She opened the proposal on the coffee table and creased it so it stayed open to the pages she wanted. Julian would hate the idea. He was all about reputation and appearances, and he expected others to feel the same. He never bought anything used, but was recycling toys really beneath them?
Sliding off the sofa, Lexie sat cross-legged on the floor as she started to make notes. Things were so much clearer than they’d been when she’d been hurrying to finish up the proposal the other night.
“Maybe pre-owned is a better term than used,” she murmured.
A toy didn’t have to be new to spark a child’s imagination—only new to them. She’d done enough market studies and focus groups to know that sometimes kids even preferred to play with the box the toy came in over the toy itself.
“New to you,” she amended further. Marketing was all in the presentation.
Her creative juices began to flow. She had the used-toy concept down pat, but there were a few things that still had her hung up.
“Grading condition,” she murmured, “and shipping costs.”
She needed some sort of way to assign value. Not all toys would come back in the same condition. She needed a grading system like they used with comic books or antiques. And shipping costs could sink the whole concept. Then there were inventory costs, allocation of storage space in their warehouses, database management issues…
Her pen bounced between her thumb and index finger. When her mind was clicking like this, she didn’t get in its way. She didn’t know if she’d ever be able to pitch this concept, much less execute it, but an idle mind wasn’t her friend. Pushing away everything else, she began to work.
It was hours later when a knock at the door made Lexie look up. A crick in her neck made her wince, and she stretched. She glanced at her watch as she pushed herself to her feet.
She didn’t know of anyone who’d planned to drop by, although it could be Blaire bringing more things. She’d given the address to Roxie too, although it could be something as simple as building management.
She answered the door.
And stared blankly at the person filling the doorway. It was so unexpected, so out of place, for a moment she couldn’t think straight. “Fath—” She stopped herself again, and everything inside her sharpened. “Hello, Julian.”
“You can’t even call me Father anymore?” he said gruffly.
Her hand tightened around the doorknob. Long-established reflexes had her wanting to say “of course, Fath—” but she couldn’t even get past the endearment in her head. Not yet. “Cam’s not here,” she tried instead.
“I’m not here to see Rowe. I’m here to see my daughter.” Julian raked a hand through his shock of blond hair. His elbow bumped against the vase beside him, and the artificial flowers rustled noisily. He shot it a look that quieted it, yet his chin was still turned from her when he muttered, “If she’ll see me.”
Manners had Lexie stepping back and opening the door. “Please, come in.”
As polite as they both were being, nerves suddenly assailed her. She’d never anticipated that he’d come here, to her. She wasn’t prepared for this. She had no idea what to say to him or what he expected out of her. She stuffed her hands in her pockets only to remember she was wearing jeans.
Julian hated jeans.
Her father’s walk was stiff as he entered the penthouse, and she felt wooden too. They stepped around each other as if a magnet held them apart, and she frowned. Magnets only repulsed when like was held against like.
Julian moved farther into the room, casting an observant eye over its size, the furnishings and the décor. He nodded as if giving his approval and walked down into the living room. “So, you and Rowe?”
The question hung in the air, demanding an answer even though he already had one.
“Yes.” Their relationship was no secret.
Again, her father nodded. He walked over to take in the view and stared down at the river. “I approve of him. He’s an obstinate fellow, but smart. Loyal.”
Lexie clenched her hands together behind her back. As close as she and Cam were getting, she couldn’t forget who he worked with every day, whose office he went to without fail or which project kept him up late at night. Julian had his loyalty by contract.
She hoped she had it by heart.
“You’ve moved in here with him?”
Again, the question was redundant, something to fill the uncomfortable silence. “Yes.”
“Do you have any plans on moving back to the guesthouse? Maybe after he’s gone?”
The question stung, like so many darts she’d taken over the years, but Lexie had to admit she didn’t know what the future held. She didn’t know what would happen when Cam finished the reorganization. They’d both avoided the subject like the plague. “I’m thinking of finding an apartment in the city.”
She hadn’t been thinking that at all, but the moment she said it, she realized it was a good back-up plan. It was time she ventured out on her own, spent some time finding her own two feet.
With Cam or not.
Julian frowned as he evaluated a painting on the wall. “Your mother won’t be happy about that, but I suppose she’ll enjoy redecorating the place.”
Lexie cocked her foot. Of course Anne Marie would, but how did he feel? He’d made a point of showing up here with no invitation or warning, yet he’d said nothing. He was so full of guards and shields, bluster and arrogance, she couldn’t read him.
“Why are you here, Julian?” she asked point-blank.
“Julian,” he spat. His suit jacket pushed back as he settled his hands on his hips and turned to face her. “I want things to go back to the way they were.”
There it was, his hurt and her corresponding guilt. Only this time she wasn’t going to acquiesce. “They can’t go back.”
“Why not?”
She watched him carefully. Coming here had to have been difficult for him, swallowing his pride this way. It was his way of reaching out to her, she knew. So why was he standing all the way on the other side of the room? The distance had always been there between them, physical and emotional. If they were so alike, why couldn’t they communicate? Why had she never been able to live up to his expectations? “It just can’t.”
