I watched my brother carefully control his anger, a trait that wasn’t exactly known to the Ashfords. But Carter had always been different from my father. Me, I was more like him than I wanted anyone to know.
Carter’s jaw ticked, the only sign of his frustration.
Our father, on the other hand, drummed his fingers on the table in agitation. He didn’t like Carter’s silence or the fact that we’d waited for him for nearly an hour after I was forced to send a text demanding he meet us immediately at Hugga Mugga.
Around us, other patrons had no idea of the power struggle currently happening at this table, the potential for this to be the final straw that made Carter all but abandon us like our brother Conrad had before.
And then there was Jorgina, the youngest of us who’d left for Yale and had yet to return. She was almost a college senior, but none of us knew if she would return to the family fold once she graduated. After Mom died when I was a teenager, I’d vowed to myself I’d never let the family down. I couldn’t leave my father and granddad the way my siblings had.
But what about Carter?
His eyes roved the papers I’d picked up from the lawyer. “It’s my money.” Finally, angry eyes lifted to Dad. Carter wasn’t hard, not like the rest of us. Yet, he was stoney now, showing no affection, none of the jovial smiles I envied him for.
Dad leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. “It is only yours because I allow it to be yours.”
Most people with family trusts allowed the recipient to control it once they reached a certain age. Not my father. He’d crafted it for milestones instead. As long as Carter lived the life he did, he could only access what our father allowed him to until he turned thirty.
Carter scowled, an unfamiliar expression on his face. “So, you’re saying I can keep using the money as long as I work?”
“For the family, yes.”
“But what about Conrad? He doesn’t work for the family.”
Conrad was a sore spot for our father. He always had been. Yet, he’d never exerted the pressure over his oldest son like he did the rest of us, and none of us had ever been able to figure out why.
“You listen here, you ungrateful child, Conrad has nothing to do with this.”
We all knew what that meant. Dad couldn’t touch most of Conrad’s money. Carter and Jorgina got the short end of the stick. Because of their ages when Mom died, she’d never had a chance to set up separate trusts for them using her own money. Trusts my father didn’t know about until after her accident. Conrad and I had a source of income separate from our father’s money, and it drove him insane that he couldn’t use it to control us.
“And what if I went and got married tomorrow?” Carter asked, his eyes narrowing. “Then, you couldn’t do a thing to stop me from draining the accounts.”
Those conditions on his trust … it wasn’t only age. His full access began either when he turned thirty or got married. Whichever came first.
There were so many hoops, so many clauses, I could hardly understand most of it.
“So, what?” Carter asked. “You want me to sit in a stuffy office like your clone here?” He gestured to me. Ouch. “Or would you rather I go out into the vineyard and pick grapes?”
I snorted at that, picturing my Ferrari-driving brother doing any sort of manual labor. It showed how little he knew about our own vineyards. Many of our hybrid grapes were picked by machine, and the ones that weren’t were delicate and thin skinned. They required special handling, something my father would never trust Carter with.
Carter’s phone buzzed, the rattling shaking the table. He snatched it from the surface before I could get a look at the screen, but his lips curled into a tiny smile as he read whatever was there.
I knew that look.
It was reserved for one person.
Selena Contreras.
Carter ignored us and typed away on his phone. I could sense my father’s anger coming, and I didn’t want to be hit with the shrapnel.
Playing at friends—or something more—with the Contreras girl was like lighting a stick of dynamite in the center of Ashford Estates. Or more accurately, setting off a massive explosion in Superiore Bay, because no one would get through it unscathed.
“Carter.” Dad’s voice was low, dangerous.
“Hmm?” Carter didn’t look up.
“We aren’t finished here.”
His eyes were no longer hard as he lifted them, his entire posture had relaxed. Not for the first time, I wondered what it would be like to have someone in my life who put me so at ease.
I would inherit Ashford Estates one day, as well as the entire empire we’d built. I’d have more money than I could possibly spend and the prestige that came with it.
Yet, I was jealous of my carefree little brother.
And I wanted to throttle him at the same time. Being an Ashford wasn’t about doing what we wanted, it wasn’t about being happy.
