The Arrangement Duet Box Set

by Madison Quinn

  “How does this help us find him, Carter?” I feel like all we’ve done is talk in circles—I have no fucking idea how this is good news. We have an abandoned van near an apartment that Kenzie hasn’t lived in for more than a year.

  “According to New York PD, his fingerprints were found all over the van along with… Ms. Snyder’s prints. The van was also reported stolen by a neighbor of his in Colorado; this neighbor also confirmed that he did not lend or give permission to Mr. Westbrook to use his van.”

  “How does this help us, Carter?” Again… we’re in fucking circles.

  “Because as soon as we find Westbrook, the police can arrest and hold him on grand theft auto charges. The security footage confirms he was driving the van at the time it was reported stolen. Combined with the fact that he crossed multiple state lines, means he will be held without bail once he is arrested since they will consider him a flight risk.”

  “So, how the fuck do we find him?” I growl.

  “We’re working on that, sir,” Carter sighs heavily.

  I know he is just as frustrated by the situation as I am; there is no denying that Kenzie has worked her way into all of our lives in the past few months. I have no doubt that Carter would do anything to protect Kenzie. “Asher has hacked into the security systems for every public transportation location possible. He has some sort of facial recognition software program he developed in the last forty-eight hours, that is screening practically every camera in the city for Westbrook’s face. According to Asher, his system is more accurate than New York PD’s software.”

  “Is Harper talking at all yet?” I ask.

  “No. She’s met with her public defender, but otherwise has had no visitors and no phone calls.”

  “Has anyone figured out how they knew each other?” Kenzie asks.

  “Not yet.”

  “She was seeing a shrink, right?” I remember.

  “Yes, sir, she was.”

  “Perhaps that therapist can talk to her. We need to figure out what the fuck Westbrook’s plan was!”

  “Sir—”

  “Someone needs to figure something out because I will not put my life on hold again for one of these fuckers! Enough is enough! Get them out of our lives, so that Kenzie and I can get on with our lives!”

  “Relax, Nicholas,” her touch instantly calms me.

  “Carter—”

  “I get it, sir, no apology needed,” he says. “I’ll speak with her therapist and see what he can do.”

  “There has to be some way to get her to flip on Westbrook,” I wonder aloud.

  “We’ll figure it out, sir,” Carter stands essentially ending the conversation. “As a reminder, Hunter is flying out this evening to return to New York. He will be picking up the document you requested from Mrs. Parker’s bank and then will fly back with your family tomorrow morning. Ben has already flown in and is being briefed by Hunter right now. If you need anything from a store, I would recommend you providing me a list of what is needed before Hunter leaves, so at least two of us will remain here at all times.”

  “I don’t think we need anything—”

  “I have a list,” Kenzie interrupts, surprising me. “I spent some time online this morning, figuring out what all is typically made for Thanksgiving dinner–besides the turkey of course–and how to make it. We need a few items if you don’t mind, Carter.”

  “Of course, Mrs. Parker, it won’t be a problem,” his eyes soften and the reason is not lost on me at all. Twice in the last twenty-four hours Kenzie has made reference to not having family dinners during the holidays and I cringe wondering what holidays were like for her growing up. I wonder how different her holidays were from my own before the Parkers took me in.

  “Here you go, I think I have everything,” she hands him a hand-written grocery list that looks like it has entirely too much food on it for just a few people.

  “Kenzie, baby, if you don’t feel like cooking, it’s not too late to find someone to cater—”

  “Absolutely not! You can’t have a catered Thanksgiving Day dinner!” she slaps my arm, and I can’t help but chuckle at her. “Plus, it sounds like your mom is coming tomorrow, so she’ll be here to help cook too! Of course, Cara will be able to help.”

  “My mother confirmed she is coming tomorrow and not Thursday morning, Carter?” I ask.

  “Yes sir, she was able to switch shifts at the hospital, so she works overnight tonight and is off Thursday and Friday. She’ll need to fly back Saturday morning as she has another overnight shift scheduled.”

