Dominic growled into his wife’s ear as he watched the couple across the table talking. “Look at him talking Marie’s ear off. She can’t wait for this meal to be over.”
Eyes dancing with humor, Abby said, “I’m not positive that’s what she’s thinking.”
“If he says one rude word to her, I’m throwing him out the front door.”
Abby placed a soothing hand on Dominic’s tense thigh. “He’s a diplomat. I’m sure he knows how to behave himself at a social gathering.”
Dominic glared at Romario. “You wouldn’t think so if you’d heard him talking to Jeremy.”
Abby rubbed her husband’s thigh beneath the table until his attention refocused on her. “Tell me you didn’t get involved in their family dispute.”
Instantly attentive, Dominic lowered his head and whispered suggestively, “Move your hand a little higher and I’ll tell you whatever you want to hear.”
Abby slapped his stomach playfully. “I’m serious.”
Dominic kissed his beautiful wife’s neck, knowing there was no way to avoid her lecture but enjoying the delicious pink it brought to her cheeks. “So am I.”
Despite the desire that lit her eyes, Abby chastised her husband playfully. “You are incorrigible.”
He kissed her neck again, but also offered her what he knew she was waiting for. “I may have exchanged a few harsh words with Romario.”
Abby’s head cocked to the side in doubt. “May have?”
It was impossible to stay upset when his wife smiled at him that way. He conceded, “He doesn’t think Jeremy is good enough for Jeisa.”
Tongue-in-cheek, Abby asked, “Is any man good enough for a father?”
“Do not mock me, woman,” he said, but there was no bite to his words.
Instead of continuing down the teasing thread, Abby took Dominic’s hand and laid it on her small belly bump. “It couldn’t have been easy for Jeisa’s father to come here today. He doesn’t know any of us, and from what I’ve heard, Jeisa wasn’t entirely honest with him about what she’d been doing here in the States. He flew over here because he was worried about her and he met a suitor he’d previously never heard a word about. Can you blame him for being protective? How would you feel if Jeisa were our daughter?”
Dominic shook his head ruefully. “I’d want to kill the bastard.”
“And?” Abby pushed.
With a groan, Dominic conceded, “And I might not want her to hang around with people who have been in the news for as many questionable reasons as we have been.” He closed his eyes for a pained second. “Don’t ask me to be nice to him. I’m only human.”
Abby smiled up at her husband. “Do you know what I think?”
Looking down at his wife’s beautiful, concerned face, Dominic said, “No, but I’m sure you’ll tell me.”
“You know that Jeremy looks up to you.”
Dominic waved one hand in the air in frustrated emphasis. “He’s just so . . . naive. He doesn’t understand how the world works.”
Tears of emotion filled Abby’s eyes and she said huskily, “And you want to protect him. Oh, Dominic, you went through hell and it shaped how you see families. But this isn’t the same, and Jeremy needs to work this out on his own. He’ll be fine. He knows how to love through adversity. Romario is not like your father. It’s too easy to judge him by what we see today, but he’s trying to protect her. Today must be difficult for him. There is nothing worse than watching your child do the exact opposite of what you consider safe for them. It unhinges even the nicest person.”
Dominic ran his hand lovingly over the nape of his wife’s neck. “Is there anyone you hate?”
Her lips thinned. “Yes. The man who stole your childhood from you.”
Dominic kissed Abby’s forehead. For the millionth time since he’d met her, he wondered how he’d earned this second chance. Given the time, she might have redeemed even his father.
“Have I told you how much I love you?” He loved the way her eyes filled with tears again, but this time with happy emotion.
“Not since this morning,” she said cheekily. As dessert was served, Abby said, “Jeremy does need you, but not as his defender. Your opinion matters to him. Show him that you respect his kind of strength, too.”
Dominic looked across the table to where Jeremy was once again attempting to engage Jeisa’s father in polite conversation and had to admit that Abby was right. Any other man would have gotten into a shouting match with Romario, but instead Jeremy had a stoically determined look on his face.
