"If you didn't tell her, then you don't know for sure how she feels. Maybe she's just scared. Maybe she's taking your lead. Why would you want to sacrifice the kind of happiness that only comes along once in a lifetime… if you're lucky?"
Rachel bent and spoke to her daughters in the distance. Once in a lifetime. She'd have never given up a second of her short time with Tommy just to avoid all the pain and suffering endured over the last year. She'd always said Tommy made her better, that everything made sense when they were together. That was exactly how he felt about Mia. She made him realize what he'd been missing all this time and showed him a glimpse of what he wanted his life to become. Yes, she definitely made him better. But the million-dollar question was, did she care?
MIA PADDED INTO HER room, a fluffy white towel wrapped around her. She picked up her cell phone. Ten texts? Jesus. They were all from Alex.
"Chloe, I'll be ready in a few minutes, okay?" She scrolled through the messages and clicked on the first one.
Mia, I'm so sorry about last night. I don't know what came over me. Please give us another chance.
A wave of sadness consumed her. Those blissful hours she'd spent wrapped in Chris's arms… she'd never wanted them to end. Being with him felt so liberating. How was she supposed to work with him and ignore everything that had happened? She was always so great at shielding herself, but somehow he'd gotten through her carefully crafted defenses. And now that he had, how was she supposed to deal with all the feelings he'd awoken within her?
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
AS SOON AS THE DOOR OPENED, Chris barreled into the foyer. He grabbed Alex by the shirt and slammed him against a wall. "If you ever so much as look at Mia again, I will kick your fucking ass until you can't remember your own name. Do you understand?"
Alex snorted, his eyes beady and bloodshot. "You think I'm scared? Is this tough-guy routine is supposed to intimidate me?"
Chris clenched his fists. "Stay away from her. I don't think your buddies at Major League would be too impressed if they knew about the shit you pulled."
"Are you threatening me? That's rich. You think you're all high and mighty now, huh? Guess what? I don't give a shit." He leaned in and flashed a nasty smile. "Fuck you."
Screw it. His fist connected with Alex's jaw, the satisfying crack sending him flying into a wall.
Alex staggered backward and touched the line of blood trickling down his chin. A deranged laugh escaped his lips. "You think that's gonna stop me?"
"Leave her alone."
"Why? You want to take a crack at her? Or did you already fuck her last night?"
What?
"That's right. I know you were there with her. She sure didn't waste any time." His eyes darkened. "But I like a challenge. You haven't won yet."
"She may not know what a fucking sicko you are, but I do. Keep away from her."
A deep, hollow laugh chilled his insides. "Get the hell out of here. Save the knight-in-shining-armor bullshit for someone else."
"She's too good for you. You might have been able to fool her at first, but you haven't changed at all."
"Oh, and you're so much better for her? Gimme a break. I'm not the only one who hasn't changed."
Those words haunted him as he stormed out of the house. He may not be good enough for her, but she made him want to be better. Wasn't that what it was all about?
"JESUS, CHRIS. THANK GOD she got away from him."
"I know. The guy's completely fucked up, exactly the same as he was in college. God only knows what happened in New York."
"Why did you go to her house? I know you guys have become friends over the past couple of months but—" James jumped up when Chris averted his eyes. "What the fuck is wrong with you? I told you to stay away from her! You could've had a million other girls. Did you really need to screw around with our investment manager?" He started pacing the floor. "Emerson will fire her if he finds out, and he'll pull the plug on LazerShark. You convinced me that Blue Coat was the right partner for us, and now our future's at risk because you couldn't keep it in your goddamn pants. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black."
Chris cringed, recalling the scathing argument they'd had when James had wanted to pull the plug on the Blue Coat investment offer after finding out Jessica'd had a brief fling with Paul months before they met. "Calm down. It's not what you think."
"Oh really? You've made a completely self-centered decision that's going to destroy everything we've worked for. Tell me how I'm so off-base."
"I'm in love with her."
"You're what?"
"I'm in love with her! Aren't you happy for me? This is what you wanted, right? What everyone wanted? Well, here it is. Do you think I expected this to happen? She's the only thing I think about. When I heard she was in trouble, I couldn't get to her house fast enough because I love her."
James flopped down next to Chris and let out a deep sigh.
"You need to relax about Blue Coat. Emerson's not going to drop us. He knows LazerShark is a winner."
"You seem pretty sure about that."
"I am. That's the least of my worries."
"Does Mia know any of this?"
"No. She's made her priorities pretty clear, and they don't include some fling with me."
"But she doesn't know how you feel."
"It's better this way."
James's voice softened. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah, there's no future for us. Telling her won't change that."
"Maybe she'll surprise you."
"It's over. I have to let her go. Not that I ever had her in the first place." His fist came crashing down on the floor. "How the hell did I let this happen?"
"You've really screwed things up this time, you know that? I want to be so pissed off, but seeing you like this… I can't believe it's you talking. After all this time, it finally happened."
"I avoided all this relationship crap for years, and my life was awesome. Now I'm obsessing about a girl I can never have. Being in love is just freaking great."
