by Nina Crespo
“Of course. You should go to him.”
“Can you meet me in the morning? Nine o’clock. My office. I know it’s the weekend, but I’d like to go over his schedule and current projects.”
“Sure.”
Aiden smiled in relief. “King’s right. I don’t know what we’d do without you.”
Downstairs in the lobby, Robin rushed over to her. “How is he?”
“For the most part, he’s okay. Everyone survived, but what if things had gone a different way? He could have died.” The reality of the situation zapped the last of Sophie’s adrenaline. She sank into an orange padded bench along the wall.
Robin sat next to Sophie and held her hand. “He didn’t die. He’s alive. Do you know the extent of his injuries?”
“Bruises, a hurt shoulder. He also hit his head. He was unconscious when they brought him in, but he’s awake now. They want to monitor him. He’s confused. King was speaking about things that happened weeks ago like they’re happening today.”
“Amnesia can occur with head trauma.” Robin gave her a reassuring squeeze. “The good news is, he’s in the best place for treatment. The hospital where I work is good, but the trauma center here is excellent. With time and the right care, he’ll improve.”
“He looked so helpless.”
Robin looped her arm through Sophie’s. “It must have been a shock to see him like that. How’s Aiden handling it?”
“He’s in full crisis-management mode. He’s not only stressed over what happened, he’s also worried about people using King’s memory loss against him or the company. So don’t discuss his status with anyone. Okay?”
“I won’t. What did Aiden say about your resignation?”
“King didn’t tell him, but even if he did know about it, it wouldn’t matter. I can’t leave now. Come on. I have to go to the office and track down a number. I also need to get my resignation off of King’s desk before Aiden sees it.” She went to stand.
Robin held on to her. “What about your opportunity with Meagan Langston?”
“It was a conversation, not an offer, and it didn’t come with an expiration date. I can get back to her anytime.”
“Which makes it easy for you to forget. You have to keep your priorities straight.”
“My priorities? King was in an accident. He and Aiden need me. I can juggle what I have to do and help them at the same time.”
“I don’t doubt that you can. In my eyes, you’re like Wonder Woman and can handle almost anything. King, though, has always been the man who binds your bracelets. No pun intended. You’ve always reordered your time to accommodate him. Maybe it’s time to put yourself first for a change.”
“Hold on. Earlier today you called me a saint for keeping my perspective when it came to him.”
“You’ve slept together.”
“And?” Robin’s frank stare sent a rush of indignation through Sophie. “Oh, I get it. Now you think I’m weak because I have regrets and shed a few tears over him.”
“That’s not what I meant. I’m your friend, and I’m always on your side, but you have to face the truth. You were impulsive with King because you care for him. Otherwise you wouldn’t have slept with him or risked the job you loved.”
“That has nothing to do with this.”
“You’re deluding yourself if you think it doesn’t. If you do this, you have to face the obvious. The two of you sleeping together impacted you differently than it affected King.”
“Thank you for pointing that out, but right now that doesn’t make a difference. He doesn’t remember what happened between us.”
“But you do. Pandora’s box is open, and your feelings are exposed.” Robin squeezed her arm. “I can’t let you go ahead with this unless you think it through. Can you honestly sit outside his office, pretending it doesn’t faze you when he decides to recover in Miss Weekend Fling’s arms, or some other woman’s bed? The accident hasn’t changed him. He’s still the guy that hurt you, and he’ll do it again if you let him.”
The sting of truth subdued Sophie’s pride. She’d fantasized about him being the perfect lover, not a serial hookup artist. Still, there was more to consider. “I owe Aiden. Five years ago, when my mom was sick, I couldn’t afford around-the-clock care. I had to look after her. My old job let me go because of poor attendance.” A lump formed in her throat as she recalled how hard it was to watch her mom slip away. “After she died, everyone I interviewed with, except Aiden, held my spotty work history against me. It’s only right that I help him now.”
