Courtney sat down next to him and crossed her legs on the sofa. “My family knows the wedding is off.”
Damn, he didn’t like the sound of that.
“Tomorrow, I’ll call the photographer and stuff. Uncle Mark said any weekend works for him. And I’ll need to check with Callie about when we can use Cliff House.”
They were watching the episodes in order, so he scrolled down until he reached the next one they hadn’t seen. Hitting Play, he tossed the remote on the table. While the opening credits played, he put an arm across her shoulders. “Do you need any help?”
“Nah, everyone is used to working with me. I’ll take care of it. You focus on your meeting.”
That was easy to do. Since the call Saturday, the meeting never left his thoughts.
“Do you want me to come with you?” she asked, looking in his direction.
A knot of emotion formed in his throat. She had a hundred things on her plate but was willing to add another. All the women in his past put their wants first. Courtney didn’t—something he’d learned while they were in Hawaii. And it was one of the things he loved about her.
Lowering his head, he brushed his lips across hers. “No.” He kissed her again, this time lingering there a little longer. “You’ve got the wedding stuff to deal with and work.”
He moved in to kiss her again, but she pulled back. “Are you sure? I have this thing called a cell phone. I can use it to make calls on the drive into Boston. And if we were still in Maine, I’d have to do some work tonight since I wouldn’t be in the office tomorrow. Instead of watching television, I can go do it now.”
He tucked some hair behind her ear, then skimmed his finger across her jaw. “No work tonight. I want you here with me.” Josh took possession of her lips before she could protest.
Hanging up the phone, Courtney dropped her face in her hands. They should have eloped the day after she agreed to Josh’s charade. If she could travel back in time, she’d suggest—nope, she’d insist they elope instead of plan a traditional, if small by Sherbrooke standards, wedding. Mom would’ve been disappointed, but an elopement would have been so much easier.
She should’ve known it was going to be a hellish day. All the signs were there this morning. They’d started before she brushed her teeth. While in the shower, she banged her head when she bent to pick up the shampoo she dropped. A headache set in soon after. More focused on answering text messages from relatives regarding the wedding, she burned both her eggs and toast not long after the shower incident. Rather than attempt to make more, she settled on the healthiest-looking cereal in the kitchen. The box claimed it was made with whole grain oats. But since the word frosted was also in the title, she doubted the box’s contents were all that good for you. Still, pouring a bowl of cereal took less time than cooking more eggs. And honestly, it had tasted pretty good. It would have been even better with some fresh blueberries on top.
Bad luck struck a third time when the handle of her coffee mug snapped off, sending the coffee all over the floor and her dress. While Josh cleaned up the mess, she changed. Even with his help in the kitchen, she pulled out of the garage later than usual.
After zipping through her emails and a quick meeting with Deena in marketing—wedding or no wedding, she had work to do—she called her cousin. Before she tried to reschedule the photographer or anyone else, she needed to know when she could use Cliff House. Thankfully, Callie assured her it was available anytime between now and late spring. Callie even offered to call Henri and let him know the wedding was off this weekend. She considered taking her up on the offer, since it’d mean she had one less thing to do, but she hadn’t.
Her conversation with the longtime chef went similar to all the other ones she’d had so far. He, along with probably the entire state, was following the weather forecast and had been since the weekend, so he’d expected she’d push the wedding back.
With the easy calls out of the way, she’d moved down her list. Now she had a slight pain above her right eyebrow and more unpleasant conversations to go.
At the knock on the door, she lifted her head. Please don’t let it be Mom.
She’d run into Marilyn this morning. While her mom hadn’t come right out and said, “I you told a spring wedding would be better,” it’d been implied.
Courtney crossed her fingers. “Come in.” Her shoulders slumped when Addie walked in, a bakery box and beverage carrier in hand.
“Figured you’re going a little crazy rescheduling everything and wouldn’t want to leave the office. So I grabbed us something while I was out.” She set the items down on the desk and sat in the chair opposite Courtney.
“A little crazy? More like a little insane.” She accepted the large paper cup from Ambrosia that Addie handed over to her. “Thanks for thinking of me.”
“That bad?”
“The photographer I hired isn’t available again until the first Saturday in September. The only reason she could do the wedding this weekend was because someone canceled back in December.”
For the sake of convenience, she’d settled on a photographer from the area. Now she didn’t care where they were based or the price tag she needed to pay to get them here.
“And forget about the band. They’re booked solid until July.” Worse case, they skipped hiring a band and went with a DJ. Even if they went that route, she needed to find a DJ and a photographer who were both available in three weeks. Uncovering her drink, Courtney sipped the hot vanilla chai latte.
Across the desk, Addie unzipped her purse and pulled out her phone. “It’s not the same, but I know a DJ. His parents and mine have been friends for a long time. I can call and see if he’s available for… when are you changing the wedding to?”
“Weekend after Leah’s wedding. And I just want music. I don’t care if it’s a live band or not. Heck, I’m tempted to hook my phone up to some speakers and use it to play music.”
