Private Lessons

by Dara Girard

  “What happened?” Jodi asked, looking at the magnets on the ground.

  “Do you see where she tossed them?” Dylan asked, not wanting to clarify who ‘she’ was.

  “What?”

  He motioned to his face. “My glasses.”

  “Oh…um…yes.” She went to the corner. “Oh, but they’re broken,” she said, noticing the cracked temple.

  “It’s okay, I have another pair.”

  “What happened?”

  He took one of the cloth bags from her hand. “What did you buy?”

  “You don’t want to talk about it?”

  He shook his head. “Nope. What did you buy?”

  “Something for dinner.”

  “I’ll take a brief shower.”

  She reached for him; he took a step back. “You don’t even want me to touch you?” she said in a surprised hurt tone.

  “I have to take a shower,” he said. He didn’t want to tell her that he felt dirty. He didn’t want to be touched by anyone, especially her. “I’ll be right back.”

  “At least tell me who she was. Why was she here? She looked very upset.”

  He spun around. “You saw her?”

  “Yes, as I was driving up.”

  He took a step towards her. “Did she speak to you?”

  “Yes.”

  “What did she say?”

  “Good luck.”

  Which meant she was up to something. He silently swore.

  “Why would she say that?” Jodi asked.

  He released a heavy sigh. “Because she likes to play games with me.”

  “Was she your grandmother?”

  He nodded.

  “And she hates me more than your sister does.”

  “No, she doesn’t hate you. She hates me.”

  There was no child. That was a relief. Elena smiled to herself as she navigated her car through traffic. She could have hired a driver, but she still liked to drive. It helped her think.

  And the woman he was seeing wasn’t expecting. She had to believe him. If there had been a child, or one on the way, her grandson would have enjoyed throwing that in her face. But he was hiding something else. This new woman in his life had a strange influence on him. He’d been more willing and malleable in the past, but this time there was a new resistance. What hold could she have on him? How had she managed to get her hooks in him? She didn’t like secrets. She planned to find out what it was.

  He ate as if nothing had happened. As if his grandmother hadn’t come and smashed his glasses and scattered their fun magnets on the ground. Jodi worried about Dylan’s cavalier attitude but didn’t want to bring up what had happened. She didn’t want to make him unhappy. She didn’t want to jeopardize what they had. She wanted to stay with him always. When she had to return home it was always with regret.

  She only stayed at her house because of her parents. The large house never felt like a home to her, but being here with him did. What they had was real. She finally had what her parents had. Someone who saw her and cared about her. Someone to lean on. Someone to trust. She only wished he felt the same, but she would give him time.

  She was ruminating over this at work when she went was leaving a birthday surprise on Joyce’s desk. She stopped when she heard someone coming and darted into the closet, then she saw something that would threaten what trust she and Dylan had.

  26

  It had been two months since the disaster at the Spanish restaurant. Dylan had spoken to his sister once on the phone, but had avoided her since, even when he received urgent texts and pleas from Malcolm, but she’d managed to corner him in the pet food section of the grocery store.

  He set the large bag of dog food he’d chosen in his cart. “Say it.”

  “I knew I’d find you here. You’re so predictable.”

  He shook his head. “Not that. What do you want?”

  “You have to stop seeing her.”

  He grabbed a toy. “Seeing who?”

  “You’re not stupid so stop pretending like you are.”

  He pushed his cart down the aisle. “I’m not pretending.”

  “You can pretend to be blind, but I won’t be.”

  “Blind?”

  She nodded. “Yes, blind to the fact that she’s cheating on you.”

  He stared at her. “What?”

  “She’s playing us both for a fool.”

  “You don’t know what you’re talking about.” He pushed her out of the way and went to checkout.

  “She’s seeing Malcolm,” Gwen continued once they were outside.

  Dylan opened his trunk and put his items inside, eager to get out of the brutal summer heat.

  “Don’t you have anything to say?”

