by Deb Julienne
“Go ahead, but don’t say I didn’t warn you. I need air or something. My head is too cluttered with all this shit,” Travis said.
“I’ll go with you,” Trent said. “Maybe we’ll come up with something.”
Travis and Trent headed for the door.
“Just like that, you’re leaving?” she asked, arms out, palms up.
“We’ll be back,” they said in unison.
The door clinked behind them.
Chapter 9
Once inside the elevator, Travis thrust his hand deep into his coat pocket. The satin book cover made him think of Angel. He pulled his hand out fast. He couldn’t go there if he wanted to get through this conversation. “Okay, what’s really going on? I saw the look. Talk.”
“Andre, the general manager of spare parts, told me there was an issue at Wellington Aeronautics, something that was hushed. We need to go talk to Uncle Jack.” Trent bounced on his toes, his eyes glued to the digital display above the door.
Oh shit, he didn’t like this one bit. “What the hell does Uncle Jack have to do with this?”
“I’m not sure, but Andre said Jack would know more. I got the impression it had to do with the crash that killed Kat’s mom and dad.” Trent fidgeted with his keys.
A chill ran down his spine. “Why? What’d he say to make you think that?”
“First he asked what I knew about Sloan Prescott and his reputation. Then he asked if I’d heard anything about faulty spare parts. I put two and two together and came up plane crash.”
“Shit.”
“Exactly.”
The elevator opened to the underground parking lot. They climbed into Trent’s Jaguar.
Travis fastened his seatbelt and held on tight.
Trent wove through traffic as if he was racing at Le Mans.
“What are you thinking?” Travis clutched the dash when Trent took a corner too tight.
“If Sloan had anything to do with that crash I’m going to kill him myself.”
“I’ll help you. What about Kat? She’ll be devastated if she thinks Mom and Dad knew and didn’t tell her.”
“Yeah, I thought about that, too.”
They pulled into the parking garage of the Carmichael, Sprague, and Rossi Brokerage firm, Jack’s company, and took the elevator to the eighth floor.
Trent addressed the office administrator. “Is Jack Carmichael in?”
“He is. May I help you?”
“Please tell him his nephews are here.”
She buzzed Jack. “He said to go right in.”
They headed into the office.
With a wide smile, Jack leaned against his desk, legs crossed, hands clasped in front of him. “The devil must be dancing a jig and looking for souls if the two of you are together. To what do I owe this auspicious occasion?”
After a bear hug from Jack to each of the boys, Travis let Trent to take the lead.
“We need to talk, Jack.”
“Uh-oh, not a social call. Have a seat, boys.” Jack gestured to the seats in front of his desk.
Trent plopped in the one closest to the window. “What’s the deal with Mom, Dad, the Prescotts and forcing an arranged marriage down Travis’s throat?”
“I see.” Jack went around his desk. He opened and closed his mouth twice, dropped into his chair, and toyed with his mustache. “How much do you boys know?”
Travis leaned forward, elbows braced on the arms of the chair. Trent mirrored his posture. They answered as one, “Nothing.”
Jack laughed and straightened his pen beside his blotter. “About time you boys banded together. I was afraid those days were over.”
Feeling foolish, Travis shrugged and sat back.
Trent eyed him, their twin zing that hadn’t happened in years. They were of one mind. Words were unnecessary.
Jack steepled his hands and tapped his index fingers together. “This is great. I can’t tell you how proud I am you boys made amends.”
Whatever had been wedged between the twins was gone. The twin connection had been rekindled, everything copacetic between him and Trent. Now, if only he could say the same about Angel.
Trent laid his hand on Travis’s shoulder and their eyes met. The look said, “We’ll get there.” Trent peered at Jack then said, “We need some information and my sources say you’re the man with the answers.”
Jack sat forward, his voice strained but contained. “Name it. What’s up?”
Travis told Jack his history with Delaney, from the miscarriage to calling off the wedding after he overheard the conversation at the hospital. “Why the hell was it so important for me to marry Delaney? Do the Prescotts have something on the Wellingtons or Wellington Aeronautics?”