While Addie made her call and left her DJ friend a message, Courtney opened the box from Ambrosia. She found two golden brown spinach pies inside. Much like the vanilla chai latte, the pies were something she frequently ordered at the café.
“It might be awhile before Dominic calls me back. He works for a computer company in Jamestown and does the DJ thing on the side.”
In a perfect world, she’d have everything lined up by the end of the day. She lived in the real world though, where the outcome you wanted and the one you got frequently didn’t coincide.
“Don’t suppose you know any photographers.”
“Sorry, no.” Addie uncovered her drink, stirred it with a spoon, and took a sip before saying anything else. “My cousin dabbles in photography. It’s a hobby for him. He’s got a ton of equipment, but he only takes pictures of landscapes. You wouldn’t want him taking your wedding photos.”
Oh, well, it never hurt to ask.
“Maybe you and Josh should push the wedding back further. It might make things easier for you.”
You’re telling me. She trusted Addie and considered her a close friend, but sharing the real reason wasn’t an option. “We’d rather not.”
Addie narrowed her eyes a smidge, and Courtney prepared herself for the question clearly on her friend’s mind.
It never came. Instead, she shrugged and removed one of the spinach pies from the box. “Maybe you should skip a traditional ceremony and reception. You and Josh could fly to Vegas next weekend and get married. Or ask Mark to marry you in his office sometime this week. There’s no rule saying you must have the whole family there.”
“Believe me, I’m starting to think you’re right.”
Maybe they should book a flight and get married in Vegas. She’d want to be surrounded by her family if this was to be her one and only wedding, but it wasn’t. Well, it might not be. It was possible once she and Josh divorced she wouldn’t fall in love again—a fact she kept safely locked away.
Addie’s cell phone on the table dinged, and Courtney crossed her fingers the text
was from Addie’s DJ friend. Setting aside her drink, Addie reached for her phone. The expression on her friend’s face suggested the text wasn’t from Dominic.
“Something wrong?”
“I’m not sure.” Addie bit down on her lip before continuing. “What’s Josh up to today?”
Her question fell in the odd category. “He went into Boston for a meeting.” One she hoped was going well. “Why?”
If possible, Addie’s pained expression intensified. “Tracey sent me a link to something she saw on Twitter a few minutes ago.”
Shouldn’t the nanny have more important things to do than check her social media apps?
“Someone took a picture of Josh and a woman together and posted it.” Addie handed over her cell phone. “She thought you should know.”
Courtney knew who she’d see even before she accepted the device. The knowledge didn’t stop the burning ball of fire from taking shape in her chest as she looked at the picture of Josh and Naomi seated across from each other, his hand on her arm.
“Don’t people have better things to do than take pictures and post them on social media?” she asked, giving the device back. “That’s Josh’s ex-girlfriend, Naomi. They have a daughter together. I knew he was meeting her today.”
A picture merely showed a single moment, so she couldn’t assume too much from it. But at least it appeared Josh’s meeting was a civil one. The memory of Josh’s hand on Naomi’s arm popped up, and the fireball in her chest expanded.
No, the pictured didn’t depict a civil conversation. It showed a compassionate one. She’s engaged to another man. She’d met Naomi’s fiancé the afternoon they picked up Adalynn.
And my relationship with Josh is temporary. She’d reminded herself of that so many times now, she’d lost count.
Sixteen
As soon as Josh got home on Sunday, he’d reserved the wine cellar at Emilia, his favorite Italian restaurant in Boston, for his meeting with Naomi. Designed to accommodate up to fifty people, the room was located on the ground floor away from the main dining area and bar upstairs. Non-employees only visited this level if they had an appointment with the restaurant’s general manager, whose office was down the hall. Tucked away in here, only the four thousand bottles of wine and Tuscan limestone lining the walls would overhear their conversation this afternoon.
“I’ll show your guest down as soon as she arrives,” the hostess explained, setting two menus on the table.
Food remained the last thing on his mind.
“Would you like to order a drink while you wait?” she asked.
“Not at the moment.”
With a slight nod, the hostess walked away, leaving Josh alone with nothing to do but think and wait—two things he’d done more than enough of since Naomi reached out on Saturday afternoon.
At least Naomi didn’t keep him waiting long today. Josh wasn’t even done reviewing the first page of the menu when the hostess returned with Naomi by her side. After promising them their server would be along soon, the woman left.
Naomi took her sweet time removing her jacket and pulling out the chair opposite him. Today was the first time they’d been alone since she filed for sole custody. He wanted to demand she explain why she’d done it. Or simply ask if she’d lost her mind. But opening any conversation with a demand never ended well, especially when you had no idea of what was in the other person’s head.
“The last time I came here, I was with you. It was right before Adalynn was born,” Naomi said, breaking the uncomfortable silence in the room. Meeting his eyes, she opened her menu. “Maybe we should order before we talk.”
For now, he’d let her set the tone and pace of their conversation. “Whatever you want.” He glanced down, selected the first entrée his eyes landed on, and looked back at the woman across the table. Naomi never left the house looking anything less than perfect. This afternoon, everything from her outfit to her hair and makeup exemplified the time and effort she put into her appearance. And no matter how she felt, she made sure she appeared upbeat. Right now she looked anything but. Even with makeup, he could see the dark circles under her eyes hinting at many sleepless nights.
