by Rina Gray
Tension seeped from Nathan’s body and the fogginess in his head cleared. His mother had never sent care packages or called to check in.
“I know you recognize that Tiana loves you.”
Nathan nodded his head, agreeing. No need to lie. His dad had always been able to see right through him, digging into the heart of the matter.
Pops clasped hands that rested on his chest. “And you love her, too.”
“Is that a question?”
“Are you going to pretend that it is?” Pops quickly fired back. The heart attack hadn’t fully robbed him of his fire.
“Yeah, I love Tiana. I-I just don’t know. Sometimes she reminds me of Mom. The way she gets caught up in work and —”
“Hey now,” Pops’s deep voice boomed. “She is not Renita. Don’t try to make Tiana the bad guy here. She stepped into your job because she had to. You should be glad that you have someone you trust to take care of things while you’re out.”
“I—”
“Secondly.” Pops’s hand sliced the air. “Don’t fault Tiana for loving her job. Just because you enjoy your career doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy other things like friends and family. She clearly puts her siblings first. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be so accomplished and well-mannered. She was just able to do both; your mother didn’t even try. Don’t fault Tiana for being driven and talented. You should want that in a woman … someone who mirrors you.”
Nathan’s mind raced through all the things he’d said to Tiana. The canceled dates. The business trips. Despite her concerns, she’d stuck by him, even offered help and advice. But instead of taking her help, he was too proud. Damn, Pops was right. I’m losing her.
“Ahh. Now you’re realizing the truth. She’s the one.”
“She’s the one,” he agreed. “I need to speak to her. I’ve said some terrible things. Acted like I didn’t need her.”
“Go on home and apologize, son.”
“No. I’m not leaving you. I’ll give her a call.”
“Nathan, I love you and I appreciate you and Martha banding together to make sure I’m comfortable. But I gotta tell you that having the both of you pecking over me like mother hens is starting to piss me off. I’m home and resting, and its Friday. Take Tiana to our house in the Hamptons for the weekend. Wine and dine her and, for God’s sake, tell the woman you love her.”
“Are you sure you don’t need me?”
“Martha will be back soon, so get going. Don’t come back until you can tell me the future mother of my grandchildren has forgiven you.”
Nathan laughed for the first time in days. “You’re jumping the gun, Pops.”
“I call it how I see it. No use in lying. You’re going to marry that beautiful woman and make some beautiful babies. Now go and get your girl.”
• • •
Fiete sales had spiked in the month since she had taken over. The blitz idea of sending top car enthusiasts and influencers exclusive access to the company’s manufacturing plant had been genius. The bloggers had been posting pictures on social media and some had already written reviews. Tiana looked around the room and smiled at her lean team of three.
“Mr. Goldberg has informed me that Fiete wants us to fully take on marketing for all their automobile lines. This is a big win for the agency and will most likely result in expanding the team and possibly promotions.”
Billy, Sheila, and Julia clapped.
Billy ran fingers through his brown hair and grinned. “Thanks, Tiana. We couldn’t have done it without you.”
She waved off their praise. “Everyone pitched in and had brilliant ideas. You guys are doing just fine without me.”
He shook his head. “But you gave me the confidence to share my ideas. So this success of the account expanding is all due to you.”
“He’s right, you know,” Mr. Goldberg said from the doorway with a bottle of champagne and flutes. “Don’t share this with the others yet, but the deals have officially been signed.”
Clapping, the team stood to shake Mr. Goldberg’s hand.
“Let’s have a quick celebration. Billy, help me more pour drinks for the ladies.”
Then Mr. Goldberg raised the champagne flute. “To Tiana, for leading an extraordinary team. And to more success for the agency.”
Everyone raised their glasses and sipped. Despite the buzz from the good news and champagne, Tiana had to force a smile. A year ago, she would’ve relished the praise. But with Garrett’s illness and Nathan’s silence and the demands of Fiete, she was beyond worried and stressed. Thankfully, the weekend was near, and she’d planned to have a quiet and relaxing few days.
