My Salvation (3 page)

He didn’t care if it took longer to get to work
since the company was his. Owen arrived at work at fifteen minutes
to eight. There was a meeting on his calendar with the head of
finance at eight o’clock and he arrived just in time.

Owen walked into the office to find a slender
blonde in a sleek navy business suit sitting on his desk. Her skirt
was pushed partly up her thigh to show off her slim, toned legs. As
he walked in she shifted, uncrossed her legs and then moved them
again, one over the other. He knew the game that was being played
and he wasn’t biting.

“Avery, kindly remove your ass from the desk,”
Owen said, nodding in her direction.

“Whatever you say,
Boss.
”

“You know I don’t want you to call me that. Sit
in the chair, and let’s get to work.”

They discussed the quarterly sales, projected
growth over the remainder of the year, and various other matters on
the agenda. The hour also consisted of Avery flipping her hair over
her shoulder, more repetitive crossing of her legs, and biting on
her lower lip. He grew aggravated from her actions.

Owen stood and she followed. Gently placing her
hand on his forearm, she leaned in and said, “Thank you for meeting
with me this morning.”

Taking a step back so her hand fell away, Owen
said, “Avery, you have to knock this off.”

Batting her eyelashes, she said, “I don’t know
what you are referring to.”

“The only relationship I’m interested in with
you is a professional one.”

He had told her over and over, but she wouldn’t
take the hint. Other guys fell over her, but she just didn’t turn
him on. He found her attractive, but not someone that he could see
spending his future with and a fling was out of the question.

Avery waved her hand in the air and said, “I
hear you loud and clear, Boss.”

“Yup, sure you do. Thanks for the numbers.”

She all but purred, “You’re welcome.”

She ran her finger across her bottom lip and her
eyes shifted to the area below his belt. She looked, turned and in
the very best catwalk strut, left. If she hadn’t been so good at
her job he would have fired her a long time ago. But the results
that she provided were undeniable. That only would guarantee a
job.

Owen rubbed his hands over his face, as if to
wipe the sight of Avery away, and sat down to get some work done.
He turned on the computer and looked out of the picture window
behind him to take in the view of the ocean. Some boats were
docked, others were setting out for a day of fishing or relaxing at
sea.

When he bought the company it was nothing more
than a small fishing boat manufacturer. A lot of hard work was put
into the company, making it the multimillion dollar company before
him. OLM Yachts was his pride and joy. Everything he had was
invested into the company and it showed.

He didn’t have a huge workforce, but what he did
have was the best of the best. People who were dedicated to the
company and he was sure to take care of his employees in return.
They had excellent benefits and if something was needed, they knew
who to talk to. The employees weren’t just his workers, but his
extended family.

The rest of the day flew by and by six o’clock
he was back in the truck ready to leave for the day. He had to stop
at the house and pick up a few things. Owen didn’t expect to be
staying at the lake all week, but the chance to see Cali was well
worth the extra work.

He drove to Dalia Lake and kept daydreaming
about Cali. What his lips would feel like to kiss hers after all of
these years, to feel her body in his arms, velvety skin against his
own. A plan began to form and he hoped that Cali would go along
with what he had in mind.

* * * * * * * *

Cali spent the day lounging and getting nothing
done, but that was okay. The break was well-deserved. She was at
the dock with her feet hanging over the edge when the sound of a
truck door being shut was heard. Turning, she saw Owen walking up
the stairs to his cabin.

As if knowing she was looking at him, he turned
and looked right at her. Cali blushed and refocused on the water.
Having known him most of her life, the affect he was having on her
was new and hard to understand.

She was lost in thought and didn’t hear him come
to the dock and walk up behind her. “Hi, Cali.”

She jumped. “Shit! You shouldn’t sneak up on
people.”

Owen chuckled and said, “I just saw you two
minutes ago. I don’t call this sneaking up.”

His dimples stirred something within. “Yeah,
well, I do. You scared the hell out of me.”

“Still jumpy from your intruder last night?” She
didn’t miss the look of mischief on his face.

“You aren’t ever going to let me live that down,
are you?”

