Best Friend's Ex Box Set (A Second Chance Romance Love Story)

by Claire Adams

  "I'll take that as a compliment," I said leaning back and looking up at him. He smiled and nodded as he brushed the hair away from my face.

  "It's a little jarring after being used to seeing you in your Amish dresses, but no matter how you slice it, you're a beautiful woman," he said before kissing me again. I felt my stomach flip at the compliment, and I kissed him a little harder in response.

  "I should be back in the city by lunch, but I'm not sure how much time I'm going to have as I try to sort out the financials for Mike," I said looking at my watch. "You've got my number, so call me if you need anything."

  "We won't," he said tracing my lower lip with his thumb. "You take care of business in Chicago, and we'll get all the pieces in place to do the sales pitch when you get back next week."

  "Are you sure you can be away that long?" I said feeling concerned about his absence from his business partner. "I mean, weren't you supposed to be back after a couple of days?"

  "It's fine, Grace," he said rolling his eyes. "I'm my own boss, and you don't have to worry about me. Besides, I still have to collect the Mustang and drive it back to Chicago."

  "You could ride back to the city with me and have someone else drive the car back," I suggested, not wanting to let go of him. "Then we could drive back down together next week."

  "Grace, someone needs to stay here and put the pieces in place," he said as his smile grew wider. He bent down and whispered into my lips, "Besides, it wouldn't be right for you to arrive at work mussed after three hours of backseat making out and groping."

  "You are incorrigible!" I laughed as I kissed him quickly and snuck a glance at my watch. "I need to get going if I'm going to make it to the office on time!"

  "Then go! No one is keeping you here!" he laughed as he swatted my backside. "Besides, I've got work to do around the farm, woman!"

  "Oh my gosh," I laughed as I rolled my eyes. "You have lost your mind, Mr. Wallace."

  "That's English to you, missy," he grinned as he pulled me to him one last time, kissing me deeply before he said, "I will miss you, Grace."

  "I will miss you, too, Adam," I whispered as I looked up into his amber eyes and took a mental picture. "But I'll see you next week, and you can always call me if you get too lonely."

  "I'll do that," he said as he released me and opened the bedroom door.

  "Grace! The car is waiting!" Honor shouted through the screen door. "Hurry up!"

  "I'm coming!" I yelled back as I detoured through the kitchen and found Verity finishing up the breakfast dishes. I reached out and grabbed her, pulling her into a tight hug as I said, "I'll be back. I promise."

  "Oh, Grace, I know you will be," she said as she squeezed me tightly. "I will miss you."

  "I'm coming back, Verity," I said. "I'll be back soon."

  "Grace, I know you want to help," she said as she stepped back and held me at arm’s length. She wore a look of concern as she said, "You don't belong here, Grace. Don't set your sights on coming back and staying. You belong out in the world where you're free. Mamm and Dat always said that they were happiest knowing you had found freedom even though they missed you terribly."

  "Verity..." I said as tears welled up.

  "No, this is not the time for crying," she said, pushing me toward the door. "It's time for you to get back to the city and do your job so that you can come back and help Adam find a way to get the turbines onto the farms. Whether they know it or not, these people need that technology, Grace. They need the income and they need to be able to provide their families with opportunities, too."

  I nodded as she spoke, then hugged her once more before stepping out the back door and heading to the car. Danny and Honor were crowded around the driver's window, peppering him with questions about the car and what it was like driving it from Chicago to Corner Grove. Danny held the broken phone in one hand as he typed out question after question then hit play. The driver looked relieved when I emerged from the house and headed toward him. He got out and opened the back door so I could climb in.

  I rolled down the window and looked at my brother and sister. They looked so young, and for a moment I felt the emotions threatening to burst forth as I thought about how things were going to be different for them once I got back.

  "You guys listen to Verity and Adam," I said. "I'll be back early next week and then we'll talk about what we're going to do about school this coming year."

  "School?" Honor said wrinkling her nose. "Why do you have to ruin what's left of a perfectly good summer by talking about school?"