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
MAKING IT THROUGH THE NEXT FEW days was rough, despite all the meetings peppering her daily calendar. Every detail about that night with Chris rushed back with astonishing clarity whenever she let her mind wander.
She drove to her parents' house after work, as if on autopilot, a zombie going through the motions, numb and void of emotion. With any luck, Mommy Dearest would be out at her book club.
Of course she wasn't.
Susan opened the door with a surprised look on her face. "What are you doing here? Chloe had basketball tonight, didn't you remember? They have practice all week to prepare for the championship game on Saturday."
"Oh shoot! I completely forgot." She grabbed her phone and dialed Rachel's number.
"Hello?"
"Rachel! Thank God! Can you please take Chloe home with you? I'll be there to pick her up in a few minutes. I forgot about the practice and went to pick her up from my parents' house by mistake."
"Sure, no problem."
"Great, thanks." The disapproving scowl on her mother's face made her cringe. She waited for the scathing words to emerge from Susan's perfectly painted lips. But surprisingly, she was greeted with silence.
"Come on, Mom, why don't you just say it? That I'm not focused enough on Chloe, that I let work get in the way of my responsibilities. There are a million things you can zap at me right now. What are you waiting for? Why deny yourself the pleasure of telling me what a horrible mother I am?"
"You sound awfully defensive. Who are you really trying to convince?"
"Are you going to stand there and tell me my lifestyle is okay with you? That you support everything I'm doing for me and Chloe?"
"Absolutely not. You know how I feel. Chloe is always the top priority, and you don't remember that often enough."
"How can you say she's not my priority? Did you ever consider the fact that I focus so much on work so I can give her the best life possible?"
"With no ben
efit for you, right? You've got nothing to gain? Give me a break. I know how driven you are. It's one of the things I admire most about you. But how do you think this obsession with your career is going to impact any future relationships? Did you ever consider how that all affects Chloe?"
"Relationships? Is this about me being single? Jesus, Mom! I really can't win here, can I?"
"You don't give relationships a chance at all. Take Alex, for example. He's a very nice young man, but you're so ambivalent every time I ask you about him. Why won't you give him a chance? Don't you think Chloe deserves some stability? Shouldn't that be a focus?"
Mia recoiled. Just hearing the name made her stomach roil. The nightmares she'd suffered since that night… even the exhilaration of being with Chris couldn't quell her deep-rooted fears that Alex would be back as promised. "You have no idea what you're talking about. You think you know—"
"Don't I? I know things didn't work out between you and Greg, but is that going to be the end of the romantic line for you? Is it just going to be about your career?"
"I was right about Alex! I should have trusted my instincts about him. He's a complete asshole, if you must know. Being around him would most certainly not be a good thing for Chloe. He's over and, believe me, not soon enough." She rubbed her temples, but the eye headache that rapidly spread through her sinuses was ready to explode into a full-blown migraine at any second. "And yes, I'm afraid of jumping into a relationship. I have good reason to be."
"I'm sorry if I've been hard on you, but you're my daughter, and I'm concerned about your decisions."
Mia swallowed the lump in her throat. "I'm doing the best I can, and you have to trust I'm going to make the best decisions for my daughter. I love my job. Is that so horrible? I want to meet someone and have a relationship and provide that kind of security for Chloe." The memory of Chris's hungry lips on hers was so vibrant; if she closed her eyes, she could relive those blissful moments forever. But it was still only an illusion. It could never be more. "It's just not in the plan right now, and you need to accept that."
"THANKS SO MUCH FOR bringing Chloe home with you. I have so much on my mind I completely forgot about the extra practices."
"It's fine. Come on in. The girls are upstairs doing their homework. Do you want something to drink?"
"No, I'm good. It's been a long day."
"What's going on with Alex?"
"We broke up this weekend. Let's just say I should have trusted my instincts about him."
"Really? I'm so sorry to hear that. Did it have to do with the work guy?"
"Actually, no. But that's not going anywhere either. I guess I'm meant to be on my own for now, but it's for the best."
"I'm sure things will work out. Hey, are you going to the victory party next week?"
"Yes, Chloe is so excited. How do you plan a victory party without knowing if there's a victory to precede it?"
"You know how things are now. Celebrating defeat is perfectly acceptable. The kids don't care, so long as they get to hang out, eat dessert foods, and dance."
The girls raced into the kitchen.
"Mom!" Chloe hugged Mia. "Did you forget about practice?"
"I'm so sorry, sweetie. I promise it'll never happen again. And guess what? We're going to the victory party with Rachel, Lizzie, and Emma. How does that sound?" She looked at Rachel. "Is that okay?" she mouthed.
Rachel nodded.
"Yay!" Chloe cheered and hugged Lizzie and Emma. "Oh my gosh, I can't wait! It's going to be so much fun!"
CHAPTER NINETEEN
MADDIE POKED HER HEAD INTO THE office. "Chris, I have Paul Emerson on line one for you."
Fuck. What the hell did he want?
"Thanks." He grabbed the receiver. "Camden."
"Hey, it's Paul. Listen, I need to update you about a slight change in schedule for this week."
