What If I Stay: Home to Hearts Bend | Book Three, page 1
Praise for What If I Stay
What if I Stay is a delightful opportunity to revisit the fictional town of Hearts Bend, TN, created by bestselling author Rachel Hauck. Debut author Mandy Boerma teams with Hauck to create a perfect blend of romance, rediscovery, and reconciliation that kept me turning the pages and had me smiling with satisfaction as I reached the end of Cami and Ben’s love story.
Beth K. Vogt, Christy Award-winning author
What if I Stay is an adorably charming story of second chances, finding hope, and coming home again. Whether you’re a first-time visitor or a return guest, you’ll love your stay in Hearts Bend.
Lindsay Harrel, author of The Inn at Walker Beach
Hearts Bend Romances
Home to Hearts Bend
When I’m With You
Anyone But You
What If I Stay
Hearts Bend
The Wedding Chapel
The Wedding Shop
The Wedding Dress Christmas
To Save a King
What If I Stay
Home to Hearts Bend | Book Three
Rachel Hauck
Mandy Boerma
Contents
A Note from Rachel
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
Snickerdoodles Recipe
Connect With Sunrise
Acknowledgments
About Rachel Hauck
About Mandy Boerma
A Note from Rachel
Dear friends,
Welcome back again to Hearts Bend, Tennessee, where love and magic seem to happen.
Where a wedding chapel is the symbol of true love. Where a wedding shop comes back to life. Where a country superstar finds his one and only. Where the disgraced hometown girl finds her handsome prince…literally.
Where a widowed pastry chef finds love with a childhood friend, who went on to become a star NFL quarterback (Anyone But You.)
There is something comforting about returning to a favorite place in both novels and real life.
In Mandy Boerma’s charming What If I Stay, Ben Carter (a prosperous hotelier) and Cami Jackson (a smart, successful property developer) find themselves in a tangle over the future of Hearts Bend Inn. Can their past affection for the old establishment impact their future?
I’m all in for second-chance romances as well as childhood-friends-to-grown-up-lover stories, so I found myself invested in Ben and Cami.
The reunited friends—well, we know they’re sweet on each other— are surrounded by a fun and quirky cast of characters.
While the inn seems to be at the heart of her hero and heroine’s conflict, you’ll soon discover there are deeper issues in play. But with a bit of kindness, love and honesty, and a whisper from God, Ben and Cami might have the love story their hearts desire.
Mandy’s quirky, chicklit voice is perfect for any romance, especially one set in Hearts Bend. I know you’re going to enjoy her.
So dear reader, I present to you, What If I Stay, and the fabulous Mandy Boerma. Enjoy!
* * *
With affection,
* * *
Rachel Hauck
To Sam.
Thanks for dreaming with me.
1
Cupcakes, coffee, and closing a huge deal, all before lunchtime. What more could a girl want?
New shoes? Absolutely.
The cherry red Prada pumps Cami wore today were her splash of color to close the deal with Emerson—the largest property Akron Development had acquired in the last two years, in Nashville, Tennessee, where the main office was located. All negotiated by Camellia Jackson, the boss’s daughter, thank you very much, with zero, zip, nada help from him.
Cami exited the elevator on the second floor from the top to a round of applause.
“Way to go, Cami!”
“Chip off the ole block!”
“On fire, girl!”
A shrill whistle pierced the air, breaking through the symphony of office sounds—keyboards clicking, voices humming, and printers printing. Had to be Maddy Patterson, who coached her daughter’s softball team. Yep, when Cami looked around, Maddy’s fingers were on her lips, forming another loud whistle.
Cami bowed and curtsied. Was she glowing? She felt like she was. “Thank you all. I couldn’t have done it without the amazing team here at Akron.”
Maddy whistled again as Cami made her way to her office, soaking in all the attention. Make no mistake, she’d worked hard for this one. Really hard. Because being the boss’s daughter afforded her nothing.
“Love the shoes! Jimmy?” This from Astrid, Cami’s personal assistant, who stood by her office ready to trade Cami’s Gucci purse and attaché for an iPad and a Perrier. Soothing jazz piped through a speaker hidden behind a silk plant in the corner. Astrid always played music, insisting she needed to cover the noise outside their office that filtered in when the door was open, which was always.
“Prada. And nothing says success like red shoes.”
Cami’s shoes were her thing outside of closing deals for her father’s company. Which was her number one thing. She strived for his approval. Don’t judge. At least she could admit it.
“I’d love to talk shoes and shopping, but…” Astrid said with a hesitation in her voice. “Brant wants to see you.”
Cami stared at her assistant. “You’re kidding.” Dad, aka Brant, was always busy when she closed deals. It took days, sometimes weeks, for him to congratulate her on a deal.
While her colleagues had his approval, praise, and delight, atta boys, atta girls, slaps on the back, celebratory steak dinners, plaques for their walls, goofy trophies for their desks, Cami received a passing congratulations and eventually, sometimes, her steak dinner.