Owen smiled wide and said, “Nope.”

Cali smiled as well and slowly brought her legs
around to stand. Owen held out his hand to help her up and she
gladly accepted. Standing, she was shorter than him and had to look
up to meet his eyes.

“Good day at work?” She didn’t know where he
worked, but doubted it was the same place from when they were
younger.

“Not bad. Hey, what are you doing for
dinner?”

“No idea. I only have to cook for me so I hadn’t
really given it much thought.”

“Come out with me tonight.”

Cali raised an eyebrow, looked into his eyes and
said, “Like a date?”

“Yes, like a date. Nothing fancy, just the two
of us catching up, talking about raccoons.”

“Real funny. Fine, I’ll go. Give me thirty
minutes to get ready.”

“Sounds good.”

They walked side by side to the cabins, but
neither said a word. Cali did glance up at one point and saw a
small smile on Owen’s face which made her smile in return.

Cali came out thirty minutes later, on the dot
wearing a long, light blue summer dress. Her wavy hair was swept
into a ponytail, and she had silver hoop earrings on. The look Owen
was giving made her self-conscious. She brought her hand to her
hair and slowly felt the silky strands as if to make sure nothing
was out of place.

Owen gave her a brilliant smile and stepped off
of the porch to walk toward her. He grabbed her hand and brought it
to his lips, placing a light kiss on top. “You look beautiful,
Caliana.”

Cali blushed and whispered, “Thank you.”

“Come on, let’s go.”

Owen led her to the truck and opened the door on
the passenger side. They only drove for a few minutes before
pulling off of the road into a dirt drive. After driving through
some dense trees and tall grass what emerged was beautiful. She had
never seen this side of the lake.

They came to a stop and Cali jumped out. She
walked to the shoreline to take in the surroundings. The area was a
completely hidden part of the lake in a small alcove and the view
was breathtaking.

She looked out onto the lake, taking in how
serene the water was. No boats or swimmers were around, only
nature, the sound of the water gently hitting the shore, and
Owen.

Turning, she saw Owen pull out a cooler and a
large quilt. He spread the small dinner on top of the blanket.
There was brie, apples, grapes, sandwiches and a couple bottles of
water. Nothing fancy, but Cali thought the meal was perfect.

“I can’t believe you did all of this,” she
said.

Cali saw him look at her. Not like a curious
look, but one she thought was almost adoration. She didn’t know why
he was staring so intently, but the look was starting to make her
feel a little awkward and a blush spreading over her face.

“Owen, why are you looking at me so
seriously?”

“You’re very beautiful, Caliana.”

Unable to speak from embarrassment, she ducked
her head down. Receiving compliments wasn’t something she was used
to.

“Are you hungry?”

She nodded. “Yes, I’m starving. The food all
looks so good.” They both took seats on the quilt and started to
eat. “How did I not know about this place?”

“I only found the alcove a couple of years ago.
I was driving around the lake and saw the brush was parted. I
pulled off of the road and walked back. The next day I came by and
cleared out enough to get the truck down here. I come to this spot
when I want to be alone and think.”

Cali smiled. “And yet you shared your secret
spot with me.”

“I wouldn’t want to share this view with anyone
else. We spent the end of every summer at the lake. You are always
on my mind when I’m here.”

She didn’t know what to say, but was surprised
by his honesty. The Owen she remembered was more of jokester, not
serious. Instead of responding, she bit into the sandwich and
spread some brie on the apple. “Mmm-mmm, so good.”

Owen winked at her before biting into his own
sandwich. They ate in a comfortable silence. The date wasn’t like a
typical first date where she didn’t know the man and the topics of
conversation were forced. Although, she didn’t know what he’d been
doing the last ten years. Cali heard things from Rhea about how he
was, but never with much detail.

“So, Owen Matthews, tell me what have you been
up to?”

“Work mostly, nothing too exciting.”

“Are you still working for Mr. Stewart on the
coast?” She didn’t think he was, but was curious.

“Something along those lines.”

“Something along those lines?” she asked,
laughing. “Tell me. I really want to know more about you.”

