by Sandra Brown
“I remember that conversation.”
“That time I kissed you in the limo… well, I want you to know that that was something entirely different from last night. Last night—”
“I didn’t ask for an explanation.”
“Nevertheless, I don’t want you to think that I’ve read anything into your friendliness.”
“I don’t think that.”
“You haven’t put out any sexy signals.”
“That’s good to know.”
“I didn’t plan on kissing you, Jade. It was spontaneous.”
“I understand.”
“If you had told me sooner that you didn’t like it—”
“I never said I didn’t like it.”
Only after she heard her own words did she realize what she had admitted. Their eyes connected, soundlessly but jarringly. She drew in a swift breath. It was no armor against the intensity of his gaze.
“Then you did like it?” he asked gruffly.
“No. I mean…” She lowered her gaze again. “What I actually said, Dillon, was that I can’t… can’t do that.”
“Can’t kiss a business associate?”
“Can’t kiss anybody.”
She heard him set his coffee mug on the edge of her desk. His clothing brushed against the cushion of his chair as he scooted forward. “You can’t kiss anybody?”
“That’s right.”
“Why?”
“That’s my business.”
“And now it’s mine,” he said, raising his voice.
Bravely, she flung up her head and glared at him, then wished she hadn’t. His forearms were propped on the edge of her desk, and he was leaning forward slightly. The summer sun had brought out light streaks in his hair. His bare arms, his wide chest, his face with its mustache and steady hazel eyes, all exuded a masculinity that both fascinated and repelled her just as his kiss had.
“The subject is closed,” she said huskily.
“For now, maybe.”
She glanced down to the work on her desk and cleared her throat. “I’d like to discuss these bids so that you can make a decision.”
“All right,” he said slowly.
He had agreed, but, for the duration of their meeting, he continued to gaze at her in that steady, unflinching way that made her uncomfortably warm. He did everything with that same damned intensity—work, stare… and kiss.
* * *
“Goddammit, I’m getting sick of this shit.”
Ivan wasn’t referring to his disability or the wheelchair, although he slammed his fist down on its armrest. He was provoked by the contract lying on the stumps of his thighs, the contract that Neal had weaseled from Mrs. Parker.
“Who in his right mind would pay half a million dollars for that sorry parcel of land?”
“It looks like I’ll have to,” Neal said grimly.
“What in blazes could she want it for?”
“Maybe nothing more than to put a railroad trunk through. According to the papers, the plant will be shipping goods overseas out of Port Royal. Whatever she wants it for, it’s bad news for us.”
Neal stared down at the contract, his brow furrowed. “That’s probably only Jade’s first offer. GSS has got money coming out its ass. She’ll keep upping the ante until Otis gives in.”
“Pour me a drink,” Ivan growled.
Neal poured a stiff bourbon for himself, too. He had put up a good front for Jade earlier that morning. Actually, she had hit the nail on the head. For the first time in his life, his confidence was taking a beating.
Jade wasn’t as easily maneuvered as he and Ivan had fooled themselves into thinking. She had patently ignored his phone calls. She claimed to have thrown away the roses he sent her. She had spread a communitywide fever of interest in the new plant. He had a sick feeling in his gut that she was going to get the best of them.
His daddy was old and crippled. His voice still carried, but did people really listen to him anymore? How much clout could Ivan wield when a new industry moved in? Ivan had been known to manipulate people by bartering with coveted jobs. Before too long, he might have to beg people to work for him.
Neal surveyed his surroundings. The Aubusson rugs, the Spode china, the Waterford crystal—all were heirlooms from his mother’s family, all were priceless. He enjoyed having the biggest, fanciest house in the county. He liked driving a new car every year. He like being Neal Patchett and what that name meant in this town. Goddammit, he didn’t want things to change at this stage of his life.
He glanced at his father, who sat hunched in his wheelchair, and realized that their future couldn’t be trusted to an old amputee. His daddy wasn’t up to fighting this battle, but he had coached his son on how to fight dirty. It was time Neal flexed his own muscles.
