Worth Fighting For (Hope Harbor Book 4) Read online

  Worth Fighting For

  Hope Harbor Series

  Ann B Harrison

  Contents

  Worth Fighting For

  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

  Chapter 22

  Worth Fighting For

  Copyright 2019 Ann B Harrison

  Kindle Edition

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Ann B Harrison is the internationally best-selling author of thirtyfive plus romance novels including her fabulous Watson Brothers Romance stories published by Tule Publishing Group.

  For information on new releases, covers and to win exclusive members-only content, follow Ann on Facebook.

  To get alerts for new releases, follow Ann on Amazon and BookBub.

  Chapter 1

  Mia Morgan pinched the skin between her eyes and swallowed back a groan. This wasn’t how she saw the day unfolding. Her intention was to head into work, pull up the stock sheets, and see which outlets were meeting her targets. Then she was going to call the slower-selling stores and see what she could do to improve things. And after that she still had to deal with those emails from the production company that had insisted she’d be a fabulous candidate for her own reality show. The idea was tempting because she’d be able to focus on repurposing furniture and styling—the very things that’d gotten her into the homewares business in the first place. But they wanted to talk her through their ideas when she had a moment to spare. Right!

  Instead, she was dragged into the general manager’s office for an emergency meeting. She didn’t have time for this. As always, she’d organized her day down to the last minute. Uncle Ryan could deal with any emergency, surely? It was why she’d offered him the job back when she’d first started her business, so she could get on with what she did best and let him take care of all the other issues that went with running such a large company.

  She sat back and listened as Ryan repeated what the board members had come up with at the last meeting, her toes twitching as the case against her was laid out. Yes, she worked her butt off. Yes, she rarely took time off. No, she didn’t think it was an issue. No, this company wasn’t in trouble. Nothing more than a minor hiccup with sales that she was on top of. She could fix it easily if he’d just let her get back to work.

  Uncle Ryan tapped his fingers on the long walnut desk to get her attention. “You were the one who decided it was a good idea to take this company public, Mia.” He pointed out the obvious when it suited him. The turncoat. “You lost control the day you listed it on the stock market. It may have been a good idea in your mind, but I advised you against it.”

  For a fleeting moment, Mia questioned her decision to appoint him manager of her company but loyalty kicked in and she gave herself a mental shake. He’d been the best person for the job then and if it wasn’t for her bitchy attitude now for having her routine disrupted, she’d still stand by that. She knew better than to push him. She tried to focus on the vibrant reds and oranges in the painting hanging on the wall to stave off the urge to snap at him. When she’d purchased it in a gallery in New York, it’d made her happy and every time she looked at it, she was reminded of that. But sadly not today

  He tightened his lips as if fighting for control before he gave her an exasperated look, one that told her he was praying for patience. “Because now I have to answer to investors—not you.” He clasped his fingers together and softened his face.

  That was when Mia knew she was really in trouble. It didn’t happen very often because it took a lot to get Ryan pissed off. She wasn’t going to be able to make him change his mind. He was an ex-banker who did everything based on the bottom line.

  “We’re all of the same opinion. You need to take a break and re-evaluate the way you’re running the company before you do some serious damage. If you don’t change things, our profits are going to drop and the investors don’t want that.”

  “And you think I do?” It wasn’t that bad, was it? But Ryan wasn’t the type of person to get on her case for the sheer hell of it. Things must be worse than she’d first thought.

  She would have known if that was the case. Someone from accounting would’ve knocked on her door and given her a heads up. That was how things worked in her company. At least they used to. Had she been so busy that she hadn’t noticed? The last thing Mia wanted was her business to tank.

  “Some of the decisions you’ve made lately have been, shall we say, unwise?” He gave her a look bordering on sympathetic, which made her pause and start to question herself.

  The hairs on the back of her neck stood up. She felt threatened, fearful for the first time as a business owner. “Such as?” Mia gripped the edge of the walnut desk, desperate to keep her emotions under control, feeling them spiral out of control.

  “Sending those high end homewares to the rural stores for one. Their clientele is different from the city stores. You know that, and we discussed it after last month’s figures came in, but you ignored my advice. That put the profits down and hurt the bottom line. It took you too long to correct it, Mia, and spending up large on advertising to try and prove a point didn’t work either. We can’t have costly mistakes like that.”

  Of course he was right, but she’d still argued the point, hoping like crazy that she could turn it around. That line sold so much better than any other line in her city stores. It always had. With the boost she gave it on the blog and in her country advertising budget, Mia had hoped that things would improve. They hadn’t. But she’d allowed for that in her predictions, and not every line could be a success every time. It wasn’t as though the company would fall down over it. “What’s your suggestion? From the look on your face, you’ve already decided to push me out.”

