“I just have a hard time believing it, but if you two both think I should take a look at him, I will. It’s just a far cry from the harmless old man I met when I bought this bar,” I said.
“He’s not that old,” Matt said. “And that was a good bit ago anyway. He’s only gotten worse the more successful we got.”
“Alright, you wore me down. I’ll keep an eye out for him, too,” I said. Tyler nodded down the road behind Matt, and we both turned to look.
“Might not have to wait too long to find out,” he said.
Sure enough, Danny Jefferies came ambling up the sidewalk, his eyes turned toward the smoking building and a grin stretching across his face. As he reached us, he turned as if he was going to head to his own bar.
“Shame about your bar,” he said, pausing and looking me directly in the eye. “Just a damn shame.”
There was something in that voice that set me off. I was even angrier as he walked away, openly laughing.
“That rat bastard,” Tyler said under his breath. “That no-good rat bastard.”
“Okay,” I said, putting my coffee cup down and getting the attention of both of the brothers.
“Okay, what?” Tyler asked.
“Okay, now I’m suspicious,” I said.
“The son of a bitch,” Matt said. I could see the anger welling up in him, “if he did this…”
“He will go to jail,” I said, cutting off that dangerous train of thought right there. “But we need proof first.”
6
Amanda
The notes Tom gave us for the meeting were complicated. I had been going over them for the last couple of hours making sure I fully understood them, jotting down other notes and highlighting certain parts so I could keep track of the pace.
This was the first time Landon and I would handle a meeting without him. It was a little intimidating, but I knew we could do it. Besides, he was depending on us. With everything he was dealing with back home, it was important he feel confident things were managed here. The last thing he needed was to be there trying to deal with all of that while also worrying about the business.
Landon had been working with Tom since the beginning of the company. He would be able to hold down the fort until Tom was back. I had just finished the notes and was about to go through them one more time when my phone rang.
“Hi, Tom,” I said when I saw his name on the screen. “How is everything?”
“Morning, Amanda. Things are still pretty much the same, but we have something we’re trying to follow up on,” he said. “That’s actually why I called. I just realized I left my laptop there.”
“Are you sure?” I asked.
It was surprising to think that he could have had such an oversight. As disorganized as he might have been when it came to his schedule, he always made sure he had what he needed to do his work. Due to the fact that he traveled so frequently, he had gotten packing down to a science and could be ready to go an extremely short notice.
However, this wasn’t usual circumstances. Hearing that the family bar had burned down put him in an emotional state that probably made it far more difficult to make sure he had everything he needed. I got up from my desk and headed for his office.
“I don’t have it,” he said. “I don’t think I left it at the airport.”
“It’s okay,” I said. “I’m going to your office right now to check.”
The office was locked, but I knew the code and put it into the keypad.
“Is it there?” he asked.
“I just got in. Give me a second.”
I flipped on the lights and walked over to his desk. His black laptop bag sat on the floor right next to his seat as if he had started out of the room carrying it, then went back to his chair at the last minute, set it down at his feet, and forgot to pick it back up again when he rushed out.
“It’s here,” I said.
A relieved breath crackled over the line. “Well, good. At least that’s something.”
“Do you want me to overnight it to you?” I asked. “I could probably get it down there in time for you to get it fairly early in the morning.”
“That’s too long,” Tom said. “I can’t wait until tomorrow morning to have it. Can you just bring it to me?”
“Bring it to you?” I asked, stunned by the suggestion and making sure I heard him correctly.
“Yes,” he said. “There’s information on there that I absolutely have to have, and I need to do some research into this situation. I need my computer as soon as possible. Can you fly it to Oregon for me?”
“I mean, yeah,” I said, stammering a little over my words. “If you need me to, I can. I’ll go book a ticket right away. I’ll let you know when the plane lands.”
“There’s no time for that. I have no idea when the next flight up to Astoria is. I’ll send the jet out for you. Just head to the airport, and it’ll be ready. Bring your own laptop and enough clothes for a few days. Maybe we can get some work done so it’ll take my mind off things for a bit.”
“I will,” I said. “Do you think Landon is going to be okay running the meeting by himself?”
“He should be fine,” Tom said. “I need you more than he does right now. Just get your stuff together and head to the airport as soon as possible.”
“Okay,” I said. “I’ll see you soon.”
I got off the phone feeling a little bit dazed. I’d come into work that morning determined to make sure the office kept running while Tom was in Oregon handling that situation with his family. Now I was suddenly in a race against time to pack my bags and get to the airport so I could be whisked away to him to deliver his forgotten laptop. It sounded like the plot of a spy movie, and I was just waiting for the supervillain to come out of the woodwork.
Closing the office door, I headed quickly to Landon’s office. He looked up at me from behind his desk where several papers were scattered across the surface. It looked like he was doing the same thing I had been, going over the notes and preparing for the meeting.
“Hi,” he said. “I was actually just about to come see you. I thought we could go over these notes and talk about the meeting so that we’re on the same page.”
