She's Got Dibs

by AJ Nuest

  “Dibs, wait.” She turned off the water, snatched a towel from the bar, and hurried into the bedroom. He paced before the bed, steps frantic, a hand raking his hair. “This is crazy. I am not having an affair.”

  “Is it?” He halted and jabbed a finger at the floor. “Is it crazy, Tessa? Then who did you have lunch with today? Tell me. Who was on the phone with you last night? And what the hell has been wrong with you these past two days?”

  “I’ve had a bad couple of days, okay? And furthermore, I resent that you would even think such a thing. After everything we’ve been through, are you now saying you don’t trust me? That you don’t believe me when I say I love you?” She crossed in front of him and dropped to the end of the bed, head in her hands, fingertips screwed into the hollows of her eyes. So much for the perfect end to the perfect day.

  “I’ve been on the receiving end of deceit, Tessa. I know the signals. I ignored them before and I’ll be damned if I do it again.”

  Her head lifted as memories of Dibs’s past flitted through her mind. And then everything fell into place. “This is about Margaret,” she said.

  “This is about us!” He stalked forward. “Look me in the eye and tell me the truth, Tessa. I deserve the truth.”

  Misery wrenched her chest. The deep anguish, the horrible fear razing a path across his face. Dibs was right. He did deserve the truth…and so much more.

  Throughout their entire relationship, at every moment, he had been the one to reassure her. All his heart-felt confessions of love. Asking for her hand in marriage, only so she could deny him. And now here he stood, wondering if she had betrayed him. She didn’t want that for Dibs. She didn’t want him to ever doubt her love.

  Yet admitting to her discussion with Michael would accomplish nothing other than just that. The way she’d snuck around behind Dibs’s back, kept things from him she should have confessed long ago. The compulsion to manipulate every aspect of her life so she could avoid the constant fear others would let her down. Those traits were all thanks to Michael’s desertion, not because of Dibs. How could she lay the blame for her character flaws at his feet? How could she hand him distrust and suspicion when he had earned nothing but her love and fidelity?

  She couldn’t. Not while he stood before her, holding his heart in his hands.

  She offered him her palm. “Come here.”

  He crossed the room and fell to his knees in front of her, eyes red-rimmed, leaking heartbreak.

  “Allow me to share a few truths I am quite certain of.” She cupped his cheeks in her palms, searching for the words. So he would know. So no misgivings would remain about how much he meant to her. “The truth is I would be an empty shell without you, and I thank my lucky stars every day I’ve been fortunate enough to know you.”

  She clasped both his hands in hers. “And the truth is you mean everything to me, Dibs. So I will do whatever it takes to make sure you stay safe and protected. Because without you, I have nothing. Without you, I am nothing.

  “And the truth is I love you so deeply, sometimes I’m amazed my heart doesn’t just burst with it. You are here”—she put her fingers to her temple—“and here”—she placed her hand over her heart—“every moment of every day.”

  She returned her palm to his cheek. “So when you ask me that very silly question, ‘am I seeing someone else,’ the only response I can give is no, Dibs, because that’s the truth. I could never do that to the one person who means everything to me.”

  She came forward, staring him directly in the eye. “I am not having an affair. I love you, and only you.”

  Relief flooded his gaze. He threw his arms around her waist and pulled her to his chest. “Don’t you ever leave me, Tessa.”

  “I won’t. You can trust me.”

  He cinched her tighter still, deeply inhaling against her skin, warming her shoulder when he exhaled.

  She sat back and lifted an eyebrow. “So, here’s an idea.”

  He grinned.

  “What do you say we both go climb into that bathtub?”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Never before had TNT’s calendar ramped up to such a breakneck pace, but the work was a welcome distraction. The hustle and bustle indicated their business was flourishing, and the hectic days helped Tessa refocus her energy, become immersed in those activities she loved most—the things she could directly maintain and patrol. With the completion of each passing event, her confidence soared, and the excitement level helped foster a change in her outlook. Perhaps she could view the BFG event in a positive light. After all, TNT was coordinating an extravaganza that would surely springboard them to a height of unsurpassed success. Michael’s involvement notwithstanding, if she used her talents to the best of their abilities, that was something he would never be able to take away from her.