  I laughed as the driver reminded me that we needed to get on the road. And then nodded as I said, "Fine. You enjoy your summer, but when I get back we're going to talk seriously about your education," I looked at Danny and said, "And yours too, young man."

  Danny grinned at me as he gave me two thumbs up and then turned and broke into a run as he headed for the barn. Honor took off after him, yelling at him not to take her bridle or saddle. I watched them go and then looked out the window and waved at Verity and Adam who were standing on the front porch watching. They waved back as the car made a circle and headed off down the road.

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Adam

  As Grace's car disappeared over the hill, my phone began buzzing in my pocket. I pulled it out and saw that Bugsy was finally returning my calls.

  "Hey, Bugs, where the hell have you been?" I said. "I've been leaving you messages to get back to me!"

  "I know, I know," he said sounding distracted. "I've been doing the wine and dine thing with the Chinese. It's been a little busy, my friend."

  "Too busy to call me back and talk for five minutes?" I asked.

  "Yeah, look, how's it going with the Amish?" he said.

  "Bugs, what the hell is going on with you?" I said raising my voice as I grew more irritated with his evasiveness.

  "Look, we have to get this deal in the can, Wallace," he said lowering his voice to barely above a whisper. "We've got exactly five days to sign the contract or they're going to go with the Harvard team."

  "What do you mean they're going with the Harvard team?"

  "While you've been down there dancing through fields of gold or daisies or whatever it is those people do, I've been up here fighting to keep them interested in this project," Bugsy hissed into the phone. "I told them we wanted to do an initial run of twenty turbines with another hundred likely within the year."

  "You did what?" I yelled into the phone. "Who in the hell authorized you to promise something to utterly asinine as a hundred turbines?"

  "Calm down, calm down, buddy," Bugsy said. "I had to promise them something, Adam!"

  "But a hundred goddamn turbines? Are you out of your fucking mind?" I yelled. Behind me I heard the door slam, and I turned to see Verity disappearing into the living room. I winced when I realized what I'd said.

  "I'm not out of my mind," Bugsy replied raising his voice. "I'm doing my best to salvage a deal that you have done your best to completely sink! If we lose this to the Harvard team, it'll be your fault for being such a complete and total dumbass! Who crashes a Mustang on a back road in a place where the nearest auto shop can't get parts? Tell me! Who does that kind of dumbass shit?"

  I could tell that Bugsy was dangerously close to losing his temper. I was, too. I took a deep breath and tried to think logically.

  "Bugs, we have a problem, but I think we can fix it," I said as calmly as I could. "We've got a plan to bring the community together so that I can do one big sales pitch next week. If this works, we might be able to exceed our initial twenty, but if not, then I think I can at least secure the first set."

  "Good," he said following it with, "Oh shit, gotta jet! Later, man!"

  The line went dead. I pulled the phone away from my ear as a second call came in. It was my mother, so I sent her straight to voicemail and headed in to see if Verity needed help with lunch.

  "Who was on the phone?" she asked as she added flour to the bowl in front of her.
<
br />   "My business partner," I said as I watched her add the flour with one hand and knead the dough with the other in a way that reminded me of artists and their clay. "He was giving me the run down on what we need to do and when."

  "So, you have a deadline," she said sifting a little more flour into the bowl. "What is the deadline?"

  "Five days," I said looking out the back door and wondering how we were going to pull this off in five days. "We have to sign the contract agreeing to manufacture twenty turbines in five days or we lose the deal."

  "So, we need to make this happen quickly," she said calmly.

  "Yes, we do," I nodded. "I'm just not sure how we're going to get to enough people in time. Especially now that your uncle has forbidden everyone from having anything to do with me or your family."

  "I have an idea," Verity replied. "Grace is not going to like it, but if it works, then we'll all get what we need. Let me get my bread dough in the oven to rise, and then I'll explain it to you."