“Here’s what I’m going to do, old man. I’m going to the bank and sign a note for five hundred thousand dollars.”
Ivan glanced at him sharply. “Using what for collateral?”
“An acre or two here, an acre or two there. I’ll scrape together enough deeds to cover the note.”
“I don’t like selling off land.”
“You’ve never liked my ideas about diversifying, either. So now we’re stuck with one factory that’s about to be overshadowed by a whole new industry. If you had let me expand and update, do some of the things I wanted to do, we wouldn’t be in this fix,” Neal said angrily. “So shut up and listen for a change.”
Ivan scowled but remained silent.
Neal said, “Jade has shown an interest in several properties, but the Parker farm is by far the largest, and therefore the most important to her. That’s what we’ll go after. We’ve got to get our hands on Otis’s property.”
“The bank might not loan you that much.”
“They will if I tell them that it’s only short-term. All I have to do is secure the Parker property. Then Miss Astorbutt will have to come to me flashing a contract with the GSS logo on it. And you can bet your sweet ass that when she does, the price of that property will have inflated overnight. Not only the Parkers’ land, but all the acreage we own surrounding it.
“If she’s willing to offer half a million, she’s willing to offer more. She’ll buy from us, I’ll pay off the bank note, and all it’ll cost me is the interest. In the meantime, I’ll have made a substantial profit.”
“What’ll you tell the bank you need the money for?”
“I’ll make up something. I don’t want word of this spread all over town. I want this to shock Jade like a bite on the ass.”
Neal had plans on how to use the profit he would make, plans he didn’t want to discuss with his father until this other mess had blown over. He hoped Ivan would agree to updating and expanding their own business. They’d been quarreling over this issue for years. Ivan stubbornly clung to tradition and poo-pooed modern technology. Maybe this scare would change his mind. Neal had been operating the business since the train accident, though Ivan still remained the figure of authority. It was time everybody, including his old man, started regarding him as boss.
He tossed back the remainder of his drink. “You want me to bring you back a girl for tonight, Daddy?”
Ivan’s eyes twinkled. “That redhead you gave me for my birthday present had a mouth like a Hoover.”
“I’ll see if she’s still in town.”
“Naw, not tonight. I’ve got too much on my mind to have my brains sucked out.” He stroked his jaw ruminatively. “I keep thinking we’ve overlooked something. What about Otis? What’ll you tell him?”
“Since y’all go back so far, I’ll let you deal with Otis.”
Ivan cackled. “He’s dumber than the dirt he farms. I’ll remind him how good I’ve been to him all these years. I’ll say if he sells his place to anybody, it ought to be to a ‘friend.’ ” He paused, thinking. “Maybe you’d better ask the bank for six hundred thousand. It wouldn’t hurt to sweeten the pot. That Sperry bitch can be mighty persuasive.”
“G
ood idea.”
Neal made to leave, but Ivan detained him. “Show me the boy’s picture again.”
Ivan had been as shocked as Neal to hear that Jade had a teenage son. Neal had taken a Polaroid snapshot of Graham and brought it back to show Ivan. Once again, he passed the photo to his father, who had studied it for hours at a time.
Neal said, “I drove by their house again this morning and saw him mowing the grass. He’s the right age.”
“You told me she went to Georgie.”
“She did, but she came out with a baby.”
“You don’t know that. And Georgie’s dead. We can’t ask her.”
“I confronted Jade with it today. She didn’t deny it. Even if she had, I know I’m right. I busted her cherry. She wasn’t pregnant by Gary Parker.”
“Hell, son,” Ivan said, leaning forward, almost salivating, brandishing the photograph. “Think what it would mean to us if this boy is yours.”
“I don’t have to think. I know he’s mine.” Neal’s expression was sly and menacing. “I want him, Daddy.”
“Three of you had her that night,” Ivan remarked with a frown. “He could belong to Hutch, too. Or even Lamar.”