  But even more importantly, her relationship with Dibs was perfect. Though she had never thought it possible, following their argument that horrible day she’d met with Michael, the love she shared with Dibs continued to deepen, grow, mature in a way she hadn’t experienced before. Their bond made her previous engagement pale in comparison. Even more so because they’d been left alone, with no word whatsoever from the Brenners. Or at least as far as she was concerned there hadn’t been any word. Dibs made no mention of whether he heard from his parents, if they were giving him grief over his proposal, and she suppressed the urge to mention it, as well. Discussing such a sore subject would accomplish nothing but to make them both upset. Besides, she held a couple of aces up her sleeve, the most significant her budding friendship with Caroline.

  Following their return from Vail, Tessa received several phone calls from Dibs’s younger sister, seeking relationship advice—the first of which he answered with wide-eyed surprise.

  “Hold on a second.” He pressed the receiver to his chest. “It’s Caroline. And she’s asking for you.”

  Tessa held out her hand, and when he hesitated she wiggled her fingers. “Well, give me the phone.”

  He proceeded to pace behind her shoulder until she finally glared at him. She needed to concentrate. Things with Jeremy had taken a turn for the worse.

  An hour later, and the explanation of how Caroline was dating a category one, and Dibs smiled the remainder of the day.

  The second ace was her lack of contact with Michael. Once she and Tiffany began taking regular trips to the Park, the idea of being in the same building with him filled her with dread. But it wasn’t like she had a choice. Decisions needed to be made—what meals they were serving in which rooms, how best to use the lawn and outside areas. As promised, Tiffany had obtained Phoenix Rising’s schedule, and other than some minor filming during the event, it didn’t appear as if she would cross paths with Michael at all. At the end of their third trip, when she still hadn’t seen him, she breathed a little easier. If nothing else, he was respecting her wishes. He had disappeared from her life once again, which confirmed her initial decision to keep his involvement a secret from Dibs.

  Unfortunately, all the little jaunts away from the office also ushered in another bleak realization. She had abandoned her search for an assistant way too soon. Locating the time to interview more candidates in her already over-crowded schedule was an unquestionable annoyance, but if she didn’t hire someone soon the next week would be harder, and the one after that even harder still. She finally booked an entire Friday in interview after interview, hoping to find someone, if only temporarily, to help her through the event.

  The day was a complete bust. She simply could not believe her choices—the young man who repeatedly wiped his nose with the back of his hand, the incessant gum-snapper, or the woman whose skirt was three inches too short and her plunging neckline not even in the same galaxy as respectable.

  By the end of the afternoon, she had all but thrown in the towel. Both frustrated and exhausted, she had wasted precious time seeing person after person who wasn’t qualified for the job…and she still had one more interview to go.

&nb
sp; She shuffled another file aside, rolling her eyes when Tiff waved goodnight and offered a thumbs-up before exiting, and wearily pushed up from her desk.

  The young woman seated in reception stood and extended her hand as Tessa entered, her tailored black suit complemented by a pair of spotless black pumps, shoulder-length blonde hair secured in a wide barrette at the nape of her neck. “Celeste Fischer, Miss Adams. Thank you for seeing me.”

  “Please, call me Tessa. Nice to meet you.” If she only knew how nice.

  The moment they settled in Tessa’s office, the phone rang. She glanced at the flashing red button, but evidently the answering service had left the desk unmanned. Excusing herself, she picked up the receiver to Ms. Kramer, passing on Mr. Brenner’s suggestions regarding the awards ceremony and dinner.

  Tessa paused in jotting some notes when Celeste sat forward and began picking the wilted rose petals from the bouquet Dibs had sent earlier that week. Apparently satisfied with her progress, the young woman dusted the brown-tipped petals into the wastebasket and twisted the vase slightly to the right.

  She nodded politely when Tessa returned the handset to the cradle. “Sorry, I sort of have this compulsion for making things look neat.”

