Corporate Affair (The Small Town Girl series)

by Linda Cunningham

  “I’ve got to call my father. He’ll want to know everything was finalized except for his own signature. We better go back to the Inn.”

  “I’m afraid to go to the Inn with you,” Jordan said with a giggle. “We’d better go to my office.”

  “Oh, sure, let’s go there. Those chairs are pretty comfortable.”

  “Aiden!” She laughed, but then she became somber as she started the car and turned down the sweeping drive.

  “Are you sad?” asked Aiden.

  Jordan nodded. “A little,” she admitted. “It’s kind of the end of an era. And I hate to see him sick. I hate it, Aiden.”

  Her eyes filled with tears. One trickled down her cheek, and Aiden reached over, brushing it gently away. “He means that much to you?” It was a cautious question.

  Jordan threw him a glance and then fixed her eyes on the road. “Yes, he means that much to me. He just about saved me! He gave me a way to support Grace. He gave me a way to help my family. Times have been hard for my mother and father lately. I support most of the expenses of the household. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad to do it, but I wouldn’t be able to if Mr. Palmer hadn’t given me the responsibility and the position he did.”

  “Do you think he did it just to be a nice guy?”

  “What do you mean?” Jordan’s voice was icy.

  “I mean, do you think he would have done that—given you the position and the responsibility it requires—if he didn’t know you could do the job? No. He knew your potential, Jordan. He knows what you’re capable of. You just need to be aware of it, too. The company is basically yours now.”

  They drove the rest of the way to Jordan’s office in silence. Jordan punched in her code, and they entered through the back door. Ashley’s desk, as usual, stood like a sleek, marble fort above the shiny hemlock floor. As Jordan turned the key in her office door, Aiden took her hand and led her to one of the chairs. He sat down and pulled her into his lap.

  “Sit with me,” he said. “I want to hold you.”

  She sighed contentedly. It felt so good to have his arms around her. In this moment, she wished nothing existed outside the confines of the chair and Aiden’s arms.

  “I wish I could sit here,” she said, pressing her lips to his forehead. “I wish I could sit here just like this until I feel strong enough to move on.”

  “You can sit here as long as you want.” Aiden laid his head against her breast and held her tightly. The unchecked passion that had fueled their wild, glorious lovemaking the night before burned softly and steadily now, filling them both with a mutual courage neither had known before.

  “I’m scared I won’t be able to do the job,” whispered Jordan, suddenly aware of her new position. “I’m scared I won’t be able to do it without Mr. Palmer.”

  Aiden drew back and looked at her. “You’ve got me. This is a merger. You are every bit as capable with Palmer as without him. Jordan, that man would never have set things up like this unless he had complete trust in your abilities.”

  Jordan turned her head and gazing out the window. “I feel so alone right now.” She stood and wandered to the big windows, staring out onto the river. The sun had set and evening was closing in. It was always a lonely time of day for her, a time of day when her mind wandered to things she would rather leave behind. All she wanted was to be home with her baby.

  Aiden remained seated, watching her, waiting. She was glad that for the moment Aiden didn’t say anything, ask her anything. Jordan kept her back to him, unable to look at him for fear her emotions would once again make her feel vulnerable. “I want to go home, Aiden. I want to go home and be with my child. I’ll give you a ride back to the Inn.”

  She heard Aiden get up from the chair. “Thanks,” he said, “but I’ll walk in. I could use the exercise.” He came up behind her and put his arms around her, turning her so she faced him. “Look at me,” he said softly. She lifted her face to his, and he kissed her lightly on the mouth. “Palmer has faith in you. I have faith in you. I have faith in us. Jordan, I said it once and I’m saying it again. I’m not giving up on us.” He kissed her harder, and she surrendered under the pressure of his lips. Her own lips parted and she kissed him deeply, wrapping her arms around him. They stood, locked in that embrace, feeling their hearts beating together.

  At last Jordan broke gently away. “I have to go,” she whispered.

  Aiden brushed a curl back from her face. “I’ll call you tomorrow,” he said. “Don’t worry. We’ll work everything out.” He kissed her quickly once more, and before she could respond, he smiled and left the room.