“Actually, that’s why I came to talk to you. I’m not going to be able to help you with the meeting,” I said.
His face fell. “Why not?” he asked. “Is something wrong?”
“No, I just got a call from Tom that he forgot his laptop in his office, and apparently it’s critical he has it as soon as possible. He wants me to fly to Astoria and bring it to him.”
Landon stared back at me as if he thought I was joking. “He wants you to fly to Oregon to bring him his computer?”
“That’s what he said. I’m actually on my way home to pack my bags, and the company jet is going to be waiting for me at the airport.”
“How long are you going to be gone?” he asked.
“Well, he told me to pack clothes for a few days and to bring my computer,” I said. “I think he expects me to stay there for a little while. At least for a couple of days. He said that it would help if he and I worked there so he could get his mind off of everything that’s going on.”
He nodded. “Well, have a safe flight, and I will see both of you when you get back.”
“Do great at the meeting, and call if you need anything.”
I rushed out of the office and back to my apartment. Unlike Tom, I was not a big traveler, but my organizational skills meant packing wasn’t too much of a challenge. I took out the luggage cubes I’d received for Christmas one year and used them to organize everything so I could bring my clothes, toiletries, and computer all in one suitcase rather than having to haul several bags.
When I was ready, I put everything in the back seat of my car and headed for the airport.
Just as Tom said it would be, the company jet was fueled up and awaiting my arrival. I had to admit, it felt pretty special to be whisked out of the building and out onto the tarmac so I co
uld walk up the long flight of steps onto the plane rather than waiting in line at one of the gates.
The pilot greeted me and said we would be leaving in just a few minutes. That gave me the opportunity to settle in, then call Emily before I had to turn my phone off.
“Hey,” I said. “What are you doing right now?”
“I’m taking a coffee break before what will inevitably be a long and boring business meeting. What are you doing?” she asked.
“I am sitting in the company jet sent to me by one Tom Anderson to fly me to Astoria, Oregon,” I said.
“Astoria?” she asked. “Isn’t that his hometown?”
“It is,” I said.
“He’s flying you to his hometown?” she asked, her voice dropping down just slightly. “He’s missing you that much? I told you. I told you that man has a thing for you.”
“Don’t get so excited,” I told her. “It’s not a romantic interlude—he forgot his laptop at the office, and he says he really needs it. He couldn’t wait for it to be shipped, so he asked me to bring it out there.”
“Oh,” she said, sounding a little disappointed. “That’s a hell of a day. Flying all the way out to Oregon just a drop off a laptop, then turning around and flying back.”
“Well, that’s not exactly how it’s going. He asked me to bring my things with me so I could stay for a couple of days,” I said.
She let out a gasp, and I knew she had gone right back to the fairy tale unfolding in her head. “He wants you to stay? The man invited you to come to his hometown and stay with him for a little while?”
“It isn’t like that,” I said. “He’s still trying to deal with everything that’s going on because of the fire, and he wanted something to keep his mind on so he doesn’t always have to think about that. And before you let your own imagination run wild, I mean he wants to work while he’s there. He specifically told me to bring my computer so that we can get some work done.”
“He has something for you,” she said. “And this will be really nice. It’ll be like a little vacation for the two of you.”
I laughed. “Yes, one of those extremely restful working vacations,” I said. “I figure it’ll be pretty much like being in the office, just in Oregon.”
“Well, keep me updated. Remember, anything can happen,” she said.
I laughed again, thinking she was being ridiculous, and ended the call. Just as I was tucking my phone away, the captain came back and let me know it was time for takeoff. I suddenly felt nervous. I didn’t know why. I wasn’t a huge traveler, but it wasn’t like this was the first time I’d ever flown. And the company jet was much nicer and better equipped than a lot of the commercial planes out there.
The nervous feeling stayed with me as we took off and soared into the sky. I stared out the window and tried to talk myself into calming down.
7
Tom
After I got off the phone with Amanda, I began to search for more suitable accommodations for the two of us.
I was also thinking about Amanda. Asking her to fly all the way out here to bring my laptop was possibly on the extreme end of the secretary duty spectrum. She had sounded perfectly willing to do it, though, and I wanted to make sure she would be comfortable while she was here. This was a great opportunity for us to buckle down and get some work done without the distractions of the office.
The work itself would be an ideal distraction for me. I could focus on getting projects done rather than dwelling completely on Danny and my desire to take him down.
As my brothers pointed out, we still weren’t completely positive he was behind the arson. There wasn’t any direct evidence linking him to it, no witnesses or security camera footage. That reminded me. I needed to make sure to add a robust security system to the details I planned to add to the bar when we rebuilt.
Because we were absolutely rebuilding. There wasn’t even a question in that. At least there wasn’t in my mind. Pulling this shit might have been an attempt to scare us off or frustrate us to the point of getting us out of business, but that wasn’t happening.
The bar had gained massive popularity in the little over a year since Ava came and took over as manager. Her ideas for revamping it transformed The Hollow from a basic neighborhood bar to a destination that people from all over came to.
