“I think what Aaliyah is trying to say that the person who took the photographs had to have been in Caleb’s penthouse,” added Macy.
“Show me,” I said.
Aaliyah took Macy’s iPad from her desk, and opened the browser. It wasn’t difficult to find the pictures, or the article. They were plastered across every major news publication in the city. Something like this should be trivial, but because of who Caleb was, who his family was, finding out that he had a baby girl was newsworthy.
I gasped when the images of a sleeping Braelynn started popping up, close-ups of the sleeping infant, and a few of her looking up at what had to be a camera, her big blue eyes so full of trust. My apprehension and subsequent hurt were replaced with indignation, and a fierce need to protect Braelynn.
I wanted to tell Aaliyah, and Macy that I had nothing to do with the pictures, or the article, but I stopped short when Macy’s office door swung open. Caleb walked in, his face drawn tight with outrage.
“Give us a minute,” he told Aaliyah and Macy, his arctic blue eyes fixed on me. Both women walked out, leaving me alone with a severely irate man.
“Did you think I wouldn’t find out?” he asked, slamming the door shut behind him. “I gave you a place to stay and you repay me by exposing my child to the world?”
“Caleb, I would never,” I replied, my voice strong with ire. “I care about Braelynn. I would never do anything to hurt her, to hurt either of you.”
“I should have known you couldn’t be trusted.” Caleb stopped in front of me, and I could feel the sense of betrayal rolling off him in sweeping waves.
“Well,” I thinned my lips, “It sounds like you’ve already made up your mind.”
“You were the only one who could get that close to Braelynn,” he replied, never breaking our eye contact. “The question is, why? Why would you do this to us?”
His conviction was a slap to the face. He sounded so sure that I was responsible. Was it even worth trying to defend myself when he believed, so completely, that I was to blame?
I regarded him, running my gaze over the tight lines of his cheeks, and his forehead, and what I found was a man who was trying to protect his child at any cost, even if that meant disregarding how much his accusation hurt my feelings. In that moment, I wanted nothing more than to know what he was thinking, if he truly thought I was capable of and willing to do what he thought me guilty of.
The moment was broken when Macy’s phone rang, and she rushed in to answer it. Her voice became nothing more than background noise as Caleb continued to shoot daggers at me. The longer he glowered, the more conspicuous his allegation became. Something inside me squeezed, giving way to a dull ache beneath my sternum. Aaliyah strode towards us and when she stopped at Caleb’s side, he tore his gaze from mine as if he could barely stand the sight of me.
Her eyes, soft and regretful, met mine for a brief second.
“We found out who did it,” she told Caleb. “The story was sold by a Danielle Marquez. Ring any bells?”
Caleb was stunned speechless, as was I.
“It was just confirmed.” Macy put her phone down. “She admitted to everything, claiming that she sold the story to pay off her student debt.”
“That would explain why she disappeared,” I said. Three sets of eyes landed on me. “She wouldn’t have risked selling the story immediately, or we would have suspected her from the offset. It’s been a week since she left, that’s enough time for us to forget about her, and find someone new.”
Realization dawned, and Caleb’s face went lax. The urge to get away from him and distract myself with work was tangible, filling the small space between us.
“We wouldn’t have seen it coming.” He paused. “So what do we do, Mace? How do we fix it?” he asked Macy.
She sighed, and sat back down behind her desk, looking as exhausted as I felt. “Even if we got every publication to print a retraction, the photographs are out there, and there’s no way for us to deny anything. Danielle was smart enough not to fabricate a single fact, which puts you in a sticky situation.”
With a harsh exhalation, Caleb brushed both hands over his head. “So, what? We have a statement printed acknowledging that the story is true?”
“That’s your only option,” replied Macy. “I can have it sent out within the hour, and with a bit of luck it will minimize any further damage. I think the bigger concern is how you’re going to get this past the Board. They aren’t going to be pleased that you kept this from them for so long.”