  He closed the lid. “No.” He returned the cart then sighed when she blocked him from the driver’s seat.

  “I’m not making this up. I’ve suspected for months and I have proof. I knew he was seeing someone at By Your Side then one day I followed him and I saw Jodi with my own eyes. I saw her get in his car and kiss him. She’s done it a few times. He also has her initials in his phone and one night, I smelled her perfume on his clothes.”

  Dylan shook his head. “You’re wrong.” He moved her aside and opened the car door. “You have suspicions not proof.”

  “How about Malcolm’s word?”

  He spun around, stunned. “What?”

  “Malcolm confessed.”

  “He wouldn’t.”

  Gwen nodded, smug. “He did. He said he did it for the company.”

  Dylan stared at her speechless.

  Gwen looked at him with pity. “Do you think you’re the only one Gran used to get information? She asked him to do it too, he just uses different methods. And as you can see he has more staying power. Through Jodi he was able to get the information we needed.” She pulled out her cell phone. “He even showed me some of his reports.”

  Dylan shook his head, his voice hoarse in defiance. “But Jodi wouldn’t. She knows—”

  Gwen’s eyes slowly filled with tears.

  He looked away unable to see them. He hated to see her cry.

  “I know I can be a bitch,” she said. “I know I can be rude and a little cruel. But not when it comes to you. Don’t think I’m saying this to hurt you. We’ve only ever had each other. Who has ever liked us just for us? Who hasn’t wanted something from us? I suspected something about her from the first day. No one is that naïve. I saw the way she and Malcolm were laughing at Annette’s party.” She blinked back her tears. “She’s using you. You think she isn’t tallying up your house, your car, your clothes?”

  Dylan shook his head again. “No, she—”

  Gwen lightly patted his shoulder. “Don’t feel bad for being fooled by her sweet smile and lack of education. She’s street smart and knows how to step over people. Malcolm says it’s over because he doesn’t need her anymore and that’s why she’s with you.”

  Dylan gripped his hands into fists, feeling a stream of sweat slide down his cheek. “I don’t believe you.”

  “You don’t have to, but it doesn’t change the truth. You have to watch your back.”

  Dylan absently poured dry dog food into the metal bowls lined on the floor, spilling some. Rosie looked at him annoyed, but Merchant leaped forward and ate it. He didn’t notice.

  He wasn’t going to ask her about Malcolm because that meant he doubted her and he didn’t. He knew she was true to him. His sister was wrong.

  Then why did she sound so certain? a devious little voice said. Why would Malcolm lie? He hadn’t made up getting inside information about the company. And Dylan had looked at what he’d uncovered and knew the information was correct.

  He could ask her, but would she lie? Maybe. If she told the truth and said she didn’t, would he believe her? He had to. He needed to. His sister was wrong. Jodi didn’t need anything from him. Sure, she no longer needed him as her reading tutor but that didn’t mean anything, right?

  She was smart
and ambitious. What if she wanted the face of Flynn’s Fleet instead of the man in the background? No, Jodi didn’t think that way, his sister was poisoning his thoughts.

  He glanced down when his cell phone rang. He saw Jodi’s number and hesitated then picked up. “Yes?”

  “I need to talk to you.”

  He swallowed, his throat tight. “You’re talking to me now.”

  “In person,” she clarified. “Where are you?”

  “I’m at home.”

  “Okay, I’ll be right there.”

  He disconnected and tapped the phone against his chin. She sounded worried, anxious. What did she need to tell him? Had she spoken to Gwen? Had she talked to Malcolm to get their stories straight? He shook his head. He wouldn’t jump to conclusions.

  Nearly twenty minutes later he sat in front of her and waited.

  “I don’t know how to say this,” Jodi said, rubbing her hands together. “I did something I shouldn’t have and I hope you won’t think less of me.”

  His throat tightened. What kind of man did she think he was? He didn’t want to hear it. He didn’t want to hear her excuses. He blocked her out until she said something that caught his attention.

