by Mia Carson
“Of course it’s not. She’s upset him,” Bailey announced, thrusting her chin in the air. “I told him she would. All she does is make a mess of everything. She assaulted her landlord, for God’s sake, and now she’s turned Harold against us.”
Anna laughed so hard she bent over double. “I’m sorry, but seriously?” Harold’s lips twitched in a smirk as Jenny stifled her laughter behind her hand.
“Yes, I’m serious,” Bailey insisted marching forward. “Ever since you came into his life a year ago, Harold hasn’t been the same. You’ve taken a strong, powerful man and broken him down into…into…”
“Into what?” Anna said straightening and standing a few inches from Bailey. “Into a decent man who remembered his dreams of helping and caring for those who aren’t so fortunate to have money? To have a means to help themselves in terrible situations? To be kind and generous?”
Bailey tossed her drink in Anna’s face, and the house fell silent. Harold grabbed Anna right as her fist curled, ready to hit Bailey, and shoved her behind him. He handed her his handkerchief, and she wiped the liquor from her face and neck.
“How dare you?” he growled, fed up with all of them. “You do see how ridiculous you’re being, right? About everything? Anna makes me happy—something you could never do, Bailey. You’re jealous and everyone can see it.”
Her eyes widened, and she flinched away as if he’d smacked her. “That is not true.”
“Bullshit. You’ve wanted me since we were teenagers. Well, I don’t want you. I never did. I never wanted this life, but I was forced into it and I forgot what I really wanted.” He reached behind him for Anna’s hand and pulled her beside him. “Anna reminded me who I am really meant to be.” He glanced around the room at his friends and let his gaze fall on his mother’s. “I agreed to come tonight because I have several announcements I wanted to make to you and Jenny, but since everyone’s here, I guess the whole city will know by morning.”
He removed the black box from his pocket and sank to one knee before Anna. He opened it and she gasped, her hand covering her mouth in surprise. “That ring…I know that ring,” she whispered.
“Your dad asked the jeweler to hang onto it for this day,” he told her. “Your grandmother’s ring. Anna, I lost you once before, but I swear to always be the man you showed me I could be, a better man than my father. A man who’s worthy of your love. Will you marry me? Be my wife and face down whatever life may throw at us next?”
Tears brimmed in her eyes as she nodded. “Yes. Yes!”
He slipped the ring on her finger. “It’s a perfect fit,” he said, surprised.
She grabbed him by his shirt and tugged him to his feet so she could kiss him. “I love you,” she whispered against his mouth. “I love you, Harry.”
“Harry,” Prentice scoffed. “No. No, I will not allow you to marry someone who calls you Harry! And has purple hair! She will tarnish the family legacy!”
“Violet,” he corrected sharply and wrapped his arms securely around Anna. “And that brings me to my next announcement. I’m leaving the firm.”
Prentice and Bailey shouted in response to his words, but to his surprise, Christian and Rodric smiled. The first lifted his glass in toast to Harold while the latter nodded in approval. To be fair, when he was with Anna before, his two friends mostly went along with whatever Bailey said. Apparently, over the year, the two had learned to think for themselves more and had no qualms whatsoever with Harold’s life changes.
“You can’t leave,” Prentice yelled. “You’re the face of that company!”
“Not anymore. You can find a new face. One of them would do nicely, I think. Christian, didn’t you want your own firm at some point?”
“I did and would be more than happy to accept the mantle, although,” he said holding up a finger, “that depends on what you’re going to do after you leave. I find myself bored by our current employment and am intrigued to hear about your decision.”
Anna’s brow furrowed. “Yeah, that makes two of us.”
“Three,” Rodric chimed in.
“Uh, hello? Your sister would love to know, too,” Jenny added brightly.
The swelling of support Harold hadn’t expected eased his worries. “I’m going to open a smaller office in Anna’s old apartment that caters to those in need of legal services but can’t afford a big-time lawyer.”
“You are?” Anna asked. “So I guess I’m officially moving in with you?”
