When she spotted the logo on the piece of letterhead, all the air left her lungs. He might as well have punched her in the gut. She’d been sending rent and loan payments to TwelveCorp Properties since she opened.
Now the odd name made sense. Chad was number twelve on the field.
Her hands shook as she laid the paper back down. “Did the fact that I asked you to stay out of my life forever, Chad, give you even a moment of pause? Are you really that self-absorbed?”
“Of course it did. But Shelby and I knew you’d never do business with me if you knew where the money had come from. The location is perfect, and I had faith in you guys being a success. I never stopped wanting the best for you, Jo.”
Now it was Jo’s turn to hop up and pace. All the efforts she’d been so proud of were all based on a lie? When no one would lend them the money they needed, she thought a venture capitalist had stepped in to help. The money allowed her the opportunity to prove to her father that she could make her restaurant a success. But she hadn’t done it on her own. Chad had been the one writing the checks.
And Shelby had lied to her too? Her best friend, who she trusted with her life.
Then a thought hit her, and she headed back to her chair. “That’s how you had the plans all ready to go to suck me all the way into your little scheme? What would you have done if I’d refused to rehab you, Chad? Threaten to kick me and my restaurant off your property?”
“Probably.” He closed his eyes. “I’m not proud of it, but I want to be honest with you.”
“You’d do that, all so you could get back out on the field to please your coaches and fans? With no regard for my feelings?” That just chapped her ass. That after he’d tricked her, made her look like a fool, he’d still resort to blackmail if he’d had to. Her teeth hurt from clenching her jaw so tight.
“Luckily, I didn’t have to use that threat.” He reached out to grab her hand, but she evaded. “I also wanted a reason to spend time with you, Jo. I wanted you to know how sorry I was. For everything. I care about you, and Ryan, just as much as I do football.”
She bit her bottom lip to stop her tears. That was the final dagger to her heart. “And you don’t even see how wrong that statement was do you, Chad? Football is a job. Ryan and I are people with feelings you apparently aren’t capable of having. I’ll return your money and figure out something else so I can make your damned balloon payment next year.” What, she had no idea, but determination to make her restaurant a success had just become her first priority. She’d show her father that she could do it on her own even if it killed her. And she’d show Chad she didn’t need him or his money.
What she needed was to leave.
“Wait.” He held up a hand to stop her rise from the chair. “What if I forgave the debt on the balloon payment, and you closed the restaurant? You could open a new one in San Diego. Then we could be together, Jo.”
“So I should give up my dream job here because it isn’t as important as yours? The world doesn’t revolve around you, Chad.” She crossed her arms to refrain from punching some sense into him. Football had always been the other woman in their relationship, it had nothing to do with her moving to San Diego because he clearly hadn’t changed. “Besides, Shelby has invested a lot of her own money, and I’d never do that to her. I might never talk to her again, but I’d never screw her over like she did me.”
“Shelby didn’t screw you over. She kept it a secret because she knew you’d run out of options. Because she knew the café was your dream. I’d happily pay back her investment. We both only had your best interests in mind.”
Her best interests? She’d never have used the money Chad had earned from football to invest in her café. Shelby knew that.
Chad’s phone rang with Heather’s ringtone. “Please, just wait a second.”
Jo wavered between anger, hurt, and betrayal as he picked up the phone. What was she going to do now?
He answered with, “Hi, Heather. What’s up?”
He listened for a moment before fury sparked in his eyes. “How long ago? And why the hell did you let her take him?”
Chad’s jaw clenched as he listened. “I don’t care if she’s his mother. Didn’t you think it was odd that she called— Never mind, I have to get on this.” He ended the call and dialed another number. After a moment, Chad barked into his phone, “Linda, what the hell are you doing with Ryan?”
He listened for a moment, then said, “Put him on the phone. Now!”
Chad rubbed his forehead as he waited. “Hey, buddy. Are you okay?” He listened for a minute before he closed his eyes, and then his shoulders slumped in relief. “That’s great. Have fun, and I’ll see you soon, okay? I love you.”
