences. Not even my family.”
Braxon held up his hands. “Whoa. We were just talking amongst ourselves. I can’t believe you would ever think we would spread rumors about Olivia. She’s been our friend since we were kids. We were ju
st joking around with you.”
Hunter felt as if steam might be coming out of his ears. “I don’t like jokes like that. I know from past experience how people in Savannah treat gossip like a sporting event. I won’t let Olivia be the hot gossip of the week. I’ll take my licks if they want to talk about me, but Olivia is off limits.”
Joshua and Braxon quieted down for a few moments. The silence stretched out in the car.
“You’ve got it bad!” Joshua said after a few moments. “From what I’m hearing, it sounds like you’ve fallen for Olivia Renault all over again.” Joshua started the engine and drove away from the house with a great deal of finesse.
What on Earth had he gotten himself into? Although his night with Olivia had been amazing, he wasn't in a position to settle down or offer her anything other than a casual relationship. Olivia deserved way more than that. Now that his family was buzzing about his relationship with her, it put things into sharp focus. He wasn't the settling down type, nor could he offer her anything other than a no strings flirtation. He hated the thought of everyone gossiping about their night together out of town and speculating about what it all meant. Gossips didn’t care about the truth. It meant nothing to them.
The truth of the matter was he'd come back to Savannah for one pressing reason in addition to the wedding– to become CEO of Renault Enterprises, to give flight to the fantasy he'd had when he was the poorest boy in town. To show himself that you really could have it all – power, respectability, control. Redemption.
Falling in love wasn't an option!
He cared about Olivia, but Savannah wasn't in his future. It wasn't his end game. He would go on loving his family, but from a distance. They'd still be able to meet him at various hot spots around the world as they'd been doing for the past few years. Of course, things would be a bit difficult at first. Once he laid claim to Renault Enterprises and became the majority stockholder, there was sure to be fallout. Mama would be disappointed in him. His brothers might yell and make a fuss. Sadie might slap him upside the head. And Olivia...she'd be shattered. He couldn't escape the truth of the matter. She wore her heart on her sleeve for all to see, and he'd be a liar if he didn't admit what he'd seen in her eyes after the time they’d spent together. It had been staring straight back at him - unwavering, unflinching, undeniable.
She loved him. There was no doubt in his mind about it.
Still. After all these years. She'd sworn years ago that she loved him, but at the time he'd been running away from all those feelings. More than anything, he'd wanted to love and be loved. And he'd loved her back, hadn't he? Isn't that why he'd carved their initials on the bridge? And wasn't that the reason he'd left town so abruptly with nothing more than his run-down motorcycle and a few of his belongings?
Escape. Yes, he'd wanted to make his mark in the world and begin the process of becoming a success in the world of finance, but he'd also been running away from his feelings. Loving Olivia had been way too dangerous.
Before Hunter knew it, they had arrived at the tuxedo shop to pick up their tuxes and make any last minute adjustments. While Joshua was parking the “sweet little ride” rental Porsche, Hunter took the opportunity to check the status of his cell phone. He’d been charging it on the ride over. Since it was partially charged he was able to see eight missed calls on the screen, all from Simon's cell phone. After punching in his password so he could listen to his voice messages, he heard the sound of Simon's voice filled with tension and urgency.
“Hunter, we've got to move on this acquisition. We're running out of time.”
“Where are you, boss man? Call me.”
“Is this some sort of test?” Simon's voice had been filled with doubt, which may have been a first for his confident, efficient assistant.
Simon's final message, delivered this morning at eight a.m. was short and to the point. “I'm about to pull the trigger.”
