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For some reason, Morgan didn’t seem to be interested in leisurely sex. Under the circumstances, a quick afternoon tryst made sense, but that was all she offered. Lunch was the only time she would agree to during the week, going back to her parents’ mansion at night and always having things to do during the weekends, like gatherings with the Nolans or with Jade to catch up on the investigation. He didn’t begrudge her spending time with her family, but even when she did agree to come at lunch, she wanted him quickly and in dim lighting. Sometimes all the clothes came off, sometimes they didn’t. But as soon as it was over, she was clothed and heading back to the office again.
He wasn’t sure if she’d gotten more self-conscious about her body over the years, but he was tired of all that. From what he’d seen, there wasn’t a thing to be embarrassed over.
If there was one thing his beach house offered, it was privacy. Even though his bedroom had a wall of windows overlooking the marshlands, there wasn’t a neighbor in sight. They could make love on the beach, on the deck, in the pool, anywhere they liked without interruption. That was what he needed. This weekend he wanted to take his time, to worship her body and to become fully reacquainted with every inch of it. The weeks had gone by faster than he’d expected and he had a limited window of opportunity left with Morgan. The key ceremony was right around the corner. He intended to make the most of the time he had.
“The apartment is nice enough and close to work, but it’s not exactly my idea of a real retreat. I only stay there when I’m working. With the traffic, going all the way to the beach and back can be a pain during the week. When I go out there, I want to stay for a while.”
“I have to admit, a weekend at a beach house sounds lovely. I can’t tell you the last time I did something like that. Probably last summer before Hurricane Florence hit. Did you have any damage from that?” she asked.
The storm had been a big scare for the Charleston area, bringing up fears of a repeat of the catastrophic Hurricane Hugo, but then Florence turned away and hit North Carolina instead. As a builder, he’d worried about the projects he had going on in the area, but when they were spared the worst of it, he sent some of his guys north to help with the cleanup efforts.
“Nothing too serious, thankfully. I knew what the risks were building on the coast here, so I designed the house specifically to withstand high winds and water surges. You can’t live on the coast of the Carolinas without worrying about storms each season. Florence was its first real test and I’d say it passed with flying colors. I had to get some new patio furniture. That ended up who-knows-where. And I had to get the pool drained and cleaned. It was filled with mud and salt water and dead fish. That was a pretty big mess. But everything is back to normal now.”
“It must’ve been fun to design and build a house just the way you wanted it.”
Spying the sign for his turn, River got off the highway and headed toward Kiawah Island. “It was. That’s what I’ve come to enjoy about construction. For the most part, I get to be in charge and things happen just the way I want them to.”
Looking over
at the beautiful woman in the car beside him, River wished he had that kind of oversight into every aspect of his life. The clock was ticking down on his time with Morgan. He didn’t want to walk away from her this time with a single regret. He wasn’t certain he would get his way, though.
Eight
River slid the large glass door aside and stepped out onto the patio with a glass of wine in each hand. Morgan was sitting on one of the outdoor couches, watching the sunset through the twisted oak and palmetto trees. The rear of his property was made up of several acres of undeveloped marshland that led to the sea, and sitting there, you could almost convince yourself you were the only person in the world.
“I can’t believe this is your backyard,” she said as she took the glass of chardonnay he offered.
“Yeah. When I saw this land, I knew it was where I wanted to build. It’s not like I could find an existing house like this, anyway. It isn’t exactly the historic Charleston design everyone wants down here. Or the typical beach house everyone rushes to rent over the summer. I like to think of it more as an overgrown tree house. What you’d expect a kid who grew up poor to blow his money on when he finally got some,” he said with a smile. That was exactly what he had done. “What about you? What’s your place in DC like?”
“Well, since I moved up there to go to college, I’ve been renting this little row house in Georgetown. It’s two stories and narrow, not even a thousand square feet. It’s more than enough for me, but it has no yard to speak of. I have a planter on the stairs to the front door and the plants in it are long dead, so I suppose it’s just as well. I’m gone too much to really take care of a yard.
