“There are things I do miss, but it’s funny how quickly being here with Jon has become home to me. I still hope we find someplace out of the city someday, but for now, this works for us. Speaking of our home, you still need to come over. Are you free Saturday night? Maybe you can come for dinner?”
Outside of Trent, she only really knew Lizette and Jon here. “That would be nice. Let me know what time and what I can bring.” Please don’t ask me to cook.
“How about seven o’clock, and you can bring dessert? Do you like Japanese food? I want to try a new recipe.”
Nodding her head, she said, “Sounds great.” She was going to have an exciting weekend. Friday night the masquerade and Saturday night dinner with a friend. Maybe New York was good for her as well.
Chapter Eleven
Elaine looked at the laptop for the fourth time, trying to remember what she was searching for. Her concentration was off and it appeared it was not going to return. On days like this, best thing you can do is call it a day and try again tomorrow. Closing the lid, she grabbed her purse and headed for the elevator.
“Elaine.”
She turned and saw Wendy heading her way. “Hi, Wendy, I was just heading out. Did you need something?”
“Not me. Mr. Davis asked to see you in his office right away.”
That was the last thing she wanted to hear. “Thanks, Wendy. So much for sneaking out early on a Tuesday afternoon,” she said half-jokingly.
“Isn’t that always the way? Better luck next time. You better get going. He was not in the best mood when I left him.”
Forcing a smile, she headed back down the hall to Trent’s office. The door was open but she knocked anyway as he was not alone. There was a gentleman sitting in one of the chairs across from his desk.
“Mr. Davis, you wanted to see me?” Elaine asked from the doorway.
“Yes, come in and shut the door behind you.”
She closed the door and went to stand by the empty chair, hoping whatever the issue was, it wasn’t going to require her to be there long. “Was there something you need?”
“Son, why are you frightening this lovely young lady like that?” An older, distinguished man in his early sixties stood up and extended his hand. He was as tall as Trent, and she could tell he must have been a force to be reckoned with in his younger days. “I’m Victor Davis, Trent’s father.”
His father. Maybe Wendy got it wrong, and she wasn’t supposed to be here. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Davis. I’m Elaine Manning.” Once again, she was not sure what Trent had told him. Why do I keep finding myself in these awkward situations?
“Elaine, my father has an issue, and I told him you could assist.”
Thanks for the advance notice, Trent. “I would be happy to help if I can.”
“Ms. Manning, please have a seat, and I will tell you what’s going on,” Victor said.
Elaine took the empty seat beside him. “Please call me Elaine.”
“Elaine, I have been planning a surprise party for my wife who is turning sixty next week. I had everything in order. See, I had been planning this all on my own. Until recently I had been impressed with my party planning skills. Then I encountered a problem and reached out to my daughters for guidance. When they couldn’t help, they told me to see if my boy Trent had any bright ideas to fix it.”
“I’m sorry, I’m not following. What is it you need me to do?”
“From what my daughter said, I need you to pull off a miracle. The party is in less than two weeks. The place I was hosting the party burned down five days ago. We have tried finding another venue, but we are not getting anywhere, and time is running out.”
“That is unfortunate.”
“That’s why I’m here. I not only need to find a new location, but I need to inform all the guests of the change, including updating the band and everything else. With the limited time, I don’t want to risk missing anything.” He pulled a long list out of his pocket and handed it to her. “Trent said if anyone could pull this off, it would be you.”
The second time in a week someone thinks I can arrange events. What have I ever done to make anyone think I’m an event planner? Unfolding the paper she looked at the list. The first page had all the contacts: florist, band, favors, and miscellaneous suppliers. The next few pages were the names and numbers of the guests. Wow. There must be at least a hundred guests. “Mr. Davis.”
“Victor, please.”
“Victor, are you sure you want me to handle this for you?”
“My son has a way of making things happen that others can’t. Usually I don’t agree on his tactics. I’m sure you’re familiar with his reputation.” She nodded and he continued, “I really need this party to go off as planned.” He looked at Trent then back to Elaine. “If he says you are the one to pull this off, then yes, I would like you to handle this for me. What do you say? Will you do this for me so I can give Mary one heck of a surprise party?”
Taking a moment, she looked at the list again before folding it and placing it in her purse. “I’ll be more than happy to get this all taken care of for you. Hopefully I should have it completed by Friday afternoon. Will that work for you?”
“Friday? That would be amazing and would explain why Trent has you on his staff. My cell number is on the last page if you need to contact me. Can I ask one additional favor?”
“Of course.”
“I’m taking Mary on a cruise to the Bahamas that’s leaving Saturday and returns late Thursday night. That is the night before the party. Could you please show up a day early to make sure everything goes smoothly? I know I’m asking a lot, but I don’t want to take any chances with something changing while we’re gone.”
Show up? She thought she was only rearranging the party. She must have missed the fact she actually had to be there since the party was not local. Now not only did she need to change everything around, but she needed to be in West Virginia to personally check on everything? This was becoming more than she bargained for.