  For the next hour, I sat at the table as Verity explained her plan. I wasn't certain that it would work, but I was certain that Grace was not going to like it one bit. But by the time the bread had been fully baked and lunch put on the table, I had to admit that if it worked, it would be a major coup for both the family and for me.

  After lunch, I called the shop and asked when the Mustang would be ready, and was told that I could pick it up after three the next day. I told Verity and she said she'd hitch up the buggy and take me into town when she went to check on the store. With nothing left to do but wait, I headed out to the barn to see what Danny and Honor had been up to.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Grace

  "Heya, kiddo!" Mike said when I walked into his office. "How was the ride back to town?" The ride back to Chicago had been uneventful, but we'd hit traffic as we crossed onto the Skyway and I had arrived later than I'd expected.

  "It was all right, a little congested on the south side, but all in all, not bad," I said pulling up a chair and waiting for him to tell me what he wanted done.

  "Kid, I need you to go over the financials for Miter and see if there's anything we're missing," he said as he tapped the screen in front of him and brought up a chart that Jess had been working on. "This just doesn't seem right to me. Does it look right to you?"

  "I don't know, can you give me a few hours to go over everything with a fine tooth comb and double check," I asked as I stared at the screen and immediately noticed that there was something very wrong with the chart. "Mike, that looks fishy to me. Where's the file?"

  "It's on your desk," he said. "Go check it out and report back to me in an hour."

  "An hour to do a rundown of all the financials?" I said shaking my head. "Can't be done."

  "It has to be done, kiddo," he smiled up at me. "The meeting is at four. I need you there with your findings, but no surprises. Got it?"

  "Got it," I said as I grabbed my bag and headed to my office. Once there, Jess stuck her head in and welcomed me back. "What's going on with Miter?"

  "I tried to tell him that the company is on the skids and that any kind of merger is bad news for the company that's acquiring them," she shrugged. "He didn't believe me. He said he needed you to look at the paperwork."

  "Sorry, Jess," I said as I spread the file out on my desk and powered up my computer.

  "Nah, he gave me a big account to work on in the meantime," she smiled. "Dinner at Girl and the Goat with the client tonight."

  "Lucky duck!" I said feeling a little envious of her culinary adventure. I'd been wanting to eat at Girl and the Goat since it had opened, but reservations were tough to come by and the cost of dinner was more than a little out of my price range.

  By three, I'd identified the problems and had reworked the numbers so that they accurately reflected Miter's financial status. I walked down to Mike's office to break the bad news, and his secretary waved me right in.

  "Mike?" I said pushing the door open and peeking inside. He was bent over his desk, head in hands sighing deeply. "Hey, Mike? What's wrong?"

  "Kid, this is a shit sandwich of a day," he said standing up and walking over to the window. "Tell me what you've got, and it better be good news."

  "Well, I'm not sure how good it is," I said hesitating to tell him what I'd found. I showed him the numbers and explained where that put Miter in terms of liquidity.

  "So, if we have to, we can make it work?" he asked.

  "Yeah, I suppose we could," I said wondering where this was headed.

  "Good, then meet me in the board room at four, and bring your most positive spin," he said smiling as he turned back to the window and looked down at the river. "If we can't make this work, then we're going to be in deep trouble, but let's not ask for it, shall we?"

  "Mike, is there something you want to tell me?" I asked wondering if I really wanted to know the answer to my question.

  "Nah, it's all good, kid," he said in a sudden burst of energy. He spun around, marched to his desk and punched the intercom button as he yelled, "Betty, make sure you order lots of food and drinks for the meeting!"

  "Already taken care of, Mike," came the reply.

  "My dad always said that if you can dazzle them with what they want to hear, then feed them what they want to eat," he muttered as he tapped the computer screen and cursed softly under his breath. "Conference room. Four o'clock. Be there."

  I saluted him with a smile then left the room. At four, I reported to the conference room and found Mike sitting at the table surrounded by two other men.

  "Grace Miller, I'd like you to meet Victor Vasquez and Gordon Wallace. Gentlemen, Grace is in charge of the financials on this deal," Mike said as he gestured toward the open chair on the opposite side of the table.