  “…and when I saw them together, I couldn’t believe my eyes.”

  His head shot up. “Saw who together?”

  “Malcolm and Joyce.”

  “What?”

  “My supervisor Joyce is having an affair with Malcolm. I saw them together in her office. I know I shouldn’t have hid like that,” she said not understanding his expression. “I was so shocked I didn’t know what to do. I wasn’t trying to spy or eavesdrop.”

  “What’s her full name again?”

  “Joyce Dennis.”

  JD of course. The initials matched.

  Dylan fell back in his seat a wave of relief washing over him. He was right to trust her. He knew it.

  “I know it’s a shock,” Jodi said.

  He nodded. His sister’s pain was his salvation.

  “I thought you should know.”

  He pulled her to her feet and hugged her tight.

  “Dylan, are you okay?” she said concerned. “Your heart is racing.”

  He closed his eyes and held her tighter.

  She hugged him back. “I’m sorry.”

  Thank you. Thank you. I knew it wasn’t you. I knew I could trust you.

  “I really didn’t want to tell you because I know how much you like Malcolm.”

  Dylan drew away, anger racing through his veins. Yes, Malcolm was someone he used to trust. Why had he lied to Gwen about the identity of his lover? Why would he use Jodi’s name knowing how Dylan felt about her?

  He squeezed her arm then let her go. “Thank you for telling me.”

  “What should we do?”

  “You don’t have to do anything. I’ll tell her.”

  Jodi bit her lip. “If you tell her I saw them, Gwen’s going to hate me more.”

  He flashed a rueful grin. “Trust me, that won’t happen.”

  27

  He’d been expecting Dylan.

  Malcolm knew what would happen after his lover dropped her bombshell.

  “What did you do?” he’d asked her. He’d buttoned up his shirt midway after he and Joyce had spent time together in their favorite hotel across town, when she told him the news.

  “Implicated Jodi,” Joyce said, slipping back into her purple shift dress. “I had to do something. She said they were getting suspicious about us.”

  Malcolm looked at her alarmed. “Who said that?”

  “Don’t worry, I’m safe now.” Joyce turned to him. “Zip me up, will you?”

  He zipped up her dress then spun her around. “Who did you talk to?”

  She sat on the bed and put on her heels. “An older woman. She knew about us and threatened me if I didn’t do what she said.”

  Malcolm inwardly swore. That sounded like Elena. He’d told her that he was using a woman at By Your Side to get information, but why would she threaten her? “You should have told me first. It’s risky and—”

  “She told me what I needed to do. Relax, there’s no way Jodi can point the finger at me. I did a lot of her correspondence.”

  “But she’s dating Dylan,” Malcolm said, his mind spinning with the repercussions. “He’s not one to let something like this go.”

  Joyce stood and helped him finish buttoning up his shirt. “She told me that you’d know how to handle him.”

  He stepped away from her, shoving his shirt in his trousers. Damn the woman, what game was she playing?

  “Why are you upset? You now have the information you need to leave your wife.”

  He’d never leave Gwen and his kids. Joyce had just been a useful diversion, but she didn’t need to know that. “I told you it’s complicated right now. I need you to be patience.”

  “I’ve been more than patient,” she shot back.

  “Don’t push me.”

  “Do you know all that I’ve done for you?” she said, her heart in her eyes. “All that I’ve risked?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’m tired of waiting. You’d better leave your wife or else.”

  “Or else what?” Malcolm said with a smirk. “You’ll admit that you’re the leak and not Jodi? I’d like to see you be that stupid.” He cupped her chin. “Don’t threaten me.”

  But he knew he wasn’t on solid ground. He’d done some damage control by admitting to his wife that he’d been seeing Jodi, but now he faced his greatest opponent.

