Showdown: Tech Billionaires

by Ainsley St Claire

  Twenty million to Nate is like twenty dollars to most people, but Cecelia believed in helping women succeed. She wanted to set an example for her daughters. This matters because of that, if for no other reason.

  A blond woman rushes to the nurses’ station, and she’s pointed to me in the waiting room.

  She focuses on me. “Hello, I’m Judith. You must be my mother’s boarder.”

  Judith is dripping in diamonds, perfectly manicured and coiffed. She seems vaguely familiar. I close my computer and stand. “Hi, I’m Lilly.”

  “We weren’t crazy about Mom allowing someone to live in the house, but honestly, if it wasn’t for you…” Judith begins to cry.

  Shortly after that, another of her daughters arrives, and the waiting room is very crowded. I excuse myself and let Mrs. Jones’s daughters know I’ll be at the house. In case anyone needs me, I leave my cell phone number.

  As I walk out, I see Captain Chapel from next door sitting on a chair close to the elevators. “Have you been here long?”

  He shakes his head. “No, not too long. We knew Mabel was lonely, but if you hadn’t been there, I wouldn’t have checked on her until lunchtime, and that would have been too late. You saved her life.”

  I sit with him. “I hope so. We don’t know much yet—or at least I don’t.”

  Then a fourth woman arrives and rushes toward the waiting room, so I know she must be Gayle. I stand and introduce myself. “I’m Lilly, the one who called you. I left my number with your sisters. Please let me know if you need anything.”

  “We should be thanking you.”

  “Not necessary. I’m very grateful to your mom.” I wave goodbye and call another rideshare back to Mrs. Jones’s home.

  I sit down at the kitchen table and eat a peanut butter sandwich. I realize I haven’t eaten anything all day. As I finish, I open my laptop and look through the lines of code. Soon I’ve fallen into the black hole of software design. Mrs. Jones showed the signs of a stroke this morning, and her neighbor said it could have been three more hours before she was discovered if I hadn’t been here. How can we fix that brain bleed three hours after the event? I stare at the code, and strings start coming together. They’re not complete, but I’m making some connections that hadn’t revealed themselves before.

  The doorbell rings, and I assume it’s one of Mrs. Jones’s daughters. I don’t even check the peephole as swing the door wide open. And there’s Jim Adelson standing on the porch.

  I debate closing the door quickly, hoping he didn’t see me, but I realize that’s ridiculous. Instead, I look at him and stand my ground, determined to not be bullied.

  “I didn’t take anything from the estate that wasn’t mine to start with,” I tell him.

  “Why would I think that? I don’t care about that, and neither does Nate. That’s not why I’m here.” He pushes past me and looks around the room.

  I know he’s here to deliver a message, but it’s still not Nate himself, so I’m not sure it’s going to be something I want to hear.

  He turns to me. “Are you okay? Is your mom okay?”

  “Why are you here?” I just want to get it over with and go back to what I was doing.

  “Aren’t you going to ask how we found you?”

  “I didn’t realize I was hiding. I’m renting a room four blocks from my mother’s nursing home.”

  “But didn’t you ask them not to tell anyone she was staying there?”

  “There are people after Nate, and by proxy, they could be after me. I couldn’t take the chance that they’d figure out where my mother was.”

  “We’ve all been worried about you.”

  I snort. “Whatever. Sorry for the inconvenience.” I feel tears behind my eyes. I start thinking of other things and look up so they don’t fall.

  “What Nate said to you was way out of line, but it was an unfortunate gut reaction. He realizes it was wrong, and he feels terrible. I believe he tried to contact you before you ditched your phone. The rest of us have raked him over the coals about it.”

  What good does that do me? He can’t be bothered to reach out himself, so he can’t be that sorry. “Why are you here, Jim?” I don’t want to hear any of this.

  “The family came back to find you. They were staying below the radar at Caroline’s house in the City. The donation you got from Cecelia held a big clue for us. Nate then unraveled something that caused an eight-person assault team to enter the house in Sausalito.”

