Indeed they had been at one time. You didn’t grow up as the only child of Jefferson and Madeline Gentry without rubbing elbows with some of the privileged elite. Her parents were what you would call “old money.” If there had ever been a poor Gentry in the family tree, it was too far back to be found. She had bowed to parental pressure and attended an Ivy League college, which was probably why Hank suspected that she was from money. After she graduated, she had started to pull away from the crowd she had grown up with. The pressure to fit in had long ago gotten old and she had been eager to experience life without a constant safety net under her.
Of course, her parents had been less than thrilled with her choices. She would have thought her computer science degree would have tipped them off, but apparently they just assumed she had spent four years in college to study a hobby. When she moved out of her gated childhood home in a posh oceanfront section of Garden City Beach, they had been quite vocal in their disapproval. She had struck a compromise with them and had moved into a condominium that her father owned in nearby Surfside Beach. She wanted to hate it, but truthfully she loved her two-bedroom home right on the ocean. It was a small twelve-unit building and even though she was well paid at Danvers, it would have been out of her price range.
She rarely saw any of her childhood friends anymore. Most of them just didn’t understand her these days. As was often the case, they had all moved on. She had new friends now, such as her good friend and coworker, Nikki, who was currently on maternity leave and had named Mia the godmother of her first child. Indeed, life was different, but much better now. Her parents might never understand her, but she hoped in some tiny way they respected her need to make it on her own.
Hank snapping his fingers jerked her from her trip down memory lane and back to the present. Damn, what was his question again? Oh yeah, her people, hmmm, how to answer that? “I don’t know about that. I’m not familiar with the owner or owners.”
He grinned, obviously amused with her efforts to sidestep his question. “Have you ever been inside the Oceanix Resort?”
Well shit, he had her there and he knew it. “Er . . . a few times. They have a good Sunday brunch.”
“Whew, I can only imagine how much a meal in that place would set you back.” Without waiting for an answer, he continued on. “So, at least you’re familiar with it. Bullshit aside, Merimon asked that we send you.”
Mia’s heart stuttered. Oh my God, Gray Merimon knew she existed? Maybe that threesome idea wasn’t all in her head. “Wow, okay. If Gray asked for me.” Before she could start mentally picking out lingerie, Hank busted her bubble.
“Gray? No, the other one, Nick. He handled the contract and requested the team leader. He even mentioned you by name.”
Talk about having the rug pulled out from under you. It wasn’t that she didn’t find Nick attractive; he was delish. His fiancée, Beth, was hot as well, but she was pregnant. It seemed wrong to have a fantasy about someone knocked up. Oh well, it was probably for the best. She would just continue to admire her idol from afar. “Yeah, I’ll head on over there this morning and get everything started. Who do I need to ask for?”
Hank pulled some paperwork from his shirt pocket and handed it over to her. “Seth Jackson is your contact. He also indicated that you can speak with someone named Margie if he isn’t in.” Then Hank’s name was paged for a call and he left her office with a curse.
Mia spent the next hour answering emails and returning calls. She packed a bag with her iPad and a notebook to jot down some quick notes. She stopped off at the restroom to survey her reflection before she left. She had dressed a bit casually for a customer visit, but it would have to suffice. She was wearing black skinny pants, with her high-heeled pink pumps and a matching pink-and-white striped top. Her wavy brown hair was styled in the usual intentionally messy look, and her makeup consisted of pink blusher and a sheer lipstick. Yeah, it would have to do. She seldom spent a lot of time with management in the preliminary stages anyway.
Sydney Landon is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Danvers series. She lives in South Carolina with her husband and two children, who keep life interesting and borderline insane, but never boring. When she isn’t writing, Sydney enjoys reading, swimming and being a mini-van driving soccer mom. Local bookstore: Books a Million, Greenville and B&N, Greenville.
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