by Lara Earlman
Greig glanced at Dane to see if he’d heard. Dane grinned – who’s keeping whom out of trouble? His friend nodded sheepishly and followed his sister. Left alone with the gentlemen, Dane pulled a stack of business cards out of his inside jacket pocket.
“Gentlemen, please consider what the Carstens have said to you; they are in business to know what they’re talking about. Given a short amount of time, Al-Tech will be running at full force and with the quality everyone has come to expect. I came here to announce the fact that I’ve moved Brighten Industries’ headquarters to the states. You can get in touch with me through my office in New York. If your companies cannot survive the time it will take for Al-Tech to climb back on its feet, I will personally cover the debt.”
The men dispersed as he handed out his cards, and Dane looked up to see a stricken Lexi watching from a distance. Shit! Catching her eye, he beseeched her understanding. She turned and disappeared into the crowd.
»ɞ»ɞ«ɞ«
Lexi was in shock. She’d overheard Dane offering to pay off Al-Tech’s debts and hadn’t felt so void of emotion since… Alveus.
Reggie caught up to her in the empty foyer. Turning to face Lexi, he grabbed both arms to steady her.
“Are you alright?” he asked, sincerely concerned. She nodded her head… and then shook it.
“I don’t know. I should be angry. I thought these people were friends of my parents; I thought… I don’t know.” He pulled her into a hug.
“We knew it wouldn’t be easy,” he said. “But, I think you’ve done a good job of convincing most of these entrepreneurs of your abilities to bring Alberton Technologies back to its former glory. I’m so proud of you – you evoked confidence and intelligence. Give them time to absorb the fact that you are your parents’ offspring.”
“That’s just it,” Lexi bemoaned. “Can’t you see that it’s the opposite? If Dane Wellesley doesn’t even have confidence in my abilities, why should any of the others?”
“That’s not true,” Dane said, coming up behind her. “May I have a moment?” He looked pointedly at Reggie.
“Five minutes,” he told him, “and I’ll be right around the corner.” The warning glare he planted on Dane warmed Lexi’s heart, giving her courage.
“It wasn’t the way you think, Pips.”
“Don’t call me that!”
“Look, I was only attempting to help. I have no doubt that you can get Al-Tech back up and running. I’m just trying to make it happen faster by cleaning up some of the mess your uncle left you with.”
“Did you for one moment stop to consider how it made me look?” Lexi asked, delayed anger finally surfacing. “I’m trying to gain the industries’ confidence; I’m trying to pull the name of Alberton back out of the muck my slime-ball uncle threw it in! You just singlehandedly confirmed everyone’s suspicions that I am weak and incapable of stepping into my parents’ shoes!”
“I believed that I was helping,” was his determined reply.
Lexi trembled with fury. Stepping closer, she poked her finger in his chest. “Look, I survived without your help for the last seventeen years; I think I can manage without it now!”
Dane’s eyes glinted with suppressed amusement. “…And those seventeen years, they were good to you?”
“Perfect!” she lied. “They were, after all, without – you – in them!”
»ɞ»ɞ«ɞ«
She was so fiery! Dane knew she was trying to push him away, still he never walked away from a direct challenge – and God help him, there was no way he could resist pulling her into a passionate kiss. Sparks ignited as two combustible emotions combined to set off a passion that exploded.
When he finally released her, they stood staring into each other’s eyes – both reflecting back shock. She pushed away from him and turned her head, intending to put some distance between them. Without conscious thought, his hand moved to gently grasp her chin and turn it back toward his face. Leaning in, his lips once again connected with hers, this time softly caressing. Like a starving man who had forgotten what hunger felt like, he drank of her – needy, yet slowly, as if tasting a delicacy for the first time and wanting to savor it. She smelled of floral vanilla spice; her lips tasted like strawberry champagne. Timidly, she parted her lips to respond. He pulled her in tighter. His heart raced. His hunger increased.