  I jump up. “Are the girls okay?”

  “They’re all in Hawaii now, missing you, but they’re fine. I’ve been asked to take you with me to meet them on Maui.”

  I shake my head, my thoughts whirling. “I don’t think that’s a very good idea. I… I can’t leave my mother unprotected.”

  Chapter 27

  Lilly

  Jim nods, but his eyes dart around the room. “You’re right to consider your mother’s safety, but the people that are after Nate and the girls may very well come after both of you here,” Jim explains. “You’re not safe.”

  “I can’t,” I whisper. There’s so much unresolved. I can’t just jump back into their lives.

  Jim gets on his phone, and then he’s FaceTiming with someone. “She won’t come,” he announces.

  He then hands me his phone, and I can see Bex and Katrina crying. “Please come. We need you.”

  My tears begin to fall, and the camera moves to Nate. He walks away from the girls. “Hey.”

  “Hello.” I brace myself for whatever he has to say to me.

  “I found the note Cecelia gave you with your check,” Nate says.

  My stomach drops. I forgot that I left my box of papers behind when I escaped to the Four Seasons.

  “Listen, I’m so very sorry for what I said. I can completely understand why you stayed when Cecelia asked, and as many have now pointed out, if you’d said no, she would have kept looking. None of what happened was your fault, and I’m sorry I ever suggested it could have been.”

  My eyes grow wide. Trevor was right. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you what happened sooner. I just never knew how to do it since there was so much else going on for you. And I enjoyed the weekend I spent with the girls, so I was happy to continue.”

  Nate nods. “I get it, and I’m so grateful you did. I’m sorry for reacting poorly when you tried to talk to me, and please know that I miss you so much. The girls hate me and are miserable without you. I know Jim’s given you the practical reasons to come to Maui with us—we want you to be safe—but now I’m asking for personal reasons. Please come to Maui.”

  “I’m worried about my mom,” I fret. “I’m not sure it would be good to disrupt her schedule, but what if Christina’s friends figure out she’s my mom? The nursing home can’t defend themselves.”

  “I think she needs to be moved. There’s a nursing home here in Kahului that has a beautiful private room, if it doesn’t work here at the house.”

  “She can’t afford a private room.” I sigh.

  Nate holds up his hand. “The least I can do is take care of that expense since I’m the cause of the disruption. Please. Take Jim with you, and start seeing what needs to be done to protect her and you.”

  Bex wrestles the phone away from Nate. “You left us. You said you were just going to check on your mom. If you’re not coming back, can I live with you? Please. I miss you so much.”

  My heart breaks.

  Katrina is close by because I hear her add, “I’m coming too. I don’t care about Hawaii or any place else. Our dad’s a jerk for letting this happen. Please come and be with us.”

  “I’ve really missed you all—including your dad. But before I can come to Hawaii, I need to figure out a plan for my mom. She needs care twenty-four hours a day, every day. I need to see if she can travel and how we’d make that happen.”

  “Can you figure it out soon? We need you,” Bex is full-on crying.

  I nod, feeling the full weight of what my leaving must feel like
to them. “May I speak to your dad again?”

  “Whatever you need or want,” Nate says as he returns. “I’ll do whatever it takes.” He moves away from the girls. “I know they told you how much they need you, but I do too. Everything seems empty without you. I fucked up, and I’m sorry. Please come back to us.”

  I close my eyes. “I’ll take Jim over to my mom’s place. The woman I rented a room from is in the hospital. Before I leave, I need to be sure her family doesn’t need me.”

  “Will you call me later?”

  I nod. “I’ll try.”

  We disconnect, and I look up at Jim. “Did you hear all of that?”

  He nods. “I’ll take it to my grave.”

  “Jim, you’ve known him the longest. It was eye-opening in the worst possible way to hear him tell me he loved me, and in the next minute, blame me for Cecelia’s death. Maybe he didn’t mean it, but he had the thought. The pain of losing her will always be with him, and I don’t know if I can compete with that. I worry I’ll always be just a place holder.”

