“At the time Whitney was twenty-five.”
“Twenty-five?” Kara asked, surprised. “So she wasn’t a child but an adult who was old enough to make her own decisions.”
“You tell that to her old man” was Virgil’s flippant response. “It’s my guess she would have done anything to get out of marrying the man her father had picked out for her. Some oilman from Texas who was old enough to be her father. And she used me to do it. She had a reason for coming to my room and then making sure both her father and fiancé found out about it.”
“So what do you think, Kara?” Matthew broke in to her thoughts to ask. “Can his image be fixed?”
Before she could sufficiently answer that, she needed to make sure Virgil was 100 percent on board with an image makeover. If he wasn’t then he would only be wasting her time and his company’s money. “Not sure,” she answered Matthew while holding Virgil’s gaze. “Virgil still hasn’t answered the question I put out there a while ago.”
She watched Virgil’s lips twitch in annoyance. “What question?”
“The one I posed as to whether or not you want to be helped. I need to know if you will allow me to do my job to improve your image.”
The room had gotten quiet, and he knew that his dad, as well as Kara, was waiting on his response. “Fine, knock yourself out.”
“In other words you will do it and not give Kara a hard time doing so, right?” His father turned and asked him with those razor sharp eyes that all but said to leave the bullshit at the door.
“Yes, Dad. Right now my main concern is keeping Bougard Enterprises at the top.”
“Good.” As if what Virgil had said was enough to satisfy him, Matthew Bougard stood and looked at his watch. “The two of you can work out all the finer details of what needs to be done. As for me, I’ve kept my queen waiting long enough. Rhona and I are joining friends for lunch at the Racetrack Café.”
The café, which was jointly owned by several drivers on the NASCAR circuit, including a friend of his by the name of Bronson Scott, had the best hamburgers and fries in Charlotte. “I hope you and Mom enjoy lunch with your friends, Dad.”
“And we will, especially since I know this matter of your image will be resolved with Kara’s help.” Matthew then turned to Kara. “I appreciate your handling this for us.”
He paused a minute and then said, “I’m going to tell you just what I told Virgil yesterday. No matter how the two of you feel about each other, this here is business. The reason you’re being hired is because I believe you are the best person to do what needs to be done, Kara. I expect you and Virgil to put aside whatever differences you have and act like professionals. And I’m sure the two of you will.”
With that said, Matthew Bougard opened the conference room door and walked out, leaving Kara and Virgil staring uneasily at each other.
Chapter 4
“Well, he certainly said a mouthful,” Virgil said moments later, breaking the silence in the room.
“And I can understand his concern.” Kara pushed back her chair and stood. “But I’m sure you and I will handle ourselves as the professionals that we are. What happened to end our relationship was unfortunate. It was a mistake on my part. I apologized. You didn’t accept my apology. There’s nothing I can do about that but move on and not worry about it. And I have.”
She saw Virgil’s body tighten as he gazed up at her. “Did you really expect me to accept your apology?”
She shrugged. “Don’t know why you wouldn’t. It was made in all sincerity. I admitted I was wrong. My conscience is clear.”
He frowned as he stood, as well. “Your conscience is clear? I don’t see how it can be,” he said in a gruff voice.
Kara couldn’t help but study the features of the man standing before her. He was handsome to the point where the word eye candy just wouldn’t do him justice. But as she stared into his brown eyes, she saw something that made her swallow hard. His inability to forgive. It was there in the dark depths of the eyes gazing back at her, letting her know he was barely tolerating her presence.
“Well, let me tell you how that can be, Virgil,” Kara said, staring him down. Frankly, she was sick and tired of his attitude. He acted as if he was the only one who’d suffered from Marti’s lie.
“I am human. I make mistakes. Big and small. We all do. We also trust and believe in people that we should not. I did. I took Marti’s word over yours. Something I will regret doing for the rest of my life. I loved you and—”
“No,” Virgil said angrily. “There’s no way in hell you can convince me that you loved me. No woman could love a man one minute and then assume the worse of him the next. You only thought you loved me.”
She stared at him, knowing it would be a waste of her time to try to convince him otherwise. In his eyes, a woman who loved a man would not have believed the worst of him. But regardless of what he thought, she had loved him.
“I apologized to you, Virgil. But you didn’t accept it. Great. Fine. That’s your prerogative. Mine is to keep moving and keep living. I can’t let your inability to forgive hang over my head. There’s more to life than living in the past.”
She paused a moment and then in a calmer voice said, “I’ll start work immediately on a plan of action for your image makeover. I’ll call you once it’s completed so we can meet to discuss it.”
With nothing else to say, she turned and walked out of the office.
* * *
Virgil’s body stiffened in anger when the door clicked shut behind Kara. She had a lot of nerve. That was all fine and dandy that she could keep moving and keep living; he could make the same claim. But what she failed to take into account was what her belief in her sister’s lie had done to him. Had done to them. And he couldn’t help noticing she hadn’t refuted his words when he said she’d only assumed she loved him. In not doing so, she’d all but admitted he’d been merely an infatuation. That thought angered him even more.
