by Karen Booth
It was certainly strange to be in his place on her own. What would it feel like to come home here? Even with the spaciousness of her own apartment, it didn’t have the sprawling splendor of Jacob’s penthouse, nor did it have the magnificent Central Park view. She could be more than comfortable here. She could be happy. That would be a wonderful life, if she could ever get to that point. She sensed Jacob was proceeding with caution and how could he not be? Her brother hated him. That would scare even the most formidable man away.
A half hour later, she was making good progress with dinner. She wasn’t the world’s greatest cook, but she could hold her own with pasta and a salad, and it wouldn’t be the same if she’d ordered takeout. Luckily, Jacob was easily pleased. A big guy who worked out five days a week, he’d eat virtually anything you put in front of him, especially if accompanied by a glass of good wine.
Even though the dining room table could easily accommodate ten, she set it for two, placing them side-by-side at one end. She found some candles in the buffet, dimmed the lights. Then she returned to the kitchen to finish the preparations. He was only a few minutes late when he strolled into the kitchen.
“What’s all this?” He smiled, seeming genuinely perplexed.
Anna rushed over to kiss him—a surreal moment, for sure. Was that what it would feel like to be husband and wife? She might not have much time to get dinner on the table if and when she became CEO, but she enjoyed this glimpse of domesticity. It felt especially comfortable with Jacob. “It’s a surprise. For your birthday.”
His brow furrowed. He now seemed even more confused. “How did you know it was my birthday?”
“You had your passport out on the dresser the other day and I wanted to sneak a peek at the picture.”
“So you were snooping.” He smirked, suggesting he wasn’t entirely disappointed in her.
“A little. But that’s beside the point. I wanted to do something nice for you. Honestly, I’m a little surprised you never told me about it in the first place.”
“I don’t really celebrate my birthday.” He loosened his tie. “I never have.”
“Really? Why?”
“I spent a lot of time away from my parents as a kid. They were always doing their own thing, I was away at boarding school. It just doesn’t mean much when you get money wired into your bank account and a phone call.”
It was about the saddest thing she’d heard in a long time, but she didn’t want to dwell on the negative. She took his hand and led him into the dining room, where she sat him down and poured him a glass of red. She held out her glass to clink with his. “Happy birthday.” Something about the sentiment fell short, like she was supposed to add something about their future or that she loved him.
As to what tomorrow held, or even a month from then, she didn’t know. As to the question of love, she knew in her heart that she did. He understood her in ways that no one else seemed to—he appreciated her aspirations, he encouraged her, he commiserated when she’d had a difficult day at work. He was always so focused on her, everything she wanted and needed. No one had ever done that, and he made it seem so effortless. Even better, he accepted her affection unconditionally. He never had an agenda outside of being with her.
It was perfect. He was perfect, or at least he was perfect for her. But that made their situation all the more frustrating, stuck as she was between him and her family.
She served their salads and took the seat next to him. How could he have gone his whole life not celebrating his birthday? Her heart felt unusually heavy—birthdays had always been a big event in the Langford household. Always. She wanted him to have that, to have everything she’d had.
“Maybe today can be the start of a new birthday tradition.”
He offered her the faintest of smiles. “That’s a nice idea.”
* * *
The start of a new tradition. Did Anna really mean that? Did she see a future for them? Because as incredible as it was to be with her, it felt as if the universe was conspiring against them. It was only a matter of time before the War Chest takeover surfaced.
He ate his salad, listening to Anna talk about her day, feeling more guilty with every bite. Hours before, the War Chest had staged their coup against him—ousting him from the group for daring to push them so hard, vowing to continue with their hostile takeover of LangTel. They’d done to him what he’d once hoped they could do to Adam. Being on the receiving end of vengeance wasn’t fun. These people were dangerous, all deep pockets and determination. Experience told him that it didn’t take much else to be successful. Not even luck.
Anna served the pasta, which might’ve been one of the most delicious things he’d ever tasted—ziti with Italian sausage, white wine, saffron and arugula. She’d found the recipe online after having taken note of how much he loved those particular ingredients—so thoughtful of her, and yet he couldn’t truly enjoy a single bite. Watching her, the sweet smile on her face, thinking about the effort she’d gone to. She’d planned this incredible evening for him, and he’d planned to destroy the company her father had built. What kind of a monster was he? Had getting back at Adam really been that damn important? Had his father messed him up so badly that his so-called business brilliance was capable of ruining lives?
He had to find a way to stop it—sell every asset he had, pull together a new group of investors to help him. Something. There had to be a way. Because the truth was that he was absolutely falling in love with Anna. He’d known it for weeks now. Hell, he was fairly sure he’d fallen for her during the motorcycle ride. But he couldn’t confess his true feelings for her until the takeover was squashed. That was no way to start a life together, with a secret of epic proportions lurking in the shadows, about to reveal itself at any time.