That kid doesn’t give up.
Chapter Fourteen
After dinner, the guests spilled out onto the patio and lawn. The sun, on this warmer-than-usual November day, was valiantly delivering its last hour of light, and some of the younger Andrades had shed their jackets and were tossing a football around in what looked like a lethargic attempt at the sport.
Although Jeisa had spoken to people throughout dinner, she couldn’t remember a single conversation. All she could think about was what would happen when she and Jeremy were finally alone.
What if he doesn’t ask me?
Of course he’s going to. Why would he tell his mother if he wasn’t serious?
Maybe my father scared him off.
She scanned the room for Jeremy and found him engaged in a conversation with Jake Walton and his parents. He can handle my father.
Maddy and Lil approached, and every muscle in Jeisa’s stomach clenched in anticipation.
Lil’s smile was infectious. “Are you ready?”
Maddy said, “We’d better hurry. We lit so many candles we may set off a fire alarm.”
Jeisa was half-led, half-dragged to the kitchen by the two excited women. She caught her breath at the beauty of what they had done. Each table was covered with a white tablecloth and candles of all sizes scattered in every direction. In the fading light of the day, the large kitchen could have passed for a romantic restaurant. Jeisa hugged the two women who had scrambled to transform the space. “It’s perfect,” she said.
Maddy assessed their work with a critical eye. “It’s not subtle, but he was going to ask you anyway—you’re just giving him the perfect place to do it.”
Lil confided, “Jake told me Jeremy bought three rings because he wanted to make sure you had one you loved.” She sighed dreamily. “That’s so romantic.”
Or indecisive, Jeisa thought, then hated herself for thinking that.
Jeremy made his decision and it’s me.
Maddy grabbed Lil by the hand. “We can’t stay. I already told Richard to get Jeremy as soon as he saw us leave. He should be here any second.”
They each hugged Jeisa one last time.
“Good luck,” Maddy said.
“She won’t need luck,” Lil declared. “He loves her. We’ll be toasting your engagement before dark.”
Jeisa waved to them as they left her. She stood in the middle of the floor, her breath growing shorter as her excitement and nervousness grew.
And she waited.
Jeremy regretted mentioning his Tenin project in front of Jake. Although Jake’s parents hadn’t seemed fazed by his slip, Jake brought up the subject again as soon as they left the conversation.
“You’re working a deal with Alvo? His time in power is coming to a fast end.”
Jeremy dismissed his concern with a shrug. “Then I’ll help the other side.”
“You sound exactly like Dominic used to.”
Jeremy puffed with pride. “Thank you.”
Shaking his head in disgust, Jake said, “That wasn’t a compliment.”
Jeremy hid his confusion behind an accusation. “Who are you to judge my ethics?”
Calmly raising a placating hand, Jake said, “I’m not judging you. I’m cautioning you that you’re going down a dark road.”
A dark road you paved yourself. “It wasn’t so bad when you and Dominic made your fortune doing something very similar.”
Before
Jake could answer, Dominic stepped into the conversation and said, “Jake, give me a minute with Jeremy.”
After Jake was out of earshot, Jeremy said, “That guy is—”
Dominic cut him off. “Always disgustingly right when it comes to things like this.” He put a hand on Jeremy’s shoulder and cautioned, “Before you follow too closely in my footsteps, Jeremy, you need to know that even I don’t want to be me.”
In shock, Jeremy asked, “What is that supposed to mean?”
“I made my money by siding with whoever had the bigger wallet. I didn’t care who got hurt as long as I won. But even when I thought that was how the world worked, I paid a price for that lifestyle. When money becomes an obsession, there is an emptiness that seeps into you like a poison. Nothing can fill it. Nothing I built or bought brought me happiness because I hated myself. I still do sometimes, even though Abby brings me comfort.” There was such pain in Dominic’s eyes that Jeremy didn’t question his sincerity.
Not sure what to do with his idol’s confession, Jeremy asked, “Why are you telling me this, Dom?”
