Into the quiet, Josh murmurs, “Admit it’s beautiful and it would look stunning on Kate’s finger.”

  “Everything looks good on Kate. But we have no idea if she’s interested in getting married again, much less marrying us both.”

  “That’s why we ask.”

  I drag a hand down my face. “Buddy, we’ve talked about this.”

  “You did. Now listen to me. You love her. And I’m convinced a more permanent relationship has crossed your mind.”

  Unless I want to lie, I can’t refute him. “That doesn’t mean we should impulsively propose. There are too many considerations. And we still have no idea if she’d be willing to have everyone she loves and every person we work with know that she’s fucking us both. If she can’t do that, I see zero future with her.”

  Then, before I get stupidly optimistic fairytale notions in my head, I shove my way out the door. It takes a few minutes, but Josh follows, looking both agitated and disappointed.

  That irritates the fuck out of me. “Did you buy it anyway?”

  “No. But figure out what you want and if you’re willing to take a chance before we fly out on Monday. If you’re not, I will.”

  Kate

  I’ve tried four times to finish this sentence of the email I’m drafting to send Savannah tomorrow. I might be in the office…but my mind isn’t on work. It’s on Marcus, on his aloofness before he left with Josh to get the pizza.

  Our first few days in paradise, Marcus was beyond attentive, checking on my comfort all day and lavishing me with ecstasy all night. In so many ways, he was the ultimate alpha lover of my fantasies. Not that Josh isn’t equally amazing—and thoroughly inventive—but he’s more cerebral, more methodical. When he touches me, I can tell he’s thought about what he’s doing and why. He’s also a lot easier to read. Since the beginning, he’s seemingly been all in without hesitation. At first, Marcus was, too…

  Now he’s pulling back.

  Why? I have no idea and that rattles me because, despite my best efforts, I’m falling in love with them both.

  Last night, Marcus instigated, making love to me with Josh savagely, like he couldn’t get to me fast enough, couldn’t get inside me deep enough, couldn’t wrench orgasms from me hard enough. But when it was over, he couldn’t roll away fast enough. For the first time, he slept alone in the other bed.

  I don’t understand. It’s breaking my heart.

  Is he pulling back because, after Monday’s flight, our fling will be over? Where will that leave me with Josh? Regrettably, he’ll probably be a memory, too.

  Behind me, the scraping of the former lobby’s old front door snags my attention. I turn, expecting to see that Josh and Marcus have somehow returned in a handful of minutes with pizza and wine. Instead, I clap eyes on two people I never expected to see in Hilo.

  “Dad! Mariah!” I leap out of my seat and go running.

  “Surprise!” my sister yells, arms open.

  They’re both grinning as they envelop me in tight, loving hugs.

  I squeeze them back, inhaling Daddy’s familiar scent of Old Spice and tobacco. “I’m shocked. Why are you here? How are you here?” I look behind them, but I don’t see anyone else coming through the doors. “Where are Mom, Todd, and the kids?”

  “Todd is on a business trip. Dad wanted to come see you, and Mom demanded some grandma time with my rug rats. Since they can’t be out of school, I decided to come along. It’s an early birthday getaway for me.”

  I’m beyond thrilled to see them, but my dad isn’t the type to impulsively hop on a plane to Hawaii. “Everything okay, Daddy?”

  “Couldn’t be better.” He smiles….but his eyes are somber.

  My chest clenches. “You sure? No one is sick or—”

  “No,” he assures, taking my hand. “Everyone is fine. I promise.”

  His expression softens into that gently reassuring expression he’s given me since childhood.

  I relax. “I’m relieved. And I’m so happy to see you two! When did you get in?”

  “About an hour ago,” my sister supplies.

  They tell me about their flight. After they landed, they rented a car and drove straight to see me. They’re not staying at the hotel because Mariah found a great deal on a rental online and they’re spending a few extra days to experience the Big Island. They’re especially hoping I can spend Sunday with them.

  “If we’re done working, absolutely.” I force a smile.

