Miss White and the Seventh Heir

by Jennifer Faye

  “And now you’re both widowed. Why not keep each other company?”

  Trey chanced a glance at the unusually quiet Louise. For the first time, he witnessed the bold and forthright woman blush. Maybe Sage was on to something.

  Avoiding eye contact, Louise said, “Like I’d started to say, Ralph stopped to speak to you and found your door closed. I told him I’d ask you for the documents when I spoke to you.”

  “Is this for the upcoming audit?”

  Louise shrugged. “You’re asking the wrong person.”

  “I wonder why Ralph thinks I’d have those statements,” Sage stated, opening and closing desk drawers as though searching for the missing documents. “You’d think those would be kept in the accounting department.”

  “Mr. Rousseau liked to be in control of everything,” Louise supplied. “Have you looked through those file cabinets?” She gestured toward the wall-to-wall line of four-drawer file cabinets.

  Trey couldn’t help but think that it sounded like his controlling father—always wanting things his way. And when his mother refused, his father didn’t care to compromise and just up and left them—left him. The man didn’t even give them a backward glance.

  Sage turned to Trey. “I hate to give you this task, but could you go through those file cabinets and see if the P&L statements are in there. It’s really important that we do well on this audit.”

  He nodded and set to work. The metal file cabinets were old and the papers inside them were even older. Drawer after drawer, file after file, he searched. And then he opened a drawer that lacked any papers. He was about to close it when a photo caught his attention.

  Trey was drawn to the image. It was a photo of himself when he was two or three. He reached for it. The fact that his father had it...should it mean something to him? A spark of hope ignited. In the next breath, he acknowledged that it had been discarded in an old file cabinet. That should be all the answer he needed.

  “I see you’ve found Mr. Rousseau’s photos,” Sage said from behind him.

  Photos? There was more than one? He peered back in the drawer to find his parents’ wedding photo and one of him as a baby.

  “They were on his desk when I got here. I think he left them because he thought he’d be back once the lawsuit quieted down. I considered messengering them to him, but I didn’t want him to read anything into the gesture like I was pushing him out—not after everything he’s done for me.”

  His father had these photos on his desk? But why? Was it for show? That had to be it. No other answer made sense.

  “I thought he was estranged from his family?” Trey returned the photo of himself to the drawer. As he did so, he found himself curious about his parents’ wedding. Had they been happy at the beginning? He withdrew the framed photo. His father had been smiling like he didn’t have a care in the world and Trey’s mother...he’d never seen her look happier.

  A lump formed in the back of Trey’s throat. If they’d been this happy at the start, was he the reason the marriage fell apart?

  “I don’t know the details.” Sage’s voice reminded him that he wasn’t alone. “I just know that he talked highly of his son.”

  Highly? Really? Trey found that so hard to believe. Trey took one last look at the photo. His mother had been so radiant and full of life, nothing like the woman his father had left behind. The broken, lonely woman that Trey had tried to care for.

  Trey returned the photo to the drawer. He choked down the rising emotions and closed the drawer, warding off the unhappy memories of his childhood.

  “Would you like me to help you search?” Sage offered.

  “I’ve got this.” He kept his back to her, not wanting her to read into the expression on his face. “Besides, don’t you have a meeting with circulation in ten minutes?”

  Sage glanced at the clock. “You’re right. I totally forgot.”

  “No problem. That’s what I’m here for.”

  She grabbed her digital tablet and rushed out of the room.

  He was actually grateful for a little time alone. It would give him a chance to shove all those unwanted memories to the back of his mind.

  He had no idea why his father had all those photos, but it wasn’t because he loved his family. No one that loved their wife and child walked away.

  That’s why Trey had avoided any sort of committed relationship. He didn’t want to be like his father and realize too late that he wasn’t cut out to be a family man. No child deserved to be discarded like he’d been.

  CHAPTER SIX

  ELSA STOOD IN front of her gold-leaf-trimmed mirror. With a finger, she lifted one brow and then she did the same on the other side. Then she drew back her cheeks. It was time for some Botox. She would schedule an appointment for this afternoon.

  She picked up her compact and powdered her pointed nose. Perhaps she should do something different with her hair. But then again, why? Could it look any better? It was hard to improve on perfection.

  Knock. Knock.

  “Come in.” It was about time Mr. Hunter arrived for their meeting. He was already ten minutes late. She did not have room in her life for tardiness. Time was money.

  The door opened and the hulk of a man stepped inside. “Sorry I’m late. Traffic was snarled.”

  “I don’t care about the traffic. What have you learned about my stepdaughter?”

  The man was younger than her. He was tall, dark and in her opinion modestly handsome. Perhaps if she wasn’t in such a rush for information, she might enjoy a little alone time with him. But right now she had to deal with her stepdaughter—the girl gave her nothing but a headache.

  “Hurry up,” Elsa said, anxious to know what Sage had been up to now.

  He lifted his digital tablet and consulted his notes. “She’s still with QTR, but she’s on probation. She has to show the board a marked improvement and a solid strategy for the future by the end of the month. And it appears Rousseau’s son is taking over the business as CEO.”

