New Beginnings (116 page)

“Here we go,” Mac said, setting two mugs on the table.

She’d already prepared mine exactly the way I liked it, and though it was a little thing, the gesture made me smile. Mac knew me better than anyone, and being with her, no matter where we were, felt like home. “Thanks.”

“I meant to ask you about that motorcycle you left in the garage,” she said, settling down in the chair next to me.

“You want me to get it out of here?” I had an extensive bike collection, so I made sure I had plenty of storage space for them, at my house and at the manufacturing facility we’d built.

“No, not at all,” she said, touching my hand. “There’s plenty of room in the garage. I was, uh, just wondering if it still runs well. You haven’t had it out of the garage in a while.”

I took a sip of my coffee, sighing with pleasure. She’d made it just the way I liked it. Strong. “I’m sure it still runs great.”

“There’s only one way to know for sure,” she said, smiling. “Take it out for a spin.”

“Tonight?” I asked, my heart racing at the prospect. I’d been driving the truck all weekend because of the boys. I thought I’d have to wait until morning to take one of my babies for a spin.

“Sure, why not? I might even tag along if you feel like a little company.”

It occurred to me it had been years since Mac had been on the back of my bike. How the hell had I let that happen? I remembered how much she used to love it. Though she wasn’t interested in learning to ride one herself, she’d always loved the thrill and freedom of riding with me.

“I’d love some company. Why don’t you go and get changed and I’ll fire her up.”

“Great!” Her eyes were dancing with excitement when she jumped up, reminding me the little things always gave her the most pleasure. “I’ll tell the boys we’ll be out for a bit.”

“What about the coffee?” I asked, raising my mug.

“I don’t know about you, but being on the back of that bike will give me the shot of adrenaline I need.”

I smiled as I watched her run into the house. This was going to be fun.

***

One of the things I loved most about living in Tampa was the easy access to the ocean. Though I couldn’t claim to have spent much time at the beach in recent years, it was nice to know it was always a short drive away.

“I remember bringing the kids here when they were small,” Mac said, climbing off the bike and removing her helmet before fluffing her hair. “They could have spent all day, every day here, building sand castles and swimming.”

I stared at her a long time as memories came flooding back. Sunday afternoons when we’d stretch out on a towel while the boys napped in the shade. We’d spread suntan lotion on each other and steal a kiss whenever we could. It physically hurt to think we’d never have moments like that with our kids again. I only wished I’d appreciated them more at the time.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, reaching out to smooth the frown lines between my eyes.

I grabbed her hand, kissing it. “Nothing’s wrong. Just recalling some good times.”

Mac looked beautiful wearing slim-fitting jeans, a black tank top, and a light-weight cropped leather jacket. She’d argued it was too hot for boots, but I told her those were the rules if she wanted to ride with me. I wasn’t taking any chances with her safety. Ever.

She ran a hand over the hand-tooled leather bike seat. “This bike is so beautiful, Ryker. Like a work of art.”

It was cherry red with hand-painted black embellishments and lots of chrome. It came from a Limited Edition collection I’d designed and manufactured for mass production. That collection was now offered by more than a hundred dealers across the country. The next best thing for those who couldn’t afford custom. I still wanted them to feel they were getting the custom experience without the price tag, and I was proud of the way it had turned out.

“Thanks.”

I reached for her hand, leading her toward the path that connected to the sandy beach. We both kicked off our boots and stashed them under a tree along with our helmets. Bikes like mine didn’t have a lot of storage, and since the custom helmets were one of a kind and hand-painted by my best friend who’d passed away, I didn’t want to take any chances with them.

We walked along in silence for a few minutes, appreciating the sound of the crashing waves. I glanced up and whispered, “Shooting star. Quick, make a wish.”

She giggled. “Your star, your wish.”

“I’m giving it to you.” I would give her anything. Everything. If only she knew how much power she had over me.

“In that case…” She squeezed her eyes shut, just like she did every time we presented her with a birthday cake. “Okay.” She tipped her head up, her eyes lingering over my lips. “Hmm, it hasn’t come true yet.”

