by Tina Martin
Bryson nodded. He appreciated the man’s straightforwardness, even after he’d given him a hard time about being with Candice. He noted a couple of things about Kurt that he liked already – he was confident and poised. Whatever he threw at him, he didn’t fly off the handle. He stayed in control and at ease. That was a good quality for a man to have when dealing with his sister. At times, she could be hard to understand. No one knew that better than him. They got into disputes on a regular, but he knew how to handle her. From the looks of things, so did Kurt.
“Okay,” Bryson said. “I want you to present that argument to Barringer.”
Kurt smiled. “I’m sure Barringer doesn’t want to hear anything I have to say. Every time I see him, there’s a deep ridge in his forehead.”
Bryson chuckled. “That’s Barringer, alright.” He finished his beer. “No but seriously, Barringer called me after that lil’ stunt your company pulled.”
“I’m sure he did, and let me just say that I work for that company. I get paid—I’m not an owner but at the same time, what Barringer doesn’t realize is, I need this job to be able to support Candy in whatever she wants to do when she moves to Asheville.”
“So she’s moving there?”
“Yes.” Kurt wiped his mouth and continued, “Her choice. I offered to move here. She didn’t want that.”
“What if she changes her mind?”
“Then I would have no other choice but to move here.”
Bryson cleared his throat, laid the fork down in his plate and said, “I think I’m starting to like you, man.”
“That’s a relief.”
“Yeah, now you have to convince the others.”
“How much work is that going to be?”
“To be honest with you, Garrison and Everson are pretty easygoing. Barringer is going to give you the most problems and then there’s pops. Candice is a daddy’s girl and you’re taking his only daughter. You definitely have some ground to make up with him. But hey, that’s the price you have to pay for taking our sister away.”
Kurt nodded. “I’ll pay whatever price I have to if that’s the case.”
“Alright. Let me get the check so we can get out of here,” Bryson said.
“No, I got it. That’s the least I can do for you taking the time to meet me out here like this.”
“Okay. I appreciate it, man. I think we’ve made some progress.”
“Yes. Definitely.”
Chapter 19
On Thursday, Kurt met Desmond for breakfast to discuss how they would move forward after finding out the deal was a no-go. Kurt walked into the restaurant and joined Desmond at the table. Since Desmond was on the phone, Kurt took a moment to check his cell for messages, hoping he’d see a text from Candice. There were none. He hadn’t spoken to her since Tuesday night when she asked him to leave her apartment. He wondered how she was doing and if he’d hear from her soon. Was what he’d done unforgivable?
“Hey, man. Sorry ‘bout that,” Desmond said. That was Dante. I told him Barringer turned down the offer, so we’re done here. We can wrap it up and head home.”
“Yeah, that’s what I wanted to talk to you about. I can’t leave just yet.”
“No?”
“No. Look, there’s something I need to make you aware of. It’s something I’ve been hiding for about six months and, well, you need to know.”
“What’s that, man?”
“I’ve been seeing Candice Blackstone and—”
“I knew it! I knew something was going on between you two.”
“How’d you know?”
“I could feel the energy in the conference room, especially when you two shook hands. And when we told them about the offer, I saw the way she looked at you. When there’s an issue with a woman brewing, shrew—that’s a can you don’t want to open.”
“Tell me about it.”
“So you and Candice, huh?” Desmond said.
“I’ll be honest—I thought you’d be upset about this news.”
“Upset? Why? Because she works for Blackstone?”
“Yeah. Exactly.”
“Who am I to decide who you can and can’t love? I can’t make that call.”
“I know, but there’s clearly a conflict of interest…”
Desmond cracked a smile. “So what. I know you. I know how you work. I’m sure you’ve had a talk with her about not mixing business with pleasure.”
“I have, several times, but after that offer we presented Tuesday, it put our relationship in a bind. She hasn’t said a word to me since.”
“What’s the problem, exactly?”
“She says I should’ve told her about the proposal. Said she felt blindsided.”
“That wouldn’t be separating business from pleasure.”
“In this particular case, she feels this was so important, I should’ve told her, and I can’t say I disagree. I probably should’ve told her.”
“That’s a tough one, man. I don’t know what I would’ve done if I was in your position.”
Kurt sipped coffee. “What do you think Dante will do about my job? He’s not going to fire me, is he?”
“Nah. He wouldn’t go that far and being that you’ve asked the question I take it you’re not leaving Asheville to move to Wilmington.”
“No. Candice wants to move to Asheville. Well, let me rephrase—she wanted to move there. Now, she probably wants a divorce.”
Desmond grinned. “A conversation will cure all of this, man.”
“Yeah. Maybe.”
After finishing his breakfast, Desmond said, “Anyway, I’m going to head home. I need to see my family. The twins are driving Sherita nuts.”
Kurt chuckled. “Hey, tell Sherita I said hi.”
“I will.”
“I’ll talk to Dante when I’m back,” Kurt told him.
