by L. P. Dover
I turned around and faced her, my hands desperate to pull her to me. “Goodnight, Brina.” It took every ounce of control I possessed to walk away.
Brina
“Are you sure this is what we need?” Lexi asked.
I’d just pulled up at Chandler Enterprises. “Yes. It’s only for a year. I think he’ll be able to get us where we need to be.”
“All right, I trust you. Oh wait, your mom’s here. Do you want to tell her?”
“Sure. Put her on.” I pulled into a parking space, but left the car running. It was ninety degrees outside.
“Hey, sweetheart. How’s everything going out there?”
My mother had seen the tabloid pictures of me and Wade, so she knew what all had happened. I thought she’d be disappointed in me, but she wasn’t in the least. Shockingly enough, she thought me being with Wade was a good thing. “It’s going good. Wade’s going to help me. I’ll probably be sticking around Charlotte for a while. Will you be okay on your own?”
“Actually, that’s one of the reasons I was coming by the shop today, to see Lexi. I’m leaving town for a few weeks.”
Brows furrowed, I held the phone closer to my ear. “Where are you going?”
“Just got a call from your Aunt Jeanine. She’s spending the rest of the summer in the Bahamas, and she asked if I wanted to fly down.”
“But she asks you that every year.” I laughed.
“And this time I said yes.”
Excitement bubbled in my chest. “Mom, that’s fantastic. Go, have fun. You deserve it.” Jeanine was her sister, but they rarely saw each other, except on holidays. After my father had died, Jeanine tried spending more time with my mother, asking her to go away on vacations and such, but never succeeded in getting her to go along.
“I will. I’ll be back in a few weeks. Tell Wade I said hello. You two look so cute together.”
“Mom,” I scolded, “it’s not like that. But I’ll tell him you said hi.” We said our goodbyes and I hung up with a lighter heart. I’d waited years for my mother to come around. Nothing made me happier than to see her enjoying life again.
Once inside Chandler Enterprises, there was a coffee shop on the bottom floor. I grabbed an iced latte and stopped when my phone rang. It was Noah.
“Hey,” I answered excitedly.
“Hey, yourself. You sound mighty happy.”
“Just got off the phone with Mom. She’s finally going to the Bahamas to stay with Aunt Jeanine. Isn’t that awesome?”
“It is. I’m glad she’s finally getting out.” He cleared his throat. “Sorry to change the subject, but can you guess who I had breakfast with today?”
I already knew by the tone of his voice. If there was anyone who supported mine and Chris’ relationship, it was my brother. “Chris,” I replied.
“Yes. And he wasn’t too happy.” Neither was he, by the sound of his voice.
“You know why it didn’t work, Noah. You can’t blame that on me.” There were things Chris and most others didn’t know about my life. Only Noah and a couple of others knew those secrets. It was hard pretending to be something I wasn’t.
He sighed. “I know. I take full blame for it.”
There were people walking around everywhere in the lobby, so I moved to a quiet corner. “It’s not your fault, Noah. I make my own choices.”
“Yeah, but it’s not easy staring my friend in the eyes, pretending I don’t know what went wrong. I think it’s time for things to change, Brina. I can’t keep ruining your life.”
My gut clenched. “What are you talking about?”
“I think you know. I also think, deep down, you agree with me.”
“No, I don’t,” I hissed, knowing exactly what he was talking about. “You can’t stop me, Noah.”
“Actually, I can. I’m sorry.”
“No, wait.” The line died and I stared at the phone. Did that just happen? Desperately, I tried calling him back, only to get his voicemail. “Fuck,” I growled, anger swelling in my veins. I called him again and again, only to be sent directly to his voicemail.
Clenching my teeth, I jammed my phone into my purse. I was going to kill him. The bastard was going to cut me off from everything I loved.
Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath before getting on the elevator. I’d have to deal with my brother later. When the doors opened, Mrs. Marshall smiled warmly at me. It was hard not to smile at her, even though I was enraged on the inside.