  Aiden walked into town without noticing anything around him. His mind was turned completely inward and his thoughts were swirling like the eddies in the boisterous river that swept past Jordan’s office. He knew he should be elated at the acquisition of ChatDotCom. It was a real victory for Trade Winds, a way to expand into what was becoming one of the fastest growing markets in the country. He knew his father would be proud and pleased that he had been able to handle the matter and see it through to the desired end, but business was the farthest thing from his mind. Instead, his thoughts were crowded with pictures of the bits and pieces of the last few days. The shock of seeing Jordan for the first time: a pretty girl, almost painfully young, standing behind a huge desk in a huge office where he had expected to meet a graying veteran executive ready to do battle down to the last penny. The smell of her hair. The shape of her hips as she walked down the hall in front of him. And the touch of her, of her lips and her skin, and the deep, hot recesses of her. His stomach constricted and, unbidden, his loins tightened with desire.

  When Aiden reached his room, it was nearly dark. He didn’t turn on a light, but kicked off his shoes and lay down on the bed, staring at the ceiling. Then he turned his head. The last of the day’s light filtered in through the western-facing windows and softly illuminated the picture of the couple of long ago, hand-in-hand in the apple orchard. Aiden’s mind continued on, thinking the thoughts that only occur to lovers. He hadn’t meant to fall in love, but he knew he had. He knew it was real. He couldn’t be mistaken about that. His feelings were so different, so completely foreign from any feelings he had ever had for a woman before. Now an awful dread filled him, stabbing him to his core. What if she didn’t love him? Or refused to let herself love him? What if she was overwhelmed with the responsibilities of running a company under new management, helping her family, and raising a daughter? What if she couldn’t bring herself to take on a relationship, to give herself up to love? Women were capable of such things, he reflected. They could throw their own wants and needs into the sacrificial fire at a moment’s notice and never look back. Aiden had seen his mother do it and even his sisters. They would give up something he knew was important to them, just for the sake of somebody else’s comfort. He rubbed his hands over his face. I won’t let her do it, he thought, I know she loves me. I won’t let her throw us away.

  Suddenly, he remembered he had not called his father. He picked up the cell phone and entered the familiar numbers.

  “Is the deal done?” barked Gordon Stewart into the phone.

  “It is, Dad,” replied Aiden. “It’s signed, at least from this end. You’ll have to give the final signature.”

  “You get in your car and get up here. I’ll sign it, and you can return a copy tomorrow.”

  “Hold on!” exclaimed Aiden. “I’m exhausted. I’m not going anywhere tonight. I’ll get on the road tomorrow.”

  “Exhausted!” the old man barked. “Exhausted at your age? When I was your age, well, I won’t even tell you what I did on a daily basis. You wouldn’t believe it! Stay there, then. Your mother’s shushing me from this end, too. Just get on the road as soon as you can in the morning. And, Aiden?”

  “Yes?”

  “Good job.”

  “Thanks, Dad.”

  Aiden put the phone down on the bed beside him and resumed staring at the ceiling. Thoughts of Jordan high-jacked his mind
once again. He would call her in the morning, to tell her he was going to Maine. He would be back the following day, probably with a couple of members of the Trade Winds board of directors to discuss upcoming strategies for the two companies working together. Then what? Where was this leading, and how were they going to get there?

  The memory of the sensation of making love to her washed over him, tying his stomach in knots, making sweat break out on his forehead. He groaned aloud and heaved himself to his feet. He felt as though he was walking through waist-deep water as he went into the bathroom, stripped, and stepped into the shower. The water felt comforting, running down the back of his neck, soothing his tense body, relieving the pain of the separation he felt.

  As his muscles loosened, an idea occurred to him: Jordan could come with him, to Maine. She could meet his father, his mother. It would be business. After all, he had met Palmer. The three-hour ride would give them time to be together, to talk it out, to formulate a plan. Aiden’s heart leaped. He felt encouraged. He stepped out of the shower, toweled off, and climbed into the bed. Now that there was a plan, at least the start of a plan, maybe he could relax a little. He flicked on the television to catch the late news.

