by Ali Parker
“Hi, Hannah, did you find a lab yet?” she asked.
“No, I haven’t.”
“I did some checking and I can get you three hours in the morning, Monday through Friday. I know it isn’t much, but we’re working on several new projects and are very busy. I’m sorry I can’t do more for you,” she said apologetically.
I breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you. I’ll make it work. I really appreciate you going out of your way to make it work for me.”
“Of course. I’m excited to see what you come up with. I loved your first line and still use it to this day. Are you shutting it down?”
I cleared my throat. The truth was going to come out eventually. I may as well do what I could to control the narrative.
“It hasn’t been announced yet, but I’ve left the company. I’m going out on my own,” I said in a low voice.
“What?” She gasped.
“I’ve decided to branch out. I have some ideas and to make them come to life, I need a fresh slate. There are no hard feelings,” I explained.
“Didn’t your new husband buy the company?”
I took a deep breath. I had been dreading this. I had known it was coming, but I dreaded it all the same. “Yes, Bancroft Estates bought the company. I remained on as the CEO through the transition, but I have moved on.”
She was quiet for a few seconds. I could only imagine what she was thinking. She finally answered. “I understand. You don’t have to explain. You’re going to do great. You’re a fighter. I’m happy to accommodate you and I wish you all the luck in the world,” she said before hanging up.
I quickly pulled up the calendar on my computer and jotted down the time slot for the lab. It was the first step in making my new dream come true. I was elated. Then why was I bawling? I closed my laptop and buried my face in my hands as I bawled my eyes out. It was all so overwhelming. I cried for several minutes before standing and walking back into the kitchen to get a glass of cold water.
“Pull it together, Hannah,” I told myself, taking several deep breaths.
I drank the water, trying to calm my emotions. Everything was so wrong. I hated that it had gotten to this point. I wanted things to be different. I wanted the dream Grayson had painted for me on our wedding day. I wanted the vacations together, us living in a warm, family home and spending our days raising our child. He had given me hopes and dreams I never thought I wanted. I hated him for giving me those ideas and then making me want them. He changed my entire reality and then he dropped a bomb on it.
This was not the way I saw my life turning out.
Chapter 55
Grayson
I walked through the foyer, heading for my father’s den, which had been transformed into a hospital room for my mother to convalesce in. It wasn’t the ideal room for her, but there were no bedrooms on the ground floor. She had pitched a fit, of course, but that had been expected. She wanted to be upstairs in her own room. It wasn’t going to happen. There was no way we could safely get her upstairs. I refused to take the risk.
We had done what we could to transform the den into a comfortable place for her to rest and heal in. I was already working with a contractor to renovate a space on the ground floor to a bedroom suite for her. I knew there was no way she would move, but the fact of the matter was she was getting older and she had broken a hip. Climbing the huge stairs to the second floor several times a day wasn’t going to work. She would never agree to a lift, so it was either we put in an elevator or she moved downstairs.
“Hey,” James said as I strolled by the sitting room, mentally preparing myself to see my mother. She’d given me quite the earful about treating her like an invalid yesterday, and I doubted today would be a lot better.
I stopped walking and went in. “What’s up?” I asked, looking from James to Mason. Both of them looked like little boys who were sulking.
Mason held up a bottle of beer. “She’s in a mood. I’d suggest you fortify yourself with alcohol.”
I chuckled. “You’re being too sensitive. She’s cranky because she’s hurt. You know she hates to slow down for anything.”
James was drinking from a glass. “Trust me, it’s rough. Jack is in there now. I expect he’ll be coming out with his tail between his legs any minute.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m not a pussy like you two. I’ll be fine. I can handle Mom.”
They both laughed. “I doubt that. Go ahead. Go in and take your chances,” Mason said, shaking his head.
I shot them each a look of irritation before I walked out and headed down the wide hallway, my shoes clicking across the marble tile floor as I made my way down the west wing. I opened the double doors and strolled through, not sure what I was expecting, but prepared for anything. My mom was propped up in bed, her hair perfectly coifed and her familiar red lipstick in place. She looked almost amused.
I smiled. “Hi, Mom. You’re looking chipper today.”
She scowled at me and my earlier judgement vanished. She was cranky. Jack was standing near the foot of the bed, a smirk on his face. “Be nice, Mom.”
“I am nice.”
“How are you feeling, Mom?” I asked her, doing my best to ignore Jack.
“I’m fine. Thank you for getting me out of that godforsaken place. Now, I’d appreciate getting back into my own room.”
I nodded. “Of course we got you out of there, Mom, but the only way you’re getting into your own room is with an elevator or one of those chair lifts.”
She glared at me and looked away.
I drifted away from her bed and took a seat near the window. I had forgotten the den even had a window that overlooked the backyard. It was always covered with a heavy curtain. My mom liked open, airy spaces. I knew she would have insisted the window be opened. My eyes drifted over the perfectly landscaped grounds. I thought about Hannah and what it would be like to bring our child to play while visiting his grandma.
“Are you okay?” my mother asked.
I turned back to look at her. “Fine. Why?”