“And what about Natalia?” Aaliyah interrupted. “This is sure to draw her back here.”
Caleb screwed his eyes closed, and pinched the bridge of his nose. “One crisis at a time, Liy. If Natalia comes back, I will deal with her, but it’s not likely. She wanted nothing to do with Braelynn when she was born, she didn’t even stick around long enough to name our daughter, and I doubt this will matter to her.”
Caleb had never mentioned who Braelynn’s mother was, but now that her name had come up in conversation, it made her more real.
But I couldn’t think about that, or why the possibility of her coming back bothered me.
Between the three of them, they were able to come up with a plan of action, and seeing no further need for me to be there, I cleared my throat and excused myself. I reached for the door, when I felt a hand wrap around my arm.
“I need to talk to you,” Caleb whispered close to my ear. “I owe you an apology.”
I steeled my spine, and inhaled a fortifying breath before replying. “Don’t bother, Caleb.” I was too upset to care that I was being unprofessional. “I’m a little tired of your ‘I’m sorry’s’.”
I pushed through the door, and didn’t bother stopping at my desk. I needed a moment alone to gather my wits. My name had been cleared, for all it was worth, and yet I was still the one left a little worse for wear.
I’d just walked into the bathroom when the door opened again, and Aaliyah walked in.
“Caleb asked me to make sure you’re okay,” she said, looking down at her hands. “And I wanted to apologize.”
She looked up at me again, and her deflated expression matched mine.
“It’s a little late for that,” I replied, leaning with my hands on the cold marble countertop. “You assumed I was guilty before I even walked through the doors this morning.”
“You have to understand -”
“No,” I snapped, looking up, “You have to understand. I would never do anything to hurt Braelynn or Caleb, least of all something as inexcusable as selling their personal story to the media.”
“We didn’t mean to hurt your feelings, Kadence.” Aaliyah had the decency to look ashamed, but I wasn’t about to provide her with any kind of comfort, not when I was nursing a wound of my own.
“Well, you did, and as much as I appreciate the apology, I want to be left alone. Please.”
With a sigh, Aaliyah nodded. “I understand, but I hope you know how truly sorry I am. I know Caleb is too.”
“I don’t want to talk to you right now, Aaliyah. Just give me some space.”
The door shut a few seconds later, and I locked myself in a cubicle. I knew running was my go-to reaction, and I’d promised myself I wouldn’t do it anymore, but I was struggling to accept that Caleb assumed, without thought, that I was the one who exposed Braelynn, like I would ever do such a thing. It didn’t bother me that Caleb had one more thing to apologize for, or that I had one more thing to forgive. What bothered me was that I wanted to forgive him, even when I thought he didn’t deserve it.
IT WAS NEARING SEVEN P.M when I finally switched my laptop off for the day. I was appreciative that the upcoming fashion show was keeping me busier the closer we got, an appreciation very few of my colleagues shared. My mind was preoccupied for the majority of the day, something else I was grateful for, and Aaliyah had the good sense to leave me alone. With Macy cooped up in her office doing damage control, and Caleb doing whatever he was off doing, I w
as free of distraction.
My desk phone rang, and I considered leaving it to go to voicemail on the account of me being off the clock, but thought better of it.
“Kadence Kavanagh -”
“Kadence.”
I pulled a face, but couldn’t bring myself to be rude.
“Mr. Callahan,” I greeted. My tone was inhospitable, and unwelcoming. Okay, so perhaps I could bring myself to be rude. “What can I do for you?”
“For one thing you can stop with the ‘Mr. Callahan’ bullshit and talk to me. You’ve given me the cold shoulder all day, I think it’s time you stopped.”
“I can’t give you the cold shoulder if I didn’t even know you were in the office,” I argued. I hated the way he got me riled up within seconds.
“I was giving you space,” his voice lowered, and God if I didn’t hate the way that affected me too. “And I was in a Board meeting.”