“He doesn’t even look like them!”
“He doesn’t look like you either!” Ivan shouted back. “He’s the spitting image of her. Playing devil’s advocate, what makes you so goddamned sure he’s yours?”
“He’s mine.”
“You want to believe it so bad you can taste it, don’t you, boy?” Ivan said with a nasty laugh. “ ’Cause you know he’s the only heir you’ll ever have.”
Neal passed the back of his hand across his damp upper lip. The accident that had robbed Ivan of his legs had robbed Neal of his ability to reproduce. The freight train had pulverized the front third of their car. Neal had been trapped in the wreckage for hours before a rescue team was able to cut through the mangled metal and free him. The blood supply to his testicles had been suspended for such a long period of time that it had resulted in irreversible sterility. He didn’t like to think about it.
Thank God he hadn’t been left impotent, too. He would have killed himself if that had happened. But every time the subject of an heir came up, he got queasy. From the cradle, he’d been told that the one thing required of him was to produce another Patchett male. It was expected. It was the only thing that really mattered.
He clapped Ivan on the back. “You leave everything to me, Daddy. That’s my son, and I’m going to claim him. First we’ve got to get his mama groveling on her knees.”
On his way into town, Neal hummed beneath his breath. Now that he had a specific plan, he was feeling better. It was galling that Jade still spurned him as though he were white trash. Long ago she had rejected him in favor of Gary Parker. She still looked at him like he was something you’d track in from a barnyard. He couldn’t tolerate any woman thinking she had gotten the best of him. Before he was finished with her, Jade Sperry would rue the day she’d chosen him to be her adversary.
* * *
Jade wheeled her car into the driveway. Graham was out on the front lawn, practicing his moves with a soccer ball. “Hey, Mom.”
“Hi.”
“Watch.” He maneuvered the ball across the yard. When he was only a few feet away from her, he kicked the ball hard, straight into the trunk of a pine tree. “That’s a score!” he shouted, raising his fists above his head in a sign of victory.
“Easy to do without any opposition.”
He shoved several locks of sweaty, black curls off his forehead. “Huh?”
“Try it again with me acting as goalie.”
“Okay!” He retrieved his ball and carried it back to the far side of the yard.
Jade kicked off her high heels and assumed a challenging stance in front of the tree. “Whenever you’re ready.”
Instead of taking a direct route as he had before, Graham weaved his way across the yard, adroitly maneuvering the ball with fancy footwork. Jade stood ready in front of the “goal,” but he pulled her off center with a tricky maneuver, and before she could recover he kicked the ball into the tree trunk.
“Point!” he cried.
Baring her teeth, Jade lunged forward, tackling him, and following him down into the grass.
“Foul! Foul!”
Jade tickled his ribs. But he surprised her by rolling to his side and throwing her off. She sat up, panting. “When did you learn to do that? Only a few months ago I could hold you down for an hour.”
“I’m growing.”
She looked at him with maternal pride. “You certainly are.”
“How much do you weigh, Mom?”
“How indelicate!”
“No, really. How much?”
“About a hundred twelve pounds.”
“I already outweigh you!”
“What in the world are you two doing?” Cathy was watching them from the veranda.
“Playing soccer. I lost,” Jade said ruefully. Graham bounded to his feet and helped pull her up.
“There’s a telephone call for you,” Cathy said. “Should I tell them to hang on until half-time?”
“Very funny,” Jade remarked as she trudged up the steps.
Cathy laughed. “I’ll pour you a Coke.”
“Thanks,” Jade said over her shoulder as she padded in stocking feet toward the telephone in the hall. “Hello?”
“Miss, uh, Jade?”
“Yes.”
“This is Otis Parker.”
It had been over a week since she had left the contract at his house. She had resisted the temptation to call him and was very pleased that he had finally phoned her. She responded with feigned equanimity. “Hello, Mr. Parker.”