“You seem to be distracted.”
I shrugged a shoulder, looking at Jack. He gave a slight shake of his head. He better not have told my mother about Hannah. I would kick his ass all over again.
“I’m fine, Mom. Don’t worry about me.”
“Grayson, I want you to know I wasn’t planning anything with Hannah. I swear it on everything,” Jack said.
I looked at him, then my mom. She was waiting for me to respond. I looked out the window. “Whatever,” I mumbled.
“You’re throwing away something special,” my mom whispered.
I spun around. “You told her?” I accused Jack.
“She already suspected,” he defended.
“Don’t be upset with your brother. He’s only looking out for you,” my mom scolded.
Even a broken hip and a pharmacy full of drugs couldn’t slow her down. “Mom, I’m not talking about this. I came by to see how you were doing. I didn’t come here to be lectured.”
“You are ruining the best thing that ever happened to you because you’ve got trust issues,” Jack said.
I stood up, walked to my mom, and gave her a kiss. “I’ll come by tomorrow,” I said before walking out of the room, shooting a glare at Jack as I walked out.
I went straight for the sitting room to find it empty. I helped myself to a glass of scotch.
“Grayson, tell me what it is I’ve done to make you hate me so much,” Jack said from behind me.
I turned to look at him. “Why are you in here? I thought you were with Mom.”
“I want to fix this. You’re miserable. That’s obvious and don’t think Mom doesn’t know. She does.”
“I’m not miserable,” I said, growling.
“I beg to differ. You look like hell and you’ve been holding something against me for most of our lives. Get it off your chest,” he said walking toward me.
I took a drink. “Fine. You want to know why I don’t trust you?”
“Yes! Tell me. Let’s get this shit out in the open. Then we can deal with it.”
I took a deep breath, feeling a little foolish. “It’s the go-kart. It’s the girl in school. It’s everything. Our entire lives you’ve always tried to one-up me. You always went after everything I had. You were always competing with me when it came to Mom and Dad, and everything else. I wanted a friend, like Mason and Colt, and James and Channing.”
“I thought we were friends. I knew in high school things were tense, but I never understood why.”
I shrugged. “Everyone was always comparing the two of us. Measuring us against each other, comparing report cards and debating who was taller by a fraction of an inch. There was so much competition and I knew you always wanted to be better than me.”
Jack laughed. “I didn’t want to be better than you—I wanted to be you. I was always trying to dress like you, talk like you, and be good at everything … like you.”
“What?” I asked dumbfounded.
He smiled. “I admired you. I never wanted to take anything from you.”
“I always thought you were trying to take something from me. I didn’t trust you.”
Jack closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “I’m sorry. I really am. I didn’t mean it to hurt you. I hope you believe me. If I would have known, I could have explained it all.”
I shrugged a shoulder. “Whatever. It doesn’t matter.”
“Obviously it does matter. You think I want the company because of whatever happened in our youth. I don’t want it. I like working there and I like my job, but I have no desire to be the man in charge.”
“How can you not want the company?” I asked.
He shrugged. “It’s never been what I wanted. I don’t want that kind of responsibility. I like knowing I can walk away from the job if I want. If I were the CEO, there would be all kinds of restraints. I like the freedom of being the spare heir.”
“What about Hannah?” I blurted out.
Jack smiled. “I don’t want Hannah. I wasn’t conspiring with her. I don’t love her. She’s a nice lady and we got along great, but it was never like that with her. I wanted to reconnect with her. I was surprised you and she were a thing. The Hannah I knew was not your type.”
“Hannah is a beautiful woman. I wouldn’t blame you if you wanted her,” I persisted.
He let out a long sigh. “I’m in love with someone else. I don’t want Hannah. She is gorgeous, kind, and smart, but not the woman I want. One day I will tell you all about the woman I love, but for now, I need you to know I am not trying to ruin your life, take your inheritance, or anything else,” he said, and I almost believed him.
I looked at him. “You’re in love with someone?”
He grinned. “I am.”
“But what about the inheritance? I mean, why wouldn’t you marry her and have a kid, inherit the company before I could?” I asked.
He shrugged. “Grayson, come on, we’re both rich without the company. I don’t need it.”
I slowly nodded. He had a point. “Thank you,” I said in a low voice.
“For?”
“Making me understand.”
He nodded. “Good. I’m glad we can put this behind us.”
I looked at him and moved toward him. I held out my arms and did something I never thought I would ever do in my lifetime. I hugged him. His arms went around me before we separated. It was a weird feeling, but I was hoping it was the start of something new. I wanted a relationship with my brother. I was tired of the fighting and always worrying he was going to stab me in the back.
“I’m going to go in and say goodbye to Mom,” I said as I walked out of the sitting room.
I felt different, like I was a little lighter than I had been when I first walked in the house. I knocked before entering the den.
My mom looked at me and smiled. “You two finally talked,” she said with great satisfaction.
I smirked. “How did you know?”
“A mother knows these things. I hope that means you two can be friends now. It sure will make life easier for me,” she said, then smiled.
“I’m sorry if our quarrel stressed you out.”