  “Very good,” I nod, oddly pleased at the thought of Kenzie and my mom making Thanksgiving dinner together. I don’t think I’ve ever given holiday dinners a second thought; I’ve just always taken them for granted but once again Kenzie has managed to open my eyes.

  Chapter 45

  Kenzie

  “Are you sure you want to cook Thanksgiving dinner?” Nicholas asks me for what must be the hundredth time in the last forty-eight hours. “I can still find someone to—”

  “Will you stop asking me? We’ll be fine,” I insist.

  “It just seems like an awful lot of work,” he sighs.

  “Nicholas! You know damn well I never have a meal catered at the holidays! Since the day God brought you into our home, you have always had a home cooked meal for every holiday. Just because we’re here instead of in New York doesn’t change anything,” Vivienne scolds.

  “I know, Mom, it just seems like a lot of work—”

  “Boys, why don’t we leave the ladies alone to cook and take a hike?” Theodore suggests, and I smile at him, trying to thank him for distracting Nicholas.

  “Sounds good to me!” Austin jumps up from the couch.

  “Ummm… sure,” Nicholas mumbles, before walking over to me and wrapping his arms around my waist. “You okay here?”

  “I’m good, go enjoy the beautiful weather,” the sun has been shining all day and surprisingly it isn’t too cold. “You’re taking someone with you right?”

  “Carter and Hunter will be here, Ben and Smith will be with us,” despite earlier plans, he decided to keep a few of the security members here, instead of sending them back to New York. The idea was to give Carter and Hunter a little bit of a break, since they have been going nonstop since the incident, but I don’t think either of them stopped since everyone arrived yesterday.

  “Go, have fun,” I urge.

  “Men,” Vivienne grumbles. “He’s never complained about the work that went into the meal any other year.”

  “That’s ‘cause he just showed up to eat and left as soon as dessert was over,” Cara explains.

  “He didn’t stay long?” I ask.

  “No,” Vivienne sighs. “There was always something with PFS that needed his attention. He would arrive a few minutes before the meal was ready with a bottle of wine, and then leave right after dessert was served.”

  “When he was with… Harper, they didn’t stay?” I ask.

  “No,” the anger in her voice doesn’t go unnoticed.

  “Please, that bitch always thought she was too good for us—”

  “Cara! Language.”

  “It’s true and you know it,” she says without apologizing.

  “Kenzie, to answer your questions, no, Nicholas didn’t stay on the rare occasion that Harper would join him for family dinners,” Vivienne clarifies.

  “Oh.”

  I knew she didn’t get along with his family, but I guess I just assumed that it was because of how she tried to extort him. Nicholas did mention that Vivienne wouldn’t let Harper call her by her name, but I guess I didn’t realize the extent to which the dislike ran.

  “It’s nice to see Nicholas get away from PFS for a little while though, even if it’s under these circumstances,” Vivienne smiles at me.

  “I’m kind of surprised he’s been able to stay away this long,” Cara giggles.

  “He’s been checking his emails here and there; yesterday he had a call wi
th Alex to review everything before the long weekend. The office is closed obviously today, tomorrow and Monday so I think that helps.”

  “How are you handling everything, Kenzie?” Vivienne asks. “I know these last few days have been… interesting.”

  “It’s been… rough,” I admit. “I think the worst part is just not knowing where Richard is—”

  “Richard?” Vivienne asks.

  “Who’s Richard?” Cara mimics.

  “I thought Nicholas told you?” I’m surprised. He told me his family knew of the reason for the increased security.

  “We know Harper broke into the bakery, although God knows how she pulled that one off. That building has impeccable security,” Vivienne says.

  “Is that who Richard is? Is he the one who helped her break in?” Cara asks.

  “Richard is my ex… fiancé,” I say after releasing the breath I was holding.

