Emily used her napkin to wipe a tear away from her eyes. Dax merely nodded, but Lance could tell her words had pleased him.
Dale added, “Asher and Emily have an announcement.”
Lance joked, “She’s pregnant.”
Emily laid a hand on her very round stomach. “It shows?” Emily asked with a laugh.
Lance watched Asher smile simply because Emily had and envied his brother for a moment. He’d never wanted to follow in his brother’s footsteps. In fact, there had been a time when he’d wondered if he had enough in common with Asher to bother to see him more often than at the holidays and during the one week each year when his family gathered to mourn the loss of Kenzi’s twin. That feeling had changed since Asher had gotten engaged. Emily had brought out a softer side of his brother, as well as dragged his family together twice a month for what she called game nights. At first everyone had attended them simply because doing so had made their mother happy. Over time, though, it seemed to bring them closer. Emily had done that, as well as brought life to Asher’s eyes that hadn’t been there before.
Lance didn’t put much faith in the idea of love, but he could tell his brother did. It was the ability to believe that any of this would last that Lance envied. In concept love was a beautiful thing, but in reality it was fragile and short-lived. Nothing an intelligent man invested too much of his time or energy into. Most relationships fell to pieces in less than a year.
He hoped Asher and Emily were the exception.
Asher put his arm around Emily. “Emily and I have been dragging our feet regarding the location for our wedding.”
“As long as it happens before the baby arrives,” Dale said.
Sophie clasped her hands together. “I’ve offered to help you.”
Glancing up at Asher, Emily added, “And we appreciate that, but weddings are really stressful. We had my museum opening and the groundbreaking on the school in New Hampshire.” She rubbed her baby bump. “Plus this little one. I’m exhausted.”
Asher kissed Emily on the temple then said, “We hope you’ll understand when we say we eloped. Emily and I are married. We had a small, private ceremony the last time we were in New Hampshire, and we’d like to consider tonight our wedding reception.”
Collectively there was a hesitation as everyone waited for how Sophie would handle the news. Even though her children were all adults, her mood and reaction still set the tone for everyone around her. Kenzi had recently shaken the family up by breaking her silence about something she’d held in out of deference to their mother. Lance was proud of her for finding her voice. It was ironic that the youngest of them had become the boldest.
Braver than the rest of us.
Sophie covered her cheeks with both hands and rose to her feet. “I would have loved to see the ceremony, Emily, but I’m so happy I can finally, officially, call you my daughter.”
Emily stood and the two exchanged an emotional embrace.
Lance met Grant’s relieved gaze from across the table. They were both thinking the same thing: That could have gone either way.
Ian was the first to walk over and congratulate Asher. Their father was sporting a huge smile when he walked over to hug Emily and then Asher.
Even Dax, someone Lance had initially struggled imagining as part of the family, shook Asher’s hand and seemed genuinely happy for him. Kenzi was out of her seat, bubbling over in excitement.
Grant rose to his feet to congratulate the happy couple and Lance followed. He pushed aside the way his brother’s happiness made him feel about his own life and clapped Asher on the back then hugged Emily. “One sister was rough. What will I do with two?”
In response to being called his sister, Emily burst into tears. “I’m sorry I’m bawling, but I am so grateful to be part of this family. You have no idea how much all of you mean to me.”
Asher hugged his new wife to his side and kissed the top of her head. “You mean every bit as much to all of us.”
Dale looked around at his children and nodded in approval. “You do, Emily. You’ve been a real gift to this family.”
Sophie slid beneath her husband’s arm and hugged him. She smiled up at him. “One of our babies is married.”
Asher shook his head and Emily wagged a finger at him. Asher arched an eyebrow in challenge, and she blushed. Lance looked away when the couple’s expressions revealed they were having a very intimate, albeit wordless, conversation.
Dale nodded at Kenzi. “Now you, young lady, will break my heart if you rob me of the opportunity to walk you down the aisle.”
Kenzi glanced up at Dax then at her father. “Don’t worry, Dad, I want a big wedding. Huge. Dax and I have already started planning it. It’ll be down in Clearwater, Florida, on one of Clay Landon’s properties. I can’t wait to show you the place.”
Emily looked down at her stomach again. “Are you sure you still want me in your wedding party?”
Kenzi nodded vigorously. “We can wait until after the baby is here. I don’t mind. I’m thinking that a beach wedding in late spring would be beautiful.” She glanced at her fiancé. “Dax?”
“If we leave married I’ll be happy with whatever, wherever, and whenever.”
Her level of confidence in something Lance didn’t believe in made him uncomfortable enough that he excused himself from the conversation. He strode out of the house onto the steps that led to the driveway. He’d never smoked, but he wished for a moment that he did. It would have given him a reason to need to step outside. He sat on the top step and hung his hands between his knees, neither analyzing his feelings nor successfully shaking them off enough to go back inside.
A few minutes later, the door behind him opened. “Mind if I join you?” Without waiting for permission, Kenzi sat down on the step beside Lance. “Are you okay?”
Lance knocked his shoulder against his sister’s then continued to stare out over the cars lined up in the driveway. “I’m fine. I just needed some air.”