“Give me your phone.” My father held out his hand.
Carter looked to me as if seeking some kind of help, a help I wished I could give him.
But no one went against my father and won. Not even me.
I sighed. “Just do it, Carter.”
Betrayal entered his gaze, and I looked away.
He set the phone in our father’s hand with a slap. Dad flipped it over and read the screen, red creeping into his cheeks. It was another sign of his anger.
“How many times have we told you to stay away from this girl?” The words were calm, collected, but there was also rage simmering beneath the surface.
“She’s not just some girl, Dad.” Carter suddenly looked dejected and guilt needled me. “She’s my best friend.”
“Ashfords do not associate with that family.”
He rolled his eyes, a big mistake. “Don’t you think this is all a little stupid?” Another mistake.
Dad leaned forward, his brows drawing together. “Listen to me, you ignorant child, this is not up for discussion. Those people do not deserve to kiss the ground you walk upon.” He threw the phone back at Carter. It smacked him in the chest. “Text her back. Tell her you’ll be there soon.”
“What?” Carter looked at me again, but I didn’t know what Dad was playing at.
“Meet her where?” I asked.
Dad met my gaze. “Carter is going to tell us once and for all where their secret spot is. Her text asked him to meet her there. And we wouldn’t want to disappoint her, would we?”
I didn’t like the sound of that. “Dad—”
“Conner, you will meet her.”
I jerked back, remembering my earlier confrontation with her. I wasn’t exactly jonesing for a repeat. “I don’t think—”
“It isn’t for you to think. All I want is for you to have a conversation with her. Say whatever you need to, and remind that little girl to stay away from Carter.”
“Dad,” Carter pleaded. “Please. Leave her alone.”
“Where are you meeting her?” Dad asked.
Carter didn’t respond.
“Would you rather I inform her parents of your plans to spend time together?”
Carter’s eyes widened, and I guessed Lena’s parents didn’t want her spending time with an Ashford either. “Fine.” He closed his eyes. “There’s a spot by the boardwalk.” We already knew that much. “It’s hidden among the rocks. The only road to get back there is a dirt path.”
Wonderful, I’d have to get my car washed after this.
“Conner.” Dad pointed to the door.
I got the hint and stood, unable to look at my brother as I walked out.
I was almost to my car when Carter came running up behind me. “Conner, stop.”
With a sigh, I faced him. “You know I don’t have a choice, right?”
“Yes.” He pushed a hand through his unruly hair. “None of us ever have a choice. Just … Lena is a good person, okay. Better than any of us. I want to protect her.”
I didn’t like Lena Contreras. She was combative and pushy, but it wasn’t like I couldn’t see her appeal. She was also beautiful and feisty and strong. She didn’t back down, and I had to respect that. My brother obviously did.
“It’ll be okay, Carter. I won’t be rough on her.”
He seemed to relax at that. Whatever his relationship was with my father, Carter trusted me, I could see it in his eyes. And I wanted to earn that trust more than I wanted much of anything else.
I put a hand on his shoulder. “I tried to convince him not to change the trust. It wasn’t my doing.”
“I know.” He backed up. “It’s never your fault, but you do what he says anyway.”
That hurt, but I couldn’t blame him. He watched me get in my car and drive off toward the boardwalk at the edge of town. Dust kicked up beneath my tires as I turned onto the dirt road that led down to the water and the rocky jetty that extended out into the bay.
In the distance, I caught sight of the rocks, a last line of defense against the churning bay. As I neared, I slowed until the car came to a stop.
There she was.
Standing on a tall, uneven rock, Lena looked down into the water, showing no fear at the prospect of tumbling off. Dark hair fell forward as she leaned farther out over the water, concealing her face from view.
But I knew it was her. There had always been something so unique about Lena, the way she moved. I’d deny noticing if anyone asked, but I’d never been able to help it.
Even when she was yelling at me, which had happened quite often.
At the sound of my car door slamming, she turned. I saw it happening in slow motion. Her foot slipped, and she lost her balance.