There’s more to life than living in the past. Upon remembering Kara’s words, it took every ounce of control he had not to go after her and let her know that although he wasn’t living in the past, it was the past he’d shared with her that had shaped him into the man he was today. A man determined not to let any woman get close to his heart again. A man who’d been taught there was no such thing as the perfect love. A man who enjoyed being physically involved but emotionally detached from women.
She would never know how she’d nearly destroyed him four years ago. For months he hadn’t been able to eat, sleep or function like a sane person. It was only when his godbrothers had talked him into taking one of those singles cruises with them that he’d returned to the land of the living. It had taken him almost a full year to get over Kara, put her behind him. And in doing so, he’d developed an entirely new agenda and game plan when it came to women. He refused to love one, and he lusted for plenty.
And she thought she could wipe the slate clean with just an apology?
Virgil shoved his hands into his pockets as he walked over to the window and looked out. And now they would be working together to improve his image. How crazy was that? He rubbed his hand down his face. There’s more to life than living in the past.
He forced his mind to rethink Kara’s words, this time with deeper meaning and clarity. Maybe by carrying all this bitterness inside of him the way he had, he was living in the past, not letting go of what she had done.
Forgiving didn’t mean forgetting. Nor did it mean reconciliation. What they once shared could never be regained. She was totally and completely out of his heart now, so wasn’t it time he acted like it? There was no reason why they could not deal with each other on the professional level his father had alluded to. It wasn’t about him or her but all about Bougard Enterprises.
Virgil figured one day he would eventually marry, especially
since he needed heirs to continue the Bougard legacy. And when he did, it wouldn’t be for love. Thanks to Kara Goshay he would know better the next time.
* * *
“Your father is on line one, Ms. Goshay.”
Kara released a frustrated sigh but couldn’t stop the smile that touched her lips. She figured since her mother’s attempt to bring an end to her strained relationship with Marti had failed, Lydia had called in the big guns. Namely Byron Goshay. Kara had always been a daddy’s girl and proud of it. Her father adored both of his daughters, but there had always been a special bond between the two of them.
“Put him through, please.”
Leaning back in her chair, she waited for the connection while recalling her conversation with her mother when she returned her call yesterday. It was a discussion that hadn’t gone over well. Lydia tried shifting the blame to Kara, saying she was allowing a man to come between her and her sister. She felt Kara should make up with Marti now that her sister was under a doctor’s care for stress and anxiety attacks.
Kara had gotten royally pissed. She sympathized with whatever Marti was going through, but what about those four years Kara had suffered, thinking the man she loved had betrayed her? What about the stress she’d gone through? The heartbreak? The pain? How could one sister do that to another?
“Kara? How’s my girl?”
The sound of her father’s voice chased away the anger. She smiled. “I’m fine, Dad. What about you?”
“I’m doing okay. Looking forward to retirement in a few years. Just waiting for my daughters to pay off their student loans so they can take care of their old man.”
Kara shook her head. “Our student loans are paid off. Besides, you wouldn’t accept a handout from me or Marti even if your life depended on it.”
She heard her father’s chuckle. “True.”
He then paused, and she knew what was coming when she detected him shifting to a more serious mode. “Your mom talked to me last night about the ongoing situation between you and Marti.”
“And?”
“And I think we need to have a family powwow. A sort of bonding session. I’d like to fly both you and Marti home for the weekend.”
As if flying out to San Francisco would magically make things better. “It won’t do any good, Dad.”
“Sweetheart, Marti’s your sister.”
So now her father was taking that approach? She couldn’t stop the flare of anger. “Yes, and my sister deliberately sabotaged my relationship with the man I loved.”
There was another pause. “I just want my daughters back together. I feel our family is breaking apart.”
“Don’t blame me, Dad.”
“Of course I don’t blame you.”
Kara was glad to hear that. “Mom did.”
“Lydia should not have said that. I told her we needed to stay out of it and let you and Marti handle things. But I guess she saw that wasn’t happening and figured she needed to step in. But that’s no reason to blame you. You didn’t ask for what Marti did. Have you seen Virgil and told him the truth?”
“Yes, for what good that did. I apologized but he didn’t accept my apology. I can’t blame him to be honest with you. I said some mean things to him back then. I think now he hates me more than ever.”
“Sorry to hear that. I tried calling him to apologize, as well. He’s changed his number from the one I had.”
Kara lifted a brow. “Why would you need to apologize?”
“Because after the two of you broke up and Marti told me what he did, I called him and said a lot of not-so-nice things to him.”
Kara’s eyes closed for a minute. Her sister’s lie had caused more damage than Kara had realized. “I didn’t know,” she said softly. Her father had liked Virgil a lot, and vice versa. Getting such a call from her father had probably only added to Virgil’s anger. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“At the time I felt there was no reason to tell you. I thought he had hurt you and that was all I needed to know. Now I feel bad about what I said.”
Welcome to the club. “That’s okay, Dad. Like I said, Virgil is not in a forgiving mood right now anyway.”
