Well maybe Winthrop. He had been beyond upset when she told him what she had agreed too. She hadn’t been completely honest with him either. When he’d demanded that she not go, she had told him that she was only going so that Rudy would agree to give her the divorce they needed so they could get married. He’d made her promise to not sleep with her husband and told her in one sentence that he didn’t really trust her. She’d flat out refused when he’d insisted that she needed to call him twice a day. She’d explained that he was being ridiculous and she couldn’t pull off pretending to get along with her husband if his family saw her always on her phone talking to some other man in New York. It had been an informant phrase for her to use because Winthrop resented being call the other man. She understood where he was coming from but he had to see the situation she was in, and should have been a bit more understanding that she was doing this for them.
But was she? Was she really going to harden her heart to the possibility that her mother and Star were right and Winthrop wasn’t the perfect match for her? He’d scored a ninety percent compatibility as her TLC and she’d been so certain he was the best man for her. That was right up until two days ago when Randall Rudolph Holliday and she scored a near perfect ninety-eight percent. Now she didn’t know what to think. Hopefully this trip would help her solidify that she was making the right choice. She just hoped her wardrobe could live up to what she’d read about winter conditions in Alaska.
She closed and locked the luggage and started moving it to the front room of her apartment when there came a knock on her door. She hadn’t been expecting anyone but it was probably Winthrop coming by to try and convince her to do what he wanted. She opened the door to see the last person she’d expected even though she knew he was in town with Rudy. “Hello Dancer, is something wrong?”
“Clarice, can I come in? We need to talk.”
She stepped back inviting her accidental brother-in-law into her apartment. He entered with his hands in tight fists at his side. “You said we need to talk; what is it you think we need to talk about?”
Dancer looked her in the eyes and she could see real anger in his. Whoa, he was mad at her and she had no clue why. He took a deep breath. “Look, Rudy would kill me if he knew I was here. But lady, unless you are serious about really trying to make a connection with my brother then don’t even show up tomorrow. Last time destroyed him and it took me three weeks to sort of put the pieces together into something resembling my little brother. I’m not sure he would survive if you do it again.”
His words angered her. Who was he to come into her place and tell her she destroyed his brother? It was one night. “Yes because being on TV, having a hit show and dating tons of beautiful women is so hard on a guy.”
Dancer stopped pacing and stared at her hard. “You have no clue what you did, do you? Listen to me. Rudy never had any intention of doing that TV show when he won Lone Survivor. He planned to take the money and go back to our family’s Resort and grow his company by teaching skills on the Island named after him. When you left him that morning after his wedding he fell apart. He refused to leave that suite the two of you spent your wedding night in. For three weeks he never left that room. Most days he never left the bed. He wouldn’t let the maids in to change the sheets because they smelled like you. It took me three weeks to convince him to move on with his life.
“He took the contract for Surviving with Rudy because it allowed him to escape people. Most of those shows were just him and a camera in some dangerous survival experience. When the network made him go to events or come out of the field he did it because they wouldn’t let him stay out any longer. Those women you think he dated, he didn’t. His agent or the network executives themselves picked them. They’d show up with the car and he’d smile and laugh and be pictured with them, then as soon as he could he would go home alone and be back in the wilderness the next day.
My brothers and father don’t know he ever married but they all know that he wanted to die after that. So if you plan to not give this your true best effort, don’t get in the town car he sends tomorrow.”
“I can’t promise you this will work out Dancer, but I do promise I’m coming with every intention of seeing if we do have a real connection. That’s all I can do.”
Dancer looked at her for a moment then shrugged. “I want to believe you but Rudy told me you’re engaged and he had to hold the divorce over your head to even get you to come. Just seems strange to me you’d agree when you’re supposed to be getting married in a few months.”
“I know how it seems, and to be honest originally that was what I was going to do. But your brother convinced me to try and I will keep an open mind to what could be possible.”
Dancer nodded and then sighed. “I hope so because I don’t like the idea of what happens after the first of the year. He’s our baby brother; we want him happy.”
“All I can do is promise to keep an open mind. I won’t stay if we don’t have a real connection.”
“Yeah, I get that. Not your problem, is it? I mean you only married him.”
Before she could come up with something equally snarky to say the older Holliday man was out the door. She had no clue what was real anymore. Everything she thought she knew about her Vegas husband seemed to be wrong. Was it possible he wasn’t a playboy at all or an attention hog? Was he really a sweet man who honestly was in love with her after one evening? She had no clue but she guessed she’d find out.
More importantly, could she love him? That was the real question, wasn’t it? It had only been six months after they first met that Winthrop had proposed and she’d said yes. She thought she had been falling for him. But if that was true why had her dreams of Rudy never stopped? If anything they’d gotten stronger in the last two days, waking her up and leaving her wanting things best not talked about. One thing was sure, they had left her very confused about the future and her feelings.
The next morning Clarice was woken by her cell phone going off. When she looked it was the office. “Hello?”