  That’s my last day in paradise with Josh and Marcus. I planned to spend it in their arms, but maybe the time with family will give me some perspective about our relationship. After all, it wasn’t that long ago that I swore off men and commitment. In the last week, my sexy executives have treated me like both a princess and a woman. They’ve shown me they value me in a way Derrick never did. And they’ve made me rethink everything. Now the thought of being without them is like a physical pain, and they’ve given me no reason to think they want us to last beyond this trip.

  I probably need to take a step back.

  “Tell me all about your project,” Dad asks, glancing around the place with a critical eye. “When we pulled up, we barely had enough sunlight left for a glance at the land.”

  I fill him in on everything—my impressions, my proposal, my vision. Since my dad has forgotten more about construction than I’ll ever know, I’d love his thoughts. “What do you think?”

  He walks the room and heads to the windows in front, facing the ocean and the swaying palms visible in the moonlight. “I’d like to see it in the daylight to confirm, but my gut tells me you’re on the right track. This place could be a gold mine.”

  “Exactly. Small and exclusive for people who will appreciate the quaint charm and will be grateful it’s nothing like Honolulu.”

  “Exactly.” Suddenly, his stilted smile is back. “Hawaii agrees with you.”

  I loved Phoenix growing up, and Boston has undeniable historic charm…but I’ve fallen for more than Josh and Marcus this week. “Hilo has been amazing.”

  “Are you liking Force Financial so far?”

  “It’s definitely different than working with you. I don’t have as much autonomy as I’m used to, and I sense that corporate politics could be a real thing if I let myself get tangled in them. But so far so good.”

  “Tell me about the two guys who flew here with you. How are they to work with? Do they appreciate your knowledge? Are they giving you any problems?” My father sounds concerned.

  I try not to blush. In the last week, Marcus and Josh haven’t given me many problems…but they have heaped more orgasms on me than I had in eight years with Derrick. I doubt my dad wants to hear that. “Mr. Hunt and Mr. Hennessey have been great to work with, guiding me through the financial side and corporate structure while we define a property acquisition process. I’m learning a lot.”

  Just not totally about work.

  “That’s great,” Daddy says, his smile still somehow off.

  “They’ll be back with pizza in a few minutes. I’d love for you to meet them.” Especially my sister. She’s an exceptional judge of character. Part of me hopes she finds some terrible flaw in both of them that will help me fall out of love. My heart prays she doesn’t because I want them so desperately…and I’m so afraid of what comes next.

  “I’d love to!” Mariah exclaims. “You look really good, Katie. Happy.”

  My sister has always been observant, and I don’t need her guessing that I’m more sexually satisfied—and in love—than I’ve ever been.

  “You do, too. Have you been exercising more?” I ask to change the subject.

  “I have! I started taking this barre class one of my neighbors raves about…”

  I listen with half an ear, watching my father, who’s studying me. Can he guess that my time in Hawaii hasn’t been all business? No. Mariah knows me better than anyone. If she hasn’t guessed—and I haven’t told her yet because admitting that I’m in a torrid, short-term affair with my two coworkers would worry her—surely my dad hasn’t pieced that together.

  “Sorry.” My sister suddenly winces. “That’s more than you wanted to know, but the classes have been enjoyable. And I’ve met some amazing women.”

  “I’m happy for you. And I’m jealous. We’ve been so busy here that my exercise routine has completely gone out the window.” Unless sweaty, grinding, half-the-night sex counts. We’ve been through three boxes of condoms, and we’re well into the fourth.

  “Are you happy with your decision to leave home, honey?” Dad asks suddenly.

  My chest tightens. The question comes out of left field. What is he fishing for? Is it why he came? “I’m taking it one day at a time.”

  With a sigh, he grips my hand. “I hate to throw a wrench in that, and I was going to wait to say this until tomorrow, but…two of my foremen, Ron Guzman and Chip Barnes, have offered to buy the company from me. It’s a more-than-fair offer, especially considering the downswing in business over the last two years.”

