Never mind that she hadn’t done anything wrong. That she’d turned Jeff down not once but twice. Several times, actually. She could feel the collective heat from the Jameson men’s stares. It pounded down on her as she focused on the photos.
Jeff Berger was a piece of garbage. And he was determined to ruin her because she refused to dance at his command.
“There’s a note.” Derrick’s voice sounded flat as he handed the sheet over to Spence then turned to her. “He says you approached him about working in his company. Offered proprietary information to him, saying he could expand and take us out of the market. He says he’s warning me as a favor.”
Her stomach dropped. She literally expected to see it hit the floor.
Her hands shook as she let the photos slip onto the desk. Denials and defenses crashed through her brain. She wrestled with the right thing to say, with how to explain what happened.
A warning as a favor. She wondered how long it took Jeff to come up with that gem. The man was a complete liar.
“Are you going to say anything?” Carter asked.
Derrick held up a hand. “Give her a second.”
This time Carter snorted. “For what? She either has answers or she doesn’t.”
They were talking around her, over her. Derrick and Carter, but not Spence. All she cared about was his reaction. It took all of her strength to look at him.
She glanced over. Saw his wrinkled brow and eyes filled with confusion. Not hate or hurt, or anything like what seemed to simmer under the surface with Carter. No, Spence was struggling. She could see it on his face.
“It’s not what you think.” That wasn’t the right thing to say but her brain refused to function. Her skin itched from being on display. Standing there in the middle of all of them having to defend herself...she hated Jeff for that. She would always hate him for that.
Spence hesitated for a second before he said anything. “Well, I think Jeff Berger is an ass.”
Relief surged through her, but she tamped it down. She refused to get excited or believe that he wouldn’t turn on her again. They had been through this sort of thing before. Denial mixed with disbelief.
“He insisted we meet.” She left out the part about Rylan’s role in all of this. He’d been complicit, but this part—all the trauma of this moment—was all on Jeff. This was about his vendetta against Derrick. The one she’d been dragged into the middle of and now had to fight her way back out of again.
“He did.” Carter repeated.
She couldn’t tell whether he believed her or not. Right now, the only thing that mattered was that they all listened. She needed Spence to step up and believe her. “Around the time you left, after the kiss and the mess with your father, Jeff contacted me. I was upset and frustrated and half convinced I was going to get fired...”
She stopped to catch her breath. She expected them to jump in and start firing questions at her, but they stayed quiet. They watched. Stood there taking it in with those matching blank expressions on their faces.
With no other choice, she pushed ahead. “I agreed thinking I might need to find another job.”
Derrick frowned. “That was never a possibility. I begged you to stay.”
“I know that now, but put yourself in my position. I’d fallen for a Jameson brother and now he hated me—”
Spence shook his head. “Abby, no. That was never true.”
“Let her finish.” Carter issued the order in a strangely soft voice as he sat on the edge of Derrick’s big desk.
“It made sense that in a choice between me and Spence—worse, between me and Eldrick—that I would lose. So, I was looking at other options.”
“I would have done the same.” It was the first positive thing Carter had said.
That glimmer of support spurred her on. “Well, Jeff did offer but he wanted business secrets and information on Derrick. I said no. I stopped taking his calls. Made every contact from his office run through my assistant first to make sure it was legitimate and work-related. He kept at it, checking in now and then. I ignored it all.”
“But not forever.” Spence pointed at the photos. “You wore that suit to work not too long ago. That restaurant is new. This is a recent meeting.”
The accusation hung right there. There was nothing subtle about what Spence was saying. But he wasn’t wrong, either. Denying the reality would only make things worse. Plus, she wanted to be honest.
She never intended to hide and sneak around with Jeff. He made that happen and she got pulled in. She’d take responsibility for not going to Derrick about the contacts, but the rest of this was a battle that wasn’t even about her.
“He recently sent me a note demanding that we meet again. It had been months, so the contact didn’t make sense. I ignored him again, but he was persistent. A bit threatening.”
Carter slipped off the desk to stand again. “What?”
She rushed to explain. “Not physically. I never felt that.”
“He cornered you at the engagement party.” Spence exhaled. “You two were on the balcony.”
She wasn’t sure what the extra fact added. Spence’s voice, his expression...he didn’t give anything away. Doubts and concerns had to be spinning around inside him but he kept them all bottled up. Like the old Spence, he projected an outward calm while the storm raged.
That terrified her. Repressing could only mean bad things for them, for their future.
“He made it clear that our meeting would happen. Rather than fight it, I gave in.” Her gaze traveled over them as she rubbed her hands together. Her skin was deathly cold. “Because I knew whatever he said wouldn’t matter. I was never going to give him those secrets or work for him.”
“What exactly did he want?” Derrick asked as he picked up his pen then put it down again.