“Is there a reason you’re telling me this?” I was being snooty, and didn’t even feel bad about it.
“Yes,” he exhaled into the receiver, “I need you to come to my office before you go home.”
I ignored the swift flip of my stomach at the way Caleb said ‘home’, and opened my mouth with a retort when something struck me. “If you’ve been in the office all day, who stayed with Braelynn?”
The line went quiet, and then Caleb said, “She’s here. I had Aaliyah look after her while I was in the meeting.”
“Oh.” I wasn’t expecting that.
“Yes, ‘oh’. Now will you please come into my office? Macy and I have something we’d like to discuss with you.”
“Mr. Callahan, did you just say ‘please’?”
He chuckled, and some of the lingering exasperation was chipped away by the richness of his laugh.
Damn him.
And his stupid, sexy laugh.
“I won’t say it again, Ms. Kavanagh. My office. Now.”
The line went dead, and I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. That was the Caleb I was used to.
I checked that I had everything, and then walked down the hallway into Caleb’s office. He was sitting behind his desk, his hands folded in front of his face. He looked exhausted.
Macy wasn’t far behind, and when she came in my anxiousness grew. I spotted Braelynn’s portable mini crib just behind Caleb, and wanted so much to go to her, but after everything that had happened today I wasn’t sure how Caleb would feel about that. Instead, with an awkwardness only I could manage, I waited somewhere between the desk, and the door.
“Okay, let’s get this over with.” Macy smiled at Caleb, but something was a little off. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it though. I did however get the distinct impression that I wasn’t going to like it.
“Right.” Caleb stood up, and rounded his desk before leaning against it and crossing his feet at the ankles. “I had a meeting with the Board of Directors, and in light of what happened with Braelynn, they’re concerned that I won’t able to balance my responsibilities as C.E.O and my responsibilities as a new father.”
“O-kaaay,” my gaze bounced between Macy and Caleb, “What does this have to do with me?”
“Well,” said Macy, “We came up with a plan that will both appease the Board, and convince them Caleb is more than capable of running this company and being a dad.”
My brows knitted together. “I still don’t understand.”
Caleb swallowed, and I thought I saw a glimpse of trepidation flit across his face. It looked like he was preparing himself for something.
“I want you to pretend to be my girlfriend.”
My eyes widened, and my mouth popped open.
Did I hear him correctly? Did he just…?
“I’m sorry,” I shook my head, laughing without humor, “I think…did you just ask me to pretend to be your girlfriend?”
“Yes.”
Caleb’s serious expression triggered something inside me, and without preamble, I dissolved into a fit of loud giggles.
“You’re kidding right?” I snorted. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing, or that Caleb was serious about it.
I expected both him and Macy to start laughing too, and tell me it was a joke, but when their faces remained earnest and humorless, the laughter died in my throat.
“Oh God,” I sucked in a breath, “You’re not kidding.”
“I wish I could say we had a better plan,” said Macy, “But we think this is the only way to convince the Board that Caleb’s personal life won’t negatively impact his job. They’re already unimpressed that Caleb kept Braelynn a secret, but more so because of the unwanted publicity it’s brought.”
“And you think that by us pretending to be a couple, they’ll think your personal life is…?”
“Stable,” replied Caleb. “They want to see that being a father won’t get in the way of being C.E.O.”
“That’s ridiculous. Of course you can do both, you’ve been doing both.”
“They don’t know that,” he replied. “Which is why I have to prove it to them.”
“We know it’s a lot to ask,” Macy’s expression was hopeful, and I blew it off as an overabundance of pregnancy hormones, “But just think about it.”
I felt like I was in the Twilight Zone, only instead of Caleb asking me out by choice, he was suggesting we ‘pretend’.
“This is madness.” I threw my hands up. “You’re crazy if you think I’d go along with this.”
The whole plan was ludicrous.
Absolutely absurd.
Not to mention that it would probably never work.