“So there’s no chance the two of you can patch things up and get back together?”
Kara shook her head as she recalled Virgil’s words. Without trust, love is nothing and you proved what we shared was nothing.
“No, Dad. There’s no way Virgil and I will ever get back together.”
The finality of what she’d just said overwhelmed her and she knew she had to end the call with her father before he detected anything. “I’ve got a ton of things to do,” she said softly. “Goodbye, Dad. I love you.”
“I love you, too, cupcake.”
It was only after he clicked off his phone and she clicked off hers that she gave in to her tears.
Chapter 5
“Mr. Bougard, Ms. Goshay is on the line for you.”
Virgil tossed his pen down on his desk. “Thanks, Pam. Please put her through.” When he heard the connecting click, he said, “Yes, Kara?”
“I told you I would contact you when I completed my action plan.”
Yes, she had said that a week ago. He had pushed the thought of hearing from her out of his mind. At least he’d tried, but he had found himself thinking a lot about Kara whether he wanted to or not.
“I was wondering when we can meet,” she added, interrupting his thoughts.
He checked the calendar on his desk. “I’m booked solid the rest of the week. It will have to be sometime next week.” Or the week after that, he thought to himself. He was in no hurry to see Kara again.
“It’s imperative that we meet this week, Virgil. I got a call from your father yesterday for an update. At that time he expressed that he wanted me to present my plan to you ASAP. I told him that I would.”
“Now you can go back and tell him that you tried,” he said. “Like I said, my calendar is full this week. To be honest it’s full next week, as well.”
“And there’s no way you can squeeze me in this week?”
He heard the annoyance in her voice and figured she thought he was deliberately being difficult. “No, sorry. Unless...” he said, studying his calendar again.
“Unless what?”
“Unless we make it a business dinner. That will work for me. How about for you?”
He heard the pause, which lasted a little too long to suit him. Now he was the one getting annoyed. “Look, Kara. My time is precious and right now you’re wasting it. Will you be able to meet me for dinner tomorrow or not?” Virgil snapped.
“Yes, I’m available for a business dinner tomorrow,” Kara snapped back.
“Good. My administrative assistant will call you later today with details as to where we will meet.”
“Fine.”
“Goodbye.”
When Kara heard the click in her ear, she leaned back in her chair, and she clicked off her own phone. “And goodbye to you, too, Mr. Obnoxious.” Of course he hadn’t heard her comment but it still felt good making it.
A business dinner? Why couldn’t he just add her to his schedule? He couldn’t be that busy. She guessed that in a way she should be grateful. He probably would not have agreed to meet with her at all if she hadn’t told him about the telephone call she’d received from his father. Matthew had made it clear he expected them to work together, grudgingly or otherwise. She had no problem doing so but couldn’t speak for Virgil.
Kara sighed deeply. It was obvious he was being difficult already. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d had to do an image makeover on an unenthusiastic client. She couldn’t let that be a deterrent to what needed to be done. She had a job to do and she intended to do it.
* * *
Arriving early, V
irgil chose a table in the back of the Goldenrod Restaurant mainly for two reasons. First, the table sat beside a huge window and on a clear day you could see the mountain peaks of Chimney Rock. And, second, the location gave him a good view of the restaurant’s entrance. For some reason he wanted to see Kara before she saw him.
No one had to tell him that he hadn’t been pleasant yesterday while talking to her on the phone. She had a tendency to bring out the worst in him and she had been the last person he’d wanted to converse with, business or otherwise. And then for her to mention his father had called her, literally reminding him he had to toe the line, had annoyed the hell out of him.
If Virgil didn’t know better, he would think his father was trying to play his hand at matchmaking. After all, his parents had liked Kara a lot. But he did know better because the one thing Matthew Bougard didn’t do was play games. His father was too no-nonsense for that. The only reason his dad had insisted on hiring Kara was because she was the best and had a stellar track record to prove it.
Virgil saw Kara the moment she walked into the restaurant and knew his biggest challenge would be her. If he hadn’t known Kara and had glanced up and seen her for the first time, he would have had the same reaction he noticed several men in the restaurant having now. Kara Goshay wasn’t just a beautiful woman, she was downright striking. Her entrance into any room drew stares from both men and women.
She was wearing an olive-green pencil skirt with a matching jacket and white blouse. Probably on any other person the colors would look drab, but on Kara they looked stunning. The skirt emphasized every single curve of her body as well as her long, gorgeous legs. Her hair was neatly tied up in a knot and he thought the style highlighted the gracefulness of her neck and the long, dark lashes fanning her eyes.
He thought now the same thing he did the very first time he’d ever laid eyes on her. She was a woman about whom fantasies—the hot and steamy kind—were made. Evidently others thought so, as well, and Virgil couldn’t help noticing several men shift in their seats, probably wondering if they would get the opportunity to meet her. Get to know her better. And that, Virgil thought, was the kicker. He already knew Kara, better than most. Knew more than he wanted to remember knowing. Like how she looked underneath her outfit, the location of that half-moon tattoo and all about that little mole on her backside.
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