by Elaine Meece
Brice swallowed hard. “I’ve signed on with Zurtel.”
“With the right corporate attorney, contracts can be broken.” She offered him a smile that could be considered seductive. When she left, everyone talked about her.
Brice turned back to Cynthia. “I’m fully committed to this company. It’s not just the salary that attracted me but also Zurtel’s integrity.”
She appeared unbothered. “I’m not concerned you’ll jump ship for a better deal.”
“How many shares of Zurtel stock does she hold?”
Cynthia’s mouth turned down. “Too many.”
“Can she take over the company?” Brice asked.
“Not with what she has, but what’s to stop her from buying more. Are you aware of who her father is?”
“Should I be?”
“If you read Forbes Magazine. Her father is Jonathan Bizer, the richest man in Georgia. He owns one of the largest software companies in the world not to mention other successful corporations and a chain of resorts.”
“I was under the impression your dad was the richest?”
She laughed. “Not hardly. When they were young, Bizer and my dad were partners on several business deals.”
“That’s interesting. Any particular reason they didn’t remain partners?”
“They had a falling out and went their separate ways, but I don’t think it was anything major. Dad never spoke badly of him.” She lifted one brow. “Actually, Dad never talked about him. Even when Kayla came to Christmas Eve dinner, Dad never asked about her father.”
“Was he in favor of Randall and Kayla marrying?”
“He never said one way or another. It was her father who was against it. I’m sure Dad didn’t expect it to last. Most of Randall’s relationships didn’t last beyond a month or two.” Her expression appeared troubled. “I don’t like her. She’s dangerous.”
Brice grinned. “Keep a level head. Maybe try to hide your contempt for her. She’s getting off on your frustration and animosity toward her. You need to put on your poker face.”
Cynthia’s shoulders drooped. “I don’t have a poker face.”
“Work on it. Never let them know what you’re thinking.” He stood from the table. “She made it sound as though someone is selling information.”
“Information is one thing, but are they sharing more than our progress?” Cynthia asked.
“My thoughts exactly. I’ll make it my business to find out.”
“Just a warning. Corporate espionage can be deadly as I discovered this past year.”
He grinned. “I’m a big boy. I can take care of myself.”
Cynthia Conners smiled. “Seems I’ve hired the right man for the job.”
Brice hoped so. He realized running Zurtel would be the biggest challenge of his career.
♦♦♦
Friday after leaving the office, Brice swung by his old house to pick up his sons. He tapped on the door.
Shea opened it, wearing her swim suit and a mesh cover over it.
Rather than come in, he stood there like a lost puppy. Had he expected her to throw her arms around him and take him in. Damn, he missed this house. He missed Shea and his boys. When she’d first asked for a divorce, he’d been clueless that they had issues. He’d been so wrapped up in work, he hadn’t noticed how discontent she’d become.
“They’re ready.” She turned toward the stairs. “Boys, your dad’s here.”
His boys came stomping down the stairs. Each wore a backpack.
“Hey, Dad,” Shawn said.
He rubbed Shawn’s head. “Hey, sport.”
Gabe popped up and wrapped himself around Brice’s leg. “Daddy, guess what Uncle Hayden gave us.”
“So, what did he give you?” Brice asked.
“Wait here.” Gabriel dropped his backpack and ran into the back part of the house. He returned holding a squirming beagle puppy. The dog whined. “Surprise. It’s a puppy.”
“I see. Since when has Mom let you have a puppy?”
She smiled. “I thought it might help them accept Hayden.”
Brice frowned. He had wanted to buy them a puppy several times, and she had refused to deal with one. “Head to the car.”
Gabe handed his mother the puppy, grabbed his backpack from the floor, and ran behind Shawn out the door.
Brice turned back to Shea. “Be careful what kind of man you bring around my kids.”