He hung up and started to throw his phone in anger before he checked himself. “Linda asked Heather to call her the next time she took Ryan away from the house. Linda plans to keep Ryan until I pay her back child support. She took him to get ice cream for dinner.” He laid his phone down and then used the heels of his hands to rub his eyes.
“So she’s not interested in keeping him long-term? Just until she gets money out of you?”
He nodded. “I can’t give her money until she signs a custody agreement, or she’ll just continue to pull stunts like this. I’ll give her visitation rights, but I want Ryan full-time. My lawyer is working on a draft now. But I have to be in San Diego tomorrow. I might just have to let Linda have him for the short term and let our lawyers figure this out.”
Jo’s heart lurched at the thought of losing Ryan. “Surely you can call your coaches and explain that your son needs you. You have to get him back.”
He crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. “I’ll lose my starting spot if I don’t go.”
“I just hope you can live with yourself later if you do this—put your team ahead of Bryce’s well-being, Chad.”
He blinked at her in confusion. “You meant Ryan.”
She was so upset that she gotten them mixed up. “Yes. Ryan too. You made the same mistake with Bryce, though, if you’ll recall.”
His head jerked back as if she’d slapped him. “This is entirely different. Ryan is safe and eating ice cream with his mother. With Bryce, I’d planned to go back home, clear my schedule, and then come back to Denver to spend a few days with him. Don’t you think that if I could go back in time and change what I did after Bryce was born, I would?” He closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “I’ll never forgive myself for that choice. Why should I expect you to?”
She’d hurt him. That was the last thing she wanted to do, even though she was still mad and hurt that he and Shelby had lied to her about the money. “You’ve done your penance for Bryce in your own way, and it isn’t for me to judge you.”
He opened his eyes and forced a smile. “Thank you. Now won’t you please consider opening up a café in San Diego? So we can be together? After I finish out my career, we’ll do whatever you want to do. Live wherever you want.”
God, he still didn’t get it. “So you’re not even sorry for what you and Shelby did? And don’t you see how wrong it was to come back here and essentially blackmail me if you had to so you could get back into the game?”
“Technically, I didn’t do anything wrong. And it never came to me having to blackmail you. Don’t you see how badly I wanted to have a reason to spend time with you? All I did was simply loan you money and rent you space, to help you become a success. But I am sorry I lied to you.”
As she slowly stood to leave, her gaze landed on his most prized possession. She walked to the bookcase and picked up his Heisman Trophy. It weighed a ton. “You know how you’re so proud of this? How hard you worked to earn it? The café is my version of this prize. You’ve devalued it for me. By how much, I’ll never know. When you figure out why you owe me an apology, you know where to find me. And this. Come get it when you’re ready to put the people who love you first before your job. Good-bye, Chad.” She’d return it later, but she wanted to prove
her point.
Chad hopped up from his chair. “Dammit, Jo. Put that back!”
She ignored him and walked out the study door and toward the elevator. Her heart ached. She loved Chad, and apparently always would, but this time, she didn’t want to be part of the collateral damage.
Chad sat in the study, absorbing Jo’s words long after she’d left with his Heisman. He’d have gone after anyone else, but Jo would keep it safe for him. Oddly, the only time he’d given a second thought to that trophy in years was when he’d shown it to Ryan a few weeks ago. It’d made his chest warm with pride when Ryan’s eyes got big at the sheer size and weight of the award, even if he didn’t really understand what a big deal winning one was.
Jo and his parents had been there the night he’d won that, and that had meant the world to him. Made the award that much sweeter to see the pride in his parents’ and Jo’s eyes.
The only thing he didn’t have yet was a Super Bowl ring, and it just figured he’d get hurt during a year where they might have a chance to go. He’d vowed recently that if he won the ring, he’d retire and go out on top. The last thing he wanted to do was limp away from his career a battered, forgotten player.
