“No, thank you,” Marianne said, smiling tightly. She gripped her designer purse, sinking her nails into the soft leather. “Maybe we should have a seat though.”
“What the hell is going on?” Alex asked.
Tonya linked her arm through his. “Let’s just sit down and talk this out.”
“Talk what out?” he demanded. “What the hell are you talking about?”
His mother preceded them into the great room. She perched on the edge of a chair, looking as though she was waiting on a root canal. “You know how much I love you.” She looked him square in the eye. “Everything I do is because I have your best interests in mind.”
Alex didn’t like where she was going. His mother wasn’t the dramatic type. If she felt the need for that kind of build-up, the news had to be bad. “Just tell me already.” He looked from his mother to his sister, who had claimed a seat on the loveseat. “What is it?”
Marianne took a deep breath before she said, “I sold the company.”
Alex felt his ears ringing as a rushing sound moved through his head. “You did what?” He was certain he’d heard her wrong. She would never have sold his father’s company, the business they’d collectively poured their heart and soul into for the past three decades.
“Please try to understand,” Marianne said quickly, “I did it for you. I saw what it was doing to you, having to choose between your marriage and your father’s business. So I took the decision out of your hands.”
Alex paced as he tried to process the news that his mother had just robbed him of his sole reason for hauling his butt out of bed every morning. On paper, his mother was the sole owner of Bolton Industries, but everyone knew Alex ran the show. Now what? “I can’t believe you would do this without even talking to me. What the hell were you thinking?”
“I told you. I was thinking of what was best for you and Eve. Maybe now you can put your marriage back together. You’ll have all the time in the world to spend together. Once you’ve got your marriage back on track, you can start another business doing anything you want, anywhere you want. You could easily have a home-based business, maybe at the inn, so you could help Eve run things there.”
“I can’t believe this,” Alex said, running a hand through his hair. His mother had mapped out his life without any input from him. Without knowing it was too late to save his marriage.
“Alex, we got an incredible offer, too good to refuse. We’ll split the money three ways, obviously,” Marianne said, darting a nervous glance at her daughter.
“Mom and I talked about this and decided it was for the best,” Tonya said.
“You two talked about it,” Alex said, gesturing between them. “You two—who have never invested a day building that company—decided this was for the best? I gave everything I had, lost everything that ever meant anything to me because of my commitment to that company, and you didn’t think to talk to me about it?”
“We knew you would object out of some misguided sense of loyalty to your father. He wouldn’t have wanted this for you, honey,” Marianne said gently.
“You think he would have wanted you to sell the company he spent his life building?” Deals of that magnitude didn’t come together overnight. It had been in the works for a while, and his mother and sister hadn’t said a word to him about it. He didn’t know which betrayal hurt more: withholding information that would change the course of his life or pulling the rug out from under him when it was too late for him to try to stop them.
“It didn’t happen that way,” Marianne said, her composure slipping. “They came to me with this offer over a year ago, but I told them we weren’t interested in selling. When I saw what this company was doing to your marriage, I knew I had to do something to help you. This was the only thing I could think of. Please don’t be angry with me.”
Alex was so angry he couldn’t see straight. He didn’t know who deserved his rage more: his mother for going behind his back, his sister for keeping it to herself, or him for not seeing the signs that they were up to something. “Who bought it?”
“Bracor,” Marianne said, lowering her head when he glared at her.
“You sold out to our biggest competitor knowing how much I despise them for all the underhanded stunts they’ve pulled over the years? I don’t believe this.” If he didn’t work off some of his edgy energy and force himself to take a few deep breaths, his blood pressure would put him at risk of an episode he didn’t need.
“They promised me they would keep all of our employees, Alex. I thought of them.”
“What about me, Mom? Did you ever consider the fact I might need this job?” Alex curled his hands around the edge of the baby grand piano he’d bought for Eve. He dropped his head as he tried to quiet the noise in his head. His life was spiralling out of control, sucking everything that mattered to him into the vortex, and he felt helpless to stop it.
“I told you, we’re going to split the proceeds from the sale. Your share will be almost a hundred million dollars. You don’t ever have to work again.”
“You don’t get it, do you?” Alex lifted his head to look at his mother. “That job was the only thing I had left.”
“What are you talking about? You have Eve. It’s not too late to save your marriage.”
“My marriage is over.”
“Don’t say that,” Tonya said. “It’s not over as long as you’re legally married. As long as you…” She narrowed her eyes when she saw her brother’s expression. “Oh my God, you haven’t signed the divorce papers, have you?”
“Yeah, it’s official,” he said, trying to swallow his bitterness. “I’m a free man.”
“Oh no,” Marianne said, tears springing to her eyes. “I had no idea. I was trying to help.”
Alex shook his head, not even trying to mask his disgust. “If this is your idea of helping, I’d hate to see what you’d do if you wanted to hurt me.”
***
Eve listened to her doctor’s instructions about prenatal care while her mind wandered to Alex’s comments about having a baby. She hadn’t been able to get them out of her head all weekend. Dan was right. Alex hadn’t wanted a baby when they were married. He certainly wouldn’t want one now that they were divorced.
