Afterwards, they lay there, their bodies tangled in the sheets.
Matt grinned at her and stroked a finger down her cheek. “Go call the hospital and make sure he’s okay. I know it’s killing you not knowing.”
How did he understand her so well already? Mia slid out of bed and did as he suggested.
When she hung up her phone, she found Matt standing at the living room window in his pajama pants looking out at the view. “This is so chaotic. I don’t know how you stand it.”
She put the phone down and walked over to him, sliding her arms around his waist. She put a kiss on his bare back as she inhaled the scent of him. He calmed her more than she wanted to admit. “I like it. Or at least I did.”
He turned around and held her against his bare chest. “And now?”
Mia looked up into his gorgeous brown eyes, wishing she could lose herself in the depth of emotion she saw there. “Well, I have to admit I missed hearing the ocean when I opened my eyes this morning.”
“About that. How do you like the idea of Ryan coming to stay with me for a few weeks to recuperate? He’s friends with Dad, so it’s not like he’ll be lonely. You can come and visit whenever you like. Maybe even work from there a few days a week. What do you say?”
Tempting. Oh so tempting. “I’d say you’ve been thinking way too hard about this.”
Matt squeezed her. “Not really. I like to be ahead of the game and I think it could work for everyone.”
She sighed. “For Ryan, yes. But I don’t think it will work for the business if I’m not onboard. It’s not really the kind of company I can run away from the city. But I could come over on weekends and see him. Make sure he’s behaving himself.” She tried not to let the disappointment in his eyes affect her decision. They’d just made love, and she was already stepping back. At least, that was how he would see it.
But the company came first. Too many people relied on her.
Chapter 13
Matt settled Ryan in the room that Mia had occupied when she was there. He’d offered him a room downstairs but Ryan had insisted he was well enough to use the stairs and it would be good exercise for him.
“This is such a pretty place, Matt. No wonder Mia was happy on the island.” There was color in Ryan’s face and a spark of life that hadn’t been there the last time Matt had seen him.
“Thanks. I like it. Not sure it’s the place for Mia though. She seems focused on the business and that’s not possible from Hope Island, according to her.” It was hard to keep the bitterness out of his voice.
“Give her a chance, Matt. She has her heart in the right place—excuse my pun. Mia has always been super focused and more so since her folks passed away. She has many other great qualities too once you get to know her.”
“That’s the problem. She doesn’t seem to want anyone to know her the way I’d like to. It’s all business with her, and I’m afraid if she doesn’t get herself checked out, she’s going to end up the same as you did—in the emergency room. I can’t bear the thought of that.”
“Didn’t she say she’d get checked out?”
“She did, but for some reason, I’m half expecting her to forget once she gets sucked into work.” If she could ignore the way they’d explored each other’s bodies, she could ignore her own health.
“She does tend to do that, but I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen. Trust me.”
Matt shrugged. “I care about her, Ryan. I don’t want to see her sick or worse.”
Ryan stood looking out the bay window a moment before answering. “There’re changes happening in the company of which I’m fairly certain Mia will approve. I’m sure she’ll tell you about it once it’s all agreed upon. What I can say though is that I hope you’ll be seeing more of her once things are dealt with. Funny how it takes a near-death experience to make you see what’s important in your life.”
“I agree. But when you get given a second chance, be a shame not to make the most of it.”
“Exactly. With your father’s help and the rest of the board members, I think we can get this sorted out fairly quickly.”
“Dad’s a board member? I thought he was a shareholder.”
“He is. He’s a member of the board and holds a large amount of shares too.”
It all made sense. The reason his dad had mentioned the idea of franchising. Matt had thought his dad had taken on a personal interest in the company that went over and above the investment he’d made. Matt had no idea of where most of his investments were.
“Does Mia know that Dad’s on the board?”
Ryan shook his head. “No. She doesn’t really get involved with that side of the business. That’s my gig. Besides, he’s always given me proxy to vote on his behalf. Prefers to stay out of the limelight and I understand that. Not everyone who invests in a company wants to be public about their involvement.”
“Are you going to tell her?”
“Eventually when we have the details at hand. When Mia decided to go public, she left the running of the company in my hands knowing that one day, the board might decide to dispose of the assets. She trusts me to do what’s best for everyone involved, including her and that’s what I intend to do. I’m going to take a few weeks off and then make contact with the other members and call a meeting. In the meantime, your father and I will hash out what we think is a good proposal, put it to the board, and see where it goes from there. Once we