  After Derrick swindled most of our clients.

  Dad’s words are a gut-punch. If retiring is what he wants, I’m happy for him. But I’m also disappointed. I thought Dad would work another five to seven years, when I hoped to buy him out and take over. It’s something I’ve dreamed about since I started helping during the summers as a teenager.

  “I haven’t given them an answer.” Dad fits his hands in his pockets, then peers at me carefully. “I wanted to talk to you first.”

  My heart breaks. “You know I’m not in any financial position to buy you out.”

  He holds up his hands. “I know. I know. You don’t have to buy the company, honey. If you want to come back and assume the reins, I’ll give it to you outright.”

  “Really?” I gasp. I don’t have to ask if he’s serious. His expression tells me he is. I tear up. “Daddy…”

  The first thought that streaks through my head is what a dream come true this is. The next is that it’s a relief to have a fallback if Marcus and Josh break my heart. I shouldn’t even consider running away at the first sign of trouble. After all, I’m much stronger than I used to be. When Derrick left, I spent months soul-searching and getting myself back together. Coming to work for Force Financial was my first real act of starting over. But have I unraveled it all by falling in love with two men I’ll have to work with—potentially for years—who may never want me after this weekend?

  “Kate?”

  Josh’s voice fills my ears from across the room. In one hand, he holds a pizza. His stunned expression tells me he heard every word of my father’s offer. He’s well aware I haven’t said no.

  Beside him, Marcus clutches a bottle of red, looking beyond pissed off.

  I have no idea how to smooth this over.

  Plastering on a smile, I gesture to my family. “My dad and my sister surprised me with a visit.” Quickly, I introduce everyone. “Dad, sis, this is Josh Hennessey and Marcus Hunt, my coworkers and partners on the project. They helped Chad Force grow the company almost from inception. They’re brilliant financial minds, and they’ve been assigned to help me get this new venture off the ground.”

  Politely, Josh shakes their hands, but he’s looking at me like he wants to ask me a thousand questions.

  Mariah, bless her, tries to smooth things over. “It’s great to finally meet you. I talk to my sister every day. I don’t think she’s ever failed to rave about your business smarts, acumen, and professionalism.”

  Josh’s face turns cold. Marcus’s expression shifts from pissed off to utterly betrayed.

  Despite the warm Hawaiian evening, a chill sweeps through me. Something is wrong. Very wrong. I have no idea what.

  Before I can grasp the situation, Marcus gives me a final glare, turns on his heel, and slams out the side door. The loud bang as it hits the wall makes me start. A deafening silence follows as he disappears into the night.

  A handful of awkward seconds later, Josh curses under his breath and drops the pizza on my desk, patently refusing to look at me.

  With the bottom dropping out of my stomach, I scurry toward him. “What’s wrong? What happened?”

  He looks up, and his recriminating glare freezes me. If the eyes are the window to someone’s soul, Josh’s are shuttered up tight. “Exactly what he expected. What I clearly should have expected, too. Excuse me.”

  Then with a curt nod to my dad and my sister, he stomps out the same side door and lets the darkness outside swallow him up.

  I have no idea what Josh means or what I’ve done to upset them.

  Into the gaping silence, Mariah hurries over to take my hand. “It looks like we came at a bad time.”

  “It’s my fault. Your new coworkers overheard me offer you the company.” Daddy shakes his head in self-reproach. “I’m sorry.”

  But is that really the issue? Josh and Marcus didn’t seem worried I would abandon our project or anxious I might leave Force Financial for my roots. They looked as if I betrayed them. I don’t understand…

  Mariah sends me an assessing stare. Can she guess what happened here wasn’t merely about business? “Why don’t you finish your workday first, Katie? Dad and I haven’t checked into our Airbnb yet or eaten dinner. We’ll catch up with you tomorrow, after you’ve smoothed over the situation and—”

  “I’ll come with you.” I need time to replay what just happened in my head so I can grasp what went wrong. Maybe if I can get my head on straight and the guys cool down, we’ll be able to talk everything out.

