by Layla Holt
In reality, it wasn’t quite like that as they met almost every day and had come to know each other pretty fast. And Sam was a great guy. The two of them were genuine people who were determined to enjoy their lives.
Corrine shifted her mind back to the present. “What about your art classes and work at the gallery?”
“I’m afraid that after these beginner classes are over, I won’t do any more. Not for a while any way. Sam and I intend to see all of America and then the world,” Aunt Maureen said. “Leonard and I never got to do that.”
“I’m sure he’s smiling down at you right now,” Corrine said.
Aunt Maureen smiled. “He probably is. I’ll have fun for the both of us. Do you know that I’ve never taken a proper holiday in donkey years? I can’t wait until Sam and I leave for a long holiday. Now that will be super fun, as you kids say.”
Chapter Eleven
FRUSTRATION WELLED up inside Lance as he pored through the annual reports for Vista Gum for the last couple of years. There was a lot of information missing from the documents. Information he could only have access to if Candin Inc formally expressed an interest in a merger.
An internal review would give a clearer picture of the struggling company’s true financial position. Lance itched to get down to work, reviewing options for growing Vista gum’s revenue and profitability. But he had to be patient. Bide his time until he could return to the board again.
In the meantime, he had sent out a discreet word that Candin Inc could be an interested party.
“Lance?”
He looked up and smiled at Corrine. He hadn’t heard her come in.
“You looked so deep in thought,” she said.
“Guilty,” Lance said and rubbed the back of his neck. “I was trying to make sense of these annual reports from Vista Gum.”
Corrine stepped into the office. She’d slung her handbag on her shoulder. He hadn’t realized how fast time had gone.
“You’re a workaholic,” she said.
He laughed. “Maybe, but there’s no incentive to go home early. Honestly though, I do love my work.”
“I know what you mean,” Corrine said, a wistful note in her voice.
It was the voice of someone who was not content with the work they were doing and that concerned him. As much as he liked having Corrine so close to him, he wanted her to enjoy her job too.
“This is not your number one choice of a career, is it?” Lance said, remembering that she had told him that she had been a Special Education teacher back in Utah.
“No, but it suits me for now,” Corrine said. “I can’t do it forever and I’ll return to teaching in the near future. But don’t worry, I’m not leaving any time soon, not as long as you want me any way.”
Lance’s breath hitched at her choice of words. He fought to dislodge the inappropriate, too sexy images, that jumped to his mind. “That’s a relief, I’d hate to lose you just when I found you.”
Their gaze met and held. Lance cleared his throat. “Speaking of special education, I had a talk with Adrian. Surprisingly, he’s been having the same suspicions but he wasn’t ready to talk to Leah just yet.”
“How did he take it?” Corrine asked, her voice brimming with concern.
Lance shrugged. “It’s hard to tell with Adrian.”
“It’s tough for a parent to be faced with something like that,” Corrine said, having witnessed her fair share of parents who had gone through similar situations.
“I imagine it is,” Lance said.
“Anyway, I just popped in to say bye,” Corrine said.
“I’ll see you tomorrow in art class,” Lance said.
At the door Corrine turned. “You know, you don’t have to continue coming.”
“I want to,” Lance.
It wasn’t the classes, and as much as he liked Aunt Maureen, she wasn’t the draw. Corrine was. The art classes meant that he got to see her on Saturdays as well. This weekend would be even better. He’d get to see her on Sunday also.
“Okay,” she said softly and withdrew, shutting the door behind her.
Lance glanced at his watch and was surprised to see that it was half past five. Half an hour had just zipped by. He and Corrine never ran out of things to talk about.
Their conversation flowed seamlessly from one topic to another. He turned his attention back to the documents on his desk and worked steadily for another half an hour.
On Fridays, they had all fallen into the habit of having dinner at their parents’ home. For Lance, it was a way to keep up with their father’s progress, especially now that he had moved out of the house. Today was extra special because his little sister was home.