I smiled as I stopped in her path, wrapping my hands around her face. “What was your wish, beautiful?”

“If I tell you, it won’t come true.”

“I can make any and all of your wishes come true.” I wanted to believe that, but I knew Mac’s wishes had never revolved around money and material possessions. They’d been built around love, family, and altruistic causes. “You just have to tell me what they are.”

“I wished you’d kiss me,” she whispered. “Just like you did the first time.”

Of course she’d remember this was where our first kiss had happened almost twenty years ago. I hadn’t brought her here by accident. I was trying to resurrect our best memories, so she couldn’t help but remember how great it had been before it all fell apart.

I kissed her softly, as though we had all the time in the world to get to know each other all over again. The first time, I’d been a randy teenager who had no idea that good things were worth waiting for and the best things came to patient men who didn’t lose faith.

The kiss went on forever, which still wasn’t long enough. I stroked the recesses of her sweet mouth with my tongue, setting her on fire with my heat and desire.

“Wow,” she said, gripping my biceps. “I’d forgotten how potent your kisses could be. My legs are shaking.”

I wrapped my arms around her waist, picking her up off the ground, so we were eye level. “I’ll never get enough of you, Mac.”

She kissed a path from my jaw to my ear. “I feel the same way. The more time we spend together, the more I want to be with you.”

It wasn’t an invitation to come back home, but it was definitely a step in the right direction.

Mackenzie

I was sitting across from Mr. Baxter, listening to his pitch about why I should join his brokerage instead of one of the others that offered virtually the same incentives.

“It’ll be easy enough for you to get your license, Mackenzie. But once you have it, the question is what you’ll do with it. There’s a reason ninety percent of new agents fail their first year, because they don’t know what the hell they’re doing.”

I wasn’t afraid of working hard, but I had to admit the picture he painted made me question whether I could be among the ten percent who succeeded.

“I set my agents up to succeed with training programs that go above and beyond what you’ll get anywhere else. Most brokers throw their agents to the wolves. They don’t care if they succeed as long as they’re not a liability.”

“But that doesn’t make sense,” I argued. “Since the brokerage takes a cut, wouldn’t it be in the broker’s best interest to ensure the agent succeeds?”

“You would think so, wouldn’t you?” he asked, thrusting a beefy finger at me. “But most don’t want to invest the money I have. I’ve got one of the top trainers in the state working for me. Been in the business twenty-five years. Not only will she set you up with everything you need—business cards, signage and such—but she’ll hold your hand the entire time. She’ll set you up with a marketing plan that’ll help you get noticed. There are thousands of agents, and you have to figure out how you’re going to stand out among the crowd. Let me tell you, it’s not that easy, especially when you’re starting out.”

I knew he was right. I had no experience, no clue what I was doing. But I was a hard worker and a quick study. “I understand what you’re saying, and it makes sense.”

I’d decided to speak to a few brokers before I went ahead with my license to make sure I was making the right career choice. I didn’t want to be impulsive or make a decision I would later regret. If working with my life coach, Barbara, had taught me one thing, it was the importance of weighing the pros and cons before I jumped in with both feet.

“I’d like you to meet Beth,” he said, referring to the trainer he’d mentioned. “I think you two will really hit it off.”

As he was about to stand, I said, “Mr. Baxter, I’d like to ask you a question.”

“Go ahead,” he said, brushing his receding brown hair back with a hand. “Ask away.”

“I’m just wondering why you think I would be a good fit for your brokerage?” As he’d so often pointed out, I was clueless when it came to the business, so I questioned what I had to offer.

He chuckled. “You can’t deny there’s a certain amount of notoriety that comes with the Steele name in this city.”

He was offering me this opportunity because of Ryker and his brothers’ hard work? That’s not what I wanted. “Um, I’m not interested in using my husband’s connections to drum up business.”

His eyes drifted to my wedding rings. I hadn’t been wearing them during our last meeting, but after my promise to Ryker and the way the old man had ogled me last time, I wanted to make it very clear that I was married.