  Ryan had the grace to look embarrassed and her heart skipped a beat. He wouldn’t do that to her, would he? She was the one who started the company, the brains behind the operation. It was her baby, for goodness sake. But it was also one of the issues Ryan had raised when she first talked about going public. Anyone at any time could kick her out. Control could slip from her hands, but it was a risk she had been prepared to take.

  Her uncle leaned on the table, clasping his hands together before looking her way. “Mia, honey, nobody is pushing you out. We want you to be involved in the company because, as you rightly say, it’s your baby. It wouldn’t be the same without you but you need a break. You’ve worked your butt off for eight years. Even when Elaine and Gary died you didn’t stop.” He moistened his lips and continued, his face a mask of concern that made her feel guilty. “Do you think your father—my big brother—would approve of me letting you run yourself ragged like this?”

  She blinked and shifted her gaze. Losing her parents had been hard. Some days she didn’t think she was ever goin
g to get over that loss. It was one reason she pushed herself so hard in the business: to make them proud of what she’d achieved. And to dull the pain their loss had brought.

  “When was the last time you took Christmas off, or Easter? Every bank holiday I can find you at your desk. A single mental health day even. It’s too much, Mia.” He cleared his throat and she waited for the axe to fall. “I want you to take some time off and the board agrees. I’ve called a friend I trust from my banking days. He has connections to accommodation on Hope Island, which is only a short ferry ride from Seattle. Atticus’s son owns a bed and breakfast overlooking the harbor and I feel it would be the perfect place for you to rest and recuperate. Nothing to do but explore the island and relax. Unwind and sleep in. Eat what you want. Take walks or just sit with a book and read. Something you haven’t done in years.”

  “But I…”

  Ryan held up his hand. “Don’t argue, honey. The Wall Street Journal doesn’t count as reading for relaxation. Stop and think before you say something you can’t take back.”

  Relaxing didn’t make her money nor did it keep her busy enough to avoid processing through her parent’s death. The staff relied on the company for their income and she wasn’t about to let them down. She wasn’t going to admit it, but the last time she’d picked up a fiction book was when she was still in school. Fiction didn’t cut it with her these days. “Fine. I’ll take a week off and then I’ll be back.”

  She could do this. Take a bikini and a book and try to relax for six or seven days. Even that was pushing it for her. She’d never taken off more than a day at a time. The thought of seven days and nights away from work scared the crap out of her. Maybe she should’ve suggested three or four days. Two even.

  “Not good enough. I’ve booked you a room for a month. If you come back earlier than that, the board has voted to terminate your employment. The last thing this company needs is an overworked, misguided boss who can’t even look after her own health.”

  A whole month? Mia shuddered and blinked back tears of frustration. What was she going to do? She’d go stir crazy sitting down for that long. And misguided? Where the heck did that come from? She adored her company, breathed it day and night. That didn’t make her misguided. It made her dedicated, damn it!

  She strode to the door and grabbed the handle. “Don’t you dare tell me how to look after my health when you work just as hard as I do.” She slammed it behind her.

  * * *

  Matt heard a car door shut and walked out to the front porch. His father jogged up the path. “Son.” He waved in greeting.

  Matt leaned on the porch post. “What’s happened to drag you out here mid-week?”

  “Got a call from a friend who needs a helping hand. Figured I may as well come and tell you about my news in person. Grab a cup of that fancy coffee if you have the machine turned on.”

  “Of course I do. Come on in, Dad.” Matt shut the screen door behind his father and put his hand on his shoulder as they walked into the kitchen, sharing a moment of quiet contentment. Any time his father came to the house, he savored it. Atticus always made the world seem a happier place with his calm manner and sunny outlook on life.

  “Have a seat.” Matt put a coffee mug under his newly acquired coffee machine and pushed a button. Before long, the sound of beans grinding pierced the air and then the tantalizing aroma of fresh-made coffee was the prevailing aroma in the light-filled kitchen. When the machine finished its process, Matt passed the mug of coffee over and perched himself on a stool opposite his dad.

  He leaned his chin on his hands. “What’s happening?”

  “You know I invested in that young lady’s company when it went public?” His dad sipped the coffee, watching him over the brim.

  “Which one, Dad? You’re always investing in something.” His father spent most of his time playing the stock market and making money. Something he seemed to have a knack for.

  “Mia Morgan. You know—Morgan’s Homewares.”

  “Ah, right. Now I know who you’re talking about. What about it?” Half the items in his house came from that company. Matt blessed the mail order service that meant he could buy online and not leave the island.