They were especially impressed by the special theme nights and other events Ava planned. They brought huge crowds, and some of them even required us to sell tickets to control how many people tried to get in. As exciting as that was for all of us brothers and our mother, it also put a target on our backs.
This wasn’t something I had wanted to put too much thought into before. Most of the neighborhood had been very welcoming of us and excited for our success. After all, the more people who came to The Hollow, the more who were exposed to their businesses as well. It was especially true when we had the block parties and bar crawls.
Somebody clearly wasn’t happy for us. And I was very confident I knew exactly who that somebody was. We just needed to prove it.
I went to work calling around to all the hotels around the Astoria area trying to find rooms. As I packed up my luggage and stuffed it into the trunk of my rental car, I was losing hope. My options were getting thin, and I was starting to worry she and I were going to end up in the deadbeat motel after all.
By the time I got to the airport to pick her up, things were looking up a bit. I smiled at her as she walked toward me. I met her a few steps later and took the bags from her hands.
“Thank you so much for doing this for me,” I said. “I really appreciate it.”
“It’s not a problem,” she replied. “I’m happy to do it.”
“Well, again, I really appreciate it. Let’s go get settled, and I’ll show you around a bit if you’d like,” I said.
Amanda smiled brightly and nodded. “I would like that.”
“I have to warn you about something,” I said as I put her bags in the back of the car and we climbed into our seats.
“What?” she asked. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s just about where we’re staying. The only hotel I was able to find in Astoria was a complete mess. Nothing’s been done there since like the dawn of time and it hasn’t been having its best years for the last couple of decades. I couldn’t stand to stay there anymore, and I definitely didn’t want you to stay there. So, we’re going to go and stay a little bit outside of town. It’s not far, just not within the city limits,” I said.
“Oh,” she said. “That’s not that big of a deal.”
“Well, that isn’t the whole thing,” I said. “I called every hotel within a thirty-mile radius. Apparently, there is some sort of convention going on and the only one I found with any vacancies at all only had one room left.”
“One room?”
“Yes,” I said, pulling away from the curb and driving out of the parking lot. I reached in front of me to input the address of the hotel into the GPS of my phone sitting in the cupholder. “But it is a suite. So, we should be able to share it with no problem. Worst-case scenario, there’s a bedroom that you can have, and a living room with a pull-out couch where I’ll sleep.”
“Are you sure?” she asked.
“Of course,” I said. “It’s no big deal. As long as you’re okay with it.”
She shrugged, the expression on her face like she couldn’t think of any argument. “I’m fine with it.”
“Good,” I said, starting to feel like things might be getting better. At least slightly.
We got to the hotel, and I went to the registration desk to check us in. The clerk handed us two key cards, and I brought a luggage cart out to the car to load up all of our bags. We rode the elevator up to the top floor and went to the room at the very end of the hall.
“I think I know why this was the last room available,” Amanda said.
I laughed. “What? You don’t usually stay in the Siberia section when you check into a hotel?”
“Not usu
ally.”
We finally got into the room and dropped off our bags. Calling the room a suite was generous on the part of the marketing department. I was accustomed to traveling for work and staying in suites that rivaled small apartments. They usually offered a full bedroom and bathroom, a living room, another bathroom, and sometimes a kitchen and dining area.
This room was exactly what I thought it was going to be when I gave Amanda the worst-case scenario. A small room with a fold-out couch, a door, and a small bedroom with the bathroom. That might pose some interesting complications, but I was sure we could figure it out.
As soon as she got into the bedroom, Amanda set her bags on the bed and started unpacking. It didn’t surprise me that she was one of those people who had to fully settle into a hotel as soon as she got there. Organization was a way of life for her. She probably wouldn’t have been able to cope if she didn’t have her clothes in the drawer and closet, and her toothbrush beside the sink.
When she finished, I started to ask if she was hungry after her trip and suggest we go to get something to eat, but before I could, my phone rang. I glanced at the screen, then answered, walking back out of the room.
“Hey, Jordan,” I said. “What’s going on? Is everything okay?”
“Yeah. I just wanted to let you know what was happening. I’ve been following Danny around for the last few hours to see what he was up to,” Jordan said.
“Did you find out anything?” I asked.
“I just watched him meet up with some guy behind a building. They talked for a few seconds. They were too far away and were talking too quietly for me to hear what they were saying, but I saw Danny pay the guy a big wad of cash,” he said.
“Holy shit,” I said.
“I know,” Jordan replied.
“It can’t be a coincidence. He has to have had something to do with the bar. That’s what he was doing. Paying off the arsonist,” I said.
“I mean, that’s definitely what it looked like. We just have to figure out how to prove it. That’s the thing. We can’t just call the police and say we know it was this guy because he’s an asshole and we saw him give money to another guy. They’re not going to go for that,” Jordan said. “We have to find out something about him that will prove he was involved.”
Taboo Boss: An Older Man Younger Woman Romance Page 4