Ever since Ryan had come into his life, he’d been trying to find a way to have the last few years of football along with the people he loved—he just hadn’t quite figured the second part out yet. Why couldn’t Jo see he was trying? That some people just have to put everything they have into their job? Doing anything halfway didn’t cut it. She’d done the same with her café. Hadn’t found time to date so she could concentrate on her business.
And she was wrong about him. He had changed from that dumb kid with a big ego just out of college. He’d learned from Bryce. He’d do anything to protect a child of his now. Why couldn’t she give him credit for that?
The elevator chimed, signaling Heather’s return. He probably needed to talk to her about what happened now that he had his temper under control. She was just a kid. He hadn’t gone into much of the details about Linda with Heather, so he probably needed to apologize for yelling at her. And he especially didn’t need her telling her father, one of the assistant coaches, that he’d lost his temper with his kid.
He’d only taken Heather in because her father had never liked him, always advocating for some of the younger guys on the team taking part of his playtime, but the head coach, thankfully, ignored Heather’s father, Rick. He’d offered his condo up to Heather, hoping it might make his relationship with Rick easier. That maybe Rick would be grateful for the safe place for Heather to live while attending school. He’d had no intention of ever living here with her, but then his father had died, and he’d been hurt. Now he had Ryan to care for. She wasn’t the best nanny sometimes, but it had worked for the short term.
Chad hefted himself out of the chair and walked toward the den, but she wasn’t there. Next he checked the living room and then the kitchen before he headed down the hallway to the guest bedroom. He tried to avoid that part of the house for propriety’s sake, but this couldn’t wait. Just as he lifted his hand to knock, Heather’s raised voice rang out from the other side of the closed door, “Dad, seriously? Chill. Chad thinks his ex-wife posted the video. He has no clue it was us. And the kid thing will be fine. Who cares if she gave me some jewelry for helping her get Ryan back? No one can blame me for taking orders from the kid’s mother. Or for accepting some of her cast-off jewelry. It’s fine.”
Chad’s heart pounded in his ears so hard, it was difficult to hear Heather when after a short pause she said, “Yes, he’s flying to San Diego tomorrow.” And another short pause before she added, “I erased it all from his computer in the study. But if anyone with some skills looked, they’d figure out it all came from his Mac. No way they can trace it to me. I gotta go. Say hi to Mom.”
Chad was afraid he’d strangle Heather, so he walked to the kitchen to get a drink of water while he processed what he’d just heard.
Seems Heather’s dad had a part in the filming, and she’d used his Mac to get the texts that were tied in with his iPhone. Chad had given Heather the password recently when she’d asked to use his Mac for a school presentation because the graphics were better on his computer than her PC.
Heather had said something about jewelry that Linda had given her too. Was that payment for providing an easy way to get Ryan out without a scene, so Linda could keep Ryan away until she got her money? And was that akin to a kidnapping for ransom plan?
Chad dug out his phone and texted his lawyer. Linda had better watch her back. He could play just as dirty as her, if that was what it took to get his son back.
Next he sent a text to Heather. “I know you sent the workout video and helped Linda kidnap Ryan. Gather your things and get the hell out of my house!”
If Rick had the nerve to talk to him about it in the morning, he’d threaten to tell the head coach. Rick would surely lose his job for doing that to one of their own. Guys stuck together on a team.
But getting rid of Heather wouldn’t get his son back. Or Jo.
After driving around aimlessly for hours, trying to work out how to get over Chad, what to do about her café, and her relationship with Shelby, Jo ended up in her parents’ driveway. She pulled up under the large portico and killed the engine. The car sputtered and protested and then finally shut down. She needed to get herself a new car, but now that she’d transferred the money back to Chad, she couldn’t afford one.
She closed her eyes and sighed. It had been a hell of a day. One that had started out by making sweet love to Chad, then visiting Bryce, and then learning that all she’d accomplished was based on a lie. Not to mention she might be stuck with that damned trophy for a very long time, because the man she loved was clueless when it came to relationships.