Had she known Hayden before the divorce? She claimed her life had become stagnant and she wanted to be her own person. Being married had stifled her potential for personal growth. Despite wanting to be on her own, she didn’t have an issue with taking his alimony check.
Brice should’ve fought the divorce, but he truly thought she wanted a little independence. He assumed once she had a taste of life on her own, she’d want him back.
In the car, he quizzed the boys. “What does Uncle Hayden do for a job?”
“He cleans pools,” Shawn said.
“Anything else?”
Shawn shrugged.
“Where does he live?”
“With us. He sleeps with Mommy,” Gabe offered.
Shawn frowned. “You weren’t supposed to tell that.”
“For how long?” Brice asked.
Gabe drew in his lips, and Shawn shrugged.
Brice didn’t mind supporting his kids, but the last thing he wanted was to support some bum shacking up in his home with his ex-wife. He hated pulling them back into court. It wasn’t good for the boys. But neither was some strange man living under the same roof. Brice wanted to know more about Uncle Hayden, the cabana boy.
His original plan for the boys had been to go back to his place and order pizza, but after hearing Hayden had given them a dog, he wanted to do more. Instead, he drove to Main Event Entertainment on Cobb.
After they’d eaten enough pizza to be sick, he supplied the boys with tokens for the games. Despite being tired, he played with them. It filled him with joy to see his sons laughing and having fun.
“Can we come here next week?” Shawn asked.
“No, because you’re going to Utah with me on the Fourth.”
Gabe clapped. “Can Biscuit come?”
Brice raised his brows. “The puppy?”
Gabe nodded. “That’s what we named him.”
“No. Absolutely not.”
Gabe pouted. “Ah, he’ll miss us.”
Shawn looked concerned. “What about fireworks?”
“You’ll see plenty in Utah.”
Shawn perked up. “Are you flying us?”
“Probably not.”
“What else will we do there?” Gabe asked.
“To be honest, I’m not sure. I’m going there for work. My boss is taking her daughters, and I thought you might want to come.”
In the backseat, the boys played with the toys they’d won at the arcade. Neither paid any attention to where they were going.
Brice drove by his old house. A white beat up truck with a pool logo on the side pulled into the drive. He slowed down long enough to memorize the license plate.
Brice entered I-85 and drove toward his condo.
♦♦♦
Saturday morning, Annie stopped by the dry cleaners to pick up Brice Jordan’s pants. The older Asian man hung them on a pole beside her.
She examined them closely. “These are the wrong pants.”
“You got ticket?” the little man asked.
She pulled it out and handed it to him. “I brought in gray slack pants. These are brown.”
“Hmmm. Right number.”
“But the wrong pants. I need those pants back.”
“Wait here. I look.”
Annie paced back and forth, waiting for the clerk to return.
Please let him find those pants.
The man returned appearing puzzled. “Don’t see pants. You sure they weren’t brown?”
She removed the brown pants from the plastic wrapping and held them up. They’d fi
t a much shorter man than Brice. “No. These aren’t even the same style or size. Find the ones I left.”
Frustrated, she stormed from the dry cleaners.
She picked up a mint latte to help her cope with the stress, then headed home to finish her painting.
By mid-afternoon, her painting had taken a drastic turn for the worst. She shouldn’t have attempted it while being angry over the pants. Now it looked like something a five-year old had painted. She sighed. She’d seen better art from a paint-by-number kit.
The mail truck stopped in front of her house. After slipping on her shoes and sun glasses, she made the short trek to the mailbox. Seeing a letter from her sister, she smiled. The June letter had finally arrived.
Back inside her living room, she sat on the sofa and ripped the envelope open, removed the letter, and read it.
Dear Annie,
Things here are steadily getting worse. They took Libby away from me. She went willingly. She’s been moved into the leader’s home, so his other wives can prepare her for their wedding at the end of July. I’ve got to find a way to snatch her and leave this godforsaken place.