Kenzi shoved her shoulder against his and said, “If I’ve learned anything from being with Dax, it’s that honesty, however uncomfortable it may make a situation at first, is always better. Tell me whatever is bothering you is none of my business, but don’t lie to me and say you’re fine.”
Lance let out an impatient sigh and ran a hand through his hair. “I’m not lying. There’s nothing wrong.”
In a quiet voice, Kenzi said, “I don’t believe you.”
Lance ruffled his sister’s hair as he had when they were much younger. “So serious. Stop looking for issues where there are none. It was getting stuffy inside.”
“I can see how you’d want to come out here and cool off in this ninety-degree weather. I’m melting.”
Lance stood and offered his sister his hand. “Me, too.”
Kenzi took his hand and held on to it even once she was standing. “I love you, Lance, and how you feel matters to me. When you do want someone to talk to, remember I’m here for you. Always.”
Lance gave Kenzi a quick hug. “Come on, squirt. Let’s go in.”
Just before they opened the door, Kenzi said, “Clay came over for dinner last night.”
Lance tensed. “And?”
“He said the two of you had had a falling out.”
“More of a difference of opinion.”
“He implied he wouldn’t be working with you on the Capitol Complex.”
“That’s right.”
“What happened?”
Lance opened the door of the house and held it while Kenzi walked through. “It was a miscalculation on my part to involve him in the project. He’s flashy where I’m practical. Our visions for the complex wouldn’t have melded well.”
Once inside the house, Kenzi turned and blocked Lance’s entry. “It sounded like more than the complex.”
Lance closed the door impatiently behind him and stepped around Kenzi. “Drop it, Kenzi. I don’t want to talk about it.” He started walking away.
Kenzi put a ha
nd on one hip. “Willa called last night while Clay was there.”
Lance stopped but didn’t say anything.
“She asked Dax if he still had a job for her. I thought you should know that Clay jumped in and said he has a position that would be perfect for her.”
I bet he does. Lance’s temper rose, and his hands fisted at his sides. He slowly turned on his heel back to face his sister. “Did she take it?”
“She hasn’t decided, but she’s going for an interview with him tomorrow.”
“What is she thinking? He has a handful of employees, but no company. As far as I know he flits around the globe, choosing his projects on whims.”
“However he does it, he’s successful at it. Travel was something he highlighted as a perk of working for him. Willa hasn’t been many places. He said he’d love to change that.”
I’ll kill him. Lance realized he’d made a growling sound deep in his throat when both of his sister’s eyebrows flew up.
With rounded, innocent eyes, Kenzi added, “Willa has always had an artistic eye. Someone like that might be useful on your project.”
Surprised, Lance asked, “She’s interested in working for me?”
Kenzi rolled her eyes. “Not that she has said, but you could offer her something and see.”
Lance imagined how little he’d be able to concentrate on anything but her if she worked in his building. He had a policy prohibiting office affairs. They were a distraction, just as she would be. “I can’t hire Willa.”
Kenzi shrugged and linked arms with Lance and urged him to walk back to the dining room with her. “I imagine she’ll take the job with Clay, then.”
Lance ground his teeth together but kept his thoughts to himself. Like hell she will. He rejoined his family just long enough to appease them before making a hasty exit.
He wasn’t about to sit back and let Clay manipulate Willa for amusement. He remembered every comment Clay had made about being with one or both of them simply because they were twins. Lance didn’t know how much of what Clay had said had been real and how much had been bullshit he’d thrown out to see what would get a rise out of him, but Lance wasn’t taking any chances.
As he pulled out of the driveway, he gave into an impulse he’d fought against but lost. Although he never used it, he had Willa’s number in his contacts. He said, “Call Willa.”
Her line rang two, three, four times before going to voicemail.
“Hi, you’ve reached Willa Chambers. Sorry I missed you. Leave a message.”
Beep.
“Willa, it’s Lance. Call me when you get this.” He considered saying more, but hung up instead. It was probably a good thing she hadn’t answered. He was still trying to figure out what to say to her.
Chapter Four
In an oversized T-shirt and shorts, Willa was seated on the couch in her living room with her laptop and a cup of coffee. She’d spent the last hour writing and editing her résumé to hand to Clay when she interviewed with him the next day. Although the job had come to her because he was a friend of a friend, Willa wanted to show him she would take it seriously.
The problem was he hadn’t exactly given many details about the job description. He’d said he needed a traveling assistant. That had to require organizational skills. I’m a natural organizer. Willa listed her past jobs that would document her ability to do just that. So much of what she’d done in the past had been solitary work. She didn’t know how she’d do being with someone as gregarious as Clay, but she told herself she could handle whatever life threw at her.
Haven’t I already proven that?
She read as much as she could about the duties of an assistant then crafted her résumé in a way she hoped would make her sound qualified.