Thinking of it all again made tears leak down her cheeks, despite her clenched eyelids, so she’d just give herself a minute before she went inside to get what she needed most. A hug from her mom, and for her reassuring voice to portend that everything would all work out just fine.
A soft knock on her window made her jump. It was her mom, concern written all over her face.
Jo quickly wiped her tears and then grabbed Chad’s trophy, because she’d never leave something that valuable in the car, and opened her door. “Hi, Mom.”
“Hi, sweetheart.” Her mother cocked her head when she saw Chad’s Heisman, but didn’t comment. Instead, she gave Jo a tight hug. “Are you ready to come in now and tell me what’s wrong? It’s freezing out here.”
“Yes, sorry.” Jo released her mother, already feeling a hundred times better. “I need some advice.”
“That’s what I’m here for.” Her mom led the way to the front door. “But if that’s Chad’s murder weapon, then I don’t want to know. Can you stay for dinner?”
Chuckling, she said, “I’d love to.”
“Wait. Maybe I should warn you. Mrs. Abrams is away visiting her daughter for the weekend, and your father is still traveling home from his convention tonight, so I’m the cook. I won’t hold it against you if you bail.”
“Then we’ll make it a girls’ night.” Jo followed her mother inside the warm mansion she’d grown up in. “Cooking calms me. I’ll make dinner for us, if you’d like?”
“I’d like that a lot.” Her mom shut the massive front door behind them. “Now tell me why you look like you lost your best friend.”
“Because I just did. Three of them.”
Her mother took her coat and hung it in the hall closet. “Which three are we talking about?”
“Shelby, Chad, and Ryan.” She couldn’t help the quiver in her voice.
“Then dinner can wait. We need wine. Lots of it. Maybe you’d better plan to spend the night.”
Yeah, maybe she should. Her life was crap at the moment.
14
JUST WHEN YOU THOUGHT THINGS COULDN’T GET ANY WORSE . . .
An hour and a half later, Jo and her mother were still settled on comfy couches
in her mom’s den, with a fire roaring in the massive fireplace. They’d just finished off the nachos Jo had made to go with their wine in lieu of a proper dinner. Her mother had silently listened while Jo told the whole story, starting from the day Chad had walked into her café. Now Jo waited for her mom’s always helpful advice.
“Wow. You’ve had an interesting month so far, sweetheart. And a really bad day.” Her mom set her wineglass on the coffee table and sighed. “But I’m glad you finally went to visit Bryce. I have to give Chad credit. Every time I go, there are always flowers on his grave. But I’d still like to smack that man upside the head for being so dense sometimes.”
“Join the club.” Jo shook her head. “I didn’t hit him with the trophy, by the way, I just stole it. Maybe when it’s gone, he’ll realize the thing he loves the most is just a piece of metal that can’t love him back like Ryan and I can.”
Her mom smiled. “I thought maybe you took it because he’d hurt you and you needed to hurt him back.”
Jo shrugged. “There might have been a bit of that too.” Sadness enveloped her heart again.
“Well, time will tell how that part works out. I think Chad and Shelby had their hearts in the right place. They just went about things wrong. But I’m very proud of you for being brave enough to walk away from the man you love, to give him a chance to change his ways, rather than settle for being number two or three in his life. I had to do that once with your father.”
Jo blinked in surprise. She’d never thought her mom had ever stood up to her father. “You left Dad? When? I don’t remember that.”
“That’s because it was before you were born.” Her mom chewed her bottom lip, like Jo often did when considering. Finally, her mom said, “I’ve had just enough wine to tell you the story. I think it might help you understand a few things about your situation.”
“Okay. Shoot.” Confused but curious, Jo tucked her stocking feet underneath her and settled in for the tale.
Perfectly Ms. Matched (Rocky Mountain Matchmaker Series Book 2) Page 14
