by T. L Smith
“I’m not going to deny you’re the best, Beckham. We all know this. The whole city knows this. But we also only want to work with people we can trust. Can we trust you?”
Beckham’s hand comes up on the table, and he taps it lightly.
“You can trust me with your money. Of this, I have no doubt. But as a person, you would have to get to know me. I’m not a complicated man, but I keep my circle small because trusting the wrong people seems to have burned me in the past.”
Both brothers nod as they take in Beckham’s words while our waitress places our starters in the middle of the table before she walks away.
“Tell us something … something you have told no one else.”
Beckham’s fingers start to tap on the table, and I can feel his leg bouncing near mine in agitation. “The love of my life died almost six years ago. Some nights when she invades my thoughts, the only thing I can do is drink to drown her out.”
The table goes silent.
I go silent.
Holy shit.
I wonder if that tidbit of information is real.
It has to be, right?
That’s not something you make up out of nowhere.
“I’m sorry for your loss, Beckham. My wife died over ten years ago, and still to this day, I miss her like crazy,” Adam says.
“Yes, sorry. Thank you for sharing that with us,” James adds.
For the rest of dinner, the only thing that’s spoken about is their business and what Beckham can do for them. Toward the end, and only two wines in, I stand as we get ready to leave.
“It was a pleasure to meet you, Jacinta. I hope at our next meeting we will see your beautiful face.”
“I hope so, too.” We linger as they walk out, and when they’re gone, I reach for my purse and turn to face Beckham.
“Don’t be late Monday,” he barks at me before he walks off.
Well, okay then.
Guess I make my way home on my own!
Beckham, the asshole, still exists.
Chapter 5
Beckham
The weekend was heavy. I stayed in my apartment and didn’t leave. Why did I share my most painful secret with them? I shouldn’t have shared that. But I also knew it would get me the deal I wanted. And I was right. I landed the deal of a lifetime.
Even if I exposed myself in ways I would never usually do, and even if she was sitting right next to me. Now she knows too.
As soon as I walk into the office on Monday, I find Jacinta already at her desk, headphones on. When she sees me, she pulls them off and trains her gaze on me.
“Don’t you have a kid?”
She was pregnant, this much I remember. She asked Rylee to babysit, which would make me think she’s raising the kid by herself.
“Yes.”
“So why are you here and not getting him ready for school?”
“Because you’re here,” she replies.
“I own the company. You are just an employee. Stop coming in so early.” Before I get a chance to walk away, her glare could pierce my skin. Once I get to my door, I turn back to look at her, and her shoulders are slumped. “Who has your son right now?”
She twists her hair in her ponytail, flicking it over her shoulder. “I hire a sitter for the mornings.”
“How much?” I ask.
She screws up her nose. “Sorry?”
“How much does she charge you?”
“Twenty an hour,” she replies.
“I’ll be sure to tell accounts to pay you for her cost.” I step into my office as I hear her yell out, “You don’t have to do that.”
I don’t reply.
She’s a single mother, and every penny counts.
Plus, she seems to be good at her job.
Even if I’m not that fond of her.
“Sir.” I look up to see Jacinta at my door, a sandwich in her hand and a soft smile on her face. “I got your lunch. But to let you know … Adam’s here.”
“Show him in.” She turns to leave. “And Jacinta … please stay.” She nods and walks out and returns a moment later, with Adam standing next to her.
“I didn’t think I would see you so soon.” I stand and shake Adam’s hand.
“I figured I should come here personally to sign the papers, and I was also hoping to see Miss Leigh again.”
I turn to look at Jacinta and see her smiling at Adam.
“It was a pleasure meeting you,” Jacinta says very smoothly.
Adam smiles and I can tell he likes what he sees.
Before anyone can say another word, my office opens, and Rylee walks in, two children with her holding one with each hand. Winter runs straight for me, and a boy not much older than Winter runs to Jacinta and wraps his arms around her legs.
“Oh, sorry, I didn’t realize you had a meeting,” Rylee says and goes to call Winter back, who I have picked up and is wrapped around me like a monkey. I love this kid so fucking much.
“No, no meeting. Just thought I would come and meet more of the staff,” Adam says, and Rylee’s eyes narrow.
“Hi, Adam. I’m Rylee. Beckham’s sister. So nice to meet you.” Rylee offers her hand, and Adam shakes it before she turns back to me.
“Your niece?” I nod, and he smiles. “It’s what I’m after, a family business.” He turns back to Rylee, then looks to Jacinta, who’s kneeling down whispering to who I guess is her son. “If you send me the papers, I will sign them immediately. Looking forward to working with you all.” Adam strides out, and Jacinta doesn’t even lookup.
Rylee steps over. “A kid pushed Winter over at school. Oliver saw it and pushed the kid back. He got into trouble for it,” Rylee says.
I peer at Winter to see her grinning at me. “You okay?” She nods as if nothing happened and snuggles into me. When I lift my head, Jacinta is wiping tears away from her son’s face as she stands and pulls him into her side.