“Good morning, Ms. Carmichael,” she greeted.
“Good morning. Is Mr. Chandler in?”
“He sure is. Just go on back.”
His door was open, so I walked right on in, not caring about manners. He was at the window, staring at the busy streets below. His suit was perfectly pressed and there wasn’t a hair out of place on his head.
“Doesn’t look like you’re working very hard,” I teased, hoping I could get out of my foul mood.
He chuckled and I could see his reflection through the glass. Wade had a handsome smile, when he chose to show it off. “My mind is always working on something,” he said, turning around. Reaching over his chair, he grabbed a set of papers and joined me. “This is the contract. Take your time and read it over. I’m here if you have questions. You’re more than welcome to stay here, or you can take it home.”
“Here’s fine.” I sat down and read over the contract for what had to be an hour, while he worked at his desk. It was all crystal clear, but all I could think about was the anger I felt toward my brother. Taking a pen from Wade’s desk, I placed it on the paper and signed my name. “Done.” I held out the contract, but instead of taking it, he stared at me with narrowed eyes.
“What’s wrong? You’re angry about something.”
How the hell could he tell? I thought I was doing damn good hiding my emotions. “Oh, it’s nothing. My brother just pissed me off,” I replied nonchalantly.
He studied me curiously. “Believe it or not, I have three brothers who piss me off too.” Looking down at the contract, he read over it, then signed his name. “I’ll have Mrs. Marshall fax this over to my lawyer.”
“Great. What’s the next step?” I needed something to take my mind off politics.
A small smile spread across his face. “How do you feel about having your designs on the runway?”
Eyes wide, I choked on my latte and coughed. “The runway?”
“Yep.” He typed away on his laptop and turned it toward me. “There’s a fashion show in California this weekend. It’s strictly beach fashion. I know it’s last minute, but I think it’s something Endless Summer should get involved in.”
My mouth dropped open as I clicked through past shows’ pictures. Some of the world’s best surfers had been attending. “That’s exactly what I need,” I breathed. “What all do I have to do?”
“We just need about twenty different designs and a handful of models to showcase them. The designs, of course, will be all on you. But if you need help finding models, I have a friend at a local agency who can locate some for us.”
I stood and held up my hand. “Actually, I think I have a better idea. I’ll see you tonight.” Hurrying out, I knew exactly what I had to do to get prepared. In doing so, it’d also get back at my brother. It was a win-win.
“Holy shit, are you serious? Of course, I’ll help,” Trinity squealed. “I have a couple of friends from school who’ll come too.” I’d already called Lexi to give her the good news. She’d started packing up her favorites for me to take.
I heard Josh’s voice in the background and he didn’t sound too happy. “What is he saying?” I asked, even though I had a feeling I already knew.
“He doesn’t think it’s safe.” She blew out a tired breath. “I don’t know how you did it here, Brina. I’m going out of my ever-loving mind. Everyone treats me like a baby.”
I knew exactly how she felt. She had a semblance of freedom when she was away at college, but with her spending the summer at home, my brother had
his hold on her. “Put Josh on the phone,” I said.
“Okay.”
She handed him the phone and he huffed. “How am I supposed to keep her safe while she’s parading around, half-naked on a runway?”
“She’ll be fine. Not to mention, she’s twenty-four years old. You and my brother can’t keep her locked away. Noah better feel lucky she even agreed to spend the summer at the White House. She didn’t have to do that.”
“But she did, knowing very well the consequences.”
“She’ll rebel, if you don’t loosen up a bit.”
“Hold on a sec.” I heard him say something to Trinity, then the sound of a slamming door echoed in my ear. “Okay, she can’t hear me now. You know your brother isn’t going to go for this.”
I clenched my teeth. “He doesn’t have a choice. Trinity is an adult and it’s her decision. She’s not a prisoner.”
“We’ll need extra agents if we do this. That requires your brother’s approval. I already know he cut you off.”