He shook his head. “Nope. You and I are finding ourselves a new home, something that fits who we are together.” He kissed the top of her head and she hugged him hard. “Oh, and I’m buying the rest of the building from Terry,” he added in an undertone.
Her lips pursed, but she gave in and rested her cheek to his chest. “I can’t say I’m surprised by that, but thank you for letting me buy the bar at least.”
“Of course. I wouldn’t take that accomplishment away from you.”
“This new venture of helping people,” Christian asked, “could you use some consultants?”
“I’m sure I could,” Harold agreed. “I’m not sure when I’ll get it off the ground.”
“When you do, you know where to find us,” Rodric said as the two walked over and shook his hand in turn. “And congratulations. You found yourself one hell of a woman.”
Christian agreed as Jenny rushed over to bear hug Harold and Anna. “Can I see the ring?”
Anna held out her hand and Jenny shifted it so the light reflected off the diamonds. “I can’t believe he held onto it all this time.”
“No,” Prentice snapped, and everyone turned to stare at her blotchy red face and shaking hands. “No, you cannot do this! I forbid it! You will not throw your life away for that tramp!”
“I’m not.” Harold trailed his fingers down Anna’s cheek and lifted her chin to kiss her. “I’m doing all of this for love. You can either choose to be a part of our lives, Mother, or you can choose to act like your son doesn’t exist. That is up to you.”
In all his years of living, Harold couldn’t remember a time when he saw Prentice Jenson at a loss for words. She looked so defeated, but he wasn’t turning back. He loved Anna, and this was the life he wanted to have. Bailey stood beside her, her arms crossed and grinding her teeth. He waited to feel guilt or the fear that had incapacitated him before. All that filled him was the love he had for Anna and the promise of what their futures would bring.
“I think we should go get some dinner,” he said happily. “Anyone care to join us?”
“Oh, I know a place that makes killer burgers,” Anna said. “Back to The Crawler?”
“I’m game,” Rodric said, and Christian held up his hand, too.
“I’m coming, too,” Jenny said, but Prentice reached out to grab her daughter’s arm. “Get over it, Mother. You can’t control us forever. I’ll be back later. Maybe.”
They left through the front door. Harold was the last to step outside. He offered his mother one more smile, but she seethed with rage and turned her back on him. Bailey glared. Neither woman was going to change tonight, and that was fine by him.
Like he told Anna, he didn’t care what anyone else thought. Not anymore. He had the woman of his dreams and she had her bar. What more could he ask for?
***
One Year Later
Anna tried to bend over to pick up a towel she dropped when Missy scolded her. “What? I can get it.”
“No, you can’t,” Missy argued and picked it up for her. “You and your big belly shouldn’t even be behind the bar. Honestly, Anna, you’re pregnant.”
“And your point is what?” She wiped out a few more glasses and set them aside to be hung up on the rack over her head. “The doc said I could keep working, so I’m going to keep working. What would I do all day if I wasn’t here?”
“Knit baby booties,” Pat suggested as he sidled past her.
“Yeah, I can definitely see her doing that,” Missy agreed, smirking.
“I am not knitting,” she informed them firmly. “I am taking care of my bar.”
“Yes, we know,” a man growled from behind her. “Much to the annoyance of us all.”
Anna waddled to Harold and kissed him. “You were fine with me working a few months ago.”
“That was a few months ago. You, doll face, are about ready to pop.” He held her belly protectively and bent down to kiss their unborn son. “If you come out crazy, you can only blame your mother.”
“He’s going to come out just fine,” she sighed and sidled away to bus a table.
Missy beat her to it and shooed her away with a towel. “Go sit down or something. Just go away. We’ve got your bar well in control.”
Anna pouted, but her feet were swollen today and her lower back ached. “Fine, if that’s what you want, I’ll sit right over here out of the way and offer annoying advice the rest of the evening. Does that work?”
