Stealing Her Best Friend's Heart

by Tara Randel

  But she and Alveda had become a family of sorts. It seemed possible, the family dream. And if she was honest with herself, she wanted a relationship with Reid more than a house. Question was, would he be willing to give up things for her if he felt the same way? Now that he had the chance to prove himself again?

  He’d already slipped into the groove of being in the office. Had forgotten about the party for the kids. And the way he was so focused on the task at hand? It had made Heidi feel like she was a second thought. She’d been there once, not being enough. Didn’t know if she could live through it again.

  Her mother had never put Heidi first, no matter how much Heidi had loved her. Would the same thing happen with Reid? If he had to choose between his place at Masterson Enterprises or her, would her love for him be enough? Just entertaining the thought made her chest ache. Was she secure enough in herself to love him, even if his focus might always be the company?

  Dropping her pencil, Serena said, “There’s a lot of thinking going on over there.”

  “Sorry.” Heidi shook her head. “You’re right. I...um...”

  “Just put two and two together?”

  Reality sank in. “I think I’ve known for a while now. Just never put words to the feelings.”

  “So, this is exciting, right?”

  “I don’t know. We’ve always been friends only.”

  “But now you have a chance to go deeper.” Serena took a charcoal pencil and started sketching. “Figure out why you’re attracted to each other. How to make it work.”

  Could it be that simple? “Reid and I just recently admitted that we want to be together. We’ve never spoken about love.”

  “But you’re working toward it.”

  Were they?

  “Serena, he has the opportunity to do his dream job. Granted, it’ll mean figuring things out with his dad, but what will that mean for us?”

  Serena frowned, like she didn’t understand the question. “That you’ll be happy.”

  If only Heidi could be that sure.

  “Or,” Heidi countered, “Reid will focus on his real true love, the business.”

  “Oh, I don’t think—”

  Heidi cut her off. “You haven’t seen him there. He fits in. He’s a vital part of what is going on.”

  “So, you share the experience.” Serena laid down the pencil. “I’m not a private investigator like Logan, but I’m interested in what he does. And he asks about the store all the time.”

  Frustrated, Heidi gripped the counter. “This is different.”

  Serena’s smile dimmed. “Spell it out for me.”

  Taking a breath, she admitted her worst fear. “Why would he want to love me? I’m not that special.”

  Serena seemed stunned. “What are you talking about?”

  “I know I’ve never spoken about my childhood, but trust me, I wasn’t really wanted.”

  “Oh, Heidi, that can’t be right.”

  “My mom never took having a child seriously. I grew up moving from place to place. Haven’t you ever wondered why I ended up with Alveda?”

  “Sure, but I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable by asking. And besides, when I first got to Golden, I was hiding my past, so I respected your silence on the subject.”

  Okay, so her friend had been respectful. But she’d also been wanted by her parents. Never had to wonder why her love wasn’t enough.

  “Your dad always loved you. I can’t ever be sure about my mother.”

  An unpleasant silence took over the empty store. Heidi was so glad there were no shoppers browsing and eavesdropping on this excruciatingly terrible conversation.

  “What has all this got to do with Reid?” Serena asked.

  “I’m worried that I’m not that important to him.”

  “I’m confused. You two are together, right?”

  “Yes. But look how long it’s taken us. This romantic stuff just caught us both by surprise. And now he spends long hours at the office. What if our relationship isn’t strong enough to make a lasting future?”

  “Then you keep fighting.”

  Heidi drew into herself, her voice small and unsure when she spoke, sounding like the little girl who was afraid of the dark. “What if he doesn’t want to?”

  Serena slipped from her stool and pulled Heidi into an embrace. For once, she didn’t shrug away. The warmth and concern coming from her friend had tears forming in Heidi’s eyes. Her throat clogged. How could she have gone from so happy to be with Reid to this unsure of herself?

  She pulled away, wiping her eyes. This was why she’d always been alone. Nothing hurt you that way. Miffed at herself, she decided she wasn’t about to let her insecurities, or the past she’d worked so hard to overcome, set her back now.

  “This was dumb. I’ve made a big production out of nothing. I should just talk to Reid instead of thinking worst-case scenario.”

  “Now you’re making sense.”

  Was she? Heidi wasn’t sure. After all, she’d allowed the conversation at Reid’s office to put foolish ideas in her head. Let the wounds of the past color her future. No more.

  Serena volleyed a dare her way. “Heidi Welch, you are not going to throw in the towel. Pull yourself together and convince Reid that he can’t live without you.”

  Serena was right. As long as she believed in her own worth, she’d never have to feel unloved again.

  Not one to back down from a good challenge, Heidi decided she’d tell Reid exactly how she felt tonight. If she could get over her fear of the dark, she could also get over the fear of giving her heart away.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  REID WAS STILL in the office. He had one final meeting before he could head to the community center to join Heidi and the kids. After the long day he’d had, he was looking forward to a distraction, mainly watching Heidi interact with the teens. She engaged with the students, made them think and react. Funny how she did the same for him.

