Part I—Travis & Jessica: Chapter 1—Jessica Wallace

My stomach knotted as the door opened and Franklin Hale walked into my office. He rarely came to the island and when he did, it usually wasn’t to offer praise for a job well done. I couldn’t begin to guess why he was here now.

“Miss Wallace.” He smiled and nodded. “How are you today?” He closed the door, and the click of the latch made my heart jump.

“Fine. And yourself?” I smiled as warmly as I could.

“Good. Good.” He nodded again and took a seat in the chair in front of my desk. “I really appreciate all you do around here.”

My jaw dropped. A compliment? Was he ill? “Um, you’re welcome.” I smoothed my hands down my dress then sat opposite him, the large oak desk the separating us. “I love Paradise Falls and everyone who works here. We really are a family.”

“Well, your family is about to gain a new member.”

And there it was. I knew he’d come here to shake things up; he always did. “A new employee?” I asked with a raised brow. As the resort manager, I normally did all the hiring.

“Yes. A new accountant, actually.” He ran his ridiculously expensive silk tie through his fingers before letting it flop back into place.

“I didn’t realize we were looking to hire a new accountant.” I’d been handling all the books since Melinda quit a year ago. Back then, I’d asked Franklin to hire someone, and he’d told me no, said we could save money if I just did it all. But over time, I quickly realized there was no way I could be both the manager and accountant for a growing luxury resort. It was too much. Yet, every time I thought about handing over the finances to someone else I broke out in a cold sweat.

“I figured it was time, considering the rate of growth we’ve seen over the last year. I want you to focus on our guests and ensuring our employees are providing the best customer experience.”

“Okay,” I said slowly, pursing my lips. “Well, I have a friend from college. Vanessa Valentine. She has her own successful accounting firm, and I know—”

He held up his hand to silence me. “It would be a conflict of interest to have a personal friend of yours working in accounting.”

I laughed. He didn’t. “Oh.” My shoulders slumped. “Right. Of course.” He wouldn’t let me hire a respectable accounting firm because I was friends with the owner, but he had no problems letting me handle the books. Or letting my brother work as the head bartender. Why wasn’t that a conflict of interest?

“Besides, I’ve already hired someone.” He stood and tugged on his suit coat. “He’ll be here any moment, actually. I expect you’ll welcome him as you do any other employee.”

Nothing like giving me enough notice. “Yes, of course, sir.”

He flashed me a bright smile. “Wonderful.” He glanced at his watch. “Well, I need to get back to the mainland for another meeting. It was a pleasure, Miss Wallace.”

“Likewise.” I saw him out and then headed straight for my secretary’s desk.

“Apparently we have a new accountant starting today.” I rolled my eyes.

Amy cleared her throat and shifted in her chair. “We do?”

“Yes. And whenever he or she arrives, please send them right to my office.”

“You got it,” she said.

I returned to my office and busied myself with gathering all the books and financial paperwork to hand over to the new accountant. I really wished Franklin had let me hire Vanessa. She would’ve been perfect for this job, and I knew she was looking for a change. I moved stacks of paper from one side of my desk to the other in a feeble attempt to make it appear neat and organized. It was more than just a nervous habit. I thrived on order and organization and schedules. I knew that and did nothing to quell it. In fact, I was so preoccupied that I hadn’t noticed anyone walk in.

“Excuse me, Miss Wallace?” He tapped lightly on the door.

My head snapped up, and I froze. The man standing in my office was tall, well over six feet, with brown wavy hair that just barely grazed his broad shoulders, and he had naturally tanned skin. Black, pin-striped Dolce and Gabbana slacks hugged his hips. A black silk tie hung down the front of his white button-up shirt that was pulled deliciously taut across his muscular chest. He was a gorgeous man—a man who belonged in a place like this, a man who often graced the brochures we sent out. There was no way he could be the new accountant. Accountants didn’t look like that. Accountants were geeky looking and wore glasses. Didn’t they?

Deep brown eyes stared at me intently as a self-assured smirk pulled at the corner of his mouth. I hated smirking men. But what I hated even more was that he looked damn sexy doing it. Confidence, arrogance, and the hint of being a smooth operator oozed from his pores. He reminded me too much of my ex, Mark. I disliked him immediately.

“Are you Jessica Wallace?” he asked.

I cleared my throat. “Yes, and you are?”

“Travis Hale,” he said, stepping further into my office.

I stood. “Hale?” I had to have misheard him.

“Yes.” He sighed. “As in Franklin Hale is my father.”

Unbelievable! I curled my hands into fists and fought to keep my face expressionless. I wasn’t allowed to hire a friend, but Franklin could hire his son? What kind of bullshit was that? That was the drawback to working for a family-owned business, I supposed. I took a deep breath. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Hale.” I extended my hand, and an involuntary grimace contorted my face as I shook his. An accountant with rough, calloused hands? I couldn’t help but wonder what he did in his free time to make his hands so rough. A shiver worked up my spine, and I pulled my hand from his. “Please, sit,” I said, nodding at the chair across from me.

