by Casey Hagen
She flipped over the card and found an address on Highwood Street in Brentwood, an area known for its multi-million-dollar estates.
Damn.
3
Lathan sat at his brother’s desk with a stack of reports from the heads of each department of Kincaid Industries. He looked at the clock. 8 a.m. He would be lucky if he was done in time to attend his own engagement party.
That’s right, engagement party.
The one person he counted on to have his back, Jessica, had texted that morning to say she couldn’t make it. The baby was sick.
These things happened and he certainly didn’t hold it against her, but he was dreading the party now, even more so than before when his only potential problem was not having a fiancée in attendance.
Also, his fault.
He went and opened his mouth to his family about proposing to Kim and, in turn, they jumped the gun and threw together a small party of at least a hundred people: family, friends, and business associates. This may have been because he never officially introduced them to her, and a party would lock in the engagement. Appearances were everything in his world. They were a bit nosy, a lot overbearing, and the last thing he wanted before he had the chance to propose was for them to scare her off.
Plans change, if Jack took him up on his offer. They couldn’t scare her, of that he was positive.
Just the image of her with that beer tipped to her lips, those toned arms… that tattoo. He shifted in his chair and redirected his thoughts. Getting worked up wasn’t going to get the reports signed. He’d never met anyone like her. So unaffected, so confident in who she was. It wasn’t just that she wasn’t the typical rich chick. He’d dated several women outside of his social circle before Liam died. Now he felt like an idiot for thinking he would have better long-term luck inside his social circle. When it came down to it, he wasn’t even inside his social circle.
His family loved him. He knew they did, but when they looked at him they wondered how he had turned out the way he did. He knew that for a fact. He’d heard his parents talking about it one night. He had stumbled in after a rather wild party. He’d returned home sunburned, drunk off his ass, and sporting a huge black and blue on his thigh from his surfboard.
They were in his dad’s library; his dad was enjoying a late-night cigar, his mother joined him with her late-night glass of wine. She thought they didn’t know. She made it a point to say that she only had a glass with dinner, “because we mustn’t let our drinking get out of control” like so many of their country club friends.
Because that second glass of wine might really drive things over the edge.
“Really, Bradford, you need to do something about Lathan.”
“Last time I checked, Annette, he was your son, too.”
“Of course, but he’s a man now and a man needs his father to steer him. He’s not going to listen to a word I have to say.”
“He’s just sowing some wild oats. It’ll pass.”
“He’s been like this since he was a young child. He’s always done the opposite of what’s expected. It’s only mildly embarrassing right now, but what if one day he controls Kincaid Industries? What then?”
“Liam is the heir to Kincaid Industries.”
“Yes, but if anything were to happen…”
“I’ll speak with him, ma cherie.”
Who knew his mother would end up being right? About both of them. He owed it to Liam to give running the company a shot. If that meant hiring a team to help him so he didn’t screw it up, like it was looking he might do, he would do that, too.
The Chief Financial Officer, Davis Conroy, reported a ten percent decline in profits for the quarter. Lathan pulled out the quarterly reports for the past two years, and after poring over them, he decided to call the one man Liam had trusted, well-known financial expert, Everett Harden.
“Good morning. Everett Harden speaking.”
“Hi Everett, this is Lathan Kincaid, Liam’s brother.”
“Lathan, good to hear from you. What can I help you with?”
“I see that you did an evaluation for Liam before…” Lathan cleared his throat. “Before, uh, before he passed.”
“I did. I’m sorry about your brother. He was a good man.”
“Thank you. I just went over the latest financial report and there’s a ten percent dip in profits. For the past two years, we’ve steadily increased. I’m concerned I’m missing something, so before a leak becomes a flood—”
Everett laughed. “You want me to take a look?”
“If you could spare the time, yes.”
“Absolutely. I can be there by the end of the day, if that works for you. Corrine is going stir-crazy and could use the time away. We’ll make a weekend out of it.”
“That’s far sooner than I expected. Thanks, Everett. I owe you huge.”
“Don’t worry about it. You’ll be doing me a favor.”
Comfortable with Everett and maybe a little desperate, Lathan made a go for broke. “If you want, you can join us this evening. It’s my engagement party.”
“Congratulations, man! Who’s the lucky woman?”
“Jack Price.”
“Or man. Sorry. Damn.”
Lathan laughed, and damn it felt good. “Jack is a woman. She towed my car for me.”
“Wait, what? I thought you said this was your engagement party.”
“Yeah, if she shows, it means that she agreed to my proposal.”
“So, wait…let me get this straight: your family is having an engagement party for you and someone who may or may not agree to marry you?”
“Something like that. They don’t realize I only met her last night.”
“You met her less than twenty-four hours ago? Oh, there is no way we’re missing this. Dinner and a show…Corrine is going to love this.”
Lathan snorted. “I’m glad I could entertain you.”
“Damn, this is going to be so good, my services are free.”
“I made a smart business decision by calling you then?”
“The best, and I thank you for it.”
“Why don’t you guys stay here? This place has six guest rooms and a heated pool. Corrine will love it.”
