Up to Me (Shore Secrets) (33 page)

“I’ve never been more serious. I’ll give you the bullet
points.” Gray came close enough to point at his resume. “I had a dual major in
college, business and hotel and restaurant management. Started my career working
in hotels.”

Oh. It explained so much about him. Another connection to link
them together. “So you really did know what you were talking about every time
you put in your two cents.”

He nodded. “That experience made me invaluable to R&M. It’s
why they poached me in the first place. Because of the situation with my mom, I
followed the money and didn’t look back for a long time. But I’d rather stay
here and help grow something than continue to be an instrument of corporate
destruction.”

“That sounds like evil on a mythological level.”

Gray gave a short, sardonic laugh. “They aren’t entirely evil.
Not all of them. Just greedy. A company that doesn’t care about yanking jobs
away from people as long as it improves their bottom line. I don’t have the
stomach for that anymore.” He rubbed his hand across the back of his neck.
“Being a corporate hit man either burns you out, or gets you a seat at the
table. They offered me that gilded seat. And I turned it down. Today. Right
after I laid out why Mayhew Manor is not a viable acquisition target.”

The pages fluttered from Ella’s suddenly limp fingers to land
in the grass. Through sheer happenstance, birdsong trilled nearby. She wouldn’t
have been at all surprised if a rainbow suddenly arced across the lake. “You
convinced them not to come after the Manor? Are you sure?”

“Yes. It’s off their list. Permanently. I didn’t want to risk
my asshat boss messing with my report to make his own numbers look good at the
upcoming board meeting. So I called each board member individually.”

Just an hour ago, Ella had wondered how long it would be before
anything pierced her layers of sadness. And now elation filled her to the brim.
Thanks entirely to Gray. “After you went to all the trouble to bring the
marathon here, I knew. I hoped. No, I knew you’d do your best to save the
Manor.” Her hero. Her knight in shining armor. “But I never thought you’d go
that far. My God, Gray, you really went out on a limb to save us.”

Hands back in his pockets, Gray gave a sort of aw-shucks shrug.
“It was the right thing to do. Hell, it was the only thing to do. And I’ll keep
doing whatever it takes to get the Manor back on track. Which’ll be a lot easier
if you hire me, since I quit my job.”

Ella’s head spun. The surprises just kept coming. The biggest
one of all, of course, being that he was still here. Processing what he’d done
to save the Manor was huge enough. Utter gratitude covered that. The news he’d
quit his hated job? Well, that gave her a boatload of relief because yeah, she
loved him and wanted him to be happy. Wrapping her head around him working at
the Manor, by her side every day was too much, too fast, to take in. She sat
down, hard, on the bench. “Why would you do that?”

“To show you how serious I am about wanting to be manager at
the Manor.”

“But what about your mother? Whatever Ruffano & McIntosh
paid you, I’m sure it was more than the salary we can offer.”

“The thing that sucked away so much of my paycheck every month
was paying for two houses. So she’ll come live with me. Mom’s excited to spend
time with me again, instead of just keeping track of me through phone calls. And
she can’t wait to meet you.”

Her hands flew to her chest. “Me?”

Gray walked a quick circle around the mailbox. “Sorry. I’m all
out of order. I’d planned on getting another hour to prep before Ward dropped
you off. Of course Mom wants to meet you. You’re the woman I love.”

The first time he said it, Ella had been too angry to
appreciate the words. This time, she was too confused. “But Gray, you—”

He cut her off with a finger pressed against her lips. “Let me
say it. I know you were too mad to listen the other day, and I understand. But
let me get this all out, just once. Then, if you want, I’ll leave. It’ll be all
up to you.”

Ella nodded. After all, she had come around to realizing that
she couldn’t be upset with him any more for not revealing his real reason for
being in town. He’d just been doing his job. More importantly, he’d bent over
backwards to make sure that her family legacy was safe. He’d earned her rapt
attention.

“I should’ve told you from day one why I was here. Who I worked
for. As soon as we started talking, I should’ve come clean. That was a million
kinds of wrong.” His head drooped forward. The breeze ruffled his dark hair low
on his forehead. From beneath lashes thick enough to make any woman jealous, his
lake-blue eyes fixed on hers. “I can’t go back and fix it. All I can do is
apologize. Say I’m sorry for hurting you. That my priorities were all mixed up.
I should’ve figured out a lot sooner that people come before profit.”