“I’m going home now,” I stated after a few moments of silence. “The two of you have lost your minds, and I’m hoping you’ll come to your senses.”
I turned around, disregarding that neither Caleb nor Macy were surprised by my outburst, and walked out of Caleb’s office. When I rode the elevator down to the lobby, and started walking down Park Avenue – I needed the air, and the walk to clear my head – I became aware that I was angrier than I had been when I first set foot in Caleb’s office. I was going to forgive him, of course I was, but then he blindsided me, knocked me completely on my ass, all because he wanted me to pretend to date him.
Unbelievable.
And I wasn’t even going to get started on Macy, or that she was actually on board with this stupid plan. I was however going to suggest that she go on maternity leave a little earlier because it was becoming obvious that her baby was eating her sanity.
When I’d walked at least half-way to Union Square, I decided to catch a cab, and head back to Caleb’s penthouse. I was in desperate need of some wine, and chocolate, and I knew Caleb had an abundance of both. The penthouse was quiet, but even if Caleb was home I wasn’t going to talk to him until I’d plied myself with enough alcohol to see the humor in what had to have been one of the crappiest days I’d had since moving in. I picked one of the most expensive bottles of wine I could find – Google might have played a part in that – and started stripping my clothes en route to my bedroom. I didn’t care that my shoes were somewhere in the living room, or that my skirt was in the hallway, and I certainly didn’t care that I was being obstinate.
With a tub filled with hot water, and copious amounts of bubbles, I lowered my naked body into my own slice of heaven, wine glass in hand. Turns out I didn’t want chocolate after all. Just wine. Lots and lots of it.
I sighed, allowing the tension to dissipate right alongside the steam rising from the tub, and three glasses of wine later, I had no idea why I was angry to begin with.
I’D JUST CLOSED MY EYES when I heard Caleb calling my name. His voice grew louder, and then he knocked on the bathroom door.
“Go away,” I mumbled, taking another sip of wine. I glowered at the glass when I saw it was empty, and reached over the edge of the tub to grab the bottle. “I’m naked, so you can’t come in.”
Silence.
And then, “Are you drunk?”
“Nooo,” I shook my head wi
th vigor, as if he could see me through the door. I poured the wine, and then settled back into the water. The bathroom door opened, and Caleb stuck his head in.
“I see you helped yourself to some of my wine,” he said, his brows arched high and his mouth twisted into an amused grin. “And left half your clothes in the hallway.”
“I see you ignored the fact that I’m naked, and came in anyway.” My words came out a little slurred, and I tittered at my smart reply.
Caleb stepped in, and I looked up at him from beneath my lashes. “Please, Mr. Callahan, do come in.” My drunken attempt at an English accent was awful, which only made me snort at myself. I moved the bubbles around – did I pour the entire bottle in? – And made sure all the important bits were covered. I might have been well on my way to being hammered, but I still had enough sense to make sure Caleb didn’t get an eyeful of my boobs.
Or my in-need-of-a-wax vajayjay.
“I think you’ve had enough.” Caleb reached for the wine glass, and to my own disbelief, I gave it to him. I’d polished an entire bottle of vino on my own so it was safe to say I was done for the night.
I was a complete lightweight.
Caleb put the glass, and empty bottle on the counter, and then turned to face me. He looked so imposing, standing next to the tub, his arms folded across his broad chest. His stubble had grown back, and my fingers started to tingle with the desire to know what it felt like.
“Any particular reason you decided to tuck into a whole bottle of wine on your own?”
“Pfft,” I flicked my hand at him, uncaring that his shirt was getting sprayed, “I have several reasons, and they all start and end with you.”
“Is that so?” Caleb was doing a piss poor job of hiding his smile.
Why did he have to smile? He was so distracting when he did that.
“Yes,” I gave him a look as if to say duh, “But I’d rather not talk to you about it right this second. I want to go back to enjoying my bath. Alone.”
Playing Pretend Page 10
