by Nina Crespo
As Delanie parked on the cobblestones in front of the house, the security lights grew brighter, illuminating pillared archways.
Eve opened the door. She was dressed for bed in green silk pajamas and a matching wrap.
As Delanie got out of the car, nausea rose and her heart pounded. She couldn’t go home to Seattle until she’d owned up to her mistakes and asked Eve to forgive her for screwing up again. Delanie climbed the steps. Emotion closed off her throat. “I . . . I’m.” Tears spilled from her eyes.
Alarm came over Eve’s face. She hurried to Delanie and wrapped her arms around her. “Why are you here? What happened?”
Delanie hugged her tight. Surely, Eve knew. “I messed up. I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry.”
Eve guided her inside the house through the white-tiled foyer past large modern art paintings into the sunken living room.
Delanie’s sneakers sank into the plush white rug as Eve led her to a curved cranberry couch.
Light from the paper chandelier above the space illuminated Eve’s distress as she took Delanie’s hand. “Tell me everything.”
“Kingman Partners pulled out of the sale before the contract was signed . . . so, you see, I failed as Beth’s business advisor. You trusted me to lead her in the right direction and I didn’t.”
Eve shook her head. “Start from the beginning and tell me everything.”
Once Delanie started to speak, her words poured out along with her shame.
Eve frowned. “Hold on.” She got up and went down a short hall into the kitchen.
The sound of ice clinking in a glass filtered into the living room.
Was Eve drinking something alcoholic, wondering how she could have been so dumb as to have recommended her for the job?
Eve returned with a glass of water and some tissues. She handed both to Delanie. “Tell me something. Did you accurately valuate the property?”
“Yes.” Delanie blew her nose, then took a sip of water. “It was difficult because I didn’t have all of Benjamin Granger’s records, but I came up with a fair price.”
“Did you find qualified buyers, and was Kingman Partners vetted along with the rest?”
“Yes, but I sh—”
Eve held up her hand stalling the rest of Delanie’s response. “Did you give Beth all of the offers and advise her of the pros and cons of each? Was she the one who ultimately made the decision?”
“Yes.”
“Then how did you fail? Who did you fail?” Eve shrugged in confusion. “Beth was the one who didn’t sign the papers before running off on vacation, not you. In the meantime, while they still weren’t under any legal obligation to Beth, Kingman Partners made a decision that was best for their company and chose to pull out of the deal while they still could. All I can say to Beth here is you snooze, you lose. It’s a crappy saying but it’s damn accurate, especially when it comes to business. You know that.”
Eve’s admonishment made Delanie sit up straighter in the chair. “But what about your client—Beth’s mom? Hasn’t this tainted your professional relationship?”
“That’s insane. When she called me, I told her the same thing I just told you. I also told her that if she felt this reflected on whether or not she could trust my judgment, she could call another fixer the next time she’s in trouble. I don’t play the sour grapes game, and neither should you. I’m surprised you’re reacting like this.” Eve scrutinized her. “Have you talked to Aiden?”
Delanie set the glass on top of a coaster on the coffee table. “No. I have nothing to say to him.”
Eve raised a brow. “Really?”
“It’s obvious what he values more. Business, money, Kingman Partners. He didn’t respect that I had just as important a position in this deal.”
“Is that what he told you?”
“No. I didn’t need to stick around to hear him say it to my face.”
Delanie used a tissue to dry her eyes. She couldn’t bear to hear the excuse again of how it wasn’t that simple. It hadn’t taken much to research Kingman Partners’ steps. They’d started negotiations with Jade Valley yesterday. It was hard to believe that wasn’t what Aiden’s phone call with King was all about.
“Okay.” Eve stood. “You’ve had a long day. You’ll see things more clearly after a good night’s sleep.”
“See what?”
“A lot of things. Trust me. Come on.” Eve took Delanie’s arm, urging her up from the couch. “You’re staying in the guest room.”
thirty
KING SET DOWN his cup of morning coffee. He stared at the paper on his desk that Aiden had given him for a long moment and then looked to Aiden. He sat back in the desk chair and smoothed his blue-and-black tie over his white shirt. “This is a joke, right?”
