At least Rach still had her work. And she still had King’s.
Her pensive mood left a fog over the design room and the others hadn’t pressed when she didn’t join them for lunch the last few afternoons.
She needed time on her own to heal. Forgiveness for Grammy would come in time. Temporary insanity had ruined the woman, that she could understand. “Love,” she nearly spat the word. There was no such thing as true love. Not in her life.
Rach could make it through the days well enough by working. The nights cramped in a small wedge of a space in the spare room at the Duchess’s guesthouse and surrounded by piles of her grandmother’s boxes didn’t bode well for sleep. However, her mind throbbed with questions. Every day. Every minute.
Logan.
What would she do without him? Could she avoid seeing him forever? And, if not, would she survive when she did? She practically snorted thinking of rooming in his grandmother’s guesthouse for the rest of her life. The three single ladies roaming the property seemed pathetic at the moment. “No, not happening.”
And the holidays? They’d always spent them together, the mashed-up families of the last remaining members of the Darlings and Wolfes.
The backs of her eyes stung.
They’d only been the four of them. Now, she swallowed hard. It would be the Dame and the Duchess. Surely, he’d send his grandmother off on another grand adventure, possibly join in.
But not her. She’d plead work or sickness.
Her heart just couldn’t take another blow.
Hot tears rolled from the corners of her eyes and plopped on the leather. She brushed them away, but they rushed harder and faster now.
“Dang it!”
Rach looked high and low for a tissue, upending her sketches and swatches. Turning, she came face-to-face with the draped mannequin. The white sheet she’d tossed over it the morning after Logan walked out still covered it.
It taunted her.
This is your new life, Rach! Minus Logan.
In the back of her mind, she’d envisioned wearing this for him. In the ad. At the ball. Now, neither would ring true.
God, the ads! How could she have forgotten? How could she look at them or him in them?
A shrill ring rent the air, making her jump. She searched for the phone and nabbed a tissue along the way. It stopped.
“Good, I didn’t want to talk to anyone anyway,” she muttered. But it’s slicing sound went off again and she unearthed it from her tote bag. “Okay, I’m here,” she answered.
“Rachael Elizabeth?”
There were only two people she knew who called her that and this wasn’t her grandmother. “Claire? Is Grammy all right?”
A beat went by. “I don’t know.” She cleared her throat. “I’m calling to let you know the lease on the penthouse condo isn’t up for another month. You and the grandmothers are invited to stay there for the duration. They’ve accepted.”
“I’m fine at the guesthouse.”
“He’s leaving.”
Rach’s legs gave way. Reaching out, she found a nearby short stool and sank down onto it. Her voice failed her.
“Tonight.”
“The ball? It’s tomorrow night.”
“A car is scheduled to pick up the three of you.”
“No need.” She could barely breathe now. This was too real. One of the biggest nights of her life and her best friend wouldn’t be there with her to celebrate. No, the love of her life wouldn’t be there.
“Are you sure?” Claire whispered. “I know this is difficult for you. He didn’t tear it completely apart, you know.”
“I don’t understand.” What was the woman talking about? Of course, he did. He ripped out her heart. His lies spilled over from business to personal. What better way to get her to follow along then to hoodwink her?
There was a rustling noise on the other end. “He’s in his office, so I’ll make this quick. The warehouse is gone. Lost in all the mess. But the workers. He didn’t fire them or lay them off. He paid all back wages and even gave them more while waiting for the contract you signed to take effect. He didn’t want to lose them. It’s in the deal he structured. Didn’t you read the fine print? They work for King’s now, crafting your designs. Who better to make RED products then the people who always have? They know you and know what you want. He kept that intact. For you.”
The words rocked her. “He never said.”
“Oh, Logan, yes. I’ll be right there…” The phone clicked in her ear.
Her ears buzzed long after she hung up.
She couldn’t think straight any longer. Who was he? Friend or foe?