Ella remained silent. He was saying all the right things.
Groveling, even, but to what end? Technically, she should let his apology sink
in. Make him twist in the wind at least a little for what he’d put her through.
But all she wanted to do was shake him and demand he get to the point.

Gray sat on the bench next to her. “Ward said something to me
last night. That my heart was always in the right place.”

“Ward said that? Laconic, as-un-warm-and-fuzzy-as-they-come
Ward?”

“Yeah. But when he does start talking, it’s worth heeding. I’m
going to keep apologizing to you for as long as it takes. I don’t want to make
any excuses. But the thing is, my heart
has
been in
the right place all along. All I did was try to make you happy.” He angled
sideways to face her head-on. Propped an elbow along the back of the bench. “At
first you made it sound like you didn’t want the dead weight of the Manor
dragging you down. But once you decided to fight for it, I was right there.
Brainstorming ideas on how to help you. Acting as a sounding board. Pulling
bellhop duty that one afternoon when Rafael called in sick.”

“You did a great job. Raked in the tips, so I hear.” And that
little boy had raved about how fun it had been to play with Mr. Locke all
afternoon. Eugene said Gray had a good head on his shoulders for hotels. Which
had struck her as odd at the time, but now made perfect sense.

“I did those things partly because I enjoy the ever-changing
dynamics of working in a hotel. But more so, I did it for you. Because I love
you.” Gray enveloped her hands with his. “Because I think about you every minute
I’m awake. I feel your touch on my skin when you’re two floors away. I’ve been
alone, truly alone, for so long, Ella. When my hometown shunned me, I put up a
shell so they wouldn’t see how badly that hurt. Then I forgot to ever take it
down. It protected me, but it muffled me, too. Your laughter, your heart, your
warmth, your resilient joy in life rubbed it all away.”

Oh, yeah. He was still saying all the right things. In fact,
Gray was saying things so right Ella hadn’t even hoped to hear them. He was
making her heart do somersaults. No, round-off cartwheels in her chest. Those
tears she’d battled back for two days pressed at the corners of her eyes
finally, but for a very different reason.

“I want the chance to make it up to you for hurting you,” he
continued. “For almost stealing away your family legacy. All that time we spent
together, none of it was for work. None of it was for the report to R&M. It
was all for me, because I couldn’t get enough of you. I don’t think I could ever
get enough of you. I don’t expect you to forgive me right now, or tomorrow, or
even next month. But if you’ll let me, I want to prove how much I love you.
Prove to you that I can be worthy of your love. If you don’t hire me, I’ll find
something else to do in town. But I’m staying put to fight for you.”

Out of everything he said, that was the part she had the most
trouble with. And if they were going to do this, Ella had to be sure he’d stick.
“Suddenly you’re cut out for small-town life?”

Gray gave a full body shudder. “Most of them? Hell, no. But
this one? This town of yours is different. I meant what I said when I made the
announcement about the marathon. These people aren’t just a town. They’re a
family. That’s what I’ve always wanted. Finding it here, with you? That’s just a
bonus.”

It was almost too good to be true. “What about our stupid,
quirky journal?”

“I can live with it. I’ve even got proof.” He stood, crossed to
the mailbox, and pulled out the journal. Set it on her lap then stood with his
arms behind his back, like a prisoner facing the jury for his sentence. “Go on.
Read it.”

“The whole thing?”

“Smart aleck. No, the latest entry.”

The broken spine easily fell open to the page with a single,
scrawled entry. She recognized Gray’s handwriting.

I
love Ella Mayhew.
I
don’t deserve her
,
but I love
her
,
and I’ll do everything in my power to put a
smile on her face every single day.
So I’m officially asking permission of the entire
town.
Will you let me marry her?

It was proof positive that he really did understand both her
and this crazy, over-involved town. That he could belong here. It was the best
gesture he could’ve made. Ella traced her fingers across the lines. “Are you
finished?”

Gray looked down at the journal, then back at her. Her response
clearly wasn’t the one he wanted. “I’m prepared to go down on my knees and beg
for another chance. I love you enough to throw my whole life away just for the
infinitesimal chance you’ll let me start a new one with you. But yeah, that’s
the gist of it.”