  An hour or so later, he woke up from a fitful sleep. He turned the television off and lay on his back, once again wide awake. He tossed and turned for another hour until, finally, he grabbed his phone from the bedside table and texted Jordan.

  Can’t sleep. Call if you’re awake. Miss you.

  Thirty seconds later, his phone buzzed. “Hello?” he said.

  “I couldn’t sleep either.”

  “I miss you. You should be here in my bed.”

  “I miss you, too, Aiden, but Grace is sleeping in my bed right now. That’s why I’m whispering.” She gave a little laugh.

  “Don’t wake the baby. I talked to my father. I’ve got to leave tomorrow morning and take the contract back for him to read and sign.”

  “Oh. Well, then…”

  Aiden put his plan into words. “I want you to come with me. I want you to meet my father, the owner of Trade Winds. I went with you to meet Palmer, and I want you to come with me.”

  “Oh, Aiden, I—I don’t know.”

  “Why not? Don’t you want to? We’d have three and a half hours to ourselves. And three and a half hours the next day on the way back. There’s no cell phone reception across most of New Hampshire so nobody would be bothering us. We could talk about how we’re going to handle our—our situation.”

  “Aiden, I’d love to go with you. I really would. It’s just that I don’t like to leave Grace.”

  “Can’t your parents watch her?”

  Jordan laughed a little. “I can tell you’re not a parent yet! Of course they would watch her, but I don’t get much of a chance to be with her, and my evenings and nights with her are precious to me.”

  “I understand,” said Aiden a little sulkily. Then it hit him. “Hey! Bring her.”

  “What?”

  “Bring her. Why not? We’re going to my parents’ home. They’re used to babies. My sisters had babies all over the place there for a while.”

  “Oh, Aiden, I don’t know. Besides, your car has two seats.”

  “We’ll take your Jeep.”

  “Well, oh well…I guess that would be okay. I could go with you. Grace is a good traveler.”

  “Settled. I’ll pick you up at ten tomorrow morning. Is that enough time for you to get ready? If we wait too much later, my father’s head will explode.”

  Jordan laughed out loud. “Oh, I have to be quiet,” she said quickly in a whisper. “Don’t make me laugh!”

  “I’ll see you at ten, but I still think you should be here in my bed.”

  “Good night, Aiden.”

  “Good night,” he sighed contentedly and clicked off the phone.

  Chapter Eleven

  IN THE MORNING, Jordan was ready at nine thirty. She angsted over what to wear and finally settled on a conservative, sporty khaki skirt, a scoop-necked white cotton T-shirt, and camel-colored flats. She carried a blazer of deep forest green. Grace was fed, bathed, and dressed in ruffled overalls and a yellow striped shirt. The diaper bag was packed with bottles, wipes, diapers, extra clothes, teethers, pacifiers, baby blankets, and baby food. Jordan stood, coffee mug in hand, staring out the front window. Grace played, cooing and squealing, in her playpen.

  “Jordan,” said her mother, picking up Grace and going to stand beside her daughter. “Stop fidgeting. You don’t have to go with this person if you don’t want to, you know. Is he a reliable man?”

  “I want to go, Mom,” said Jordan, not taking her eyes away from the window. “It’s just good business. It’s very nice of him to let me take Grace. We’ll take my car, because it’s got the car seat in it. I told him he could just leave his here.”

  “Where are you staying?”

  “We’re going to Portland. We’re going to meet with his father, who owns Trade Winds, at their home. I imagine I’ll get a room in one of the hotels there in town. Aid—Mr. Stewart will see to it, I’m sure. Don’t worry; I’ll let you know what’s happening along the way.”

  “Are you sure you just don’t want to leave Grace here at home?”

  “Oh, Mom, I work all the time. I can take her. I don’t like to spend any more time away from her than I have to.”

  “Well, I understand. I guess this man does too.”

  “It’s a family company. I suppose that’s why.”

  “Does this man have children as well?”

  “No, he’s not married.”