“Some feller answered the phone when I called the number on the card you left. He gave me this number.”
“That would have been Mr. Burke. I hope this call means that you’ve decided to accept my offer.”
“No, not quite. I’m gonna think on it awhile longer.”
She folded both hands around the telephone receiver and nodded a distracted thank-you to Graham when he delivered her cold drink.
“Mr. Parker, I’m prepared to increase my offer.” She had to proceed with caution, especially since she didn’t know for certain why he was stalling. “What would you say to an offer of seven hundred fifty thousand?”
He covered the mouthpiece. Jade could hear snatches of a muffled conversation. He was conferring with someone. Mrs. Parker? Was he asking her opinion, her advice? Or was he being coached by a third party?
He returned to the line. “To offer that much, I’d say you want the property real bad.”
“I do.”
“What for?”
“I’m not at liberty to disclose that.”
“Hmm. Well, I—”
“Before you give me your answer… I’d also be willing to give you eighteen months to vacate. In other words, GSS would own the property as soon as the deed was transferred, but we wouldn’t assume occupancy for a year and a half. That would give your family ample time to relocate. You wouldn’t be obligated to take that amount of time, but you would have the option.”
Jade sipped her Coke while another muffled conversation ensued. Her fingers were almost as cold as the frosted glass.
When Mr. Parker came back on the line, he said, “I’ll have to call you back.”
“When?”
“When I’ve made up my mind.”
“Mr. Parker, if another party is—”
“That’s all I’m saying tonight. G’bye.”
For a long moment after she hung up, she stared at the telephone receiver, wishing she had said more, wishing she had said things differently. So much was riding on her handling this situation with kid gloves. Not only was her pride at stake, but her future with GSS.
* * *
Otis Parker hung up the telephone and turned to his guests.
“Well, Otis, what will you tell her when you call her back?” Ivan peer
ed at him from beneath his brows.
Otis scratched his head and looked uncomfortably toward his wife, who was sitting silent and rigid on the sofa. “I don’t rightly know what to do, Ivan. She’s offering seven hun’erd and fifty thousand and giving me over a year to move out. You can’t hardly beat a deal like that.”
“We can and we will.” Neal’s jaw appeared carved in granite, his eyes as brittle as glass. Throughout the meeting with the Parkers, he had declined to sit down. After carrying Ivan in and depositing him in the easy chair with the greasy headrest, he had stood, negligently leaning against the wall, appearing to be more at ease than he was.
It had been a hell of a week. He wanted this deal consummated, the sooner the better. He didn’t like being in hock up to his eyebrows. But he’d gone this far, so he’d just as well go the distance. If it meant mortgaging a few luxuries like the boat and the beach house on Hilton Head, he’d do it. He gave his father an imperceptible nod.
“Give us a few weeks to match her offer,” Ivan said, turning back to Otis. “You owe me that after all the times I’ve extended you credit.” Then Ivan did what he did best. He employed subtle fear tactics. “I don’t mind telling you, Otis, that I’m disappointed in you. The first time Jade broached the subject of buying this place, you should’ve come and told me. I wouldn’t have found out if I hadn’t had spies on the lookout for my interests. I thought they were lying the first time they told me you were involved in that Sperry gal’s scheme to ruin me.”
“I ain’t in on no scheme, Ivan.”
“Well, it sure as hell looks like that to me. There’s my offer still lying untouched on the table. And here I am, figuring we were friends, figuring I’d promote that son of yours who’s working for me. Yes, sir, I was about to promote him to a foreman’s job and give him a big raise, just on the basis of our friendship. Figured he could use the extra money with another baby coming.” He snorted, leaving the Parkers to fill in what had been left unsaid.
Neal picked up his cue. “You ready to go, Daddy?”
“I reckon I am, since it looks like no deal is going to be struck tonight.” Ivan motioned for Neal to come and get him. “I’m tired of this dilly-dallying around, Otis. I’m ready for you to make up your mind about this, you hear?”