Winning Ben Read online

  Winning Ben

  by

  JoMarie DeGioia

  PUBLISHED BY:

  Bailey Park Publishing at Smashwords

  Copyright © JoMarie DeGioia 2015

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the publisher, except where permitted by law.

  Ebook ISBN: 978-1-944181-01-7

  Contents

  Copyright

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  Discover other books by JoMarie DeGioia

  Connect with me online

  Chapter 1

  Chapman Financial, Boston

  Ben Chapman scratched his pen over the piece of scrap paper in front of him, desperate for an idea to strike. He thought about the projects he’d worked on back in Santa Cruz just a year ago. Beach houses and condo redesigns in the bright sunshine of that laid-back city. It felt more like a lifetime than a year ago, though. Of course, thinking back made him think about last Christmas. His last Christmas with his mother.

  Shoving the paper aside, he twirled the pen between the fingers of his right hand. Turning back to the computer, he reviewed the documents his father sent him. Numbers and percentages and projections. He could read the patterns and see the value, but the entries held no interest for him.

  He’d been working at Chapman since mid-summer. Now it was nearly September but he doubted he would last here through the end of the year. He couldn’t seem to focus on any projects back in Cali since his mother died, so he’d packed up and moved to Boston. Of all places.

  His father had all but begged him to make the move, which was astounding in itself. He’d never shown any real interest in Ben up to that point last spring when he’d called and said he had something to tell him. Man, had that something been…something. He had two brothers and a sister he never knew about.

  A sharp rap came at his door but his visitor didn’t wait for him to answer. No. Bill Chapman strode into Ben’s office just like he’d barreled back into his life.

  “Ben,” Bill said without preamble. “I need your help.”

  Ben deliberately put his pen back down on the desk and folded his hands. “Help with what?”

  Bill stalked closer, his expression intense. It was his father’s default expression, Ben was coming to recognize. How his free spirit of a mother had ever gotten tangled up with the tight-ass, he’d never know.

  “I need your help down in Cypress.”

  Ben thought for a second. Cypress Corners, located in Central Florida, was one of Chapman’s most successful projects. He’d been impressed during his short visit there over the summer. A sprawling property of ten thousand acres featuring upscale retail, state-of-the-art homes and an award-winning golf course, it was also the home of Ben’s newfound siblings. That odd pang in his gut came, as it always did when he thought about the family he’d never known until now.

  Ben sat back as he considered his father’s words, taking in the man’s appearance from head to toe. He was tall and broad and still handsome at his age. Ben took a lot of features from him. Bill’s thick, dark hair and his build. When he’d met his brothers Rick and Jake several weeks ago he’d seen the resemblance among all three of them, too. It was weird, realizing he shared so much with those men yet he’d shared nothing with them all of his life.

  Bill was dressed and pressed and the picture of the successful man he was. Chapman Financial backed numerous projects and their investors saw very satisfying returns. Even Ben could see that from the documents he’d reviewed this morning.

  “What can you possibly need me for?” There was a weight in that question but his father seemed to ignore it. As usual.

  “You’re an architect.”

  Ben blew out a breath. He hadn’t designed a damn thing in months and the title felt false. Fake. “And?”

  Bill settled into the chair opposite. Ben’s desk was huge, as was his office. He’d been told his brother Jake had occupied this space before him, when he’d flown in to work at Chapman for a couple of months a year. That was before he moved to Cypress for good, though. Just like Rick and their sister Cassie had. And now Bill needed him to head down there?

  “The developers want to expand on their green homes, Ben. Which you know.”

  Ben shrugged. Cassie’s fiancé Ty had mentioned that. “Yeah. I know.”

  “I want you to give your input on the designs.” Bill paused, his gaze steady. “Chapman’s input.”

  Ben’s throat tightened. “I’m taking a break from designing.”

  Bill nodded as he waved a hand. “Yeah, so you’ve said. Listen, Ben. You were only down there for a couple of days this summer. You don’t know how that place works. The tree-huggers at the Cypress Institute pretty much run the place and the developers have to work with them.”

  “I’m taking a break from designing,” Ben said again.

  “I need you on the inside. I want a hand in just how these new sections of the property are being planned and implemented.”

  “You want me to be your spy?” Ben smirked. “Should I wear a disguise?”

  Bill shook his head. “No, no.” His lips quirked in a smile. “God, you remind me of your brother Jake.”

  Ben didn’t know if that was true but he didn’t mind the comparison. He’d gotten to know his siblings a little on that too-short visit. Jake was his daredevil brother who had settled down with the pretty redhead. He seemed like a pretty good guy too, and was just a year older than Ben’s twenty-eight.

  “I can’t say anything to that. I don’t really know my brother Jake.”

  Bill winced. Ben’s statement hit his father just as he’d hoped it would. How the hell did a man keep the existence of another son from his children for twenty-eight years? And keep them from that son, too? Money was all Ben ever got from Bill Chapman. No attention. Certainly no affection.

  That took a certain type of son-of-a-bitch and, from the few discussions he’d had with his siblings, Bill was just that particular kind.