After work, he went to his condo, showered and drove straight to Glenn Acres. He parked his car at the front and hurried into the house, eager to see Megan. Everyone was in the living room and as soon as Megan saw him, she got up and came to hug him.
“Sis,” Lance said as he wrapped his arms around her.
She held him tight, surprising hm because that was not Megan’s style. Before she’d gone to Italy, Megan had barely tolerated Lance and her other brothers. Well, except for Jaime.
“It’s so good to see you,” Megan said pulling back.
He was startled to see that her eyes were wet. He looked over her shoulder. “Where’s Luca?”
“Oh, something urgent came up and he had to cancel,” Megan said.
She looked tired. His heart squeezed. Even though they were not close, she was still his baby sister and Lance made a mental note to himself to find out what the matter was.
“Well, we’re happy you’re home,” he said and then went to his mother and kissed her cheek. “Father is getting ready for dinner?”
“Yes,” she said. “I’ll go get him now that you’re here. We were waiting for you. Where’s Corrine?”
Lance frowned. “At her home, I imagine.”
“I thought you’d bring her for dinner,” his mother said.
Lance looked around the room. Leah refused to meet his gaze and so did Jaime. “She’s my secretary but she’s also a good friend. Nothing else.” Lance held Dean’s gaze.
“I’m sure Lance knows that company relationships are frowned upon,” Dean said.
Lance felt his anger rising. Before he could react, his mother spoke up.
“What utter nonsense! In my day, a lot of bosses did marry their secretaries which made sense because they spent so much time together. As a matter of fact, your father and I met at work and that’s all I’m going to say about that.”
“Well, like I said, Corrine is a friend. Nothing more,” Lance said, addressing everyone. The family had expanded fast in the last couple of years.
There was Jaime, Sean, Dean and Ruby and Leah. “I assume that Matt and Adrian are in the play room?”
“Where else?” Leah said with a laugh.
“I’ll go say hello. Haven’t seen Matt in days,” Lance said and headed to the play room.
Adrian sat on the floor with his back against the wall, watching his son arranging Legos according to colors. Lance’s heart strings pulled as he stood and observed his brother, knowing the turmoil he was going through. It pained him that he couldn’t do anything for him or Leah.
Not wanting to pull Matt out of his game, Lance crossed the room and slid down next to Adrian.
“How are you doing?” Lance asked, keeping his voice low.
Adrian sighed. “I don’t know to be honest. I spoke to Leah and she insists there’s nothing wrong with Matt. But look at him Lance, he’s been rearranging the same blocks for an hour straight.”
“Corrine said the sooner Matt got help, the better for him,” Lance said.
“I know. Maybe she can have a word with Leah tomorrow. Mother doesn’t help either. Leah confided in her and she scolded me when I came in. She says we’re making a big deal out of nothing and to let Matt be a kid.”
“Mother is stubborn when she makes up her mind about something,” Lance said.
They sat watching Matt for a few more minutes.
“Is something wrong with Megan?” Lance said. “She looks stressed. Living in Italy was her dream.”
“I think she and Luca are having issues. I’ve always had a bad feeling about him,” Adrian said.
“That’s all of us,” Lance said.
Megan had gone to live in Italy for six months ostensibly to perfect her Italian. When the six months were up, in addition to speaking fluent Italian, she had brought a fiancé with her and proceeded to marry him as fast as the wedding could be organized.
They’d all been in shock but the worst of it was that Megan had seemed ecstatic at the thought of living away from her family. As though she couldn’t wait to get away from them.
“She shouldn’t have married him so quickly,” Adrian said.
“Yeah, it was rushed for sure,” Lance said.
“This is exactly why I left,” Megan’s icy cold voice cut through their conversation. “What is it with this family and people plotting and whispering behind your back instead of asking you directly.”
“Hardly plotting,” Lance said casually. Megan hadn’t lost her flair for drama. “Adrian and I are your brothers and we worry about you.”