She laughed, then winced with pain. “‘Quarrel’ is not the word I would use. I’m glad you two have resolved your issues.”
“Me too. I hope it sticks.”
“It will if you let it. You have to learn to trust people. Your wife, I hope you two can figure things out,” she said.
“I’m going to try.”
I leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. I left the house, feeling far better about everything. Well, almost everything. My driver was outside waiting when I strolled out the door. I was lost in thought on the ride home. I didn’t even realize we had arrived.
“Thank you,” I mumbled, climbing out of the car and heading up to my apartment.
Once inside the comfort of my home, I poured myself a drink, shrugged off my jacket, and loosened my tie. I made my way to the living room, kicking off my shoes as I moved. I flopped down on the leather couch and sipped my scotch. My eyes caught on the blue file folder sitting on the coffee table. It was the divorce paperwork. My lawyer had them delivered yesterday. I hadn’t looked at them. Now, sitting at home alone, they were screaming at me.
I made no move to touch them. Instead I glared at them as if the folder were a venomous snake. I knew I should sign them and be finished with everything. I couldn’t. I didn’t want it to be over. Obviously, that wasn’t up to me, but I couldn’t admit defeat yet. Jack’s confession had given me new hope. Maybe I could convince Hannah to take me back.
I wanted to believe Jack wasn’t after the company. That meant I could take a step back and try to fix everything with Hannah—if she would let me.
Chapter 56
Hannah
It felt good to be back in the lab. Once my company had gotten started, I had rarely ventured into the lab. That was the research and development team’s domain. I was the lady in the big office and didn’t have the time to play with various ingredients. I missed the days of doing the creating. I had been involved in choosing shades and things like that, but the actual creation had been delegated to a group of experts.
Now, it was all about my own dreams and my own talents in the lab, which weren’t quite as good as some of the team at my old company, but I could get by. It felt good to have somewhere to go and something to do. I had my earbuds in and was enjoying some piano music. It always helped me focus. I was creating the perfect shade of red lipstick that maintained the shine while lasting all day without the use of harmful chemicals. I knew there were others out there, but mine was going to be better.
The morning sickness hadn’t been as bad when I woke this morning. I wasn’t sure if it was because somewhere in the back of my mind I knew I had to leave the apartment or if it was truly subsiding. I was hoping for the latter. I was actually glad to know I only had three hours in the lab. I wasn’t sure how long I could have lasted without needing to puke. Three hours was plenty for now.
My phone was connected to my earbuds. When the ringing started, followed by the tinny voice reading off the phone number as it rang in my pocket, I immediately stopped what I was doing, pulled off my gloves, and answered it. My heart racing as I did.
It was Jack’s number. I couldn’t imagine why he would be calling me unless something had happened to Grayson. I didn’t like the man, but I did love him and certainly didn’t want anything to happen to him.
“Hello?” I answered, doing my best to control my voice.
“Hannah, it’s Jack Bancroft,” he said in a very formal tone.
I nodded. “I know. What’s up? Is Grayson okay?” I asked.
“Yes, I mean no. I mean, he’s fine, healthy and all that, but no, he isn’t okay,” he explained.
“What are you talking about?” I snapped, looking at the clock.
I didn’t have time to play Bancroft mind games. The clock was ticking and every minute i
n the lab had to count.
“I mean, Grayson is physically fine, but emotionally, he’s a wreck. I know he can be an ass. I of all people know that better than anyone. However, he’s an ass, but he’s also a really good guy. I know he loves you and he’s been miserable without you,” he said in a smooth voice.
My mouth felt dry. “What?”
“I know Grayson loves you. He’s too stupid to figure it out himself. He needs a little help putting it all together. He’s never been in love and doesn’t know the signs.”
“And you do?” I spat.
He chuckled softly. “Actually, I do. Grayson is miserable, but he doesn’t really understand why. He’s too stubborn to admit he misses you and wants you back.”
“Well that’s too bad for him.”
“Come on, Hannah. Have mercy on the guy,” Jack said, trying to cajole me.
“No! Do you know what he did? What he said?”
He sighed. “I can only imagine. It isn’t personal. He doesn’t know how to be the kind of guy who women dream of falling in love with. He’s Grayson. He’s stern and aloof, but underneath all that, there is a good man in need of a good woman. I think that’s you, Hannah.”
I fought back the urge to race over to Grayson’s house and tell him I loved him and it would be okay. I wasn’t going to let myself get hurt like that. Not again.
“I’m not interested in fixing a damaged man,” I snapped.
“He’s not damaged. He has a big ego, that’s for sure. But he wants you, I know that. He’s too stubborn and prideful to make the first move. He knows he screwed up, but he’s so arrogant, he can’t do anything about it. He’s ashamed of his behavior,” Jack explained.
I scoffed. “He should be ashamed.”
“I know you love him, Hannah. Don’t do this to yourself. Give him a chance to make things right. I know he did something that hurt you, but it wasn’t intentional. He was mad at me. We have some baggage between us and it skewed his worldview of relationships. I think we’ve worked through our issues, which means he is ripe for the plucking.”