  “That’s okay, the flowers actually look much better.” Celeste’s résumé listed seven years as a legal secretary. Impressive, not to mention handy. “Tell me about the position you’re currently in.”

  The phone rang. Tessa gritted her teeth through three rings before excusing herself a second time. Mrs. Henderson was on the other end, asking to confirm the travel arrangements for the attendees. Tessa swiveled to her computer and pulled up the reservations list, then frowned and glanced over her shoulder when Celeste stood and fanned a stack of brochures along the coffee table, fluffed the couch pillows, and centered the business card holder. She returned to the desk, hefted a stack of file folders, and arranged them in alphabetical order.

  The call completed, Tessa assessed the efficient girl from under an arched brow.

  She twirled a hand in front of her chest. “I thought since we had a moment…I hope you don’t mind.”

  “Not at all.” Tessa squinted, crossing her arms. “Celeste, why have you decided to make a career change?”

  The phone rang. She stared the blinking light before refocusing on the young woman across the desk.

  Celeste smiled. “Please, go ahead.”

  The Park’s head chef was calling regarding the menu selections. Handset braced between her shoulder and ear, Tessa sorted through the demolition site on her desk. Celeste’s hand appeared, offering a pad of paper and a pen.

  She crossed the office to a stack of jumbled binders, clipped the loose sheets in place, pursed her lips, and put her hands on her hips, studying the credenza along the far wall. After shelving the binders in chronological order, she resettled in the chair.

  The front doorbell chimed and Dibs entered. Celeste stood and approached Tessa’s doorway. “May I help you, sir?”

  He stopped in his tracks, staring at the young woman a moment before zeroing in on Tessa through the doorway. “I’m here to pick up Rex.”

  “I’m sorry, who?”

  He pointed into her office. “Rex.”

  “She’s on the phone at the moment. May I give her your name, sir?”

  One of his eyebrows rose. “David Brenner.”

  Tessa bit her lip against a laugh.

  Withdrawing a step, Celeste placed a hand on her chest, cheeks flaming. “If you would kindly wait a moment, I’ll inform Ms. Adams you’re here, Mr. Brenner.”

  She backed into Tessa’s office, partially closed the door, and hurried to her seat. “A Mr. David Brenner is here to see you,” she whispered. “And I’m fairly certain he’s the Mr. David Brenner.”

  “You’ve got the job,” Tessa returned her whisper. “When can you start?”

  ****

  At the exact moment she hit the intercom button, Celeste entered her office, leather portfolio in one arm, a white paper bag balanced on top. In her other hand, a cup of coffee trailed a curl of steam through the air.

  Tessa narrowed her eyes. “Okay, how do you do that?”

  A clever smile dallied along her new assistant’s lips. “It isn’t hard. You return from the Park at one, at which time you spend fifteen minutes unpacking your briefcase. Afterward, you hit the intercom and ask me to come in for a meeting.”

  Fine, smarty pants. “What’s in the bag?”

  “Your lunch.” Celeste set the coffee on the desk and lifted out a large chef’s salad.

  “You two have been plotting again, haven’t you?”

  Inclining her head, she retrieved a paper napkin and plastic fork.

  “How much is he paying you?”

  She laughed. “Mr. Brenner doesn’t have to pay me to make sure you eat lunch. That’s part of my job.”

  “Since when?”

  “Since the success of this business depends on you staying healthy and able to focus.”

  Tessa huffed. “Had I known you and Mr. Brenner would end up in cahoots, I may have rethought my decision two weeks ago.”

  Celeste slanted a shrewd glance out of the corner of her eye, seemingly unconvinced, and settled in a chair opposite the desk. “Ready?”

  “Bring it.”

  The next hour was spent meticulously detailing Tessa’s calendar, Celeste reporting the status of the various upcoming events. And Tessa had to admit the young woman’s attention to detail was impressive. Celeste handled her responsibilities well, kept things better organized than ever before.

  It wasn’t until she announced Dibs had asked her to block out the weekend that Tessa looked up in surprise. “Oh, he did, did he?”

