Love Me Like I Love You

by Willow Winters

  I have a small window to show everyone with actions that I’m going to do better. It’s not going to be easy. My promise to create a safe environment is being disputed by so many sources that the public relations department along with the company I hired are having a hard time keeping up.

  Beacon and Mills are doing their part. They took it upon themselves to defend me on their social media outlets. They both posted their support to Henry Aldridge, who is doing the best he can to ensure that his employees work in a safe environment. What’s even more surprising is that Beacon, who never mentions his family, called me his brother.

  “When do we start interviewing the candidates?” I ask once she finishes talking.

  “We could start as early as tomorrow. They need at least a day’s notice to prepare for the interview,” she explains. “If we hire within the company, they’ll be available almost immediately. I created a folder in the cloud with the resumés. They are organized by position, availability, and current employment. I’m screening them as human resources sends them to me. We’ve received hundreds of them since we posted the positions. I asked HR to close it tonight.”

  “We should start by hiring for the human resources director position,” I suggest. “I’m extremely upset that I wasn’t in town when the former director tried to access the offices.”

  “From what I heard, Frank did his best to kick him out. No worries,” she adds, and I keep watching the screen hoping she’ll look at me, but in the two hours we’ve been working she’s managed to avoid me. “Now, this is of course up to you. I sent you the resumé of the best candidate for each particular position. Read it, analyze it, and if you agree with me, I would like you to have a face to face interview.”

  There’s a beeping sound coming from her side of the conversation. She sighs and says, “I have to leave in ten minutes.”

  “We’re working,” I remind her.

  She finally looks at me, her expression slightly wary. “As I said when I called you a couple of hours ago, I wanted to get started before I had to take my mom to the doctor. We are accommodating your…request. You could be more understanding.”

  “Is Julian picking you up?”

  Her eyebrow lifts. “What I do during my free time doesn’t concern you, Mr. Aldridge. I only use your driver when I have to run errands for you—or when you’re imposing your agenda on me.”

  Irritation ripples through me, partially because she’s ending the conversation and I want to spend more time with her. I’ll take anything. Even this cold and insignificant videoconference. Maybe not. I’m fucking mad because she’s being indifferent.

  I press the bridge of my nose, trying not to take the bait because she’s so fucking aggravating, but I’m not fighting with her today. If only I could fuck her, all this tension between us would go away.

  “It’d be best if you use the car service. I assume your mom will be more comfortable riding in it, instead of a cab,” I point out to aggravate her. I want her to react.

  Her annoyed gaze meets mine and I smile because she hates that I’m right. And I’m finally pushing that wall.

  “It’s just a suggestion, but what do I know?” I say.

  “I’ll take it into consideration,” she replies, her eyes narrowing slightly. “Don’t try to be nice to me because that’s going to ignite my rage, Mr. Aldridge.”

  “We wouldn’t want that, would we?” I tease her.

  “Have a good rest of the day,” she wishes before disconnecting the call.

  I text her.

  Henry: When can we meet again?

  Sophia: Go through the resumés, make some choices, and I’ll get the interviews lined up for tomorrow.

  Henry: Are we done for today?

  Sophia: I’m done. Your schedule has been updated, and I’ll make sure to add the interviews tomorrow.

  Henry: Will you be at the office today?

  Sophia: No. Everyone has questions, and I don’t have all the answers yet. It’d be helpful if you were in town. Everyone is wondering if you are hiding. I understand why you have to be in Baker’s Creek. Tomorrow, once we have a plan, I’ll be there first thing in the morning.

  Henry: Do you think I should address them again?

  Sophia: From an employee’s standpoint they would feel a lot better if you personally tell them what’s happening, maybe even tell them why you can’t be in headquarters. Say you’re mourning your father, saving a town, or something to that effect.

  Henry: I’ll speak to the PR company and the department to figure out the logistics.

  Henry: Thank you for everything you do. Let me know how your mother is doing.

  Sophia: …

  I watch the dots dancing for at least ten minutes, but she never sends a text.

  Henry

  I spend most of the day going through resumés. Each one of them has comments from Sophia, what she likes, what they lack, and what she thinks they’d bring to the team. Vance and Pierce help me go through them. If I didn’t know better, I’d think that after yesterday, they like me more.

  Around nine at night, Sophia’s time, I order food from one of The Lodge’s restaurants and call her.

  “It’s late,” she states. “I was hoping you’d have chosen your candidates hours ago.”

  “Since we have time restrictions, I went ahead and ran a background check before I made any decisions.”

  “Which means we’re not going to start the interview process until next week when you receive the reports,” she concludes with annoyance.

  “It pays to have a Vance handy,” I say, trying not to sound too smug.

  “What does your brother have to do with this?”

  “He has his ways,” I explain as vaguely as Vance did with me.

  Which makes me wonder about the equipment he has in the hotel’s security room. Or as we formally called it, Room 103. I hope he knows I didn’t invest in it so he could play spy.

  “Let’s just say that I know everything there is to know about all the candidates,” I say. “All except one—your anonymous prospect for the HR position.”

