Kissing Her Enemy

by Coleen Kwan

  Amber stiffened her spine. “Good afternoon, Mr. Wright,” she said coolly, walking toward him. “What brings you here?” Nothing good, she could tell that from his dour expression.

  Blaine toyed with the gold signet ring on his finger. He was immaculately groomed, his thick gray hair brushed, his leather shoes spotless, a pocket handkerchief peeping from his suit jacket. He was still a handsome man, and he exuded a forceful presence, which was emphasized when he jutted out his square jaw.

  “I’ve come to inform you that we’re withdrawing the offer to purchase.” His voice was cold, formal.

  She wrinkled her brow. “I don’t understand.”

  “It’s simple. Wright Inc no longer wishes to buy your property.”

  She caught her breath. “You mean—you mean Logan’s not going ahead with his mega center?”

  He barked out a humorless laugh. “Oh, the mega center will go ahead. We’ll buy your neighbors’ properties, but we don’t need yours. It’s a corner lot, so that makes things simple. We’ll just build around you, put up a nice big fence to block you out.”

  Amber’s heart hammered against her ribs, a panicked staccato. “You—you can’t do this.”

  “It’s the easiest thing in the world. Cheaper, too. Why waste money on a slice of land we don’t need? And you didn’t want to sell, anyway, so you should be happy.”

  It was getting harder to breathe. She imagined her little store surrounded by the gigantic home improvement center, isolated, forgotten, dying a slow death. Who in their right mind would come to her tiny store when they had a smorgasbord right next door?

  “Logan wouldn’t do this to me,” she gasped out, conscious that she was clutching at straws.

  A faint flush rose in his cheeks. “He probably wouldn’t, but I’ve taken over. From now on I make the decisions. I’ll inform the planning committee of the slight change in plans. There’s no need for you to attend tonight’s meeting.”

  Amber shook her head. “Why are you doing this? Do you really despise me that much?”

  An uncomfortable look crossed his face. He shoved his hands into his pockets. “It’s nothing personal. I’m only doing this for Logan’s sake.”

  “Oh, how noble of you,” she burst out, unable to suppress her temper. “I’m sure Logan’s very grateful for your intervention.” At the back of her mind she held onto the hope that Logan knew nothing about his father’s visit, that he wouldn’t approve of his father’s attempt to crush her out of existence.

  “Logan doesn’t always know what’s good for him.”

  “Logan also never runs from a fight! If he was going to screw me over, he’d tell me to my face.”

  The flush on Blaine’s cheeks deepened. “You don’t get it, do you? There’s more at stake here than just your puny little store. Hundreds of people rely on us. If we don’t build this mega center, they might all lose their jobs. Think about that.”

  “What do you mean? Who might lose their jobs?”

  But Blaine clamped his mouth shut as if he’d said too much. “If you insist on standing in our way, then don’t complain when you get squashed.”

  Was there something Logan hadn’t told her? She shouldn’t be surprised. They were rivals, not lovers. Insidious doubt crawled through her, widening the cracks in her already fragile self-confidence.

  “I should talk to Logan,” she said, consumed with misgiving.

  “It won’t change the outcome. And neither will those pathetic objections you’ve marshaled. The planning committee will approve the mega center, so don’t show up tonight if you want to save yourself the humiliation.” He turned to go. With his hand on the doorknob, he paused and said over his shoulder, “My son is a brilliant businessman, but he still has a lot to learn.”

  The doorbell jangled again, and in the ensuing silence the pounding of her heart seemed deafening. Feeling like she’d been hit by a truck, she lurched back to her office and collapsed into her chair. Wild thoughts crashed through her head. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to rein in her panic. But all she saw was Logan’s face, screwed up with distaste, and she realized that that, more than anything Logan’s father had said, was the most devastating. She could put up with losing her livelihood, her home, her business, but the thought of Logan’s aversion pierced her soul.