And there it was. The anger came back with a vengeance. “She’s flying to California this weekend, even if I have to sneak into the White House to get her. Tell my brother that. He knows I’ll do it.” I hung up and threw my phone on the bed. The last thing I wanted to do was threaten my brother, but it was all I had, since he wouldn’t return my calls.
It was almost time for Wade to pick me up, so I slipped on my silky, royal blue dress and looked at myself in the mirror. I’d straightened my hair and glammed up my eyes, even though I hated wearing a bunch of makeup. I was used to piling it on, so I wouldn’t look like shit in front of the cameras. The media had a way of making you look terrible if you didn’t. Not that I cared what people thought, but I had an image to uphold.
The doorbell rang and I took one last look in the mirror. Hurrying downstairs, I opened the door. Wade stood there, dressed perfectly in a black tux. His lips pulled back in a seductive smile and everything inside me tightened.
“You look beautiful,” he murmured.
“Thanks. You look handsome yourself.”
He held out his arm and I took it. Instead of his usual black Mercedes, there was a limo in its place. The driver opened the door for us and we slid in. “Sure you want to do this? Our pictures will be all over the media tomorrow,” he informed me.
I snorted. “Are you sure you want to do this? I’m not the one who’ll be ridiculed when you get caught sleeping around. It’s your reputation on the line.”
Putting his arm around my shoulders, a smug smile spread across his face. “Not worried in the least,” he whispered, his warm breath fanning across my neck. “You’re not the only one who likes to work for what they want.”
I turned to face him, our lips only a breath away. “What do you want?”
He glanced down at my lips. “Something I can’t have.”
I was about to say fuck it and kiss him, but my phone rang, breaking the trance. Heart racing, I dug my phone out of my purse, not even paying attention to the name on the screen.
“Hello?”
“Care to tell me what’s going on?” my brother snapped.
My breath hitched and I looked at Wade, his curious gaze on mine. My plan had worked faster than I thought. “It’s Noah.” Wade nodded and slid his hand off my shoulder.
“Who are you with?”
“Wade Chandler. He just bought the Carolina Cougars. We’re going to a private dinner, where it’ll be announced.”
“That’s why you brushed Chris off? Didn’t realize this thing with Chandler was serious.”
“It’s not,” I informed him, sneaking a glance at Wade. “He’s helping me and Lexi with Endless Summer.”
“So, it was his idea for the fashion show.”
“Yep, that’s why I need Trinity and her friends. It’ll be good for her to get away for a weekend. You and your people are suffocating her.”
He scoffed. “You’ll understand when you have kids.”
“Bullshit. You weren’t there when I lived in the White House. She needs to have some freedom, before she does something stupid. Let her live, Noah.”
The line went quiet, but then I heard his heavy sigh. “She’s my only daughter. It’s hard not to be overprotective. You wouldn’t believe the amount of threats I get on her life every week, sometimes every goddamn day.”
“I know,” I soothed. “But you can’t stop her from living. She has Josh and the other agents looking out for her.”
“It never feels like enough.” I could see where he was coming from, but he had to let go. “All right, I give in. Trinity and her friends will be in California this weekend. Just let me know the details, so I can make sure we get there safely.”
“We? You’re coming too?”
He chuckled. “I don’t want to miss my daughter’s first time down the runway.”
“Thanks, Noah. It’ll be good to have you there. Once I have all the details, I’ll call you.”
Hanging up, our conversation left me smiling. I knew I could talk some sense into him. Now all I had to do was wear him down on the other matter.
“Didn’t know you were inviting the whole family,” Wade said, catching my attention.
“Is that going to be a problem?”
He shook his head. “Not at all. Do you design clothes for men?”
“I do. What exactly are you thinking?” I’d love to design something for him. Maybe a banana hammock? I’d die laughing if I saw him where something like that. It took all I had to keep a straight face.