  “A son? I didn’t know he had a son. Get me as much information as you can on him.” She couldn’t have Sage being successful. That wouldn’t do. But first she had to gain information and then she’d formulate a plan. “And how did my stepdaughter look?”

  “Beautiful.” The man’s eyes lit up and he smiled as he recalled Sage’s image.

  Elsa’s back teeth ground together. Her gaze narrowed in on the man. “How beautiful?”

  “She has grown into the most stunning woman.” His voice had a sense of awe in it, which only compounded Elsa’s frustration. He rubbed his squared jaw. “She turned heads wherever she went. People seem to fall under her spell whenever she smiles at them.”

  “She used to do the same thing to her father. She’d smile and he’d do whatever she wanted. He didn’t care that as his wife my needs should have come first. It was always all about that brat kid.”

  “There’s something else you should know. Sage is asking questions about you and this company.”

  The breath caught in Elsa’s throat. She knew this day was coming. Once Sage had the means, she would come after Elsa. The girl had to be stopped once and for all.

  Elsa turned to the mirror and stared into it. That girl was always trying to ruin everything for her. With an angry groan, Elsa lifted her arm and sent her metal compact crashing into the mirror. Glass shards fell to the floor. If she didn’t stop her stepdaughter soon, Sage would have enough clout and money to reveal the truth about how Elsa ascended to CEO of White Publishing. And that could not happen.

  Heedless of the mess, Elsa turned to Hunter. Perhaps she should have been paying closer attention to her stepdaughter. She wouldn’t make that mistake again. “Do you have someone watching her now?”

  “No. You didn’t say you wanted twenty-four-hour surveillance—”

  “Do I have to spell out everything
for you?” she shouted. Her anger and fear bubbled to the surface.

  The man’s face masked his emotions. “She’s leaving for the French Riviera in the morning. Would you like me to follow her?”

  Elsa arched a dark brow. “For the Cannes Film Festival?”

  Hunter nodded. “From what I gather, she’s shorthanded and handling the event herself. Well, herself and her male assistant.”

  Elsa turned her back to the man. Perhaps it was time she had a face-to-face meeting with her stepdaughter. It was time to remind Sage of her proper place in this world—cleaning floors and washing dishes.

  “We’re both going.”

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  A GENTLE RAIN tap-tapped on the car windows.

  Trey leaned back against the seat, wishing the raindrops could wash away the past hurts. He stifled a deep sigh. The truth was that he would rather be anywhere but here. The only consolation was that they’d be staying at a hotel instead of venturing to the château with its abundance of painful memories.

  All of Cannes was blanketed in the darkness of night. With the lull of the car engine and the rhythmic tapping of the rain, Trey struggled to keep his eyes open. He’d never learned to sleep on airplanes. And with his seat being separate from Sage’s, he’d read a spy novel for most of the flight.

  The lights of the city sparkled and glistened in the rain like fine jewels. It was only fitting because his hometown was a treasure on the French Riviera. If only it didn’t hold so many painful memories.

  He wondered what his mother would think of his plan to bring down the magazine. Would she cheer him on? Or would she be disappointed that he couldn’t let go of the past?

  Sage pressed a hand to his arm. “Are you okay?”

  Trey pushed away the troubling thoughts. “Of course. Why do you ask?”

  “Because we’ve arrived at the hotel and you haven’t gotten out of the car.”

  He glanced out the window at Cannes’ finest hotel. When he was a child he imagined this place was a palace and a rich king lived within its walls. Other times, he would pretend his father lived there, taking care of important business, and that one day he’d return home. But in truth, his father never stayed at this hotel that he knew of and his father never came home.

  Trey choked down the unwanted rush of emotions. “I think I’m just tired. I can’t sleep on planes.”

  “I guess we have that in common because neither can I.”

  “Then let’s get checked in and we both can get some rest.”

  He alighted from the car and asked her to get their room keys while he saw to the luggage—all six pieces of it. One piece was his and the rest belonged to Sage. Thankfully some of the suitcases had wheels. How long did she plan to be in France?

  Inside, Sage was at the registration counter. From across the lobby, he couldn’t hear what was being said, but Sage was talking with her hands and that was never a good sign. Maybe it was a communication problem.

  He picked up his speed, hoping to smooth out the situation. He came to a stop next to Sage. “Is there a problem?”

  She turned to him with a distinct frown on her face. “I suppose the fact that they gave away our rooms and they have nothing else available could be considered a problem.” The frustration in her voice was unmistakable as was the exhaustion written all over her face.

  “Let me see what I can do.” Perhaps the exchange of French and English had created a miscommunication. He really hoped that was the case. “Did you make the reservation?”

  “Yes. But they have no record of it.”

  “Don’t give up just yet.”

  Sage let out a yawn that spurred Trey into action. But after speaking with both the desk clerk and the manager, they still didn’t have any unoccupied rooms for the duration of the festival.