“Ah-hem.” A subtle throat clearing brought Dane back to the reality of his surroundings. He felt Lexi jerk away from him as if burned. What kind of an imbecile would interrupt what was quite obviously a private moment? He turned around with a frown of irritation to find Lexi’s escort searching her face with concern. Greig Carsten stood beside him with one eyebrow cocked. Not in the mood for an interrogation, Dane started for the door leading outside.
“Of course,” he heard Lexi say softly as he passed. “Disappear into the night as you always do.”
He froze in his tracks. It was as if she had reached in and squeezed his heart. Is that what she really thought of him? A coward? He searched his memories, trying to see himself through her eyes. Sure he had left to go to college without giving her a thought, but they were young – she was just a kid. They had their whole lives in front of them. He had not been running away. The twist in his gut told him that wasn’t it. He was avoiding what he knew to be the real truth – intimacy. She was right. He spun on his heels.
“We need to talk,” he told her retreating figure. “And we will – in private.” Her step hesitated and she turned an ear toward his words, but other than that, she gave no response.
Dane exited the building and headed straight to the valet.
“Just give me my keys,” he commanded, handing the young man his ticket, along with a generous tip. “I’ll find the car myself.” He needed to keep moving and the walk would do him good. He clicked the fob, heard the answering signal from his car, and strode briskly in the direction of the sound.
“English, wait up!”
Shit! Dane wasn’t in the mood for company, but the sound of clinking metal brought him to a halt. Greig swung up beside him.
“What say we go for a drink?” he suggested. “I know a quiet place nearby, where they pour a generous bourbon. We don’t have to talk.”
With a slight nod, Dane continued the distance to the Mercedes-Benz he’d had imported from his garage in Frankfurt. Sliding behind the wheel, he wished he was back in Germany where he could take the ramp onto the autobahn and just keep driving until his thoughts settled. Greig situated himself beside Dane and gave him directions before pulling out his phone to text Gretchen.
“Just letting my sister know that I left with you,” he explained. “She can drive my car home.”
Dane was silent. He knew Greig’s car was equipped with hand controls. The chap was so self-sufficient that it was easy to forget he was handicapped. It didn’t surprise him that his siblings would be used to maneuvering around the contraptions that enabled his friend to be independent. Hell, while he wallowed around bemoaning his emotional inadequacies, Greig conquered physical barriers everyday – and did a damn fine job of it too!
“How do you do it, mate?” Dane broke his silence to question his friend. Growing up, he and Greig always had an uncanny ability to read each other’s minds, so he knew his friend understood what he was asking. Greig was silent for a long while, before he finally spoke.
“There are two directions in which I can set my concentration,” he said, “the negative or the positive – there’s no middle field.” The two friends shared a thoughtful pause. “I’m not saying it’s easy,” Greig admitted, “but I’d rather be hopeful than finished – you know what I mean?” Dane did.
They arrived at the pub and took seats at a booth in the corner. The bartender nodded a greeting to Greig and moment later a waiter served them each a bourbon on the rocks. Dane took a sip and turned an appreciative eye to his companion, shaking his head in awe of the chap. He wondered for the umpteenth time how he ever could have turned his back on his childhood
friend.
“I’m sorry, man,” he said. Greig savored a taste of his drink.
“What happened to you, English?”
Dane downed his beverage and waited for another round to be served before collecting his thoughts. What had happened when he set off to Oxford and turned away from the only friends he’d ever known? A great deal, actually.
He’d been a cocky kid, believing that he was an adult leaving childhood and its memories behind him. Shortly after he’d begun his studies, Opa was rushed to hospital with chest pains. He was released with two new stents in his heart and returned to work within a month, but the damage had been done. Dane knew that he needed to be ready to take the reins of Brighton Industries from his grandfather before something more serious occurred. Oma was competent enough to fill in when the heavy decisions needed to be made, but she didn’t have the drive or will to take over the company on her own. They were both counting on him and he wasn’t about to disappoint them. Also unfortunate, the scent of Opa’s hospital visit brought in the vultures – or to be more precise – his mother.
