Corporate Affair (The Small Town Girl series)

by Linda Cunningham

  “What’s wrong?”

  Aiden’s voice sounded hollow to Jordan. “Mr. Palmer!” she choked. “Oh, Aiden, Mr. Palmer died.”

  Nell was at her side in a second with a glass of water.

  “Sit down, dear,” she said, guiding her to a chair at the table. “Take a drink. What happened? I’m so very, very sorry.”

  Gordon came into the room from the back of the house. “What’s going on?”

  “Dad, Palmer’s dead,” said Aiden.

  “What!”

  “Shhh,” said Nell, shooting him a look. “What happened, dear?” She addressed the remark to Jordan who lifted the glass of water to her lips with a shaking hand. She felt the cold liquid in her mouth and swallowed automatically.

  “This is awful,” she said. “I just saw him. He seemed like he was doing okay, actually a little better than he had been. Ashley said—” Her voice caught, and she struggled to keep back the sob. “Ashley said she had taken the summary of the day’s business to him at home. She said he went over it with her, that he was weak because he had had chemo this morning, but that he seemed in good spirits. He said he gave her a pep talk about sticking with me, that things were going to get busy and I would need her help. When she got ready to leave, he said he was going up for his nap.” Jordan stopped talking and wiped an errant tear from her face. Grace’s babbling was the only sound in the room.

  “Ashley said Mrs. Palmer called her about half an hour ago,” Jordan continued. “Apparently he had gone for his nap, and when he didn’t come down at his usual time, Mrs. Palmer went up to check on him. He had passed. Just like that.”

  “Who’s with Marie?” asked Gordon.

  “She told Ashley her children were on their way. The closest one lives about an hour away, so she must be there by now. She asked Ashley to call me. She didn’t have my cell number.” Jordan stood up and paced the room. “This is awful,” she said. “I knew he was very ill, but, you know, I kept thinking he would make it one more day, and he would. I guess I thought it would just go on like that.”

  She bowed her head. Aiden stepped forward and put his arms around her. “We’ll go tomorrow and find out what’s to be done.”

  “No, no.” Jordan shook her head. “No, I have to go home tonight. I have to be at the company in the morning, and I’ll have to talk to Mrs. Palmer as soon as I can.”

  Nell spoke up. “You can’t go tonight, dear. You’re too tired. Just stay here. Aiden will go with you in the morning.”

  “Thank you so much,” said Jordan. She began to gather her things together. “Thank you, but I have to leave tonight. Aiden, I’ll let you know what transpires. I’ll be fine, really. I wouldn’t sleep all night now anyway. Grace will fall asleep. She’s a good traveler, and her bedtime is creeping up.”

  “Jordan, please,” started Aiden.

  “Don’t fight me on this, please.” Jordan was firm. “I need this time alone. I’ll call you. Please.”

  Gordon stepped forward. “Go, Jordan. We’ll wait to hear from you. Call us if you run into any kind of trouble. Please let us know when you get there, no matter how late. We’ll worry if you don’t call.”

  Jordan gave him a grateful look. “Thank you. Thank you for your hospitality and your kindness.”

  Aiden stood still, saying nothing. Jordan stepped forward and shook first Nell’s hand and then Gordon’s. She turned to Aiden and said, “Thank you, Aiden. I’ll call when I get home and then let you know what’s happening tomorrow. I have to be there in the morning.” Tears still brimmed on her thick lashes, but she was calm. Aiden nodded. Jordan picked up Grace.

  “Aiden, help Jordan out to her car with her bags,” Nell said. “Jordan, please drive carefully. Call us for anything. I’m a light sleeper.” Jordan gave her a grateful smile as she left. Aiden followed her out the door.

  A few minutes later, Aiden returned to the porch doorway as he watched the lights of the Jeep disappear down the drive. Nell came and stood beside him. “You must go after her,” she said quietly. “You must follow her home. She’ll need you, though she doesn’t know it yet.”

  Gordon spoke up, blowing and blustering as was his habit. “What the hell is going on around here? Girls taking over the business. Girls showing up unannounced. Babies! Well, Palmer didn’t time this quite right, did he? He and I should have cut this whole deal and set this girl to rights, so she knows what she’s about. Then he could have died when we were done! You better do what your mother says, son. Get in your car and drive to Vermont. Who knows what kind of shape she’ll be in in the morning.”