After they finished Anna’s meal, she brought in a cake and serenaded him with “Happy Birthday” in her slightly off-tune voice. It was corny and adorable and not at all the sort of attention he’d ever had before he’d met Anna—sweet, genuine and thoughtful. Then she gave him his gift—a gorgeous pair of perfect-fitting black leather gloves.
“They’re handmade,” she said, watching with excitement as he tried them on. “I called a motorcycle shop out in Queens and talked to the owner, so I knew what kind to get.”
“Thank you. Thank you so much.” His heart ached, so overwhelmed with this show of generosity from Anna.
“You forgot the card.” She flipped over the gift box and removed a small envelope taped to the lid.
His eyes couldn’t be torn from her as he opened it. Where had she come from? Was this all a dream?
For Jacob,
There’s no one I’d rather be on a motorcycle with. I’ll be the one holding on tight.
Love, Anna
He nodded, struggling to manage the emotions welling inside him. Love, Anna. He loved her. She was so warm and giving, so beautiful, inside and out. He wasn’t even sure he deserved to be in the same room with her, let alone ever have a place in her heart or her life. “Thank you so much, for everything.” He set the gloves aside and took her hand. “Truly. I am so thankful for this evening. It’s been wonderful.” The card was sitting right there. He wasn’t much for sentimentality, but he would cherish it forever, even if things didn’t work out, even if the horrible things he’d done came to light. “The gloves are absolutely perfect and the card is just...” He nodded, swallowing back everything he wanted to tell her. I love you. “It’s perfect, too. You have such a way with words.”
She smiled sheepishly. “I have a fair amount of experience with writing you notes and letters.”
“I don’t ever remember you writing to me.”
She downed the last of the wine in her glass and refilled it, topping off his as well. “After that Christmas you stayed with my family, I had a hard time. Writing to you was my outlet.”
“A har
d time?” What in the world was she talking about?
She shrugged. “I just couldn’t stop thinking about you. A lot of it was just wondering if you’d said no when I kissed you because you didn’t like me. It had definitely occurred to me that you might have used Adam as an excuse.”
Could she really think that? After all this time? “He wasn’t an excuse. I was completely honest with you, Anna. If it hadn’t been for Adam, I would’ve kissed you all night long. Your Dartmouth sweatshirt would’ve been off in a heartbeat.”
She dropped her chin and grinned. “Really?”
“Yes. Really.” Just thinking about it filled him with equal measures of regret and gratitude. At least he’d gotten a second chance, but had he unwittingly thrown it away?
“So anyway, I wrote you letters. A lot of letters.”
He narrowed his gaze. “But I never heard from you at all.”
“I never mailed them. I kept them in a box. I threw them away right before I graduated from college. At that point, it felt pretty silly to still be pining for you, and I had a boyfriend. Although he didn’t last for long.”
“Why didn’t you send them after my friendship with Adam went south?”
“You can’t be serious. Didn’t you hate my entire family at that point?”
He had to think hard about that. “I definitely told myself I hated all of you, but I never truly felt that way about you. Or your mom. You were both so kind to me.”
“Would you have actually read them?”
He had to be honest. “Probably not. I was insanely angry those first few years. I probably would’ve just thrown them away.” If only he could have thrown away that anger instead, he wouldn’t be in this position right now. If only things with Adam hadn’t ended the way they had. “Can you tell me what they said?”
Her face flushed with bright red. “You would ask that, wouldn’t you?”
“I’m curious.”
“Of course you are. They were all about you. Who doesn’t want to hear about a bunch of love letters someone wrote about them?”
“Just tell me one thing.” His curiosity was getting the better of him. It was difficult not to be fascinated by the idea of someone being that preoccupied with him. The thought of Anna feeling that way was nothing short of awe inspiring.
She laughed quietly and walked her fingers across the table until she took his hand. It covered his arm in goose bumps. What she could do with a single touch—it astounded him every time. “It depended on the day. If I was dealing with it okay, I would just write and tell you how much I missed you, but then I would write about normal things happening with me. If I was sad, then it was a lot about how much I missed you.” She cast her eyes aside as if she was trying to summon her courage. “And then there were the times when I was feeling lonely in other ways. That’s when I wrote to you about what I wished would’ve happened that night.”
Now he was really kicking himself for having turned her down that night. “Dammit. Really? And you threw those away? I’d pay just about anything to read that.”
“How about if I just show you instead?”
Her eyes glinted with mischief, warming him from head to toe. Was he the luckiest man on earth? Because it sure felt that way. He not only needed her at that moment, he needed to have her as his forever. He couldn’t imagine a moment without what they had together. That meant he needed to double his efforts to stop the LangTel takeover. Then he could tell her he loved her. Then he could find a way to smooth things over with Adam. Then he could go to Tiffany’s, buy her a big fat ring, and have what he knew he couldn’t live without—Anna.
