He placed his hand on her arm as she tried to turn toward the door. "No, Tess. Wait. These are my brothers. Galen, Damien, and Axel."
A smile that reminded him of a wild animal caught in a cage flickered on her face. Then she recovered and held her hand out to everyone. "Nice to meet all of you."
Galen was the last to shake her hand. Next, he offered the chips. "Nice to meet you, too, Tess. Would you like chips or popcorn?"
"Umm... Sure,” she said, reaching into the bag while glancing at him. "Thanks."
Damien then gestured that they should all sit. “Mitch, we’re here to talk about Mom's… umm… notes from her lawyer."
"What notes?"
Damien shook his head. "You clearly went AWOL this evening. Lots of events happened, after the funeral that we’ll have to explain, when you’re alone."
In that moment, the heavy weight on his shoulders returned with full force. He marched toward the table where the maid always left his mail and saw no letter from a lawyer, but found his mother’s handwriting on a letter. He opened it. "What's this?"
No one said anything as he read the note, which was in his mother's handwriting.
Dear Mitch,
I am sorry I lied to you. I’m upstairs right now, but I’m happy to wait until your date ends. Galen thought it best I write this in case you brought the woman home. I need to go to Miami and see Isabelle. I hoped she would come to my funeral, but she wasn’t there. Your father and I talked about being with each other after death. He bought me the plot next to him and his wife to ensure we were close for eternity. I want to be buried there. I know your father was many things in life, but he loved me and you boys. Also, he taught you the banking business so you could help Morgan Enterprises thrive one day. He wanted you to earn your place, which you did when you grew United Trust. I don’t know if his wife Isabelle will object, but it’s my dearest wish to be buried there and she returned my letters unopened. So please help me get to Miami and see Isabelle before I really do end up six feet under with no place for my eternal soul to rest.
Mom
P.S. I hope your date went well. I’m upstairs so we’ll talk once she’s gone for the night.
He crumbled the paper in his hand as he stared at the rest of them. "This is unreal. I can't."
No one said anything. Tess blinked behind the dark frames of her glasses, her long hair curling over her collarbone, soft against the seductive red of her dress. The diamond pendant nestled between her breasts. Mitch stared at her, wondering for a second if she was sent from heaven. He had to say something. He clenched his hands and said, “So mom wants to be interred with our father, Mitch Senior.”
Damien sipped his beer, swallowed, and broke the silence. "So we're planning a family trip to Miami… for the burial."
Galen shook his head. "Do we pack bathing suits and hit the beach? Mom wants to be buried with dear old dad and not here in New Orleans in his family mausoleum meant for the other Morgan family." His voice dripped with sarcasm. “This is going to be super fun.”
Tess’s eyes widened in surprise.
"Not funny, Galen," Axel said as he began to pace.
Tess came closer to Mitch. "I'm sure my boss would offer you seats on his jet—you could fly to South Florida with us."
Who had helped his mother fake her death? No wonder she’d wanted a closed casket. Now he understood. Everything about the last twenty-four hours had been a lie. He couldn't handle more dramatic revelations.
Mitch turned to Tess. "When is Peter leaving?"
She grabbed her phone out of her purse and texted someone. Silence muffled the room. A few seconds later, she read a text, then glanced at him. "When do you want to go?"
"Tomorrow," Mitch answered, transfixed on her.
She nodded. "Let me just make a call." Tess started to walk down the hall.
"Tess?" She turned back to him. Her brown eyes were warm and the only thing that seemed real. He tipped his head into a nod. "Thanks."
She smiled and walked into the kitchen; he listened until the sound of her heels stopped. She'd be back any minute.
Damien whispered, "She works for Peter Morgan and if we fly with him, how do we hide Mom?”
“Mom can come over on my band’s plane. They agreed to play at her service.” Axel popped a piece of popcorn in his mouth. “Such a joke. What are you doing with Tess, Mitch?”
Mitch's gaze stayed on the shadows where Tess had disappeared. He wanted her next to him to fill the void he felt when she left. He turned toward Damien.