“If I decided to stay there, though, I’d probably buy a place that’s a little bigger with private parking and perhaps a courtyard where I could put some chairs. I like the area. It’s got that exciting college town vibe, plus it’s close to the National Mall and all the events and museums there. One day, I hope to have free time to actually enjoy any of those things.”
“You live in the middle of all that fun stuff, but you never play tourist?”
“No. I work too much. I’d like to go to the Smithsonian, though. They have a gemstone exhibit there with the Hope Diamond. There’s also a necklace with a flawless pink diamond that I’ve seen pictures of. I fell in love with it and really want to see it in person someday. But even those priceless gemstones can’t touch a view like this. This is like a painting in one of those museums I never visit.”
River looked out to appreciate one of the perks of his home. The sky was starting to burn with orange and purples as the sun set. In the distance beyond the marsh, Folly Island was turning into a dark shadow. The temperature started to fall as the sun disappeared, giving the slightest chill to the ocean breezes that blew through the corridor where they were sitting. It was enough for Morgan to snuggle a little closer to him as they sat side by side and watched the sun set together.
“It really is amazing how much you’ve done with your life, River. I mean, did you ever dream that you’d have a home like this back when we first met?”
“Not at all. Most days I want to pinch myself. This place, my company, everything I’ve accomplished... I knew I had it in me, but I had no idea how to start. How do you build a company out of nothing? Especially since I had no education or savings. Construction was all I knew, but it’s a big leap from the guy with a hammer to the CEO. Banks don’t want to loan a kid like me the money it would take to get started. If it weren’t for the money your father offered me that night, I don’t know where I would be today. Certainly not the owner of my own com—”
“What?” She sat up abruptly, interrupting him.
River noted the slightly stunned expression on Morgan’s face that was highlighted by the dwindling evening light. “I know it upset you that I took the money, but what else was I going to do? Turning it down seemed stupid. Having that cash gave me something to focus on instead of losing you.”
“No,” she shook her head. “I don’t mean why did you take it. You would’ve been a fool not to take it. But you’re saying that my father offered you the money? You didn’t ask for it?”
He flinched at her words, the sound of them offensive to his ears. After his confrontation with Trevor, he had been fairly certain Morgan didn’t know the truth about how the money had changed hands. It certainly explained her animosity toward him early on, but now she needed to know the truth. “Of course, I didn’t ask for it.”
He watched tears start to shimmer in Morgan’s eyes and realized the version of the story she knew was far different. “After he put you in the car, he pulled a check out of his breast coat pocket and handed it to me. He said it was a little something to soothe my pride. What did your father tell you about it?” he asked. He wanted to know what kind of wicked picture Trevor had painted of him.
Instead of answering, she brought her hand up to cover her mouth. A tear broke free and ran down her cheek. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close. “Morgan, tell me,” he insisted.
It took a few moments for her to compose herself, but after she’d wiped her eyes with a tissue, she stared down at her hands as she spoke. She seemed almost guilty, as though any of this was her doing. “My father told me that you asked for money to keep quiet about the marriage and cooperate with the annulment process. He basically called you a blackmailer who dropped me like a rock when money came into the picture. It broke my heart to think that you were so quick to demand a check and walk away.”
River groaned and pulled her even tighter against him on the couch. That was what he’d been afraid of. “I let you go because that seemed to be what you wanted. When your father handed me the check, I was stunned. He told me not to be stupid and just take the money, but if he ever saw us together again, I’d have to repay every penny. He said I should use it to do something with my life, so that’s what I did. I started my own company and built it into what I have today. To be honest, I never could’ve done it without that money to get me started, but a part of me wishes I hadn’t taken it. Even if it meant I’d never have this house or the chance to see you again by collaborating on this project. The money didn’t do anything to soothe my aching heart once you were gone.”