He chuckled. “Sweetheart, you’ll soon figure out this business is all about who you know. You’d be smart to capitalize on your husband’s success. He’s been on TV a bunch of times. He has a successful business right here in town, employs hundreds of people, not to mention that a lot of his clients are the very same ones you should be targeting.”

It was all coming into sharper focus. He didn’t want me. He wanted Ryker’s connections.

“You sit tight,” he said before I could object. “I’ll go and get Beth.”

There was no way I would join his brokerage now, but I hadn’t felt great about any of the other brokerages I’d visited either. I tried not to feel dejected, but my dream of a career and self-sufficiency was slipping away.

Thankfully, I had a call scheduled with Barbara in a few hours. Maybe she could help me get back on track.

After a brief introduction, Mr. Baxter excused himself, claiming he had a conference call.

“I won’t take up too much of your time, Beth,” I said, smiling at the gray-haired lady sitting across from me. She reminded me of my mother, with her silver-framed glasses and warm, albeit crooked smile. I liked her instantly. “To be honest, I’m not sure this is the right path for me.”

She picked up her gold pen and held it between her fingertips at either end. Narrowing her eyes as though she were trying to make sense of me, she said, “This business is definitely not for the faint of heart, Mackenzie. I’ve seen even the most determined people fail. If you’re having any reservations, it may not be the right time for you.”

I didn’t want her to think I was flaky. “I was really just gathering the facts before I made a decision, but Mr. Baxter said some things that made me question whether this will work.”

She laughed lightly. “Ah yes, he’s definitely not a diplomat. I keep telling him that he’s his own worst enemy when it comes to attracting new agents. If he let me take the initial meetings, I think we’d have a higher conversion rate.”

“You’re probably right,” I said, thinking about the way he’d zeroed in on my cleavage the first time we met. Today I was careful to dress with his wandering eyes in mind: a crew neck blouse and blazer.

“May I ask what he said to deter you?”

“He just implied that I could use my husband’s contacts to get ahead, and to be honest, the reason I’m doing this is to establish my own identity, apart from being a wife and mother.”

“It’s not easy to live in a successful man’s shadow, is it?” I suspected she was speaking from experience, and the large diamond decorating her left hand confirmed it.

“No.”

Since Ryker was in the public eye, I was certain the fact that we’d separated had made the rounds online. Though I hadn’t checked, I was pretty sure anyone who Googled his name would learn that he was estranged from his wife.

“Is he supportive of your decision to pursue a career?”

I thought about our talk the other night and his job offer. After my talk with Baxter, becoming Ryker’s office manager wasn’t the worst idea I’d ever heard. But it still wouldn’t give me the independence I was looking for.

“Yes, he is.” I hadn’t spoken to him about real estate, but I believed he wanted me to be happy and would support my decision.

“This may seem strange coming from me,” Beth said, tossing her pen down on the table, “especially since my job is to recruit new agents, but I don’t think you’re cut out for this business, Mackenzie.”

Ouch.
“May I ask why?”

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but I think you may be a little too… nice. The people who succeed in this business are the ones who aren’t afraid to step on a few toes and get their hands dirty.”

“I appreciate your candor,” I said, standing to shake her hand. “I’ll follow up with Mr. Baxter to let him know I’ve changed my mind.”

“Good luck with whatever you decide, Mackenzie. I’m sure the perfect opportunity is out there waiting for you.”

Too bad I wasn’t as certain as she was. As I walked out of the office, I realized I was back to square one, with no direction or purpose.

***

I tried to force some enthusiasm into my voice when Barbara called, but she’d known me long enough to know when I was faking it.

“How have things been?” she asked in that cheerful tone that usually made me smile.

“Um, a lot has happened since the last time we talked.”

“Oh, that sounds juicy. Do tell.”

That was Barbara’s favorite word to describe fun and exciting events and opportunities.
Juicy.

“Well, I went on my first and last date.” Just thinking about that man made me cringe.