"It seems her family has worked for Morgan Enterprises for a long time."
Galen sat down, still holding the potato chips. "I can’t wait to hear what Mom says about your date."
Mitch turned toward his brother. “Mom was dead and spying on all of us. She can’t say anything.”
"Mitch is right," Axel said and sat next to Galen. “Don’t be insensitive.”
"Mitch..." Damien began as he leaned forward.
"Don't," Mitch interrupted. He was the oldest and always made the decisions, but this was too much. He needed to escape. When Tess returned and walked toward him, his body relaxed, light breaking through his darkening heart.
She put her hand on his arm and gazed into his eyes. "Peter said he's happy to have you all join him. You can stay at his home, or I can make reservations for a hotel. The Biltmore is nice."
His mother might hate living that close to Isabelle Morgan. Tess should stay with him. The primal thought struck him hard. She worked for his half-brother, the one who always got everything. Somehow, he'd keep United Trust and steal Tess out from under Peter.
"We don't need Morgan Enterprises—”
Galen interrupted. "Mitch, don't let your pride get in the way. This trip is going to be interesting."
"It's what our mother wants...wanted," Damien added.
"We cannot stay in Mom's condo in Miami. It's being renovated," Galen finished. "Let’s stay at the big house, with our other brother."
The responsibility and blame would be on him if things went wrong which was always possible when it came to his mother’s relationship with his father. He reached out and touched Tess’s arm. "Tess, we'll stay at the hotel, but I’ll make reservations myself."
"Too late. It’s done." She shifted out of his reach as she texted. Then she returned her phone to her bag. "As this is a family gathering, I should go. Nice to meet you all.” She lifted her hand to his brothers, then turned to him. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Mitch."
"Let me walk you out."
He’d see Tess again tomorrow, and once he did, he'd do everything in his power to ensure she wanted him half as much as he did her. A town car stopped outside his house. She’d obviously called somebody to get her while she was on the phone.
He opened the front door and closed it behind them. He put an arm around her. "Sorry our evening was interrupted."
She shrugged. "Life works out as it should."
The car honked. Mitch should have arranged for her to take his limo, but he had the sense she'd object. He'd have to win her heart slowly.
As she slipped free, he followed her and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Wait."
When she turned, his lips met hers in a brief kiss.
"Mmm." She closed her eyes and kissed him back, her hands at the back of his neck, her fingers brushing the hair at his nape. The rest of the world disappeared.
The car honked again and Mitch released her. "Goodnight, Tess."
"Goodnight, Mitch.” She patted his arm and strode purposefully to the car, slipping him his diamond necklace and climbing into the back. He stood on the step and watched until the taillights disappeared. He’d give these back to her later. Taking a deep breath, he turned and went back inside.
The sports announcer on the television echoed off the white walls of his house. Mitch walked into the living room and sat in his favorite chair. Red hot anger rushed through his veins and confronting his mother would make him blow. He was better of
f calming down first.
Damien was the first to speak. "We interrupted a hot date the night we were to bury our mother?"
"Yeah." Mitch grabbed one of the unopened beers from his coffee table.
Axel drank deeply and stared at him. "She's pretty. Mom would like someone like her."
Mitch heard the tone of his brother’s voice that silently suggested Mitch was an idiot. He glared at Axel. "Lay off." Relaxing his shoulders, he sipped his beer. "Axel, how are you handling things?"
"Pretty much waiting to see how you handle Mom coming down the stairs to see you."
“I’m not ready for that.” His brows furrowed as he tried to assess what his brother meant. He never had anger issues with anyone, and he always cleaned up Fiona’s mess of a life but this was all too much.
Galen put his pack of cigarettes on the table. Mitch held his tongue that his brother shouldn't smoke, especially in his house. Tonight wasn't the night for another lecture. Galen folded his hands and asked, "Where did you meet this one?"
Mitch prayed for patience. "You, too?"
He shrugged. "I'm just curious." Galen's dark eyes never blinked.
