The Billionaire's Island Bride (South Shore Billionaires 3)

“I see. I just don’t want to deprive you of any income.”

She lifted her chin. It was the second time he’d made that sort of comment to her, insinuating she was down on her luck. She was actually doing pretty well for herself. She had a new holiday pattern going up on a popular site this month, and because she’d built a solid reputation for accurate and clear pattern instructions, every time she sold a new pattern, she saw increased downloads.

One of the things she really wanted to do was put together her own book of patterns and find a publisher.

“I’m doing fine, thanks. Of course you should have your own employees take this over.” And to be honest, it would feel strange, working for Cole.

“Raelynn would also like your recipe for that soup you made the other day. I raved about it.”

“Oh, well, that’s easy enough. As I said, send her down. I’m not headed anywhere for a few days.”

“Thanks, Brooklyn. I appreciate it.”

She looked over at him. “I suppose this means we’re being friendly now.” She deliberately used the verb instead of the friend noun. Acting friendly didn’t necessarily constitute friendship.

“I suppose it does.”

And he smiled.

He was pretty gorgeous at any time, but when he smiled it was something different altogether. His eyes got tiny crinkles in the corners and his whole body seemed to relax with it. Right now, in the gloominess of the coming rain, his eyes seemed grayish blue, but she’d noticed the other day in the sun that they were a clear, bright blue that seemed to look right inside her. Kind of like the ocean, changing color depending on the weather and the storms going on inside.

“You should get back to your guests. They’re probably trying to figure out how to get internet on your TV.”

He grinned again. “I turned off the Wi-Fi.”

“Sneaky.” She couldn’t help but smile back.

“I know we’ll be outside some, but I’ll make sure we don’t invade your privacy.”

“Thank you. I appreciate it.”

They said their goodbyes, but as Cole walked away, Brooklyn sighed. She almost wished he’d invade her privacy. She couldn’t imagine making a move herself, and knew without a doubt he was not for her. And yet a part of her wished he might be, just a little. Even though he was exactly the wrong kind of man, and not at all what she needed.

CHAPTER FIVE

BY THE THIRD day of their visit, Cole’s VPs were bright and energetic and far more relaxed than he’d expected. Some of it he credited to the scenery, fresh air, the wonderful food that Raelynn provided to the group, and full nights of sleep. They’d taken the boat to the mainland today and had gone to the Sandpiper Resort for a delicious lunch. They’d stayed for two hours, talking about their respective divisions, brainstorming ideas in the casual setting. The downtime had refreshed them and Cole could feel the renewed excitement and energy around the table. It was exactly what he’d hoped to achieve.

Once they were back on the island, Cole turned on the Wi-Fi and they had an online session with an expert on balancing an executive workload with wellness to avoid burnout.

Cole looked at the group when the facilitator left the session. “So what did you think? Tomorrow’s our last day before you return to real life. What takeaways do you have?”

Duncan leaned forward and put his elbows on his knees. “I gotta tell you, Cole, when you took my phone I was pretty ticked off. But when I caught myself reaching for it over and over, I realized what an addiction it’s become. I’ve become used to having it all the time, which means I’m always working. I think it’s contributed a lot to my stress level. I still miss it.” Everyone laughed a bit. “I’m trying not to go crazy wondering what’s happened to the company in my absence. But I’ve slept better the last two nights than I have in months. Maybe years. I didn’t realize how much I needed the break until I took it.”

The other men nodded in agreement. “I found the first day and a half really hard,” James added. “I don’t know what it’s like to have nothing to do...and then not have any tech to keep me from being bored. This was really like a work/tech detox for me, and one I can see I really needed.”

Cole smiled, pleased at the feedback. “I know it’s hard not to feel as if things are going to fall apart if you’re unavailable, but they’re not. If you have the right people in place, they all know their jobs. You can trust them. Nurture their talents. Have confidence in their abilities, which makes for better employees. And has the by-product of cutting you some slack. Look at me, for example.” He looked at each man, right in the eye. “I’m the president and CEO. I took on responsibility for everything for a long time. But that’s not sustainable and certainly not healthy. Instead I have great people in place who know their jobs.

“You guys, it starts with us. From the top down. I don’t want to see any of you crash and burn out. It’s not good for you, for your families, or for Abbott.”

Everyone nodded thoughtfully.

“Tomorrow is our last day. I’d like for us to have a working breakfast midmorning where we can discuss your ideas for taking this back to not only your job but to your divisions. What changes you think would work with regards to your staff and their workload. Now that you’ve had a chance to unplug and get your creativity fired up again, let’s see if we can leave with some action items. Sound good?”

They broke up and had a few hours until dinner, so two of the execs decided to take a walk on the beach, one was going to hit the gym, and the fourth had rediscovered a love of cooking and had agreed to help Raelynn with the dinner. Cole was left alone, pleased at how the day had gone, glad that he’d been able to give his own VPs a chance to decompress and recharge. If he’d done that now and again, he might have avoided the full-on breakdown.

It didn’t really surpri

se him to find himself gravitating toward the rambling house in the trees. He hadn’t spoken to Brooklyn since that day on the beach, though he’d seen her briefly this morning as they’d driven the golf cart from the house down to the dock. She’d been in her front yard raking leaves, her hair in a high ponytail and a pair of jeans hugging her backside.