“So in addition to making more money and not having to leave the fabulous city of Chicago, you’d also have your hands on plenty of money to help distribute to worthy causes. You won’t be begging for donations.”
“Wow. I didn’t see this coming. I was so caught up with being in New York for this other position, I didn’t know what to expect from this meeting. I don’t know what to say.” She turned her coffee in a slow circle on the table.
“Say you’ll take the job. I like the way you work, and I think we’ll make a great team.”
“You’ve definitely piqued my interest. Can I have a few days to think about it?”
“Of course. As long as you decide Prescott is where you want to be.”
“I’m interested, but it’s a big change from what I’m used to doing. I need to weigh the pros and cons.”
“I can respect that.” He pulled the folder from his bag. “Take this. It’ll give you an overview of the foundation, and there’s a contract in there as well. Let me know what points you might want to negotiate.”
He stood and shook her hand. He knew that giving her the option to negotiate would sweeten the pot. He just hoped it would be enough to get her on board. Checking his watch, he flagged down a taxi to take him to the airport. Since he didn’t have to check a bag, he should have plenty of time.
Unfortunately, the universe was working against him, and his flight was delayed. They didn’t know when they would be moving. He tried to hold his frustration in check. “Do I have any option other than to wait?” he asked the ticket agent.
The woman shook her head. “The plane has a mechanical problem they’re checking out. If they need to get a new plane, it’ll be a while. Sorry.”
Shit. Shit, shit, shit. He’d told Tess she could count on him, and he was going to blow it. Although he wanted to throw his phone against the wall, he knew he’d need it. Taking a deep breath, he focused on solving the problem instead of screaming. He could handle this.
Chapter Seventeen
Tess had a crazy busy day at work. Three new patients were admitted, so all of their beds were full. She hadn’t been able to check in on the kids or William. She hoped their afternoon had gone well. When she finally got a break, she checked her phone and saw three texts from Billy saying Miles wasn’t there. The first came in at four thirty, so her son was simply being anxious. However, when she saw the time stamp of the other two, her stomach sank. Then she listened to the voicemail Billy left. He was completely distraught. Her breath caught in her throat.
Miles hadn’t made it. Her heart hurt for Billy. This stupid robot meant so much to him. God, why had she entrusted this project to Miles? She dialed his number and it went straight to voicemail. She kept her jaw clenched, because if she loosened it even a fraction, the entire department would know exactly how upset she was.
“How could you, Miles? You said you wanted to do this with Billy. It might not seem like a big deal to you, but this is huge to him. I asked you so many times if I should take him because you were busy. All you had to do was say yes. Now it’s freaking eight o’clock and too late.” She disconnected before she said anything really ugly.
Just as she was about to call her mom to see if there was any way she’d could take Billy somewhere to maybe cobble something together, she was called back to work by alarms sounding in one of the rooms.
An hour later, she finally left the hospital. Exhaustion pulled at her as she walked to the train, but she surfed the internet on her phone to see if by some long shot a store might be open for her to go to. When the train pulled up, another text came through. From Miles.
I have it handled. Sorry.
She couldn’t even begin to think how he believed he had it handled. Service was spotty at best on the train, so she didn’t bother trying to call him, but when she walked to her house from the station, she was surprised to see him sitting on her steps.
“Hey, babe.”
“Don’t hey, babe me. You’ve got a lot of nerve sitting here acting like nothing’s wrong. You completely fucked this up for Billy. Don’t you get that?”
“I got stuck in New York. I couldn’t help it.”
“But I gave you an out, Miles. Last night. And the night before. I could’ve taken him, or I could’ve asked my mom. Hell, he could’ve asked William this afternoon. But we were all counting on you.”
He at least had the decency to hang his head. “I know. But I fixed it.”
An uneasy feeling stole through her. “What do you mean?”
“When I was stuck in New York, I called all over and had a kit delivered. I know it wasn’t what you wanted—”
He did what? Her muscles tightened, her blood racing. She turned and went into the house. Sure enough, a fancy little robot sat on the dining room table. She couldn’t begin to consider what it cost. “That,” she said, sure Miles had followed her in, “is how you fixed it?”
“Yeah. I researched a model that would be easy for him to put together and program. Then I found a way to get it delivered here in plenty of time for him to assemble. Problem solved.”
He sounded so damn proud of himself. Her anger doubled. Just as she’d feared from the beginning—he was no better than William. “This doesn’t fix it, Miles. He’s a kid. He was counting on you. Not your damn money. Buying expensive gifts doesn’t make up for not being here. It sure as hell can’t replace your word.”
She was so angry she was shaking. How did I let this happen? I knew better. He reached out and touched her shoulder, but she flinched. “You need to go.”
“Tess—”
“No. I can stomach a lot of things. Blowing me off, showing up late… I’m an adult. I might get mad, but I can understand. I won’t stand for someone letting my kids down. That’s a deal breaker.”
He jerked back and studied her. “That’s it? I screwed up once, so you’re going to break up with me?”
He didn’t get it. He wasn’t a parent. Maybe he would never get it. Then she saw his own anger rise.
