Page 27 of The Sandover Beach Billionaire

Nice? What was with her? Jackson almost missed the sharp-tongued Jenna who had lashed out at him multiple times.

Rachel went back inside and was halfway up the stairs to the next level. Jenna lingered on the balcony and Jackson waited. Their eyes met again as she turned to go back inside. He wanted to look away, but held her gaze until she looked down. There was an energy between them that made his heart do a full-on somersault. Wordlessly, she moved past him up the stairs. Jackson made a conscious effort not to stare at her legs and backside as he followed her up. He wasn’t going to be that guy. Even if she had great legs.

Rachel and Jenna moved on more quickly from the second floor—which was more bedrooms and another balcony. Music came from behind Megan’s closed door.

The real star was the top level. Jackson loved how the light hit you before you got to the top of the last flight of stairs. The top level was almost all windows. It felt like you were ascending out of shadows into the light. The blue-gray paint he had chosen for the walls was a perfect extension of the sky and sea views all around.

Having the master and main living area on the top floor was the opposite of most classic floor plans, where the kitchen, living areas, and master bedroom would be on the first floor. But with the sweeping views on the ocean front, it made much more sense to have the main living areas and his bedroom on the third floor.

“This is a lot of stairs,” Rachel said, breathing heavily. “But the views! Wow. Totally worth it.”

Jackson stood near the kitchen, leaning against the granite-topped island as they took in the room with its high ceilings, simple furniture, and incredible sweeping view of the ocean. Rachel threw open the glass doors and went out to the main balcony. Jenna paused at the half staircase tucked away just off the living room, leading up to what Jackson called the Tower Room. At the top of a half staircase, the small square seating area had windows on four sides, making it seem almost like a castle turret. If he wasn’t on one of the balconies, Jackson spent his time up in the Tower Room. It was where he had his morning devotionals. His Bible and journal were still up there, probably open on the table …

Jackson’s mouth suddenly felt dry. Jenna was going up. He followed as quickly as he could without chasing her. He definitely didn’t want Jenna reading his feelings laid bare in the private journal of mixed thoughts and prayers.

He reached the top of the six steps up and grabbed the open journal from the couch and tucked it and his bible under the other book he had up here: Field Guide to the Birds. Jenna turned a slow circle, a panoramic view of the island. The table also held a pair of reading glasses and binoculars.

“You found my favorite room in the house,” Jackson said. “I call it the tower room.”

Jenna turned, an unfamiliar look on her face. Jackson realized that it was awe. He felt the swell of pride. “It’s…amazing. Truly. These views. I don’t think I’ve ever seen the whole island, end to end.” These were the first words she had spoken since she entered the house. Her voice was softer than he had heard it this week. Jackson felt a thrill of pleasure.

“Does it make you want to stay?”

She looked away, down the beach. “I don’t know what I want.”

Jackson could work with that. Not knowing, whether she was talking about staying at Sandover or something more, gave him hope. Hope that she might stay, hope that she might see Jackson in a different way.

She picked up The Field Guide to Birds, one eyebrow raised. “Yours?”

He smiled. “Busted. You like shells; I like birds. The reading glasses are mine too. And the binoculars.” He held up the binoculars to his face, then switched to the reading glasses, the binoculars, the reading glasses. “Far away, close up. Far away, close up.”

She giggled and he felt a rush of joy at the sound. Maybe his plan of attack to warm Megan up with humor would work for Jenna too.

“I’m getting motion sickness just watching you.”

“Yeah, that was a poor choice.” Jackson set them down on the table. “Luckily, when I’m watching your house, I just need the binoculars, not the glasses.”

“What?” Her eyes went wide before she whipped her head around to look toward the wildlife preserve near her neighborhood. There was no way to see her house from here. Jackson covered his mouth to stifle his laughter. She turned back and pushed his shoulder. “Shut up.”

“You believed me for a second there. Which makes me feel like maybe I’m giving off too much of a creepy stalker vibe.”

“I only like non-creepy stalking. When you get to the point of using binoculars, it’s gone too far.”

Jackson smiled. This felt like Jenna. The way he always saw her with other people. Never him. Lightness and humor—that’s how he remembered her.

She stared at him, assessing. He felt a warmth rising in his cheeks at her gaze. She looked like she was about to say something. He waited. Sometimes people needed a little bit of time. He’d learned that with Mercer. Listening really was an active thing—making a conscious choice not to fill the silence with words, allowing room for people to say what they really needed to say. In this moment, he could hear his heart beating in his chest like a kick-drum.

“Hey, Jackson—”

She was interrupted by Megan’s voice, calling up the tower room staircase.

“When’s this super fun old-people party breaking up? Aren’t we doing sushi, J?” Turning to Jenna, Megan stage-whispered: “He likes to eat mid-afternoon so we can get the happy hour prices. He may be rich, but he’s cheap.”

Jackson felt immediately and intensely embarrassed. Megan had a way of doing that. She liked throwing adults off-balance by her casual and often disrespectful way of talking to them, especially with Jackson. He didn’t mind as much when it was just the two of them, but what would Jenna think about his brash, outspoken daughter? Did she even know he had a daughter before today? Now that he had warmed her up, would Megan be a deal-breaker?

“Hey, that’s just smart. I appreciate a good deal,” Jenna said. Jackson shot her a surprised but grateful smile.

Jackson started down to the main floor. Jenna followed him. “Megan, have you met Jenna and Rachel? We were all friends in high school.” He emphasized the word “friends.” The last thing he needed was her making a comment about his interest in Jenna, which Megan obviously had noticed.

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