“I’m not suggesting you leave him in the lurch. Just put a time limit on how long you’ll stay, and don’t pass up starting your own jewelry line with Meagan.”
“Why is it that every time you mention my bracelets and Meagan’s name in the same sentence, your expectations grow larger and larger? No one said anything about a line of jewelry.”
“You won’t know what the possibilities are unless you try.” Robin gave her a small, almost sad, smile. “Maybe the best part in this is the possibility of you leaving your job. You’ve put yourself in second place for a long time. With your mom, it made sense, but now?” She shrugged. “After all that’s happened, don’t you deserve happiness?”
Creativity always took her to a good place. She would need a refuge from the awkwardness of working with King. What could it hurt talking to Meagan? “Okay.”
“Okay, you’ll leave once King is out of the hospital, or okay that you’ll talk to Meagan?”
“With King out of the picture for a few weeks, Aiden will have to shoulder the workload. I wouldn’t feel right leaving before King is at least back in the office.”
Robin held up her pinkie. “Pinkie swear.”
“A pinkie swear? Really?”
“I’m not joking. Where I’m from, it’s as binding as a signed contract. What’s the cutoff for you giving him your notice again—three weeks?”
“I can’t lose you. Ever.” His declaration from earlier loomed.
The place where King had stroked over her other hand tingled as if he were there, pulling her in the opposite direction. She couldn’t stay.
“I’ll give him my two weeks’ notice in four weeks, but that’s it. Promise.” Sophie linked her finger with Robin’s. And with any luck, if King did start to remember the night of gala, she’d be long gone.
ten
KING SAT UP in bed. Pain waved through him. “Fuck.”
Aiden reclined in a nearby side chair in King’s bedroom. He didn’t look up from the open folder in his hands. “Need help?”
“No.” King eased his legs over the side of the mattress. He sucked in a breath, and discomfort speared through his bruised ribs. Two weeks of lying around in his boxer briefs was keeping him sore and stiff. “I’m going to the office.”
Aiden flipped a page. “You look like shit.”
King scratched his cheek. Three days’ worth of scruff grazed his fingers. “It doesn’t matter what I look like. Work is piling up.”
“Sophie’s got it covered. What little she can’t take care of, I’m on it.”
“So you’re the reason why she’s been avoiding my calls and answering my texts with ‘it’s already done’ or ‘ask Aiden.’ ”
“Yep. She’s doing exactly what I told her, so if you want to be upset at anyone, yell at me, not her.”
“I’m not upset, and even if I were, I wouldn’t take my frustration out on Sophie.” He missed seeing her every day.
Aiden chuckled as he studied pages in the folder. “Whatever you say. You’re a bit touchy.”
“I’m not touchy.” King massaged his sore shoulder. Maybe he was a tad peeved about being stuck at home. “Your ass should be at the office instead of sitting here playing prison guard.”
“I’m not keeping you chained to the bed. Actually, I’m surprised you’re not feigning illness to get attention from the nurse I hired to look after you. She’s cute.”
The blond nurse was attractive, but f
or the first time in his history with a pretty, available woman, he hadn’t wanted to sleep with her. He’d just wanted her gone. “I terminated the contract with the home health care company this morning, actually. Like I said, I don’t need help or you telling me what to do.”
“I’ve got better things to do than try and talk you into taking it easy. I dropped by to discuss business and deliver your new phone. It’s programmed with all of your contacts.” He handed King two documents, the cell phone, and a pen. “I paid your bills while you were laid up. Sign those, and I’ll mail them this afternoon.”
King put the cell on the bedside table next to a plate of half-eaten waffles and bacon. He scribbled his signature on the documents. “What am I signing?”
“The lease for that condo you keep downtown and the rental for your boat slip at the marina in Virginia Beach.” Aiden held out the folder he’d been looking through. “This is a preliminary report on the data breach.”
King exchanged the signed papers and pen for the folder. Aiden had mentioned the breach earlier in the week, but between the meds and agony, King had struggled to pay attention. “Give me the short version?”
