Love And Money (Love Series - Book 2)

by K. L. Prince

  “Lucas, you’re so shallow, but yes, she’s drop dead gorgeous,” Caden says and smiles when he pictures Harper in his mind.

  “How did you meet her?”

  “I met her at a charity event. She is a friend of Olivia’s, and I have to say, she’s pretty great. She’s a really special woman. I might be getting a little ahead of myself, but I think that she might be ‘The One’.”

  “Come on, Cade. You just met this girl. How can you possibly make big statements like that? You barely even know her.”

  “Lucas, I’m telling you, there is something about her. When I’m around her, I feel so happy. When I’m not with her, I’m counting down the minutes when I can see her again. Everything she says and does is perfect to me. I find myself watching her and I’m mesmerized by all of her movements – the way she tucks her hair behind her ears and the way her eyes light up when she sees me. We’ve clicked on a massive level and it was something that happened instantly. Being with her has never felt forced or uncomfortable. Spending time with her has really been great. The way I feel about her is nothing like the way that I felt when I was with Madison.”

  “What do you actually know about her?” Lucas asks, sounding concerned.

  “Honestly, not much, but it doesn’t really matter. What I do know about her so far, I really like. She is everything that I’ve been looking for in a woman. I can’t wait for you to meet her. I’m absolutely positive that you’re going to love her.”

  “I’m sure she is a nice person, but a word of advice – take things slow. I’m convinced that you don’t really know someone until at least a year of consistent dating. You haven’t seen her at her worst or under extreme pressure. You know that times of stress are when you really get to see the true side of a person’s character. You’re in the honeymoon phase with this girl and right now she seems like God’s gift, but you haven’t seen every part of her personality yet. Please don’t rush into things.”

  “Lucas, I know what I’m doing, trust me. You don’t have to worry about me. I’m going into things with Harper with my eyes wide open - believe me. You know I’m cautious by nature, so if there are any warning signs, I’ll be well aware of them. That being said, something inside of me tells me that there is something really right about Harper. It’s the way that she makes me feel when I’m with her. I just can’t explain it, but there is something that keeps me going back for more and more. It’s almost like I’m addicted to her.”

  “Well, I’m glad that you are happy and I’m happy for you, but keep your guard up. You know that these girls aren’t loyal,” Lucas says and smiles.

  “Not Harper. She’s different. I can feel it.,” Caden says and finishes his beer.

  * * * * *

  “Ms. Madison Thorpe, welcome. Longtime, no see. Have a seat,” Kyle Banks, private investigator, says and motions for Madison to sit down in a chair in his office. “How’s your father?” Kyle asks and takes his spot behind his desk.

  “He’s fine. Busy with work, as usual,” Madison says and pulls out a piece of paper from her purse.

  “And your mother?” Kyle asks.

  “She’s fine. Busy with all her social functions,” Madison replies, really not in the mood to discuss her parents. She just wants to get to the reason for her visit and get the ball rolling on the plan that she has decided to set into motion.

  “So, what brings you to see me today? Nothing serious, I hope,” Kyle says and crosses his hands on top of his desk.

  “The reason that I’m here is because Caden and I broke up. You remember Caden, right?” Madison asks and tries to hold back tears. Whenever she speaks about Caden, it is hard for her to stop the tears of regret from falling and it is hard holding back the incredible anger she feels over the demise of their relationship.

  “Of course. I remember Caden well. Every time I had the pleasure of running into him, I’ve always gotten a good impression of him. He’s always seemed like a very nice fellow. I’m sorry to hear that you have broken up. That’s really unfortunate,” Kyle says and nods his head while giving her a look of sympathy.

  “Well, to me, it’s beyond unfortunate, it’s heartbreaking. I’ve lost the love of my life. I thought that we were going to work out our problems, but he has blindsided me by moving on to someone else and that is why I’m here. I want you to look into his new girlfriend for me,” Madison says and unfolds the piece of paper from her purse.

  “Madison, you know that I am more than willing to help you, but do you really think that hiring me is a good idea?”

  “Mr. Banks, I need to get Caden back and I’m willing to do whatever it takes. I’ve met his new girlfriend and she gives me bad vibes. I can’t put my finger on it, but there is something about her that rubs me the wrong way and I need to find out why. What I need you to do is a full background check on her and let me know what you come up with. Her name is Harper Bailey,” Madison says and slides the piece of paper in her hand across the desk to Kyle. It took a lot persuasion and a hefty amount of cleavage to get Harper’s name from the guest list from the charity event, but she was able to use her womanly wiles against an employee from the hospital, who has always had a crush on her.

  Kyle glances at the name on the piece of paper and puts it aside, before saying, “Madison, people break up. Sometimes you just have to let people go. You’re a smart woman; you know that you can’t force someone to love you. If Caden doesn’t want to be with you anymore, you may have to accept it and move on with your life. That being said, if you absolutely have your heart set on getting Caden back, you do realize that hiring me may hinder that, right? If he finds out that you have hired a private investigator to look into his new girlfriend, he may be very upset with you for your intrusion into his personal life.”