“Yeah, man. Hey, look—when Candice is all moved in, me and Sherita would love to have y’all over for dinner.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
As Desmond exited the restaurant, Kurt dialed Candice’s number. He didn’t expect her to answer so when he heard her voice on the other end, he was pleasantly surprised.
“Hello?” she said again.
“Hi, Candy. How are you?”
“I’m doing okay. How are you, Kurt?”
“I’ll be a lot better if we could have this conversation face-to-face.”
“We will.”
“Are you working today?”
“I am, and I’m about to jump on a conference call, so I’ll have to call you back.”
“Will you?”
“Will I what?”
“Will you call me back?” he asked, not caring the least about the desperation in his voice.
“Yes, I’ll call, but I have to go right now.”
“Okay. I’ll talk to you later, then.”
“Okay.”
* * *
Her heart fluttered when she walked into the bar. She tried to make it stop, but it was something she couldn’t control. A part of her warned her not to meet up with Quinton – probably the same part that reminded her she was married to a wonderful man – a man who was hers. And he was a good man. Top-of-the-line. That’s why it felt odd meeting with her ex. If Blackstone Financial didn’t need CheckMate’s business, she wouldn’t be here meeting with a person she intended to leave in the past. The past was the past for a reason. So why did the sight of him sitting alone at a booth with the hanging table light above illuminating his rich, chocolate face cause her to skip a breath? He was still the same gorgeous man he always was.
What are you doing here, Candy? Leave while you still can. You should be talking to Kurt rather than entertaining this loser. The man who cheated on you. What’s there to say?
She was seriously considering turning around until he looked up and saw her.
Quinton’s eyes settled on her and he didn’t think about turning away or whether he thought the stare made her uncomfortable. His eyes fea
sted on her frame – enough to make her walk a little unsteady. She adjusted the purse strap on her shoulder, remembered why she was there, put on her game face and cleared her throat as she approached the table.
Quinton rose to his feet like a gentleman – all six-feet-four of him. Candice wasn’t buying any of his act. She plastered a smile on her face and slid into the booth. He sat down again and took in her familiar face up close. It had been years since they’d last spoken. She would have liked to keep it that way, but thanks to him, here they were. He wanted to talk.
“So, it’s been a long time,” he said.
“Yep,” she replied, tight-lipped and completely disinterested.
“You’re still beautiful.”
Apparently not beautiful enough if you still cheated on me…
“Quinton, it was a struggle for me to come here so let’s not waste time. What do you want?”
“This. Just to talk to you.” He glanced at the ring on her finger. “I realize you’re married now. I’m with someone as well, but I can’t fully be with her until I close the door on us.”
“Oh, you closed the door, alright. You slammed that sucker shut…made the hinges fall right off. You don’t remember?”
“I remember your brother threa—”
“You cheated on me, Quinton. At first, I thought it was my fault that you stopped talking to me. Maybe you found other women interesting. I mean, what did you think I was going to do? Be your little puppet while you went on a cheating spree? Is that what you thought?”
“I asked you here to clear up some things about me, Candy. First and foremost, I never cheated on you.”
“Now you’re just going to lie to my face.”
“No, I’m not lying. I never cheated on you. Never.”
“So all the rumors were false? And you stopped talking to me, wouldn’t answer my text messages—nothing. Even my brother saw you with a woman.”
“Yes, he did, and I don’t know what he told you, but the minute I saw him that night, I told him it was a business meeting so he didn’t get the wrong idea.”
“Then why were you holding the woman’s hand? Why’d you kiss her?”
“I did neither of those things. That’s an outright lie.”
“Okay, then why were you there to begin with?”
“I was having a meeting. A few minutes after Bryson saw me, four other people had joined us. I tried to explain this to you back then, but your brother ordered me to stay away from you and issued a bunch of other threats I don’t care to mention. Anyway, I stayed away from you. I gave him what he wanted. I cut off all communication with you but it wasn’t because I was cheating. It was because I had enough. Your brothers never liked me from jump so I figured I’d stay away. At that point, I asked myself why I was fighting for something no one wanted us to have. I didn’t want that fight for the rest of my life. But, they’ve eased up a bit, I see since you’re married now. I guess I should’ve hung in there a little longer.”
“Are you done?”
He gestured for her to have the floor.
“You’re a liar, I shouldn’t have come here and I’m not going to sit here and listen to you lie about my brother.”
Candice reached for her purse.
“Why would I lie? It’s not like I have anything to gain from you. I can’t get you back. You belong to another man. I just wanted you to know I’m not who Bryson made me out to be.”
“Sure you’re not. Goodbye, Quinton.”
She’d heard enough. She took her purse and focused her attention on the front exit. She couldn’t get away from Quinton fast enough.
It wasn’t until she looked up at her car that her already rapid pulse became faster because standing there was her husband. She’d been busted.
Chapter 20
“Kurt, what are you doing here?” Candice asked. His sharp gaze told her he’d witnessed her meeting with Quinton.
