Dealmaker, Heartbreaker (Wickham Falls Weddings Book 5)

by Rochelle Alers

  * * *

  Viviana sat on the window seat in her bedroom watching rivulets of rain slide down the windows. It had been raining steadily for three days, and her mood matched the weather. It was more than six weeks since Noah had walked out of the house and her life. Mya had called, inviting her to come over, but she had used so many excuses that she struggled to come up with another. She didn’t want Giles’s wife to ask her about Noah because she didn’t want to bring the woman into something about which she might not have knowledge. Every family had its secrets, and Giles might not have made his wife privy to those closely held secrets.

  She knew she had to get up and prepare something to eat, but all she wanted to do was crawl back into bed and pull the covers up over her head, just as she’d done as a child when she’d heard her mother pleading with her father to go get help. Viviana hadn’t known the kind of help he needed, but apparently it was very important to Annette because whenever he walked out, she would cry inconsolably.

  Get it together, girl. Remember, you’re a survivor. Her inner voice was talking to her again, and she slipped off the window seat and went downstairs to the kitchen to fix what she thought of as comfort food: chili. She picked up a can of kidney beans from a shelf in the pantry when the doorbell chimed throughout the first floor. The B and B was still closed, and she wondered who was at the door.

  She peered through a curtain to find the figure of a tall man. There was something about him that looked familiar, and then she recognized him when he looked back her. Edward Wainwright hadn’t called her but had come to see her. She unlocked the door and saw lines of strain extending from his nose to his mouth.

  He smiled, but it looked more like a grimace. “May I come in?”

  “Yes. Please.” Even though she wanted to hate the man for what he had done to her and Noah, she couldn’t.

  Edward wiped his feet on the thick mat and then set down his leather carry-on. “I was wondering if the B and B is open, and if you have an available room for the night.”

  Viviana didn’t know whether to laugh or order the man off her property. She decided on the former. “Yes, I do happen to have an available room. Please come with me, and I’ll show you.”

  “After I change, I think we need to talk.”

  She glanced at him over her shoulder. “What about, Edward?”

  “About my sins. About how I did something, despite knowing how Noah feels about anything that’s immoral. Of all of my children, he’s the one with the most integrity, and I failed him.”

  “I was just about to put up a pot of chili, and if you want some, then I’ll make enough for the two of us.”

  The sparkle was back in the blue eyes when he smiled. “That’s good.”

  * * *

  Over bowls of chili with ground beef and topped with diced onions and shredded pepper-jack cheese, Edward disclosed everything that had transpired, from the time Noah had told him about failing to get the permits to turning the matter over to the company’s investigator. “If I’d believed it would lead to me losing my son and him losing you, I never would’ve done it.”

  Reaching across the table, Viviana patted the back of his heavily veined hand. “We all make mistakes, Edward. It’s only when we don’t acknowledge them that we’re burdened with guilt.”

  “Do you forgive me for what I’ve done?”

  She nodded, smiling. “When I opened the door and saw you standing there, I forgave you because I knew it must have taken a lot of courage for you to come down here to see me. Now, why don’t you go upstairs and go to sleep. You look tired.”

  “I’m more than tired, child. I’m exhausted.” He flashed a sad smile. “Now I know why Noah fell in love with you. You have a forgiving heart. And you’re a hell of a cook.”

  “Good night, Edward.”

  She watched him walk out of the kitchen. Pushing to her feet, she picked up her cell phone and tapped Noah’s number. He picked up on the first ring.

  “I know.”

  “What do you know?” she asked.

  “I know that Edward was coming to see you.”

  “How did you know?”

  “My mother called and told me. When she found out what he’d done, she called her lawyer and told him to draw up divorce papers. She told him it was the last time she was going to let him mess with her kids. I suppose Dad got the message and he told her he was coming to see you.”

  “Where are you, Noah?”

  “I’ve been staying with Giles and Mya.”

  “You mean to tell me you’ve been in The Falls all this time?”

  “Yeah. Mya has been trying to get you to come over, but you wouldn’t bite.”

  “That’s because I didn’t want to involve her in our mess.”

  “Mya knows the whole sordid story about the Wainwrights, so you don’t have to concern yourself about telling tales out of school.”

  “When am I going to see you?”

  “I’m going to stay here until Giles comes back from the Bahamas. Then you’ll need to get a suite ready because when I move in, I’m not moving out.”

  Her smile was dazzling. “And I don’t want you to move out. Your Dad is upstairs sleeping in one of the suites for guests. I’m going to try to convince him to hang out here for a few days so he gets a little country.”