  He’d been thinking about a lot of things lately, Heidi at the top of the list. But there was also the family issue. Did he stay at Masterson Enterprises? He supposed only time, and his father’s health, would tell.

  A mental picture of Heidi had him smiling. She also laughed a lot, which made him more at ease than he’d been for a long time. He didn’t care where they were as long as they were together. Was it possible that falling for her had been inevitable? Once he’d gotten out of his own way, he was surprised he hadn’t noticed how much he needed to be with her. Tonight, he’d tell her how he felt, take a chance on a future with her. He wouldn’t worry about—

  “Earth to Reid.”

  Shaking his head, Reid looked across the desk.

  “Where were you?” asked Sam, the contractor Reid was meeting with about the town sign.

  “Sorry.”

  “Looks like you’ve checked out for the night.”

  Reid shrugged. “I’ve got plans.”

  He glanced at his watch. Six thirty. He still had to run by the Hanover remodel. Phil had called to tell Reid he’d finished staining the deck, but knowing Phil, Reid needed to check the kid’s work. So much for making it to the party on time.

  Sam sent him a knowing smile. “I recognize that look. It has to be a woman.”

  Not just any woman. Heidi. She needed to know the depths of his feelings.

  “So, you’ll get back to me with the proposal?” Reid asked as he stood to reach out and give Sam a handshake.

  “You got it. Shouldn’t take long.”

  Reid walked him to the door. “Great. Give me a call when you’re ready to submit the plans.”

  Before Sam could leave, Arthur Masterson walked through the door. Reid nodded at Sam as he exited, trying to ignore the bad feeling that had suddenly charged the air by his father’s unexpected presence.

  “Dad, what
are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be taking it easy?”

  His father shot him an amused glance. “It’s my office.”

  “Yes, I mean, I thought you were away with Mother.”

  “A man can only rest so long before getting stir crazy.” His father shrugged, as if his showing up here was no big deal. “I decided to stop in and see what you’re up to.”

  The uneasy sensation landed squarely on Reid’s shoulders and pressed down hard.

  “What kind of proposal is Sam putting together for you?”

  Reid shot his dad a curious look.

  “I overheard you two talking,” Arthur said as he strolled to the desk and started thumbing through the paperwork Reid had divided into neat piles.

  “A job for Grandmother.”

  “Not the town sign.” His father shook his head.

  Not liking the way he seemed to reject the idea, Reid championed his grandmother. “It’s important to her.”

  His father nodded, distracted by the papers.

  “How did you talk Mother into letting you come here tonight?”

  “She doesn’t know I’m gone.” A smug grin curved his father’s lips. “Snuck out while she was unpacking.”

  Reid came to the side of the desk. “You should have told her.”

  “She knows I need to keep busy with work.”

  The mounting tension grew with each tick of the clock.

  Reid reached for his phone. “I’ll call her. She’ll be worried when she finds you missing.” He’d just pulled up her contact when his father spoke in a harsh tone.

  “What’s this?”

  Reid glanced at the folder his father was holding and his chest grew tight. The construction job his dad had overbid on.

  “I was reading up on your development,” Reid said.

  His father pulled out a page that had Reid’s estimations written on it. The older man’s eyes went wide. “And this?”

  Reid squared his shoulders, which were still heavy. “I was reworking your numbers.”

  Disbelief crossed his father’s face. “Why? I’ve been on this deal for quite some time and things are almost in motion.”

  Might as well dive in headfirst. “When I studied the deal, I realized the numbers seemed a bit high for this type of project. There are methods of spending less and doing a quality job.”

  His father tossed the file onto the desk with a flick of his wrist. “Really? Because you’re so experienced in large-scale developments?”

  Biting back an angry retort, Reid said, “I know good contractors. It’s not that hard to figure out. Besides, I still work in the field. I have contacts.”

  “Because flipping houses is just like building an entire housing complex,” his father scoffed.

  “Bad business is bad business no matter the scope of the project.”

  His father’s eyes went dark. “Are you questioning my decisions?”

  Reid stuttered a frustrated breath. “No. Grandmother asked me to take over here at the office after your procedure at the hospital. I was making sure everyone’s interests are being taken care of.”

  “By interfering with my plans?”

  Reid held his tongue. There was no use arguing with his father. Been there and it never turned out well.

  “Does this mean you’ve returned?” his father asked.

  “That depends on you.”

  His father blinked. “I thought you liked flipping houses.”

  “I do. As a sideline. But Masterson Enterprises has always been the place for me.”

  “Then it’s amazing how quickly you departed.”

  Reid really didn’t want to have this conversation, but deep down he’d known that once his father came back, they’d have to face the past in order to secure the future. For both of them.

  “We’re family. I was happy to help.”

  His father pointed to the folder. “By making decisions that aren’t yours to make.”

  “Don’t you want what is best for the company?” Reid hated his pleading tone but kept on going. “That’s all I’m doing. All I’ve ever done.”