She turned to look at Trent, hoping he would jump in and save her. Instead, he sat at his desk reading something on his computer. This was the quietest she’d ever seen him and this was his father, his family’s party. With no support from Trent, it appeared she was alone in making this decision. Turning back to Victor she gave the only response she could. “I’ll be there. I better start working on this right away. It was a pleasure meeting you. I guess I will see you next week at the party.”
As she was leaving the office she overheard Victor ask, “Why haven’t you told your mother about Elaine yet?”
“Dad, she is nothing to me, only an employee. That’s all,” he stated firmly.
Picking up her pace, she made it back to her office before the tears flowed. Those were words they had both said many times, but hearing him say it to his father, and in such a firm tone . . . well it hurt. She wasn’t prepared for her own reaction either. After all, it was what she wanted, for everyone to believe there was nothing but a professional relationship between them. Then why am I so mad? The answer was simple but not one she wanted to admit even to herself. I’m falling in love with him.
After making love in the shower on Sunday, Trent had stayed for breakfast. Thankfully between them, they had been able to rustle up something easy. Easy was the way to describe that time together too. Trent was funny, attentive, mischievous, and far more insightful than she thought possible. She could tell from the way he spoke about his friends and family, work was not his only waking thought, as she previously believed. When he spoke of Brad in particular, there was a sense of reverence and respect. She thought he respected her as well.
Now, sitting behind her desk, she wiped the few tears that had made their way down her cheeks. How she wished her office didn’t have glass walls so she could have broken down and let them flow freely. Instead she struggled to push past the heartbreak. Elaine contemplated grabbing her purse and going home but remembered she’d just committed to reorganize
in days what it had taken Victor months to plan. Leaving now would only risk not meeting the Friday deadline.
Pulling the list from her purse, she knew exactly what she needed to do first: find a new venue. Reluctantly she turned on her computer and Googled the location. It wasn’t like there were a lot of options in that area. Now she understood why they needed help. Unfortunately for them, they had chosen her. The most experience she had at this was searching for a restaurant to place an order for takeout. This was not something she was going to be able to pull off alone. But she knew someone who could. Picking up her cell, she dialed Jill and hoped she would answer.
“Thank you for calling Another Chance, this is Jill; how may I help you?”
“Hi Jill, it’s Elaine. I hope I’m not catching at a busy time.”
“Elaine,” Jill half screamed into the phone, “how’s New York? Things aren’t the same around here without you.”
It was nice being missed. She could say the same about Jill. Things were not the same without her daily warmth and enthusiasm. “Things are good; I’m settling in. Unfortunately I took on a project that was not something I normally handle. I was wondering if you would be willing to help me with something for old time’s sake?”
“Of course. Anything. Things have been so boring around here with both you and Lizette in New York. Really, if it gets any quieter I might have to move to New York, too.”
“We would love to have you here.” And that was the truth. Jill’s happiness was infectious. There was not a day at Another Chance that Jill didn’t burst into the office to share some funny story. That was far from the case at Davis Enterprises. The only time the staff appeared to smile was at the signing for a new acquisition. If it weren’t for Wendy popping her head in occasionally to say hi, she probably wouldn’t be missed if she never showed up to work.
Elaine filled Jill in on exactly what she was looking for. Within thirty minutes, Jill had directed her to the two locations available that could accommodate their needs. This girl’s a miracle worker!
“Jill, I can’t thank you enough. I owe you for this.”
“How about you let me stay with you when I come up for dress shopping? I hear we need to get gowns for Lizette’s wedding, and New York is the place to do it.”
“You’re on, Jill. I can’t wait to see you.”
Dress shopping. Elaine let out a heavy sigh. Oh, I can’t wait. From all her research, she would need to mentally prepare for what many call a painful experience: go to several shops, try on dozens of dresses, and let the bride pick her favorite. Please don’t let it be taffeta. She could only hope Lizette didn’t pick one of the many colors in Jill’s hair, though the colors definitely matched her personality. How she wished she was comfortable enough with herself to say, This is me, take it or leave it. Elaine always presented herself as what she needed to be: strong, independent, and in control. Many days she could have won an Oscar for her performance. If only people knew the real her. Lonely, insecure, a person searching for answers to her past, and living in a box she’d created for herself. One day this would change. She would let others in on what haunted her, but she wasn’t ready yet. For now, this was the Elaine they know and the Elaine they get.
After she’d hung up with Jill, it took a few minutes to break away from her own thoughts and concentrate so she could be productive on the task at hand. Once she was back in the groove, she booked the new location. Thank you, Jill! Then she spent the rest of the afternoon and part of the evening finalizing the relocation, reaching out to each vendor with the new details. She didn’t know how people ever did this without an event planner. She had to give Victor credit, he really had thought of everything and would never have needed her help if it wasn’t for the fire. That wasn’t how she pictured a former Marine. Shows you can’t judge a book by its cover.