“Hell of a way to show how you love someone, Tess. I did the best I could. I’m not perfect, but I tried. I would never intentionally let the kids down.”
“Intentional or not, you did. And your solution was to throw money at the problem. They’ve already had plenty of that in their lives. I can’t change who their father is or how he lives, but I sure as hell can control who else treats them that way.”
“You can’t control everything. As long as you try to rule everyone’s lives, you’ll never have one of your own.” He paused. “You don’t know how to let someone in. You set the bar impossibly high and no one can meet it. No one’s perfect. We all fuck up.” He shook his head and left without another word. He didn’t slam the door or yell. He just slipped away.
Tess dropped into a chair at the table. Her chest was tight and tears threatened. It had been a while since she’d had a fight like that. Over the years, she’d learned to dismiss most of what William did in an effort to maintain her sanity.
She couldn’t live through that again. She wanted something better. Her kids deserved better.
But Miles’s words hung around her neck, weighing her down. Hadn’t William accused her of being a control freak? It had caused a rift between them during their marriage, and it hadn’t gotten better with the divorce. She’d somehow managed to find two men who were too similar. She put her elbow on the table and rested her head on her hand. Maybe she was a magnet for that kind of guy.
Miles might’ve been right about that part. She didn’t know how to let anyone in.
…
Miles was pissed. In one swift conversation, Tess had disassembled everything they’d been building. Sure, he’d known she’d be a little mad about the robot kit, but he’d saved what could’ve been a disaster. She was wrong. He knew exactly how important the robot was to Billy. That was why he’d scrambled to make sure the kid had what he needed.
Why couldn’t she see that?
He understood her getting upset,
but to break up with him over a damn robot? By the time he got home, his anger had turned into a slow burn. He’d give her time to cool off. Then she’d come to her senses and realize his intentions had been good. And if she didn’t, that was definitely a sign they’d never had a chance.
All day at work on Thursday, he watched the clock, hoping to get an update from Billy about his robot and whether he’d earned one of the coveted spots on the competition team. Between wondering if the robot worked, to hoping Toya would call and accept his offer, to waiting for Tess to call so they could make up, he couldn’t focus on a damn thing related to work.
At five thirty, he tossed papers in his bag and went home. No point in being at the office if he couldn’t be productive. Billy should’ve finished with STEM club. Tess hadn’t called to tell him how things went, but they’d be doing their early dinner and run-to-practice that they did every night.
He was figuring out what to have for dinner when his phone rang. Toya. “Hello?”
“Hi, Miles? It’s Toya Brigham.”
“How are you? Did you have a good flight back?”
“Not really. I hate flying. I’m calling because I have a few questions about the position you offered me. Is now a good time? I know it’s after office hours, so we can make an appointment for tomorrow if you’d like.”
He straightened on the couch and reached for a pad of paper and a pen. “Now’s good. Shoot.”
“I have to say, you put together a very attractive package. It would be hard to turn it down.”
“That was what I was going for. But?”
“My only concern is the amount of interference from the Prescott family and the board of directors. I know you guys have always done things your own way, and you’ve told me stories about your siblings. I don’t want to take a position as grant director only to find all my job entails is pushing papers and making spreadsheets.”
“The salary is a little high for a glorified paper pusher. You’ll be my right hand. You’ll do most of the work sorting through grant applications. As the foundation grows and we put more specific programs in place, you’ll be an integral part of developing the application process.” He tossed the paper back on the table. “As far as oversight goes, you’ll have to prepare quarterly reports for the board. You’ll work closely with me. The rest of my family will be hands off.”
“Okay.”
“Any other questions?”
“No. That was all I needed to hear.” She paused. “I’d like to accept the position.”
Miles jumped up and fist pumped. Then he schooled his face as if she could see him. “Excellent. Welcome on board. When can you start?”
“As soon as you’re ready for me.”
They talked for the next hour or so, and Miles filled her in on the celebration they were planning. When he hung up, he emailed Sabrina to let her know everything was in place. Then all he wanted to do was call Tess and take her out to celebrate. But since she hadn’t called or texted, he figured she was still pissed.
He stared at his phone. She might not be ready to talk to him, but he needed to know how the robot fared, so he texted Billy. How did you do at STEM?
With his phone in hand in case he got a response, he went to the kitchen to scrounge for food. He’d gotten used to eating at Tess’s house. Even if he’d missed their early dinner, leftovers waited for him. His kitchen was pitifully empty.
His phone lit in his hand.
I got it!! I’m on the competition team. My robot came in second. Most kids had kits, too, so it was totally fair.
Congratulations! I can’t wait to hear all about it. He paused and debated whether he should use Billy as his own little informant. Is your mom still mad?
Oh, yeah. I don’t remember the last time she was this mad. She’s trying to hide it though. I told her that without your robot, I probably wouldn’t have gotten on the team, but it didn’t work.
Hey, man. Don’t try to cover for me. She’s right. I screwed up by not being there like I said I would. I’m glad you made the team.
Will you come to the competition?
We’ll see.