  Because she was in love with Logan. That was why it filled her with such pain. For the first time in her life she had fallen in love, and it had to be with the most unsuitable man, the man who couldn’t contemplate sharing his life with her. Yes, that was typical of her. The one man she could give her heart and soul to was the one man who didn’t want it.

  …

  Logan thought his head was going to explode. “You did what?”

  His father didn’t flinch, but he did take a step backward. “I told you. I solved your little problem and saved you some money. You should thank me for it.”

  “Thank you?” Logan dug his fingernails into his palms, making a desperate attempt to count to a hundred. That was how you stopped yourself from going ballistic, wasn’t it? Except it wasn’t working in this case. He forced himself to unclench his fists and drove his fingers through his hair. “Thank you for going behind my back and treating people with contempt?”

  His father looked offended. “I told you, I’m coming back as CEO—”

  “Come on, Dad. We lost our tempers last night, but you and I both know that’s not going to happen.” He should’ve known to expect the worst when his father had summoned him to his home for an impromptu meeting. His mother was hovering around somewhere outside the living room, no doubt with her ear to the door.

  Blaine stuck out his chin. “You’re getting too carried away with that Miller girl. Your judgment is warped. You’ve let her walk all over you.”

  Logan rubbed his temple where a malevolent gremlin had been playing bongo drums all day. He walked over to the door and flung it open. Standing on the threshold, his mother looked up, not even pretending she hadn’t been eavesdropping.

  “Hello, dear.”

  He gestured impatiently. “Come inside. I have something to say to both of you.” He waited until his parents were both facing him. “I can’t go on with this subterfuge any longer. You’re both insisting that I can’t command the company unless I’m with a girl you approve of, but Mom, what you don’t realize is that when I took over from Dad, the company was just months away from bankruptcy.”

  Heloise gasped. “Bankruptcy! That can’t be true.”

  At the same time Blaine protested, “Dammit Logan, how dare you!”

  Logan focused on his mother. “Believe it, Mom. The company was tanking, and Dad wasn’t doing a thing about it. In fact, his inaction was making things worse. It’s a good thing I took over before he let everything fall to pieces.”

  “I don’t believe you. This is—this is outrageous. Your father has always provided for us. He’s a very successful businessman, and you’re being awful to him.” Heloise turned to her husband. “Blaine, tell me he’s mistaken.”

  Logan’s father was turning redder by the second. His furious eyes darted between his wife and Logan. “The boy’s exaggerating. Sure, we had a couple of lean years, but with the economy so bad, everyone was hurting. I didn’t let things ‘fall to pieces.’”

  The drumming in Logan’s head grew louder. “Oh, come on, Dad. I know it hurts, but try to own up to your mistakes. Stop lying to Mom, at least. She deserves to know the truth.”

  “You think you have all the answers, don’t you? Well, okay, maybe I did take my eyes off the road, but what about you? You’ve shown a complete lack of sense with that Miller girl. She embarrassed us and made a fool of you pulling that stunt last night. She’s warped your judgment.”

  Logan felt himself flushing as his father’s accusations found their mark. “My sleeping with Amber hasn’t affected my judgment at all.”

  Blaine snorted derisively. “Then why didn’t you tell me and your mother instead of us having to hear it publicly broa
dcast? Talk about owning up to your mistakes!”

  Damn. His father was right, in a way. Getting involved with Amber had compromised Logan in the eyes of others. “Regardless of what happened between Amber and me, I’m more than capable of running the company. You need me, Dad. You need me to pull us away from the brink.”

  Scowling, Blaine threw up his hand. “I’m not going to stand here and listen to you tell me what I need. I’m going out!”

  “Blaine,” Heloise called out after him, but her husband ignored her and stomped out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

  Logan rubbed his aching temple. So much for bringing out the truth; he’d only stirred up more bitter feelings.

  “Mom, I have to go. I’ve got a meeting with a bank in Sacramento.” The meeting was important, and he needed to clear his head beforehand.

  “Wait.” Heloise stood stiffly. “Now that you’ve opened this can of worms about the company, you have to tell me everything. How bad is it?”