“Do you mind if I leave early?” she asks, holding her son close to her.
“I can take him. We can go get ice cream,” Rylee says with a gentle expression.
“I know you mean well, Rylee, but no,” Jacinta states and then looks back at me. “Can I please take the rest of the afternoon off, sir?”
I nod, and she turns and walks straight out the door, not even looking back.
When she’s gone and the door is shut, Rylee turns on me. “What did you do?” She crosses her arms over her chest.
“Oh, you in trouble now,” Winter says. I put her down, but she stays right next to me.
“I did nothing. She is an employee, Rylee. Stop considering her feelings when she’s at work. She doesn’t come here to make friends. The woman comes here to do her job. A job I pay her well for.”
“She has no one. And the one person she did have I took away,” Rylee says, guilt seems to be eating away at her.
“You can’t take something away that was already yours,” I reply. We all know it. She even knows it. She and August, despite all the obstacles they faced, were always meant to be together. It just took them a while to realize that fact.
“Just—” Rylee starts, but I shake my head, interrupting her, “I’ll go around later to make sure she’s okay. Will that make you happy?”
Rylee nods and calls for Winter.
I watch as they walk out hand in hand.
“Very happy,” Rylee sings as she leaves.
I scan the area. My car looks out of place parked here. It’s probably worth more than every car in the entire street combined. I’m out front of a small brick home, and when I say small, I mean it. The whole structure could probably fit into the living room of my apartment. It has a tidy lawn compared to the other houses in the area. Hardly worth the maintenance if you ask me.
It took me over thirty minutes to get here. If this is how long she has to travel every day to get to work and back, I do not envy her because if she got caught in traffic, it would take twice as long.
I step up to the red door and knock. I hear t
he sound of a television but no voices.
No one answers, so I knock again.
The door opens, and standing in front of me is Jacinta, a pair of tanned legs topped with tiny shorts and a midriff-baring shirt encasing pert breasts. Who knew a body like that was hiding under all those clothes? I mean, I saw it when she wore that dress the other night, but it was mostly covered.
She is my employee.
And that is not something I want to mess with.
“Mr. Harley.” Her voice sounds surprised. She should be. I don’t make house calls often.
“Rylee was concerned,” are the first words that leave my mouth, and she doesn’t respond, so I continue, “How is your son?”
She wipes a hand over her face and shakes her head. “I don’t understand why you’re here. You don’t even like me. So what’s going on?” Her mouth thins to a straight line.
Sass.
Well, well, well!
Who knew she had it in her?
“Your son stuck up for my niece, so I’m here to make sure he’s okay.”
Jacinta’s arms cross over her chest, which pushes up those pert breasts, and she breathes heavily. “Oliver is fine. He was upset, but I was able to calm him down.”
“I had a friend who lived on this street,” I tell her, looking away.
At the end of the street is a green house, and inside that green house is where Glenn lives. The only person who more than likely feels the same pain I do every night—my dead girlfriend’s father.
I sometimes think my love for her was made up, maybe in my imagination. But when she comes to me at night, I know it was real. That I did love her.
“I didn’t see you as a man who would venture over this side of town, considering you live so far away.” Her mouth quirks up at her response.
“I did, very often in fact,” I say, looking down the street in the direction of Glenn’s home. I have good memories of that house. It was the place I used to escape the pressures of everyday life.
“Do you want to come in?” She steps back.
I look inside—it’s clean, bare, but still nice.
“Did you put in the form to get your money reimbursed?” I ask, trying to keep thoughts of Paige from entering my mind.
She nods and steps back in the doorway. “I did. Thank you for that.”
“I’ll see you at work tomorrow.” Stepping away, I go straight to my car. On the way out of the neighborhood, I drive past Glenn’s house, pausing on the street out front. The lights are on, and it still looks the same. As if after all these years, time stood still right here in front of me. Unable to move forward. Incapable of advancing. Impossible to progress.
The porch light flicks on, and Glenn’s figure approaches in silhouette through the glass in the front door. He won’t recognize this car, so I push my foot on the accelerator to speed away. As I drive off, he opens the front door, and he looks directly at me inside the car. I know he can’t see me, my car has tinted windows, but that stare feels like he can see straight through me.
That night, I try to keep those demons at bay, but sometimes demons have a way of creeping up on you.
“We can sneak out the window,” Paige says as we sit on the edge of her bed.
Her father arrived home a few hours ago and walked me out, but then I snuck back in. Now Paige wants to sneak out with me.
“We can’t,” I reply, leaning up behind her and kissing her neck, which instantly sends shivers down her body.
“I can always say something to persuade you, so—” She likes to bribe me, and I must admit I do like her bribes.
“Let’s stay in,” I effectively interrupt her with a whisper, so her father won’t overhear. She leans back into my touch, her body molding against mine.
“Okay then. As long as I get to keep you, I’m in.” She turns and crawls up to me, pushing me back so she’s hovering above me.
“You have me. Now, tomorrow, and years from now,” I tell her.
A bold smile touches her lips. “Oh, this I know.”