  “She’s perfectly capable, Dad,” said Aiden. “And don’t forget, I drove here with her. My car is in Vermont.”

  Nell took his hand and put a set of car keys in them. “Take your father’s car, dear. I think it has a full tank of gas.”

  “My car! What the hell, Nell! We’ll have every car in the family in the backwoods of Vermont!”

  “Shush, Gordon,” said Nell firmly. There had only been a handful of times in his whole life that Aiden could recall his mother pulling rank on his father, but “shush” was her code word, and when she said it, Gordon obeyed.

  He grumbled something, then said to Aiden, “I’m not sure exactly what’s going on here, but I think I’ve got a pretty good idea. I’m only going to say one thing: Don’t lose that girl, son. Don’t lose her for the business’s sake and, more importantly, don’t lose her for your sake.”

  Aiden opened his mouth to speak, but Gordon waved him silent. “Don’t explain. You don’t need to. I can see, can’t I? Now get going.” Gordon smothered him in his customary bear hug. Aiden gave a little smile, hugged his mother, and kissed her on the cheek.

  “Do you have clothes?” asked Nell, always practical.

  “I’ll have to stop at my place and repack,” said Aiden. “It won’t take long.” Then he said, “Mom, how did you know you would marry Dad?”

  “How could she pass up such a good deal?” snorted Gordon.

  Nell ignored him and looked at Aiden. “The first time I met your father, I knew. I knew I had met my lifelong mate. It wasn’t bells and whistles and fireworks.”

  “It wasn’t?” Gordon sounded incredulous.

  “No, Gordon.” She laughed. “That came later. What I felt was a wonderful peace of spirit. That’s how he made me feel. I felt there was nothing I couldn’t say to this man. He is my best friend.”

  “That’s the way I feel about Jordan. That’s how I want her to feel about me.”

  Gordon coughed, but Nell said, “Jordan has other issues to work on, Aiden. You’ll have to be patient with her. It’s never simple when there is a child involved. And she’s responsible for the business now, by herself. She’s very bright, but she’s also very young and without a lot of experience. It’s obvious how she feels about you, but she’s still trying to sort things out. Be there for her, but let her find her own path. It will lead back to you, dear.” She reached up to her tall son and kissed his cheek.

  Aiden smiled at her. “I’ll let you know what goes on,” he said. “Thanks, Mom.”

  “Hey, it’s my car. You’re taking my car. What about thanking me? I hate driving your mother’s car.”

  Aiden hugged his father. “Thanks, Dad.”

  “Let us know about the funeral arrangements,” said Gordon. “It would be black ingratitude and bad manners if we didn’t show up.”

  “Okay, I’m off.” With that, he sprinted to his father’s big Mercedes and drove away.

  It took him twenty minutes to reach the Wharf. He waved at the gate attendant and drove up the brick drive to his door. A turn of the key and he was inside. He climbed the stairs to the living area two steps at a time, and then went into his bedroom. He yanked out some clean clothes and a dark spring suit. It had been ages since he had worn a suit. He crammed the clothes in a duffel bag and zipped a garment bag over the suit. Hoisting them to his shoulder, he flew down the stairs, locked his door, and jumped into the car. In five minute
s he was out of town, headed west.

  The drive went smoothly. There was almost no traffic. The calm conditions of the road, however, were not reflected in his mind. He was anything but calm. He built and destroyed scenario after scenario in his head. How would his relationship with Jordan progress if they were two hundred miles apart? Could he induce her to move to Portland? Then who would run Chat in Vermont? Maybe Thatcher from the home office. No, that idea didn’t fly. Thatcher was an idiot. Or at least, not to be let loose on his own. Could he, Aiden, take over the Vermont operation? That would be risky. Something told him Jordan would not want to be encroached upon. He wouldn’t want her to feel as though he was trying to replace her, contract or no contract.

  “You’re too tired to think straight, man,” he said out loud to himself. He decided to stop thinking about the whole situation. It was like his mother always said, morning was wiser than evening. He would be there tomorrow, assess the situation, and pick his path from there. He plugged his iPod into the car’s stereo system and listened to his music, trying to rest his mind.