  “Interesting,” she replies, smugly. “So, you liked him?”

  “Do we have a name that comes with that resumé?” I ask, wondering if she’s going to tell me who he is or keep it up until I have the interview with Santiago Manuel Aragon.

  “We do, but as I said, I want you to have a face to face interview before I disclose more information,” she says coyly.

  “I like what I saw, but one page with those credentials isn’t enough,” I state, wanting for her to tell me more.

  Why the anonymity? I have a theory or two, but I need her to be honest with me.

  “Are you interested in interviewing him?”

  “Yes, but do you mind telling me why you don’t want me to know who he is?”

  “I…” She’s never this quiet or reserved.

  Instead of waiting for an answer, I say, “My theory is that you don’t want people to think that we hired him because he’s your brother,” I state.

  “Uh-huh.”

  “No one has to disclose your relationship with him if that’s important to you. When can I talk to him?”

  “How did you know?”

  I try not to laugh, but it’s impossible when she growls at me. “It’s not that hard to call a company and ask for their human resources director.”

  “Right,” she laughs. “I… Why didn’t I think about that?”

  “Listen, if he’s as capable as you are, I’m sure he’ll be the best candidate for the job.”

  We remain in silence for a few seconds. I’m not sure if there’s any more to discuss on this issue, but I don’t want to let her go. Not just yet. These next few dreadful days are worse than the thought of having to spend months in this forsaken town.

  “Thank you,” she says.

  “For giving him a chance?”

  “No, the flowers,” she states, and I smile because I thought she was going to ignore them or send me a p
icture of them shredded. “And for the strawberries.”

  I don’t say anything about them because really, what is there to say that doesn’t sound corny or desperate?

  “How’s your mom doing?”

  “She’s skeptical about everything,” she answers. “The trip, your intentions, her health… It wasn’t a great day.”

  “May I ask what happened to her?”

  She is silent for a few seconds.

  “Please, you know everything about me and yet, I only know a few things about you,” I almost plead with her.

  So she tells me the story of what happened to her. I listen attentively, and as the words pour through the phone, I wish I was by her side, holding her. My heart shrinks with every situation her family and she have faced in the past years. I’ve always known she’s a strong woman, but once she finishes talking, I’m in awe.

  “I’m sorry. I wish there was something I could do to help,” I offer.

  “The doctor thinks that this change might help her,” she states.

  “I hear a but in your tone, Soph.”

  “But what if instead, it affects her health and her emotional state?” Her strained voice makes me want to say fuck everything, jump on a plane, and just go back to my life where she doesn’t have to worry about her mom more than usual.

  She’ll be here soon, and you’ll make everything better. In fact, because of the situation, you’ve become closer to her. Don’t fucking ruin it.

  “Your family can visit her at any time,” I say, once I reminded myself that I have to think with my head. “Plus, if she’s bored and missing them, she can have my brothers. They can be a handful. She hasn’t dealt with the Aldridge family. We might make her life more…interesting.”

  She chuckles and I smile. I like when she’s relaxed, and that seemed to loosen her up a bit.

  “We’re closing on the houses next Monday. I’m going to mail you the blueprints and pictures that Easton has available so you can choose the furniture,” I state. “Rush the delivery.”

  When I’m done talking, I wish I had something different to say. Something that’ll make her feel safe because she was coming to me. Some assurance that I’d take care of her and her parents. I wish I was more like Hayes and could tell her something more significant than my plan of approach where I’ve dotted my i’s, crossed my t’s, and had a contingency for anything that can go wrong.

  “Wouldn’t it be easier to leave me here? I just showed you we work well long-distance,” she states, her voice cold.

  It’s like the past few minutes while she confided in me were a figment of my imagination. Hayes is right. She might not get past the anger.

  “For who?”

  “Everyone,” she answers, and it’s like she turns on the switch.

  “I’m not here to make your life easier, Ms. Aragon,” I snap. “If I order you to be in Baker’s Creek, you should be hauling your ass down here.”

  “You had me fooled for a minute, Mr. Aldridge. It’s always about you.”

  No, it’s about you.

  Sophia

  The days go by faster than I expected. After all the tests the doctor runs, she gives Mom the green light to travel and even suggests she take on swimming if there’s a pool nearby. Once I tell my siblings and cousins that I’m going to take my parents with me for a few weeks, they are delighted. It upsets me because they can’t even pretend that they’ll miss her for at least five minutes.

  I understand we’ve been taking care of her for a long time and having a small break might be nice, but fake it in front of the woman. She already feels like a hindrance to all of us, which she’s not.

  My brother interviews for the position just for kicks. He has a good job, with a great salary. Even though that’s the case, Merkel would be a better fit for him. Henry offers him the job and when he refuses, I’m not surprised to hear my boss say, “Name your price.”

  Needless to say, my oldest brother, Santiago, is now the director of human resources for Merkel Hotels & Spas. We still have a few spots open. We haven’t yet found the right candidates for them, but we’re not in a rush. With the help of Beacon, Henry recorded himself giving an explanation about his absence.

