Free Meant to Be by Terri Osburn Page A

exit his office. But Lucas didn’t work on the Wheeler account.
    The only connection between the two was Anchor, but Lucas would never help Wheeler buy out the island. Or would he?
    Beth didn’t like the disloyal thoughts running through her mind. She would ask Lucas about his meetings with Ms. Wheeler the next time they talked. There was sure to be a simple explanation. Or so she hoped.

    A morning on the water would normally put Joe in a good mood. Perfect weather, plenty of fish, and satisfied tourists all before noon. This morning’s group was so satisfied, they booked another trip out for Tuesday. But instead of riding the wave of a job well done and more business ahead, Joe couldn’t stop thinking about Beth and the damn spark she’d shot through his system the night before.
    Future family gatherings were going to be damned uncomfortable if he couldn’t stop lusting after his little brother’s wife. But then last night had been about more than lust. God help him but Joe was starting to like her. Her spunk, her laugh, her quiet strength. Even her determination to win over his family, though he didn’t understand why their approval meant so much to her.
    Sailing through the door of Dempsey’s, Joe stumbled into a scene that pulled his focus away from his future sister-in-law.
    “I’ve ignored Mr. Wheeler’s attempts to contact me because I’m not interested in what Mr. Wheeler has to say.” Joe’s dad stared at a pretty boy in a suit standing across the bar. “If saying it in person is necessary, Mr. Paige, then consider this my official answer. I am not interested.”
    Joe grabbed a glass and poured himself a soda then leaned back on the cooler. His dad looked mad enough to turn his verbal answer into a physical one, and that would be a show worth watching.
    “You’re not looking at the big picture here, Mr. Dempsey. Working with Wheeler Development would be significantly more profitable than the situation you have now. Mr. Wheeler is prepared to—”
    “Do you have a hearing problem, Mr. Paige?” Joe recognized imminent danger when his dad crossed his arms and started shifting from foot to foot. The suit clearly did not.
    “If you’ll look at the plans we’ve designed for the project, you’ll understand the scope as well as the potential the island has to gain in this endeavor.”
    So Cassandra wasn’t the only Wheeler representative on the island.
    Tom slammed his fist on the bar before Wheeler’s minion could spread out the papers he’d pulled from inside his jacket. In a low voice he snarled, “Take your plans and your potential profits and get the fuck out of my restaurant.”
    Joe smiled. Tom Dempsey didn’t show temper often, but when he did, the results were legendary. Maybe PrettyBoy would push a few more buttons. His dad flinging the asshole out the door would definitely send a message to Wheeler Development.
    The papers disappeared back inside the suit’s fancy coat as he took a step back. Pretty Boy was catching on. “You should think about this, Mr. Dempsey. Once your neighbors join in the project, Mr. Wheeler will no longer be so generous to those who make this difficult.”
    A direct threat.
Stick it up your ass, Pretty Boy.
Joe moved down the bar as the suit made his exit. “Guess I don’t have to ask what that was about.”
    “Son of a bitch won’t give up,” Tom said, keeping his voice down. “A million other islands that bastard could go after and he picks ours.”
    Joe suspected Wheeler’s sudden interest in Anchor had more to do with revenge than business development. Revenge on Joe. He’d put a ring on Cassandra Wheeler’s finger, then backed out when she forced him to choose between her and the island.
    The choice had been easy, but that didn’t make him feel like less of a fool.
    Cassie had a knack for manipulating her father, who would do anything to make his little girl happy. Though he couldn’t prove it, Joe long suspected Cassie was behind the job