Once he sat, I studied him for a moment. I could certainly see the resemblance between him and his father. “So, Mr. Hale, tell me a little about yourself.”

He grinned. “What is this? An interview? I was assured that I had the job, Miss Wallace.” Cockiness dripped from his words, and his tone was just as bad.

I gritted my teeth. “Yes, I’m sure you were.” There was a sneer to my voice that I hadn’t intended. “And I’m sure you were told that I would be your direct supervisor.”

He nodded.

“I like to know who is working for me. Now, if you don’t mind.” I began to move papers around on my desk again, hoping to avoid his intense gaze. My nerves were frayed, and my anger was slowly building. How on earth could I be an effective boss when he was the owner’s son? Clearly, anything I did or said would be reported to Franklin, and I would come out looking like the bad guy. This was a no-win situation for me, and for the first time since taking this job, I wished I hadn’t. I blew out a breath and tampered my dramatics. I was a professional, and I’d be damned if I was going to let one employee ruin a job I loved.

“Well”—he folded his hands in his lap—“I attended Harvard Business School where I received my doctorate in accounting and finance. Upon graduating, I worked for Congressman Bouchard, and then took a position with the University of Hawaii.”

“Why did you decide to leave the University and come here?” I met his gaze and noticed the way he was watching me shuffle papers, like he found it humorous and confusing all at the same time. I stopped and folded my hands atop my desk.

“It was time for a change. I don’t like being cooped up in an office. I prefer to be outside. Paradise Falls just seemed like a good fit,” Travis said.

“If you like the outdoors so much, why did you devote your life to a career that requires you to be cooped up inside?” I smiled despite the unease coiling in my gut. With a resume like his, he could work anywhere he wanted. Surely there was a bigger reason he’d chosen to come work at his father’s resort.

“Because numbers don’t lie. They are simple and constant.”

I couldn’t argue with that. “Why now? I mean, this business has been in your family for a long time.”

“All my life.” He grinned, and my stomach fluttered. “I guess I wanted to prove to myself and my father that I could make it on my own. I didn’t need him to give me a job to be successful.”

I nodded, pleased with his answer. Maybe I was reading too much into the situation and this wasn’t anything more than an owner hiring a family member. “As I’m sure you know, we are very customer oriented, and even though you won’t have any direct contact with our guests, you are officially an employee and therefore eligible for a bungalow rental on the other side of the island. Shall I set you up with one?”

“Is that where you stay?”

His question caught me off guard, and I blinked several times. “Uh, yeah. Why?”

“Then yes, I’d like one.”

My heart rate accelerated, and I had no idea why. Sure, he was sexier than any man I’d seen in a long time, but so what? He wasn’t a piece of meat, and I wasn’t looking to get involved anyway. Besides, he was my employee. And the boss’s son.

“You’ve been handling the books thus far, correct?”

I nodded again. Man, he jumped from topic-to-topic quickly. I was going to have to pay attention to what he was saying and not how he looked if I was going to keep up with him.

“Then it looks like we’ll be spending a lot of time together.”

I stared at him. “Excuse me?” My heart lodged in my throat, and I clenched my thighs, praying the sudden throbbing wouldn’t spread any further. Why did the idea of spending time with him excite me so much?

“You’ll have to bring me up to speed on the books and how things work around here,” he said. His tone was all business, exactly how I should be right now. What was wrong with me?

I sighed. “Right, of course.” I hoped my disappointment wasn’t too obvious. Then an idea struck me. It was something I knew I shouldn’t say, and being this was a family business, he’d probably know I was lying, but I couldn’t stop myself. “It’s company policy that bungalows are for employees only. Spouses, children, and pets are not allowed.” And honestly, what other way would I learn about his current relationship status? Not that I had any right to know.

Travis smiled at me. A wide, bright smile that touched his eyes, making them lighten a shade. It was breathtaking. “Good to know,” he said.

I stood. “Shall I show you to your bungalow, or will you be making other arrangements?” I held my breath, waiting for his answer, hoping he’d say he’d make other arrangements, if for no other reason than to make it clear he was off-limits. More so than he already was anyway.

When he stood, he towered over me by at least a foot. It should’ve been intimidating, but it was oddly comforting.

“Lead the way.”

I exhaled loudly, not sure how I felt about his response. Not only would I be working with him, but he’d also be living close by, too. So not good. “You first,” I said. He walked in front of me, and my gaze drifted to his ass. It was firm and very well showcased by his slacks. He’s my employee and the boss’s son. He’s my employee and the boss’s son. I had a feeling I was going to have to make that my new mantra.