When it came to his dear ole daughter, Brant Jackson’s words were few. Sometimes she wondered if it pained him to really praise her.
“Not kidding. He buzzed down right before you came in,” Astrid said.
Cami started for the door. “Do you know what it’s about?”
“Haven’t a clue.”
The duo walked to the elevator together. Astrid whispered a good luck then turned back to their office space. Good luck? Why would she need it? She’d just closed a huge deal. Was he actually calling her up to his penthouse office to congratulate her?
Dad was sitting at his desk when Cami knocked lightly on his open office door. “You wanted to see me?”
“Cami,” he said, standing. “Come in, come in.”
For years now, her relationship with Dad had seemed to be a tug of war. Which one would show some sort of affection first? As a teen, Cami had felt it was her father’s responsibility, especially after Mom died. But she’d learned quickly she would have to extend the olive branch. Which had eventually made her angry. Which had made her quit trying.
However, he knew she’d closed the Emerson deal, so was he finally bending first?
“I’m flying down to Palm Beach this afternoon.” Dad moved to the chair at the small glass-top table in the corner of his office. “Roger Davis finally agreed to meet about his oceanfront property. I was going to take you for your steak dinner, but I’ll need to reschedule.”
She struggled to mask her surprise. He’d been going to take her to dinner? “I can’t go tonight anyway. I made plans with Annalise.” Her sister was her best friend and counselor.
When Dad had cancelled Cami’s steak dinner after her second—or was it third?—big acquisition, Annalise had thrown her a surprise dinner. Her husband, Steve, had sizzled steaks on the grill along with corn on the cob. Annalise had made Mom’s green bean casserole and homemade apple cake and invited half a dozen of their childhood friends. She and Steve were the picture-perfect, happily in love couple.
It’d been the best steak dinner ever. Cami smiled, remembering.
To Cami Jackson, Nashville’s next great businesswoman.
In her seven years on the job, Cami had worked harder than anyone else to get to the top. And now, here she sat, in the boss’s grand, top floor office.
“I had dinner with your sister and Steve last night,” Dad said. “Look, we’ll reschedule your congratulatory dinner.” His fixed smile was part father, part boss.
She wanted to say she’d not hold her breath, but refrained. With Dad, Brant, it was always something. A golf game. Another business deal. Or just the general excuse of “too busy.” He’d not solidified anything with her for tonight even though he’d known from the staff meetings and her emails, as well as her weekly report, she was closing the deal.
“So, Roger?” Cami said. “You finally wore him down. Congratulations.” She shifted her stance, trying to get comfortable in Dad’s stiff, formal office.
His expansive cherry desk sat in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Cumberland River, which was vastly different than her view that looked over the downtown Nashville streets. A small sitting area of black leather pieces sat in the far corner and were more aesthetica
lly pleasing than functionally comfortable.
On the other side of the office was a glass and metal conference table with black leather chairs. The beige walls were, well…beige. And empty. Devoid of art and anything else of color.
If it weren’t for the large pane windows overlooking the river, the place would be a desert for any creative mind.
“We both knew he’d cave sooner or later.” Dad pointed to a pink box from Sweet Tooth Bakery on the small table. He pulled out a chair and sat, gesturing for Cami to follow suit. “Jeremy ordered your congratulatory cupcakes.” He smiled as if the treats were a perfectly suitable substitute for a celebratory steak dinner with the boss and founder of the company. “He asked for the chocolate ones you like.”
“Thank you.” Really, she’d have to remember to thank Dad’s assistant on her way out. The cupcake tradition was usually for the staff meeting. This private celebration surprised and touched her.
Over the years, she’d adjusted to their cordial, non-affectionate father-daughter relationship, and it worked well for Akron Development. It was how things were between them since Mom died.
“Is that why you called me up here?” Cami opened the pink lid to reveal two double fudge chocolate cupcakes.
She pulled one out and reached for the napkins next to the box, then slid the box toward her dad.
Sun filtered through the windows, giving the dull office some brightness as Cami sank her teeth into the delectable treat. Calories didn’t count on closing day. Especially with a multi-million-dollar property.
“I’m going ahead with the new office in Indianapolis.” Dad took a small bite of his cupcake and returned it to the box before he reached for a napkin. “Indianapolis is too hot a market to delay any longer.” His heavy, steady gaze landed on her. “I want you to head it up.”
Cami stared at him, lip deep in chocolate cake and frosting. “Hmmphph?” She chewed with a napkin over her mouth, swallowing, trying not to choke. “What?”
“You’re opening the Indy office.” Dad moved to his desk to retrieve a large green folder and brought it back to Cami and sat down again. “While you closed on your deal, I closed on office space. Here’s the information. It’s a blank slate, so you can build it out however you want. You’ll find the name of a recommended contractor and the budget for the remodel. I want the work done and the office up and running by September first, so you’ve got a lot to do.”
