CHAPTER 1
Kenzie
THE PRESENT…
I’d only flown in an airplane twice in my entire life. Once to Los Angeles from Boston when I was eighteen years old. The second time I was on my way back home to the East Coast after all of my dreams had been shattered a couple of weeks later.
I could still remember the long coast-to-coast flight, being crammed into the cheapest economy seat I could find. Both directions had been uncomfortable, and I was happy that I’d never needed to fly again.
Until today.
Having been dirt poor all my life, nothing could have prepared me for my current flight to the Bahamas in Trace Walker’s private jet. I’d set out late this morning for my new job opportunity. Now, it was almost dinnertime, and I knew we had to be getting close to Dane Walker’s private island in the Bahamas.
I almost hated to see the flight end, even though I’d been in the air for over five hours. There was any number of things to occupy myself on the luxurious plane. I could even go take a nap in the bedroom of the jet, but I was too nervous to even consider that option. I’d eaten a gourmet lunch, and then watched a movie, so the time on board the jet had flown by.
Now that we were getting close to the Bahamas, I was getting nervous.
“Can you fasten your seatbelt, Ms. Jordan?” The friendly flight attendant’s request snapped me out of my thoughts.
“Of course,” I replied as I fumbled with my seatbelt. “Are we landing?”
The pretty, thin brunette smiled at me. “We’re descending. We’ll be on the island shortly.”
I sat up straight in the comfortable leather seat and snapped my seatbelt on. “Thank you for being so nice to me,” I mumbled, not sure quite what to say to the woman who’d made sure I had every available comfort on my flight.
“It’s my job,” she answered. “But it’s been a pleasure to serve you on this flight.”
“I appreciate it,” I told her. “I’ve never been on a private jet.”
I was pretty sure she already knew that. I’d been gawking at the interior of the aircraft like it was some kind of mirage in the desert from the moment I’d boarded.
“I hope you enjoyed the experience,” she commented politely.
“It was amazing,” I replied honestly. “I just hope Mr. Walker likes me.”
My new job as billionaire Dane Walker’s assistant on a private island in the Bahamas was a dream job. Not only was I being paid a small fortune in comparison to my previous jobs, but I was going to be working with an amazingly talented artist. During my short employment as a receptionist at a New York art gallery, I’d gotten to view one of his pieces in person. Not that it had stayed on display for long. It had sold for an outrageous price, and I’d mourned the loss of the beautiful work of art the moment it had been removed from the wall. I’d admired Dane Walker’s work for a long time, and I’d really hated to see the canvas go off exhibit so soon.
“You’ll be fine,” she assured me. “I haven’t met Dane Walker personally, but his brothers are both very good men.”
Maybe she had to say that because Trace Walker was her boss, but I had a feeling she meant what she said. “I haven’t met him either. I haven’t met any of the Walker brothers in person,” I confessed.
It had been a long flight, and I’d had plenty of time to chat with Mary, my accommodating flight attendant, during the flight. I’d told her that I was going to be a new employee to Dane Walker, and that I was nervous about whether or not we’d get along.
“Relax,” she said in a soothing voice. “I’m sure he’ll be as nice as his brothers.”
I hoped she was right. “It just seems strange that he lives on an island all alone. He has to get lonely. And why would he want to be away from his brothers? From what I can gather, they’re the only family he has.”
I’d been reading about the effects of prolonged isolation, and they weren’t good. If Dane Walker had been mostly alone for eight years, he could be completely nuts.
Mary shrugged. “I’m not certain, but he’s an artist. Maybe he’s just a little… eccentric.”
That was probably a tactful way of saying he was a little—or a lot—crazy.
I glanced out the window, noticing that we had gone down in altitude fairly quickly.
“Maybe,” I agreed in a noncommittal tone. I wasn’t certain exactly what I’d find on the island, but I was hoping for the best.
“You could travel to the populated islands on your time off,” she suggested. “It’s beautiful here.”