“Cara,” Dane spat out loud. “My mother,” he explained in answer to his friend’s quizzical look. As the dawn of understanding lit on Greig’s face, Dane knew that no further explanation was necessary. He guessed that word of her had traveled through the ABC grapevine… of course it had.
“Have you ever been in love, Droid?” Dane asked, after another contemplative silence, and another round of drinks.
“Thought I was, once.” Greig sucked back a swallow of bourbon and set the glass back on the table, watching the ice settle into place. “She bowed out of my life after she heard my prognosis. Guess she wasn’t too keen on a future with a…” he left the sentence unfinished, allowing his friend to fill in the blanks.
“And now… do you still believe there is such a thing?” Dane had a hard time putting the words out there. The emotions, the pull, how does one explain something that they’ve always thought was fantasy?
“I shouldn’t,” his friend admitted. “I was angry back then, but there’ve been plenty of women since who have accepted me as I am. The feelings haven’t been there, though. Frankly, looking back on it, I wonder if it really was love. But, do I still believe in it? Certainly.” He leaned on his elbows and stared straight into Dane’s eyes. “How can I ignore the memories of my parents’ relationship… the Albertons’, and your grandparents’? How can you explain the devotion we observed? Yes, I believe, and I will never stop looking for my soul mate.” Greig deliberately paused for emphasis, and then continued. “Now, to answer your real question… All of us witnessed the reality of love through watching you and Pip. The both of you are two halves of a whole and were always meant to be together – and I think you’re damned fools for fighting it. There, I said it!” Throwing back the rest of his bourbon, he loudly plunked the empty glass down on the table.
“Easier said,” Dane admitted ruefully. “Everything I do only results in pushing her further away.” He followed suit with his own drink, slamming it down forcefully.
»ɞ»ɞ«ɞ«
Lexi was fighting a losing battle with her treacherous body, which still felt weak and tingly from its encounter with Dane’s kisses and rock solid physique. She was not going to give in to his sexuality! And that’s all it was – period! Why was his mere existence undermining everything she set out to do? She had a company to revive, and how could she do it when thoughts of him invaded her concentration? As soon as she had him successfully banished Fani would mention him, or he shows up at a stupid, unimportant business function! And infuriates her! And kisses her… and makes her heart ache at his absence.
“I hate you, Dane Wellesley!” I love you, Dane Wellesley.
The empty house echoed her scream – her empty heart echoed her cry. She felt alone.
Fani was in Europe attending an important fashion symposium. Truthfully, Lexi was relieved not to have her curious intervention. Her thoughts turned to her parents – she missed them tremendously. Daddy. Her eyes strayed to the large brown envelope she’d found in the office safe. It sat unopened on the footstool, beneath several industry periodicals. She hadn’t had the courage to open it. What was she afraid of?
It wasn’t actually fear that prevented Lexi from discovering the envelope’s contents, she just wasn’t sure if she could make it back from whatever grief abyss her father’s words would take her into. She was proud of the way she’d held up during her parent’s joint burial. They’d been cremated and buried together as was their wish. She had carefully constructed an emotional veneer which had only been strengthened by her uncle’s betrayal and the subsequent humiliation of being sold on the human trafficking market. But, Dane had taken a different path to slowly crack through it – sneaky and unexpected. Emotions of pride, anger, sympathy and passion were trickling through, and Lexi knew there was a flood built up just waiting to be released. Defiantly, she snatched up the envelope and took it with her to sit on the edge of the bed. The contents would certainly take her mind off of Dane.
For a moment, Lexi sat and stared at the writing. Her father’s bold script was really quite beautiful – she’d never realized, before. Reaching into the drawer of the side table, she pulled out a small pair of scissors, slipped them under the edge of the sealed flap, and hesitated again. Taking a deep breath, she slid the blade across the top of the envelope and dumped its contents onto the bed. Several letter sized envelopes fell out. Lexi lined them up, each sealed and labeled with a different name in her father’s hand: Marta Brighton, Ed Bravanger, Lee Carsten, and simply – Alexiah.