  Chapter Thirteen

  WHEN AIDEN PULLED INTO TOWN, he drove slowly down the main street. It was a little after midnight. The Inn was dark, except for the red glow of an exit sign he could see far back within the building. Three street lights illuminated the green with a misty glow, but there were no other lights on anywhere. The local Jiffy Mart, the only gas station in town, had closed at eleven. Nothing moved. He followed the street out and around and drove into the ChatDotCom parking lot. He pulled up under a security light, shut off the car, and listened to the silence. The building was quiet, but Aiden knew that Dayton Phillips, the night watchman, was in there somewhere. He would have to make his presence known soon or Phillips would wake up the town and Aiden would have to explain himself once again to John Giamo. They didn’t care if he owned Chat now or not. Gene Palmer, even dead, had more sway over the townspeople than Aiden did.

  He pulled out his phone and texted Jordan.

  In Chat parking lot. Can I sleep in your office?

  Sorry to wake you. ~Aiden

  It was a minute or two before his phone buzzed. He read her reply.

  Wasn’t asleep. What are you doing here? ~Jordan

  Aiden was glad she was awake.

  Need to be here in the morning. Don’t want you to have

  to face this alone. I love you. ~Aiden

  I will call Dayton. He will come out and let you in.

  Where are you? ~Jordan

  In parking lot under security light. Don’t let him shoot me. ~Aiden

  Very funny. He doesn’t carry a weapon.

  You can sleep on the sofa in my office.

  Blanket and pillow in the closet at far end of room. ~Jordan

  Thanks. I love you, Jordan. ~Aiden

  I’m glad you came. See you in the morning. ~Jordan

  Was she just going to leave it like that? He came here to be closer to her in this difficult time. Then, his phone buzzed again.

  I love you, too, Aiden. ~Jordan

  His breath caught. It was what he had wanted to hear. It was hard to know what would come next, how they would sort this all out, but she had said it. That was a good place to start.

  The knock on his window made him jump. He looked up to see Dayton Phillips. “Mr. Stewart? Jordan Fitzgerald called me and told me to let you into her office. Follow me.”

  Aiden got out of the car, shouldered his bag, locked the car, and followed the heavy-set man. Apparently the tradition of the taciturn Vermonter was lost on Dayton; he babbled on and on as they walked to back of the building.

  “Terrible about Mr. Palmer, huh?” he said over his shoulder as Aiden followed him into the building. “Yah, everybody thought he was doing good, you know? He’d even come into the office once in a while. Oh, you could see he was failing, but he kept going. Nothing else to do. Just keep going. Hope he didn’t suffer much. Seemed quick, anyway.”

  Aiden was relieved when they reached Jordan’s office. The watchman turned the key in the lock. “There you go, Mr. Stewart,” he said with a chuckle. “Have a good night. We shut up early around here!”

  “I’ll sleep like a baby,” said Aiden sarcastically, knowing Phillips would never get it. “Thanks for letting me in.” He stepped through the door into the office.

  “I’ll be here till six in the morning, so you just call if you need anything.”

  “I will, thanks.” Aiden finally succeeded in shutting the door. He stood still for a moment, listening to the watchman’s footsteps as they disappeared down the hall. Then, he turned into the room and exhaled, his body giving in to exhaustion. Bending down, he pulled off his sneakers and walked to the closet at the end of the room. He was glad he had made the trip. He felt more at peace, somehow, here in her office. Closer to Jordan.

  Aiden went to the big window and gazed out across the dark river. The moon was nearly full, shining through the high, scudding clouds. Silvery lights bounced from bank to bank only to disappear in the inky undergrowth. Suddenly, a dense shadow fell across the room. It moved like a living thing. Instantly, Aiden was on guard. He peered through the window, trying to determine where the shadow had come from. As suddenly as it had crossed the room, the shadow receded, almost as if it had sensed it had been seen.

  As quickly and quietly as he could, his heartbeat racing, Aiden sprinted down the hall and opened the small, back door to the outside. There was silence. “Anybody there?” he called into the night, but the rushing river was the only sound he heard in answer.

  “There a problem?” came a voice behind him, causing Aiden to jump.

  “Dayton! You startled me! I was looking out the office window and I saw a shadow—a big shadow—move across the lot back here. It looked like a person’s shadow.”