His blue eyes hardened. He didn’t like being told no. Stubbornness had gotten him to his place in the world today.
“Well, at least come back to work.” His hands were still on his hips, and his cheeks were starting to redden. “You know this isn’t a good time for you to be away. Underhill is going through challenges. We need you there.”
Lexie sucked in a surprised breath and dropped her foot back to the floor. She’d been waiting for that for so long, some sort of acknowledgment of her contributions.
“You’re steady. You’re our glue. The company needs your influence.”
Her heart began to thud. Her gaze dashed around the room and landed on her laptop on the coffee table. Spread out around it was her presentation and all the supporting documentation for her used-toy concept. It had to be a sign. This was her chance. This was her opportunity to show him what she could really do.
“Your brothers and sisters…” Julian tossed his hands in the air. “They try, but they’re young. Inexperienced. But you…” He picked up the crystal paperweight from off the mantel. He turned it over in his hands and scowled in distaste. Setting it back over the fireplace, he crossed his arms over his broad chest. “Come home, Alexandra.”
Lexie’s excitement froze as her gaze stuck on the paperweight. The beautiful, multifaceted crystal. He’d scowled.
“Lexie?”
She pulled her gaze away from the mantel. “What about me?”
“Excuse me?”
“They’re young and inexperienced, but what am I?”
He frowned again, and something sour pinched in her chest.
“You’re hardworking and dependable.” He waved his hand as if they needed to move things along. “Come back, sweetheart
. Together, we’ll put our company back on its feet.”
She stared at him for a long, quiet moment. “I’m not coming back, Father.”
This time the endearment came out easily—and so did her decision. She unclenched her hands from behind her back and wrapped her arms more lightly around her waist. The moment the words were out, she knew it was for the best. As hard as she’d fought Cam, he was right. She needed to move on. The hurt in her chest eased. She watched Julian standing in the middle of her bunker, her secret hiding place, and was no longer uncomfortable having him there.
“It’s time I ventured out on my own,” she said more steadily.
The color that had been brightening his cheeks faded. “This is about the disagreement we had.”
“No, not really.” She realized she meant that. For once, she wasn’t trying to play peacemaker. The fact that he thought what had happened between them on that veranda had been a simple disagreement showed how little they really understood each other. “It’s time for me to spread my wings. Every child has to strike out on their own eventually. It will be good for me to work someplace other than the family business.”
“But I don’t want you to go.”
She blinked and then swallowed hard. Finally. He was finally talking about himself rather than the company or the family, but the emotion in his voice was so raw it made her want to give in. For him, she normally would have. For herself, she held firm. “It’s just work. I’ll always love you and Anne Marie. I’m upset with you, yes, but I hope you’ll still consider me part of the family.”
His mouth compressed. To him, work and family were inseparable. “Fine. Go out and explore, but you can come back when you need to—or want to.”
“Thank you,” she said softly. “You’ll have my written resignation in the morning.”
A muscle in his cheek flexed, but then he nodded. His footsteps were heavy as he crossed the room. The three steps up to the entryway seemed to take more out of him than he had. Walking towards her, he straightened his tie. “You’ll still have your seat on the Board. I’ll expect you there for meetings.”
“Of course.”
He pulled the door open but stopped when he was halfway through. “I’m sorry I…” He cleared his throat. “I’m sorry I couldn’t be the man you wanted me to be.”
She frowned, thrown by the statement. “What do you mean?”
He glanced over his shoulder, and this time the pain in his eyes was clear. “After we brought you home, you always seemed to pull away from me. I didn’t know that splitting you apart from your sis— Well, I always thought it was me.”
Tears pricked at Lexie’s eyes. “I don’t understand.”
“You’re having trouble calling me Father now.” His blue gaze wavered. “But once we adopted you, you never called me Daddy again.”
Chapter Fourteen
Julian Underhill was a piece of work.
Cam stared at the ceiling as Lexie slept in bed beside him. The penthouse was quiet as she lay tucked up against him, all soft curves and warm flesh. The moon glowed through the slits in the blinds, and the cool light illuminated the bed. It made her dark hair shine almost blue. He slid his fingers through the soft waves and felt his own body stir.
He’d loved her long and slow after she’d told him about her father’s visit. She’d needed the patience and the attention. She’d needed him.
His fingers tightened in her hair, but he made them relax. He hadn’t thought that Julian would have the audacity to come here to the penthouse. He hadn’t even realized the bastard knew where he was staying, but to come here when he’d known she’d be alone? The man might be her father according to the law, but Cam still wanted to protect her. From what she’d told him, though, she’d done just fine on her own.
She’d quit.
His gaze drifted over her face. She’d actually done it. She’d had the letter signed and waiting for him when he’d gotten home. More importantly, she seemed confident in her decision.
Unfortunately, that didn’t mean Julian’s visit hadn’t rattled her. As calm and centered as he’d found her, her emotions were still raw. There were so many undercurrents between the two of them. One thing was for certain, there weren’t going to be any more ambushes like the one that had happened today.
