The Merger

by Bernadette Marie

  Julie felt his large hands on her back rubbing, holding, and soothing her. This wasn’t why she was here, but she couldn’t back away from him either. At this point, it would be easier to look up into those dark eyes and kiss him again. She needed to push away.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to cry on your shoulder either.”

  “It’s okay.”

  She stepped away from him and stood behind the chair she’d earlier occupied. “I was staying at the hotel because I had nowhere else to go.”

  “And your job?”

  She let her shoulders drop. “When I walked in the next day my desk had been packed up. I was given severance and that was it. They concluded the merger I’d worked so hard on without me.”

  “That’s just not right. I’d ask why you were telling me that, but I’d assume since I was now the new boss that…”

  “No. Oh, no. I don’t plan to take legal action or anything.”

  “I’m glad to hear that.”

  “I need a job. I can’t be there with them having their little affair. I needed to move on. I needed to…” She wiped her eyes again. “I need a job.”

  Spencer tucked his hands into his pockets and rocked back on his heels until he rested, again, against the desk.

  “You’re here for a job?”

  “I’m a good lawyer. I’m very thorough.”

  “Yes, you are.”

  She swallowed hard. Guilt was swimming in her stomach. “I lost you a lot of money.”

  “Yes you did.”

  She winced. “I’m sorry. I was only trying to be thorough.”

  “You said that was your style and you were.”

  “I know this industry. I was raised in it. My father…well I know the industry.” It was those connections that had landed her the position at PLL and that was strictly between her and Mr. Grayson.

  “So was I.”

  She nodded. She’d known his history as well.

  Spencer studied her. “I just don’t understand why you’re in Nashville. You could have called me. I could have arranged your job back.”

  “I needed to leave. I’m going to find somewhere in Nashville to live. And I’d like to work for BBH because I believe in the company, but if there isn’t any room for me in your legal department perhaps you can give me a good reference, since you’re familiar with my work, and I’ll be on my way.”

  Now Spencer crossed his arms and his brows drew in. “You want to apply at BBH?”

  “I know the business.”

  “You said that.”

  “I don’t mean to seem desperate, but I am.”

  “It’s Friday afternoon. I don’t have anyone I can call to get you a job.”

  “I have enough to stay in town for a week, maybe two. Will you help me?”

  Spencer stood and moved toward her. “Why me? Why did you come here?”

  “You’re a decent man.”

  “I’m sure there are a few of us in Oregon.”

  She nodded. He wasn’t going to help her. She could feel it. “I’ve taken too much of your time. I appreciate you talking to me.”

  She picked up her purse, hoisted it onto her shoulder and turned for the door when Spencer reached for her arm.

  “Where are you going?”

  “I’ve been enough of a burden to you. I need to go. This was a mistake.”

  His hand slipped down her arm to her hand and he gently tugged her back in the office.

  “Let’s talk.”

  ~*~

  Spencer drove slowly down the familiar street with Julie following closely behind in her car. They’d spent the better part of the afternoon in his office making arrangements.

  He understood her a little better now. All that time she’d been making his life miserable it was really her that was suffering. He couldn’t imagine such betrayal.

  She’d driven straight through from Oregon to Nashville to ask him for a job. He still wasn’t sure why she wanted one with BBH, but he did know she needed a place to start over with her life. For some reason, she thought this was the place. He’d still have to see what he could do about that.

  He’d made a few phone calls to his connections within the lumber company. It seemed that he’d just bought a family company with one bad seed, and Libby Grayson was that bad seed.”.

  It appeared that Julie’s husband wasn’t the first one Libby had sunk her teeth into.

  In the past year alone, they’d had three executives leave the company because of her. How was it that he hadn’t heard about that when he’d spent the better part of the past five months there?

  What was done was done. The family was going to help BBH transition into the company for the next year. Spencer’s team would just need to be warned about the granddaughter.

  But now he was taking Julie to the one place he could offer her a brand new start.

  ~*~

  Julie followed Spencer down the residential street. He’d been more than gracious, she thought. Especially since she was a whiny, crying, pathetic woman who showed up in his office groveling for a job after having made his past five months hell, then kissing him unexpectedly.

  Yes, running off to Nashville was extreme, but she knew it was the right thing to do.

  She had a good reputation back in Oregon—not to mention she was licensed in Oregon. That didn’t matter. She could be licensed in Nashville soon too and it would be a fresh start.

  She could feel tears begin to sting her eyes. How had she been so stupid to marry a man who could so easily be enticed by a pretty face? She’d thought that by marrying a man who was fifteen years older he’d have been mature. Nothing was further from the truth. He was easily persuaded and ruthless when he wanted to be.

  It would have been one thing if this were the first time she’d caught the lying bastard in bed with a woman, but it wasn’t. It had been nearly a year that she’d been the laughing stock of PLL. Well, now who was laughing? She was following the new CEO of PLL to a house. That lying, cheating, idiot of an ex-husband of hers could have his cheap and sleazy little…

  She stopped that line of thought when Spencer pulled up in front of a house on the street. He seriously wasn’t bringing her to someone’s house. He said he had a place for her to live—a rental—but there were lights on in this house. She wasn’t going to live with some friend or relative of his. What had she gotten herself into now?