“It was a targeted attack on your files and mine.”
“Not surprising. We are the heads of the company. They were probably searching for information to sell. Any leads?”
“No. The forensic tech wizard I hired to handle the issue hasn’t come up with anything, but I have my suspicions.” Aiden’s expression said more than words.
“You think it’s Gerard?”
“Yeah.”
King tossed the folder on the bed. Not a surprise. Ever since they’d split from their father’s company, Gerard had made it his mission to fuck with them. “What the hell is he up to now?”
“I’ve heard rumors that he’s using whatever face time he can get with our local allies to spread doubts about the future of Kingman Partners. A lapse in cybersecurity is just the thing he’d use against us.”
“Of course, if we confront him about this, he’ll deny it and we’ll come off as paranoid. He’d also love to use it as a way to get Mom involved.” Disgust roiled in King. Therapy and encouragement from her sons had given their mom the strength to divorce Gerard five and a half years ago. She’d moved to London last year. His and Aiden’s support on this was another reason their father held a grudge against them.
“I agree. I convinced her not to fly back and check on you because I didn’t want to chance her running into him. She needs peace, not chaos, and we’re on our way into a shit storm. Dad’s suddenly decided to bid on the Ivy Gate Hotel—something I believe is a result of the breach. He’s told his board of directors we’re not competition. The hotel is all but in his name as far as he’s concerned.”
Irritation kicked up King’s heart rate, and his head started to pound. “He views us as weak.”
Aiden shook his head. “Dad doesn’t waste his time on anyone or anything he determines inconsequential. He said we’d fail, but we defied the odds. He assumed we’d come running to him for help. We haven’t. He knows we’re not inferior to him, and now his ego can’t take it. He’s trying to show us up. Unfortunately, he’s not averse to dipping his toe into something shady to do it.”
Shady. Shoddy. Hairs raised on King’s neck, as if the words should ring a bell. Not about Gerard, but what? “Where do we go from here?”
Aiden leaned in. He intertwined his fingers and rested his forearms on his legs. “Investing in a local property will naturally strengthen our business and political alliances in Virginia. That would give us an advantage over Dad.” Determination filled his expression. “We’re not losing the chance to invest in the Ivy Gate. I’m telling our financial and legal teams to draw up the paperwork. We’re submitting a bid for the property next week.”
Unease slithered through King. Bad idea. Knocking Gerard down a peg or two was number one on the list of things that would make his year complete, but for some reason, he couldn’t agree with Aiden. “No. We should take more time to consider the bid.”
“What more is there for us to consider? It’s the right fit.”
“We don’t want to respond in a way that will lead Dad to think we’re reacting to him jerking our chain. We should work methodically and carefully and analyze every aspect, just like we always have, to avoid mistakes.”
“Fine. We have a little over two weeks before we have to make an offer.” Aiden sat back and raked his hair as he blew out a breath. “I just hate the fact that Dad is probably sitting in his office right now, grinning his ass off because he thinks we’re distracted over the breach.”
“He hasn’t won yet. E-mail me the reports on the Ivy Gate. I’ll review them.”
“I’ll take care of the Ivy Gate. You have to prep for that presentation you’re giving next week. Remember?” Aiden studied him with a concerned expression.
“Of course I remember.” King wrestled with irritation. “I can’t recall some things from the past few weeks, not the entire fucking year.”
The coordinators of the Boutique Hotel and Lifestyle Conference had contacted him about speaking at the event in Virginia Beach over six months ago. The fact that they’d chosen him was surprising, since Gerard was tight with the head of the steering committee planning the event. He’d already begun working on the presentation. Hadn’t he?
King’s head started to throb. The pain would get worse if he tried too hard to remember. “I have that to take care of plus a lot to catch up on at the office.”
“You’re working from home.” Aiden snagged a piece of bacon from the plate and munched on it.
“Stop handling me.”