With her gone, it makes it easier to write you at night after everyone has gone to bed. I keep your letters hidden inside my feather pillow.
I’m sorry about Evan. If I ever get out of this, and if I ever date again, I’ll do a background check on any man I become interested in.
We go to the store next week. I’m excited to leave the commune. I wish you could be there. I learned the store has a public bathroom in the back. Perhaps, if you ever return, we can meet there. Better turn in. I have to be up early to work in the garden.
Love, Megan.
Annie remembered Libby turned twelve, July twenty-eighth. She had to help her sister escape before then, but didn’t have a clue how to go about it. The difficult part would be Libby.
Unable to deal with it now, Annie changed clothes, grabbed her purse, and headed out.
She pulled into the Regal Imax Theater on 19th Street and parked. As she walked toward the door, a feeling of being watched sent a brief chill over her. She turned and glanced around the parking lot but didn’t see anyone out of the ordinary. Inside, she stood to the side of the ticket line studying the marquee to see which movie to attend.
“Well, hello,” said a familiar voice.
She turned and just about swallowed her tongue. “Mr. Jordan.”
“I prefer Brice.” He motioned to the two boys standing by him. “These are my sons, Shawn and Gabe. Guys this is Annie, she works where Daddy does.”
“Hi guys.” Of all the theaters in Atlanta, they had both ended up here.
What were the odds of that happening?
Gabe looked to be six or seven. He had dark hair and big blue eyes like his dad. His grin revealed a missing tooth. Shawn had all his teeth which led Annie to believe he could be eight or nine. His hair was lighter than Brice and Gabe’s, and his eyes were greenish.
“What are you here to see?” she asked the boys.
“Spiderman,” Gabe answered.
“That sounds exciting,” she replied. “Seems they’ve always got a new Spiderman movie being released.”
“Care to join us? I’ll buy all the popcorn and Coke,” Brice said.
“Sure. Why not?” She dug out her billfold.
“Put your money away. I’ve got this.” Brice handed the money to the cashier in the ticket booth.
“No, I can’t let you do that,” she said.
“I just did.”
“You didn’t have to.”
After getting the tickets, they stopped at the concessions. Popcorn popped behind the counter, and its aroma permeated the air. Brice purchased two buckets of it and drinks He refused the money she offered.
Once in the theater, relief ran through Annie when Gabe sat between his dad and her. She’d started to tell Brice the cleaners had lost his pants but didn’t. Why put a little dark cloud on the evening?
Something occurred to her. This seemed a lot like a date.
Her heartbeat accelerated.
It’s not a date. For one thing, I still have feelings for Evan and Mr. Jordan wants to get back with his wife.
She glanced around as people entered the theater. Hopefully, the movie would start soon. She didn’t have a clue what to say or talk about.
“Knock, Knock,” Shawn said.
“Who’s there?” Brice asked.
“Not you,” Shawn replied. The two boys giggled.
Though it didn’t make sense and wasn’t funny, she laughed. Brice glanced toward her with his dark brows raised. She smiled. Apparently, he hadn’t understood it either.
She decided to play back. “Knock, Knock.”
Gabe smiled. “Who’s there?”
“Boo,” she replied.
“Boo who?”
“Why are you crying?” she asked.
Brice laughed. “Good one.”
Shawn put his hands out. “I don’t get it. That’s lame.”
“Really?” his dad asked.
“Uncle Hayden bought us a puppy,” Gabe said to her.
“What kind?” she asked.
“Beatle,” Gabe said.
Shawn scooted to the edge of the seat and glanced around his father. “Beagle, you moron.”
“That’s what I said,” Gabe retorted.
“Close enough,” Brice said.
“A puppy. Awesome.” Annie noticed the subject made Brice tense.
“Switch places with me,” Brice said to Gabe.
Annie swallowed hard. “He’s fine.”
“Trust me, you don’t want his grubby, little hands in the popcorn. Plus, when he laughs he snorts.” He traded seats with his son. “You and Shawn share popcorn. I’ll share with Annie.”