I nodded politely, knowing I wasn’t doing much of anything until I got paid. I had exactly five bucks in my purse. I’d been just that close to going broke in New York City after I’d lost my receptionist job because my boss had been a total dick. I’d still worked in a convenience store part-time, but living in New York was pricey, and there had been no way I could afford my part of the rent on the apartment I’d shared with several other women.
Trace Walker’s job offer to work for his brother had come completely out-of-the-blue, and it couldn’t have been offered at a better time. It had saved my ass from homelessness.
My best friend, Paige, had gotten engaged to Sebastian Walker, the middle billionaire Walker brother. After graduating from Harvard Law, she’d moved to Denver to work for Walker Enterprises. I hadn’t seen her since I’d left our apartment in Cambridge to move to New York City. I’d never even had the chance to tell her that I’d lost my job in the gallery, so she’d never known quite how bad things had gotten for me.
Honestly, I hadn’t wanted to tell Paige that I’d lost my job. She was so happy, and she deserved every moment of joy she could get. The last thing I’d wanted was to bring back any gloom and doom to her life.
Unfortunately, everything in my life sucked, and I was a total downer.
I figured I’d get by somehow. I always had. I’d been alone most of my life, and I had always managed to survive.
However, I was lucky that Trace and Sebastian had called me to offer employment. If they hadn’t, things had been about to get really bad. Like, homeless bad.
Finally, I answered the brunette beside my seat, “I want to see everything. I haven’t really been able to travel.”
I didn’t count running as fast as I could to another town as traveling, but I’d done some pretty quick relocations in my life. I’d had no choice.
“You’ll love traveling,” Mary said enthusiastically. “I love my job because it takes me to so many different places in the world.”
“I’m sure it will be okay,” I said, without much enthusiasm. I was too concerned about meeting Dane to think about anything else.
This job has to go well. I don’t have a plan B.
Mary patted me on the shoulder. “I have to get into my seat. We’ll be landing soon.”
I shot her a weak smile as she went to sit in one of the cream leather seats behind me and fastened her seatbelt.
Really, I had no idea how all this was going to work out, but I had to get along with Dane Walker. My survival depended on it.
I didn’t know what exactly I was required to do as Dane’s assistant, but I was willing to do most anything to keep a high-paying job that would lift me out of the world of poverty I’d been stuck in my entire life.
I worked hard, but I never got anywhere. I didn’t have a college degree, so there was very little hope of bettering myself. The only thing I’d known was how to stay alive.
Everything will be fine. Paige wouldn’t have let Trace and Sebastian send me here if it wasn’t a good opportunity.
I missed Paige so damn much. She’d not only been my best friend for years, but my only true friend. I was desperately hoping I could get to her wedding. Trace had told me that he wanted me to help Dane get organized so he could attend Sebastian and Paige’s big event, so obviously Dane would be going to the nuptials. Since the wedding was in the serious planning stages, I knew the date would be set soon. Would my new boss be willing to give me time off so I could attend the wedding? Since he’d be going to the ceremony, maybe he wouldn’t need me for a while.
I flinched as the tires of the jet hit the runway. The sound was still unfamiliar to me.
As I took a deep breath, I tried to convince myself that everything would work out okay. I just needed to make myself agreeable to Dane Walker, and deal with the fact that I was going to be doing things very much alone on the private island.
The difficulty was that I hated being completely alone. Maybe I didn’t have many real friends, but I’d always lived in the city where there were distractions. If I had too much time to think, I’d end up conjuring up memories I wanted desperately to forget.
I waited as the jet continued to taxi and it finally came to a complete stop. Mary was already getting my suitcase out of the closet and handing it to the pilot when I rose from my comfortable leather seat. I gathered my purse and my overnight bag which was holding my computer.
Everything I have fits in an overnight bag and one suitcase.