  How much the death of the late William Aldridge affected him and his brothers. Not a lie. The man literally turned their worlds upside down once he died. How they are dedicating their time to the town that his ancestors established. When I asked who wrote the statement, it appears Beacon knows more than how to just play music and post pictures on Instagram. He can write speeches too. No wonder it was so moving that I almost shed a few tears. Henry would never create something like that.

  As far as the plan to make sure no one misses him, well, he liked my idea of opening a corporate office in Portland. It’s not just about Merkel, but also about his family.

  As I explained to him, Hayes is going to stay in Baker’s Creek. Pierce plans on setting up a law practice somewhere close to the town. He’s still unsure of what he’ll do once the eighteen months are over. Mills lives in Vancouver, Canada. It’s only a few hours north of Oregon, and Beacon lives in Seattle. Vance… Well, we have no idea what he does for a living so we can’t plan around him.

  What matters is that if he has offices close to his brothers, he can see them often. That idea backfired because searching for a building where we can set up the offices is part of my to do list. Once we set it up I have to decide who will be transferring from New York to Portland.

  With Leyla’s help, I buy the furniture for both houses. My parents’ house is ready so they can move in. Mine won’t be until the Thursday after I arrive. Monday comes too soon, and with that, my sentence begins. The movers wrap the few pieces of furniture I own with plastic film. They pack my shoe collection which is already packed up in bigger boxes.

  I’m leaving most of my clothes. Just taking the necessities to keep me clothed for the first week or at least until my new wardrobe arrives. On Saturday, I felt like it was time to get brand new attire and spent a few hours in my favorite stores on Fifth Avenue trying on clothes and having them ship everything to Baker’s Creek.

  During my shopping spree, I tried to hurt Henry through his wallet, but once I was done I realized that more than a hundred thousand dollars in clothing and accessories is spare change to him.

  My parents aren’t taking much since this is a vacation. Mom made me promise her that I wouldn’t move her out of New York. I swore that would never happen, and I told her that for now they’re just visiting me for a couple of weeks—or less if that’s what they prefer. They flew earlier today, using the company’s jet. Santiago flew with them. He wanted to make sure that I truly amtaking them to a safe place.

  To piss off Henry, I decided to take a commercial flight. I’ll arrive when and however I choose to do so.

  When I get in the car service, I receive a text from him.

  Henry: Have a safe trip. Vance will be waiting for you.

  I stare at the screen unsure of how to answer his text.

  Henry: Your parents and brother have arrived. A heads up would’ve been nice.

  “So, Merkel is going under,” Vance says as he picks me up and looks at the luggage. “You travel light. I drove and brought Pierce’s truck thinking you’d have boxes with you.”

  “The movers are bringing most of my stuff, and I shipped the rest,” I smirk.

  “Something tells me you did something to piss off my brother, and I approve.”

  I grin. “So far, I think I’ve scored three points today. It’s my privilege to make his life as miserable as possible.”

  “Three?” He counts and then laughs. “Of course, your brother and your parents arriving separately was the first one. I wish I had come with him just to see his face.”

  “Me too,” I agree, getting inside the big SUV.

  Once we take the highway, he asks me about Merkel’s situation and the inappropriate behavior of the executives. “Sounds like a big deal.”

  “Somehow, I
think you want to ask something else,” I say.

  “Has Henry been inappropriate with his employees? I know that before you he was going through assistants as fast as he drank his coffee.”

  “You might’ve noticed that he’s not an easy person to work for.”

  “The understatement of the year,” he retorts. “He’s never been an easy person to deal with, but…he’s been better.”

  I glance at him wondering what that means, but instead of asking I stick with the conversation. “Exactly, but he’s never taken advantage of his employees. He is an asshole who doesn’t tolerate mistakes, so he tends to fire people on the spot—at least he tries. I make sure to keep the people employed.”

  “How about you?”

  “Me?”

  “Has he been inappropriate with you?”

  I study him. He looks a lot like his brother, but Vance is about two inches taller than Henry. His skin is darker, and he has a few more pounds of muscle on him. Those green eyes though, it’s the Aldridge signature. This guy is quiet, and this conversation is uncharacteristic of him. Yet, that last question explains everything.

  “The last Sunday I was here, as I was leaving town, I wondered if the cameras you installed were functioning,” I say and then explain, “I was drunk, horny, and lonely. Evidently, I wasn’t thinking and…nothing more than what you saw in the video happened. He’s never taken advantage of me or…you know.”

  My cheeks heat up thinking about what he saw and now wondering if all the brothers know what happened between us.

  “They are functional, I didn’t see the video. Henry asked me to delete it. No one has access to the tape but me,” he reassures me. “I just want to make sure you are safe.”

  “He’s your brother. Shouldn’t you be looking after him?”

  “I don’t care who he is, if he does something inappropriate, I’ll make sure he pays for it.”

  “Thank you for looking after me,” I say.

  “Don’t mention it, and that goes for the future. If he disrespects you, you come to me, okay?” Then he rectifies his statement. “Well, if he’s being an asshole there’s not much I can do. He carries Merkel and Aldridge’s assholeness in his veins. That’s… Well, he can’t help himself.”