Mitch felt hot under the collar as he peered into his beer. "At the church."
Damien laughed. "She just strolled into the church and you thought to yourself, 'Let me go ask her out’?"
Axel added, "So if I had been at the door greeting people, I would have scored a date with her?”
"I asked her out to get information on Morgan Enterprises. She's one of Peter Morgan's top employees." Mitch's lips pressed together. He was not going to discuss Tess. He leaned forward in his chair and put his beer on the table. "Anyway, we have a bigger issue to discuss."
"Tess is a big deal," Galen said, clearly refusing to change the subject. "You're usually the responsible one, Mitch. You shouldn't play with a girl's emotions to get business information...unless you want to be like our father."
"I'm nothing like him," Mitch growled, steepling his hands together. "We need to discuss Morgan Enterprises and their bid for my company."
"Let them have it, Mitch,” Damien said. “You know Mom loved our father and only funded you as a way for you to be close to him. Sell, then you can join Galen and me."
Absolutely not, but Mitch kept that to himself.
"Corporate espionage and raiding the weak is not my preferred business." Mitch knew he made his brothers sound more ruthless than they were. Galen was still the same guy who blew his knee out while playing professional football, but used his business as a way to destroy people like he used to on the field.
Axel added, "Our father was a piece of work who never deserved Mom. I hope she realizes she’s worth more."
Damien said, "None of us would be here if she thought that way."
Mitch stood and carried his empty beer can to the trash in the kitchen. When he returned, he stared at the darkness outside his front window. Tess would be back at the hotel by now. He’d see her again tomorrow. He patted Damien on the back.
"Look, you three ruined my date, so I'm going upstairs to find Mom. You can see yourselves out. Meet you at nine for breakfast."
Damien said, “You can stay with me, Axel, since our brother is being rude.”
“Axel is fine.”
Mitch walked toward the stairs that led to the bedrooms upstairs. He heard Galen say, "We can take Mom with us if you’re going to text your girl to come back?"
"Good night,” he shouted.
“We’re going to stay for a few, Mitch.” Damien’s barely repressed laughter suggested they all wanted to see how he was going to deal with their mother.
There would be no chance with Tess tonight. Tomorrow, he'd be in Miami. If he stayed in South Florida a few days, he'd get another opportunity to be alone with her, he’d make damn sure of it. As he passed a picture of his parents that hung on the wall outside his bedroom, he paused. Fiona Dupree was always dramatic, and his father pretended to care about them because of her, but this time she’d gone too far.
The second he opened his guest bedroom door, he stared into the very much alive blue eyes of his mother as she wiped cream on her face, sitting at the vanity. His heart almost fell out of his chest. She looked up and smiled. “Surprise.”
“I read your note, Mom. This is too much. Everyone now thinks you’re dead.” His blood cooled. He’d grieved for her, though even at 65 she looked no older than fifty with her dark hair, that wasn’t dyed, and she cared for her skin and appearance all her life.
She bowed her head. “I had to do that. You’d never take me to Miami, and I need all my boys there when I meet Isabelle Morgan. I want our families to make peace, so that I can be buried with your father.”
“This is ridiculous. I thought you were dead.” Mitch crossed his arms. “Our father never brought us to meet his other family so why should we bother with them now?”
She trembled a little “He told me he wanted me with him for eternity and Isabelle never answered my letters.”
“You should have gone to see her and knocked on her door then.” He let his arms go. “You didn’t have to stage your death and make me think you died.”
“You don’t understand anything.” His mother shook her head. “I’ll stay at Damien’s house tonight. See you tomorrow, Mitch and hopefully you’re in a better mood. Just don’t tell anyone my plans and ruin everything for me.”
“I wouldn’t know how to explain your crazy scheme to anyone I know.”
How in the world would they make peace when she had just faked her death?
7
A beep woke Tess up from sweet dreams. She blinked and grabbed her phone, staring at the display. How was it already 6:50?
She read the text that had woken her. Meet in the lobby at 7.