  “Hm,” said Dayton, rubbing his chin. “You want me to take a look?”

  “I’ll go with you,” said Aiden.

  Together, the two men walked out into the back lot. Dayton shined his flashlight across the pavement. Two Dumpsters stood against the far back corner of the building. A light breeze ruffled the night air, but nothing moved.

  “Don’t see nothing,” grunted Dayton, scanning one more time with the flashlight. “Probably just a raccoon or something.”

  “Probably,” said Aiden dubiously. He followed Dayton back in the building, but he couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling.

  “You’re just tired,” said Dayton. “You get some sleep. I’ll wake you up if I hear anything else.”

  “Thanks, Dayton.” Aiden went back into Jordan’s office and locked the door behind him.

  He opened the closet door, pulled out the light down comforter and a pillow from the top shelf, and lay down, fully clothed, on the sofa. He sighed and closed his eyes.

  To his surprise, when he opened them, morning light flooded the room and a gentle hand brushed the hair back from his forehead.

  “Did you sleep well?” Jordan asked softly.

  He smiled, took her hand in his, and kissed it. “What time is it? What are you doing here?”

  Jordan kneeled down on the floor beside him. “If you remember, this is my office. Don’t worry; it’s only six o’clock. I brought us coffee and bagels from Jiffy Mart.”

  “Hmmm. I can smell it.” He raised himself up on his elbow and kissed her. “You smell good too.”

  Jordan stood up and handed him a coffee and a bagel with cream cheese.

  “I feel a little moldy,” he said. “I’ll take a shower when I get a room at the Inn.” He reached out and touched Jordan’s face as she sat back down, leaning against him. “How are you?”

  Jordan sighed. “I’m okay,” she said. “Sad, though.”

  “Did you speak to Mrs. Palmer?”

  “Oh, yes. I stopped in last night to see her. We sat at the kitchen table until about midnight, just talking. Sandy, her youngest daughter, was there with us. We talked about a lot of stuff. You learn things.”

  “Like what?”


  “Well,” said Jordan, “I found out that one of the reasons none of Mr. Palmer’s kids wanted the company was that they always felt they came second to it. They felt that all his energy went into the company, that they could never measure up somehow.”

  “Really?”

  “Sandy said so. Oh, she said that the feelings dissipated as they matured and they realized that their father did love them, but by that time they had all made their own lives and the sale of the company was a more realistic solution for all of them. I was frankly kind of shocked.”

  “Well, it’s family dynamics. All families have them. Don’t you think?”

  “I suppose,” said Jordan. She stood and went to the window. Aiden flung the blanket off and walked across the room to stand closely behind her. She spoke without turning to face him. “I just grew up in the shadow of the Palmer family, you know. They were wealthy, with that beautiful old house overlooking the whole town. Their kids had everything. They were older than I was, but I saw them around town a lot, driving their foreign cars, dressed in clothes I only saw in magazines. And now, look. Look who’s running the company. Me. It’s so odd, Aiden. It’s so peculiar.” She turned, looking up into his face. “Maybe that’s why I feel so responsible. Maybe that’s why I just don’t feel free, like my life is my own. I feel as though I almost infringed upon something that wasn’t mine.”

  “That’s not the case,” said Aiden, putting his hands on her arms and drawing her closer. “You’ve earned everything you have. You deserve it. Palmer thought so. And his daughter said that none of his kids were interested in it. On the contrary, you are totally free. You run the company with Trade Winds now, and we reached a merger that allows us to do so. Happens all the time.” He enfolded her in his arms, but she gently pushed away and paced across the room. He followed her only with his eyes.

  “Now I feel completely on my own,” she said. “I’m responsible for the company. I’m responsible for people’s lives. And I’m responsible for Grace most of all.” She turned to face him. “Aiden, sometimes I feel as though I stole Grace. It was the way I wanted it. I thought I was taking responsibility for a mistake I had made, that I wouldn’t burden anyone else, that I would just go on with my life and let everybody else go on with theirs. Now, when I see how much Grace means to me, I feel as though I stole her. I had no right not to tell him. Before she was born, I could not even imagine loving something as much as I love Grace. That’s what I stole from him, and now I don’t even have the chance to amend it. He’s dead, and I can’t fix that.”