  “It’s going to take a lot to get the city out of Edward, but if anybody can get him to change, then you can.”

  “He says he likes my cooking.”

  “I like your cooking, your sexy mouth and your—”

  “Don’t you dare say it on an open line. I’ll be here whenever Giles gets back.”

  “Viv?”

  “What, Noah?”

  “I love you to death.”

  “That goes double for me.”

  Epilogue

  A year later...

  Viviana looped her arm over Noah’s shoulder as she posed for photos for those who’d come to their engagement party. The brilliant spring sun fired the large diamond on her left hand. Every room in the B and B and the two guesthouses were filled with Wainwrights. And Giles and Mya had opened their own home to accommodate the overflow.

  Christiane had wanted to host the party at the Fifth Avenue mansion, but Viviana had insisted they come to The Falls to see what it was about the town that now counted two Wainwrights among their citizenry.

  Leland and Angela had driven up with the twins from North Carolina, and her father had come down from Philadelphia to help her celebrate one of the happiest days of her life—thus far. She and Noah had planned to marry Christmas Day on Emerald Cove, and both sides of the family were expected to attend.

  She smiled up at her fiancé, looking dapper in his suit jacket. “I love you,” she whispered for his ears only.

  He winked at her. “Love you more.”

  “Look this way,” a woman’s voice called out, and Viviana turned her head to smile at her future sister-in-law who snapped their picture. A smile parted her lips when she saw her brother laughing at something Emory had said.

  At that moment she knew nothing was more important than family, and when she married Noah, the Remingtons would become part of a large extended family and afforded the same privileges as the Wainwrights. And when she exchanged vows with Noah, it would become the sweetest deal they would ever seal.

  * * *

  Look for the next Wickham Falls Weddings book

  in September 2019!

  And be sure to check out these other

  great stories by Rochelle Alers:

  Twins for the Soldier

  The Sheriff of Wickham Falls

  Her Wickham Falls SEAL

  Claiming the Captain’s Baby

  Available now from Harlequin Special Edition!

  Keep reading for an excerpt from A Fortunate Arrangement by Nancy Robards Thomps
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  A Fortunate Arrangement

  by Nancy Robards Thompson

  Chapter One

  Austin Fortune almost missed the plain white envelope at the bottom of the stack of papers his assistant Felicity Schafer had set on his desk. After he’d read the letter, he wished he’d never seen it and for a moment, he considered pretending as if he hadn’t read it.

  Maybe it would just disappear.

  Instead, the reality of it danced around him like illuminated dust motes.

  Felicity, his gatekeeper, his right hand, the person who kept him organized and on track ahead of the fray, had tendered her resignation.

  “Is this a bad joke?” he muttered aloud, trying it on for size.

  But no. Even though Felicity was good-natured, it would’ve been out of character for her to kid around about something like this.

  “She’s leaving me.” Uttering the words out loud made it sound personal. It wasn’t personal—it was work, but it sure felt personal.

  He looked up from the note and watched her through the glass wall of his office. She was engrossed in something on her computer. He didn’t know what. He could see her in profile. Her head was bowed over her keyboard, her dark blond hair a curtain hiding her face.

  What the hell was he supposed to do without her? Every morning when he got to the office, she had a daily briefing typed up and waiting for him on his desk along with his coffee and a smoothie with energy booster. She remembered birthdays, anniversaries and the minutiae of family and client particulars that elevated and solidified his business relationships and could prove costly if forgotten. She was always game for brainstorming new concepts and abstract business angles. Ultimately assisting with client presentations.

  Plain and simple, Felicity made him look good and was always there to help him succeed.

  It wasn’t just a matter of hiring someone new. Felicity was a rare find. She had an uncanny ability to anticipate his every need—even before he knew what he needed. In all fairness, he paid her well and she seemed happy. So, why was she leaving him?

  He skimmed the letter again looking for clues, but in true Felicity form, it was short and to the point:

  Dear Austin,

  Please accept this letter as notification that I am leaving my position with Fortune Investments at the end of the month.

  I’ve left the date open, so I can be of assistance during the transition.

  Sincerely,

  Felicity Schafer

  Austin reread the note twice more, making sure he’d read it right. Once he’d absorbed it, he had a good idea of how he might fix it. He pressed the button on the intercom.

  “Felicity, could you come into my office, please?”

  “Sure.”

  A moment later, she was standing in his doorway.

  “What do you need?” she asked.

  “If you wanted a raise,” he said, “all you had to do was ask.”

  She wrinkled her nose. “A raise?”