When Dax had first put Clay on the phone with her, Willa had felt awkward, but it was quickly apparent that Clay saw her only as Lexi’s quiet sister. He didn’t seem to have any idea that it had been her dancing in the flash mob. Then he’d offered her a salary that would allow her to make in a couple months what she was used to making in a year. With that job, she could put money aside. No, it wasn’t in her field or something she was passionate about, but Lexi was right about one thing: the bank doesn’t care how much I do or don’t like where I work. It’s time for me to stop thinking about what I want to do and focus on what I have to do. I have to pay my bills, and this will allow me to do that. With that mindset, she’d put aside her concerns about not being qualified and decided she would not only get that job, but also excel at it.
Her phone rang. Lance Barrington.
It went through to voicemail while she was still debating with herself if she should answer him. After she played his message back, she hurriedly closed her laptop and stood. She played the message back again.
If Lance weren’t Kenzi’s brother, Willa would have played the message to her. If Willa had talked to Lexi since their argument, she would have called her and done the same.
Lance didn’t call her. Not anymore. Not since she’d told him to never call her again.
Willa played the message once more. He didn’t sound happy.
Did he find out it was me at the flash mob? Is he upset that I lied to him?
Upset I wasn’t Lexi?
I won’t know if I don’t call him.
Sometimes not knowing is better.
Stop.
Willa called Lance back and held her breath. I’m not eighteen anymore. I can handle the truth now. “Hi Lance. You called?”
“Are you home?”
Willa glanced down at what was technically her pajamas then at the clock. It was seven o’clock on a Thursday night. No wonder Lexi thinks I don’t have a life. “Yes. What do you need?”
“I’m on my way over.”
Willa dropped the phone then scrambled to pick it back up. “Sorry about that. Slippery phone case. Did you say you’re on your way here?”
“I did.”
“Lexi’s at work.”
“That’s fine. It’s you I have to talk to.”
Have to? Shit. Don’t panic. It’s probably nothing. “About anything in particular?”
“I’d rather talk about it when I’m there.”
Willa glanced down at herself again. Her heart was thudding wildly in her chest. “I’m actually busy tonight. I’m finishing up something I need done for tomorrow. Can this wait?”
Like until never?
“What are you working on? Anything I could help you with?”
She would have loved to have been able to respond with something impressive. The truth was almost too lame to voice aloud. I’m almost thirty and—“I’m tweaking my résumé.”
“I hire people all the time. I could give you some suggestions.”
I’m sure you could, but I can’t be alone with you. It hurts too much. Willa imagined how the evening would go if she said yes to him coming over. She’d rush around like a maniac throwing on clothing she hoped made her look good. She’d do her makeup like a madwoman. By the time he’d arrive she’d be in a nervous sweat and hating herself for it. For nothing. No. “Sorry, Lance, but tonight’s not good. I don’t want company. I do have a minute, though, if you need to ask me something.”
“I just pulled up to the front of your building.”
Panic set in. Sorry, I’ve already met my quota when it comes to making a fool of myself over you. “You’re not hearing what I’m saying, Lance.”
“And that is?”
Willa closed her eyes and bit her bottom lip before answering. This isn’t supposed to be hard. He’s not supposed to matter anymore. “I don’t want to see anyone tonight. Goodnight. Sorry you drove over here for nothing.”
Willa hung up and glared at her reflection across the room. She was a tangle of resentment. She’d closed the door on that time in her life and nothing good could come from opening it. I shouldn’t have called him back. Hearing his voice . . . hearing the way he said her name . . . Why can’t I leave that door shut? I have to get this job
with Clay, anything to get me away from Boston even if only for a short time. Just long enough to clear my head.
Stop.
Step one: get this job.
She forced herself to focus on preparing for her interview. She reworded and added to her work history until she was satisfied that it represented the best of what she’d done and what she could offer any employer. She printed it out, placed it in a neat folder, and put it on the counter next to her keys.
With her task completed, all that was left was to think about how rude she’d been to Lance. If I don’t apologize things will get awkward. I didn’t believe I could be happy again, but I am. I can’t let him ruin that.
A memory came to her in a flash: blood running down her legs, too much to wash away in the shower. And the pain. God, the pain.
She closed her eyes and covered them with her hands. Don’t go there.
Unlike Kenzi, the truth won’t free me.
It’ll only make me hate Lexi.
Lance.
And myself.
Enough time has gone by. Forget.
Do yourself a favor and forget.
Lance slammed the door of his apartment behind him and dropped his keys into the small bowl he kept on the table just inside. He’d tried to call Willa back, but she hadn’t answered. He didn’t consider himself a vain man, but he was offended. No one brushed him off the way Willa did. He was rich, successful, and attractive. Women wanted to be with him; men wanted to network with him. Sometimes the reverse, but never did any of them treat him the way Willa did—as if he didn’t matter at all.
He didn’t matter enough for her to be honest with him. Not then, not now.
When given the choice between seeing him and typing up a résumé, she chose the fucking résumé.
Lance yanked off his tie and shrugged off his suit jacket. You’d think after ten years of watching her choose to sit away rather than beside me at events, I’d learn.
He dropped his clothing on the back of his couch and walked over to the liquor cabinet to pour himself a Scotch. He downed it in one gulp. If she wants to work for Clay, let her.
Trade It All (The Barrington Billionaires Book 3) Page 4