“No, it isn’t.” As Aiden sat in the chair across King’s desk he rubbed his hands down his jeans. “If there was any way besides this, I’d do it.”
Yesterday, he’d rushed home and opened the door, hoping for a slim chance Delanie would bound down the stairs in front of him. At least then he would have a chance to explain, to hold her, to work it out.
But his instincts were right and what he’d feared during the hour-long ride from his office became his grim reality. Delanie had already packed up and left.
He’d sat on the steps for hours thinking through the past and the present.
That’s just business . . . King had used the same justification their father had seven years ago. Both times that reasoning had caused him to lose Delanie, making life as vacant as his house. He couldn’t face even a day of that again. He had to get her back.
He met King’s gaze. “I love this company, but like it is with you and how you feel about Sophie, my life isn’t just about business anymore. I want to build a relationship with Delanie. To do that, I need to step away from running Kingman Partners.”
King shook his head. “That’s way too extreme. No one’s going to get in the way of you and Delanie, especially me. Take the time you need off. Sort it out with her and come back.”
The refusal to accept his decision, along with the hint of sadness in King’s eyes, tested Aiden’s resolve. His chest grew tight underneath his black sweater. “It’s not just about Delanie. You thrive on finding the next big opportunity and negotiating a winning deal, but for me it’s not the same.”
“Bullshit.” King’s jawline ticked. “You helped build this company.”
“But my heart isn’t in it like it used to be. That makes me a liability. A weakness that someone could exploit or even use to take down Kingman Partners. Creating a corporate empire was never my dream.” Admitting the realization aloud suddenly made it more real to Aiden . . . and also absolutely right. “It’s yours. I’m not abandoning ship. You can still talk to me about business. I’m just stepping down to an equity partner only and leaving the decisions of how to run the company solely up to you.”
“I don’t want to accept this.” King’s shoulders fell as he slid Aiden’s letter of intent to step down as an equal decision-making partner closer to him. “But it looks like you’re not giving me much of a choice here. Still, not if, but when you’re ready to be my full partner again, the spot is yours.”
Stubborn motherfucker as always. Aiden couldn’t stop a small smile from emerging. He wouldn’t take “maybe someday” off the table, but definitely not anytime soon.
“So.” King sat back in the desk chair. “What about Delanie. Is there anything I can do to help you out with her?”
Aiden settled more comfortably in his chair. “Actually, there is.”
Delanie awoke still groggy from sleep, lying on her back. She pried her eyes open. Sun beaming through the window to the right blinded her.
Her father had filled her dreams. She’d talked with him. Laughed with him. Climbed mountains like they used to do when he was alive. It had felt so real, it was as if she could feel the warmth of his hugs. In the last dream, she and her dad had stood holding hands on Bear Claw Ridge as they star
ed out at its breathtaking beauty. He’d let go of her hand and stepped back. Suddenly she was at the edge of the ridge, tipping forward. She’d called out for him, afraid she’d fall, but as she’d looked back, he’d just smiled and walked into the woods. Why hadn’t he stayed to help? More than ever she needed her dad’s guidance.
Part of her could agree with Eve that the Echo Pines deal falling apart wasn’t her fault. She could also see that Aiden and King had made a business decision for the good of their company, but could she have done better for Beth? What about the other decisions she’d made? Advocating for the sale of Clearmount to Aiden’s father, marrying Day, and now Echo Pines—all of them may have turned out differently, if caring about Aiden wouldn’t have been in the mix. And maybe her life would have taken another trajectory . . . but for better or worse?
Unable to rest with the unanswered question, Delanie crawled out of bed and went into the bathroom across the room. Eve’s theory about a good night’s sleep benefiting her thinking obviously hadn’t worked. Another talk with Eve might help.