“Sounds good,” Everett said.
Lathan gave him the address to the party and his place, then ended the call. He only had three hours before the party and he needed to get an engagement ring for Jack, just in case she showed up.
He pulled up to Etourdissant and turned over his Lincoln to the valet. A security guard stood at the entrance to check his ID before punching in a code to open the front door. Just inside the door, they made him go through a body scanner. Nothing like being violated before spending a serious amount of money at an establishment.
A tall woman with coloring almost identical to Jack’s stepped up to greet him. Funny, just a day ago he would have enjoyed the view, but since Jack, all he could see is what she lacked in comparison. The thought should scare him, but it only made him smile.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Kincaid. My name is Maya. How can I be of assistance to you today?”
Neat trick. Security guard must have called in his name. “I need an engagement ring, and soon.”
“Follow me. Did you have anything in particular in mind?” she asked over her shoulder.
He scrubbed a hand over his face, unsure as to what to look for. He had an emerald-cut, three-carat diamond sitting in a box on his desk that was supposed to be on Kim’s hand right now. He knew putting that ring on another woman was a bad plan. He was crazy, not stupid. Plus, the ring was right for Kim, but all wrong for Jack. “To be honest, Maya, I don’t even know where to start.”
She gestured to the stool in front of a huge selection of engagement rings, and stepped behind the counter. “Why don’t you tell me a bit about the lucky lady and I’ll show you pieces based on that? There is so much to choose from that I hesitate to throw all of it at you at once.”
He breathed a sigh of reli
She clasped her hands together and gave him an enthusiastic ‘Let’s spend some money’ smile. “Okay, so what does she look like?”
“Well, she’s maybe 5’4”, slim, but not skinny. Fit. Olive eyes, bronze skin, long dark hair.”
“Does she wear a lot of jewelry? Does she favor gold, platinum?”
“I didn’t see her with any jewelry, so I’m not sure.”
Maya tilted her head, her brows furrowing. “Okay, what does she do for a living?”
“She drives a tow truck.”
Maya laughed as if he’d made the funniest joke on the planet. He raised a brow at her and the laughter stalled in her throat. “Oh, I’m sorry. You weren’t joking?”
“No, not joking.”
She cleared her throat, her face reddening. “My apologies. So because of her profession, here are my suggestions…go with rhodium-coated or solid rhodium. It’s stronger and scratch-proof. We have a few pieces to choose from.” She pulled out one tray at a time, holding five rings each, perfectly poised in cushioned slots. Each shone, but none of them said Jack.
The diamonds were too big, too showy. Somehow, he believed she would be embarrassed to wear such an attention-grabbing piece of jewelry.
“Do you have anything less… obvious? I need classy and understated. Jack won’t care about a big diamond.”
“Jack?”
“My fiancée.”
“Didn’t you say ‘she’?”
“Yes, her name is Jack.”
Maya tapped her chin. “You know what? I think I have just the ring you’re looking for. I’ll be right back.” She put the display away and went into a back room. She came out just a moment later with a black ring box. “This is a bit non-traditional, but with everything you’ve told me it might just be the exact right thing.” She flipped it open to reveal an intricate ring with a larger round diamond in the middle, flanked by slightly smaller round diamonds on each side.
“This was a special order that the customer didn’t take delivery on. Apparently, the husband found the wife getting more than just a massage from their trusted masseur. It’s an anniversary ring, but people do occasionally use three-stone rings for engagements.”
What looked to be three flawless diamonds winked back at him in the bright light. They were set low, the prongs heavy, holding the precious stones secure. Scrolls adorned the edges of the thick band also lined with deep-set diamonds. It shone, but also had a darkened quality to it, making it almost look antique.
“You’re confident it can hold up?”
“Absolutely, his wife is a chef. A sturdy ring was a must. It’s solid rhodium.”
The more he inspected it, the more he knew it would be perfect for her. A little dark, a little edgy, unique, and stunning. The ring was her. “I’ll take it!”
When he got back to his car, he called Jessica.
“I texted you three hours ago and nothing. You have some explaining to do.”
“Well, hello to you, too.”
“Spill it, pretty boy. What happened last night?”
“I think I might have found a fiancée.”
“No way! Tell me all about her.”
“Well, she’s a tow truck driver named Jack…”
Jack had planned to clean the house and run errands on her long weekend. It had gotten out of control over the past three weeks. She had filled in for her employees more times than she could count, leaving no time for the everyday tasks.
The house would have been easy enough. It had been their childhood home, a unique one at that, and both she and Jeremy learned a long time ago to pick up after themselves. As a child, she hated that Jeremy had the other master suite for a bedroom, but now, with their father no longer living there, the unique layout turned out to be an advantage: A master on each end of the house and a standard ten-by-twelve-foot bedroom, turned office, also on each side. They shared the living room, kitchen, and dining room.
If he had a woman over, she didn’t have to worry about headboard-knocking on connecting walls, because, Jesus, no one wanted that. Although she didn’t have nearly as many of the opposite sex over, she was pretty sure Jeremy was just as grateful.
