by Mia Caldwell
So what was his problem?
It wasn’t that he wasn’t good at what he did—he’d been inducted so early, his tendencies hadn’t mattered.
Now, here he was, vice president and a shoe-in for CEO once his dad stepped down one way or another, and he wanted to throw a tantrum about it like some brat.
His father had made sure life was very comfortable and easy for him. Marrying Lucy and taking over the family business someday was truly the least he could do.
He remembered the disappointment on Maribel’s face when she spoke of the job opportunity she thought she had in the bag disintegrating before her eyes.
Jim never had to bounce around searching for a job, and now, what he took for granted daily loomed before him in the face of Maribel’s desperate job search.
He’d wanted to just hand her a job like his father had done for him, and even though she clearly needed to get started sooner than later, she’d refused him.
Why?
“No handouts,” she’d said.
No obligations, she’d implied as if he would expect some sort of indecent favor in return.
But also, underneath it all, she apparently had no interest in the jobs he’d offered her; she wanted to pursue a particular position he couldn’t provide.
She’d been sort of vague about her pursuits, but she clearly had something specific in mind. No one moved to New York for just anything.
He’d press her more about it later.
He stared at his phone again, dreading having to check his emails soon too.
All he knew was that he couldn’t call his dad back just yet.
He flipped through his text messages and discovered that, surprisingly, only his sister and best friend had texted him.
Scott hadn’t called at all, but Judy had, and she eventually left the one message that wasn’t his dad.
“You need to touch base,” was all she’d said.
He dialed her up.
“That was a total dick move,” she greeted him.
Jim grinned, even as he put his hand on his forehead in shame.
Judy always had a way of being forthright.
Her bluntness tended to surprise some people at first, but they ultimately appreciated it.
It was a rare occasion where she held her tongue to spare feelings.
“I know, Judy. I just…”
“Brother, you know I’ll support you in any case, but Lucy deserves an explanation. A phone call. A certified, notarized letter. Something. You can’t just…”
“I know, I know—I’ll call her right now. Well, after we’re done here.” Jim took a deep breath. “How’s dad?”
“Mad as hell,” Judy said. “Like, I was a little worried, considering what you looked like earlier, and your discomfort with the whole thing didn’t escape dad, obviously. He knows your heart wasn’t exactly in it; in fact...well, I won’t repeat what he said.”
“Go ahead; I think I need to hear it.”
“He’s not sure how he managed to raise such a yellow-bellied son.”
“Raise? Is that what he calls leaving care completely up to mom and nannies? Christ, the only way I could see him was when I joined the company.”
“This isn’t about any of that right now. You embarrassed everyone and you must address this whole thing sooner than later. The longer you wait, the worse it gets.”
Jim rubbed his forehead.
“I know—I’ll sort out apologies to the group at large. As for dad and Lucy, I’ll get to them after we hang up. I just wanted to talk to someone who wouldn’t rage at me first.”
“Where the heck have you been, Jim? I was really starting to get worried myself.”
“I found a place to hide out. I won’t say where over the phone, obviously. Just know I don’t plan to stay here forever. I’ll sort everything out between today and tomorrow.”
“Are you still going to go through with it? That’s pretty much the only thing dad will accept, I think.”
“I’ll figure it out. If dad or Lucy had gotten hold of me sometime last night, I might have, and if things didn’t happen the way they did in the hours afterward. Now, I know I can’t go through with it, no matter what the threats.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
He bit his tongue, taking a moment to consider.
Should he tell Judy?
He trusted her, no doubt, and despite her bluntness, she knew how to keep a secret, but he didn’t want any possible judgment with it; after all, how on earth could he explain to her he could no longer be bullied into marrying Lucy because he’d met someone he would much rather tie himself to less than two hours after his scheduled nuptials? How crazy and selfish would that sound?
Judy wouldn’t take his interest in some other woman so quickly seriously, and she would no doubt decide it was just another thing representing his desire to escape his commitment; a way for him to slither out of the deal.
How on earth could he impress upon her that he was serious about this new girl? Did he even know for sure he wasn’t clinging to the idea of Maribel in a desperate attempt to escape Lucy?
Best to keep his mouth shut for now until things were clearer to him.
He chose his words carefully.
“I mean, if dad had found me after I ran out, I might have been persuaded to go back inside and follow through. But getting away from everyone overnight and having time and space to really think about what it all means…I’ve reached the point where it’s pretty damned clear that there’s no way in hell I can marry Lucy. I’ll come up with whatever excuse he wants to hear, but having so narrowly escaped certain unhappiness, this one thing is clear.”
He heard Judy let out a breath.
“I don’t know how you’re going to get out of this unscathed, but whatever you decide, whatever you need, I’m here, brother. You know that. I will help you escape if you need to, and I won’t get in trouble for it.”
Jim chuckled.
“Thanks, sis.”