“Good question.” Jack rubbed his chin with his knuckle like a boxer.
“What’s the answer?” Trent folded his hands in his lap.
“Not sure, but I have my suspicions.” Jack rubbed his earlobe.
“And—” Travis was going nuts.
Jack took two deep breaths. “It’s not a simple answer. And mind you, it’s only speculation, but it’s the only thing that makes sense.”
“Jack, don’t keep us in suspense,” Trent said.
“I can count on this staying between us, right, boys? Because if this gets back to Kat, I’m telling you there will be hell to pay. You know how she is.”
“I’m officially nervous,” Trent said.
“Nervous? Hell, I’m scared shitless. Jack, what’s going on?” Travis loosened his tie.
“Boys, this is hard for me. I don’t keep secrets from Kat. She’s like my own daughter, but if she gets wind of this, we’re all screwed. Do I have your promise?”
“Of course,” Trent said.
Travis nodded.
“Two weeks before the plane crash that took Kat’s parents, George, my mechanic, came to me and said he wanted authorization to take my plane out of commission and replace some parts.”
“How does your plane, the crash, and my marriage connect?” Travis pinched the bridge of his nose. He felt a headache coming on. This conversation was leading somewhere and it was not something he wanted to tackle.
“I’m getting to that. I told George to do whatever was necessary. Once he was done, he came back and said that apparently some of the parts on the plane had been faulty, parts from Wellington Aeronautics.”
“What?” If his parents were responsible for the death of Kat’s, he would never be able to face her again. The only thing keeping him from going ballistic was that Jack remained calm.
Trent gripped the chair arms. “Go on.”
“George inspected the parts. They were inferior. I put in a call to Prescott at the parts plant and told him to pull the parts and issue a recall. Instead of listening to me, he went to your dad. Martin assigned a research team to inspect the parts to make sure. In the meantime, Clarissa and Kent’s plane went down.”
Travis’s heart stuttered. He couldn’t believe it. “Oh, dear God. Wellington Aeronautics was responsible for the crash?”
Jack put his hands up. “No. Wait. Slow down. Let me finish. I initiated the wreckage search. A part of me was so angry with Prescott. I was looking to find fault with him alone. But then a whole new fight started because after Clarissa and Kent’s deaths, your folks tried to take control of Kat’s shares of the company.”
Travis and Trent exchanged glances.
“Right before Kat’s twenty-first birthday, her folks changed their will. Instead of your parents being the executors, they put Kat in charge with me as secondary. When they died, your mom, bless her heart, tried to take charge. Kat fought her. Camille found out she and Martin were no longer executors and had a snit. Their reactions worried me. I feared for Kat’s life. My first thought was sabotage, that your parents wanted Clarissa and Kent out of the way. They didn’t count on Kat turning over Grantham Industries for me to run. She wanted no part of it. She sits on the board, but that’s it.”
“I’m confused.” Tre
nt’s face had lost all color. “Was Wellington Aeronautics responsible or not?”
Travis’s blood ran cold. What the hell was going on?
“Their crash was a fluke, if you can call it that. However, there were still problems. After Martin found out about my inspection of Kent’s plane, he tried to hush me up. Combine that with Prescotts refusal to recall the parts and the whole thing looks suspicious.”
Trent frowned and opened his mouth to speak.
Jack held up his hand and continued. “Camille was furious that I suspected a problem and tried to put the blame on me. She said I was trying to take everything away from her. I was concerned for the loss of my best friend and his wife, but I made sure to protect Kat from what I suspected.
“I can’t believe Mom and Dad would try to cover up something so horrible and tragic,” Trent said.
“So Kat has no idea that for a short time you suspected our folks?” Travis asked.
“Hell no! If she thought Wellington Aeronautics was responsible, she’d have come unglued.”
