The CEO's Dilemma ; Undeniable Passion

by Lindsay Evans

  “I have my truth,” Rita said, spinning around to face him. “You have the fairytale version of the story, which is not even remotely realistic. If I need to check out of the cottage sooner than later, I hope you’re not going to expect me to forfeit my deposit. After all, deceit should be a good reason to end my contract earlier than anticipated.”

  “Rita...”

  She hurried out of the bedroom. Keith went to the door and saw her rushing down the hallway. Several seconds later, he heard the chiming sound his front door made when it opened.

  Keith went to his bedroom window that overlooked the front of the house. He saw Rita getting into her car. She slammed the door, then sped out of his driveway, her tires squealing as she turned onto the road.

  * * *

  Rita’s hands were shaking as she drove away from Keith’s place.

  Not him, too. Why had he lied to her?

  Their amazing night of carnal bliss had ended in abject disappointment. One minute, Rita had felt incredible. Now she felt...

  Deceived.

  Was she overreacting? Of course, Keith knew Brandon, her father. What he’d said made sense. If he had told her that he was friends with Brandon, she wouldn’t have given any credence to what he had to tell her.

  Rita sucked in a deep breath, trying to calm herself. Keith wasn’t the issue. It was this entire town, and her mother’s plan to marry her father. Rita felt like she was losing it.

  She was driving with no real destination, but soon she saw the sign for the interstate. Heading west.

  She hit her indicator and got to the right. Maybe she ought to head back home to St. Louis.

  * * *

  Keith felt out of sorts, a feeling he wasn’t quite used to. As though he’d just survived being on a roller coaster caught up in a twister.

  The look on Rita’s face before she’d taken off had stung. The betrayal. She had spent the night clinging to him and crying out his name, only to turn around and act as though she wanted nothing more to do with him.

  How had things gone from bliss to hell so quickly?

  Keith looked at his reflection in the bathroom mirror. Stress lines were etched on his face. He dragged a hand over the stubble growing from his chin. He didn’t even feel like shaving.

  “Didn’t you tell yourself to stay away from her? Didn’t you know that she was too unpredictable to get involved with?”

  No strings attached, she’d said... Yeah, right.

  He had no doubt that Rita was back to thinking that he was some sort of bad guy. He could have tried to reason with her until he’d passed out, but it had been clear to him in that moment that nothing he said would change her mind.

  It was also clear that no good was going to come from reliving what had gone wrong. So he got dressed and went to work, figuring that the best thing to do was to give Rita space. He didn’t want to regret their night together, but a part of him did. She hadn’t been ready. Certainly not for a no-strings-attached relationship as she’d suggested.

  He knew that she was struggling with some demons. And while he couldn’t understand fully what she was going through, he realized it wasn’t easy. She’d been a secret love child, never really acknowledged by her father. Growing up in a small town, secrets came out more often than not, and Keith had learned early that not everything was what it seemed despite the happy exterior people might show to the world.

  Rita wasn’t the only one who’d gotten the shaft in life. Of course, he couldn’t tell her that. But she needed to learn that carrying anger around all the time was completely unhealthy. She couldn’t spend her entire life not trusting anybody.

  Even though he had told himself that he would give her space, by the time he got to the office, he called her. Her phone went to voice mail.

  “Hey, Rita. I’m sorry you left my place upset. Just know that I wasn’t trying to deceive you. I just... I didn’t want to interfere one way or another. Maybe that doesn’t make sense, but I hope it does. Look, please—”

  The knock on his door caused Keith to drop the phone from his ear. He looked up to see his receptionist standing there. She was regarding him with concern. “Mr. Burke? Are you okay?”

  “Yeah.” He nodded. “Fine.”

  “Your ten o’clock appointment is here.”

  Keith pressed a button to end the call, then slipped his cell phone into the desk’s top drawer. “Send them in.”

  * * *

  Of course, going back to St. Louis had been an illogical thought, so Rita had dismissed it shortly after she’d started driving. But what she did like doing when she was upset was going for a long drive. With the music blaring, she drove with no particular destination. So she traveled on I-90 until she reached Buffalo, then she decided to get off the highway and explore the downtown area.

  She found a section of Main Street with boutique shops and restaurants and occupied herself window shopping and indulging in an oversized waffle cone. She had turned her phone off so that she would have no distractions, but after a couple of hours without technology, it was time to get reconnected with the world. Mostly because she wanted to use her phone to find the nearest burrito shop.

  Her phone trilled almost immediately, letting her know that she had some missed text messages. She saw Keith’s name pop up on her screen. Then she saw her mother’s. Moments later, she saw that there were four missed calls from her mom.

  Feeling a spate of anxiety, Rita quickly dialed her mother’s number and put the phone to her ear.

  “Rita?” came the reply on the other end of the line.

  When Rita heard the male voice, her back stiffened. Was that her father? “Yes?”

  “It’s your father.”

  Rita’s heart stopped. “Is my mother okay?”

  “I’ve been trying to reach you.”

  “What happened?”

  “Your mother fainted. Blacked right out.”

  “What?” Rita shrieked.