  I shook their hands, but stood staring at Gordon Wallace as the pieces began clicking into place. There was no doubt he was related to Adam, but I wasn't about to ask any questions. Instead, I smiled and then took my seat waiting for Mike to cue my presentation.

  "...And Riser Tech can solve the challenges of merging your companies no matter what systems you're using," Mike said as he turned to me. "Grace will now walk you through the financials, so that you can see what each of you will be responsible for as you prepare to merge. Grace?"

  "Thank you, Mike," I said as I stood up and pressed the button that lit up the screen at the far end of the conference room. Both men listened intently as I talked about how Riser Tech would help them consolidate their assets and make the merger seamless. Several times during the presentation, Gordon stopped me to ask a question, and when I turned to look at him, I had to silently remind myself that I didn't know whether he was related to Adam.

  When it was all over, Gordon and Victor stood and shook our hands and thanked us for the work we'd done to make the merger go smoothly.

  "I'd like to thank you both by inviting you to the reception I'm giving at the London House tomorrow night," Victor said. Though he must have been nearing seventy, he was still quite tall, dark, and handsome, and when he smiled at me, I felt myself blushing a little as he exclaimed, "Bring your boyfriend, Señorita! All are welcome at the celebration!"

  I'd wanted to ask Gordon whether he had a son, but he'd slipped out of the room and was gone by the time I'd finished agreeing to attend the Velasquez party the next night. I made a mental note to call Adam and ask him about the connection just as Mike slapped me on the back and said, "Come on down to my office, kiddo."

  I followed him hoping that he had been happy with the presentation and that maybe I'd even get a raise out of it. Back in his office, Mike pulled out the bottle of Johnnie Walker Black that he kept stored in his desk and poured us each a glass.

  "Here's to smart women and the smart things they are able to do," he said holding his glass up and toasting me. "You done good today, kid. So good, in fact, that I'm promoting you to Director of Auditing."

  "What about the current head of the department?" I asked as a feeling of dread started to
creep in. "Where's she going to go?"

  "Deborah? Oh, I'm making her VP of Finance and moving her up to the executive floor," he said smiling. "Don't worry, kid, you should know by now that I'm not the cutthroat type."

  "Sheesh, Mike! Give me a heart attack why don't you?" I laughed as I raised my glass and clinked it against his. "Thank you for the opportunity."

  "Opportunity, hell," he scoffed. "You've earned it, kid. Besides, now I can pay you bigger bucks and keep you closer to the office!"

  "You're a slave driver, Mike Killian!" I laughed as I sipped my drink. The thought of my family suddenly crossed my mind. "But Mike, my—"

  "Yeah, you need time off to help your family," he said thrumming his fingers on the desk as he drank from his glass. "I know, I know. We'll figure something out, but I'm going to need you here for the new account we're bringing in at the end of the month."

  "Just let me go home and figure out how to wrap things up so my brother and sisters will be okay," I said. "It shouldn't take me more than a week or two."

  "One week," Mike said. "You have one week to wrap it up and get back to the office. I can't afford to have you out longer than that."

  "Got it," I said as I set the glass down. My mind was racing as I tried to figure out how I was going to make everything happen in one week. There was the store, the farm, and the turbines. Adam! I stood up and headed for the door saying, "Mike, I've got a few things I need to take care of, do you mind?"

  "Nah, go ahead, kid," he said waving me off. "I'll see you tomorrow night at the London House, right? You need a car?"

  "If it's not too much trouble," I said smiling at his thoughtfulness.

  "For you? Not a bit, kiddo," he said as I nodded and headed back to my end of the office. I needed to call Adam and find out what he and Verity had planned for next week, and then I needed to figure out how I could settle the store accounts before Uncle Amos put us completely out of business. As I thought about the challenges that were going to have to be overcome in the next seven days, all the questions I wanted to ask Adam about Gordon Wallace slipped from my mind.