  Trey knew with the festival taking place that there wouldn’t be any vacancies anywhere in Cannes. There were stories of A-list actors sleeping on the beach because when there’s no room available, there’s literally nothing available.

  Trey had an alternative, but he didn’t like it. There was his family’s château. He still had a skeleton staff looking after it. He didn’t want to keep the place, but he couldn’t bring himself to sell it either. It made no sense, but that seemed to be a recurring theme in his life.

  He withdrew his phone from his pocket and signaled to Sage that he would be right back. He’d made his housekeeper aware that he was flying in. She was anxious to discuss some issues concerning the château. He told her that he’d stop by when he had a free moment. He’d made it clear he didn’t plan to stay at the château so he had no idea what condition the house would be in. On top of that, he didn’t know how he’d explain any of this to Sage.

  Just take it one problem at a time.

  * * *

  She’d made a mess of things.

  Sage mentally kicked herself for not verifying the reservations. She’d meant to, but then she’d gotten distracted.

  When Trey returned from making a call, she asked, “Did you come up with alternate lodging?”

  “There’s nothing available. The city is filled to capacity with festivalgoers.”

  “Oh.” She’d really been hoping his phone call had been productive. “I guess I could do an internet search and start calling them. Maybe I’ll get lucky and someone will have a last-minute cancellation.”

  Trey sighed. “Or you could just come home with me.”

  “Home? With you?” She sent him a strange look. “I know you’re tired, but we’re in France not California.”

  “I know that.”

  “Then how can I go home with you?”

  “Okay, it’s not actually my home, but you do recall that I’m from France, right?” He smiled.

  Was he inwardly laughing at her? “I didn’t forget. The accent gives you away.”

  “Listen, this banter might be more fun if I wasn’t so tired.” Before she could dispute the claim, he continued. “My head is pounding, so how about you just agree to come with me?”

  It was one thing to stay in the same hotel in separate rooms, but it was much more intimate to share a house. “Are you sure about this?”

  “Quite frankly, no. But we can’t sleep in the lobby of this hotel.”

  She hated to admit it but he was right. And she was so tired.

  Trey didn’t wait for her response as he turned to the door. With the luggage in tow, he headed for an available car. She couldn’t help thinking that this was wrong. She knew by the look on his face that taking her with him was the last thing he wanted to do.

  There was something growing between them. It was something she didn’t want to examine too closely. Though she had a lot of friends, she didn’t let anyone get too close. It hurt too much when they betrayed you.

  She’d had a boyfriend after she’d finished college. Charlie had been a blond-haired, blue-eyed hunk of a man. At first, she’d resisted him, but every time he’d walked into the coffee shop where she worked in the evenings and on weekends, he flirted with her until he gained her trust. Looking back on that time still hurt.

  Charlie had said all the right things—done all the right things, from flowers to fancy dinners. She’d thought at long last she was no longer alone in this world. She’d let down her guard and confided in him about her hopes, dreams and fears.

  And then she’d gotten her first official editorial position working for a well-known publisher. It wasn’t her beloved White Publishing, but it was a highly sought after position.

  She was all set to start in two weeks. And then everything went sideways. Suddenly the company withdrew their job offer with some flimsy excuse about a mix-up.

  And then she caught Charlie in a lie followed by a strange text message on his phone. Once confronted by a furious Sage, he confessed to being hired by Elsa to spy on her. And that Elsa
was behind the lies that cost her the job. Her stepmother had smeared her name in the publishing world.

  There was only one reason her stepmother would still try to hurt her—the woman had a deep dark secret. That day, Sage got all the confirmation she needed that her suspicions about Elsa were true. She was certain Elsa had lied, cheated and thieved her way to the top of White Publishing. And now Sage would do whatever it cost to out her conniving stepmother—including sacrificing a personal life. That was the day Sage hired her first private investigator.

  Once they were in the car headed away from the bright lights, Trey said, “Don’t worry. Everything will work out.”

  She turned to say something, but in the glow of the passing lights she caught his dark, mesmerizing gaze. The words stuck in her throat. Every time he looked into her eyes, she felt as though she were going to drown in his dark brown eyes.

  Her pulse quickened and she wondered what it would be like to kiss him. Before now, they’d always been at work where there was a constant string of people in and out of her office. There was no time for indulging in a kiss.

  But tonight, all bets were off. She assured herself that exhaustion was playing with her mind. As she continued to stare at him, she knew she wasn’t alone with these wayward thoughts.

  Though she hadn’t dated many men, she did know when they were interested in her. And Trey was interested. Still, there was one more complication—they worked together. And crossing that line would come with a host of complications.

  With a sigh, she leaned back against the leather seat. She just needed some sleep. Tomorrow things would be much clearer.

  “We’re here.” Trey’s voice lacked any enthusiasm.

  She looked out the window at the impressive château. No expense had been spared in its design or in the landscape that was illuminated with lights lining the drive.

  “You said this place belongs to a friend?” She couldn’t help wondering what sort of friends Trey had. Obviously they had deep pockets.

  “Um...yes.” He got out of the car before she could ask any further questions.