  “She’s okay now. I brought her to the hospital, and they’re taking good care of her.”

  “Oh, my God. Which hospital?”

  “There’s only one in Sheridan Falls. On State Street.”

  Rita began walking in the direction of where she’d parked her car. “I’m in Buffalo, but I’ll head back now. Tell my mother I’m on my way.”

  Chapter 15

  By the time Rita was arriving in the Sheridan Falls town limits, her phone was ringing again. The screen on her car’s dashboard display said that the call was from her mother’s cell.

  She pressed the talk button on her steering wheel. “Mom?” she answered, hopeful.

  “It’s your father,” came the reply.

  “God, please tell me she isn’t worse.”

  “She’s not. I’m calling to tell you that she’s home now. Please come here instead of the hospital.”

  “Does that mean she’s okay?”

  “Please don’t worry. We’ll explain everything when you get here.”

  Her father’s words didn’t alleviate her fear. Only when Rita entered his home and saw her mother lying on the sofa, looking a little tired but otherwise okay, did she relax.

  “Mom.” She rushed to her mother’s side. “Are you okay?” Rita wrapped her arms around her mother and squeezed, never wanting to let go.

  “Sweetheart, I’m fine.” Her mother patted her back to soothe her, much as she’d done when Rita was a little girl. “I hope you weren’t too worried.”

  “You passed out. You had to go to the hospital. That doesn’t sound fine.”

  “I told Lance he shouldn’t have taken me. He’s like you... He worries over every little thing.”

  “If you blacked out, he was right to take you.” Rita turned to her father. “What did the doctor say?”

  “Turns out she’s dehydrated. Burning the candle at both ends, no
t taking care of herself.”

  “A little fainting spell,” her mother said. “It’s no big deal.”

  “Thankfully the cause wasn’t more serious,” Lance said. “But of course, I was worried.”

  Lynn waved a dismissive hand. “Oh, Lance. I told you it was nothing.”

  “It’s taken me this long to have you in my life again. I’m not nearly ready to lose you.”

  It dawned on Rita in that moment that her mother and father were still speaking as two people in love. She’d expected her mother to have her bags packed by now. But apparently that wasn’t happening.

  Rita turned to Lance. “Um, do you mind giving me a moment with my mother?”

  Lynn sat up straight on the sofa, pulling the afghan up to her belly as she did. “Yes, please. I’d like a word with Rita alone.”

  Lynn’s tone was suddenly serious, and Rita could tell that she needed to have a serious talk with her. Finally, she’d get to the truth.

  “All right, dear,” Lance said.

  Once he was out of the room, Rita looked at her mother with concern. “You are all right, aren’t you?”

  “I’m fine,” her mother said. “They gave me fluids at the hospital and I’m as good as new.”

  “So you want to talk to me about my father,” Rita surmised. Her mother had come to her senses. She’d taken the information Rita had given her and had made the hard—but sensible—decision to call off the wedding. “I’m here for you,” Rita told her. “No matter what.”

  “Are you?” her mother asked, a challenge in her voice.

  Rita narrowed her eyes, not understanding. “Of course I am.”

  “That stunt you pulled yesterday—I’m not happy with you.”

  “Stunt?”

  “Yes, stunt. I was already stressed enough trying to plan this wedding. Today I had to call the florist, caterer, try to do everything myself because I couldn’t count on you.”

  Reality hit Rita with the force of a tornado. “Are you saying you fainted because of me?”

  “I’m saying that I can’t handle you questioning my decision anymore. If you can’t be in Sheridan Falls and help me with the wedding, then you need to leave.”

  Rita gaped at her mother. Surely her ears were playing tricks on her. “What?”

  “Are you going to stay here and support me—or are you going to return to St. Louis?”

  Rita had to take a moment to process the question. Was her mother actually giving her an ultimatum?

  “I asked you a question.”

  “I... You’re going through with the wedding?”

  “Of course I am. The question is, can I count on you or not?”

  Rita stared at her mother for several beats. When she realized that she wasn’t kidding, Rita said the only thing she could. “You can count on me. Of course.”

  “Good. Because as of this moment, I don’t want to hear anything else negative from you about your father.”

  “You’re not going to fill me in on what happened? I mean, the bankruptcy—”

  “What did you just agree to?”

  Rita shut up.

  “Your news didn’t change anything. I’m still going to marry your father.”

  Rita stared at her mother, so wanting to say something, but knowing that she couldn’t.

  “We spoke about the bankruptcy. And I’m completely comfortable with his explanation.”

  “And the fact that he never told you about it?” Rita couldn’t help asking.

  “Is irrelevant. Rita, I’m certain that you told me that information with a little bit of glee, didn’t you? You wanted to believe that your father was using me and that I would immediately drop him.”

  “I wanted you to be aware. So far you’ve jumped into this relationship completely blindly. I learned some information that was important, and you needed to know. What you do with that information is your choice.”

  “Life isn’t about money. It’s not about how many cars you have, how many trips you can take.”

  “I know that. I’m not that kind of person.”

  “Life is not defined by your failures, either. Things happen in life and you make the best of them, and sometimes you make mistakes and you screw up royally, but you move on.”