  “Is this the man I met a few days ago at your office?”

  “Yes, yes it is,” said Jordan.

  “Oh my,” said her mother in a different tone of voice. “Not married…”

  “What?” asked Jordan. “What do you mean by that, Mom?”

  At that moment, Aiden arrived and parked the car at the edge of the lawn. He got out of the car and proceeded up the walk to the front door.

  Jordan’s mother said, “Are you going to answer the door?”

  “Yes, yes…” Jordan was flustered, wondering whether this was such a good idea after all. She set her mug down on the counter and went to open the door.

  “Hi,” said Aiden.

  “Hi.” Jordan smiled shyly at him.

  They stood for a moment in the door.

  “Can I come in?”

  “Oh, of course,” said Jordan. “This is so silly! I feel like a high school girl on a first date. Please, come in.”

  He reached out for her, but she eluded his touch as she led the way into the kitchen. He was only able to brush her hand instead. She glanced back over her shoulder and flashed him a smile.

  “Good to see you again, Mr. Stewart,” said Jordan’s mother.

  “Nice to see you, too, Mrs. Fitzgerald.”

  “I’m glad you were able to reach an agreement with my daughter about ChatDotCom. Is this the final step, then?”

  Aiden nodded. “Yes, it is. We’re very happy to merge with Chat. Jordan handled it like a pro.”

  “She is a pro,” said Mrs. Fitzgerald with a mother’s pride.

  “We’ll be meeting with my father. His is the last signature needed. It’s a long drive for a day trip, so we’ll start back tomorrow morning. Jordan and her daughter are staying the night at my parents’ home.”

  “Really!” Jordan’s mother gasped in surprise, and Jordan shot Aiden a startled look.

  “I spoke to my mother this morning. She insists. Make no mistake about it; she’s used to doing this, with all the business associates my father’s brought home over the years!”

  “Are you sure she’s prepared for a baby?”

  “Mom…” protested Jordan, but her mother looked straight at Aiden.

  Aiden laughed. “I told her about Grace. She’s looking forward to it.”

  “I see,” said the older woman. “Well, please drive safely. Call me when you get there, Jordan.”

  “I will
.” Jordan picked up Grace’s bag and her own. Then she took her daughter and kissed her mother on the cheek. “Don’t worry.”

  “This all seems rather unconventional to me,” her mother muttered.

  “I’m ready,” Jordan said. Aiden gently slipped the bags off her arm and hoisted them onto his shoulder. “I’ll call later, Mom.”

  “Nice to see you again,” said Aiden, and they were out the door.

  Jordan handed him the keys as she got into the passenger seat. “You drive,” she said, “then I’ll be free to tend to Grace if she gets fussy on the trip.”

  Once in the car, with Grace safely in her seat, Jordan let out a deep sigh. Aiden laughed as he turned the key in the ignition. “Your mother knows something’s going on.”

  “Just drive.” Jordan, suddenly feeling awkward, stared straight ahead. The whole scene was so surreal. Heading out on the road, to a business meeting, with her baby. With a man she knew very little about—though she’d slept with him—and who continued to elicit wild emotional responses from her. It was all very confusing.

  “You’re quiet,” said Aiden after a while. “What are you thinking about?”

  Honesty was the only way to go, thought Jordan. She turned in her seat to look at him, his handsome profile, his strong hands relaxed as they rested on the steering wheel. It was his hands that caused her heart to leap just then. Looking at them, she could almost feel how they had traveled over her body, caressing, exploring, raising her to emotional and physical levels she had never gone before. A delicious tremor shivered through her, but she quelled it and tried to speak rationally and logically. “I look at you,” she said, starting slowly, “and I wonder, where did this man come from? Who is he and what is he doing in my life? When we’re together, it seems like I know you inside and out. It seems like you’re part of me—a really important part. But then I think of the reality, and the reality is that we’ve only known each other a few days. A few days, Aiden. It’s almost absurd. And it’s all tied up in the business, too. We hammered out a complex, multimillion-dollar business deal. Did we get caught up in the romance of it? Is that what this is? It’s so complicated.”