  Malcolm didn’t bat an eye when he found Dylan sitting in his office. His receptionist had warned him and after hearing from Joyce, talking to Elena and lying to Gwen he knew how the dominoes would fall and Dylan didn’t disappoint.

  “Here for lunch?” he casually asked.

  “I’m here to call in my favor.”

  Malcolm hesitated, feeling a tinge of guilt. He hadn’t expected that. “What do you want?”

  Dylan sighed and stood. “Tell me why you lied.”

  Malcolm walked behind his desk and sat, ready to take control of the situation. “About what?”

  “About you and Jodi.”

  “How do you know I’m lying?”

  Dylan leaned towards him, his eyes flat and hard. “Because I know you.”

  Malcolm swallowed. “Do you have proof?”

  “She saw you with Joyce.”

  “And you believe her?” Malcolm said with a sad smile, although he was shocked. He knew going to Joyce’s office had been too much of a risk, but she’d insisted everyone was gone. “The truth is she’ll say anything to get you to be on her side. She got caught by Joyce. She saw her giving me key information.”

  “That’s impossible.”

  “No, it’s—”

  Dylan grabbed the front of his shirt. “Why. Did. You. Lie?”

  “This is the only family I have,” Malcolm said a little desperate as he felt the strength of Dylan’s grip. He remembered becoming an orphan at nineteen and having no other family to turn to. He never wanted to return to that sense of rootlessness again.

  He’d achieved his success through hard work and cunning. Berton Flynn had taken him under his wing, seeing the grandson he wanted, and helped arrange his pairing with Gwen. “I don’t have the luxury to fall out of line like you do. I have too much to lose.”

  Dylan released him. “You’re following Gran’s orders?”

  Malcolm smoothed down his shirt and leaned back pleased Dylan had made the connection. “Consider the favor repaid.”

  Dylan shook his head. “It’s not enough.”

  “It’s the only warning I can give. Just wait and see,” Malcolm said unable to stop a sly grin. “My relationship with Jodi is going to reveal a wealth of information.”

  He refused to believe any of it. Several hours after talking to Malcolm, Dylan met with Larry in Larry’s office and looked over what computer forensics had uncovered.

  “I didn’t want to believe it ei
ther,” Larry said. “But there’s correspondence for months from her account and on her phone between her and Malcolm.”

  Dylan tapped his knee. “This doesn’t make any sense.”

  “But how else would he have gotten all this?”

  “What did you do?” Dylan asked.

  “Fired her of course. It wasn’t easy. She denies everything. I’ve scrubbed and searched files to see if there could be a mistake. But there isn’t one.”

  Dylan nodded understanding the numerous calls and texts he’d received from her, but he hadn’t replied yet. He wanted to focus and gather as much information as he could first. Dylan looked through the hundreds of emails then stopped when he noticed the dates. “Wait, this was ten months ago.”

  “Yes.”

  “She couldn’t have done it.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because she…” He stopped before he revealed her secret. That wasn’t his place. “I’ll get back to you. Who else knows about this?”

  “I fired her quietly, so just the guy who helped me with this.”

  “Good, keep it that way.”

  She still couldn’t believe the accusation. And Joyce had stood by and lied saying that she’d sometimes helped her with the reports, not knowing where Jodi was sending them. It was only when she got suspicious that she told Larry. And it did look bad because she let Joyce use her account on many occasions. She had no way to prove her innocence.

  Dylan wouldn’t respond to her texts or messages. Did he believe them? Did he think she’d betrayed both him and his company?

  Jodi worried about this as she cleaned up her parent’s dishes. She stopped when she got a text. It told her to meet him outside.

  “I didn’t do it,” she said, walking up to him as he leaned against his car, dark sunglasses shielding his eyes.

  “I know. You have to tell them the truth.”

  “I have. They don’t believe me.”

  He shook his head. “I mean the fact that you couldn’t have written most of those emails because you couldn’t read.”

  She froze. “No.” She pointed at him in warning. “And you can’t tell anyone either.”