Aiden sucked his fingers. “Once you decide to take what the doctors said seriously about not pushing too hard, I will. Besides, there’s no point in you going in at the end of the week. Start fresh on Monday.” He stood. “In the meantime, you can get used to working a few hours a day. Sophie is on her way here. She’s staying three to four hours max, and only to help you with the presentation.”
Sophie was coming to the house? Anticipation replaced some of King’s frustration. He thrust the documents at Aiden. “Fine. I’ll work from home, but stop treating me like I’m an invalid. Leave. I’ve got shit to do.”
“No need to kick me out. I have to leave. Oh, and I’m going to Miami tomorrow. I accepted an invite from that venture capitalist we met at the accountant’s office a few weeks ago. I’ll be back Monday night.”
King tried to recall the memory and drew a blank. He tamped down a swell of anxiety. “Sounds good. Let me know how it goes.”
The front doorbell rang as Aiden took the folder. “That’s probably Sophie. I’ll let her in.” His gaze raked over King. “You look like a caveman. Do something about it.”
“Like I give a shit about what you think.”
“What about Sophie? Do you care what she thinks? Take a minute to shower and shave. That will give you space to put whatever’s biting your ass on lockdown before you see her. She’s doing a great job. I wouldn’t have gotten through shouldering your work and mine without her. She’s the type of assistant we can’t afford to lose. I’ll tell her that you’ll be downstairs in twenty minutes.”
As Aiden walked out, King swallowed a biting retort. Of course she was holding things down. He expected nothing less from Sophie. What was up with Aiden chiding him about her? With all the well-deserved bonuses and raises he’d given her, she knew how much he appreciated her work. She didn’t have a reason to leave. A sense of disconcertment came over him. Did she?
The sounds of Aiden’s chuckle and her laughter filtered upstairs.
They sounded awfully cozy. When Aiden had mentioned not losing her, he’d said we, but there was no we. She’d worked for Aiden when she’d first joined the company. King rotated his shoulder. After he’d lost his assistant, Sophie had temporarily supported him and Aiden. Over time, it was obvious with whom she’d had the better rapport. Aiden ended up with the new hire. Sophie had stayed wi
th him.
King stood, and a dull throb in his hip joined a symphony of pain. Did Sophie enjoy working with Aiden more than him? Had his brother realized how great Sophie was and now wanted her back?
Sophie and Aiden’s animated tones grew louder.
That wouldn’t happen.
King hopped in the shower. Afterward, as he shaved his beard at the sink, waves of tiredness plagued him along with his aching shoulder. The doctors had predicted it would feel as if someone had done a ground-and-pound on him for a week or more. The recovery of his memories could take even longer, or maybe not happen at all.
Needing a break between strokes of the razor, he leaned on the beige marble counter. They’d also told him exposure to familiar places and people might help him recall things faster. Aiden fit into that category, but Sophie understood him. Often, she knew what he required before he did. They could communicate an entire conversation through a look, a gesture, or a hastily scribbled note with a single word. Now, more than ever, he needed her support.
In the bedroom, King took clothes from the drawer. Putting on a pair of jeans stole his energy. He eased down on the bed holding a blue button-down shirt. The urge to stretch out on the mattress almost overwhelmed him. He had to keep going. A groan escaped as he raised his arm to slip his hand through one of the shirt’s short sleeves.
“King.” Sophie knocked on the half-open door. “Are you okay?”
“Just running slow. You can come in.”
The door opened wider, and she came into full view. A weight lifted from him, and his heart tripped a beat.
Her gaze held concern. “Are you sure you’re all right? It sounded like you were in pain.”
“My shoulder is a little tight. Would you mind helping me with my shirt?”
She wiped her palms down her peach slacks. “Um . . . sure.”
King handed her the shirt. She’d worn those slacks and the same white blouse to the office before, but something seemed different about her. New hairstyle? More makeup? That wasn’t it, but her cheeks glowed. A new boyfriend? Maybe during his absence she’d developed a thing for Aiden. A stroke of jealousy raised the hair on his nape.