The Schemer (Harbor City 3)

T. JACOBSON: Send him in.

Alberto strode in like a man who never had a day that didn’t go his way. “Tyler, I hope you don’t mind my breaking in on you like this.”

“Not at all.” Tyler got up and rounded his desk. “It’s good to see you.”

He led Alberto to the small sitting area next to the windows, taking one of the wing chairs. Alberto eyeballed the matching chair for half a second then opted for the tan leather love seat—which not only looked more comfortable, it actually was.

“You had a good time on the island?” Alberto asked.

“It’s so gorgeous that it would be hard to have a bad time.” That would have been Tyler’s answer no matter what, but in this case it was the truth. Of course, the fact that he’d spent a good portion of it naked with Everly hadn’t hurt.

Focus, Jacobson. You can’t afford to get distracted.

“Very true,” Alberto said with a chuckle before brushing his hands together like a blackjack dealer at the end of a shift. “And now we must speak business. You have ideas for the hotel expansion?”

Thank God he was always prepared for any outcome, since he still hadn’t been able to nail down Alberto on a date to present his ideas to the hotelier and the board. He bounded up from his chair, heading straight for his laptop with his presentation.

“Let me tell Jason to hold my calls, and I’m all yours.”

Thirty minutes and four million questions later, Tyler relaxed against the stiff back of the chair his office decorator had picked out. She’d insisted it looked regal. He was just glad for the extra support. Despite their time spent laughing over fresh grilled fish on the island, Alberto hadn’t taken it easy on him. The man knew his business. Of course, you didn’t get to where he was without those qualifications.

“All of this looks good.” Alberto rubbed his chin and nodded. “You’ve got quite a few unorthodox ideas.”

It wasn’t an exaggeration—but the Ferranti Hotel group was the one for them. “To make an impact, you’ll need to stand out.”

The older man’s face broke into a smile. If it had been a test, then Tyler had just passed it. “I agree, but our board of directors doesn’t always concur with me. They can be quite conservative in their approach.”

“Please let them know that my approach may be a bit wild, but my commitment to success is not.” Because he always did whatever it took to make that happen.

“That might be enough.” Alberto stood and shook Tyler’s hand after he’d followed suit. “They aren’t like us. They are what you call old money. They have rules and expectations of personal behavior that influence them in business even though the two do not have to overlap. Mi fanno impazzire!” He threw his hands up in the air in disgust. “They make me crazy.”

“Don’t worry, I understand the type well.” If he hadn’t, he never would have been able to get them to trust him with their money.

“Good, several of the board members will be at the gala tomorrow, and I’m sure they’ll be watching you,” Alberto said as they crossed to the door.

“I’ll be sure to bore them to tears.” He’d out–old money the old money if that’s what it took.

“An excellent plan. They have no tolerance for passion or excitement, only a devotion to the boring and the profitable,” Alberto agreed. “But you won’t be bored; you’re taking Everly, sì?”

And suddenly, his attention veered from imagining disapproving looks to the soft curves and cherry lips of the woman he’d spent way too much time thinking about lately. Not that he’d made any efforts to stop. Fun. It was just until it wasn’t fun and it sure as hell was—even with the lack of sleep.

Tyler grinned at the older man. “She finally said yes.”

“Good,” he said. “The best women are always worth fighting for.”

Then, with a knowing wink, Alberto strode out of his office. Tyler gave him a friendly wave as the elevator doors closed before going back into his office. That left Tyler alone to think about Alberto’s parting words. Fighting for a woman? He’d never done that. Not even when he found out his fiancée, a woman he’d thought he loved, had tried to get with his best friend. For him, the fighting had always been about moving up the Harbor City ladder so he could leave Waterbury as far behind him as possible. Did that make him smart or stupid? He wasn’t sure anymore.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Helene ran the pad of her thumb over the bottom of her wedding band as the elevator doors closed, taking her and Alberto up to the rooftop ballroom of the Harbor City Grand Hotel. It was an exquisite ring, featuring princess-cut diamonds and a single ruby that had been in Michael’s family for generations, which was why she’d told everyone that she still wore it. The truth was, she hadn’t been ready to take it off and wasn’t sure she’d ever be. Wearing it on a date, though, seemed inappropriate.

“It is almost as beautiful as you,” Alberto said, watching her fiddle with the ring.

The unfamiliar feeling shifting her stomach wasn’t one she could pinpoint. It was a mix of uncertainty and nerves. “I shouldn’t wear it.”

Alberto looked at her, the black of his tuxedo jacket bringing out the sparkle in his dark eyes. “Do you want to wear it?”

Want to? She hadn’t thought about that. Too much of the past few years had been about what she should do to put others around her at ease. Grief made people uncomfortable. Her stern attitude they could take. But the vulnerability? Only her boys had been able to stand that, and watching them walk on eggshells around her had been what had finally snapped her out of her grief. Whether it was a woman thing or a mother thing, seeing the people she cared about worried brought out the protector in her. She’d gone about expressing it in the wrong way with both boys, but they’d forgiven her natural overbearing tendencies and had shown her by examp