by Hart, Taylor
He’d invited her to dinner, so they’d have the one date, that much he was sure of. He needed to bring their lives together. But he didn’t know how that would go down, how she would respond, or what to do about it. Did he tell her who he was? Did he wait? He couldn’t say anything last night when things were going so perfectly between them. And then when they’d said goodbye over breakfast, he couldn’t ruin the sweet, mussed look on her face, the tender regard in her eyes.
He had to believe she’d still be into him once she knew he was part of everything she’d stepped away from, but they needed more time together away from that. Time they didn’t have.
She must finish her book. Time was everything for her right now. She might not know how much she was the talk of the press these past few weeks, but she had to jump on that. Finish writing, offer up an interview, an exclusive, and then talk up her book.
So he’d left, planning to figure out exactly how he was going to bring their lives together.
Now that he’d tasted her lips so thoroughly, now that he’d felt so complete at her side and seen her motivations, her heart, he wasn’t nearly ready to let her go. Even if it meant walking away from this coveted merger between his family and hers.
But why should he have to walk away? The way he saw it, this was exactly what both their parents had hoped for. Without any manipulation, they had met and were interested in each other. With any luck, they could all be happy.
He exhaled slowly. But he’d have to move very carefully. He sensed that the woman who took on a prominent senator and left her immense wealth behind would not be easy to sway or cross. And she wouldn’t appreciate being left in the dark.
As soon as Chad left, Grace’s assurance and hope fell into the pit of her stomach. His strength had held her and lifted her more than she’d realized. But she gritted her teeth. She had to do a few things she’d been putting off. First, call her mother. She used the chalet phone.
“Mom.”
“Oh, Brilee. There you are. How are you doing? Wait, where are you? Do you have any idea what an embarrassment you were the other night? The Chamberlains waited and waited, and that nice boy, their son—”
She wanted to hang up, but she took a deep breath. “Mom. MOM. I’m calling to tell you I’m okay.”
The pause lasted longer than she felt was necessary.
“Thank you. I have been worried. Who can live off the grid like that? What if something had happened to you? I don’t know what to even worry about. Drowning, bears. Who knows? You aren’t in any of our properties. That little camper isn’t even secure—”
“Mom.” She cleared her throat.
Her dad got on the line. “Honey, I need you to come home.”
“I’m coming.”
‘What?” Both their voices in unison would have made her laugh if she wasn’t dreading her return.
“I’m going to finish my project early, and then I have some meetings in New York.”
“I’m so glad. You can come to dinner with us. The annual Hampton party.”
“Ugh, Mom, I never go to that.”
“You can go this year and meet the Chamberlains.”
She closed her eyes. It would be good to start making appearances and behaving normally again, though, if she could help it, she’d never live their lifestyle. “I’ll be there.” She could almost see her mom’s silent look of victory, and it made her want to change her mind. But instead she said, “I’ll see you in a couple weeks.”
He landed on the home helipad. His dad waited for him in the doorway. Not a good sign.
“Son. Pressure’s on. We have to nail this deal. Buttercroft is needling their way in. They want a piece of the Townsends.”
Grace’s family.
“But I thought you and Mr. Townsend had all but signed.” Grace’s father, he reminded himself.
“You know it’s not over until the ink’s on the page.”
“Okay, what do we need to do?”
“You’ve got to find Brilee.”
“Find her?”
“Yes, bring her to that dinner in two weeks. All the families are getting together for that one. Buttercroft will also be there.”
“Dad, I can’t just find a woman who’s gone off the grid.” For some reason he couldn’t tell his dad about Grace. She was not part of his negotiations. He refused to let her be.
“I don’t care what it takes. Also, you can talk to her parents about it—show some interest instead of ignoring them all night and then leaving with your friends the minute you could.”
“Right. Got it. Is there anything I else I can do besides pimping myself out for you?”
He regretted it the minute he said it, but at least he’d spoken his mind.
“Son, that is not what’s going on, and you know it. Sometimes we make sacrifices. We grow family connections. We work hard to be profitable. I’m just asking that you show the girl a bit of attention. This connection with the Townsends could solidify our place for decades to come.” He nudged him in the shoulder with his fist. “Why do you think your mother and I started dating?” He winked. “You might get lucky and find she’s a looker as well as comes from a good family.”
His father didn’t know the half of it. She was the most stunning woman Chad had ever seen, and he was on the fast track to being in love with her. But it made him ill to discuss her in such a way with his dad. “I understand, Dad. Now, if we could talk about something else?”
He kissed his mom hello. They had family dinner, and then the next morning he drowned himself in work that lasted for two days. The first day, he’d picked up his phone to text Grace no fewer than twenty times before remembering she didn’t have a cell phone. Finally, after forty-eight long hours, he’d shipped a phone to her with a note: “Don’t talk to anyone you don’t want to. Hopefully you want to talk to me?”
She’d texted him as soon as she got it. “Thank you. Going off the grid isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.”
He was happy she was unaware of some of the stuff being said about her. The vitriol the senator was spewing. Now that he knew the senator’s posturing was in preparation to defend against a suspected accusation from Grace, he wanted to punch the guy in the face.