  Julie pulled up behind Spencer’s BMW. He’d stepped out looking glorious in the streetlight. She put her car in park, turned it off, and jumped when she noticed he was standing at her window.

  He pulled open the door and held out his hand to her to help her from the car.

  Who was this man? He didn’t freak out when she’d kissed him in the elevator, but was put off when she’d shown up at his office. He’d held her when she cried then told her he knew of a rental she could move into right away. He hadn’t exactly offered her a job, but he’d promised he’d help her.

  She knew who he was. He was the decent man she’d needed and that was why she was in Nashville.

  Julie took his hand and stepped out of her car.

  “This isn’t what I had in mind when you said you knew of a rental.”

  His teeth shone white in the dark. “It’s a nice place.”

  “I can’t afford a house and I’m not keen on renting someone’s room.”

  He laughed easily. “Then you’re in luck. It’s a basement apartment. Fully furnished. And the upstairs tenant is a nice lady.”

  She nodded. “Okay, that sounds more doable.”

  “C’mon, I’ll show it to you.”

  He started up the drive and an automatic light came on illuminating the driveway and the alley behind the house. There was another fancy car parked out back. By the look of it, she’d assume it was a Mercedes.

  Spencer turned and started down the steps to the basement entrance. Another motion light turned on.

  “Well lit,” she mentioned.

  “This has to be one o
f the best kept up houses you’ll ever find.”

  “How do you know about this?”

  He took the keys out of his pocket and slid them into the door. “My aunt has owned this house for nearly thirty years. She rented it to my mom when my mom moved back to Nashville and my aunt moved to New York to perform on Broadway.”

  “Your aunt is an actress?”

  He nodded as he pushed in the door. “She was. She runs a theater now.”

  He turned on the lights.

  “Oh, this is nice,” she said as she poked her head in and looked around.

  “You can come in,” he laughed.

  Julie stepped in and she knew she was home—if they didn’t want an arm and a leg for the rent.

  Spencer walked in and turned on the kitchen light. “My half-sister lived here when she came to Nashville and that’s when they furnished it.”

  “Where does she live now?”

  His face contorted and then he grinned. “This is going to sound a bit backwoodsy, so give me time to explain.”

  “O-kay.” She drew out the word.

  “My half-sister Darcy came to Nashville after her adoptive mother died. She came in search of her birth parents. All she knew was a private investigator led her to BBH.”

  “Scandal in the ranks.” She grinned, but he lost his when she’d said it. “I’m sorry. I joke when I’m uncomfortable.”

  “I understand.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “Long story short, she fell in love with my cousin Ed. Later we found out my mother was her mother. Something I didn’t know—that she’d had other children other than my brother and I.”

  He tucked his hands into his pockets. “My mom had been in an abusive relationship and the man tried to kill her. She gave away the baby to protect her,” he said as if he were making sure she understood his mother wouldn’t just give away her children.

  “That must be a very hard decision to make.”

  “I think it was. Anyway, she fell in love with Ed and now they’re married with a beautiful daughter they adopted and one on the way.”

  “It does sound backwoodsy. Your sister is married to your cousin?”

  His grin widened as he brushed past her to close the door. “I’ll make it a little better. My mom is adopted. My uncle is adopted. My half-sister isn’t my dad’s child, so…” he drew out the word. “They in essence aren’t related at all.”

  That caused her to laugh. Realizing that might have been rude, she covered her mouth with her hand. “Sorry.”

  “No, it’s part of the charm of my family. My mom and aunt are full sisters. They were adopted by my grandparents when my mother was only a baby. My uncle is adopted. And now my sister and Ed have adopted to give a baby a good home too. It’s just how they roll on that side of the family.”

  “And on your dad’s side?”

  “He’s an only child.”

  She nodded taking it in. “It’s hard to be an only. I know.”

  “No brothers or sisters?”

  She shook her head. “No. I was born to older parents. They both passed before I was twenty-one.”

  He reached for her and touched her arm. The very simple movement sent a charge through her.

  “I’m sorry.”

  She shrugged. “I think you grow up knowing you’ll always be alone.”

  Spencer shook his head. “Not if you’re woven into this family.”

  He grinned again, revealing a dimple in his cheek, before he moved further into the apartment.

  Julie stood there unable to move. Had he even realized what he’d said? Not if you’re woven into this family.

  She took a deep breath and followed him.

  Spencer noticed how she kept her distance from him now. Tiffany had really done a job on this one. That was fine. He was raised to help people out when they needed it and that was what he was doing.

  She was freshly divorced, recently fired, and new in town. And again he needed to remind himself she’d cost him thousands of dollars and he didn’t like her—really—or so he’d thought.