It was the second to last night I saw her alive, and that night I run over and over in my mind.
Could I have said something?
Could I have done something differently?
The answer to those questions I shall never know.
But because of that, no other woman will ever compare.
Chapter 6
Jacinta
The rest of the week goes smoothly, smoother than I expected, at least. Beckham still snaps at me and tells me to get lost, but he hasn’t fired me this week yet, so that’s a plus. When Friday rolls around, I walk into his office with all the paperwork to be signed and put it on his desk.
One good thing, we acquired the Jackpot account, and that’s put Beckham in a better mood.
“Do you have plans for the weekend?”
I startle, realizing Beckham is talking to me. When I don’t answer, he raises an eyebrow, clearly becoming impatient.
“Are you talking to me?” I reply, confused.
“Yes. Does it look like I was talking to anyone else? Maybe an invisible friend of yours?” he snaps.
“I have no plans,” I tell him.
“My other sister, Rhianna, is having a barbecue. Rylee asked that I invite you.”
“The twin?” I ask him. They are identical, and one time I went up to the wrong twin.
“Yes, bring Oliver. Rhianna has a daughter your son’s age,” he says. Then his focus shifts onto the paperwork I just delivered, effectively dismissing me without further words. When I step out of the door, a police officer is standing at my desk.
“Can I help you?”
He glances past me to the door I just exited through. “Yes. I need to speak to Beckham.”
The door to Beckham’s office opens, and he’s standing there. I watch as his eyes go wide and a vein ticks in his neck as he stares at the man in front of me.
“I saw you the other day,” the policeman says, clearly looking at Beckham, who stands a little taller. “You didn’t come in?”
“I didn’t think I should.”
“You’re always welcome at my house, you know that.” Beckham runs his hand over his face as he looks down. “I found a few things in her room that I thought you might want.”
“You didn’t clean it out?” Beckham asks as I step away from the conversation. I can still hear everything even though I’m now seated at my desk, but I thought it best to make it appear like I am not listening in.
“No, she was the only good thing in my life. To throw anything out that involved her isn’t something I wish to do. Ever.”
They stand there in a silent stare off for a few moments.
“You look good, Beckham. I didn’t think you would follow in your father’s footsteps and take over his business. Paige always said you wanted to follow your sports.”
Beckham’s face contorts at the mention of Paige’s name. “I have work to do,” he says, clearly trying to mask any emotion right now.
“Will you come around? I have a few things I want to give you.”
“I’ll see. Give me time. I will try to get there when I can.”
The man looks around, smiles at me, and then glances back at Beckham. “August says you haven’t dated since.”
“August needs to shut his mouth,” Beckham snaps.
“He was her brother. He cares. Even if he doesn’t show it.”
I knew August had lost someone when I met him, but I didn’t know it was his sister. And that his sister was also the woman whom Beckham had lost.
“As I said, I’ll see. Thanks for stopping by, Glenn.” Beckham returns to his office and shuts the door.
Glenn turns to face me. “Sorry for interrupting your day.”
I offer him a warm smile as he walks away.
Beckham stays in his office for the rest of the day.
Looking over to my right, I pull up in my car to a house that is ten times bigger than any I’ve ever owned or lived in. Pushing open the
door, I slide out and grab Oliver, who stays by my side as we walk up to the door. Knocking only once, it swings open to reveal the spitting image of Rylee standing there. But I know it isn’t her.
“I’m Rhianna.” She smiles, a baby on her hip, as she greets me. “And you are Jacinta. Come in. Everyone is already here.” She offers a small wave to Oliver, who waves back before he spots Winter and runs to where she’s currently playing. “What’s your poison? Vodka, gin, whiskey? I know it has to be something strong since you work for my brother, and he’s an ass to everyone but Rylee.” She waits expectantly for my answer.
“Just a water, please.” Rhianna shrugs and opens the fridge. She hands me a bottle of water. A guy walks in, steps straight to her, and removes the baby from her hip. He leans down and kisses her on the lips before he turns to face me.
“I’m Noah. Nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you as well. I’m Jacinta.”
“I’m well aware of who you are. I’m glad you could come.” He nods and saunters off, leaving me in the kitchen with the sister I’ve only ever spoken to once before, and that was because I thought she was Rylee.
“So, how’s life now you can live it normally? Have you heard from Anderson or his crazy family?” Rhianna asks, pouring herself a cocktail.
“His father, Leo, got a lawyer involved, so his ex-wife, Anderson’s mother, cannot contact Oliver until he’s of age and can decide if he wants to know her or not. She refused at first until he offered her money.”
Rhianna’s eyes go wide. “She was always a greedy woman. Whatever you two saw in Anderson, I will never know.”
“I …” I go to explain why. Why I was lonely and happened to fall for a man who wasn’t worthy of my time, then fell pregnant. But I don’t. I don’t have to explain myself to anyone.
“You two are clearly out of his league. I’m just glad he’s locked away. How is Anderson’s father?” Rhianna asks. “I feel like he was a silent pawn in their scheme.”