  “Oh boy… let’s grab some wine and sit down. The turkey is in the oven, the potatoes are peeled, but can’t go in the oven yet, and everything else can wait a little while,” Vivienne suggests.

  Cara pours us each a glass of wine before we go into the living area; no one says anything, I think they’re both giving me the time I need to figure out what I want to say. Now that I think about it, I’m no longer surprised that Nicholas didn’t tell his family about Richard. I know he was going to consult with his dad, but my guess is that’s as far as the conversation went given that Theodore is an attorney.

  “I met him when I was young and naive,” I begin and slowly tell the story that, until I met Nicholas, so few people knew.

  “I hope Nicholas kills the bastard,” Vivienne says, and both Cara and I stare at her surprised at her words.

  “So, Richard lives in New York?” Cara asks.

  “No, thank God,” I reply. “He lives in Colorado… at least that’s where he’s supposed to be.”

  “He didn’t bother you before now?” Vivienne asks.

  “No. I had… have documentation from the police and medical staff that treated me the night I left him. I threatened to expose him if he ever came after me. With his father being an elected official, he wouldn’t risk it.”

  “But you said that you don’t know where Richard is now. I’m assuming you think he had something to do with what happened the other night?” Vivienne asks.

  “Richard’s father died recently, which we think has returned his focus to me,” I shake my head in disbelief. “I hadn’t heard from him, except one time after I left him, but somehow he found me. He was on the security feed from the bakery the night Harper broke in. He helped get her into the parking garage and into the apartment.”

  “Holy Shit,” Cara mumbles.

  “Kenzie… I….” Vivienne is obviously speechless.

  “The increased security is because of him,” Cara realizes. “I didn’t understand why we still needed security, with that bitch in jail, but it all makes sense. Nicholas should have just told us about him.”

  “It wasn’t his story to tell,” Vivienne says quietly.

  If I wasn’t completely head over heels in love with him already, the realization that Vivienne was right would have made me fall in love with him. He let his family believe that everything going on right now was because of his ex, rather than break my trust to tell them about Richard.

  “So, you don’t know where he is?” Cara asks.

  “No, apparently he stole a van and drove out here, but the van was abandoned,” I answer.

  “I’m sure Carter is doing everything he can to find him,” Vivienne says.

  “He is,” I confirm.

  “Wow… Kenzie, this just sucks,” Cara says.

  “Cara!” Vivienne exclaims.

  “No, she’s right,” I laugh. “It does suck. Thank you, Cara.”

  “Kenzie, dear, you know if you need anything, Theodore and I are here for you. No matter what you need, we’re here,” Vivienne hugs me tightly. I take a deep breath, stilling the tears that are threatening to fall, knowing that I can’t remember the last time I had a hug like this that wasn’t from Nicholas. A motherly hug…

  “Thank you, I appreciate that,” she has no idea how much I really appreciate her offer and kind words. “I know Nicholas is consulting with his attorney about Harper and about Richard too, although I think for right now there isn’t much we can do until someone finds him.”

  “That’s why you guys are out here, instead of staying in New York,” Cara says.

  “Until security is checked over at the condo, Nicholas doesn’t want us returning. But I know we can’t stay here forever, even if this place is absolutely beautiful.”

  “This is my favorite place,” Vivienne glances around the cabin. “I thought Nicholas was crazy when he told me he bought the land for us. Then, I thought he was even crazier, when he told me he hired an architect to design a cabin specifically for me and even hired Theodore and Austin to build it.”

  “They built this?” I’m stunned, this place is absolutely gorgeous.

  “Nicholas would fly out here for weekends, and the boys would stay in what is now the security cabin while work here was being completed.”

  “Wow,” I say.

  “I tried refusing this… I told him repeatedly that he had better things to spend his money on, but Nicholas refused to listen to me.”

  “I know the feeling,” I giggle. “I tried to refuse the bakery—”

  “Why Kenzie? You love that place!” Cara interrupts me.