“Clarice, please tell me you haven’t done this to us?” Star’s frantic voice came over the speaker.
“Done what?”
“Mister Rothschild is here saying he’s in charge while you and Evelyn are away and demanding that we give him access to everything.”
A chill ran up Clarice’s spine. “What? You of all people Star, know I wouldn’t do something like that without letting you know. You should also know I’d never put anyone in charge when I can run things remotely for a little while. I’ll be there in half an hour to handle this. Until then tell Winthrop you have to have direct authorization from me or Mom to allow anyone access to our computer network. I’m hoping that my office doors were locked?”
“Yes, that’s when he started giving orders when he couldn’t get inside your office.”
“I need two things, Star. That card Rudy gave you, does it have his number on it? I need to talk to him and then I need you to set Winthrop up in the conference room until I can get there.”
“Aren’t you supposed to be flying out today?”
“Yes that’s why I need that phone number to find out when we’re leaving and let him know to send the car to the office, not here to my house.”
“Oh okay. This is going to be a rough time if I have to fight with Rothschild every day you’re gone.”
“I won’t let that happen. Our relationship has nothing to do with the office and I’ll make that plain when I get there. Now, do you have Rudy’s number?”
Star rattled it off and Clarice jotted it down. Then she hung up and called her Vegas husband.
The phone rang and then she heard him answer and fumble the phone for a few seconds. “Hello?”
“Hello Rudy.”
“Hi; who is this and how did you get my number?”
“It’s Clarice, and you gave it to Star.”
“Oh hey Clarice, sorry didn’t look at caller ID. I have to be careful, crazy fans sometimes find my num
ber and start phone stalking me.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah but that’s better than them turning up in my bed begging me to tie them up. That’s happened too.”
“Wow okay, umm right. Well anyway, I was calling to see when you were planning on leaving. There’re some issues at the office and I need to go straighten them out.”
“Oh we won’t head out until later tonight. It’s a seven-hour flight and if we fly at night we can sleep most of it. Do you need help sorting things at work?”
“No, it’s Winthrop so you being there wouldn’t help, just make things worse.”
“Seriously Clarice, what do you see in that guy?”
“I’m not having this conversation with you, Rudolph! Can you have the car pick me up from work tonight?”
“Sure; say five? We can have dinner together downstairs and then head for the airport around ten.”
“Can you make it seven? That way I can take care of this thing with Winthrop, and make sure things are in place so my staff doesn’t have to deal with this while I’m gone.”
“Sure, seven it is. I’ll pick you up myself.”
Clarice sighed then agreed. They hung up and she called for a ride share to take her and her luggage to the office. What in the world was Winthrop thinking trying to take over while she was gone? Shouldn’t he be busy running his family’s trust? Something felt off to her but she didn’t know what. Maybe she was just feeling guilty at going to Alaska with her accidental husband.
She carried her four bags downstairs and maneuvered them into the ride share then again moved them out and into the elevator and up to her offices. She left them with Star as she strode straight to the conference room where Winthrop was pacing talking on his phone. “I know, I’m working on it.”
He looked up when he saw her and then said. “My fiancée is here. I need to let you go.”
Then he hung up. “Clare, what are you doing here? I thought you were headed to Alaska to get that buffoon to grant you a divorce.”
“We leave tonight. What do you think you’re doing here demanding to take over my office and company?”
He raised his hands like he was surrendering and she realized for the first time that anytime she disagreed with him he made that same irritating motion. As if it would appease her. “I was just trying to make things easier on you and take some of the day to day off everyone’s plates while you were away.”
She shook her head. “That’s not necessary. I will be in constant contact with the office during office hours. I’m working remotely and I told you that.”
“Sweetheart, you don’t know what the internet options will be all the way out there in the wilderness.”
“The wilderness? Seriously Winthrop, do you not listen when I talk to you? The Holliday’s run one of the most exclusive resorts in the world. They have all the amenities for their clients. I will be able to be in constant contact with my office. Star knows this and so do Mom’s people. If they need me then I can help them. Go back to your office and leave mine alone.”
Now he was back to pouting. “If you can keep in touch with them then you should be able to keep in touch with me also.”
She put her hand up to pinch the bridge of her nose. Once again dealing with her fiancée was giving her a headache. “I’ve already explained this to you. I’m his wife until the divorce. I need to be seen as his wife, not as the woman trying to escape her marriage. If I don’t pull this off he won’t give me the divorce without a long expensive fight. If we want to get married on the day we planned I need to appear devoted to this marriage. I can’t be calling some man in New York to chat and make kissing noises with.”
“I don’t like it.”
She took a deep breath. “Winthrop, I’m not having this argument with you again. Please just leave. Don’t come back here until I’m home.”
He put his hand on her arm “At least have lunch with me before you go.”
“I don’t have time. I have a lot to do before we fly out tonight. I’ll see you when I get back.”
“Fine, at least give me a kiss.”