  “Well, a friend of mine—Ryan Morgan—is connected to the owner and now manages the whole shooting match. Not sure if you know anything about the company, but Mia is his niece, and she started the business from her folks’ basement years ago. Worked her butt off to make it successful and opened a brick and mortar store. Eventually she expanded and then took the company public, which is where I came in. It’s been one of my more profitable investments and not just because she has a brilliant line of products. That girl knows how to make money for her investors.” He sipped again, smiled and stroked his bushy gray moustache. “Good coffee, son. Anyway, Ryan reckons things have been going wrong lately. Said Mia has been making bad business decisions and the board stepped in before she made a really tragic blunder.”

  “Don’t tell me they’re shutting down? I have heaps of her products in the house.” Matt hadn’t found another company that stocked so many items that were to his particular taste and the thought of their doors closing was dismal.

  “Not that I know of. No, Ryan said the board has ordered her to take time off. Poor girl has been burning the candle at both ends since she started the business. It’s exacting its toll on her as far as the board is concerned, and they want her to take a decent break away from work before she ends up having a full scale meltdown. She’s a workaholic and doesn’t know how to relax. Guess it’s finally catching up with her.”

  That would be a shame. Matt hated to see anyone struggle when a good holiday might be all it took to give them a new focus on life. It was one of the reasons he liked doing what he did. “And you want her to come and stay here?”

  “Ryan asked if you’d have room. I told him I’d organize it for him.”

  “But I could’ve been fully booked.”

  His dad fiddled with the handle of his mug and cleared his throat before speaking. “I looked at your bookings online while I had him on the phone. Matt, he’s desperate for her to get a decent break, somewhere quiet and calming. Not to some swanky resort that’s all about cramming as much as possible into a short period of time.”

  “Do you really think this is the best place for her?” Matt pulled a face. He might run a nice B&B but had doubts about being enough company for one over-stressed business mogul of her caliber. Surely she was used to flashier hotels with wait staff for every little thing, rather than his charming Victorian home. An island in the Bahamas with nobody around but staff sounded more like what she was after. “Hope Island is pretty laid back and it’s not like I’ll be hiding from her. It’s not how I run the business. You know that.”

  His father nodded. “Son, you’re exactly what she needs. You like looking after people, making them comfortable.”

  “You mean smothering, don’t you?” He knew his family’s opinion of him. Matt was the mother hen among his siblings and he didn’t care. He couldn’t help how he was. He enjoyed making people happy and nurturing them. From what he’d seen of Mia Morgan in interviews, she was the type to want impersonal service and everything on hand, day and night, whereas he was more interactive. He enjoyed sharing Hope Island with his visitors. But even Matt was smart enough to know that what was on the news wasn’t necessarily the truth.

  His father looked at him with a smile and a twinkle in his eyes. He was used to this conversation between the siblings. “Nope. I don’t. You’re kind and caring, calm in a nice, protective way. She’s a businesswoman who’s used to doing things on her own. From what her uncle told me, she needs someone to look after her, whether she’ll admit it or not. I think you’re the perfect person to do that. What can possibly go wrong?”

  Chapter 2

  They had to be kidding! Even from the bow of the ferry she could see that the island was tiny. There was hardly anything there. As soon as she’d left the meeting, Mia h
ad gone online and looked. It might be a quaint little tourist destination for the average mom and dad plus two kids but not for her.

  How was she going to amuse herself for a whole month? Uncle Ryan surely had a mean streak sending her over here. Mia wasn’t the type to sit and read all day, nor the kind of person to laze in bed. If the sun was up, so was she. Despite the board’s warning to take it easy, she’d grabbed her laptop, determined to at least start sourcing the new spring product line for next season. If she had to leave behind everything normal about her day, she’d go nuts in a week.

  Happy tourists chatted around her, their excitement about going to the island doing little to convince her she was going to enjoy her break. This was going to be harder than she first thought. Maybe she should turn around and go back to Seattle. She’d offer anything to the board if they’d change their minds – beg if she had to. She’d take one rest day a week on a permanent roster, if that would make them happy. Maybe hire another assistant. Do whatever it took to put a stop to this month-long madness.

  The loudspeaker crackled to life as the boat slowed, scaring her half to death. Having been so focused on her internal debate, Mia jumped at the sound and clutched her chest. “Please return to your vehicles, folks. Docking in five minutes. We don’t want to hold up any of our happy holiday makers. Enjoy your time on Hope Island and on behalf of Hope Island Ferry Company, I want to thank you for travelling with us today.”

  She watched cheerful people hurry to their cars with smiles on their faces as they prepared to disembark.