  “So my father explained the bankruptcy and you’re not concerned.”

  “After everything he’d been through, do you think that for one moment he wanted to appear weak when we got back together? Do you think that admitting to me he nearly lost everything and had to turn to the town for help was going to make him feel good about himself? And yet you took the opportunity to rub it in his face. You could have talked to him first, gotten more information, but instead you dropped your little bomb, hoping that it would explode and destroy everything we’ve been building.”

  Rita said nothing. What could she say? It was exactly what she had hoped. Not because she wanted to see her mother unhappy, but because she wanted to save her mother from future heartbreak.

  “His wife’s medical bills were expensive,” Lynn went on. “He lost so much because of that. He did everything throughout the progression of her illness to make her life bearable and easier in her final days. He should be commended. Instead, you’re treating him like a villain.” Her mother’s eyes narrowed. “And I won’t have it. Not anymore.”

  “I... I didn’t think about that.”

  “Of course you didn’t. You were too busy thinking the worst of him. You have a horrible inability to forgive people who’ve hurt you. Look how you treated Rashad. He apologized, but you wouldn’t hear it.”

  Rita’s jaw dropped. “Are you actually saying that you think I should have forgiven Rashad?”

  “He said he made a mistake and that he regretted it. He wanted another chance—”

  “He didn’t deserve another chance!” Rita shot back. Now she knew for sure that her mother had lost her mind. For her to act as though Rashad’s betrayal, so fresh, should be forgiven because he’d realized the grass wasn’t greener on the other side... Rita was flummoxed.

  “Whatever happened with my father, that wasn’t Rashad’s issue. He didn’t face the same kind of dilemma. All men who cheat don’t deserve a pass. Seriously, Mom—don’t you remember that Rashad and I were supposed to be getting married in just weeks?”

  “I know, and I’m not saying that you should forgive him as a way to say that what he did was okay. But forgive as a way to let go of the pain. And who knows, maybe you two could actually work things out.”

  “Please stop. You want to talk about my father, your wedding... Fine. But Rashad...” She shook her head. “I won’t hear it.”

  “I’m just saying forgiveness is the way forward.”

  Rita knew all about her mother’s views on forgiveness, but she didn’t share them. At least not in this case. What Rashad had done to her was unforgivable.

  “Maybe I’m interfering where I shouldn’t,” Lynn continued. “All I know is that forgiving your father has made all the difference for me. He doesn’t deserve any more hurt in his life. Not after all he’s been through. We both deserve to be happy.”

  “I wasn’t trying to hurt you. And I wasn’t trying to hurt him.”

  “Good. Then you can tell him that.”

  Rita’s eyes widened. “What?”

  “Now. Clear the air with your father.”

  Before Rita could say anything, her mother was calling her father back into the room. Moments later, Lance appeared.

  “Lance, sweetheart. Rita has something she’d like to say to you.”

  Rita’s gaze volleyed between her mother and father. Then she said, “I’m sorry about yesterday. I’m sorry I didn’t talk to you first.”

  “So your mother explained the situation.”

  “Yes. She did. And I... I can’t imagine how hard that must have b
een for you. Losing your wife and not being able to do anything about it.”

  A flash of grief passed over his face. “Thank you. It was very hard. But I want you to know that your mother is everything to me. I love her, and I want to spend the rest of my life making her happy.”

  Rita swallowed.

  Lance stepped into the room and took a seat beside her. “Ask me anything. I’ll answer.”

  “First and foremost, my concern is that your feelings for my mother are real. I worry that your relationship with her is a rebound thing, especially after losing your wife. I don’t want my mother to get hurt.”

  “I’m not going to hurt your mother. Never again.”

  Rita drew in a deep breath. Emotions were clogging her throat when she asked, “Did you ever love me?”

  “Of course I did!” Lance responded without hesitation. “I always have.”

  Rita steeled her back and cleared her throat. She didn’t want to cry. “You have a funny way of showing it.”

  “You’re right. I do. It’s a long story, and I can’t sugarcoat what I did. My behavior was in many ways unforgivable. I took the coward’s way out. I met your mother and I fell in love with her the moment I saw her, but I was already married. I’d already had a child. I wanted to leave then, but my wife... Well, she didn’t make it easy.”

  “You told her you wanted to leave?” Rita asked, surprised.

  “I did. I came home one day and told her that we both deserved something better. We were young when we got married, and she’d been pregnant. I was trying to do the right thing. Well, she had a meltdown. And I don’t mean that she yelled and screamed. That I could’ve dealt with. But it was the talk of suicide that had me pausing.”

  Rita narrowed her eyes as she looked at him. But she didn’t speak.

  “She asked me if there was someone else, and I didn’t want to hurt her feelings, but at some point she realized that there was. She said she knew it in her gut. Could see that I was slipping away. That’s when she told me that if I left, there was nothing for her to live for. That she would kill herself. That she’d already thought of the ways when she’d considered that I might be seeing someone else. I told her not to be stupid, that of course she wouldn’t kill herself. But after a night spent crying, I found her the next day in the tub. An empty bottle of pills was beside her.”