“He didn’t give specifics. He had an envelope for me but I refused to take it. I didn’t even touch it because the whole meeting, the setup and nasty words, clearly were about wanting to get at Derrick and the company, and have an advantage in bidding. About winning contracts away from us.” She added the emphasis to telegraph that they were in this together. Her loyalty stayed firmly with this company. Always. Even if she left, she’d never endanger what they’d built here.
“He’s got a thing about Derrick.” Carter shot his older brother an odd look. “You are going to have to confront him eventually.”
Derrick nodded but didn’t say anything.
“These photos.” Spence fingered each one. “They look—”
“Staged.” That was the right answer. She filled in the blank because if he suggested any other option she would lose it.
Her control hovered right on the edge. She wanted to open her mouth and yell at them. Surely they could see she’d been set up.
Spence nodded but his focus stayed on the photos. He paged through them one by one. Got to the last one then went back again. With every swipe of his hand, her fury built. It raced through her, fueling her.
“Clearly he had a photographer waiting.” Anger vibrated in her voice.
Both Carter and Derrick watched her. Whatever they heard or saw had them both staring. Neither looked upset. It was more like they were analyzing her, testing her mood. Well, they didn’t need to guess because she had every intention of unloading right now.
She slapped her hand over the photos, forcing Spence to look at her. “I have zero interest in Jeff and his bargains.”
Spence nodded. “Okay.”
Okay? “I said no because of you.” She looked around at Carter and Derrick, too. “Because of all of you. Because I love this job, and I’m starting to love this family. And because being disloyal is not who I am. I can’t believe I have to explain that to you.”
Carter shook his head. “You don’t.”
For some reason that sent her temper flaring. �
��You believed the photos. When I walked in here, you thought I cheated on Spence or screwed over the company. Something.”
“I read a note and saw some photos.”
“And blamed me.”
“Okay, hold it.” Derrick held up both hands. “No one thinks you did anything. We wanted an explanation. It’s clear this is Jeff being Jeff. I’m just sorry you got dragged into the middle of my garbage.”
Her heartbeat still drummed in her ears. She wanted to believe that they saw the truth immediately. The rational part of her brain recognized that they had to go into this conversation wary and ask questions. But she was so tired of fighting. “I would never betray you.”
Spence looked at her then. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
The relief that had just started swirling through her petered out. “What?”
“We’ve been together nonstop. We’ve talked about other topics, very personal things. You never bothered to tell me about what Jeff did back then or what he was threatening you with now.”
“So, this is my fault?”
The loudness of Spence’s voice now matched hers. “I’m asking a simple question.”
One that made her temper soar. He had a right to question. They did need to talk this through. She got all of that. But standing there, right then, in the middle of it all, she felt nothing but raw and hollowed out. Instead of leaping to her defense along with Derrick and Carter, Spence was still doubting her.
“He told me you wouldn’t believe me.”
“No, he’s wrong.” Spence shook his head. “I never said that.”
He didn’t have to. She heard the words so clearly in her head. “First your dad. Now Jeff. You never believe me.”
Spence reached out and held her arm by the elbow. “Hey, that’s not fair.”
“When will I learn?” She pulled out of his grip. “You know when? Right now. I’m going to finally learn the lesson now.”
* * *
The whole room vibrated from the force of her slamming Derrick’s office door as she stormed out. Spence watched her go without saying a word. Speech failed him. He didn’t understand what just happened. He’d been trying to reason it all out in his mind, every step. The idea that Jeff Berger was trying to push her around and she didn’t tell him...it made Spence sick. What kind of trust was that?
He took a step, thinking to go after her. Carter blocked his path.
He loomed there. “You have a couple of choices about what you do next.”
One. There was only one choice and Spence was about to do it. “I’m going to talk with her.”
“Wrong one,” Derrick said as he walked out from behind his desk to stand beside Carter.
They formed a wall in front of Spence. He would have to get around both of them to get out of there.
“What is this?” Spence looked back and forth between his two brothers. “You can’t believe she’s working with Jeff.”
Derrick scoffed. “Of course not.”
“She’s not the type,” Carter added as he shook his head.
Some of the indignation ran out of Spence then. He thought he was going to have to come to her defense, explain it to them. There was no way she would do what Jeff suggested. She’d had multiple chances to screw them all over and never took one. That’s not how she operated. When she was ticked off, she fought the battle head-on. Spence knew because he’d gone more than a few rounds with her.
One of the things he loved about her was her refusal to back down. She fought for what she believed in and refused to be shoved around or forgotten. He found that drive, that will, so sexy.
“Then what’s the problem with me going after her?” Spence asked because he really didn’t get it.
Carter made a hissing sound. “See, you questioned her.”
“No...”
Derrick nodded. “You did.”
That didn’t happen. “I never believed the note from Jeff.”