  “Of course, you just had your half-year review and got a bump in salary, but if it wasn’t enough, if you want more money, we can talk about it.”

  She gave her head a quick shake. “Who said anything about a raise?”

  He picked up her letter. “I thought maybe that’s what this was about. I mean why else would you resign?”

  Her cheeks flushed, and her mouth fell open before she snapped it shut, into a thin line and folded her arms across her chest. She looked at him as if he had insulted her.

  How could offering someone more money be insulting?

  He leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms, mirroring her posture.

  “Austin, you’ve always been generous when it comes to my salary. But I’m graduating with my MBA at the end of the month. I don’t need a graduate degree to be someone’s personal assistant. It’s time I moved on.”

  “Do you have another job?”

  “No, not yet. I’m going to start interviewing soon. I wanted to be up-front with you about it.”

  “Thanks,” he said.

  She flinched. He realized he might have sounded sarcastic. Maybe a very small part of him had meant it that way. Was he supposed to be happy he was losing her?

  He raked his hand through his hair. This was not the way he wanted to start his Friday. It certainly wasn’t the way he wanted to end his week.

  He gestured for her to sit down in one of the chairs on the other side of his desk.

  She sat and folded her hands in her lap. “I’ve loved working for you and Fortune Investments, but I’ve worked hard to get this degree.”

  He didn’t say anything because he was afraid what he wanted to say would sound wrong. He’d always prided himself on being fair.

  “I hope you can understand that I want more than being someone’s secretary for the rest of my working life,” she went on. “Because that’s what I am. We can dress it up and call me your assistant, but when it comes down to it, I’m your secretary. It’s been a great job, but now I need more.”

  He held up his hand.

  “I get it,” he said. “I do. Congratulations on accomplishing this, Felicity. I’m happy for you. I know how hard you’ve worked. You’re smart and you’re creative and I understand that a person with an MBA is way overqualified to be a personal assistant. You’d be wasting your potential staying in this position. But that doesn’t make it any easier for me because I don’t want to lose you.”

  He held her gaze and her expression softened.

  “I mean did you expect me not to be upset about the prospect of losing you?” He held up his hand again to signal that the question was rhetorical. “But that’s me being selfish. This isn’t about me. It’s about you. What do you want to do with your degree?”

  “My undergraduate degree is in advertising. I’ve always wanted to work in that field.”

  “You’d be good at it,” he said. “You’d be good at anything you decided to do.”

  Her cheeks turned pink again. She looked down and then back up at him.

  “Is there anything I can do to convince you to stay with Fortune Investments?”

  “I don’t know. Are there any opportunities here?”

  “What if I talk to Miles and see if we can create a position for you? I’m not making any promises, but would you consider staying if we could come up wi
th something?”

  Felicity smiled. “It depends. Would it mean doing advertising work in addition to everything I do for you?”

  Austin laughed. “You know me too well.”

  “I know I do.”

  “How am I supposed to get by without you, Felicity?”

  She shrugged. “You did fine before I came on board. You’ll survive.”

  No, he hadn’t been fine before she came onto the scene. His life had been a mess, a big tumbleweed of mistakes and misjudgments that had cost him dearly. It had taken him five years to get himself back on track after his disastrous marriage. Sure, he’d come through it intact and he’d learned a lot about himself and life. Yes, he would be fine on his own, but he didn’t want to lose her.

  “If they can’t create a position for me, I’d like to stay until after graduation, and as I said in my letter, I’ll stay until we find my replacement.”

  Maybe if he didn’t find someone new, she wouldn’t go. It would be like waiting for tomorrow. Did tomorrow ever really come?

  “I’ll tell you what. I’m having dinner with Miles tonight. I’ll broach the subject with him and let you know what he says. Sound good? You won’t quit on me before you let me figure something out, right?”

  * * *

  How am I supposed to get by without you, Felicity?

  If she was a silly woman, Felicity would’ve let herself read so much into that question. But true to form, she had already overthought it, turning it round and round in her mind, examining it from every angle until it had completely lost its shape and she’d killed off any dreams that Austin Fortune felt anything for her that wasn’t strictly platonic.

  However, her heart hadn’t gotten the memo from her brain, because her heart thudded in her chest like a drum in a New Orleans funeral procession.

  He’d said get by.

  He didn’t say live without you.

  There was a world of difference between the statements. Like night and day. Love and like. Get by and live without.

  Even so, she couldn’t shake the satisfaction she felt over his reaction to her letter of resignation. Sure, she’d known he wouldn’t be happy, but she hadn’t fathomed that he would react the way he did.