Closing her laptop for the second time that day, she decided tomorrow would be spent updating the guests. All she wanted to do was go home. When she left her office, she couldn’t help looking toward Trent’s door. It was still open and the light still on. She wasn’t the only one burning the midnight oil. Feeling melancholy, she headed to the elevator and waited for it to start her journey home. When the doors opened, she hesitated getting in, and the doors eventually closed. His comments to his father were still troubling her. Avoiding it wasn’t going to solve the issue. She had two choices: press the button again, go home, and lie awake replaying it, or confront him now. Turning, she headed back down the hallway to Trent’s office with forced boldness in her step.
***
“Hi, you’re working late. I thought you would be at dinner with your father.” Her tone was dry.
He had been absorbed in a report and hadn’t even heard her enter his office. “My father’s visit today threw off my schedule.” His father didn’t normally stop by the office, especially without advance notice. Trent was grateful his sister Rose called earlier, giving him a heads-up on what was going on—his father was on his way to see him. It made the meeting go so much smoother. Trent loved his family, including his father, but they had had a difficult relationship to say the least. His father always did what he was told, played by the rules, and found it challenging to raise a son who did neither. Who could blame him? His other four children fit the family mold perfectly. But today was different. This was the first time his father had ever come to him for help instead of going to his siblings. Maybe it was a sign things were changing between them. Looking at Elaine he thought, a lot of things have changed lately. “Why are you here so late?”
“That would also be your father’s visit today.” She smiled. “I do have good news. I’ve found a new location and updated all the vendors. Looks like everything will be ready for your mother’s party just as he hoped.”
“You never cease to amaze me. I knew you could handle it but didn’t expect you to have accomplished anything today.” He normally would have assigned something like this to Wendy to handle. That is what an assistant was for. But when he received the call from his sister, the only person who entered his mind was Elaine. That shouldn’t surprise him; she was all he’d thought about since the moment he’d met her in Jon’s office over a month ago. He was positive the effect she had on him would have worn off quickly as it always had with other women. Instead, each time only enhanced his attraction, his need for her. Damn it. I really like her.
“Thanks, I have some good contacts. Your father requested I arrive the day before, which I will, but I’m confident everything is in order. You and your siblings should be able to handle it from there.”
She’s not getting off that easily. The last thing he wanted was to be the go-to person for the party. Things were better, but not that good. “I believe my father wanted you to be at the party.”
“I’m sure he was only being polite when inviting me. This event is for family and friends. I’m neither.”
“My father wouldn’t have invited you if he didn’t want you there. There is another reason for you to be there as well.”
“And what is that?” she asked.
He got up from behind his desk and went to stand by her. “I want you there.”
“Trent. I can’t,” she said softly.
“Can’t what?” he asked as he touched her cheek with the back of his fingers. “Can’t go or can’t kiss me right now?”
“Why did you say that to your father?” She pulled away slightly as she asked.
He had no idea what she was talking about. From her tone, whatever it was seemed to have hurt her. Quickly retracing their conversations that day, nothing jumped out to him. “Say what exactly?” Dropping his hand to his side, he waited.
“You told him that . . . I . . . that I don’t mean anything to you. Why did you say that to him?”
He could see the pain and confusion in her eyes. What he didn’t understand was why she was upset. How was giving her what she wanted causing her to be sad? You’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t! “You’re asking me why?�
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“Yes,” she demanded.
He could feel the frustration build within him. He didn’t want to talk about his father or what he’d said or hadn’t said to him. He wanted to be kissing her, touching her, here and now. Pulling her to him he said, “Because you’ve told me again and again, no one, I repeat, no one can ever know about us. I was only keeping my promise to you. I’m not the one with the issue about sleeping together.” He knew his words were harsh. He regretted them once they were said, but there was no going back once they left his lips. He saw her eyes widen in anger. This was not going to be good.
“You’re right. This is my issue. Thank you for not saying anything,” she said in a controlled tone.
“You can thank me by having dinner with me,” he stated, not wanting the evening to end, especially like this.
“It’s late, and I’m tired.”
It was true, they both had put in a long day, but that had never stopped them before from enjoying an evening together. She was leaving because she was mad. “I didn’t mean to hurt you with what I said.”
“You were being truthful and did what I had asked. I have no right to be angry with you for that.”
He was not being entirely truthful, but didn’t want to mention that now. Hopefully she wouldn’t find out. “Let me take you home.” He pulled her against him and felt her wiggle beneath his fingers. Trent had no intention of letting her leave. Reaching behind her, he slammed the door shut. “Don’t leave.”
Once again Elaine pulled away from him. “Good night, Trent.”
Without saying anything further, he watched her walk quietly out of his office. I think she still might still be mad.
This was why he had never gotten deeply involved with women before. They were confusing. They say one thing, yet get upset if you do exactly that. Shit, I don’t have the energy to deal with this. I don’t like her being angry either.
The Billionaire's Masquerade: Betting On You Series: Book Two Page 8