  But those brown eyes and their contrast with her blonde hair did something to him. Not to mention that he’d felt her in his arms. He’d tasted her kisses.

  He coughed when he realized he’d sighed aloud and she’d turned to look at him.

  “Do you really think I can afford this?” she asked looking around the apartment.

  “We keep the rent very reasonable.”

  She looked around. “I’ll need a job first.”

  “Right.” He tucked his hands in his back pockets and leaned back against the wall. “I don’t have any openings in my legal department.”

  “I understand. That would be an area you’d want to have staffed at all times, and I would need to pass the bar here first anyway. I’ll go looking tomorrow. If I could have a week…”

  He pulled a hand out of his pocket and rested his fingers against her full pouty lips to stop her from talking.

  “The reason I wanted PLL was because I opened up our first residential project.” He lowered his hand. “I have an assistant that is harried right now trying to keep up with the four high-rise projects Ed and I have going too. I could use someone to help me with the community project.”

  Her lips parted and her eyes widened. “You want me to work with you?”

  “I’ve seen how thorough you are and how organized,” he said, but the flash of her dropping all of her papers on the floor burst into his mind. “I’ve seen you in action.”

  “Wow. I didn’t expect that.”

  “I’d understand if you wanted to work on the bar and would rather look for a law job. I just thought…”

  This time she raised her dainty fingers to his lips and pressed to stop him from talking.

  “Thank you. I’d like the opportunity to be your assistant.”

  Her eyes locked with his as her fingers slipped from his lips.

  Spencer fisted his hands to his side. Every muscle in his body tensed, wanting to pull her in and press his mouth to hers again. She was too vulnerable, which was probably what had her kissing him in the first place. He didn’t need that complication in his life right now.

  “Why don’t we go upstairs and I’ll introduce you to Avery.”

  Julie stepped back. “Avery?”

  “She lives upstairs. Also a cousin,” he said smiling. “You’re going to learn it’s hard to not find a member of my family intertwined in your daily life.”

  She took a deep breath. “Okay. Let’s go meet your cousin.”

  Spencer passed by Julie in the hall and walked through the kitchen to another door. He gave it a solid bang with his fist before unlocking it with his key.

  The door opened to another staircase that went upstairs, but inside of the house.

  “Hey, I’m coming up,” Spencer yelled.

  “I’m decent,” a woman’s voice yelled back.

  Spencer started up the steps and Julie followed. At the top of the stairs, they came out into a kitchen. It was femininely decorated in pink and black, which instantly gave it girly charm. There were flowers in a vase and candles lit on the stove. A wine rack was on the counter filled with beautiful bottles of wine.

  She couldn’t wait to meet Avery. She had to be some brilliantly beautiful woman with taste like this.

  As they passed through the kitchen and into the living room, Julie got her first glance at Avery.

  Her taste absolutely matched the woman.

  She was in the middle of a yoga workout, but even so, Julie’s breath was taken by looking at her.

  Slim with long limbs in a warrior pose and long black hair pulled into a silky ponytail on the back of her head—she was stunning.

  Avery paused the video and turned toward them. Her skin glowed from the sweat that slicked her skin, but it only made her more beautiful.

  “As if you need to do that yoga stuff,” Spencer joked.

  “I do if I want my wine.” She smiled back with a brilliant set of white, straig
ht, beautiful teeth.

  Had Julie not known this was his cousin she’d have been instantly and insanely jealous.

  “I wanted to introduce you to your new basement tenant. Julie Jacobson, this is Avery Keller.”

  She shifted her eyes to Julie, but didn’t do the head to toe scan that most people did to judge another. “It’s very nice to meet you. I’d shake your hand, but…” She wiped them down her thighs.

  “It’s okay. It’s nice to meet you.”

  “I’m leaving her here. She has the key. Are you only parking out back?”

  “Yeah. Easier for me,” she said.

  Spencer turned toward Julie. “You can park in the driveway then. You can pull right up to the door almost.”

  “You both have been very generous. I appreciate it.”

  “Do you do yoga?” Avery asked Julie.

  “I’ve taken a few classes. I’ve never really done much.”

  “Well, I’m right here doing it every day at eight o’clock. You are more than welcome to come up. I also run in the morning if you’re interested.”

  This woman was insane.

  “I don’t run, but I might join you for yoga someday.”

  “You get settled. I’ll knock tomorrow and we can at least have some wine. Do you drink wine?”

  “I do wine.”

  “Good. It was nice to meet you.”

  Julie hadn’t expected that the beauty would be so gracious, but she found herself falling in love with her.

  Spencer turned to lead her back to the stairs.

  “Hey, Spence,” Avery shouted after him. “I ordered our cake.”

  “Please tell me it’s not pink and black.”

  Avery was silent, except for an evil laugh. Spencer just shook his head as he led Julie down the steps back to her new apartment.

  “Why is she ordering a cake for you?”

  “We share the same birthday. Our family is throwing us a big birthday party dinner. Although, all dinners with my family are big.”