She grabbed a polishing rag and the glass cleaner and headed for the living room. She sprayed the slate and removed the fine layer of dust coating it, working from one side to the other, moving remotes and magazine, until her eyes landed on Lathan’s business card.
She dropped into the spot he had occupied the night before and turned the card over in her hands. She ran her thumb over the raised black letters of his name. What was in it for him? Did it even matter? He was rich and needed to get married. Likely, he was satisfying some sort of familial requirement. Did she really want to get involved in that mess? And did she want to be tied to a man, willing to marry a stranger, just to get his hands on some money…if that was the case?
A part of her desperately wanted to take the offer. She wouldn’t have to worry one more second about her father’s care. How would it feel to go to bed at night and know that day in, day out, he was cared for?
If she didn’t take the offer, before long she would be worrying about far more than money for his care. She would be worrying about a new facility, their lack of attention, bed sores, abuse, neglect, the list was endless. Her heart broke for the man who had worked tirelessly to make sure they not only thrived physically, but emotionally as well. He taught them to not hate their mother when she left, despite the fact that Jack knew he still loved their mother, Gia, and she had left him heartbroken.
That was the one blessing of this horrid disease. It stole the memories of her mother. The ones every once in a while she would see in her dad’s eyes. Such a strong, yet emotional man. A man who loved everyone in his world with his whole heart and soul. A man who fixed broken things, but the one broken thing he never managed to fix was his heart. Sometimes she wanted to hate her mother for hurting him that way. In the end, though, she just couldn’t do it. Because her dad was right: some people just couldn’t be parents.
With her father’s jovial smile in her head, she made a decision. She was handed the power to change his fate in one palm-sized piece of ivory cardstock.
Jeremy came through the door and dropped into his chair, still wiping his hands with a rag. “Well, he could have done a hell of a lot worse. New radiator, a couple of hoses, a belt, and Lathan should be good to go. It’s going to take a few days to get the parts, though.”
“He’ll be happy to hear that.”
“I’m going to take the parts off and package them up with the shipment for Annabelle.”
Their cousin in Seattle had a talent for making nursery rhyme characters out of salvaged car parts. Kind of funny how, one way or another, cars played a big part in their family.
“Did you hear what she did with her last sculpture?”
“Yeah. She had some prime parts in that six-foot dick, too. I’m pretty sure, now that she’s teaching summer camp to a bunch of kids, she’s done making genital statues. That shouldn’t even be a thing. Genital statues. God.”
She smiled. Their cousin was a force to be reckoned with in her own sweet way. “We need to make a trip out to see her. I just don’t know when.”
His gaze landed on the card she twirled in her hand and hadn’t stopped staring at. “What’s that?”
“Lathan’s card and address.”
He studied his hands as he scrubbed between his fingers with that citrus hand cleaner that she had grown so used to over the years. It used to remind her of her dad. That was fading as her brother took over their father’s legacy. “His address? What for?”
“For me. If I decide to take him up on his proposal.”
Her brother froze, his stricken eyes meeting hers. “What the hell are you talking about, proposal?”
“If I marry him and stay married for a year, he’s going to take care of Dad’s medical needs for his lifetime.”
Jeremy shot up out of chair and started pacing. “What the hell? You’re not doing this! I don’t care what I have to do, but this isn’t an option, damn it!”
She stood and faced him across the table. “This is my decision and I’ve made it.”
“No.”
“Yes. There are details to work out. I won’t be leaving Jack’s Towing. I’ve worked too hard to make it mine. So if he can accommodate that, I’m doing this.”
“This is insane.” Jeremy growled, his hands on his hips.
Jack circled around the table and took his elbow. “He’s a good man. I don’t know how I know that, I just do.”
“You can’t be sure.”
“Don’t be worried about me. It’s not like I’m going to fall in love with him. After seeing Dad suffer from a broken heart, no thanks. This is the only way. You and I both know it. Can you live with Dad being in a facility where they possibly neglect and abuse him? Because I can’t. It’ll kill me to do that.”
Jeremy wrapped his arms around her and squeezed tight. “Hell. I still say this is a bad idea, but I don’t think you’re going to let me talk you out of it, are you?”
“No.”
He pulled back and locked eyes with hers. “Fine, but if he hurts you, I get to kick his ass.”
She laughed and tugged his beard. “Deal.”
4
Lathan glanced at his watch for what must have been the hundredth time. Maybe she was just late. Maybe she got lost. Or maybe, and this was what he was afraid of, maybe the answer was no.
Damn it!
He stood by the back gate, where the guests had arrived; waiting, hoping Jack would show up and save his ass. Maybe he should have told her about the school, given her more details so she understood what was at stake if he didn’t get married. He definitely should have told her about his failed proposal so he didn’t look like some ass who just proposes to strangers on the fly.
Most of the guests had arrived. His parents kept giving him worried looks. Some of the department heads of Kincaid Industries wanted to kiss up. His grandmother questioned whether he was eating enough or getting enough rest. Like he cared about any of that. Couldn’t they see he was too busy having a damn anxiety attack, waiting to see if Jack was going to ride in and save his sorry ass?
-->