Love And Money (Love Series - Book 2)

by K. L. Prince

  “Liv, it’s not the same thing and you know it.”

  “How is it not the same?” Olivia asks and raises her eyebrow.

  “It just isn’t. You’re my friend, not my boyfriend. Being in a relationship with a man is a whole different dynamic than being in a friendship with a girlfriend. In our friendship, I have never felt like a burden, but in a relationship with a man, I would feel like a burden and especially so with a man like Caden.”

  “Harper, I have known Caden for a very long time. I’ve spent hours upon hours with him over the years, especially when we were teenagers. If you were to date him, he would never think of you as a burden. Even if you were rich, he would still want to take care of you in every way that he can. That’s just the type of guy that he is. He’s a nurturer and a protector. I remember this one time a group of us were sitting around the pool at the country club and this guy wouldn’t leave this girl alone. She kept telling the guy to leave her alone, but the guy wouldn’t stop bothering her. The guy started getting really aggressive with the girl and Caden jumped in and punched the guy out. That’s the type of guy that he is. He’s a sweetheart, and I’m telling you right now, if you were to give him a chance, you would probably fall in love with him on the first date. He’s your type, Harp. I know I’m always trying to play matchmaker, which hasn’t always turned out the best, but I’m sure about you and Caden. I think the two of you would work.”

  “Okay, let’s say that I decide to give Caden a chance. What about his Dad?”

  “I don’t think that you have to worry about Bill Mason, unless you and Caden get serious. Even then, I know Caden is not going to back down from his father. If Caden decides that he wants to marry you, he is not going to let his father stand in his way. Caden has always stood up for his convictions and I think he would even more so if it was for the woman that he is in love with.”

  “Liv, I really don’t want to talk about his anymore. Can we please change the subject?”

  “Alright, if that’s what you want. I had to at least give it one more try because I saw Caden at the country club a couple of days ago. The two of you are both my friends, so I feel obligated to both of you. I don’t like to see Caden look so pathetic over you and I don’t want to force you to do anything that you don’t want to do. So, from now on, I’m just going to stay out of the whole thing. You and Caden are both adults. You can figure things out for yourselves,” Olivia says and throws her hands up in the air.

  “Finally!” Harper says and smiles at her friend. “No, but seriously, I understand that you’re stuck in the middle of Caden and I. I know that you just want to see both of us happy. I get it, but I’m fine being single right now and Caden will be fine if I don’t accept his phone calls or a date with him.”

  “I’m sure you’re right. “You ready to order?” Olivia asks and flags down the waiter.

  “I’m literally starving. I could eat the restaurant’s wall, I’m so hungry,” Harper says as she watches the waiter make his way over to their table.

  “Good. I’m starving, too,” Olivia replies, before giving the waiter her order.

  They spend the rest of the afternoon filling themselves up with the restaurant’s best dishes, while dishing about the latest gossip and things that have happened in their lives and about thins are about to happen in their lives in the near future.

  Harper tries her best to pay attention, but she can’t stop thinking about Caden. She keeps imagining what Olivia has told her about him looking depressed at the country club because of her. It bugs her that she has caused him discomfort. She thought that he would get the hint and move on with his life without bearing any scars. She didn’t think that her refusal to speak to him would hurt him in any way.

  Things are not turning out how she planned, but she is not changing her mind about her feelings about starting a relationship with Caden. She still isn’t going to accept his phone calls and her decision is final. There is nothing that will be able to alter her feelings or get her to come to a different conclusion. Her decision that has formed in her mind is concrete and fixed.

  * * * * *

  Caden knocks on the door to his father’s office. His father’s secretary, Sheila, is nowhere to be found, so he announces himself.

  “Come in,” his father calls through the door.

  Caden lets himself and asks, “Where’s Sheila?”

  “She went to lunch. Sit down,” his father says and motions for Caden to sit down.

  Caden sits down across the desk from his father and makes himself comfortable, before asking, “I got the message that you wanted to see me?”

  “Yes,” his father replies while pulling out a cigar and cutting off the tip.

  His father offers him a cigar and he refuses it, like he always does. Caden watches his father light the cigar and he wonders what his father sees in the cancer sticks. He tried smoking a cigar once and it tasted so disgusting that he almost threw up and he ended up feeling nauseated for the rest of the night. He vowed that day never to touch the things again. He sees smoking as toxic to the body and a waste of time and money. He is very careful about what he puts into his body. He doesn’t have a death wish. Smoking is a surefire way to cut your life short and he would like to live a long, fulfilled, and healthy life.

  “What do you want to talk about?” Caden asks, getting sick of watching his father take large drags and sending the smoke up in rings towards the ceiling.

  “I wanted to talk to you about the future,” his father says, looking him dead in the eye. His father gives him the stare that he’s dreaded growing up and still dreads to this day. It’s the stare that his father gives him when he is about to demand something.

  “What about the future?” Caden asks, dreading the answer.

  “I wanted to speak to you about the other night at the charity event,” his father says in between puffs on his cigar.

  “What about the other night?”