  Celeste stood, a squint aimed at the ceiling. “I think his exact words were ‘Rex has worked twenty-one days straight, Celeste. I’m getting cranky.’”

  “I most certainly have not. I take every Sunday off.”

  Her eyebrows shot up. She propped a hand on her hip.

  “Okay, geesh, you could starch a shirt with that glare. I’m prepping for the biggest event of my career. It’s been a little consuming.”

  “You won’t be able to attend at all if you’re admitted to the hospital with exhaustion.” She crossed for the door. “Mr. Brenner’s right. You’d work every moment if you could. Since you’re the boss, I will do as you ask, but as of right now the entire weekend has been cleared.”

  Narrowing her focus, Tessa scrutinized the pretty blonde. “You sure you’re not on Mr. Brenner’s payroll?”

  Celeste smirked and turned to go. “Oh, I almost forgot.” She stopped in the doorway. “Ms. Kramer called. She’s giving you an office at the Park, room 112 on the East Wing.”

  “Oh?”

  A puzzled frown crinkled her brow. “Yes, but I can tell her it’s not necessary…”

  “No, no, that’s all right.” Tessa waved off her concern. “Hey, can you ask Tiff—”

  Tiffany brushed past Celeste and came forward for a seat, a salad and steaming coffee in hand, cheeks lifted in a grand smile.

  Tessa swept her attention back to Celeste. “You know, it’s really kinda creepy how you do that.”

  Pink satisfaction glowing on her face, Celeste swung the door closed.

  “At this moment, I’m asking myself why we didn’t hire assistants three years ago.” Tiffany tore open a packet of salad dressing and drizzled the contents over her mixed greens.

  “We couldn’t afford chairs three years ago.”

  A sprig of arugula successfully speared on her fork, she glanced up. “Uh oh, what’s on your mind?”

  Tessa set her salad aside. “It’s this office at the Park.”

  “Michael?”

  She nodded. “Every time I think about that day in the restaurant, I get nauseated.”

  “Not to defend Michael or anything, but he has been keeping a low profile. We haven’t seen him at all, right?”

  “I know. I guess I’m just worried if we ta
ke the office, it’ll better my chances of running into him.”

  Tiffany stuck a tomato in her mouth. “We’re there three days a week now. We store our briefcases behind the security desk and lug around our folders and cell phones. It seems unprofessional.”

  “I know,” Tessa grudgingly agreed.

  “The closer we get to the event, the more time we’ll be spending there…” Tiffany picked up her cup. “I don’t know. An office seems like the most reasonable solution to me.”

  Face scrunched tight, Tessa bobbled her head. “Okay, you’re right.”

  “Good, because starting Monday we’re there every day.”

  ****

  At the chime of the doorbell, Tessa and Dibs exchanged a confused frown. He and Celeste had been right about taking some time off, and she had really been looking forward to having him all to herself, sharing a bottle of wine, and cuddling before a cozy fire.

  They stood from the couch and went to the front door together, but before it swung back on its hinges, Caroline threw herself across the threshold and into Tessa’s arms.

  “Oh, Caroline.” The poor girl’s muffled sobs could only mean one thing. “Jeremy’s a one, sweetie. It was only matter of time.”

  She backed away, dabbing her cheeks with a wilted tissue, and smiled weakly. “I’m really sorry for showing up unannounced. I just didn’t know where else to go.”

  The watery confession broke Tessa’s heart. “We’re glad you’re here. Come on, let’s have a seat.” She guided Caroline to the couch and sat beside her, alternated between rubbing and patting her back. “Why don’t you start by telling us what happened?”

  “We broke up.” She sniffled into her tissue.

  “Well, maybe that’s for the best.”

  Tessa pinned Dibs with a scathing glare. Not helping…

  Caroline whimpered, and then dissolved into another fit of tears.

  He dropped his gaze to the floor. “Sorry.”

  Perhaps a diversion was in order. Not to mention, some additional bonding time with Caroline was the exact opportunity Tessa had been praying for. She jerked her head toward the kitchen, and when he stood, she collected his wallet off the counter and walked him to the back door. “I love you, but you need to leave.”