***
With a weight in his chest, Logan packed up the last of the files. He came across the stunning red and gold invitation to the ball. His gaze automatically dropped to Rach’s name. Pride swelled. And then despair.
Would he ever stop hurting from losing her?
“Movers are coming in the morning to take the office furniture. Phones will be disconnected by the afternoon.” Claire checked off items on her list as she sat across from his desk.
“Here,” he said with a catch in his voice. “You use this.”
“Huh?” She eyed it closely when he handed it over. “Logan?”
“Did you call Mrs. Darling to come by and sign off on the sublease for the office space?”
“I’m here now,” she said, stepping into the room, looking regal and all businesswoman in her navy-blue suit and pearls. It was a far cry from how she looked when she and his grandmother dropped in the other night. “Claire…how can I ever ask you to forgive me?”
The assistant gave Logan a sharp look, and then sighed wearily. Getting up and facing her, she said, “I think nearly twenty years of working together should have been enough to trust me.”
“You’re right. I’m beside myself with guilt and shame. It was more like I didn’t trust myself or my own judgment. He fed me such lies. And I pushed that on you. Someday, maybe?”
Her eyes were watery and it hit Logan in his gut. She wasn’t a bad person, just misguided by emotions. Hadn’t he denied them for that very same reason? Thoughts of Rach blasted through his mind. Again. Still. A hollow ache rattled in his core.
“Those years go both ways, Dame,” Claire said quietly. “I was here to help you grow this business and to watch Rachael Elizabeth go from a young girl to a woman. You were there for me when I needed a job and you were there for me up until that fool came into your life and between us. I’m working on it. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some of my own packing to do.” She rushed out of the room.
Silence stretched.
“It’s not the same anymore,” she whispered, gazing around.
“Your belongings are stored at my grandmother’s. The last of the bulky furnishings from your home will join them shortly.”
“Not just things, Logan.” She moved closer and gingerly sat down where Claire had recently been. Running her hand over the desk, she gave a little smile. “It’s just a thing that I attached so much meaning to. Like the house, too.”
“I could have easily bought it.” The grim truth sat like cement between them.
Her laugh, rusty and short, shot out. “I think that’s what bothered me the most. You didn’t want to save me.”
“Not my style, Dame,” he said, taking a seat. “Is this confession time?” His grin was forced.
“Why not?” She frowned.
“You have some spunk left in you, I see.” He sized her up, a striking woman in her late sixties who had made a huge success out of nothing. That he admired. But there were problems he had with her. “My grandfather.”
Those two words echoed in the room. Her eyes went wide for a moment. “He was a good man. Worked hard at his accounting firm. The bean counter, as the Duchess called him.”
The nickname got a smile out of him. His grandfather would blush at the teasing endearment from his wife. One of the few things he’d visibly reacted to in their marriage.
“Provided well for his family. Loved the Duchess, as much as he could show to her or anyone. Stoic. Closed off. The most sane among us all. You’re very much like him, you know? Except when you’re with my granddaughter. You’re different. More approachable. Almost human.”
He did his best to ignore what she’d said about Rach and him. It hurt too damn much to admit how she made him come to life. And how hollow he was without her. “And your husband? Decent guy, but not good at the rest.”
“Gambled. Risked so much.” Her chin trembled. “There were so many nights I stayed awake and worried. Would he lose his paycheck? Would he still have enough for the rent? I was a woman shackled by the times.”
“Until he passed away,” he said gently, seeing the rush of emotions distort her features. A trickle of wonder slowly seeped in at the real woman sitting in front of him. Never had she revealed so much with just a look.
“My hell and my salvation. I had Rachael Elizabeth. I had to survive. For both of us.”
“And the bookies? You had his gambling debt to pay off—”
“How? You figured it out?!” She seemed to sink into herself.