“Do you want some wine?” The restaurant had wine on hand from all over Italy. He’d yet to order some at Emilia and not enjoy it.
“Believe me, I wish I could have some. But I’m pregnant. But don’t skip it because of me.”
Had she wanted to see him so she could tell him that? Whether or not she and Reggie had a baby didn’t matter to him. For all he cared, they could have ten children.
“Congratulations.”
“Thanks.”
For someone engaged and expecting a baby, she sounded anything but happy. Not your problem, he reminded himself.
Their server joined them, putting a temporary halt to their conversation. At this rate, he’d never know why she’d wanted to see him.
“I didn’t thank you for meeting me today,” she began the moment they were alone again. “There are a few things I want to explain.”
“You couldn’t do it on the phone?” Sarcasm clung to his words, but this afternoon he was unable to conceal it.
If his tone bothered her, Naomi didn’t let on. “Maybe. But it seemed better to do it in person.”
He’d give her that. Some topics needed to be discussed in person. “Okay. What do you need to tell me?” This time he kept his tone sarcasm free—at least it was to his ears.
Rather than answer, Naomi tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear with her noticeably ring-free left hand. The last time he’d seen her, a large diamond ring had decorated her finger.
Odd. But there could be numerous reasons the engagement ring was absent.
“First, I want to apologize. I know I shocked you by filing for sole custody.”
Shocked. Pissed off. He could go on and on.
“It wasn’t my idea,” she continued. “Even before Adalynn and I moved into Reggie’s house, he wanted you out of our lives. Sometime in the fall, he started suggesting it’d be in Adalynn’s best interest if I had sole custody.”
Josh bit back a laugh. When she had access to his money and connections, his reputation hadn’t bothered her.
“A lot of his arguments made sense, especially the one about it being better for Adalynn if she didn’t split her time between two houses. Right now, it’s not a big deal because she’s not in school. But soon she will be. She won’t be able to stay with you for a month in Maine and go to school in Massachusetts.”
He knew exactly when his daughter started school. He’d assumed they’d cross that bridge when they needed to. “And the ones that didn’t?”
“I convinced myself Reggie was right.”
He clenched his hands rather than share his current thoughts, many of which involved showing Reggie what he could do with his opinions.
“He became more insistent about it around the time we got engaged. Every chance he got, he’d remind me of your less than glowing reputation and how Adalynn needed a better father figure in her life. And it was his idea to claim you threw drunken parties when Adalynn was in the house. I finally gave in and made an appointment with my lawyer not long before the pictures of you and Courtney Belmont appeared in the media. Actually I think my first appointment with the lawyer was the day the first pictures hit the internet.”
“The why doesn’t matter at this point.”
“I know. I know. Still, I wanted you to know the reason behind my decision. None of it matters anymore. This morning I told my lawyer I no longer want sole custody. He’s going to file the necessary documents with the court today. It’s possible he already has.”
Any minute, he’d wake up. Naomi didn’t just tell him she changed her mind. “You’re dropping your custody suit?”
She nodded, but with their server approaching the table, she didn’t offer up any explanation. And damn it, he wanted one. He deserved one.
Their server placed their salads on the table. “Can I bring you anyth
ing else?” she asked.
Whether Naomi required something or not, he didn’t care. “We’re fine for the moment.” He waited until the server exited the room. “Why now?” Did it have anything to do with his upcoming wedding?
“Right after my lawyer filed, I had reservations. But I keep telling myself it was best for Adalynn and for Reggie’s and my relationship.” A healthy dose of bitterness laced the last few words of her response. “We’re no longer engaged. He wanted you out of our lives, but at the same time, he was sleeping with a nurse from his office. Adalynn and I moved out of his house on Wednesday.”
Yeah, her current mood made sense. “I’m sorry, Naomi.”
Tears pooled in her eyes, and Josh placed his hand on her arm. Despite what she’d done, he hated her relationship ended the way it had.
A tear broke free and slipped down her cheek. Naomi brushed it away before she spoke. “I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about my decision and decided I was wrong. Your personal life aside, you’ve been a great dad since the day Adalynn was born, and when you’re together, I know you put her first. There is no reason whatsoever for us not to share joint custody of Adalynn.”
About time you got your head out of your ass. “Where are you staying now?” he asked instead of offering up the thoughts in his head. He knew she’d sold her townhouse after moving in with Reggie. It took time to find a new apartment or house.
“For the moment, at the Sherbrooke Copley Square. My parents offered me their guest bedroom until I find something, but my job is here. I can’t move to Vermont even if it is only temporary.”
He’d forgotten her parents had bought an old Victorian in Vermont two summers ago and opened a bed-and-breakfast, a lifelong dream of theirs. “Use my condo in the city.” The Sherbrooke Copley Square might be the nicest hotel in Boston, but he didn’t want his daughter calling it home for any length of time.
“Are you sure?”
Tempting The Billionaire (The Sherbrookes of Newport Book 13) Page 18