“I can’t undo what I’ve done, but you don’t have to repeat my mistakes. Helping a dictator suppress his people will change you, but not in the way you seek. You are brilliant, Jeremy. Don’t sell your soul to make your fortune.”
Jeremy put his hands in the pockets of his trousers and rocked back on his heels. It’s too late. “I can’t back out of the deal now.”
“If you don’t, Jeremy, it will destroy everything you love.”
The sadness in Dominic’s eyes was testament to the truth in his words. It was also a sign that Jeremy was no longer an outsider. What do you say when your idol bares his scars as a warning to you? Nothing.
One of the house staff interrupted and said, “Excuse me, Mr. Kater?”
“Yes,” Jeremy said.
“There is someone in the foyer who would like to speak with you.”
Jeremy followed the uniformed man toward the main entrance. Richard met him halfway across the room and said, “Jeremy, can you come to the kitchen for a minute?”
Jeremy spoke while he kept walking. “I can’t right now, Richard.” He didn’t wait to hear the Frenchman’s answer. Whatever he needed, it could wait. Right now he had a pretty good idea who was waiting to speak with him, and the faster he addressed her concern and got her to leave the better.
Alethea was pacing the enormous marble foyer impatiently. The click of her black suede Rupert Sanderson pumps echoed through the empty space. She needed Jeremy to come with her so she’d worn a revealing cherry-red Versace gown to further entice him. She rushed forward when she saw Jeremy and said, “They wouldn’t let me in. Can you believe that? The one time I decide to announce myself and I’m not welcome.”
“What are you doing here, Alethea?” He didn’t sound happy to see her, nor did he exhibit any signs of being impressed by her attire. His lack of attention irritated her, but it also wasn’t worth wasting time on, considering the direness of the situation she and Jeremy had gotten themselves into.
“I’ve been calling you, but you’re not answering my calls or texts. I tried to reach you through the office and the receptionist said you were away. Did you get any of my messages?”
“I told you I’d call you back next week.” The same confidence that had impressed her the first time was now nothing more than an annoying speed bump.
Sorry to disturb your party with reality. “This can’t wait until next week.”
“It will have to. For once, you’ll have to be patient.”
Had she not heard his cold, dismissive tone with her own ears she wouldn’t have believed him capable of it. Any other time, she would have gladly taken up the challenge, but her reason for crashing the Andrade celebration was serious. “This isn’t about me. It’s about our project in Tenin. We have people planted in the compound. Remember the ones you set up the communication network for?”
“Of course I remember.”
“Well, someone has blocked me out of it. I can’t contact our people.”
Finally she had Jeremy’s attention, even if he was giving it to her reluctantly. “I can look into it as early as tomorrow morning.”
“We don’t have the luxury of time, Jeremy. I have it from a good source that the next strike against Alvo is going to be a military one that wipes him out—and it’s going to happen tomorrow. We have to get our people out of there and pull out of the deal. This is bigger than what I thought it was. We’re in the middle of a war over there. We’ve got to warn Alvo, but first we’ve got to get our people out. Do you have your laptop with you? Can you work your magic from here?”
Jeremy rubbed his forehead in frustration. “I didn’t bring it.”
Alethea’s jaw dropped. “You never go anywhere without it.”
Jeremy said, “Today was different.” He looked up at the ceiling as if he could see through it to what was upstairs. “The Andrades won’t have a computer here with the ability to do what I need. If we’re locked out, I might need to piggyback on a government server. I’m going to need either my stuff or . . . I could use what’s at the New York Corisi building. I have access.”
“Then let’s do it.”
“I have to tell Jeisa that I’m leaving.”
“Your image consultant? Does she have you on a short leash?”
At least one part of Jeremy hadn’t changed. He didn’t hedge the truth. He said, “I love her, Alethea. Today I was going to propose to her.”
Shit, we don’t have time for this. In an instant she had an angle she could use. “Isn’t she the daughter of a diplomat?”
Jeremy said, “Yes.”