“What am I doing here? That’s what you’re asking me after you come out of a bar seven o’clock in the evening with another man.”
“It’s not what you think.”
“Not what I think? I never thought you’d put me in this kind of position. Not you, Candice. What have I done to you to deserve this?”
“He’s my ex—”
“I know who he is,” he said loudly. “I made it my business to know. What I don’t know is why my wife is having drinks and appetizers with her ex.”
“I didn’t have anything to eat or drink. I told you it’s not what you think, so calm—”
“It’s not? Because you’re leaving a bar and you weren’t with me. Is that not a bar?”
“It is, but—”
“Then what were you doing in there with him?”
Candice held her temples. If they were keeping business out of their marriage as he suggested, then she couldn’t tell him what she was doing here, just like he couldn’t tell her about The Champion Corporation’s plans to buy Blackstone Financial. So she said nothing – not the smartest thing to do in the world when your man caught you having dinner with your ex-boyfriend.
“Candice?”
“I—I can’t tell you why. It’s business. I’m sorry.”
“You know what? I’m sorry, too. This—us—I think this was one big mistake, Candice.”
“Mistake—?”
“Yes. There’s no way a relationship between us will work with all of these outside forces constantly working against us. I can’t tell you things. You can’t tell me things. You’re having secret meetups with your ex-boyfriend…this doesn’t feel right. Us not being able to discuss our work doesn’t feel right and then on top of an already confusing situation, your brothers don’t want you with anyone. I’ve never seen anything like it and quite frankly, I find it disturbing. Why wouldn’t your brothers want you to be happy?”
“They do.”
“No, they don’t. How did you think I found out about you being here? Do you think I was driving around and saw your car in the parking lot? Your brother, Barringer, told me you wanted to talk to me here. He must’ve known I’d see you and Quinton together, his way of plotting to break us up. Why? Because it’s what’s best for Blackstone Financial if we cut ties. And he’s right.”
“No, he’s not right Kurt.”
“He is, and until we figure out another way, I’m going back home.”
“So your solution is to leave me here to handle this all on my own.”
“It’s time you stood up to your brothers. Until then, there’s not much I can do. And I will not stick around and watch you have dinner with your ex-boyfriend. That’s for sure.”
“Kurt—”
“When you fix this dysfunction, talk to me,” he said as he continued walking away from her.
“Kurt, just wait a minute,” she said, but he kept on to his car.
Candice was so hurt, so angry, her hands were shaking. Did Barringer really do this? She’d only told Garrison about this blackmail dinner-meeting with Quinton. How did Barringer find out?
She got in the car, swallowed her emotions and called Garrison.
“Hey, how’d it go?”
“Not good. Gary, did you tell Barry about this?”
“Yeah, I told him.”
“Why? Why would you do that?”
“He said he wanted to know what was going on with you—something about you making wrong decisions for the company and I wanted to prove to him you’d do whatever it takes for this company, even if it meant meeting an ex-boyfriend you despised.”
“Wow. That’s—wow. I gotta go.”
Candice hung up the phone and drove straight to Barringer’s house. She pushed the doorbell too many times to count. Calista answered with baby Bella in her hands.
“Candy, what’s wrong?” she asked upon seeing the distress on her sister-in-law’s face.
“Where’s Barry?” she asked, stepping inside. Her face was red with agitation. Her eyes glistened over with tears anger had caused.
“What’s
going on?” Calista asked.
“Where is he, Cali?”
“What’s all the noise about?” Barringer asked, coming out of the kitchen with a drink in his hand wearing sweats.
“How could you do that to me, Barry?”
“What are you talking about?”
“You know what I’m talking about! You knew I was meeting up with Quinton—”
“You met up with Quinton?” Calista asked, frowning.
Candice continued, “So you sent Kurt there so he’d see me and Quinton together, all in an effort to break us up.”
“Unlike you, I’m doing what’s best for the company.”
“So it doesn’t matter if I’m unhappy or if you ruin my marriage…just so as long as the company is fine.”
“Listen—you should not have been meeting up with Quinton, anyway. If you would’ve told me what CheckMate was trying to do, I’d stopped it then and there.”
“Yeah, sure you would. I’m outta here.”
“Candy, wait,” Calista said.
“I can’t take this anymore, Calista. And you can find somebody else for my job, Barry because there’s no way I’m stepping a foot back in that building.”
Candice was already out the door when Calista looked at Barringer and said, “Why would you do that to her?”
Barry left the question up in the air as Calista hurried out the door to catch Candice as she was backing out of the driveway. Candice stopped and rolled down the window.
“Where are you going?” Calista asked.
“Anywhere but here.”
“Candy, you know how your brother is—”
“Yes, I know how he is and that’s why I’m done making excuses for him. I’m not doing it anymore. Not doing it for him, Gary, Everson, Bryson or my parents. I’m done! I’m tired of this. I’m out.”
“Where are you going?”
“I don’t know where I’m going. I just need to go. Bye.”
She backed out of the driveway and hit the gas.