“Wait, wait, what?” September first? Less than three months away. “Dad, I thought we were not going to risk the capital right now.”
“I looked at the data. We need to go now. I’m starting to feel we’re already too late. Are you in? Because if you’re not…” Dad reached for the folder. “I’ll see if Geoffrey—”
She stopped his hand before he could take the folder. “Can you give me a second to wrap my head around this? You didn’t think to at least ask me first?” She was on her feet. “I have a life here, you know.” Not much of one, but he didn’t need to know. “Friends, Annalise.” Could she live four hours from her sister? “I just moved into my condo a few months ago. I finally got my soaker tub last week. I have a view of the river.”
Her shoe closet was the size of a small bedroom, mostly because it was the spare bedroom. She’d spent months designing and decorating, picking the colors, the fixtures. She finally had her home.
“You can sell it for a profit. Downtown lofts are up fifteen percent.” Was it always about numbers with him? “Or you can lease it if you want. But you’re heading up Indy.” Dad rose up, stretching to the six foot three that used to make her feel safe and protected.
“And if I refuse?” The emotion flowing through her made her voice quiver, and she resented it.
“Cami, you’ve been telling me for two years you want a pathway to promotion. You want to take on more responsibility. You want to take over the company one day. Don’t tell me you didn’t mean it.”
“I meant it.” No doubt Indianapolis was the opportunity she needed to advance, so why did it feel like her father was sending her away?
From his desk, Dad’s landline buzzed, and he circled around to answer it, giving Cami a moment to compose herself. After a five-word conversation with Jeremy, he returned to their little table of chocolate cupcakes and surprises.
But the short interlude gave her time to think, take her emotions in command. The city was ripe for expansion. It was a fantastic move for the company, and if she’d get her head on straight, a huge stepping-stone for her.
“What’s it going to be, Cami? You can refuse, of course, or resign, but yes, Indy is yours. You’ll be promoted to director. If things go well, vice president after two years.” Dad leaned toward her. “This is what you wanted, isn’t it?”
“Yes.” Cami cleared her voice. “Yes, thank you, it is.” When Dad retired, there would be no doubt in anyone’s mind that she’d earned his office through her own merit. She could do this…spend a few years in Indy, then head back down to Nashville. “All right.” She sat back in her chair and opened the green folder. “Give me the details.”
Dad relaxed with an exhale and smiled. “I bought a refurbished warehouse in the center of the business district. Take what office space you need, then rent out the rest. Build out your space first, then oversee the rest. Give yourself two years to complete the build-out. But you, Cami, I’m serious, be ready by the first of September. Get Astrid to start posting jobs for the positions you want to fill. Make a list of potential Akron folks who might like to transfer up north.”
Really? Who’d want to leave Nashville?
“You should talk to her about going with you.” Dad peeked into the pink box. “I think you’ll need her.” He considered the rest of the cupcakes, then closed the lid.
This was why he was so great in business, in life, in everything. Discipline. When they passed around cupcakes in the staff meeting or gathered for the quarterly office potluck, Brant Jackson proudly proclaimed he only weighed ten pounds more than in his high school wrestling days.
But when it came to Cami, his disciplined life, emotions went too far.
“Maybe,” she said. “Astrid’s been going on and on about Boyfriend proposing.” He had a real name, which Cami couldn’t recall at the moment. “I’m not sure she’ll want to go.”
“Hasn’t she been dating him for a while?” Dad made a face. “If he’s not proposed by now, he probably won’t.”
“Well, I’m not going to tell her that, Dad.” With him, business always came first. Even over family. Over his wife and daughters. But if Astrid had a chance for a happily ever after, even with a sloth for a boyfriend, Cami wasn’t going to stand in her way.
“Someone should. Get her to go with you, Cami. She’s one of the best. If I didn’t have Jeremy, I’d steal Astrid from you.” Dad pointed to the folder again. “The real estate agent sent some apartments for you to review.”
Cami flipped through the top pages, all apartment listings. Already she could tell they wouldn’t compare to her beautiful downtown loft, the one she’d customized for herself.
She read the name on the real estate agent listing. Max Caldwell.
“I-I’ll call today.” September first would be here way too fast.
“Good. Glad you’re on board, Cami.” Dad stood, indicating the conversation was coming to a close. “I saw on the project board you’re working the Landmark Shopping Complex. Chatted with Jared Landry the other day, and he said you’d approached him about it. Excellent property, Cami, but I want you focused on the Indy office. You won’t have time for a Landmark kind of deal.”
Cami stood, reaching for the cupcake box. More than half of hers remained. But then she glanced at her lean father and changed her mind. “Dad, do you lecture Geoffrey or Mark on how to manage their lives and their jobs? Or just me?”