  “Yeah, well,” Bill said. “Just head down there and get in good with the developers. With the sales staff and the Institute, too.”

  Ben picked up his pen, twirling it through his fingers again. “You know, it seems to me that Rick would be the perfect guy for the job. He runs the Sales Center and his wife works for the Cypress Institute.”

  Bill ran a hand over his jaw, his gaze drifting over Ben’s shoulder and out the wide glass windows at Ben’s back. “Rick and I don’t exactly…” He trailed off.

  “Have a relationship? Yeah, I got that.”

  Bill cleared his throat. “Look. You’re going down to Cypress for Cassandra’s wedding next month, right?”

  Ben nodded. “A couple of weeks before, actually.”

  His sister had insisted that Ben be a part of the celebration and he’d found he couldn’t deny the little spitfire anything. It was odd, the beginnings of a connection he felt with all three of his siblings. He wondered just how close they all could have been if they’d grown up in each other’s lives.

&nb
sp; “Aren’t you going down for the wedding?” he asked his father.

  Again Bill looked away. “I’m not sure.”

  Ben let the subject drop. Whatever brand of crap went on between Bill and his other kids, Ben wasn’t a part of that either. He thanked God for small favors as he considered his father’s request. He suspected he had more in common with Rick, Jake and Cassie, too. It was worth trying to get to know them all better. Besides, there was nothing here for him in Boston. And there sure as hell was nothing left for him in Santa Cruz.

  Ben stopped twirling the pen and nodded. “When do you need me there?”

  ***

  Cypress Corners, Florida

  Tammy Donato hummed to herself as she breezed back into the Sales Center, her heels clicking over the travertine tile floor with each step. The tour had gone like gangbusters and the group of prospective residents trailing in behind her was chatting and smiling and giving her every indication that she’d driven her points home this afternoon.

  Cypress was a great place to live. She believed that, even if she didn’t buy into the rest of it all. There were way too many references to kids and family in her spiel but she had to make those points. She supposed they were true. The schools were stellar and the recreation areas primed for families with kids of all ages.

  “Will we see you at the picnic by the lake tonight, Tammy?” one of the women asked her.

  No friggin’ way. “You just might,” Tammy said with a grin.

  With a parting wave, Tammy disappeared into her office before she could say just what she thought about the planned family-friendly activities that seemed to go on every single day in Cypress. There was no way in hell she was going to attend an event so full of sticky, noisy kids.

  She sat in her chair and thumbed through the latest prospectus from her boss. More homes were planned, and she was just the girl to push them. Um, promote them. Green homes, with even more eco-advanced features than what was going on already. It was part of the Cypress Institute’s mission for the property. Cypress Corners sat on ten thousand acres in Central Florida, and more than half of that was reserved for plant and animal conservation.

  Oliver opened her door and strolled in. “Hey, girl.” His blond hair was artfully tousled and his perfect features were beaming.

  “Hey, Ollie.”

  Ollie cocked his head to the side, his full lips in a pout. “How are you going to get out of tonight’s picnic?”

  Tammy waved a hand. “Family stuff isn’t in my wheelhouse, boy. I’ll promote the events as fun, family entertainment but there’s no way I’m going to any one of them. Besides, I usually take off for the beach on Fridays.”

  “I know.” Ollie shook his head. “But that’s not what Mr. Forbes says.”

  “What?”

  “He says we should all go.”

  “He does?” Tammy bit back a favorite Italian curse of her father’s as she shook her head. “Well, Mr. Forbes can—”

  “Mr. Forbes can what?” Mr. Forbes asked, leaning in the doorway.

  Her face flushed hot. “Hi there, Mr. Forbes.”

  Mr. Forbes, one of the developers of Cypress, shook his head at her but she saw the hint of a smile beneath his salt-and-pepper moustache. “You were saying, Tammy? Something about tonight’s outing?”

  Tammy sat up a little bit straighter. Wearing her usual work clothes of a silk blouse and crisp linen skirt, she knew she projected a professional image. Her hair was still straight and neat too, despite the breeze she’d kicked up on the golf cart with her last tour. It all felt like a costume at the moment, however.

  She held on to the cool reserve she fought to maintain at all times and gave him a smooth smile. “I was just telling Oliver that you can count on me, sir.”

  He gave a nod. “Good. You’re our best salesperson, no offense to Oliver here, and I need you to mingle with the prospective residents we’ve invited. You remember the invitations going out, don’t you my dear?”

  She nodded. Boy, did she. The staff had worked their fingers to the bone emailing practically every family who’d ever taken a tour of Cypress over the past six months.

  “Of course, Mr. Forbes.”

  “Rick is counting on you to be there,” he continued. “You wouldn’t want to disappoint him, would you?”

  Jeez, way to pile it on. Rick Chapman was the Sales Director and she counted him as a friend as well as her boss. He was good for Cypress and she knew just what that meant to the bottom line. And to her own commission earnings.

  “Never, sir.” She saw Ollie smirking from where he leaned against the wall. “Oliver and I will be there with bells on.”

  Ollie’s blue eyes rounded and his perfect angel face went a little pale. “It should be a blast,” he croaked.