Wade smiled. “I have an idea, and it might just be what your store needs.” I wanted to ask what it was, but we’d arrived at the hotel and there were people with cameras everywhere. Taking my hand, he placed it on his arm. “Showtime.”
Opening the door, we got out and the lights flashed. “Ms. Carmichael, what does Vice President Parks say about your relationship with Mr. Chandler?” one of the reporter’s shouted. Here we go.
Questions about mine and Wade’s relationship were shouted from all angles, but I smiled and waved, just like I was taught to do growing up. Wade kept a tight hold on my arm, as we made our way to the door. Never engage with the media was what my father always advised. It was best to smile and walk away, that way no one could construe my words. Holding my tongue had gotten harder the older I became.
Once inside, Craig Johnson welcomed us with a warm smile. He was a short, stout man with perfectly combed over white hair. He reached for my hand and held it between both of his. “It’s such a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Carmichael. My granddaughter was hoping you’d be Mr. Chandler’s guest this evening.”
I greeted him with a smile. “It’s nice to meet you too. I look forward to meeting her.”
“She’ll love that.” Letting my hand go, he patted Wade’s shoulder. “Let’s go. Everyone’s waiting for you.” We followed Craig into the ballroom, and when the doors opened, all eyes turned our way.
“He’s so freaking hot,” Kailey whispered to me during Wade’s speech. “Do you think he’ll dance with me?”
Stifling a giggle, I glanced over at Craig’s granddaughter who stood beside me. “I’m sure he will, if you ask him,” I whispered back.
Kailey was twelve years old, with long brown hair and freckles, and couldn’t take her eyes off Wade. I had to admit, he was sexy in his tux—all serious and intimidating. He exuded a confidence I’d never seen in another man. Most would see it as arrogance, but that wasn’t it. I had yet to put my finger on it.
Once Wade’s speech was done, he stepped off stage, where all the players waited to welcome him. I kept waiting for him to smile, but he never did. It was almost as if he was a different person around other people.
“Here he comes,” Kailey squealed. The band started to play again and everyone flocked to the dance floor.
Wade approached and looked at her. When his eyes met mine, I couldn’t contain my smile. I was curious to see how he was going to handle her. “Nice speech, very official,” I said,
handing him a glass of whiskey. “You probably should’ve drank this before going on stage.”
With a sly smile, he took the drink and tossed it back, not even flinching as the fiery liquid went down his throat. “Thanks. You about ready to leave?”
“Actually,” I nodded toward Kailey, “I believe this young lady wants to ask you something.”
Wade stared at her with an amused expression, while she bounced nervously on her heels. “Will you dance with me before you go?” she asked, her voice just above a whisper.
He reached for her hand and smiled. “Of course,” he said, looping her arm around his. “It would be my pleasure.” Her cheeks turned bright red, and it was the sweetest thing I’d ever seen. When they got on the dance floor, cameras flashed all around, and everyone moved away, giving them the entire floor.
“Brina Carmichael.”
Recognizing the voice, I quickly turned around. His hair was a lot grayer, but there was no mistaking the Chandler charm. It was like looking at an older version of Wade.
“Oh my God,” I called out excitedly. “I was just talking to Wade the other day about how I wanted to see you again. He didn’t tell me you were going to be here.” Glenn held out his arms and I hugged him hard. It was like having a connection to my father.
“That’s because he didn’t know. Thought I’d surprise him. He never mentioned you would be here.” He let me go and smiled down at me.
My cheeks burned and I laughed it off. “Probably because you were angry at him for getting involved with me.”
He sighed. “I just want to protect you, dear. I’d hate to have to kill my son for hurting you.”
I burst out laughing. “You have nothing to worry about. I know how to protect myself.”
“The offer still stands,” he teased with a wink. “But I’m glad I came out tonight and saw you.”
“Me too, especially since I don’t know how long I’ll be in town. Wade and I leave for California in a couple of days.”
His eyes widened. “Oh yeah? What for?”
I cleared my throat. “He’s helping me with the shop,” I admitted sheepishly.