  His father regarded him for a long moment, then opened the folder again and flipped through the pages. “You have an entirely different list of subcontractors.”

  “As I said, we can get a better price with these guys.”

  “And what about loyalty to the ones I’ve hired throughout the years?”

  “There’s nothing wrong with that, but the bottom line is that you’re going to spend more in the long run. That defeats the entire purpose of building affordable housing if you have to pass the cost on to the people buying the units.”

  “So, I’m just supposed to tell the companies I’ve worked with for years that my son found better subcontractors?”

  “I’d hoped we could figure this out together.”

  “I won’t have you second-guessing the decisions I’ve made.” His father’s face slowly turned red. “You cannot come in and take over this project.”

  This was worse than Reid had anticipated.

  “Have you spoken to any of your contacts?” his father asked.

  “A few. Just to get competitive rates for the job.”

  “And you don’t think that bit of news will reach the firms I normally hire?”

  “Dad, this isn’t a competition between us.”

  “Maybe, but I won’t have you undermining my decision. Stealing projects. Or making me look bad.”

  Making me look bad.

  With a slash of pain, Reid’s mind flashed to that night during senior year. Hours after the disaster that was the championship baseball game.

  His father had been waiting when he came home, ordering Reid to his office. “What were you thinking?” his father had yelled, pacing the room.

  “I messed up. You don’t have to remind me.”

  “It’s about our family image, Reid. Your actions reflect on this entire family.”

  “It’s just a game!”

  “It’s more than that. You didn’t give it your all.”

  Reid’s mouth had fallen open.

  “You embarrassed our family. Embarrassed me.” His father had spoken the words as if Reid were nothing more than old gum stuck on the bottom of his shoe. Inconvenient and annoying.

  From that night on, Reid had been trying to get back into his father’s good graces by earning exceptional grades in college. He’d worked hard once he came home and started at the company with ideas to make Masterson Enterprises more successful. And still his father found fault in everything he did.

  No more.

  “It’s not always just about you,” Reid said, surprised he kept his voice steady.

  His father’s face turned to stone. “I built Masterson Enterprises. Your grandfather was never interested. He’d rather be in his shop, fiddling around with his woodworking projects. His brother took off to who knows where and I took up the slack. I put my heart and soul into this company.”

  “And you think I haven’t?” Reid nearly shouted.

  “I made the company what it is today.”

  Reid tapped his hand against his chest. “And I was the one to bring it into the future.”

  They stared at each other in a silent standoff.

  Reid broke the painful silence first. “I’ve always respected you.”

  “By taking my clients? Are you trying to prove that you’re better at business than me?” His father seethed. “My say is final.”

  “Is that what you think this is about? Who has the most control?”

  His father looked at him like he was dense. “What else could it be?”

  “I don’t know.” Reid tried to speak but his throat was tight from the humiliation and something much deeper. The realization that nothing he said to his father was ever
going to make Reid important to this man. “Maybe I want my father to be proud of me. Of what I’ve been able to accomplish for this company. For this family.” Reid ran a hand through his hair. “I never wanted the projects to be about me. I wanted us to work together.”

  His father stared at him.

  “Okay. I realize you don’t get it. I don’t know why I ever thought you would.”

  How he wished Heidi was here. Just slipping her hand into his as they stood side by side would have given him the strength he needed to get through the next minutes. Why hadn’t he told her how important she was to his life? Why had he allowed work to be everything?

  He looked at his father and shivered, seeing his future if he didn’t change right now.

  Heidi probably thought he’d forgotten to meet her at the community center. He didn’t want to contemplate the fallout, how Heidi must think he deserted her. Just like her mother.

  Unsure what to do next, Reid looked across the room at his father. Arthur had gone pale, the lines on his face deeper than Reid ever remembered. Suddenly, his father, the man he’d looked up to, the man whose respect he’d always been trying to earn, looked fragile. Guilt from pushing his father made Reid feel small and petty.

  “I’m sorry, Dad. This wasn’t the best time for a heated conversation. You just got through a procedure and I...”

  His father’s expression was unreadable. “You...what?”

  He stared at his father. Spoke the truth. “Honestly, I don’t know.”

  Reid moved behind the desk to gather up his jacket and some folders for other projects he’d been working on. He had to get out of here. Away from his father, who had made it very clear that Reid did not have a place in Masterson Enterprises. Away from the fact that he’d let Heidi down.

  As he crossed the room, his father asked in a quiet voice, “Where are you going?”

  “Anywhere but here.”

  “You’re going to walk away again?” This time there wasn’t heat in his father’s words, more like bewilderment. Defeat.

  Reid spun. “Isn’t that what you wanted? Since I’m not the silent partner you expected to control?” He could barely get the words out. “News flash, Dad. I’m good at what I do. I may go about things differently than you, but I still get the job done. I don’t need you, or Masterson Enterprises, to make me a success.” He stopped to pull in an angry breath. “If you run that project on your estimations, you can say goodbye to all the years you’ve poured into this company, because it’ll clean you out.”