  “I do, I absolutely love everything that you’re doing there and how the business is completely taken off, especially since we got the website up and running, but the thought that Nicholas spent who knows how much money to buy me a bakery? That’s frightening! And this was after the gorgeous wedding, as we were flying to a secluded island in Fiji for a week. It’s a crazy amount of money to even think about.”

  “That’s what he does for the people he loves,” Vivienne explains simply.

  I bite my tongue, knowing that when he gifted me the bakery, we were far from in love. I don’t doubt that he cared greatly for me, but things were still somewhat weird between us at that point. It’s hard to believe that was only a few months ago, in a way it seems like it was much longer.

  BEEP

  The timer on the oven goes off, indicating that it’s time to baste the turkey again.

  “Well, I think our dinner is telling us that we need to get moving,” Vivienne says. “Thank you, Kenzie… for sharing your story with us. I know it wasn’t easy for you, but we appreciate you letting us know what is really going on.”

  “Thank you,” Cara whispers as she hugs me tightly. “For trusting us and for giving me back my brother.”

  “Giving him back?”

  “Before he met you, he hasn’t smiled… in a very long time. It’s nice to see him happy again; you’ve done that to him—you’ve made him that way. For a long time after that bitch tried to ruin his life, I didn’t think I’d ever see him smile again. But you managed to do what none of us could. You broke down the barriers that he put up. He let you in when he wouldn’t let anyone else in. So thank you.”

  “I didn’t…” I mumble surprised at Cara’s words.

  “You did,” she squeezes my hand, before heading into the kitchen. “Now, who needs more wine?”

  Chapter 46

  Kenzie

  “It’s finally quiet,” Nicholas mumbles.

  “It is, but it was nice with everyone here too,” I agree.

  The last couple of days have been anything but quiet with so many people here, though I wouldn’t change it for anything. Thanksgiving with the Parkers was just amazing—we spent dinner laughing and just enjoying each other’s company. When the guys retreated to the living room to watch football, Cara, Vivienne and I went outside and sat on the large deck with glasses of wine. Nicholas even started a fire in the small fire pit for us and brought blankets outside when we refused to come back inside. It was really nice just hanging ou
t and getting to know everyone more. Of course, Cara and I chat several times a week because of the bakery, but it tends to be centered on business rather than our personal lives.

  “When do we fly back to New York?” It’s funny how when you’re away, all sense of time seems to disappear.

  “Monday,” Nicholas answers.

  Ding

  “Carter wants to meet,” he sighs.

  “Everything okay?” judging from his voice, I know something is up.

  “He identified the connection between Richard and… Harper—”

  “Wait! What? What’s the connection?” I interrupt.

  “I don’t know.”

  “What do you think about having a camp fire tonight?” I suggest a few minutes later, when we’re waiting for Carter.

  “A campfire?” he repeats.

  “Yeah, not in the fire pit though… something bigger.”

  “I’m sure we can find a spot that’s far enough away from the trees to make a camp fire. Why don’t you want to use the fire pit?”

  “I have a few things that I think we should burn and the fire pit won’t be big enough.”

  “What are you…? OH! Are you sure?”

  “I told you the other night I wanted to get rid of the contracts. Nothing has changed.”

  “You’re sure?”

  “I’m sure,” I lean in, placing my lips on his and leave him no doubt that I’m confident in my decision. I know why he keeps asking me, and I’m touched that he is so considerate of what I went through. But, I’m not that person any longer, and I know without a doubt this is nowhere near the same situation. “Are you?”

  “Absolutely,” he wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me onto his lap so I’m straddling him. He cups my face and brings me to him, his soft lips landing perfectly on mine as my hands immediately go to his hair. Within minutes we’re moving against each other as the need quickly takes over.

  Knock knock

  “Damn it!” Nicholas hisses as he pulls away from me.

  “Later,” I whisper before slipping off his lap.

  “That’s what you said last time,” he mumbles, getting up from the couch.