Two weeks went by so slowly he thought he’d aged a year. But at last, he was going to pick her up. She had finished the edits on her book, and when he saw her, she might have news from a publisher. He knew publication never happened so quickly unless you were big news. So that was a good sign the editor was anxious to talk and to move quickly.
He had opted not to tell her anything about who he was yet. And he hoped, no, he desperately counted on the hope, that she’d forgive him for being the very person she would never want to see.
The annual Hampton dinner would be much more interesting than ever before, he was sure. At least for the two of them.
She heard the helicopter coming before the text arrived. “Look up.”
Her laughter escaped, unbidden, and she raced out the side door to the helipad area. She’d heard him fly away when he’d left two weeks ago. He’d snuck out, as if to take a car, but the unmistakable thumping of a helicopter so close told her it could only be him. And the pieces had started to fall together.
Who was this man? He was obviously not the working-class guy she’d assumed him to be. Whoever he was, she found her stomach alternately clenching and jumping around until, as she watched him return, the tiny dot in the sky became a loud, windy presence.
As soon as it landed, he jumped out, head down, and raced to her.
She ran to meet him, and their hug filled her with everything she’d been missing; when his mouth hungrily found hers, she laughed and responded with all the pent-up missing she’d felt over the past two weeks. “So, so good.” She laughed and kissed him again. “To see you again.”
“Mm.” He pulled her as close as she could go, pressed up against him. “You too.”
They ran inside, and then he spun her around and kissed her again.
He held her. “Tell me your news.”
“My friend says they want it. Just as I wrote it, with some normal editorial corrections.” Her mouth hurt from smiling.
He pulled away, his face alight with joy. “That’s wonderful. Congratulations!”
“Thank you. I’m thrilled. Hopefully the attention will help the children and women our bill would have protected. Hopefully it will do some good.”
Did he know who she was? Had he been watching any news at all? Her parents had warned her about her face being everywhere. From what she’d seen at the grocery store, there was a good chance he knew all about her. But he didn’t say anything, and his face looked the same as it always had when watching her—appreciative.
She grinned. “You always look like you want to scoop me up.”
He pulled her tighter. “That’s because I do.” His next squeeze pushed the air out of her in a gentle nudge. “I want this day to be the first in a long line of days I spend getting to know you. I hope you aren’t planning on getting sick of me any time soon?” His eyes widened with pretend insecurity, but she saw the truth of it flash through his face quickly before it was gone, hidden by the confidence he showed the world.
“Every day sounds great. Could we get together more than that, do you think?”
“Ha ha! Of course! With us, anything is possible. The way we met is nothing short of a miracle.” He stopped as if he would say more, and she watched him curiously, but he didn’t say anything else.
She laughed and turned in a circle. “Will this do for dinner?” He’d let her know ‘dinner’ required an overnight stay and a flight to New York so she dressed carefully, a pretty dress, heels, classy and beautiful.
He held her hand and made a show of looking her up and down. “You look perfect.”
She spun into him, and he kissed her again. Then she said what she’d been dreading to. It was time to bring him into her world. “I was wondering if we could step out of your dinner after a bit and stop by mine?”
He held her close. “You have a dinner?” He tilted his head. “In New York?”
She shrugged. “Something my parents want me to go to.”
“Of course. We’ll go to both of our dinners and then take the helicopter somewhere fun.”
“Is it yours?” She watched him. “For the night?”
“We can take one wherever we want.”
“Then off we go.” She grabbed her purse. He grabbed her luggage. And they ran for the helicopter. At the airport, they transferred to a private jet, and she knew he was so much more than he’d let on as far as his income, but they could talk about that later. First they had to get through this night.
Her shoulders tightened in dread. Apparently her parents wanted her to meet some man with the Chamberlain’s company. She hadn’t warned her parents, but when she met him, whoever he was, it would be on the arm of a date. Chad’s arm. She also planned to tell everyone there just what she thought of the kind of people who would try to set up their children romantically to get ahead in the world.
What kind of world did they think they all lived in? What was her purpose in their eyes? She knew her purpose wasn’t just to date and marry a man so that her father’s business could prosper. She winced, thinking about everyone’s reactions to what she planned to say.
Chad reached for her hand. “You doing okay?”
She leaned back in her seat. “Yes, I’m enjoying these comfortable travel accommodations.” She raised her eyebrows, waiting for an explanation but not really expecting one. She wasn’t sure she even wanted to talk about it yet.
“Good. It all suits you.”
“Not just the ski gear?”
“Nope. Your bullet camper and ENO, the chalet, your work, and this private jet. It’s all better because you’re there.”
He always said all the right things. She hoped he was for real, because the longer she knew him, the more she wanted to grab his hand and live the rest of her life holding it.
When they landed, he had his driver take them straight to his parent’s house. “Dinner.” He turned to her. “Would you like to sneak in the back door and freshen up before we make an appearance?”
“Wait. Where are we? Is this your house?” Her eyes narrowed before she could stop them. They were in a street in NYC that looked suspiciously like an area her parents would have frequented.