Lexi picked up the envelope addressed to her and tenderly ran her fingers across the ink. Bringing it to her nose, she tried to find his scent upon it, a piece of her father lingering yet in this world. Inwardly upbraiding herself for the weakness, she laid it back on the bed. You must not show signs of frailty, Lexi – her mother used to tell her. Strong women gain the world’s respect. Tucking the other three envelopes back into the larger one, Lexi stood up and placed it on the small desk next to the window.
Every day the ghosts of her parents lingered as she diligently sought to rebuild Alberton Technologies, but it was a companionable connection. Since their death’s, Lexi hadn’t faced the personal side of their relationship. Yes, Alex and Alicia had lived and breathed Al-Tech, but when they were alone as a couple – as a family, the warmth was there. The love was there. And when the ABC’s and their families got together, Lexi had cherished the fun loving side her parents revealed. Such happy times. She swiped at a tear that had made it to her cheek, straightened her shoulders, and turned back to the matter at hand – the letter.
Lexi situated herself comfortably on the bed and opened the envelope. She marveled once again at her father’s propensity to handwrite personal correspondences in this age of video, word processing and voice activation. She cherished his idealism of hands-on intimacy versus technology’s impersonalization. Ironic, given the business he chose to pursue. With her heart full of fondness, Lexi read her father’s last words for her.
Angel,
As your mother struggles through what I’ve come to accept as her last days with us, I am forced to think of life’s brevity. In doing so, my thoughts turn to our sweet little miracle and how you will fare when the day comes that I must join your mother. My heart breaks to think of you being left alone, but I am comforted by the fact that there are still people who love you, and will support and guide you. I sincerely hope that you will turn to them.
Ed, Lee, and Marta, along with their children, are your family. You know that. Just because your mother wished to separate her disease from them does not mean that you should continue to remain distant. Alicia grew up without a family and found it difficult to reveal weakness to anyone. I alone understood that her battle for independence was in itself an infirmity. She loathed the thought of you, her baby, taking care of her, and in fact it was her wish that you be sent away to college. I regret that we allowed you to sacrifice
your plans to attend to her thankless demands. Angel, I want you to know that during her lucid moments her thoughts were always centered on your happiness. Your mother loved you dearly, although at times had difficulty expressing it.
A tear dropped onto the page, and Lexi stopped reading to dry her eyes and pull herself together. Curiously, it had been her father who had freely expressed his emotions. As a child she had run to him with her injuries and tears. He had been the nurturing one, but Lexi never doubted her mother’s love. There had been many times she’d found comfort in her maternal embrace. Alicia Alberton’s love for her husband and daughter had always found its way through her cool analytical exterior, although in the end Lexi believed that the disease had wiped away all memory of her from her mother’s mind.
Do not allow your mother’s influence to keep you from seeking the help and comfort of others, but be wary of whom you can trust. Forgive an old man, but little angel you have had virtually no experience with strangers. I beg you to turn to your elders for advice. Do not fall into the trap made by a smooth talking young man. There are those out there who will say anything they think you want to hear in order to get their hands on your inheritance. You are smart and intuitive, but very naive in the ways of men. If only I could be assured that you would someday find your future with one of the children you grew up with. Your mother and I always believed that you and the little Wellesley boy would remain attached at the hip forever. Alas, it seems it was not meant to be. Again, I beg that you excuse a loving father from giving advice from the grave, but if you two could somehow find each other again, I would be forever pleased.
Oh, no – he did not just bring up Dane! Lexi looked up at the ceiling, as if she could make her father take back his words. The tingles in her body awoke at the mention of his name, as if applauding her father’s audacity. She stood up and paced the floor, having half a mind not to finish reading the letter – ever!