After the celebration, Tiana returned to her office and blazed through more requests from Fiete. The agency would have to expand their team soon. Four full-time employees weren’t enough to support the T-8 account.
A knock sounded from the door.
“Mr. Goldberg. How can I help you?”
He shuffled in, sat down, and then rubbed a hand over his green tweed pants. “I come bearing good news. The team for Fiete wants you to work on the sedan line. And we … well, we want you on as a director.”
A grin spread on her face. This was definitely going to be a good weekend. She’d enjoyed temporarily covering the sports line for Nathan, but the sedan line would give her just as much visibility. “You really want to promote me to director?”
“Yes we do.” Isaac laughed. “HR will be in touch next week, but take a load off now and leave. I don’t want to burn out the star of the agency.”
Tiana glanced at the clock. It was half past seven already. She moved away from her laptop. “Oh, I don’t know about being the star. Everyone on the team is doing a fantastic job, and Nathan had already laid a solid foundation for the budget and strategy. I just came in and pushed the ‘go’ button.”
“Oh no, young lady. You are the star of the agency. I’ve been getting calls and emails from Fiete’s VP of sales. He’s over the moon about the sales projection for the quarter. Forbes.com recognized them for their innovative marketing, thanks to us. And not to mention the team. They responded to your special brand of leadership. With the account expansion, we see big things for you and the team.”
“Well, it’s only been a month, Mr. Goldberg. And I can’t take all of the credit for Nathan’s hard work.
“I’m not asking you to. But, Tiana, I have to say we really were mistaken when we didn’t give you a promotion.”
“Thank you. I—”
“Don’t thank me. Take the director’s position for Fiete. Details are in the email for what you’ll be covering.”
Taking a deep breath, she smiled. “Thank you. I’ll review the offer and consider it over the weekend.” She gave him a genuine smile. Of course I’m taking this job!
Her cell phone buzzed and vibrated on the desk.
“I’ll let you check that.” Rising from the chair, he moved toward the door. “Like I said, leave and enjoy the weekend. Have a wonderful night.”
“You, too, Mr. Goldberg,” she said to his retreating back. She glanced at her screen. Hmmm … a text from Nathan. Her heart skipped a beat. Maybe he was finally coming to his senses and wanted to talk.
I’m downstairs. Came to surprise you.
Jumping out of her seat, she rushed out of the office, excited to see her man and share the good news.
• • •
Nathan had tried to surprise Tiana at her apartment, but after a few minutes of buzzing the intercom, he realized his little overachiever was most likely chained to her desk. Damn, he was more nervous than a virgin on prom night. But still, he owed it to her to try. He had to move past his natural inclination to distrust.
But it was hard. Renita’s taunt had struck deeper than he’d like to admit. His mother was the type to backstab a coworker. To take and conquer, damn the consequences. Which was why she was single and secretly still pining for Pops.
Did she regret her choices? Ultimately, she’d chosen her career over
love … love for her husband and son.
Tiana isn’t your mother. He was going to make things right and claim his woman. For good. She might put up a fight—hell, she deserved to smack him a few times—but he wouldn’t give in or give up.
Swerving his car into the company’s garage, he swiped his rarely used badge. Typically, he would’ve taken the subway or walked to work. But since he’d come straight from Connecticut, Nathan had been driving.
After taking the elevator from the lobby, he rushed through the dark and quiet office. He stopped in his tracks when he recognized Mr. Goldberg’s voice in Tiana’s office.
“Oh no, young lady. You are the star of the agency. I’ve been getting calls and emails from Fiete’s VP of sales. He’s over the moon about the sales projection for the quarter. Forbes.com recognized them for their innovative marketing, thanks to us. And not to mention the team. They responded to your special brand of leadership. With the account expansion, we see big things for you and the team.”
“Well, it’s only been a few weeks. And I can’t take all of the credit for Nathaniel’s hard work.”