“Okay. Well, Mr. Stewart was getting older and
couldn’t keep up with the demands of the company. He didn’t have
any children so he asked me if I wanted to buy it and take over.
His idea of me buying the company felt like I was stealing from
him. Mr. Stewart asked for a ridiculously small amount of money and
wouldn’t hear of giving him anything more. I had the money saved
and took him up on the offer. I’ve changed the business quite a bit
over the years. It’s no longer a small fishing boat
manufacturer.”

Cali could tell by the tone of his voice that he
was proud of what had been accomplished. “What is the company
now?”

After eating a few grapes he said, “We build
yachts. I streamlined the process and updated the equipment. We
only use high-end materials and the best craftsmen. I hired the
best on the coast to help build the best yachts. We do okay. I’m
very happy with the way things have been going.”

“Only one yacht manufacturer is nearby and they
build luxury yachts.”

Owen nodded in agreement, continuing to eat
dinner.

“So you’re saying you own OLM Yachts?”

“Yeah.”

“OLM,” Cali said, more to herself than him. The
pieces were all coming together. “Owen Lee Matthews. Get out! How
did I not know?”

Shrugging, he said, “When people ask what I do,
I tell them I build boats. That’s the same thing.”

“Nope!” Cali exclaimed. “Holy shit, Owen. What
you do is amazing! You must be thrilled with the success you’ve
had. I can’t believe Rhea never told me.”

“We didn’t talk too much.”

“That’s great, Owen. So, you’re like some big
shot CEO now?”

Laughing, he said, “No, not at all. I own and
run the company, but I consider the employees part of my family.
We’re close and I make sure they are taken care of. We get tight
deadlines and they have to miss time with their families. I make
sure everyone gets rewarded. Missing family time is a big sacrifice
to make.”

“Every company should be run that way, but
unfortunately they aren’t.”

“Enough about me,” he said, obviously trying to
change the subject. “I want to hear about you. What have you been
doing?”

Cali was a little embarrassed. She was having
dinner with someone, whom she can only imagine is very wealthy, and
there she sat, jobless.

“Ummm … I’m currently in between jobs. I just
quit before coming back to the lake.”

“You didn’t like what you were doing?”

“There was more to it. I didn’t like the people
I worked with and the pay was crap. I don’t want to stay at a job
that doesn’t make me happy. Plus, I’m all right if I don’t work for
a bit.” The last sentence made Cali’s thoughts drift to Rhea and
how she came to afford that particular luxury. She didn’t want the
money or the cabin. What she wanted was her aunt back.

* * * * * * * *

Seeing the difference in Cali’s face, Owen
decided to change the subject. Knowing Rhea had left her
everything, he also knew she didn’t want to speak of the way she
came by the money and suddenly stopped talking. A change of subject
was in order.

“No boyfriend?”

Seeming to come back to reality, she turned her
head toward him and said, “No, no boyfriend.”

“I’m surprised. Last I heard you were dating
someone, but that was years ago.”

“Oh, probably Zach. He was an asshole and
cheated on me. I haven’t been in a serious relationship since.”

“I’m sorry you went through that. He was an
idiot for not seeing what was right in front of him.”

“It’s okay. Doesn’t bother me anymore. He isn’t
even worth thinking about,” Cali said.

They sat in silence for a bit, then packed
everything and got back into the truck for the short drive to the
cabins. Once on the road Cali broke the silence. “What’s going on
with you? No hot chick rocking your world?”

Owen almost said
yeah, you
, but chose
not to. He didn’t want to scare her off. Instead he chose to say,
“No one in my life. I work a lot and there aren’t many women who
want to deal with someone so busy with work. Plus I’m not much of a
bar guy, so it’s harder for me to meet someone.”

Parking the truck in the gravel path between the
cabins, Owen hopped out and opened the door for Cali. He reached
for her hand to help her step out. She smiled and took his offered
hand.

Owen continued to hold her hand as they walked
to the front door. He slowly ran his thumb across the back of her
hand, caressingly the skin slowly. Cali tightened her grip. He felt
like a teenager returning his date home for the night.