Annie sensed Brice’s presence. The man smelled wonderful, a blend of mint and hazelnut mixed with a virile scent of warm male flesh. It was like being trapped in a testosterone bubble.
He offered her popcorn, and she took a handful to nibble on.
“Thanks,” she mumbled between bites.
“I bet you were coming to see a chick flick.”
She shrugged. “I didn’t have any particular movie in mind. I just wanted to get out of the house.”
“I almost didn’t recognize you without the uniform and with your hair down. You should wear it down more often.”
“It gets in the way when I’m working.”
The theater grew dark, and the screen flashed previews of upcoming features. The talking stopped. Thank goodness, she didn’t have to come up with any more small-talk.
During the movie, her mind drifted to what Evan had told her as she left the plane.
I didn’t plan what happened in Brazil. It was a mistake on both our parts.
Her reply had been cordial. Let’s pretend it never happened. That works for me. It was all she could manage to say.
When the music grew louder in an action scene, Annie snapped from her daze. She reached in the popcorn and touched Brice’s fingers. A slight awareness buzzed her. At the same time, she breathed in another whiff of his scent.
Holy smoke.
The supersize diet soda she held slipped from her hand and crashed to the floor. The cold liquid splashed upon her leg.
Seriously?
“What the devil?” Brice said.
“It was slippery,” she whispered.
“Annie spilled her drink,” Gabe told Shawn.
“She spills a lot of things,” Brice said. “At least no one got burned this time. Did you get wet?”
Annie shook her head. “Not really. What about you?”
“Just a drop or two. I’ll survive.”
They returned to watching the movie.
She had decided on a movie to get away from her stress and problems, but instead, she was even more stressed out with her new boss sitting so close.
Once again, she’d spilled something in front of him. He’d think she was the biggest klutz on the face of
the earth. He’d start running for cover anytime he saw her walking toward him carrying a liquid.
After the movie, the boys talked nonstop about the film. She had been too distracted with Brice sitting so close to concentrate on it.
Brice offered her a generous smile. “I hope we didn’t ruin your plans.”
“No, you didn’t. I guess I should go.”
“Eat dinner with us,” Brice suggested. “We’re going for a burger.”
Gabe beat on his chest like a gorilla. “I want a cheeseburger and fries.”
“You look silly,” Shawn pointed out.
“That’s part of the fun of being six,” Brice said. “You get to be silly anytime the notion hits you.”
“Thanks for your offer, but I’m full of popcorn,” she said, looking for an excuse to escape. “I’d better run. Thanks again for the movie and popcorn.” She shifted her gaze to the boys. “Nice meeting you. I’ll see you guys soon.”
Annie left out a side door and walked to her car. She stood stunned. All four tires had been slashed. At first, she assumed it was a malicious teenage prank. But then, she made herself face the truth. This was personal.
She recalled the haunting feeling of someone watching her. But who? She hadn’t seen anyone. Had her older sister, Renee paid someone to do this because Annie had refused to loan her ten thousand dollars?
This situation couldn’t be remedied by calling Triple A. Nope, this would require a tow truck and four new tires. She called and made arrangements for her car to be towed. Sad, but she’d just purchased the tires. Annie doubted this would be covered by the warranty. Calling her father for help was out since tonight was their card night. She thought of calling Evan. Surely, he’d be willing to help her. She keyed in his number. “Evan, it’s Annie. Listen, I need…”
“This isn’t a good time. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
He disconnected.
In the background, she’d heard a woman laughing.
A black Escalade pulled up beside her and parked. Brice unfolded from the driver’s side. “Who did you piss off?”
She shrugged. “I’m not sure. The only person I’ve done anything to is you.”
“Trust me, I’m not the vengeful type. I believe in Karma. Like you spilled coffee on me, Karma dumped the soda on you.”