“I’m not asking you to. But, Tiana, I have to say we really were mistaken when we didn’t give you a promotion.
“Thank you. I—”
“Don’t thank me. Take the director’s position for Fiete. Details are in the email for what you’ll be covering.”
“Thank you, Mr. Goldberg. I’ll review the offer and consider it over the weekend.”
Nathan staggered from the door. He’d heard enough. Isaac’s words “Take the director’s position for Fiete,” looped in his mind. She’d swooped in and stolen his job. Just like his mother, Tiana had chosen her career and her ambitions over love. Rushing through the cubicle maze, he finally arrived at the elevator and blindingly jabbed the lower level button.
After all the countless hours I’d put into that account. Those were my damn ideas they’d salivated over and now they’re giving my job to her!
No. He wouldn’t leave like a dog with its tail between its legs. He was going to confront his conniving, soon-to-be ex-girlfriend. He needed to see her eyes and understand why she’d betrayed him.
Grabbing the phone from his pocket, he texted Tiana as he rode the elevator down to the lobby.
Chapter Twenty-Six
“Nathan!” Tiana rushed into his arms and stiffened when he didn’t hug her back. Long seconds passed without him uttering a word.
She backed away, unsure of his mood. Fathomless midnight eyes shone from a blank mask highlighting a scruffy beard and full lips.
“What are you doing here? I thought you had another week before you returned to work?”
“You’d just love that, wouldn’t you?” His cold words dripped like a slow leaky faucet.
“What are you talking about? Of course I want you back. I miss you.”
His nostrils flared. “Do you?”
“Yes.” She wrapped an arm around her waist. Where in the hell did he get off treating her like an enemy? He was the one who’d promised to call and hadn’t.
“I’m confused. You texted that you came to surprise me. I’m surprised all right. Surprised you had the audacity to leave your dad, drive all the way from Connecticut, and then act like a class-A asshole. What is up with you?” Leaning in, she jabbed a finger into his stone chest. “Now you’re the one with a stick up the ass.”
Dark eyes drilled her like bullets. “Fine. I see you aren’t going to confess anything unless I call you out, so here goes. I heard the conversation between you and Isaac. He offered you the director position.”
“Yes, he did, and I plan to accept. What’s the big deal?” She shrugged. “I thought you’d be happy for me.”
“Happy for you?” His voice rose like a tidal wave as he clenched and unclenched his fists. “Are you out of your damn mind? You went behind my back, stole my job while my dad nearly died in the hospital, and I’m supposed to be happy?”
“S-stole your job?” Tiana’s words floated above a whisper.
The rose-colored glasses shattered. Standing before her was the old Nathaniel she loved to hate—a handsome and prideful bastard. No beauty on the inside. Uncaring and unrelenting. Her nails dug and pierced her palms. How she longed to slap his too-handsome face to make him feel a fraction of the pain she felt for loving and losing again.
“I have to ask you the same question … are you out of your damn mind? You seriously think I’d steal your job?”
“I know what I heard.”
“Then you must not have heard it all. I didn’t steal—”
“I’m not listening to another minute of your lies.”
“Just wait a minute, Nathan. I am not a liar, and you need to listen to me before you say something that you can’t take back.”
“The only mistake I wish I could take back is seeing you again. You have been a pain in my ass since day one. I should’ve followed my gut when you interviewed for the job and told them not to hire you. You are a backstabbing, disloyal ice queen.”
“Nathan.” Her voice broke over his callous words. Try as she might, a tear slipped and rolled down her cheek.
He backed away. “It’s a damn shame you’re such a beautiful liar.”
• • •
Tiana rushed back to her office, tears streaming down her face, still in shock from Nathan’s accusations. Oh, the bastard wasn’t getting away with having the last word.