She folded her arms across her chest. “You don’t need to worry. I’m fine and so is Luca. He was right. The family hasn’t been supportive of us.”
“Look Megan, we all know where that’s coming from. We funded the first phase of the factory and we were committed to going ahead with phase two. But that required that the factory was operational and it should have been with the amount we funded,” Adrian said.
“What happened Megan?” Lance asked. “The business plan was solid. I liked what you did with it. What happened with the implementation?”
She dropped her head.
“Hey, we all make mistakes but you can’t let one mistake bring you down. Try again, don’t give up sis,” Adrian said and stood up.
Lance suspected that Megan had not had the support she needed to make the shift from vineyard to winery. Luca and his family owned a vineyard and he and Megan had had great plans to start producing their own wine, which was where the money was.
Megan had approached Adrian and Lance and they’d used their own money to fund the venture.
Lance suspected that nothing had happened at all and the factory did not get off the ground. Megan had more or less disappeared and she never gave them any updates on what was happening and they’d stopped asking.
It was difficult to like a man one suspected of using one’s sister. Megan was naïve. He and Adrian were sure that the money had gone straight to Luca’s account. They had accepted the loss gracefully but there was no way Luca was going to make them part with more money.
No wonder he hadn’t wanted to come home with Megan. If he had, they’d have demanded an explanation of what happened. Why didn’t the business get off the ground? Most startups failed within the first six months, theirs had not even started.
“Let’s go for dinner before mother comes to scold us,” Adrian said and scooped Matt from the floor.
He protested a little but allowed his dad to carry him.
Chapter Twelve
LANCE BOUNDED UP THE stairs that led to the studio. He enjoyed waking up on Saturday mornings and knowing he had somewhere to go. Corrine had told him that he could stop the lessons but they served several purposes, other than a chance to see Corrine.
They kept him from going to the office on Saturdays. After their father’s stroke, they had agreed as brothers to refrain from working weekends. It was easy for Adrian and Dean to stick to the agreement. They had wives to keep them busy.
Lance had fallen back into his old habits of working on Saturdays. Sometimes, he even went into the office on Sundays for a few hours. His mother would have a fit if she knew.
His eyes fell on Corrine as soon as he entered the studio. She looked like a ray of sunshine in a pretty blue sundress that stopped at her knees and showed off her shapely legs. There wasn't a single thing about Corrine Roberts that he did not find attractive.
"Good morning ladies," Lance said, his gaze falling on Aunt Maureen.
Something was different about her. He dropped his gaze and realized what it was. He grinned. "It's finally out!" he went to her and hugged her.
"We were waiting to see if you'd notice," Aunt Maureen said with a laugh.
"I passed the test," Lance said. "How does it feel to have it out?"
"I feel like a newborn," Aunt Maureen said. "I can’t get enough of walking and seeing both my legs."
Lance laughed. "We have to celebrate. How about an early lunch after class?"
"Good idea, but you two will have to celebrate on my behalf. I’m going on a road trip with a friend. We're going after class and coming back tomorrow."
"Sounds fun," Lance said. "Enjoy yourselves, kiddos, and be safe."
"We will, thanks," Aunt Maureen said. "Now, let's sit down and get started. I want us to do some landscapes today. Those are fun and I know you'll enjoy yourselves."
Lance pulled out the chair for Corrine and as she sat down, he caught a whiff of her cinnamon and strawberry scent. He swallowed hard as he remembered how it felt to hold her in his arms and feel her soft body molded against his.
He had behaved himself all week and refrained from doing anything that would jeopardize their friendship. It had been difficult fighting the urge to take her in his arms and kiss her.
On some days, it was all he could think about. But he hadn’t acted on it and he knew that with time, his attraction for her would dissipate. An attraction was like a seedling. If it was not given attention, it withered and died.