She waddled to her and Harold’s booth and moaned with relief at taking her weight off her feet. Harold draped his arm around her shoulders, kissing the top of her head with her blue hair. When they wanted to reveal to everyone the baby’s sex, she decided to change her hair color to match, so blue it was. Absently, her hands rubbed her belly and she rested, watching Missy and Pat work.
“You sure you should be standing this much?” Harold asked.
“If it would make you feel better, I’ll take up a permanent spot at the bar, sitting at it instead of being behind it,” she said, patting his thigh.
“Yes, it would, thank you.”
“How’s it been today?”
“Not so bad. I have a new case that should prove to be highly entertaining,” he said and grinned wickedly. “I’m going up against Bailey’s firm.”
“Kick her ass,” Anna grunted. “She sent us a card by the way—well, you a card.”
“And I’m assuming you tossed it without opening it?”
Anna picked at the table. “I set it on fire.”
Harold burst out laughing and she joined him. “God, I love you.”
“That’s good. I’m probably too crazy for anyone else.”
They sat in comfortable silence, watching as customers came and went in the bar as the evening settled in over the city. Snow blew past the windows, and Anna watched it, more than happy with the past year of her life. They had married a month after he proposed, not wanting to waste any more time, and found a house in the suburbs, a cute bungalow that had been expanded. It came with a massive backyard and huge trees Harold was already making plans to put a treehouse in. His new, smaller firm established upstairs took over Anna’s apartment and the two empty ones between her and Johnny’s old place. And last month, they took over that space as well since he wasn’t coming back. He would be in jail for quite a while for all the shit he did that Anna hadn’t even known about.
Rodric and Christian she worried about in the beginning, but they settled in nicely. Helping those who needed it most rubbed them the right way, and she found herself getting along with them. Life was good. Harold was there every morning to greet her with a sleepy smile and every night to snuggle with. The bar was safe, and thanks to her grandma’s bonds, she had a nice little nest egg for their son started already.
“I’ve been thinking about names again,” Harold said, and she sensed the smile in his words.
“What did you have in mind? Harold Jenson IV?” she asked, cringing.
“Ha, no, not even close. I was thinking of Winston. What do you think?”
Tears blurred her eyes and she wiped at them. “Hormones suck.”
“You can cry. I won’t judge.”
She tilted her head so she could stare up at him. “Winston, huh? You’re sure?”
“My legacy isn’t the only one that should be carried on in this town, Anna. Your dad was a great man, and I’m sorry I never had the chance to meet him,” he said sadly. “I think he’ll be a Winston.”
“Then Winston it is,” she said and rubbed her belly. “Little baby Winston who is going to be raised in a bar by a mother with blue hair and a father who rescues those less fortunate. Oh, yeah, this kid is going to have one crazy upbringing.”
Harold shifted and pulled an envelope from his back pocket. “I thought maybe you could take the night off,” he said as he handed it to her. “And to stop you from being too bored, I made you something.”
“You did, huh?” she mused and opened the envelope. “This is a riddle.”
Harold was already sliding out of the booth. “Yes, yes it is.”
Anna glanced to him and back to down to the paper. “A riddle that leads to something?”
“You tell me?”
“Oh, oh, you’re on,” she said and got out of the booth as fast as she could, waddling to the door. “Missy! You’re in charge,” she called out as Harold helped her slip into her coat. His lips found hers, filled with promise of what this little game of his entailed. The voice in the back of her mind screamed to hurry up and get home so she could really enjoy the rest of her night. She pulled her mouth from Harold’s long enough to see her bartenders grinning as she said, “I have a scavenger hunt to complete.”
HIGHEST BIDDER
Chapter 1
“If you’re going to sit in that chair all day, playing with that damn deck of cards, you might as well go home,” Marcus muttered, sitting across from his boss.
Samuel Benson, CEO, split the deck with only his right hand and swiveled around in his chair. “If the noise bothers you, there’s the door. This is my office last I checked.” He shuffled the cards again with a crooked grin, and Marcus sighed like a martyr. “What’s your problem with me today, anyway?”