“Most of the ledgers weren’t for your expenses. There were too many and always the same amount. By that time, you were making a small living for yourself and Rach sewing in the factory. No rent to pay when you stayed in the guesthouse helped you.” He’d pieced together the pattern along with the IOU. “He was going to Vegas to try to win you a better life. He died. My grandfather stepped in and paid off the bookies. Thus, your payments to him long before you started Darling Enterprises.”
“You didn’t tell her.”
“We haven’t spoken.” That tore him apart. God, he missed her so much he ached.
“Her trip changed her.”
“That’s a good thing.”
“Is it?”
“Dame, admit it—she had to grow up. You couldn’t keep her sheltered for the rest of her life.”
She sucked in a breath, looking at the empty surface of the credenza. “Especially when it all was falling apart right before my very eyes.” Reaching out, she turned the lone picture frame toward her and studied it. “Beautiful, isn’t she? She would have been strong enough. I know that. Now. I don’t think she’ll ever get over…you.”
Looking up quickly, she caught his stare. He grew uncomfortable at the intense scrutiny.
Slowly, she rose and then handed over the precious photo. She said, “Or you her.”
“Rach is better off on her own.” But was he?
Her smile expanded in degrees until it mocked him. “I get it. You refused to help me because I was only hindering her. By pushing her out of the nest, you wanted her to fly. Protecting her was always your goal. Even if it were from me and my foolhardy ways.” She sighed. “I feel better now.”
“Really? Because I don’t.”
“You shouldn’t.” She strode to the door and then halted to turn to him. “Isn’t it about time you let yourself love her?”
Chapter 17
“Found her,” the guard said as he keyed his mic. Static reigned and then a short, clipped answer came back over his radio.
“Huh? What are you doing here? Is it that late already?” Rach jerked up from the finishing touches on the hem for Peg’s gorgeous midnight-blue gown.
“Early. Friday nights are always hectic. Miss Charlie’s been looking for you.” He waved a hand to the corner of the room. “Don’t you answer the phone?”
“Last time was a doozy, Bruno.” She gathered her sewing tools and stood.
“Bad news?” He shook his head. “You know, I got an amateur degree in psychology for working here all these years. I’ve seen it and heard it all. Can’t shock me. Nope, not one bit. You ever need to talk—I work for food. Got it?”
“Sounds like a plan.” She smiled, liking him the instant she’d met him last week. He’d taken her fingerprints and did a security check on her, making her laugh at his antics.
“She’ll be up in a few. Little Mama.” He shook his head. “The heart and soul of this place.” He swiped under his eye. “Don’t get me started now, you hear?” Bruno tapped his chest. “Gets me right here. Every time. Family. That’s what we got here at King’s because of Miss Charlie.”
Swallowing hard, she nodded, and then made herself busy by clearing off the nearby worktable.
“Before you get me all weepy and choked up, I better go. Get some rest now. I signed up for security tomorrow night. I wanna see you in that pretty red gown I’ve been hearing about.” His voiced faded as he walked down the hall.
Rach glanced over at the covered mannequin.
“There you are.” Charlie rushed in, out of breath. She lugged in a large portfolio.
“Here. Sit.”
“You, Miss Darling, missed our meeting.” Charlie placed the covered items on the table and scooted up on a stool. “Phew! That’s what I get for rushing.”
“Meeting?” Rach squinted to the calendar over her desk and winced at the big, red circle for today. “Completely slipped my mind.”
“And why won’t it? You’ve been working full-out to help get our gowns done in time. Thank you. You didn’t have to with so much on your plate. I do appreciate the extra hands.”
Tilting her head toward Peg’s dress, she said, “Last one done.”
Charlie nodded to her draped mannequin. “Yours, too?”
She blew out a breath. “The thing is…I’m not really sure about it.” Pulling up a stool, she sat down. Her debut may end up being a disaster.
“Need help?”
“You’ve heard.” Bad news traveled fast.
“Your grandmother is a very interesting woman. So is the Duchess.” She giggled.