  Jim looks at me, and I can tell he has something difficult to say. I huff and turn back to the kitchen. I’ve finally admitted my biggest fear. Why would I go to Hawaii and open myself up to have my heart be destroyed?

  “Wait,” Jim calls. “What Nate and Cecelia had is what we all aim for in our relationships. They had honesty, they were good partners, and they had great chemistry.”

  I throw my hands in the air. How can anyone compete with that? Soulmates who met as children.

  Jim takes a big breath. “I’ve watched all kinds of beautiful women throw themselves at Nate since Cecelia’s death. There’s been not even an inkling of attraction from him. I would have guessed he’d become a monk rather than even look at a woman again. But somehow, the girls’ love for you started chipping away at him. They still love their mom and they love you. I think that helped him see it was possible.”

  That still sounds a lot like a place holder.

  “You’ve never been intimidated by him,” Jim continues. “You stand up to him. You hold your ground, and he’s respected that about you since the beginning. You have the same inner strength Cecelia had. You’re smart and beautiful. And it’s obvious to everyone that you two have some killer chemistry.”

  My head whips up. “What?”

  “You aren’t fooling anyone. I mean, that dress you wore to the wedding had half the men there at full attention. They’re used to seeing you as the girl next door, and Nate couldn’t take his eyes off you all night.”

  “You think I’m being silly about standing my ground?”

  “No, I would have stabbed him in the leg had he said something that hurtful to me. But don’t burn everything down to make your point. He knew almost immediately that he’d fucked up. And between the two of us, that was brilliant. It made him realize what he felt, and what he needed to do to fix this. I know he and the girls have a plan for you.”

  I take a deep breath. “I can’t leave my mom,” I whisper.

  “Then we need to go over to her nursing home and see what it would take to move her.”

  I follow Jim to the waiting Suburban, and we drive to the nursing home. Fortunately, we’re able to sit down with the executive director. Jim explains that the person I worked for is a target and they worry I’m a target and the best way to get to me is through my mom. She’s horrified. Jim explains the need to move my mother temporarily and says he plans to continue paying for her room, if they can hold it for her while she’s gone. It takes some time and a lot of back and forth, but the director finally agrees and says she’ll allow two of Mom’s nurses to travel with us. Once everything has been decided, she says they need the rest of the day to get it all arranged.

  We sign some paperwork, and then stop by the hospital to see Mrs. Jones.

  She now can have visitors. I knock on her open door with Jim standing behind me. Judith stands and motions for us to enter. “Jim, what are you doing here?” she asks. “Is Tom okay?”

  “Tom is fine.” He smiles at her. “I need to get Lilly to a new location. We’re concerned about her safety.”

  I suppress an eye roll. Figures we’d run into someone Jim knows.

  Gayle stands as well. “Is my mother at risk?”

  He motions for the sisters to come out so he can talk with them. He’s told me Mrs. Jones is not likely to be a target. I hope he’ll make sure that’s true. Nothing would kill me faster than knowing I put her in harm’s way.

  I sit down with Mrs. Jones, who I’m pleased to see is awake, and seems alert. “How are you feeling?”

  “I’m so grateful you were there,” she says with the slur of a stroke patient.

  “Me too. I have a feeling you’re going to need my room for a nurse to move in.”

  She sighs. “I’d rather it be you.”

  “Well, when I moved in I told you I didn’t know how long I’d be staying. Turns out I need to travel for a bit, but don’t you worry about me. I’m just going to be out of the area for a while.”

  “Do you need me to check on your mom?” she asks immediately.

  I smile and squeeze her hand. “Thank you, Mrs. Jones. But I’m actually going to take her with me.”

  She nods. “Well, I’m glad I got to know you. Captain tells me I’m the talk of the neighborhood with all you did to save me.”