He was thrilled for Billy, but it wasn’t a good sign that Tess was still so mad that Billy was trying to talk her down. Giving up on dinner at home, he grabbed his keys and called his sister to let her know he was coming over for dinner. While Sabrina didn’t cook, most days she had someone who prepared meals for them.
He hoped that in addition to a good meal, he’d also get advice on how to fix things with Tess.
An hour later, with a plate of prime rib and a glass of wine in front of him, Miles was grilled by Sabrina about trekking all the way into the suburbs for a meal.
“Can’t I just want to spend time with my big sister?” he asked and cut into his slab of meat.
She snorted. And waited.
After swallowing, he explained what had happened over the last couple of days. Sabrina listened closely, sipping her wine. His sister had the best poker face known to man. He never knew what she was thinking.
“So today, before coming here, I texted Billy to see how it went. He made the team, by the way. Tess is still pissed. He doesn’t remember the last time she was this mad.”
Sabrina shook her head. “I warned you. She’s a mom. The kids will always come first.”
“I was putting Billy first.”
“But you were doing it on your terms. With your money. From what you’ve told me about Tess and her ex, he uses his money to buy his way out of everything. It’s a trigger for her. That will probably never change.”
Miles set his fork down. He hadn’t considered that. “So what do I do? I can’t pretend I don’t have money.”
“You need to decide if this is what you really want. Are you planning on sticking it out for good?”
He stared at his big sister. “Yes. I want to have a life with them.”
A sly smile slipped onto her face. “That right there is a good start. A life with them. Prove to Tess the kids are important to you. That you’re willing to give of yourself and put in the time with them.”
“I’ve been doing that.”
“But this stunt with the robot set you back a few paces. Like playing Chutes and Ladders when you were a kid. Sure, you could climb that long ladder, but one wrong move and you’re sliding all the way down.”
He could do this. He knew exactly how to prove to Tess he wasn’t going anywhere.
…
Ten days. It had been ten long days since Tess had told Miles to get out of her life, and she was miserable. The kids routinely asked where Miles was, and for the first time she could remember, she lied to them. She’d told them Miles was busy with work.
The lie was partly for her own benefit. She didn’t want to believe they were really over, even though it had been her call. She pushed through the door of Sunny’s and found Nina and Trevor at their usual table.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” Trevor asked.
“I broke up with Miles.”
“What?” Nina shrieked. Then she noticed people looking and lowered her voice. “Things were going so well.”
“They were. Until he told Billy he would take him shopping for robot parts for his STEM club project and then didn’t show.”
“Fuck,” Trevor said quietly.
“Did he at least have a good reason?” Nina asked.
“He did. I guess. The thing is, I gave him an out. I offered to take Billy. I knew Miles was busy with work, but he insisted he could handle it.”
“What happened with Billy?”
Tess took a sip of her coffee. “That’s where things went really south. When he realized he wasn’t going to make it, Miles ordered an expensive robot kit and had it delivered.”
Nina and Trevor stared. They understood.
Evelyn and Owen came through the door and looked around the table. “What’s going on?” Evelyn asked.
Trevor turned to them. “Miles screwed the pooch, and Tess broke up with him.”
“Well, he tried,” Owen offered. “No Gabe today?”
Tess shrugged. Trevor said, “He has a client meeting. Different time zone. He said he’d try to make it.”
Evelyn dumped sugar into her coffee and then looked at Tess. “If this breakup was what you wanted, why do you look like hell?”
“Because I’ve done nothing for the last ten days but second-guess myself. I fell in love with him. I didn’t plan on it, but we were so good together, and then I started to wonder if I overreacted.”
Evelyn stirred her coffee. “You overreacted.”
“That’s not very supportive,” Nina said.
Evelyn shrugged. “She doesn’t need supportive. She needs honest.”
“He called me a control freak with unrealistically high expectations.”
Trevor, Evelyn, and Owen all laughed, and Tess gritted her teeth.
“What?” Nina asked.
“She does,” Trevor said. “Miles nailed it. But he knows that about you and he loves you anyway.”
His words sank in. Oh crap. Trevor is right. Miles loves me. “What do I do now? He hasn’t called or texted since I asked him to leave. Maybe he’s done.”
Trevor lifted his cup. “You won’t know unless you ask.”
“So…what? I’m supposed to call him and say, ‘My bad’?”
“For someone so smart, you sure are dumb sometimes. Call and apologize,” Nina said.
“Apologize? I didn’t do anything wrong.” She set her coffee down with a clank.
“You ignored everything he did right and focused on what he did wrong. He knew he screwed up and did what he could to fix it. You downplayed that like it was nothing,” Evelyn said.
She looked around the table. “I can’t have another person in the kids’ lives who thinks money is the answer to everything.”
“Does he?” Trevor asked. “Or are you punishing him for the things William does?”
Tess wasn’t even sure anymore. She was miserable, but she had no idea if getting back together with Miles would fix that. What was the likelihood he would continue to do this? That was a roller coaster she had no desire to ride.
One Night with a Millionaire (Daring Divorcees) Page 20