Her lips twitched. “Oh, no. Save yourself from the Grans.” Her heart hitched. Only Logan and she called them that.
“For some odd reason, they think Griffin and I can fix this.”
“Griffin? Like in, the boss, Griffin?” She almost shuddered. “He doesn’t strike me as the go-to guy for that kind of stuff,” she added quickly.
“You should have seen him when I first met him.” Her smile widened. “My stepsister has done wonders.”
“I can’t wait to meet her. Finally.”
“Stepmother has run the poor girl ragged with all the fussy last minute things. But, we are getting off topic here.” Looking her square in the eye, she said, “Logan Wolfe.”
“Let’s just say he’s living up to his last name.” Maybe he always had and she was the last to figure it out.
“You think? Hmm…I didn’t get that.” She shrugged. “I’m not allowed to say, since it’s confidential; however, his paycheck for the ad campaign was, let’s say, not made out to him.”
“He didn’t get paid?”
“Directly.” She held up her hands. “Read your contracts, my dear. It’s all there in black and white.”
She groaned. “I’ve never been good with the legal stuff and numbers things.” Curious, she wondered who did get the money. It was sizable, she recalled by his brief, to-the-point negotiations with Griffin that day.
“You’ll learn. It’s part of being a businesswoman. Either that or you build a great support team around you. Now.” She unzipped the portfolio and withdrew the items. “Would you like to see your ads? After all, you get final approval on them. I’d like to get at least one if not more signed off on and we can blow them up for the ball tomorrow night. Ready?”
Holding her breath, Rach braced herself. “I guess so. And I suppose this means I have to attend the big event.”
“No way out, my darling,” she said, grinning. “If I have to go to stepmother’s and watch her and her new husband the Colonel—good guy, by the way—holding and talking baby talk to Mr. Puddles, the scrappy dog, you do, too. It’s a family thing.”
Chuckling and fighting back a well of tears, she said, “Misery loves company, is that your new motto?”
“Found out.” With a great dea
l of care, she presented the first photo attached to a board.
A shot of her in the long, red silk robe with the hood on climbing a stark white grand staircase had her gasping. “Wow! That’s me?”
“Brilliant, don’t you think?”
“Two colors. Yet, stunning…”
“Oh, wait. You haven’t seen the others.”
A close-up of her, half turned to the camera, looked back at her now. The red hood framing her face and the blue of her eyes and just a glimpse of her dark hair peeking out grabbed her. “Somehow, I know that’s me, but it doesn’t seem real.” Her modeling for Darling Enterprises had never been this intense or personal.
“It does take awhile to get used to.”
There were a few more in rapid succession of her in slightly different poses with her finger against her lips, as if asking someone off camera to keep her secret. Now she stood at a large set of white doors at the top of the stairs, pressing her hand against it. Then it cracked open. Only part of a man could be seen in an expensive black tux.
“Logan.” She breathed out his name and hurried to see the next one. His hand reached out, yet his face was still hidden.
The day of the shoot rushed back and she recalled how hesitant she’d been to touch him, to place her hand in his. Now, they’d captured that innocent gesture, making it far more alluring. Large. Warm. Strong.
Was he her knight or her devil? it seemed to ask.
She crossed the threshold with his assistance and entered a world of nearly blinding gold and opulence. The feelings of that day struck again. Fear and awe warred in her.
Her fingers trembled as she flipped to the next and the next, a snapshot of each step she’d taken and a sliver of the story unfolding before her. Finally, she was in that large white velvet chair, she in the red cape a stark contrast.
“These were not in the storyline,” Charlie said softly. “I thought you needed to see them for yourself.”
Logan stood behind her and she’d leaned back, tired at the time. His tanned hand against her pale cheek made her insides quiver. To feel them again!
“His expression,” she pointed out.
once upon a romance 09 - hoodwinked by a wolfe Page 11