Moments later she stood under a glass-enclosed tile shower. Warmth seeped in as she washed her hair and soaped up with lemon body wash.
A knock sounded at the bathroom door. “Can I come in?” Eve called out.
“Sure.” Delanie finished rinsing off. “Can you hand me a towel?” She peeked out the shower door.
Eve was fully made up and dressed for the day in a rose-colored blouse, skinny jeans, and heels. As she handed Delanie a fluffy peach towel, concern filled her expression.
“What’s wrong?” Delanie dabbed some of the water from her skin in the shower. “Did something happen with a client?” She wrapped the towel around her sarong style. As Eve’s silence continued, worry grew. Delanie got out of the shower. “Is something wrong with Day?”
“No, nothing like that.” Eve crossed her arms and leaned a hip against the sink. “Honey, Aiden tracked you down. He’s downstairs.”
Panic spiked. “He’s here in the house? You let him in? Why?” Delanie swiped wet hair from her eyes. “It doesn’t matter. I don’t want to see him. Tell him to go away.”
“That won’t do any good. I could barely stop him from coming up here, so unless you want to resolve this situation wearing a towel, I suggest you hurry up and get dressed.”
“I need time. Tell him . . . tell him, I’ll meet him someplace.”
Eve uncrossed her arms and pushed away from the counter. “It’s too late for that. I’m going back downstairs to have a cup of coffee with him, and then I’m leaving.”
Leave her alone with Aiden? She wasn’t strong enough to deal with him yet. “You can’t.”
“I can and I will. You can’t hide up here forever.” Sympathy shone in Eve’s eyes as she cupped Delanie’s cheek. “You’ll be okay. You just need to—” She shook her head and dropped her arm.
“Need to what?” Delanie grabbed Eve’s arm. “Tell me what you were going to say?”
Eve shook her head. “You’re like a daughter to me. I made the mistake of trying to tell you what you should do with your life. It drove a wedge between us and I lost you. I won’t do it again.”
“But you were right.”
“Whether or not I was right isn’t the point. You’re a grown woman. You’ve learned from living your life. You know your own mind. Talk to him. That’s all I’ll say.” She held up her finger. “One cup of coffee—that’s all I’ll have with him, and then I’m gone. You can decide what to do after that.” She walked out of the bathroom and left the door open.
Steam dissipated in a rush of cool air from the bedroom.
Delanie shivered as she met her own gaze in the mirror. I know what I need to do. She squared her shoulders and stared herself down. She’d keep her heart out of it. First, she’d tell him that she understood about Echo Pines. Yes, she was disappointed, but like Eve said, it was a business decision that she couldn’t hold against him.
But what about the rest? What about all that time they’d spent together? What about her feeling hurt that he’d chosen business over her once again? That’s the reason she was really upset. Right?
Delanie looked away from the mirror, unable to confront the truth in her eyes. She and Aiden hadn’t made any promises to each other. He had a loyalty to Kingman Partners. Even though he no longer worked for his father, creating a new legacy with King was his new priority. Loving Aiden wasn’t the issue, not being able to accept she’d never come first in his life was. And she couldn’t settle for never.
The admission spiked into her heart and stole air from her lungs. She laid her hand on the counter and sagged against it. Okay. She’d admitted it. The self-confession that she loved Aiden but couldn’t be with him was the first step in moving on.
Sadness filled her laugh that echoed in the bathroom. Gerard Kingman had wanted her gone. Once again, he’d gotten his wish.
Delanie went to the bedroom and dressed in a white T-shirt and plum yoga pants, then grabbed her makeup bag to fix herself up. She combed the tangles from her hair then swept gloss on her lips. The berry color stood out in comparison to the pallor of her cheeks. She wiped it off. Forget it. No amount of makeup could hide how tired she looked.
She walked into the bedroom.
Aiden leaned against the wall near the now open bedroom door. A five o’clock shadow covered his face. His grim expression was filled with frustration and controlled restraint.
It felt as if every fiber of her being were homing in on him. “You’re supposed to be downstairs having coffee with Eve.”