Eleven
Anna could no longer tiptoe around Adam. Hiding her relationship with Jacob had become ridiculous. His birthday had illustrated that they were moving in a good direction, but they were both clearly holding back. She’d sensed it all night from him, that there was something he was dying to say. Was it that he loved her? If those were the words he wanted to say, the only thing she could imagine stopping him was Adam. There was no other explanation.
Could she persuade Adam to set aside the feud? The more she thought about it, the more convinced she was that it could be fixed. If she could get her two favorite guys to bury the hatchet, everything in her life would be better.
Anna buzzed her assistant, Carrie. “Can you let me know when my brother is out of his meeting? I need to speak to him this morning.”
“Sure thing, Ms. Langford. Anything else?”
Anything else. Maybe get Adam’s secretary to slip a shot of bourbon into his coffee cup. “No, Carrie. Thank you.”
Twenty minutes later, Anna got the call. “Mr. Langford can see you now.”
She strode down the hall, feigning the confidence that wavered inside her. Her relationship with Adam had improved so much since he’d had his revelation about how hard their father’s death had hit him, but she still had no idea how he would react to this news. Would he feel betrayed? Would he be angry? He’d be entitled to either reaction. She only knew that the time had come to finally own up to everything. It was her only chance to have Jacob, for real.
“Hey. What’s up?” Adam asked, glancing up from his computer screen.
His upbeat and affable tone convinced her she’d gotten the timing right. This was the morning for progress. “I was hoping to speak to you for a few minutes about something personal.” She closed his office door behind her and took a seat opposite his desk.
He closed his laptop. “Of course. Is everything okay?”
“For the most part, everything is great, but it could be a lot better if I could just fix one thing.”
“I’m listening.”
“You and Jacob. I’d really like to see you two find a way to be civil to each other and stop the fighting. It’s gone on for far too long.”
He shook his head. “I thought you said this was personal. Sunny Side is not personal. And we agreed to table that.”
“I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about me.” Did she have the courage to say what had to come next? She had to do it. Now or never. “Me and Jacob. Together. Personally. Very personally.”
His eyebrows drew together. “I don’t understand.”
“Me and Jacob. You know...”
“Working together?”
“Do I have to draw you a map, Adam? Jacob and I are involved. Romantically. Not business. Personal.”
He reared back his head as if she’d just told him that the world was flat. “How in the hell did that happen? You can’t be serious.”
She took a deep breath to steel herself. She’d worried this might be his reaction. “I don’t want you to be angry, but I went away with him. To his house upstate. About six weeks ago. That’s where things started.”
“Why in the world would you do that? Did he kidnap you?”
“Will you stop? That’s just mean.”
“Anna, this is making zero sense.”
It was time to come clean and she knew it. “I went behind your back and met with the founder of Sunny Side.”
“You what?” The fury in his eyes surfaced, just as it had the night they’d first discussed this.
She thrust her finger into the air. “Hold on, Adam. Let me finish. I was certain that I could convince you to come around if I had a better sense of the numbers. We need a strong financial upside these days, don’t we?”
“That’s not the point...”
“Just answer the question. Yes or no.”
“Yes. We do.”
“Okay then. That’s what I was trying to do. And things just sort of happened between Jacob and me. And then it continued when we got back to the city. I want to see where it can go. We mesh together really well.”
He twisted his face. “I don’t even want to think about you two, meshing.”
“That’s not what I’m talking about and you know it.” She scooted to the edge of her seat, folding her hands before her and resting her elbows on her knees. It was no coincidence that she looked as if she was praying. “I can’t be with Jacob if you two are at odds. Family is too important. I can’t be torn between the two. I understand that there’s bad blood between you, but I need you and Jacob to sit down and work it out. Once and for all. It’s been six years, Adam. You were both new in business. You both made mistakes.”
He shook his head so vigorously that his normally perfect hair went astray. “If I made any mistakes, I made them because I was reacting to the things Jacob did. He could’ve ruined a multi-million-dollar idea.”
“But he didn’t.”
“It doesn’t matter. Jacob was willing to put our business venture at risk to prove a point. That told me that he was unreliable as a business partner.”
“I just feel like this whole thing has gotten blown completely out of proportion. You used to be friends.”
“So what are you hoping for? That I apologize and we start playing golf together? That’s not going to happen.”
“I’m not asking you to be best friends. I’m just asking for enough of a truce that you two can be in the same room without trying to kill each other. That’s it. Although I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t be happy if you rekindled your friendship. That would be nice to see.”
“You’re deluded.” He leaned forward in his chair, his eyes pleading with her. “He’s scum, Anna. I don’t know what kind of line he fed you to get you into his bed, but I’m sure he was just trying to get back at me. You need to stop acting like a girl and walk away from him now, before you get hurt.”
Anna was so offended on multiple levels that she wasn’t even sure where to start. “Sometimes I think you just don’t want me to be happy, Adam. You know, you and Melanie found a way. I don’t see why you can’t do one thing for me. For your sister.”