“Do you have any questions, Mrs. Bolton?” the attractive, young doctor asked.
Eve knew she should correct her. She wasn’t Mrs. Bolton anymore, but the large diamonds still adorning her left hand said otherwise. She decided to keep her marital status to herself for the time being. She would have to tell her doctor she was a single parent, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it when she was still trying to process the news herself. “No, I think you’ve covered everything, Dr. Jefferson. But if I think of anything, I’ll call your office.”
“See that you do,” she said, standing. “You can schedule your next appointment with my receptionist. Have a lovely day, and congratulations.”
“Thank you,” Eve whispered. The cell phone in her cross-body purse vibrated. She considered ignoring it, but if it was a problem at the site, she’d rather deal with it right away, so as not to delay the contractors. She frowned when she saw Marianne’s number. “Hi, Marianne.”
“Oh, thank goodness I caught you,” she said, sounding winded. “Have you seen Alex?”
“Not since last Friday. Why?”
“Oh, that’s what I was afraid of.”
Marianne sounded on the verge of tears, and Eve suddenly felt her pulse throbbing in her throat. “Is there a problem?”
“I’ve made such a mess of everything,” Marianne said, sniffling. “He hates me.”
“Why don’t you calm down and tell me what happened?” Alex and his mother had always been close. She couldn’t imagine Marianne doing anything bad enough to damage their relationship irreparably. “It can’t be that bad.”
“I sold the company without telling him.”
Eve was too stunned to respond. Her mind raced with the implications of Marianne’s decision. The co
mpany was Alex’s life. Coupled with the divorce, losing it would destroy him. “Why would you do that?”
“I did it for you.”
“For me? What are you talking about?” She hated to think Alex might hold her responsible for taking away his livelihood.
“I knew the company was the biggest obstacle between you and Alex finding your way back to each other.” She sounded desperate. “I knew you had to stay there and run your aunt’s inn, and Alex felt he had to stay here and run the business. I thought if I took the business out of the equation…”
Oh no. What a nightmare. “So you don’t know where Alex is now?”
“He walked out yesterday with nothing but the keys to his motorcycle and the clothes on his back. No one has seen him since.”
Whenever they argued, he would often take the motorcycle for a spin, claiming it helped him clear his head. “Maybe he just wanted to get away for a few days.”
“He withdrew a large amount of cash from the bank,” Marianne said, crying. “I think he intends to stay away for a while. Maybe even forever. What if I never see my son again? What am I going to do?”
What if her child never met their father? “Why don’t you get James to do some digging or hire a private investigator?”
“James already looked into it. Alex hasn’t used his credit cards, and with the amount of money he took, he won’t have to for a long while, unless he makes some large purchases.”
Eve’s mind raced, trying to think of where he might have gone. “Does James have any idea where he may be? Any spots he talked about going?”
“I don’t think he had his passport, so he couldn’t have left the country. James said the spots they’d ever talked about visiting were outside of the U.S.”
“I can’t think of anywhere off the top of my head either. But if I can or if he shows up here, I promise to let you know, okay?”
“Thanks, dear. I know this isn’t your problem anymore. I’m just so worried about him. He was a wreck when he left. He shouldn’t even have been on that death-trap in his state.”
That bit of knowledge made Eve worry even more. Her hand instinctively covered her stomach. The stress wasn’t good for the baby. “Try not to worry. I’m sure he’ll be back home soon.” At least she prayed he would.
***
Alex hooked his motorcycle helmet over the seat across from him. After he left New York a few days earlier, he’d traded his designer suit for a pair of faded jeans, black T-shirt, leather jacket, and motorcycle boots. One thing was for sure—he was done with the corporate life. He’d covered nearly a thousand miles already, but it still wasn’t far enough. He needed to get as far away from the memories and well-meaning people in his life as he could.
“What can I get you?” a tired-looking brunette waitress asked, her pen poised over her notepad.
He hadn’t even had a chance to look at the plastic menu yet. “Uh, just a coffee to start.”
“You got it.”
He turned his cell phone on and it buzzed right away. Why couldn’t they just leave him alone? He knew his mother felt guilty about selling the company, but he wasn’t in the mood to discuss it. He needed time and some distance to gain perspective. When he saw Eve’s name on the screen, he was tempted to answer, but he knew his mother had probably put her up to calling. Eve would report back to Marianne, and he didn’t need her to start a man-hunt.
“Have you decided what you want to order?” the waitress asked, filling his white mug with dark brew that looked as though it could keep a trucker awake all night. Considering the patrons at the small roadside restaurant, that was probably their objective.
“Uh, just give me a burger with everything and fries.” His doctor had told him his cholesterol was borderline high, but he didn’t give a damn about that. His life was all about instant gratification at the moment.
“Sure thing,” she said, scribbling his order on her notepad before walking to the next table.
“I haven’t seen you around here before.”
Alex looked up to see an attractive redhead smiling at him. She was wearing a long blue tank top with flip-flops, skinny jeans, and barely a hint of makeup. She was pretty… and young. “Hi.”