I sprinted forward, barely managing to catch her around the waist to prevent her from falling into the bay. She collapsed into me, sending us both sprawling to the ground.
Rolling off me immediately, she lay on her back, her breath wheezing. After a minute, a small laugh escaped her.
I pushed myself up, brushing grass from my pants. “What is so funny?”
As if seeing who I was for the first time, her smile dropped. “Oh, it’s you.”
I didn’t like the sound of that. “You’re welcome.” I walked away from the rocks.
“For what?” She got to her feet. “Nearly startling me into the bay?”
“No, no, don’t worry about it, Lena. It was nothing. You don’t need to thank me.”
She growled—yes, growled—and turned away from me, climbing over a rock to get down to a tiny strip of beach. So, that was where Carter brought the small fishing boat he didn’t think I knew he used.
I followed her, getting down to the beach the same way she had.
“What do you want, Conner? Haven’t we seen enough of each other today?”
“I have a proposition for you.” I’d thought of this on the drive over, the way to get her to back away from Carter. Their friendship only caused problems.
She faced me, her arms crossed. “A proposition? This should be good.”
I didn’t appreciate her sarcasm but was also strangely drawn to it. I wanted her to keep talking. Clearing my throat and pushing those thoughts from my mind, I started, “You want to buy my family’s land.”
She lifted one brow. “And? I thought that was never going to happen, as you so graciously told me this morning.”
Man, I’d been a jerk. “I’m sorry, okay.”
“Sorry? You? Ha.”
“Just listen to me.” She wasn’t making this easy. “I’ll convince my father to sell.”
Her face brightened, but there was also a wariness in her eyes. “There’s a catch. Always is with your family. Just tell me what it is.”
I sucked in a breath, knowing the next words out of my mouth were a betrayal of my brother. Was I really doing this? Yes, apparently. “You have to stay away from Carter.”
All light faded from her eyes, all hope that what I’d offer was a good deal. It wasn’t. This was terrible. I was about to make her choose between her business and her best friend. My father had tried to teach all his kids friendships were liabilities. It seemed three of his four children took it to heart.
Now, I was trying to force that reality on the only one of us who never had.
Lena’s jaw tensed. “No.” She turned and climbed down the rocks toward the strip of beach.
“No?” I scrambled after her. “It’s what you want, the land. It’s a good deal, Lena.”
I’d almost reached her when she turned on her heel, anger flashing in those deep brown eyes. “A good deal? You want me to give up my oldest friend for a parcel of land? You’re a real piece of work, Conner Ashford. Just like your father.” She towered over me from her perch on the rocks.
I climbed up the rocky slope until we were eye level. “You know nothing about my father.”
“But I know plenty about you.”
I was so close I could feel her breath. “Oh, really? Enlighten me then. What do you think you know about me?”
Her eyes narrowed in challenge. “You’re cold. The only thing that matters to you is business and your family’s image. There’s more to life than what other people think of us, Conner.”
“Like I thought, you know nothing.”
“And you know so much about me?” She lifted her chin. “This feud between our families is stupid, but even if it wasn’t there, I’d never want to get to know someone like you. And you’d never know me. That would require you to see anyone other than yourself. Like your brother, for instance. What would he think of your little offer? An offer I reject, in case you hadn’t surmised as much.”
I couldn’t take my eyes off hers, the way her pupils dilated as she grew more angry. Angry Lena was a force, and she had principals. A quality I never knew I admired so much. Her loyalty to my brother was something to see.
She heaved a breath. “You could never understand what it’s like to have a friend who gets every part of you. That would require you to surrender this stoney strength you seem to think is such an asset. You know, being a jerk will never be a good thing.”
“Do you ever stop talking?” I couldn’t stop the words before they spilled out.
Lena’s lips clamped shut, and she stared at me for a long moment. At any second, I expected flames to come shooting out of her nose, to burn in her eyes. Which was probably how I hadn’t seen it coming.
I was so focused on her intense gaze I didn’t feel her hand on me until it was too late. She shoved me through a gap in the rocks, and unlike with her, there was no one willing to catch me before I tumbled off the edge.