Cam stroked his hand down her hair and along her waist. He needed to get her away from here. He looked around the moonlit room. They hadn’t slept apart since that night on Roxie’s pullout couch. Lumpy mattresses or 1000-thread count sheets, he’d be content as long as she was at his side—which was precisely why he couldn’t sleep.
She’d made the first move. He needed to get things into place quickly.
Sighing, he placed a soft kiss on her forehead. He eased away from her, but she didn’t stir until he swung his feet to the floor. When she reached for his side of the bed, he froze.
“Sleep, baby.”
Her breaths evened out, and he pulled his pants from the floor. Her clothes were in a lump nearby. Leaving the lights off, he slipped out of the bedroom and shut the door behind him. Rolling his neck, he tried to shake off the weariness that was grinding him down to his bones. There just weren’t enough hours in the day to get everything done.
Yet the knot in the pit of his stomach wouldn’t let him stop.
He sat on the sofa, clicked on the table lamp and scrubbed both hands over his face. Letting his elbows rest against his knees, he stared at his briefcase. Lexie’s resignation letter sat next to it.
There had to be a way to work things out.
He settled back into the cushions and popped open the case’s clasps. Pulling out the draft offer, he set it aside. Notes and charts were soon spread across the sofa, and his laptop was powered up on the coffee table in front of him.
“Fresh eyes,” he muttered to himself as he reached for the proposal again. He opened the plastic-bound document for what had to be the thousandth time. His eyes were anything but fresh, but there had to be an angle there he was missing. He went through everything again, making notes and checking calculations. Sometimes his job was as simple as putting puzzle pieces together—only he had to form the pieces first. With Underhill, he had one piece that just would not fit. Not the way he wanted it to.
And certainly not the way Lexie would want it.
He toyed with a dog-eared page as his tired mind tried to shift into a higher gear. Glancing over his things, he looked for the market study he’d done. It wasn’t there. He flipped through the things that remained in his briefcase but still couldn’t find the information he needed.
He looked towards the hallway. Maybe he’d left it in the office.
He tossed the proposal onto the coffee table, and it slid all the way to the other side before stopping. On bare feet, he padded down the dark hall. It took a few moments, but he finally found what he was looking for on the table by the windows. He was flipping through the pages when he walked back into the living room.
His footsteps slowed when he realized he wasn’t alone. “Lexie?”
He felt her before he saw her. When he glanced up, a kick resounded in his gut. She was soft, sleepy and sexy as hell. She was dressed in his shirt again, and the white color made her hair appear darker and her legs look long and lean.
For as gentle and serene as she appeared, though, her eyes were sharp. She was standing over the coffee table and staring hard at the well-worn proposal in her hands. She swept away the pieces of lint that clung to the plastic cover. He’d been through the thing so many times, the clear plastic was scratched and smudged.
At the sound of her name, her head snapped up. The kick in Cam’s gut sharpened painfully. The confidence and contentment that had exuded from her earlier was gone. The only thing that glowed from her eyes was anger.
And it was hot.
Hand shaking, she lifted the proposal—the same one she’d dropped on the conference room floor…the same one she’d never gotten the opportunity to present.
“What are
you doing with this?” she asked, her voice raw.
He took a cautious step forward. “It’s not what you think.”
“No? You’re not using my idea to save Underhill?” The proposal shook in her hands, and she dropped it as if it were too hot to hold. It smacked back onto the table, and she backed away from it like it was poison. There was hurt mixed with the anger in her eyes. A deep, sinking hurt.
Cam’s heart started beating double time. Things were spiraling out of control almost as if in slow motion, but he couldn’t stop them. She didn’t understand. It wasn’t what it looked like.
“It has nothing to do with UAI.”
“Nothing to do with UAI?” She grabbed her resignation letter. It wrinkled in her fist as she thrust it at him. “This is what you wanted all along. You wanted me out so you could ride in and save the day.”
He grimaced. “I wanted you out because you weren’t appreciated there. They were using you.”
The paper dropped from her hand and fell to the floor.
“Apparently, so were you.” Her lips barely moved. “I can’t believe I let myself fall for the hatchet man.”
Betrayal sliced through Lexie. She stared at Cam and fought not to cry. She’d woken up alone, and she’d gotten up to try to convince him to come back to bed. She didn’t like sleeping solo anymore. Even more, she didn’t like how hard he was working himself. She’d been concerned about him.
Talk about a rude awakening.
Her gaze swept over the paperwork on the coffee table. She couldn’t believe what he’d been doing behind her back. She might be sleepy, but she had eyes and she had a brain. There were notes everywhere on her proposal—slashes through some things and underlines highlighting others. What other reason could he possibly have for going through her work like that? He was stealing her idea.
He took a step towards her. “Let me explain.”
“I am such a fool.”
It didn’t matter how he spun it. She knew betrayal well enough now to recognize it. She knew the way it cut off your breath with surprise, only to work its way deeper as facts became clearer and motivations became more painfully obvious. Disloyalty had smacked her over and over again. She had a father who hadn’t told her she had a sister, much less an identical twin. Yet that same twin had accepted money to keep quiet about their relationship.
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