  “Who was that girl that you were spending all that time with?” his father asks.

  Really, he doesn’t think that it’s any of his father’s business, but that is not the answer that he gives. “I don’t know. She’s a friend of Olivia Grace’s. That all I really know about her.”

  “I see. Well, I want you to know that what I said that night about who you’re going to marry is exactly how I feel about the matter.”

  “And how is that you feel exactly?” Caden asks and looks at the floor. He’s pretty sure he knows what his father is going to say next, but he needs to hear his father say it again, in hopes that maybe his father has changed his mind in the days since the charity event. He doubts that anything has changed, but he holds out hope anyway.

  “Not only do I feel, but I expect, that you will marry a woman that holds the same economic and social status us. I expect that the woman that you will marry will come from a powerful family with the wealth to back it up. What I want to happen is that when you join with your future wife, the joining of the families will be the joining of two powers to create a superpower. Do you understand what I am saying to you?” his father asks.

  “Dad, I...” Caden starts to reply, but his father cuts him off.

  “I’m not finished yet. You will get your chance to speak, but right now, it is my turn to make clear to you what is going to happen in the future. There are so many more things that I expect from you and I expect and demand that they be accomplished. I expect that you and your wife will produce an heir shortly after being wed. The heir must be a male heir. I will leave my companies to you when I die, but I must know that after you die there will be another Mason to carry on the family tradition. I will not be able to rest in my grave if I die knowing that there is no one to carry on my legacy,” his father says and pauses.

  “Can I say something now?” Caden asks when his father doesn’t continue speaking.

  “Yes, you may,” his father replies and takes a large drag off of his cigar.

  “You have all these demands on my life, but wh
at about what I want?” Caden asks with exasperation evident in his voice.

  He can’t believe what his father has said to him. His father’s words are like poison to his soul. His father wants absolute control over his life. He has allowed his father to rule over him in their business interactions, but now he has crossed over into his personal life. His father has crossed the line and he will not stand for it. He can’t allow it or he will be a stranger in his own life.

  “Son, you’re acting like I’m asking something impossible of you. Do you know how many beautiful and wonderful women there are out there that come from powerful and rich parents? Granted, there may not be as numerous as the average Becky Joe, but there are still enough to go around.”

  “What if I don’t want to marry a girl that comes from a powerful family or who has money? What if the girl that I love is an average Becky Joe? Don’t you think that I should marry the woman that makes me happy?”

  “Son, there are more important things in this life than love.”

  “Like money?” Caden replies, trying not to become angry.

  Before his father can answer, their conversation is interrupted by a knock at the door. His father calls out to the person standing on the other side of the door and tells them to come in. When the door opens and Caden sees who it is, he groans.

  “Madison,” his father says and stands up. Caden watches his father come around his desk and embrace Madison. “It’s so nice to see you,” his father says, smiling and practically gushing.

  “Mr. Mason, it’s so nice to see you, too,” Madison says and looks at Caden.

  “I suspect that you’re here to see Caden,” his father says, giving Madison a once over.

  “I am,” Madison says and smiles at Caden. He doesn’t return the smile.

  “I was just speaking to Caden here about how he should marry the proper woman. I always thought that you were the perfect fit for him. I do believe that you have everything that he could ever want in a woman. You have beauty, brains, and you come from a good family. What more could a man ask for?” his father says and glances between them.

  “Thank you, Mr. Mason. I appreciate you saying that about me,” Madison says and smiles at his father.

  Caden stares at his father in disbelief. His father is well aware that him and Madison are no longer a couple and for good reason. His father’s statement is like a slap in the face of his dignity and respect as a man. Madison is not the right woman for him and she never will be. Madison made her choices and she chose her priorities. He wasn’t included in the list.

  He stands up from his chair. “Dad, I need to talk to Madison. We’re done talking, right?”

  “I suppose so. I’ve said all that I need to say,” his father says and returns to his seat behind his desk.

  “Good,” Caden says, taking Madison by the arm, leading her out of his father’s office and closing the door behind them.

  “Ouch, you’re hurting me. Let go,” Madison exclaims when they are in the outer office.

  “You know damn well that I’m not hurting you. What the hell are you doing here?” Caden snarls and releases Madison’s arm.

  Caden looks around the office. He is glad that there is no one around because he knows that his conversation with Madison is going to be heated. The last thing he needs is an audience and to be the topic of gossip for the next week. Madison and her antics have caused enough trouble around the office as it is.

  “I just wanted to talk to you. You haven’t been returning my calls, so you gave me no choice but to come down here.”

  “Madison, I haven’t been answering you because I don’t want to talk to you. After everything that has happened is that so hard to understand? What makes you think that coming down here would change that? You honestly thought that showing up here would suddenly cause me to have a change of heart?”

  “I don’t know, Caden. All I know is that I just want you back. I’m sorry for what I’ve done. If I could take it back, I would. I made a mistake. I’ve forgiven you for all the mistakes that you’ve made over the years. Why can’t you do the same for me?”