“No problem, except you’re not paying attention.”
“Says who? I can recite every update you just relayed to me,” Sam argued and set the yellowed, worn deck of cards carefully on the corner of his desk. “So I’m a little distracted.”
“You’re a lot distracted.” Marcus snapped the folder shut in his hand and tossed it over to Sam. “That girl…you ditched her, didn’t you—the one you were with for longer than a classic Sam special one-night stand?”
Sam opened the folder and glossed over the numbers laid out before him, projections for one of their client’s sales to rise over the next three weeks. He flipped to another page, pointedly not looking at Marcus or responding. “Sales look good,” he said finally and closed the folder again. “Who else is on the docket for the day?”
Marcus’ lips thinned, but he handed over the next account for Christopher Devois, a powerhouse in the city. His hands were dipped in several enterprises, but mostly casinos.
“He opened two more accounts?” Sam asked curiously. “Where’s the rest of the information on them?”
“That’s all that showed up in the report. I already sent a note down to let them know we need the completed forms filled out by Mr. Devois before his accounts are flagged.”
Sam scratched the stubble on his cheek. Devois was one of the few clients he’d hesitated to take to begin with. Sam had received an interesting phone call a few months back from FBI Agent David Higgins stating Mr. Devois was being watched very closely for anything connecting him to several big-time mafias who’d moved into Vegas—mafias bringing with them new shipments of drugs. That information was just the beginning, and all the agent had told Sam. If the man opened new accounts, Sam would watch them closely. He made a note to call Agent Higgins later and set the file aside.
The next hour passed running down the main topics for their meeting that afternoon with Sam’s senior staff and account managers at his accounting and marketing firm, Ace of Marketing. A cheesy name—he knew it when he picked it—but there was more to the name than the average person would ever understand. Even Marcus was not privileged to such information. Everyone assumed the name was because of t
he company’s locale in Vegas. Sam had secrets he would never tell anyone. He was too ashamed and still too pissed to explain the darkest parts of his past.
“What are your plans for tonight?” Marcus scooped up the files and his notes from their meeting and stood with a mischievous glint in his eyes.
“Nothing. I’ll probably go home and stare at my fish tank. Why?” Sam wasn’t in the mood for going out and hoped his face said all he didn’t, but Marcus had never learned to quit while he was ahead. He chortled as he backed to the door. “Marcus, whatever you’re planning, it’s a no.”
“I think it’s a yes. You need a pick-me-up before those depressed frown lines on your face become permanent.”
Sam leaned back in his chair with an aggravated sigh. “Can we at least wait until tomorrow night? When I don’t have to be up at the crack of dawn the next day?”
“You do remember you’re the boss, right, and can be late whenever you want?”
“It sets a bad example,” he pointed out, even though that wasn’t even close to the real reason.
“Right, and wearing tight, black, leather pants and having sex in your office doesn’t.”
Sam’s eyes shifted to the red leather couch across his corner office and he smirked. “One time. I only had sex in here one time.”
“And half the floor heard it,” Marcus reminded him. “I don’t know why you care so much about being on time when nothing else about you screams die-hard professional suit.”
Sam shrugged and refused to grace him with an answer. That was a part of his background he couldn’t burden anyone else with. “Friday, then?”
“Friday. With what I have in mind, you’ll forget all about that woman.”
Sam watched Marcus leave and the door close solidly behind him. “Yeah, I’m sure I will,” he whispered to the empty space.
He rubbed his neck and spun around in his chair, staring at the ceiling overhead. His thirtieth birthday was approaching quickly, and lately, he no longer sought the company of women who were only interested in one-night stands. That was the old Sam, and he craved a much deeper connection now that he was getting older. He wanted to be with a woman who made him laugh, who filled him with a desire to be with her and not for what was between her legs. The last time he’d had sex, Sam’s heart wasn’t even in it, and he had simply finished out of habit more than wanting to hear the woman in his arms scream his name in the heat of passion.