  “It’s a risk that I’m willing to take. Plus, if you don’t find anything about this Harper woman, he will never even know what I’ve done. I trust that you will be discreet,” Madison says, starting to feel angry. She didn’t visit Kyle Banks for his advice. She just wants him to do the job that she’s asked of him and keep his feelings and opinions to himself.

  “Of course. Discretion is paramount in my business. Caden will never know that you’ve hired me, unless you disclose it to him,” Kyle says, the reservation still evident in his voice. If Madison had been anyone else, he would never question her motives for wanting to hire him or given her any sort of advice. He would take the job without question, but since she is the daughter of a very good friend and he has known her all of her life, he doesn’t want to see her get hurt any further. He doesn’t want to be an instrument in her heartbreak. What if he finds out something about Caden’s new girlfriend and it leads to some unfortunate outcome or event? Would he be able to live with himself knowing he played a significant part in something that lead to negative results in her life?

  “Good,” Madison says before Kyle can say another word to try to talk her out of hiring him. “I would like you to begin your investigation into Harper Bailey immediately and you know that money is no object. I want you do to whatever it takes to gather as much information you can about this woman,” Madison says and stands up.

  Kyle lets out a sigh and gives up. “Alright, Madison. I will do what you have asked. I will look into this woman for you and let you know what I come up with.”

  “Good and thank you. I appreciate it. I will be expecting you call,” Madison says and leaves Kyle Banks’ office as quickly as she can before he can say anything else.

  As she makes her way to her car, she can’t help but smile. She feels overjoyed that she is able to do something proactive to get Caden back. She can’t bear to sit around and let things play out organically. She can’t sit around and wait for Caden to have a sudden change of heart about her. She needs something to force him to change his mind. She needs him to see that she is the only woman for him and that being with Harper Bailey is a mistake. She needs to show him that they are meant to be together.

  She doesn’t really care if C
aden is angry with her for hiring a private investigator. She is sure that her actions will show him how much she truly loves him and wants to be in his life. She is sure that he will see that she is protecting him and only has his best interests at heart, if she is able to present him with all the skeletons in Harper Bailey’s closet.

  She really hopes that Kyle is able to find something truly ugly in Harper Bailey’s history. It is her only play at the moment. She is not sure what she will do if Kyle comes up empty. All she can do is wait and hope with her fingers crossed that Harper Bailey is a horrible woman with a secret past.

  She’s lived long enough to know that everyone has secrets. Some people’s secrets are bigger than other people's are, but everyone has secrets nonetheless. She has done some things in her life that she hopes remain in the dark and she hopes Harper does too. She hopes that Harper’s secrets are dirty and that they are huge.

  She will take great pride in exposing Harper’s secrets to the light for the whole world to see, but especially to Caden. She hopes that what she has done to Caden will be nothing compared to Harper and the secrets that she holds. She hopes that Caden will take one look at exposed Harper and realize that she is not so bad after all. She hopes to turn Harper into the devil and she will become a glorious angel in Caden’s eyes.

  As she starts her car and pulls away from Kyle Banks’ office, she has new hope. She has something to look forward to and she envisions Caden running back into her waiting arms with his tail between his legs. She imagines that he will tell her what a huge mistake he made when he chose to leave her. She will let him grovel for a bit and then she will accept him back wholeheartedly.

  She pictures herself walking down the aisle in her beautiful wedding gown and Caden waiting at the altar to make her his wife. She pictures the huge celebration of their nuptials and the building of their family that follows. They will have a large family and a house full of happiness and pure joy.

  She has it all planned out in her mind and she will not stop until she makes her visions a reality. Caden is hers and she is not going to let Harper Bailey, or anyone for that matter, stand in the way of her accomplishing her goal and getting what she wants. She will never stop and there is nothing that she will allow to get in her way of getting back her one true love.

  Chapter 6

  Harper and Caden stroll along the boardwalk, hand-in-hand, after another wonderful date. They had a wonderful dinner, followed by a movie and now a midnight stroll under the stars that shine brightly in the sky. The night couldn’t be more perfect. As the cool breeze brushes against her face, Harper wonders how she got so lucky.

  She and Caden have spent pretty much every night together since the night of the charity event for the hospital. It’s been a time full of wonderful dates and very special moments of growing intimacy between them. They’ve grown closer and closer and the momentum of their relationship keeps moving smoothly forward without any hindrances. There has never been happier moments in her life.

  “So, tell me more about your father. I would like to hear more about the man that created such a wonderful daughter,” Caden says as they stroll side-by-side, leaning against each other to keep warm.

  “Well, he’s a strict, but fair man that loves his daughter and is very devoted to her. He’s incredibly business savvy and an extremely hard worker. He’s a bit of a perfectionist and is way too hard on himself, which I’m always on him about. He’s a good man and a very kind man. He’s generous in all things, which I admire about him. I couldn’t ask for a better father,” she says, lying through her teeth. She never really knew her real father, but she describes what she would have desired in a father, if she had had one.

  “He sounds like someone I could get along with. When do you think that I will be able to meet him?” Caden asks.

  “Soon, I hope, but he’s really busy,” she says and smiles from nervousness, as her lies continue to compound.