She was right—perhaps it was because she was a girl, perhaps for other reasons, but their dad was always harder on him.
Then again, even though not at all related by blood, Judy was far more like his father than he was.
She was smart, practical, and a natural fit in the company as its CFO. Who would have thought adopted Judy would end up being his parents’ dream child?
Jim considered who to call next.
He still hadn’t come up with what to say to his father, and even though it was the same case with Lucy, he knew he needed to get to her first.
Lucy picked up on the second ring.
“Hello?” she said as if she hadn’t read his name on her call screen, and it could be anyone on the other line—although she obviously didn’t fear a kidnapper with a ransom message, the way she faked indifference.
“Lucy,” he began quietly, his voice heavy, and that was all it took for her dam to burst, it seemed.
He had to hold the phone away from his ear as she yelled at him, asking what the hell he was thinking, where the hell he was, and how he could do that to her, among other choice words.
He brought the phone back to his ear once she screamed, “Answer me!”
“Lucy, I’m so sorry. I know an apology doesn’t even begin to...listen, let’s arrange to meet up. I would much rather talk in person; we have a lot to discuss.”
“Ya think? Fine. You know where, 6 p.m.”
Jim checked his watch.
He had plenty of time to figure out a change of clothes in addition to sorting out his thoughts.
Hopefully, everything would be clearer once the meeting time arrived, but for now, he was certain of one thing: he wanted Maribel to come with him.
Chapter 8
Maribel
“You’re out of your blue-blooded mind,” Mari said once Jim was done updating her.
An amused quirk appeared on his handsome face, the tension previously tightening it disappearing.
She was g
lad she hadn’t offended him with her words and felt emboldened to continue.
“Is that how things work in the world of the rich? You show up for a private meeting with your fiancée with…”
“Ex-fiancée…”
“Not yet officially. Anyway, you show up to meet the girl you were supposed to marry yesterday with another woman and…no big deal? Seriously?”
“She’s not into me like that—it’ll be fine.”
“I don’t believe you. Whether she was into you more than you think remains to be seen. Whether she’ll be bothered by another person present for such a personal thing—let alone another woman—there’s no question about it. This isn’t going to go well. You’ll hurt her more, Jim.”
Why the hell was she yapping her way out of this again?
What if she managed to convince him she was right?
She would lose the opportunity to get more info!
What Jim was proposing had made it even clearer that her best friend had been totally wrong about dropping the story—the path Mari should take was undoubtedly ordained: not only was she getting the inside scoop on Jim’s side of the tale, but direct access to his jilted betrothed.
It just kept getting better.
“She’s not a jealous girl! She was only going along with this to increase her potential net worth.”
“So you’re saying you guys were planning to have an open marriage? She does whoever, you do whoever…”
“Well, not exactly like that—I mean, it’s still a marriage. I don’t want a wife who sleeps around, nor do I want to sleep around. Even if it’s just a business deal, she’d be my wife, and I wouldn’t accept having another man’s hands on her.”
Mari didn’t even try to hide rolling her eyes.
Typical.
“Which means I can’t ask that of her without being faithful myself.”
This time, she tried to hide looking impressed.
“In any case, a moot point since I cannot marry that woman; I can’t imagine being with her another day much less…well, you know.”
Then he looked at her, a subtle change coming over his face, but she couldn’t pinpoint what he might have been thinking.
She let out a dramatic breath.
“I’ll go with you, either way, but I think you need to be prepared to do even more explaining than you already have to do; you can’t just have me there for no reason other than your moral support. I’m a woman, and I’m telling you, no matter what kind of deal you guys had, pride is always at stake. Showing up with a girl she might consider…”
What, competition? What a laugh.
Guys like him didn’t marry all the way down.
This Lucy girl—she was probably very pretty, very rich, and very white. In no other circumstance would Mari be competition, since Lucy obviously had access to lots of powerful people who could influence things in her favor when it came to just about anything.
As she caught a glimpse of a softened look in Jim’s eyes, Mari was reminded of one distinct momentary advantage: Jim was here with her, where he apparently wanted to be. No matter Lucy’s advantages, he plainly wanted nothing more to do with her.
But Mari was no fool—money most certainly could buy that sort of influence as well.
What if Lucy talked sense into him? Reminded him that it was in both their best interest to let their powers combine?
Money was the motivating factor for the marriage in some way anyway, wasn’t it? The rich getting richer?
“Listen, I feel terrible about this whole thing, and I’m not convinced I won’t get swayed into doing the exact same thing—talked into going through it, this time out of massive guilt, then most definitely leaving her at the altar again. I know she’ll try to convince me to go through with it, but with you there, it’ll help keep me strong.”
“She might take things the wrong way, Jim. No matter what, a woman doesn’t like to feel replaced quickly; in fact, tell me more about her and about this deal; I need to be prepared too.”
Not only for more context she could work into her story, but to meet the woman the man who made her stomach flutter almost married.