Adrenaline rushed through her. She couldn’t be late. She jumped out of bed and rushed to get ready. With no time to waste, she picked out another plain black skirt and white button-up shirt. Once she cleaned up, she had three minutes to spare. Her hands shook as she fastened her pearl earrings on her lobes, brushed her hair, put on her heels, and ran out the door.
Peter Morgan calling a meeting this early couldn’t be good. If this were about Mitch Morgan and United Trust, she had no answer to give him. The elevator took its time, and she tapped her toe on the floor as she waited. She was going to be late. Finally, the doors opened. She walked in and hit the button for the lobby.
Ten seconds later, the door opened to bright lights and dim jazz music. Not many people were up and around at this hour. Her heart beat in tune with her steps as her gaze wandered the area until she saw the put-together power couple sitting in the café. Belle Morgan wore all Prada as she sat with her well-coiffed billionaire husband. Tess kept her hands clasped before her waist until she made it to their table. Belle Morgan stared at her, her expression unreadable.
Peter nodded and gestured to the empty chair. "Tess."
"Good morning, Mr. Morgan." She adjusted her glasses as she sat.
Peter closed the menu and folded his hands. Belle followed his actions, completely on the same page. She said, "Tess, it's okay to call my husband Peter."
"Thank you...Peter." This meant she was supposed to call Belle Morgan by name, too? Her forehead heated. She swallowed and held her shaking hands as steady as she could while she looked at both of them. "Belle."
Belle smiled, as if she had just won some sort of bet with Peter, then nodded at her. "Caro told us you spoke to Mitch Morgan, at length, yesterday."
Tess knew sweat must have broken through her white shirt. White was not the color to wear when her heart raced in anxiety. She couldn’t lose this job. She’d ruin everything. While she chewed her lip, she looked down at the menu in front of her to avoid eye contact. "I did."
Belle leaned forward until Tess lifted her head, her big brown eyes piercing into her. "Well?"
Mitch's kiss had burned through her last night and left her in pieces. Tess hugged her waist under the table and mustered the cour
age to ask, "Well what?"
Belle smirked. "What did Mitch say about United Trust?"
Tess plastered on a fake smile. Last night had not been about work or the merger. Her bosses had no idea that her lips still tingled from Mitch’s kiss. She twirled her pearl earring between her fingers. "Just that his father taught him about banking."
Peter rested his elbow on the table. "Father would. What about my offer?"
Tess sat so straight, you could put a ruler to her spine. "We didn't discuss business last night, sir. His mother had just died."
Peter studied her with a blank expression. "So... Why did you go out with him then?"
Tess pressed her lips together as her face heated. Her boss shouldn’t ask about her personal life.
Belle laughed. She turned, eyed her husband, and laughed again.
Tess briefly closed her eyes and prayed she'd get swallowed up.
Belle broke the awkward silence at the table. "Peter, that is probably the stupidest thing you've ever said, my love. Why would an attractive man want to go out and have dinner with Tess? She’s gorgeous."
Peter sat back in his seat. "Wait... You went on a date with him?"
The earth still hadn't made a rumble to take her away and escape this place. She squeezed her hands together and nodded. "Yes, sir."
“A date. That means you risk getting emotionally involved.” Peter sipped his coffee. "Tess, can you make the business deal? Or do I have to get someone else?"
“I can handle my job.” There was no other choice in this matter. She either did this job right or she was a total failure. A kiss from Mitch wasn't going to win back her self-respect. She reached for her glass of water and took a drink. "I will bring up your offer on the plane today. Once I’ve presented it to Mr. Morgan, we can make an assessment on how to proceed next."
“Good.” Peter nodded at his wife. "Belle and I are heading to California for an emergency meeting. You will fly back to Miami with them alone...unless you need Luke and Caro to join you?"
Being with Mitch and his brothers might give her more insight into them. If she understood Mitch and pushed past her attraction, she could get him on board with working in sync. This was her second chance. She kept her hands on the table.
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