  “Not busy for his daughter, I’m sure,” Caden says, teasing her.

  “I suppose not,” she replies awkwardly.

  “You never mention your mother much. Are you close with her?” Caden asks next.

  “My mother died when I was very young in a car accident. I don’t really remember her much. It’s just been my father and I since then. My father has had an occasional girlfriend, but nothing serious. I don’t think that he has completely gotten over the death of my mother. He loved her very much,” she says and thinks about her mother who is very much alive and well and is probably asleep in their apartment.

  “Well, we have something more in common. We both lost our mothers. I have fond memories of mine. I wish that you were able to have the same,” Caden says and squeezes her hand.

  “It’s life. Sometimes I wonder about my mother and I wish that she were around to talk to about problems and things, but my father has been absolutely wonderful and I’m so thankful for him,” she says, wishing that they could change the subject.

  “I’ve never heard you mention any brothers or sisters. Do you have any siblings?” Caden asks, scooping up some snow to make a snowball.

  “I’m an only child,” she says, watching Caden toss the snowball onto of the frozen water in the river that runs adjacent to the boardwalk.

  “Another thing that we have in common. We’re a lot alike, you and I,” Caden says and grabs her hand again. “It makes me feel closer to you,” he says and kisses the top of her forehead.

  “Yeah,” is all she can say. Her stomach has started to churn from all the lies that she’s just told Caden. She wonders what he is going to think when he finds out that her father doesn’t exist and her mother isn’t dead. She wishes they could just stop talking about her fabricated life and focus on their relationship.

  Caden stops walking and turns to face her. “There is something that I want to say to you,” he says and brushes a strand of hair from her face.

  “What?” she asks, starting to feel nervous. “Is there something wrong? You’re not going to break up with me are you?”

  “Absolutely not. Breaking up with you is not in the realm of possibility for me right now. What I want to tell you is that I’m falling for you and I don’t think I can stop myself. Every minute that I am able to spend with you talking, going out, or whatever - the more my feelings for you grow.”

  “Really?” she asks, looking deeply into Caden’s eyes.

  “Really,” Caden replies and smiles. “I think that you’re an amazing woman and I think that we fit together perfectly. I’ve never met someone that I’ve felt so in tune with and I feel I can be myself around. You’re down to earth and so sweet. I don’t feel I have to jump through any hoops to get to you. You make it so easy to be with you and you have no idea how much I appreciate that. I’ve been looking for a certain type of woman and you and your personality check all the boxes.”

  “I am so glad to hear you say that,” she gushes, “because I feel the same way about you. Ever since I met you, I’ve felt so comfortable and at peace. I agree with you when you say that being together has been so easy. It’s so easy to talk to you and I feel like I can be myself when around you, too,” she says, even though what she’s said isn’t entirely true. If she truly felt that she could be herself around Caden, she wouldn’t have lied to him.

  “Harper, I can’t stop thinking about you. You’re on my mind when I am at work, when I’m at home - everywhere. I’m constantly trying to figure out ways that I can see you more. I really love being around you and having you around. I hope that I’m not being too overbearing or anything, but I hope that we can spend more and more time together.”

  “You’re not being overbearing at all. I love spending time with you and I want to spend as much time as I can with you, too. I’m excited about where our relationship is going and I look forward to every moment that I get to spend with you,” Harper says and blushes. She has never been so open with her feelings before. She usually keeps how she feels about someone she is dating under wraps because of her
fear of being hurt, but Caden’s genuineness and sincerity has opened her up like never before.

  “You have no idea how relieved I am to hear that you feel the same way about me that I feel about you. I would have felt really stupid, if you had rejected me,” Caden says and picks her. He spins her around, causing her to giggle from delight.

  When he puts her down, she says while looking deeply into his eyes, “I want you to know that I would never reject you. You have come into my life like a whirlwind, swept me up, and I never want to come down. You have made me so happy and I hope it remains the same for a very long time. I’m not going anywhere anytime soon, unless you want me to.”

  “Harper Bailey, I don’t want you to go anywhere. Right by my side is where I want you to be and to stay,” Caden says and takes her hand.

  They continue to stroll under the moonlight in contented silence. The silence between them speaks volumes. No words need to be spoken between them to say that they are both happy for the movement of their relationship to a wonderful new level because it is evidenced by their closeness.

  To Harper, the way that Caden tightly clasps her hand tells her that he will never let her go and the way that she hangs onto him is her way of showing him that wherever he goes, she will follow. She would go to the ends of the earth with him and for him.

  As they stroll together, she knows that she is completely smitten. There is no turning back on the way her heart feels for him. She has gone too far to turn back now. She has fallen in love with Caden Mason and she never wants to have to let him go.

  As they walk down the street and get closer and closer to Olivia’s father’s apartment, her heart sinks more and more with each step. The apartment is a reminder that Caden is not purely hers. Even though they are together at the moment and a relationship between them exists, he remains slightly out of reach because of her lies. He is not fully hers a hundred percent and the realization hurts. The lies she has told has created a barrier between them. It’s like a plane of glass lies between them and she can’t reach out and touch him.