“I wanted an explanation, which is fine. I’m not sleeping with her. But once she gave it, I was all in on her side.” Carter winced. “But you questioned why she didn’t let you rescue her.”
“Women hate that sort of thing where you rush in and try to save the day without talking to them first.” Derrick shrugged. “Or so I’ve been told by Ellie about a thousand times.”
They had both lost it. Spence didn’t understand what they didn’t get about this situation. “We’re dating.”
Carter nodded. “Uh-huh.”
“I’m in love with her.”
Derrick clapped Spence on the back. “There it is.”
Carter whistled. “Finally.”
It was as if they had the code to some secret language he didn’t have. “I hate you both right now.”
“You and Abby need to learn how to communicate.” Derrick made that pronouncement as he returned to his oversize desk chair and sat down.
“If you’re ready to do that, you should go find her. If not...” Carter shook his head. “I’d wait until I had an epiphany.”
“I don’t know what either of you are talking about.” Spence didn’t. Advice swam around in his head. Competing feelings of frustration and desperation battled inside him. He didn’t want the rift between them to grow. But he wasn’t quite sure what he needed to do, either.
Then there was the baby. That issue never left his mind. Bringing the possibility up now to Abby might get him punched. Even he was smart enough to know he needed to keep whatever was brewing between them separate from family talk.
He tried to come up with the right question to ask as Derrick picked up the phone. “Who are you calling?”
“It’s time Jeff Berger and I meet.”
“Do it in public and don’t run him over with a car,” Carter said. “If you do, make it look like an accident.”
Through the haze of confusion one thought settled in Spence’s mind. His brothers really did trust and believe Abby. She told her side and they fell into line.
Maybe now it was his turn.
Forget waiting. Now was the right time. He headed for the door.
Derrick hung up the phone again without dialing. “Where are you going?”
“To find Abby.”
“I guess that means you’ve had that epiphany,” Carter said, sounding pretty pleased with himself.
“No, but I’m hoping it will hit me on the way.” Spence’s fingers touched the door handle before he glanced back at Derrick. “I’ll leave Jeff to you. If I confront him right now, I might kill him.”
“Consider him handled.”
One problem down. Now Spence had the bigger one to conquer.
Fifteen
Abby paced back and forth in her office. It felt as if hours had passed, but she knew that wasn’t true. She couldn’t see the clock or hear any noise. Her curt order to her assistant to hold all of her calls and visitors—something she’d apologize for later—probably said enough for the people outside her door to scurry away.
She wasn’t one to close the door and demand peace. When she did, people knew it meant something. Since the gossip about her love life and dating Spence swirled around the office, some might even figure out the source of her frustration.
The chill refused to leave her bones. She had no idea how it was possible to feel hot and ice-cold at the same time, but there she was. The pain in her stomach and her head. Both thumped, demanding attention.
She didn’t even hear the door open. She turned, thinking to go in search of something for the headache, and ran right into Spence’s broad chest. He reached for her arms and held her, more to keep her from falling than anything else. This wasn’t a hug. There was nothing intimate about it. More of a safety-first sort of thing.
He steadied her then reached back to close the door. There, that would stop the gossip. Abby almost rolled hers eyes
at the novice move.
“What are you doing here?” She thought for sure he’d hide in Derrick’s office all day. If he had a home, he might go there but he didn’t. And that bothered her, too.
All of her confusion and questions balled up together. He’d left the last time. There was nothing stopping him from going again. His reaction to the baby had been almost perfect. Sure, he wavered a bit at first but so did she. But she sensed he was waiting to see if this whole visit-home-to-Derrick thing worked out.
His hands dropped to his sides as he looked down at her. “This time you ran.”
She searched his face for any sign that they were going to be okay. Not that she wanted a handwritten agreement signed in blood. She didn’t even require some sort of long-term commitment, though her heart begged for one. But everything about him, from the fact he lived out of a bag to his office that still looked like no one had been assigned there, showed that he lived his life in a temporary fashion. She didn’t know why the Jeff Berger situation drove that point home, but it did.
Now what?
“I needed space,” she said, knowing it sounded trite and was only half-correct.
He nodded. “I get it.”
That just made the confusion inside her spin faster. “Do you?”
When he frowned at her, she decided to take hold of the conversation. That might be the only way to get through this. Then she could go home and curl up on the couch and forget everything about the last few weeks. Go back to building emotional walls and burying herself in projects in the office.
“Why haven’t you started any new projects at work?” It was so simple that she wondered why she hadn’t seen it before.
His eyes widened. “What?”
The response was fair. She hadn’t exactly built up to it, but the topic was not going away. It had taken hold in her head and she had to ride it out now. “You’re the head of new acquisitions. I think that’s the fancy title, right? But I haven’t seen you do one lick of work on anything but projects already in progress.”
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