She turned and let him pull her into his arms. For the first time they felt wrong. Like she shouldn’t be in them and his kiss was just wet and sloppy. There was no spark of excitement behind it. In her head she compared it to the dream kisses she’d been experiencing the last few nights and it was left behind by them. He finally stopped slobbering on her and left
As much as it should inconvenience her, she was starting to look forward to Rudy picking her up for dinner and whisking her away to the resort for three months of posh living. A long denied vacation at the billionaire husband’s family owned exclusive resort sounded better by the minute as she thought about the stress of preparing for her life with Winthrop. Was she making a mistake to marry him in January? She wished she knew.
Chapter Four
Rudy arrived at the building that housed True Love Connection’s offices at five minutes before seven. He knew he had his work cut out for him and he had spent the last two days thinking of things he could do to win Clarice’s love and devotion. He wanted her to see, really see, that they could be great together. He’d called home to find out that some changes had been made by his father to his offices and he’d not be working with Judy anymore. Well not as closely. She had been promoted to office manager and he’d been assigned a new personal assistant named Roxanne Kowalski. He’d asked her to find out if the luxury glamping cabin closest to the office was booked at all and if so, rearrange things so that it was free. He’d realized he wasn’t going to woo his wife by taking her to his cabin. The one room completely off the grid shack wouldn’t have impressed her. He also asked Roxanne to have a local contractor meet with him in two days to build him a new larger green home where his cabin sat. Even if things didn’t work out with Clarice, it was time he started living like a Holliday.
Rudy had bought a few gifts for Clarice that he thought she might not have thought of in her packing or not realized her need for. The first was in the box he carried alongside, some flowers. He’d gotten a mix of wildflowers because he thought that roses were overdone and very cliché. He just hoped that Star hadn’t led him wrong in telling him that Clarice didn’t really like roses. He stepped off the elevator on the floor that Clarice’s office was on and saw Star sitting behind her desk smiling. “I see you took my advice. Good choice, and I hope you can convince her to open up and give you a real shot.”
“I’m going to give it my best shot Miss Ling, starting with flowers, dinner and a few useful gifts to make her stay easier.”
“You know her so well, which is funny considering you’ve not spent any time with her. How is that possible?”
Rudy shrugged. “I don’t know. She runs her own successful business and I know that True Love Connections is important to her, it just made sense to start there and work from there.”
Star nodded. “It’s a good starting point but remember she really is a TLC person, and romance is important too.”
Rudy winked. “I will keep it in mind. Did you get the package I sent to you?”
“I did, my dad was thrilled to get the survival gear. He’s a huge fan of the show and has already added your products to his go bag.”
“Is she ready, do you think?”
“She probably doesn’t even realize it’s seven yet. She’s been working with our IT crew all day after Mister Rothschild left this morning.”
“I don’t like that guy.”
“You aren’t alone but she seems taken by him, so be careful there.”
“Thanks Star, can I go on back or do you want to call her and tell her I’m here?”
“I’m officially off so go on back. I’ll be gone by the time you two get out of her office. Take good care of her.”
“I plan to for the rest of our lives.”
Star smiled and gathered her purse and headed for the elevator as Rudy headed for Clarice’s office doors. He knocked and waited for her invitation to en
ter. “Come in.”
He opened the door and smiled. “Hey there, are you about ready? I have the driver circling the block downstairs.”
Clarice looked up and the surprise on her face along with the slightly disheveled look from working and not being careful about her hair left her looking more beautiful than put together Clarice. To be honest, with strands of her hair having escaped the bun she’d pulled her hair in to framing her face, she reminded Rudy of the morning after their wedding. When he’d woke to her bed hair that also was loose and framed her face. His heart sped up as she smiled at him. “I didn’t realize it had gotten that late. Let me just lock up this terminal and make one quick change.” She entered a series of codes into the computer and then turned and slid the photo of the Bellagio fountain at night to the side revealing a wall safe behind the classic Vegas attraction. She quickly entered a code and pushed her left thumb to the face plate and the safe opened. She spent a moment working the engagement ring off of her left hand and shocked Rudy to his core when she pulled out a ring box and opened it, slipping on the diamond and simple wedding band she’d woken up with a year ago. “You kept them?”
She looked at him and smiled. “I may not have stayed Rudy, but I couldn’t quite make myself get rid of them. I was going to offer them to a charity auction after my wedding. One that was to help fund a homeless shelter here in town. My own way of helping some others survive.”
Rudy came close and took her hand. “Let me know which one and I’ll send them a check.”
She smiled. “You brought me flowers? Where am I going to put those since we’re headed out to dinner?”
“I’ll have the driver take them to the jet and have our flight attendant put them in a vase for you.”
“Thank you Rudy, they’re lovely and thank goodness they aren’t boring old roses. The ones here in the shops don’t even smell. What good is a rose if it isn’t smelling pretty?”
“Well I didn’t want to show up empty handed and my other gift for you is practical but not very romantic.”
Rudolph's Runaway Bride (Holliday Islands Resort Book 9) Page 4