“My parents live here for part of the year. Grace, you need to know. I didn’t dare tell you, but all those wealthy people you complained about. My parents.” He raised a hand. “Guilty.” He waited. No apology. He just respectfully gave her the opportunity to speak her mind.
“I guessed as much. Do they own the chalet too?”
“No.” He toyed with her fingers. “The chalet is mine. And the jet.” He looked up, an amused worry crossing his face. “Never have I been worried my wealth might turn away a woman.”
She laughed. “I’m still here. For now. Let’s go meet the folks.”
“Whew. Okay.”
The driver opened their door as if on cue, and Chad lead her up the front steps of his upper Manhattan home. Claudio opened the front door and nodded to him.
The room was full of people she knew. She froze in the entryway. Then she whipped around to him. “Is this the Hampton party?”
He nodded. And the lack of surprise, the apology on his face, spoke betrayal more than anything else could have. “What do you know?” She stepped back. “Who are you?”
A distinguished, handsome man approached and clapped Chad on the back. “Son. Well done. I knew you could track her down.” He turned to Brilee before she could say anything. “You, my dear, are a difficult person to find. But nothing gets past my Chad here.” He turned to the room. “Might I introduce Chad Chamberlain, my son you might remember, and Brilee Townsend?”
The adults in the room looked overly thrilled and self-important, and suddenly Brilee found it difficult to fill her lungs. Everything was too tight. She swallowed. Then her mother came forward, and she wanted to run.
“Oh, honey. We’ve been so worried.” Her mother pulled her into an overly long, ridiculous hug, and Grace thought she blacked out for a moment, drowned by her mother’s perfume. Only the strength of a familiar voice kept her present. “Grace.” Then the gentle squeezing of her hand. “Grace. Back off everyone, give her some air.”
The distant gasping of a few self-important women would have made Brilee smile, except that the world was grey instead of black, and Chad’s look of concern made her ill.
“You pig.” Her whisper, meant only for him, was obviously heard by a few around them. “You lied. You tricked me. Brought me here?”
“No, it’s not like that.” He reached an arm around her to lead her away. “Let me explain.”
She shrugged him off. “No, get away from me. I have nothing to say to you. Ever again.”
All she wanted to do was run. Back to her bullet. Back to her solitude. She’d pick up Bear back at the chalet and hide, this time forever. Only this time, she had a publishing deal under her belt and the hopes of her own life, created by her own ingenuity. Maybe she’d change her name.
“You all should be ashamed. What century do we live in that you would use your daughter as a pawn in a business merger?”
When Chad looked like he was going to cling to her, she shoved him as hard as she could. He stepped back in shock.
“Get away from me.” She didn’t look back to see if he followed her out the door.
Brilee decided to go by Grace forever now. Even though it reminded her of Chad, even though her stomach clenched every time she heard it spoken. Even though she actually looked over her shoulder once or twice to see if he was there, she still went by her middle name.
It had been one month since she’d heard from Chad. At first he’d texted. All day, every day, but then he’d given up. His last text said, “I guess you either threw away this phone or you refuse to answer. Either way, reaching out seems to be a waste of our time. I won’t can
cel the phone, just in case you ever want to reach me. I can see it’s upstate. I hope that’s where you are. It makes me happy you are only a car drive away.”
Watching her quiet street, she didn’t admit it, even to herself, but she couldn’t leave NY yet for that same reason. She also had meetings with her editor, and trips into NY for signings. But all that could have taken place anywhere.
A month had not yet washed away her sorrow. The ultimate betrayal of everyone she loved tortured her every time she thought about how used she’d felt. Yes, she loved Chad. She loved her parents. But none of them loved her back.
She sighed. Maybe she should write another book. This time a romance. She grimaced. Nope. Those had happy endings. This story would be a tragedy. No. Not even a tragedy. Realistic fiction. Was that a thing still? Women’s fiction. She nodded. Those books always ended tragically.
She’d watched the news, scoured news sites, Wall Street mostly, to hear if their families’ two companies had actually merged. And she’d heard nothing. If that had gone down, it would be the biggest merger news of the decade. So, had conversation stalled?
She tried to pretend she didn’t care.
Bear’s soft nose nudged her. His big eyes watched her, his leash dangling from his mouth. “Great idea, boy!”
She tied her shoes and then hooked Bear to his leash. Her body needed a good, long, hard run. She leapt off the front porch of her month-to-month rental. The small home and its cottage feel brought her a sense of comfort like fried chicken or mashed potatoes. The white picket fence surrounded the yard and met along the front at a gate she kept open.
She took off running, responding to Bear’s urgent insistence for some exercise. They ran down the road, his nose to the ground, her head somewhere far away. Chad again occupied her thoughts.
If the merger hadn’t gone through yet, what was he doing right now? She shouldn’t care. But how could she not? She’d fallen for the man she thought Chad was. She was so consumed with analyzing how such a thing could have happened, pondering it for the millionth time, that she thought his voice was in her head. Until she heard it again.