  “That’s exciting.”

  She guffaws. “Not even close.”

  “Can we get together for a game of cribbage when I get back?”

  Her eyes sparkle. “And maybe another puzzle.”

  “Sounds like a deal.”

  Her daughters return, each giving me a hug. “We owe you for taking care of our mom,” Gayle says.

  I shake my head. “I had no place to go, and she welcomed me into her home. It’s she that saved me.”

  Judith looks at me closely. “I didn’t recognize you at first, but I know I’ll see you again.”

  She knows Jim, but I still have no idea who she is or why she would recognize me. I smile awkwardly as Jim motions that it’s time to go. I hand them my house key, say my goodbyes, and leave the room with him.

  “How do you know Judith?” I ask as we walk down the hallway. “And why does she know me?”

  “She’s married to Tom Sutterland, and you were just at a wedding together,” he explains.

  “Duh!” I put my palm to my forehead. “I didn’t recognize her, and I’ve been to her house. They have a daughter the same age as Katrina.”

  “When things calm down, I promised Judith you’d call and get the two girls together. They’re part of a pretty small club.”

  He’s so right. Katrina could use an actual friend her own age, and Tom’s wealth is right on par with Nate’s.

  “Where am I staying tonight?” I ask.

  “With Kate and me,” he says. “She’d skin me alive if I didn’t bring you home.”

  I spend a pleasant evening with Kate while Jim works through the logistics of bringing my mom to Maui with the local caregivers there, the airports, and his team that’s with Nate. As much as I resisted it, it’s really nice to have expert assistance to figure all this out.

  Kate tells me she’s become a giant insomniac with a set of twins growing in her belly. “I’d swear they’re already throwing fists at one another. They’re going to be just like Jim, and I’m so screwed.”

  I smile. “Nannies. They’ll be your saving grace.”

  “Unfortunately, the best one we know was only an accidental nanny, and I have a feeling she’s going to be needing her own nanny soon.”

  My eyes almost pop out of my head. “I think you’re way, way ahead of where we are—or may ever get.”

  She just shrugs. “I guess you have some things to discuss.”

  I shake my head, and say nothing, but Kate’s not letting it go.

  “You know, I’ve not seen Nate so upset or so excited about a woman since Cecelia. If you aren’t interested in the long haul with him, you need to let him
know.”

  “What are you drinking?”

  She giggles. “I mean it. He and Jim are best friends. Before I met Jim, he had a list—literally—of women he was sleeping with. He didn’t date them; they just had sex. When we met, I thought he was just being nice. Then I realized he’d cut off all those women and was committed to me. That’s what Nate has done with you. It just looks a little different because of Katrina and Rebekah.”

  “So much has happened, and there’s so much going on. I can hardly imagine any of that.”

  “He’s in the stream, and he’s not fighting the current,” she says. “He’s ready to go over the waterfall.”

  It’s not worth arguing with her. I just don’t see it the way she does. Fortunately, whether she can sleep or not, the twins make her tired, so she retires to her bedroom pretty early.

  As I get ready for bed in their guest room, I call Nate on FaceTime.

  He answers without his shirt on.

  “Are you teasing me?” I smirk.

  “Is it working?”

  I smile and shake my head. “Are you sure you want me to come to Hawaii? It’s not too late to change your mind.” I hold my breath.

  Nate pulls a shirt over his head. “I want to apologize to you in person. I know my declaration of love for you has been destroyed, but I do love you, and I can’t wait to see you. I’ll prove it to you all over again. Jim says you’ll be coming tomorrow and should be here for lunch. And bonus—the girls are finally talking to me again.”

  “We just have to get my mom from the nursing home and on the plane and secure.”

  “Yep, I know,” he says. “That’s easy. I’ve rented a ramp at both airports that will roll right up to the plane, and her wheelchair is all set. We have anchors in the floor to secure her chair. If she wants to lie down, there’s also a bed, and we can belt her in there so she doesn’t roll off.”