“Why is that any of Mom’s business?” Trent asked. “I mean it’s Dad’s business, not hers. And what about the crash? You’d think she’d want to know who was responsible. And last but not least, why would she try to marry us off to Delaney Prescott?
“Slow down. Your father is Wellington Enterprise, as much as Kent Grantham was Grantham Industries. Even though Camille and Clarissa were sisters, they were very competitive about everything, from their husbands, to their homes, to their kids. They didn’t see eye to eye on many things, you kids being the main bone of contention between them.” Jack’s snicker rumbled into laughter.
“What?” the boys asked simultaneously.
“Clarissa told Camille to lighten up on you boys and Camille told Clarissa to put a harness on Kat. I remember that fight. It was the year before Kent and Clarissa’s crash. It was one of the few times Camille and Clarissa were hammered.” Jack threw his head back and laughed, holding his stomach.
Travis couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
“We were all sitting around the pool in the Hamptons, and Kent was telling us about the new jet he’d just bought. Your mother was having none of it. Camille couldn’t stand it and made a crack about how Martin should order a bigger one. The next thing you know Camille and Carissa were on each other, bitching about the three of you kids. Before Kent and Martin could stop them, they were at each other’s throats and fell into the pool.” Jack wiped his eyes.
“No shit?” Trent’s eyes widened and he started laughing.
Travis didn’t find it the least bit amusing. “Somehow I can’t see our mother in a cat fight, not even with her own sister. She always has to be so damned prim and proper.” Travis was furious. Everything was always about appearances, yet she hadn’t maintained that same decorum with her own sister, and now she was gone.
“Let’s just say at the time of the crash, the sisters weren’t speaking. Camille felt guilty for not fixing things while she had a chance. She wanted to take care of Kat, but you know Kat. She has a mind of her own. The last thing she was going to do was listen to Camille.”
“No kidding.” Trent chuckled. “Can you imagine Mom trying to tell Kat what to do?”
“Yeah right.” Travis cringed.
“Needless to say, your mother’s nose was out of joint. Your father was pissed at me for even considering they were culpable.” Jack unlocked his file drawer, withdrew a file then thumbed through it. “But the truth of the matter is that Prescott knew about the inferior parts all along. He was in charge of the Spare Parts Division. He’d contracted a new manufacturer, who used inferior metals to save money. Once they were found to be faulty, instead of recalling them, he kept quiet.” Jack handed a letter to Trent. “I suspect some money changed hands but I couldn’t prove it. By the time Martin investigated, Prescott threatened to go to the press with the cover-up. Next thing I heard Roselyn Prescott had announced Delaney and Travis’s engagement. I believe it was Prescott’s way of sealing the cover-up. His daughter for his silence about the scandal.”
Trent read the letter and handed it to Travis.
Travis scanned the page. No doubt about it, faulty parts had been contracted. “Son of a bitch.”
“Since you appeared amicable about the match, the feud was over. But that was before you came to your senses, boy. Glad it happened. I didn’t cotton to the idea of you being saddled with a clone of Roselyn.” Jack’s gaze shifted from Trent to Travis.
“Too bad I was so out of it I couldn’t see what was happening.”
“What are you going to do about it now?” Jack asked.
“It’s over, Jack. I’m done with Delaney.”
“Don’t be so sure. The Prescotts aren’t done with you, even if you’re done with Delaney. You had better have a good strong backbone ready because I wouldn’t put it past them to blackmail your parents. Sloan Prescott wants the head office in Europe and nothing is going to stop him from getting it.”
“Based on everything I’ve heard, I wouldn’t want Sloan balancing my checkbook,” Travis said.
“I agree, but that’s up to Dad. I’m glad I walked away.” Trent swore.
Travis handed back the letter. “Can I get copies of your file on the incident?”
“Sure. I still have shares in Wellington Aeronautics and I’m on the board of Wellington International, and I oversee Kat’s shares. Maybe it’s time I pay a visit to Martin and have a heart-to-heart talk with him.” Jack took the letter, put it back in the file, and locked it up in his desk.