  With some difficulty, Logan gathered his thoughts. “When I took over, it was pretty bad, but I’ve managed to offload some unprofitable businesses and curb expenses. We’re still in debt, but at least we’re not hemorrhaging as much as we were.”

  Heloise gripped her necklace. “So if we continue like this, we should eventually be in the black?”

  “If we get this hardware and garden center up, then yes. It’s a big investment, but I’m confident it will boost revenue, as well as provide jobs for the people I’ve had to lay off recently. But it needs to be done carefully and correctly. We need the support of the community. What we don’t need is for Dad to stomp around trying to take over.”

  “But he’s only doing that because you’ve lost your head over this Amber girl.”

  Logan opened his mouth to deny his mother’s statement. He’d never lost his head over any woman. But then the image of Amber’s face rose in his mind, and he was struck by how often this happened to him in the past few weeks. Amber was never far from his thoughts. Even when he was engrossed in work he was thinking about her, looking forward to seeing her, anticipating her ready smile, her teasing laugh, her warm brown eyes. There was no one else he’d rather be with, even when they argued. She made him feel so alive and happy. His parents were right. He had lost his head over her. He was in love with her.

  With this realization came a creeping chill that wrapped its icy fingers around him. All he could think about was Amber’s anger and disappointment with him last night. He had let her down. He saw that now. In his usual autocratic way, he’d thought she was wrong for letting Emily needle her. He’d disapproved of her impulsive behavior, but that was one of the many things he loved about her. She was fierce in her love and loyalties, and he had totally missed that. If last night had been a test for her, it had also been a test for him, and he’d failed miserably. She had every right to despise him.

  “Logan?”

  He became aware of his mother studying him with puzzled concern. He forced his mind back to the topic they should be discussing, his father.

  “I’m sorry you had to find out about the company like this. I wish Dad could’ve been straight with you from the beginning.”

  “Well, perhaps it’s because of what happened with his first wife. She affected his business acumen, and I guess that hurt his pride as well as his hip pocket. He’s never discussed the company with me. He probably didn’t want to burden me, or disappoint me.” She sighed. “The silly old coot. As if I’d think less of him because he’d made a mess of the business.”

  “Um, that’s good to know.” He hadn’t expected his mother to take the news so calmly, but she’d always been strong.

  “I’ll talk to your father. I definitely don’t want him returning to the office, but you’ve got your work cut out proving yourself to him.”

  “Okay. In the meantime, I really have to leave or I’ll be late for my meeting.”

  Heloise walked him to the door. “About Amber. Are we agreed that whatever was between you is over?”

  At the mention of Amber, his heartstrings tightened. “You know I don’t respond well to ultimatums.”

  “Don’t make things so difficult that your father can’t back down.” She paused for effect. “Even without our ultimatum, think about your long-term future, think about your family and friends, think about your life once the first flush of attraction dies down. How can it work, you and her? I’m not saying she’s not good enough for you, but we all saw what happened last night. Is that what you want? Is that what she wants? Think about it, Logan. The choices you make now will be with you for the rest of your life.”

  …

  Sweat trickled down Logan’s spine as he glared at the innards under the hood of his Lexus. His car had suddenly stopped working on his way back to Pine Falls, and there was no obvious reason why, so he could only blame the electronic gadgetry that took care of everything.

  He’d pulled over on the side of the road. There was no shade, and it was stinking hot. Worse, he was fifteen miles out of Pine Falls, and had somehow left his cell phone behind at the meeting. He would have to walk, and it was already a quarter past six, his bank appointment having run late. He’d missed the start of the planning committee meeting. Wouldn’t that make a great impression?

  Muttering curses, he locked his car, slung his suit jacket over his shoulder, and started marching toward town. His day from hell wasn’t improving, and if he made it to the meeting, he’d still have to face Amber. His gut constricted, but his heart trembled. Since recognizing his true feelings for her, he was assailed by this mixture of trepidation and eagerness at the prospect of seeing her again. What was he going to say to her? Would she even give him a chance? And what about his parents’ objections?