Alethea drove her point home. “Does she know that you’re making your money by propping up a dictator?” When his face reddened, she said, “I’d say as little to her as possible about this while we try to get ourselves the hell out of this situation. You think her father is going to let his daughter marry you if Tenin becomes a massacre that has your name linked to it? It’ll be all over the news—an American hacker involved in a foreign civil war. The press will crucify you and anyone associated with you.”
As convincing as Alethea was, Jeremy knew what he had to do. He’d think of something, hopefully before he saw Jeisa, which would smooth the situation over. “I can’t leave without saying something to her.”
“Fine. Two minutes. Tell her whatever you need to, but don’t tell her enough to jeopardize our people. This is bad, Jeremy. This is really bad. Do you have a car here?”
“I have a helicopter.” Full of fucking roses, he thought with disgust.
“Great. We’ll take that. Tell your girlfriend we’ll be back before the party is over.”
Jeremy nodded and walked away, his pace increasing as he searched the solarium for Jeisa. When he saw Lil, he asked her, “Have you seen Jeisa?”
Looking a bit confused, Lil glanced at the woman beside her as she answered, “Maddy and I left her in the kitchen about fifteen minutes ago.”
Maddy scanned the room and asked, “Didn’t Richard ask you to go to the kitchen?”
Frustration mounting, Jeremy grated, “I think so. I don’t know. I couldn’t go. Alethea is here and she needs me to do something. But I can’t leave until I see Jeisa.”
Lil’s eyes widened. “Alethea is here?”
“Who’s here?” Abby asked as she joined the group.
Lil groaned. “Alethea.”
“Lil, tell me you didn’t invite her . . .”
Jeremy cut in, “I’m going to the kitchen. Maybe Jeisa’s still there.”
With a wild wave of one hand, Maddy asked, “To tell her that you’re leaving with Alethea? I don’t think that’s a good idea. She probably isn’t there anymore. Right, Lil? Why don’t you check the kitchen and I’ll take Jeremy on the patio to see if she’s out there.”
“I’m on it,” Lil said.
As Jeremy followed Maddy onto the patio, his mind was racing. He wanted to tell Jeisa everythi
ng. Hell, normally he would have taken her with him and even asked her for her opinion on how to resolve the situation. But Alethea was right. If there was a massacre in Tenin tomorrow, there would be an investigation, and his affiliation with Alvo would be in all the papers. For the first time since he’d charged forward into this endeavor, he had to face the fact that he may have gotten himself into a much more dangerous situation than he could handle.
A month ago, when he’d felt like he had nothing to lose, he was numb to the sting of fear. But now that he’d begun to imagine a life with Jeisa, one that included not only his family but hers . . . he could see the far-reaching consequences this could have. He might become a liability to Romario’s political career, and the fallout of that would be he would lose Jeisa—even if she found a way to forgive him.
Unless I fix this.
Somehow.
Ten minutes dragged into fifteen. Some of the glow of anticipation faded from Jeisa’s cheeks. How long do you wait for the man you love to come to you? How long do you stand there, torn between being the happiest you’ve ever been and giving in to the growing fear that you’re making a fool of yourself?
He’s not coming.
He changed his mind and can’t face me to tell me.
No, if he doesn’t love me, why would he tell my father that he does?
Just two more minutes.
Give him two more minutes.
But still, he didn’t come.
How much of my life am I going to spend waiting for happiness to come to me? What had Marie said—you discover who you really are when you’re willing to fight for what you want? I am going to go out there to find Jeremy and tell him that I am sorry.
I’m not going to hide anymore.
Jeisa took a deep breath and stepped out of the kitchen and into the hallway. Her step faltered when out of the corner of her eye she saw something that sent a cold chill down her back.
Although she’d never met her, there was no mistaking the impatient redhead pacing in the foyer of the Andrade home. Her desire to find Jeremy was forgotten as her feet carried her toward one of her greatest fears.
Alethea stopped and shook her head as Jeisa approached, looking at her as if she were an inconvenience.
The Legacy Collection Box Set Page 69