As he shifted his stance, his boots echoed on the floor. Muscles bunched and released under his well-worn jeans and white long-sleeved T-shirt. “She said we had a one cup limit. If you weren’t downstairs by the time we finished, I could come up.”
Eve hadn’t been joking. Delanie swallowed. It was time to tell him everything and let go. “Aiden, I can’t.”
“Can’t what? Be with me, trust me, or love me?” He rapidly closed the distance between them. “Before you say another word that hurts us both, listen. I love you, and you can deny it all day long, but you love me too. I can see it in your eyes right now.”
Her chest squeezed so hard it hurt. “It’s just not that simple.”
“It is.”
“But I don’t want to get in the way of your ambitions.”
“Is that what you think matters to me over you?”
“It did when it came to making a decision about Echo Pines, but I’m not blaming you for it. You had to make the choice for the good of Kingman Partners.”
“The Echo Pines decision wasn’t mine. King made the call and I found out afterward. If I had known about the change, I would have told you because you’re important to me. I want to be with you.”
Delanie could hardly face the intense sincerity in his eyes. Emotion tightened her throat. Loving him wasn’t the problem. Loving him too much to risk losing him was. “We’re both busy in our careers. Our jobs will force us to make a decision between running our companies or being there for each other. I don’t want either of us to have to choose or have regrets over a decision we’ve made. Eventually, it will tear us apart.”
He took her hand. “The only regret I have is missing seven years of waking up with you, sharing breakfast, and seeing your smile when I come home at night. Yes. As a couple, we’ll face hard decisions about our relationship, but we’ll do it together. How do we stop it from tearing us apart? We work at staying together. Every damn day, we pledge our love to each other and we mean it. I want a life with you.” Aiden intertwined his fingers with hers. “And I’m willing to do what it takes so we can have it. I’m no longer a full partner in Kingman Partners. I turned it over to King. I’m moving to Seattle.”
“You can’t do that.”
“I can. I’m investing in us. I gave you up once because of ambition. I’m not doing it again.”
Aiden in Seattle . . . A vision of what he described bloomed to life in Delanie’s mind. Th
at brief glimpse of happiness made her shake. “But you worked hard to build what you have in business. I can’t let you walk away from what’s important.”
“I’m standing in front of what’s important. You can try to talk me out of it with a dozen excuses, but I’m not going anywhere.” He took her by the waist. “Delanie, if you’re going to run from us being together, run because you hate me. Run because you don’t want to spend the rest of your life with me. Run because you think you can find someone better than me, but don’t you dare run because you’re afraid of our future.”
Doubt and hope welled inside of her as she moved closer to him. “Are you serious? You’ll be happy just with me?”
“More than I’ve ever been. I don’t want to run a large corporation. That was never my dream. I’d rather watch you kick ass with your career and make love to you as often as possible.” Aiden smiled. “And if you’re worried about me becoming a kept man, don’t. I bought Echo Pines. I’m going to renovate it using Granger’s plans. When it’s done, I thought we could oversee the running of the property together. It’ll be mostly hands-on, at first, and then once it’s up and running the way we want, we can hire good managers to watch over it for us.”
He gripped her tighter. “Say yes. It may not be Clearmount, but we can make it our own.”
Another image from last night’s sleep grew vivid in Delanie’s mind. Puzzle pieces fell into place about her dream. She and her dad hadn’t been standing over Bear Claw Ridge. He’d left her on the precipice of Echo Pines. If her dad was alive to actually see the place, would he have approved of her and Aiden running it? Or maybe that’s what her dream was telling her. He did.
Tears and laughter escaped from her.
Aiden leaned away from Delanie. Hints of anxiousness and confusion flickered in his expression. “I hope laughter is a good thing?”
“It means I love you.”
Aiden grinned as he lifted her in the air in a tight hug. “And the two of us together, forever. You’re ready for that?”
Delanie wrapped her arms around his neck. She kissed him, her smile curling over his. “Yes.”