  “You can’t even compare the things that I’ve done over the years to what you’ve done. What you’ve done to me and what I’ve done to you are not even in the same stratosphere.”

  “Caden, please,” Madison begs.

  “Madison, this is the last time I’m going to say this – we’re over. There is no going back and there is no starting over. Us, as a couple, will never be again. I want you to leave now and don’t ever come back here. Do you understand?”

  “Caden, please hear me out,” Madison says, grabbing his hand and looking up at him with pleading eyes.

  “Don’t make me call security, Madison. I really don’t want to do that,” Caden says, ripping his hand away.

  “Fine. I’ll leave right now, but this isn’t over. I’m going to win you over, Caden. I’m going to do everything in my power to get you back. You heard what your father said. We are meant to be together. I don’t know how I’m going to do it, but I’m going to make you see how much I love you. I want you to be my husband, Caden, and the father of my children.”

  “Madison, save your time and your energy, because whatever you do will be fruitless. I’ve made up my mind. I don’t want to be with you anymore and my decision is final. There is absolutely nothing that you could possibly say or do to make me change my mind. Move on, Madison, because I am.”

  Madison opens her mouth to say something, but she changes her mind. Caden watches her lips tremble and tears form in the corners of her eyes, but he doesn’t feel guilty. Seeing her upset used to break his heart, but now he feels nothing. He doesn’t believe that the tears that stream down her face are for him. He believes that she cries because she isn’t getting her way like she’s used to and not because she's genuinely upset about the situation at hand. He is grateful when she turns and leaves without saying another word.

  He watches her get onto the elevator and he breathes a sigh of relief when she disappears behind the elevator’s closed doors. He watches the elevator descend to the bottom floor and he’s glad when he’s sure that she is not coming back.

  He lets out a sigh of frustration as he makes his way back to his office. When he woke up this morning, he thought that he was going to have good day. The conversation with his father and having to deal with Madison and her nonsense were the last things that expected to have to deal with during the course of the day.

  He grabs some things from his desk, leaves his office, and locks the door. He needs to get away and clear his head. He wants to get away from the place where his day took a turn for the worse. As he makes his way to his car, he wonders could this day get any worse?

  * * * * *

  As Harper drives her car home from work, she’s sure that something feels funny, but she decides that she’s just being paranoid. One of her biggest fears is her car breaking down and having to fork over a load of cash to a mechanic. Any little noise her car makes, she panics, but it’s usually nothing. She’s sure that the sound that she is hearing is just her mind playing tricks on her again. She pushes on the gas pedal gently, pushing the car forward.

  When her car starts smoking, she’s sure that she’s not overreacting this time. As she guides the car to the side of the road, before she can come completely to a stop, her car sputters and dies. She watches smoke pour from the hood and she hits the steering wheel with her hand. This is the last thing she needs right now.

  She lets the smoke dissipate, hoping that when the smoke subsides and she turns the key in the ignition everything will be fine. When the smoke stops, she crosses her fingers as she turns the key, but nothing happens. She pumps the gas and turns the key several more times, but it’s useless. Her car is completely dead.

  She digs her cell phone out of her purse, already calculating the hit the repairs are going to take against her bank account balance. Every time she’s had to repair her car, it’s cost an arm and a leg. She doesn’t beli
eve that this time is going to be any different. She was so close to having enough money to catch up on the rent, but now she’s not sure she’ll be able to. Now she is going to have to choose between fixing her car and paying the rent. She’s tries to hold back tears of frustration as she dials the number for a tow truck.

  When the tow truck driver finally arrives, she’s settled down a little. She’s accepted her fate. She has to fix her car whether she likes it or not. When she mentions to the driver that she wants things done as cheaply as possible, he suggests an auto repair shop close by to save on mileage costs. She is happy when they pull into the auto repair shop and it doesn’t cost her nearly as much as she thought.

  As she waits in line for her turn to talk to the person at the front desk of the repair shop, movement in the corner of her eye catches her attention. When she glances over to take a look at what has caught her attention, she sees Caden standing on the other side of a glass partition talking to a man in coveralls stained with streaks of grease. She tries to quickly turn her head, so Caden doesn’t see her, but it’s too late. Just as she’s about to pull her gaze away and turn her head, Caden looks directly at her and they lock eyes.

  The same spark that she felt the night of the charity event when Caden looked at her, shoots through her again. She can’t avoid him now. Her car is sitting in the parking lot and she has nowhere to run. She smiles at him because that is the only thing she can think to do.

  When he starts making motions to head in her direction, she is glad when the person behind the desk calls her name and occupies her for the moment. She knows that Caden is coming to speak to her and she braces herself for their imminent conversation, while she speaks to the receptionist.

  While the person behind the desk speaks to her, it’s hard for her to keep her focus. She finds herself stammering and stumbling over her words. She forgets the make and model of her car and has to take a minute to actually think of it. The person behind the desk stares at her strangely, but she doesn’t need her look to let her know that she’s acting unusual. She can’t help herself. Once again, Caden Mason is having a physical reaction on her.