Lance had a feeling that he and Corrine would always be friends whether she stayed at Candin Inc or she left. Respecting the professional boundaries between them meant that he would not jeopardize that friendship.
"Did you have a good night?" he asked her softly as Aunt Maureen mixed paint at the front of the studio.
"I did," Corrine said. "How was dinner with Megan and her husband?"
"She came alone. Something came up and he was unable to make it," Lance said.
As much as he disliked the man, he would not criticize him to Corrine who hadn’t met him. When she did meet him, she would be able to form an unbiased opinion.
He had fallen into the habit of assuming that Corrine would always be in his life. His thoughts for the future included Corrine. Lance told himself it was because they had become good friends.
That was the only reason, and not because he harbored a secret desire to have a romantic relationship with her.
"I hope I’m not too late?"
Lance turned to Max in surprise. “What are you doing here? Your debt is paid."
“Can’t a man enjoy his art classes without getting harassed for it?" Max growled. He shot a smile at Corrine. "Hi, it’s good to see you again."
"Likewise," Corrine said.
"Welcome, Max, and forget about Lance. Don’t let him bully you," Aunt Maureen said.
"Thank you, ma’am," Max said and sat down. "Congratulations on getting your leg back," he added solemnly and they all laughed.
Lance stared at Max curiously. The only reason he had returned to class was because he needed something. Lance shrugged. He would find out soon enough.
He didn't have long to wait. During the break, Max pulled him to the side.
"I hear that Megan is home," Max said, his hands buried deep in his pockets.
"Yes, she came yesterday," Lance said. He admired Max's attempts at appearing casual but the intensity in his voice gave him away.
Max had been Dean’s best friend from when they were kids and had always been in and out of their home. Over the years, it hadn’t taken much for Lance to figure out that Max had a thing for their little sister.
He felt sorry for Max now. He couldn’t imagine feeling the way he did about Corrine if she was married and living in another country. His situation was bad in tha
t he couldn’t date Corrine, not while she worked at Candin Inc anyway, but Max's was far worse.
There was absolutely no hope for him and Megan.
"How is she?" Max continued, sounding like a tortured lover who had been kept away from his lover for years. "Is she happy?"
Lance remembered the barbecue. “She'll be at Dean's tomorrow. You can see for yourself then."
Max gave a blank stare. "Dean's?"
He didn’t know. That meant that Dean hadn’t invited him. Maybe Dean had decided that the gathering was for family only but Max was family. Dean was formal in that way. Lance saw no harm in inviting him.
He trusted him and, despite his attraction, Lance know it was not something that Max would act upon. Not when Megan was married.
"Yes, we're having a barbecue at Dean's to welcome her home. You should come."
Max looked thoughtful for a moment. "All right, I will. Thanks."
When the class was over, Max did not linger. He said goodbye and left hurriedly. Lance and Corrine stayed a while, chatting to Aunt Maureen, then they left after wishing her a good trip.
Lance took Corrine to a Thai restaurant for lunch. He had picked it because it had a back garden. He led Corrine to a table at the back.
“This is gorgeous," Corrine said, admiring the lush setting of the restaurant.
"Not many people know about it," Lance said. "It’s one of the few places that is not crowded on weekends."
She cocked her head and looked at him. "Somehow this is not what I imagined your favorite restaurant looked like."
Lance chuckled, knowing what she was talking about. When he came to the Thai restaurant, it was usually alone. It was his go-to place to recharge and think.
He took his dates to swanky restaurants in town. Places with recognizable names. Expensive restaurants. It was all part of his seduction process. He was not ashamed to use his status in life to impress girls and usually that was all it took to impress a woman.
He had no need to impress Corrine. Not in that manner anyway.
"What kind of place do you imagine me going to?" he said.
He loved her voice. It was sultry and sexy. A voice that a man could imagine whispering into his ear. He shook his head, trying to dislodge images of pulling Corrine into his arms and feeling her soft lips brushing against his.