Chapter 16

sixteen

DANIEL

After Ben's friends went home, I sat on his veranda, listening to the music playing on his sound system. I couldn't remember the last time I'd had so much fun. Ben's friends had kept me amused with stories about Sunrise Bay. None of them had been born here but, for different reasons, they'd made Colorado their home.

"Here you go." Ben handed me a cup of coffee. "Would you like another slice of cake?"

I shook my head. "If I have any more I'll have to run twice as far tomorrow. The cake was delicious."

"Paul's a great baker. I still can't believe it was Jonathon's candy store you visited."

"It's a small world. I'll make sure my procurement team calls him next week. A lot of people would enjoy his candy."

Ben sat in the chair beside me. "Does your brain ever switch off?"

I leaned back and stared up at the sky. "No."

Ben groaned. "You're a workaholic."

I smiled. "Probably. But my grandfather used to work twice as many hours and he never called himself a workaholic."

"What did your grandma think of him not being at home?"

"I never asked, but I think Owen and I helped fill the void."

Ben frowned. "What happened?"

"My parents died when I was eleven and my brother was nine." I closed my eyes and let the peacefulness of the evening wash through me. "Mom and Dad were on their way to a charity fundraiser when a drunk driver hit their car. Grandma and Granddad were looking after us."

I didn't remember much about that night or the days that followed. All I knew was that I'd missed my parents so much that I had a permanent stomach ache for years. I was always worried that something would happen to Owen or my grandparents and they'd never come home.

"Your grandparents must be proud of what you've done."

I frowned. "Grandma was proud of us regardless of what we did. Granddad's different." I looked at Ben, wanting him to understand the man who'd raised us. "Granddad's parents were Irish immigrants. He always felt as though he needed to prove something. Owen and I had to be the best at what we did. Coming second wasn't an option."

"That's a lot of pressure."

"I suppose it was, but at the time I thought it was the way everyone acted. It wasn't until much later that I realized I didn't have to be the best at everything. What about you? Why did you become a jeweler?"

Ben looked as though he was choosing his words carefully. "My dad was a jeweler and Mom was a painter. When I was little, I had my own desk in their studio. I'd sit for hours, drawing what I thought were the most amazing necklaces in the world." He sent me a lopsided smile. "When Dad made his jewelry, he explained everything he was doing. I must've been the only five-year-old who'd used a soldering pick."

I could imagine Ben sitting in his parents' studio. He would have been absorbing their creativity like a dry sponge floating in a bowl of water.

"Is your dad still a jeweler?"

Ben nodded. "He's a wonderful man, but he's also a perfectionist. He won't stop tweaking his designs until he has everything exactly how he wants them."

"He sounds like someone I'm sitting beside."

"Don't tell anyone, but you might be right."

Ben's smile made my heart pound. He had an easy, genuine charm that drew me in and made me wonder what would have happened if we'd met each other under different circumstances. "So, tell me, Mr. Perfectionist, what's a talented, beautiful man like yourself doing in Sunrise Bay?"

Ben bit his bottom lip.

I didn't know why the question made him uncomfortable. "You don't have to tell me."

"It's all right." Ben looked down at his hands. "Some friends spent a few weeks in Boulder and loved the area. When I was searching for somewhere a little quieter to live, I decided to explore Willow Lake. As soon as I saw Sunrise Bay, I knew I wanted to live here."

I frowned. Something about his story wasn't making sense. After Ben told me he was B.J. Davis, I'd called my brother and asked him to do a background check on Ben. Owen had found some interesting information.

After he left high school, Ben was a student at a creative design studio in Los Angeles. By the time he was twenty, he was holding successful exhibitions and making a name for himself. When he turned twenty-five, his jewelry featured in several high-profile magazines. Then, when he was twenty-seven, he moved to San Francisco and disappeared off everyone's radar.

Last year, B.J. Davis hit the arts scene with a splash, showcasing his jewelry on the cover of a top women's fashion magazine. And now, he'd won the prestigious Wilson Award.

I studied Ben's face. "Wouldn't a larger city have given you a lot more opportunity to grow your business?"

"Definitely, but living in a city is expensive. I wouldn't have been able to afford my own store or buy a home. Sunrise Bay has everything I've ever wanted."

"How did your family feel about you moving here?"

Ben sighed. "Dad understood why I needed to live somewhere else."

I wanted to ask him a lot more questions, but the wariness on his face worried me. Perhaps he was right to be careful. I wanted him to accept the award, but that was only the beginning of what he could do for Wilson Enterprises.

I didn't like manipulating anyone but, as chief executive, I'd done my fair share of changing people's minds. Only this time, I wasn't playing for shareholder loyalty; I was fighting for my future.

I wanted to know what Ben was passionate about, why he wanted to stay in Sunrise Bay and not fast-track his career. "Your friends are excited about the auction for The Welcome Center. Why did you get involved?"

If anything, Ben became even more guarded. "I knew some homeless people. If it weren't for the kindness of strangers, they would have stayed on the street for a lot longer than they did. When I moved to Sunrise Bay, I read an article about The Welcome Center. The church helps people who need a safe, warm place to stay. I contacted Pastor Adam and began volunteering. Before I knew it, I was helping to organize different fundraising events, including the auction."

"Do you need more donations?"

"We wouldn't say no. Everything will sell no matter how big or small. If you want to donate something, all you need to do is take it into the church. Pastor Adam will make sure it's added to the list of items to be auctioned."

"I'll organize something tomorrow." I had to look away when Ben smiled. For the first time in years, I was finding it hard to justify what I was doing.

Ben trusted me, and I was doing everything I could to make him do something he didn't want to do.