“Good. That makes it my turn.” She stood. Took a deep breath of
the damp air. “I haven’t shed a single tear since you walked off my balcony. You
know why? Because as you left, you told me you loved me. And as pissed off as I
was, I believed you. Your love was a gift far too precious to regret. I hated
the thought of you leaving. Of you walking away from the chance of a future
together.”

One black eyebrow slashed up. “You
told
me to leave.”

Oh, this man would certainly keep her on her toes. When he
didn’t have her flat on her back in bed. And Ella loved the prospect of both
circumstances, along with hundreds of others they would share over the coming
years.

“Well, it made sense. At the time. Especially because you
didn’t have all the facts. One in particular. That I love you right back. I love
you so much.”

Gray surged forward, lips on hers before Ella could finish
smiling. He kissed all the pain, the doubt, the fear away. He kissed her full of
love and hope and promise.

“There’s just one thing. I told you, the town doesn’t get to
weigh in on my decisions any longer.” She nipped the pen out of his pocket and
scratched out the question.

“But your parents are gone. Who should I ask for permission to
marry you?”

Ella drew a heart. Scrawled the word
yes
inside it. “Me.”

* * * * *

Don’t miss SHORE SECRETS book 2, ALL FOR YOU, coming in February
2015. For more information on all of Christi’s new releases, please visit
www.christibarth.com/home/books/

Looking for contemporary romance from Christi Barth? Say “I do” to the Aisle Bound series!

Planning for Love

Book one of Aisle Bound

Wedding planner Ivy Rhodes is the best in the business, and she’s not about to let a personal problem stop her from getting ahead. So when she’s asked to star in the reality TV show
Planning for Love
, it doesn’t matter that the show’s videographer happens to be a recent—and heartbreaking—one-night stand.

Bennett Westcott admits he didn’t handle his encounter with Ivy very well. But looking at her beautiful smile—and great body—through a camera lens every day? He can’t be faulted for suggesting they have some no-strings fun.

The more time they spend together, the more Ben realizes Ivy isn’t the wedding-crazed bridezilla he’d imagined. But if he doesn’t trust himself to make a relationship last, how can he convince Ivy to give him another chance?

A Fine Romance

Book two of Aisle Bound

They say you form your first impression of someone within thirty seconds of meeting them. Or, in Mira Parrish’s case, within thirty
minutes
of
not
meeting them, when said person is supposed to pick you up from the airport and never shows. This is not a perfect start to her new life. Her friend Ivy is depending on her to run a new romance store, and Mira can’t afford to let her down.

Sam Lyons should probably apologize. But every time he sees Mira—which is often, since his family owns the bakery next to her shop—he can’t resist antagonizing her. There’s something about the sexy, straitlaced woman that drives him crazy. He can’t get involved, though. He has too much baggage to be any good in a serious relationship.

Friends to Lovers

Book three of Aisle Bound

As florist and co-owner of a successful Chicago wedding planning business, Daphne Lovell has been there for the happiest days of other people’s lives. As for her own life? Well, it’s hard to be perfectly happy when you’re carrying a torch for your sexy, womanizing and oblivious best friend. So when the lights go out on New Year’s Eve, she seizes the opportunity to kiss him senseless.

British expat Gibson Moore has a lot on his plate. The hotel he manages is being bought out, his family is crazy and someone just kissed him in the dark. When the lights go on, he searches the room, trying to find the mystery pair of lips. Only, he never thinks to ask the woman standing by his side. He’s shocked when he discovers that Daphne is the woman he’s been searching for. But Gib’s also eager to act upon the attraction for her he’s always fought to ignore.

A Matchless Romance

Book four of Aisle Bound

Tabitha Bell is the face of Chicago’s premiere matchmaking service. At least, she hopes it will be someday, once business really takes off. What she needs is more clients, so when she meets a sexy gamer in need of help, it’s the perfect opportunity.

His discomfort talking to women almost cost Drew Watson his job. He’d be happy holed up in his office, designing blockbuster video games, but his boss considers talking to investors a nonnegotiable requirement. Who better than a matchmaker to teach him how to be comfortable around the opposite sex? Trouble is, Drew wants to get
more
than comfortable with Tabitha, while she’s determined to keep their relationship all business.

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