“Mind if I join you for a bit?” she asked. “I’m just waiting for my ride.” Before Alex could respond, she set her backpack on the seat across from him. The restaurant wasn’t busy, so if she wanted to share his table, she was flirting. That was the last thing Alex wanted to deal with. “Ahhh, it feels good to sit down.” She grinned.
“You work here, Gloria?” he asked, noticing the name tag pinned to her backpack.
“Just a couple of nights a week. I go to school during the day.”
“Hmm, what are you studying?” He didn’t really care, but being polite couldn’t hurt.
“I’m a nursing student. I should graduate next year.” She crossed her fingers and held them up. “That is, if all goes well.”
Alex grinned his first genuine smile in what seemed like forever. “Good luck with that.”
“Failure isn’t an option,” she said, sighing. “I got a kid to raise, and let’s just say his old man is a real deadbeat.”
“Really? You have a kid?” She barely looked old enough to drink.
“He’s two. His name is Jacob. You wanna see a picture?” Before Alex could respond, she pulled out her phone and flashed her screen saver.
Alex took the phone so he could get a closer look. “Oh wow. He’s cute.” Jacob had dark brown hair and big green eyes. His skin was lightly tanned, no doubt from playing outside, and his denim shorts showed off a skinned knee. Alex couldn’t help but think if he and Eve had the baby she’d wanted, he might look a lot like that little guy. “He’s really cute.”
“Thanks.” She smiled when Alex handed back her phone. “My name’s Glo, by the way.” She wrinkled her nose when Alex raised an eyebrow. “Okay, it’s actually Gloria, but that’s so old-fashioned. Don’t you think?”
“I don’t know about that.” Alex laughed. “It reminds me of one of my favorite TV shows when I was a kid, All in the Family.”
She said, “Never heard of it.”
Alex dropped his head into his hand dramatically. “The youth of today… you guys don’t know what you’re missing.”
She laughed at his reaction. “You can’t be that old.”
“Gee thanks,” he muttered, lifting his head to look at her out of the corner of his eye.
“I’m guessing thirty.”
“Guess again.”
She looked out the window at his custom chopper. “Thirty-five, tops.”
The bike made him feel younger, more carefree, and he was grateful for that. “Thirty-eight.”
“Hmm, you look good for your age.”
Alex smiled as the waitress set his plate down. “Thanks.” Even though he hadn’t asked for Glo’s company, talking to someone who didn’t have any preconceived ideas about him was nice.
“You want anything, Glo?” the waitress asked.
“Nah, my dad should be here to get me in a bit.” When the waitress walked away, Gloria unapologetically reached for a French fry from Alex’s plate. He smirked and slid the plate to the center of the table so they could share. “My car’s in the shop again,” she explained, adding ketchup to Alex’s fries. “It’s a hunk of junk. It’ll be nice when I start making real money so I can get a new set of wheels.”
“You and your son live with your parents?” Alex reached for his burger. He hadn’t had much of an appetite since he left home, but it was finally coming back with a vengeance.
“For now,” she said, wrinkling her nose. “They help me out with him, you know, watching him while I work and go to school, but it’ll be nice to get my own place.”
“I bet.” Alex had left home to go to college and never looked back. He loved his parents, but he longed for his own space and privacy. As a college kid, he’d wanted to have sex without worrying about his parents walking in on them. “So, can you
point me in the direction of a decent hotel?” He realized her version of decent and his may differ, but as long as he had a pillow and a soft bed, he wouldn’t complain.
She looked him up and down, sizing him up. “Depends what you’re looking for. My daddy has a cabin not too far from here. He uses it mainly for hunting and fishing.” She laughed before popping another French fry into her mouth. “And when he needs to get away from my mama. He says goin’ there all by himself is like therapy. You kinda look like you’re trying to get away from something. Am I right?”
Alex was surprised by her insight. “Just finalized my divorce.” The appetite he thought was returning fled again at the mention of his failed marriage.
“I kind of wondered about that,” she said, gesturing toward his gold band. “I didn’t think your wife would let you roam around the countryside all by your lonesome.”
“Oh yeah? Why’s that?” he asked before forcing himself to take another bite of his burger.
“For an older guy, you’re hotter than hell.” She giggled at his shocked expression. “Don’t worry, I’m not making a play for you or anything. Just stating a fact.” Alex continued eating instead of taking the bait. “I take it you didn’t want the divorce?”
Reaching for his water, he said, “No, I didn’t.”
“So, why’d you go along with it?”
“It’s what she wanted.”
“Was there some other guy in the picture?” she asked, lowering her voice and leaning forward.
Alex thought about Dan. He knew he wasn’t the reason Eve wanted the divorce. If he knew one thing for certain, his wife was faithful. “No, nothing like that. We just grew apart, I guess.”
“You guess?” Glo frowned. “That’s a crock, if you ask me, when people say they just ‘grew apart.’”
“Right, like you have so much life experience?” He knew it wasn’t fair to take his anger out on a smart-mouthed kid offering her opinion about his personal life, but she was making herself a target. “How the hell do you know what it takes to make a marriage work?”
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