“Let me talk to Dad. Just get me copy of everything.”
“You got it.” Jack checked his watch. “I have a meeting. Can it wait a day? I want to make sure I have everything.”
“Sure, just call me when it’s ready,” Travis said.
“Dad’s in need of a come-to-Jesus meeting. Mom, too.” Trent raised his chin.
“Good luck. I’ll get back to you. In the meantime, you boys have enough on your plates. Trent, give your beautiful wife my best.”
“Will do, and thanks, Jack, for always being there for us kids,” Trent stood, shaking his pants legs out.
Travis did the same.
“Travis, are you dating that beautiful girl you ran off with at Trent’s wedding?”
“I’m working on it. Now we have this glitch, I’m afraid it’s going to cause some havoc.”
“Get on with your life. You’re a good man. I’m proud of you,” Jack gave them both a bear hug.
“Thanks, Jack. It’s nice to know I matter to one of the adults in my life.” Travis made his way to the door.
Trent and Jack followed more slowly.
“You matter to your folks, too, but in this instance, they’re about due for a kick in the keister.”
“Be my guest.” Travis laughed.
“How about dinner at the club one night?” Jack asked.
“Sounds good,” Trent and Travis said simultaneously.
Jack looked at both of them and laughed. “It’s nice to have you two back. I’ll let you know if I hear anything.”
Trent dropped Travis off at Kat’s apartment to pick up his car. He called Kat and offered to take her to dinner, but she was busy figuring out her classes for the coming semester. The day had been filled with too much chaos. He was ready for a drink. But he’d quit, so he settled for a late dinner alone. Maybe room service. On second thought no—too much of a reminder of his one and only night with Angel.
Suddenly, he was craving a hot fudge sundae.
* * * *
The next morning, Angel opened the store and got herself set for the day. While she was watering the gardenia Travis had given her, the bell over the door tinkled. She took a whiff of one of the blooms, her mind on Travis, not customers. She’d pushed him away to focus on business. Business first and foremost. “Welcome to Angeline’s. Can I help you with something?”
“Just browsing.” The woman pulled her sunglasses low on her nose and glared
at Angel over the top. Once she’d sized Angel up and down, she pushed her Bvlgari sunglasses back into place and strolled deeper into the store. Her long dark brown hair swayed with every step.
The woman wasn’t from around here, East Coast by the look of her designer outfit. Model, maybe, sporting a size two Ann Taylor super sexy black sheath of a dress and matching Jimmy Choo’s with four-inch heels.
Jill sashayed in and dropped her bag behind the counter. “What’s on the agenda for the day, boss?”
Angel chuckled. “None of that now.”
Jill leaned in and whispered, “Who’s the snob?”
“She just came in. Browsing.”
Jill pushed the tip of her nose up. “I half expect a miniature teacup poodle to pop its head out of that black Prada Saffiano tote. She looks the type.”
“Stop.” Angel laughed and swatted at Jill, but she couldn’t agree more.
“Kat and I were talking last night and we think you need to seriously consider the book club. Between the sex kitten book you showed us and the others you mentioned, we could choose a slow night of the week and hold a book club meeting.”
“I’m not sure. I’m just not convinced there’d be enough interest.” Angel had sold all the sex kitten books she’d put on the counter, so she’d brought out six more and placed them on the front counter. Five stacked with the top one standing for display. She only hoped the others would sell as well.
“Show me the other two you mentioned,” Jill said.
Angel went into the storeroom, brought out the books, and handed them to Jill.
Jill thumbed through them, whistling and commenting on several of the pages. “Damn, these are great. With these three books, the new spring line you’re expecting, plus the order you placed the other day for toys, we’d have a great book club meeting.”
“You’ll have to convince me we can actually pull in the customers for this.”
“You’re underestimating your client base. For one thing, the folks at the home would love the idea. Think about it. They’d love the lessons. Hell, let the Blue-Haired Brigade be your guinea pigs. If they like it, so will everyone else. Here, I’ll prove it to you.”