* * *
The recording device caught all of it.
Every detail of the intended merge, every side story about friends and family.
Lucy wasn’t just some girl—she was the daughter of Jim’s dad’s best friend, so more than business relationships were at stake.
The two men wanted to form a conglomerate and wanted to keep it all in the family.
“Why did you change your mind about this all of a sudden? The wedding was in the planning stage for almost a year!”
“It became apparent to me that much better options were out there; I didn’t have to settle. Lucy makes sense on paper, but there are other considerations.”
His voice softened and he glanced at her, almost seeming a bit shy.
“You know I didn’t really think there was anyone out there for me; I didn’t believe the hype about finding ‘the one’ and all that junk. It was almost like believing in Santa. Sure, I’ve met people who seem to fit each other more than others and manage to be totally into each other, but I never believed there was one person on the planet for someone—there’s only this person at this time. I figured that lovey-dovey feeling could be manufactured if needed.”
“You’re telling me you’ve never been in love?”
“Not quite. In lust for sure. Infatuated, absolutely. That whole true love thing…nonsense, I was sure. Especially seeing things be so one-sided between my parents. Anyway, as the weeks winded down, I started to feel unsettled, like I was about to make the biggest mistake of my life. And not just because things might not work out between Lucy and me, and despite whatever ironclad prenup my dad came up with, she could end up with a chunk of my fortune.
“I realized I didn’t care if she ended up with a heap of my money; I kept feeling like she wasn’t right for me, and I had never been bothered by that thought before. She had always been good enough for me, and that’s the type of relationship I witness most—good enough. Sufficient. Tolerable. I started feeling like I wanted more without being able to put into words what it was I wanted. And then…” he glanced at her again, “...and then the night before the wedding, I had a dream. I was getting married, and my bride walked up the aisle, and once I lifted the veil, it sure as hell wasn’t Lucy.”
Mari’s eyebrows raised. “Who was it?”
“It was no one I knew or ever met, so the face is no longer all that clear. But the message was. I don’t really put too much stock into signs, but there was no doubt I was doing the wrong thing—someone else was out there for me and I was doing myself and her a great disservice by just going along with someone else’s plan. It’s still my life; I still have the final say in it, and it’s about time I put my foot down about some things.
“I know I don’t want what my father has served up to me on a silver platter, and I feel guilty about it, but part of the problem with everything has been that I don’t know what I want instead. With no other options to consider, the current offer looks good enough as is. Anyway, I still haven’t exactly figured everything out, but I’m definitely breaking things off with Lucy. For good.”
Mari started feeling a bit guilty.
She was violating this man in so many ways—his privacy, his trust.
Stop it—it’s necessary for your line of work. Don’t let Annie get in your head! Integrity keeps a lot of people constantly struggling. Exhibit A: your parents. Right now, you’re not dealing with someone who knows what integrity means. How do you think people like him get so rich?
“So how will you explain my presence?”
“I’ll say you’re there on behalf of the company—with PR or something.”
“You better make that clear to her immediately. Anyway, I’m not saying a word while we’re there since it’s not my place in any way to speak—I’ll just be there for you.”
He squeezed her hand and wa
rmth flooded her at his touch, flushing her cheeks.
She wanted to maintain contact, his large masculine hand on hers, but he pulled away.
She tried to hide her disappointment at the broken grip.
“Help me find the right things to say,” he said suddenly.
“Excuse me?”
“You’re a woman—what kind of mines should I avoid here?”
Mari let herself laugh.
“Okay, first of all, all women aren’t the same and you know that, because otherwise, you would have just married Lucy. So you need to tell me more about her—about this particular woman—and I’ll see what I can do. Although to me, she’s a different breed altogether.”
“Okay, well, here’s the rundown: she’s materialistic, rather shallow, the daughter of a multimillionaire who never had to work for anything. Educated—has a business degree. Planning to get her MBA and find some place in her dad’s company or mine. Or not—maybe she’ll decide being a socialite is a job. I know she got her business degree because her dad insisted, but she’s got him wrapped around her finger, so if she said she wanted to run a bakery, no questions asked, I’m sure—even if it never turned a profit. Then again, less is always expected of women.”
Mari quirked her eyebrow.
She almost argued with him on that point, but ceded it instead; after all, he was right. If a woman married well, nothing more was required of her, except maybe producing a kid or two. A man was always expected to be the provider, no matter how many women’s lib movements and shouts for equality. Most women Mari knew were perfectly happy to let a man ‘be a man.’
The whole point is to have the choice, her mom had told her once.
“Okay, based on what you’ve told me, it sounds like she’d be happy with a very expensive parting gift and some lip service about how you realized you don’t deserve her just yet—that you need more time to grow into the man she deserves as a husband.”
She detected a slight curl of lips as he said, “but that would imply I’d get back to her someday. I do not want to send that message.”