  If not, maybe I should consider returning to Phoenix…

  Tamping down my panic at the thought that I’ve lost them for good, I shove my laptop in my purse and pick up the pizza. “And this can be our dinner.”

  “Are you sure? Maybe you should talk to them…”

  Maybe. But they didn’t talk to me. They just stormed out. After my years with Derrick, I refuse to chase down another man and apologize for some transgression I didn’t intend and don’t understand. Besides, I’m not convinced they want to see me right now. As flattened as they looked, I wonder if they want to have any non-professional interaction with me ever again.

  My father sends me a long stare. Like me, he’s wondering what the devil is going on. I don’t know how to answer. What would he say if he knew I was emotionally and sexually involved with not one, but both, of my project advisors? I can only guess…and I’m afraid he’d be ashamed.

  “Work is over for the day,” I point out. “They’re probably just giving me time to be with you two. Neither of them are particularly social, so it’s fine. Tomorrow is soon enough for us to talk.”

  I can only hope by then that we can discuss what upset them. If not, if they’re done with me—with us—I don’t know what I’ll do with a broken relationship and a shattered heart.

  Chapter Seven

  Josh

  The next morning, I sit at my desk, black coffee burning my empty stomach. The sun isn’t up yet. I couldn’t sleep.

  Kate never returned to our room. She never texted or called. She never tried to explain or even say a word about whether she intended to take over the reins of her father’s company and move across the country. She never even reached out to ask what was wrong.

  That tells me Marcus was goddamn right about her—and everything else, too. We’re never going to find a woman willing to defy tradition and tell the people in her life that she’s committed to two men.

  I’ve been fooling myself.

  Dad, sis, this is Josh Hennessey and Marcus Hunt, my coworkers and partners on the project. They’re brilliant financial minds, and they’ve been assigned to help me get this new venture off the ground.

  Still, the hope inside me doesn’t want to die. My heart argues that of course Kate wasn’t going to tell her father and her sister during our introduction that she’s been sharing an office—and a bed—with us both. It was too abrupt and too awkward. Marcus expected too much, too fast.

  But the evidence suggests she never intended to tell her family at all.

  I talk to my sister every day. I don’t think she’s ever failed to rave about your business smarts and acumen.

  While the businessman in me appreciates the ego boost, it’s obvious Kate never said a word to Mariah about our relationship beyond spreadsheets and building plans. If she was going to confide in anyone, it would be her sister. And it seems clear she never intended to.

  Come to think of it, she’s said very little to Marcus and me about her family, like she decided we didn’t need that background because we would never meet them.

  If Kate had uttered any form of explanation last night—even sent us an apologetic glance—I would have waited, listened, still hoping that she’s different. I wouldn’t feel so betrayed.

  But she acted as if she barely knew us beyond a handshake.

  It was a bitter slap in the face. It still is.

  At the desk beside mine, Marcus pounds on his keyboard, inputting numbers. He’s beyond focused, glaring at the computer screen like he’s furious that work hasn’t blocked his emotions. At his elbow, his coffee sits untouched. He’s refused to look at Kate’s empty chair.

  “I’m sorry,” I say finally. “I should have listened from the beginning. You were right.”

  He turns burning eyes to me. It’s obvious he barely slept last night. “I wanted to be wrong so fucking bad.”

  I see that now. Last night at the jewelry store, I thought he was being a close-minded asshole. Instead, he was guarding his heart. I wasn’t. When Kate proved how much I didn’t learn about women from Taylor, I felt blindsided.

  It shouldn’t have taken a second heartbreak to comprehend what seems so obvious now. Women really don’t want the people in their life to know they’re with two men. They don’t want the judgment. But my parents have always said I’m an optimist, sometimes to my detriment.

  I sigh.

  “At least we know where we stand.” Marcus’s quip drips acid. “Fucking great time to realize I’m in love.”