  Mr. Forbes gave another brisk nod and left her office. Ollie shut the door and sat on the corner of her desk.

  “Thanks for that,” he said.

  “Shut up,” she said without anger. “Now we have to go play the family stuff tonight. Great. So much for the beach.”

  “How do you think I feel?” Ollie asked. “It’s not exactly my scene, you know.”

  Tammy leveled a gaze at him. “Your people can marry now, Ollie. Shouldn’t you be hooking up with your forever love and adopting a couple of boxers?”

  “French bulldogs, and not yet thanks.” He waved a hand. “What about you? Your best friend is married to that daredevil, Jake Chapman. And blazing-hot nature boy Ty is going to marry Jake’s little sister in two weeks. When’s your turn?”

  “My turn for what?”

  “Family stuff, Tammy. For real.”

  She gave a dramatic shiver. “None for me, thanks. All my family is up in Jersey, happily populating the Shore as we speak.”

  Ollie grinned. “How many nieces and nephews is it now?”

  Tammy groaned. “Jeez, I’ve lost count. I have three sisters and two brothers, all married and having babies left and right. My family procreates like it’s 1945 and the Allies just liberated Europe.”

  Ollie laughed out loud. “You’re bad.”

  “I’m serious.” She blew out a breath and leaned back in her chair once more. “I’m glad, in a way. It keeps my mother off my back about doing the family thing any time soon. That’s a good thing, since I’m twenty-seven and by that age she already had three kids herself.”

  Ollie shook his head. “But what about the romance thing?”

  Tammy nibbled her bottom lip. She’d had little crushes on just about every hot guy who’d come to work at Cypress, and flirted hard with them too. She’d never pushed it past flirting, though. It seemed to her that they all fell fast for their own true loves. And once a guy showed serious interest in another girl? It was hands off where she was concerned.

  First there had been Rick Chapman, who’d fallen hard for Harmony from the Cypress Institute. Then his brother Jake, who Tammy had to admit was an extra-delicious slice of pie. And she couldn’t forget Ty Walsh, the wild-animal tamer who was well and caught by the only Chapman girl, Cassie. Amazingly, they all seemed so happy.

  Seeing her own siblings, sweethearts all and apparently truly in love with their spouses, convinced her that you couldn’t have commitment without consequences. She shivered as she thought about juggling carpool, strollers and soccer dates. Fall in love, lose yourself. And your freedom.

  Tammy hadn’t wanted anything real with Rick, Jake or Ty, though. Flirting was just part of her DNA. It was harmless and actually helped her in her chosen career. She had charm in spades, her father always told her. Now, at Cypress, she could work that charm to her advantage. And keep her heart completely out of it.

  “Romance?” she asked. “Not my thing.”

  Another knock came at the door and Ollie opened it. Rick stood there, an expectant look on his face.

  “Hey, Rick,” she said.

  “Hey. Good, you’re both in here.”

  Tammy and Ollie both stood.

  “What’s up?” Ollie asked.
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  “I want you guys to meet my brother.”

  Tammy laughed a little. “Okay. I believe we know Jake pretty well by now.”

  Rick smiled. “No. My half-brother, Ben. He came down for a short visit a few weeks ago, but I didn’t get a chance to introduce you to him.”

  Rick stepped back and Ollie was the first out the door. He stood still as he caught a glimpse of who was just outside her field of vision. Rick’s half-brother, she presumed. Then Ollie slid a glance at Tammy from beneath raised eyebrows.

  “Ben, this is Oliver Wright and Tammy Donato,” Rick said. “Tammy. Ollie. My brother, Ben Chapman.”

  With a smile fixed on her face, Tammy stepped into the hall to join them. Then she got a look at Rick’s brother and her stomach tumbled down to her toes.

  “Hi.” Rick’s brother’s voice was deep and a little bit husky. “Nice to meet you.”

  Ollie said something in return but Tammy just stared dumbly at Ben Chapman. He was tall and looked strong. His jeans were a little worn and they hung off his narrow hips just right. The pale green polo he wore looked soft stretched across his broad chest. As she brought her gaze higher she saw that this guy had Rick’s chiseled good looks and Jake’s cocky grin, and a dusting of stubble darkened his cheeks for good measure. His eyes were a blue-gray and his thick, dark hair was tousled.

  He stared back at her and she finally realized that she still hadn’t said a darn thing.

  “N-nice to meet you,” she said at last.

  His eyes flicked to Ollie and back to her. “Rick said you’re just the one to give me a tour of the place, Tammy.”

  She nodded but couldn’t seem to speak. What the hell was wrong with her?

  “Sure thing.” She finally said, sounding like an idiot. “Anything you want. I mean, any time you want.”

  Ben flashed a smile and she felt the heat of it all over her skin. “Great.”

  Chapter 2

  “I’ll leave you two to make the arrangements.” Ben’s brother Rick clapped the blond guy on the shoulder. “Ollie, I wanted to ask you about that tour you did yesterday. The corporate guys from Tampa?”

  The blond guy nodded and followed Rick down toward what Ben guessed was the director’s office, leaving him alone with Miss Tammy Donato.