My roommates and I had all contributed to buying the threadbare furniture we’d had in our New York apartment. They were only items I’d partially owned, and I’d forfeited any claim to them when I’d left.
Not that any of the furnishings were worth splitting and moving to another place, but it was kind of pathetic that I could now put everything I owned into a carrier that I wheeled behind me.
“Good luck,” Mary said sincerely as I reached her.
I peeked outside, and I noticed that my suitcase was being loaded into a black limo on the tarmac. “Thank you. For everything,” I answered, grateful that I’d had somebody to talk to during the long flight.
I smiled at Mary as I moved toward the steps. I was immediately hit by a burst of warm, tropical wind as I moved down the stairs.
“I’m definitely not in New York anymore,” I muttered to myself as I made my way to the car Dane’s brothers had arranged to meet me here at the airport.
When I’d left New York, it had been well below freezing, and we’d just gotten a brutal winter storm. Being here in the Bahamas was like arriving in a whole new world.
Looking around curiously, all I saw was concrete because we were still on the runway, but I couldn’t wait to see more of the island. Despite my nervousness, this job was going to be an adventure, and I wanted to savor every moment.
I hurried to the car as fast as my sensible heels would get me there. I decided almost immediately that the long-sleeved dress I was wearing was much too warm for the climate here. And the stockings I was wearing were already sticking to my legs from the humidity.
The warmth was welcome.
The humidity…not so much. Especially in attire that was meant for a cold climate.
I’d wanted to impress Dane by looking professional, so I’d dressed in a green wool dress that I’d found at a thrift store at Christmas, and matched it with a basic pair of low-heeled shoes.
As I approached the vehicle, an unknown male in a loud, flowered shirt got out of the driver’s seat.
“Ms. Jordan?” he asked in a friendly voice.
I was taken aback by his politeness. Nobody called me Ms. Jordan.
I reached out to grasp the large hand he was offering. “Please call me Kenzie,” I requested, smiling at him even though I was nervous.
The big bear of a guy had sparkling brown eyes and skin so brown that I suspected he was a native. When he spoke, I knew for sure he’d been born and raised in the tropical environment.
“I’ll call you whatever you want me to,” he answered in a laid-back Bahamian accent.
“Then definitely call me Kenzie,” I said as I finally pulled my hand away from his strong grip. “Do you work for Mr. Walker?”
“I do,” he confirmed. “I have been working for him as long as he’s lived here on Walker’s Cay.”
“He named the island after himself?”
“Oh, no. He named it after his father,” the big man answered.
I felt my heart clench as I thought about what had happened to Dane. “And what should I call you?” I queried.
“You can call me Theo. That’s my name,” he said jokingly as he opened the car door.
I looked into the back seat, knowing I’d feel awkward sitting behind Theo. “Can I sit in the front?” I queried hesitantly. “I’d love a front seat view of the island.”
“Of course you can,” he said magnanimously, moving his large body in a surprisingly agile manner as he jogged to the passenger door.
I took a deep breath and let it out, feeling more comfortable because Theo was so nice.
I hauled ass to get into the passenger side of the dark limo, hoping Dane was as kind as Theo was being to me right now.
I’m going to be safe. I’m going to have a great job.
The financial stress of the past two weeks was finally going to get better. Who cared if all I owned was in just one suitcase and a carry-on? I was going to be working as an assistant for a world renowned artist, and I’d do everything I could to be useful to Dane.
Truth was, I was so grateful for this job that I hadn’t taken all that much time to wonder what it would be like to live on a private island with no people except my new boss. And it really didn’t matter. I was a survivor. Always had been. I’d work any job I could find to keep myself afloat.
Honestly, I didn’t want anybody to find me, and staying on an uninhabited island was as good of a place as any to hide.
Luckily, I’d scored a high-paying job, which was something I hadn’t expected. But I swore that no matter what it took, I’d impress Dane Walker so he never wanted to be without a personal assistant—me in particular—ever again.