  A loud honk startled him. He spun around to see a Jeep pulling up alongside him. Ryan’s friendly face grinned at him from the driver’s window.

  “Need a ride?”

  “Thought you’d never ask.” Logan slung himself into the passenger seat. “I need to get to the municipal buildings. I’m late for the planning committee meeting.”

  “Ah, your mega center.” Nodding, Ryan stepped on the gas. “Should be good to get the ball rolling, huh?”

  Logan shifted in his seat. “Yeah…”

  “You don’t sound all that enthusiastic. Getting cold feet?”

  “Not at all. It’s just…complicated.”

  Ryan gave him a squinty look. “I see.”

  “What do you mean, I see?”

  “Oh, nothing.” Ryan chuckled quietly to himself.

  Logan frowned at his friend. “Stop being so damn coy and spit it out.”

  “It’s Amber, isn’t it?”

  Logan looked out the window, wishing he hadn’t forced the issue, but in a way it was good to get it off his chest. “All right, yes. I want my mega center, but I don’t want her to lose out, and I can’t think of a way to make things right.”

  Ryan gave him a long, considering look. “You love her, don’t you?”

  He hesitated, but there was no point denying it. “Yeah.” He blew out a breath. “But after last night she hates my guts.”

  Ryan shook his head. “Man, last night was a total disaster.”

  “Thanks, I really need to hear that.”

  “She’s pretty amazing though, isn’t she? I mean, she doesn’t take anything lying down. I bet all those people in the ballroom will think twice before crossing her.”

  Amazing. Yeah, that was Amber. Amazing, brave, beautiful, and totally irreplaceable. He would never be so lucky to meet someone as amazing as she was, even if he lived to be a hundred.

  The thought of living that long without Amber brought a psychic pain to his soul. His lungs clamped, air stuttering out of him, and suddenly he couldn’t breathe.

  “Buddy?” Ryan sounded concerned.

  “I think I’m gonna puke…”

  The car swerved to a halt on the side of the road. Logan leaned his sweating forehead against the dashb
oard as he fought for air. A panic attack. He was having a frigging panic attack at the thought of losing Amber.

  “Damn everything to hell.” Groaning, he leaned back in the seat as clammy chills raced up and down his body. “I don’t—I don’t want to lose her. I—I’d even give up the mega center for her.” Even if he wasn’t running the company, he’d find a way.

  Ryan goggled at him. “Wha—? But that’s all you’ve been talking about for months! You’d really give it up for her?”

  “Crazy, huh? But if I go ahead with the mega center, she won’t want to see me again, and I can’t live with that. Maybe that’s why I let my meeting run late, and why I forgot my phone. I can’t face her when I’m crushing her dream.” He dashed a hand over his eyes, blinked furiously. “Crap, didn’t mean to go all mushy on you.”

  “But your mega center. It’s worth millions. And what’s your dad going to say?”

  “He’ll be mad, yeah, and it won’t be good for business. In fact, it’s gonna be ugly.” His dad would be even more insistent about being CEO again, and that would make his mom furious and anxious. Logan clenched his fists. “But what else can I do?”

  He’d worked so damn hard, spent so many nights worrying about the future of the business, his parents, even his sister’s wedding. So much depended on him and his mega center. And now he was prepared to put everything on the line for the only woman he loved.

  Ryan screwed up his face. “Isn’t there anything else you can do? A compromise?”

  “No, there isn’t.” Scowling, Logan gestured at the road ahead. “I need to get to the meeting.”

  Without a word, Ryan pulled off and stepped on the gas. As they neared town, Logan’s nerves snarled at the prospect of coming face to face with both Amber and his father. He loved them both. He’d disappointed them both. And now he was surely going to disappoint at least one of them again.

  Was there no other solution? A compromise, as Ryan had suggested? He thought of Amber, of her brains and initiative and fearlessness. If she put all her talents to working with him instead of against him, who knew what they could achieve?