Oh Christ. "Okay…"
"Mia is going to be down in LA for the next couple of days. Dan is taking over her clients while she's away. I know timing isn't great since you have some investor meetings scheduled for next week, but I need her to handle some contract work."
"She didn't mention anything."
"Yeah, it's been under wraps, but now that we're investing, it's public news. You know her background is in media and entertainment, so she was the perfect pick to represent the details of this deal for us."
"Sure, well, that's great." She hadn't even acknowledged the text he'd sent after speaking with his friend at the police station. Maybe Paul would keep her focused on this new company. Maybe she'd volunteered to go, to escape him and everything that had happened. It had been days since they'd spoken. He'd tried to focus on work, but it was useless. Now he had to deal with that jackass, Dan?
"I'll have Dan reach out. Don't worry. You'll be in good hands."
Yeah, but they weren't the hands he really wanted to be in…
He stalked into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator. Why hadn't she told him about LA? And how many more clues did he need to tell him she wasn't interested? This was the perfect opportunity to clear his head and get back to the life he was meant to live.
He slammed the door and moped back to his office. His cell phone buzzed with an incoming email from Dan. Scumbag. It was clear Dan was positioning himself to edge out Mia. Fuck him. He'd respond when he was damned good and ready. The last thing he wanted was to prove to Paul that Dan was better equipped to handle LazerShark. If work were the only way he could have contact with her, well, he'd take it.
But what if that wasn't what she wanted?
His cell phone rang, and his heart jumped and sank within the span of about a second.
"Hey, Rach, what's up?"
"Don't make any big plans this weekend. Lizzie's basketball championship game is on Saturday night, and there's a victory party afterward. She's dying for you to come."
"How can they have a victory party without knowing who's going to win?"
"Please! If you only knew how many times I've asked that question in the past few days. Just tell me you can go."
"Please, Uncle Chris! Please, please, please!"
Despite his foul mood, Chris smiled at Lizzie's pleading voice in the background. "Of course I'll go. Tell her I wouldn't miss it."
MIA FROWNED AT THE phone. Two more missed calls and a voicemail from Alex. When was he going to get the message that it was over?
A.J. Morgan, Paul's lawyer and business partner, shot her a questioning look. "Everything okay?"
"Yes, everything's fine. Why don't we take a look at the contracts and review the terms of the offer?"
Page by page, all the details of the agreement between Blue Coat Capital and Excelsior Media, LLC were reviewed in agonizing detail. It took hours to go through the language in the contract, and she was going to be stuck down in LA until the following afternoon for the signing. Thankfully, her long-time friend Avery Hunter was in town. If anyone could help her out of her funk, it was Avery.
After the meeting ended, A.J. invited her to dinner with the team. "Come on, it's LA. You'll have a blast with this crew."
"Thanks, but I'm meeting a friend in a little while. I'll see you in the morning." She left the office, the warm southern California sunshine still blazing even at five o'clock. Avery wasn't exactly the most punctual. A nearby bench called out to her, and she collapsed onto the wrought iron. Damn that was hot! She jumped up and tossed down the manila folder to keep her legs from sizzling against the metal.
Three more missed calls? The ringer was off, and she hadn't heard the phone vibrate during the session. She really hated being so far from Chloe, especially with that lunatic lurking.
Mia dialed Jana's number.
"Hello?"
"Hey, it's me."
"Hi! I just picked Chloe up from school, and we're getting dinner ready. She's been a superstar this week at practice. Wait until you see her on Saturday."
A sad smile tugged at Mia's lips as she recalled the confro
ntation with Susan. Sounded like she'd messed up yet again. "I'm getting a little nervous about something." She tugged a loose strand of hair.
"What's up?"
"Alex has been texting and calling nonstop since Saturday night. Do you think I should answer and tell him it's over and to stop calling?"
"No, definitely not. Don't even give him an opening. I'm sure he'll eventually get the message and leave you alone."
"Chris spoke to his cop friend, but it didn't seem like there was much they could do, since nothing actually happened."
"He hasn't threatened you or anything, right?"
"Thankfully, no. How's Chloe? Is she doing her homework?"
"Nope, she's all done. I told her she could watch television before dinner. How are you doing?"
"As good as can be expected. I needed to get away for a little while. I didn't tell Chris I was leaving either. Paul told him Dan would be filling in while I'm away. I feel like an ass for not calling myself. He probably thinks I'm avoiding him, especially since I never responded to his text the other day."
"Are you?"
"I guess I needed to put some distance between us. It's not working. I'm still miserable."
"Are you sure—"
"Yes. Nothing good can come of this. Too complicated, all around. I'm not about to be his flavor of the week. I can't be that girl. I won't be."
"I just want to see you happy. You deserve that."
"Yeah. Maybe someday."
"Why don't you say hello to your little girl? Have fun tonight, and I'll see you tomorrow."
"Okay, thanks."
Chloe's excited voice came on the line, and a wide smile spread over Mia's face. The effect Chloe had on her was nothing short of amazing. Everything came into focus; all her problems and inadequacies faded to the background. "Hi, Mommy! Have you seen anyone famous yet?"
"Hi, baby. No, I've been stuck in an office all day. But I miss you so much. Aunt Jana said you had a great practice today."
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