She clicked on the keyboard, logging into her email. Scanning the inbox, she found the message Mr. Goldberg had sent. Quickly reading through the contents, she stopped when she found what she’d been looking for. She highlighted, bolded, and underlined the details about her covering the luxury sedan line, not the stupid sports line, and then forwarded the damning evidence to Nathan’s personal and work emails.
“Take that, you arrogant jerk!”
Pacing the floor of her office, she was partially pissed and all the way hurt. Since his father’s heart attack, he’d been MIA. Now the one time she needed him, he’d disappeared.
They all leave, Mom. The twins, Greg, Mel, and now Nathan.
Garrett’s voice overpowered her negative thoughts. Fight for my son.
She shook away his voice. I’ll fight him, all right. She shut down the computer.
She would make him eat his words and then later crush him with her rejection. She’d take the power back and would never let anyone hurt her again.
• • •
Hands in pocket with his head down, Nathan roamed the streets of New York, pushing through the crowds of pedestrians. Thirty minutes later, he ended up at Dining in the Dark. He rushed through the doors, hoping to sit in peace at the bar while most of the patrons dined in the back.
The bell over the door chimed. The young blind man from months before jerked his head. “Take a seat. The bar is open.”
Nathan expelled a deep breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. “Appreciate it.”
“What can I get ya?”
“Whisky. Neat.”
The bartender nodded. “You got it.”
He fixed the drink and slid it in front of Nathan.
“Thanks, man.”
“Not a problem.”
Nathan took a sip and slumped into the high back seat at the bar. Closing his eyes, his mind replayed the argument with Tiana. Regret shook him to the core. He’d said a lot of harsh things, and yet she’d insisted she was innocent.
What if she was innocent? What if I’m wrong?
Then he would lose her forever. Tiana wasn’t one to easily forgive and forget. But if he was right, he’d dodged the bullet. They said sons married women like their mothers. No way in hell was he going to be duped like his father had been, and fall for a woman who loved money and career and ambition over family.
An uneasy feeling spread in his chest and crawled up his throat. Outside of today, Tiana had never given him a reason not to trust her. That damn movie replayed again, this time stopping and skipping through t
ime.
The way her eyes smoldered when they debated in class during grad school, often on opposite sides of how to approach a problem. His mind fast-forwarded to graduation. She’d handwritten every classmate a note, and to his surprise, he received one, too, and it didn’t read, “Go to hell.”
No, his Tiana was pure class. Good luck on your journey. Despite our differences, you are intelligent and driven, and your future success will undoubtedly be well-earned. Best of luck. He’d memorized every word. The card was now tucked safely away in his sock drawer. She almost found it one day when she’d scrounged through his dresser, looking for a T-shirt.
Shit. That was all the proof he needed. The truth was in her smile, in the love that had shone in her eyes, in the way she’d treated everyone from her boss to her intern. He needed to fix the mess he made. ASAP. But he didn’t know how. Tiana would not be welcoming him with open arms, of that he was sure.
What can I do? He took another sip of his drink. I could step down. Give her the position. Damn, he wanted the role, but she deserved it. She deserved to know that he was willing to sacrifice anything and everything for her. No one had ever sacrificed for her.
His phone vibrated in his back pocket. He grabbed it and opened the screen. An email from Tiana. He scanned the email and pounded his fist into the counter.
“Whoa, there,” the bartender shouted from behind the counter and raised his hands.
“Sorry. Here’s my card. I need to pay for the drink and go.”
“Yeah. Good idea,” the bartender muttered under his breath as he opened his palm for the card.
“Idiot!” he whispered. He scanned his contact list and selected Tiana’s number. A picture of her, hair spread on his pillow, popped on the screen. A painful burn singed his chest. I can’t lose her.
After three rings, surprisingly, Tiana answered the phone. “What?” she yelled into his earpiece.
“Peaches, I—”
“Oh no. No, no, no. Don’t you ever—” Her voice grew louder and colder. “Ever again call me that name. I’ll never bite into another damn peach, that’s just how much I hate the name and the memories associated with it.”