by Ellen Hutton
He looked up at her and she knew what was coming.
“That was him last night wasn’t it?” he said
“What are you talking about?” she asked hoping the question would throw him off.
“I basically raised your son for two years of his life.” He said, “I know what he looks like and that man last night was his father.”
She looked over at her friend and let her shoulders drop.
“I can’t tell him.” She whispered, “only five or six people know about my son’s father and he is not one of them.”
Ethan raised his head and sat back. He studied her for a very long time before shaking his head
“You never told me what happened to you two.” He said, “only that you broke up badly.”
She shook her head slightly and smiled.
“I don’t talk about it” she replied, “it’s far too painful. Just trust me that this is what’s right for me and my son. I’m protecting him and myself.”
“Is this man dangerous?” he asked
“No, not in the slightest. It’s just that letting him into my life wouldn’t be good for any of us. Especially Logan. I’m still going with the story that I prayed for him and he appeared in my tummy. I’ll tell him the truth one day.”
Ethan didn’t seem happy to hear that, neither did he appear to agree with her methods, but he wasn’t one to intrude on personal matters. He had always given her the space she needed while coming to her rescue if things went bad. He was like the brother she never had.
“You know I trust you” he replied, “it’s your decision to make.”
With that, she nodded and stood to leave but before she got to the door he stopped her.
“I know you say that your son is the reason you’ve never really dated but have you ever thought that it’s all this hurt that’s preventing you?” he asked
“I can’t date” she replied
“You’re only twenty-five,” he said, “it must be a sad thing to never seek after love again at such a young age.”
She smiled and bit back the tears.
“I’ve been in love before,” she said, “I know what it’s like, and I know what it does to me. It’s a weakness, not a strength.”
She didn’t stay and wait for a response. Instead, she walked out of the office and left him to stare after her. She ran to the bathroom and locked herself in a stall. The tears flowed from her eyes and she couldn’t seem to dispel the brilliant blue eyes from her mind. They were Lucas’ eyes, they looked down at her with such adoration until they changed and became empty.
“everything will be alright” she whispered to herself as she made her way to her office, “you just need to pretend as if you never saw him,”
She said that but she knew it was a lie, it was likely that she’d spend the next few months thinking of nothing but him. The realization terrified her.
Chapter 4
Lucas stepped out of his car and walked up to the building where Prichard and Lowe had their offices. He was running a bit late, but he had called ahead to let them know that he had lost his way trying to find their building. Because their company was so small, he had judged that it would be somewhere out of town. To his surprise, they had rented out two floors in a high rise building. It surprised him because he had no idea they were doing that good. He took the elevator up to their floor and was escorted to the conference room by a very eager receptionist.
When he walked into the room he stopped dead in his tracks. The woman who stood in front of him looked at him with wide eyes and an expression that showed her clear disapproval of his presence.
“Umm, Scarlet,” he stuttered, “I have a meeting here.”
“You’re the buyer?” she asked,
“You own this company?” he asked a bit surprised to find out she had done so well for herself.
“Yes, why else would I be here?” she asked,
She sounded annoyed. He recognized the dismissive tone in her voice that she had used on him so often years ago. How could he have missed the signs; he had seen her at the party and the company bore her last name, Scarlet Lowe.
“I apologize” he said stepping further into the room,
“Lucas, meet my partner Ethan.” She said stepping back, “Ethan this is an old acquaintance of mine Lucas Thames.”
He hadn’t even noticed the man in the room. He looked up and realized it was the same man from the night before who had so affectionately kissed her on the cheek.
“Nice to meet you.” He said extending his hand for the large man to shake it.
“Pleasure to meet you Lucas” the man replied, “please have a seat.”
He hesitated only for a second before walking over to the table and sitting down. He organized his things on the desk trying to avoid looking up at Scarlet. She was looking beautiful today. She wore a light green blouse that matched some of the color in her eyes and her long red hair cascaded over her shoulder and down her back. Seeing her in the daylight was much more spectacular than under the dim club lights.
“I came here to discuss buying your company as we offered a few months ago,” Lucas said
“Why are you interested in our company?” Ethan asked, “Thame marketing is large enough to develop a similar model as we have done.”
Lucas wondered as well. His father had insisted quite steadfastly that Lucas would only get control of their family’s empire only he could get this company. He had protested and even gone to lengths to get his father to consider another more profitable, but the old man had been insistent. It was too bad he wasn’t around anymore for Lucas to ask him.
“I think it’s a great little company.” He said, “I can take it and make it better.”
“Who says it needs to be better?” Scarlet asked pinning him with a challenging glare
He shrunk a bit but then he decided that he would get no-where if he let her guilt him into feeling bad. Their past should be behind them and he would insist that it stay there.
“You two are business people.” Lucas said, “it would be inadvisable to reject such a lucrative offer.”
He watched as they sat back in their chairs and looked at each other. He saw a familiarity between them that bothered him. Pulling himself back, he realized he had no reason to be bothered by anything she did.
“Theoretically, let’s say we agree, what would the company look like if you take over?” Ethan asked
“Well, I have plans for expansion.” He said handing them the folders her had prepared for the meeting.
He watched as they looked over the documents he had so carefully compiled. His father had passed away over a year now and he as doing everything in his power to fulfill his last wishes. He had only four more months to do it all and he would get it done whether on good terms or by force. He had been raised by a wolf and it was time he started acting like it.
“We’ll have to look this over and consider with our legal and financial team before we can make any decision or counter,” Scarlet said.
He looked at her and she wore a blank expression. There was a coldness in the way she looked at him that was foreign.
“What are you guys doing this weekend?” he asked, “I wanted to know if you would come to a weekend event I’m planning for some of my workers.”
He saw the way they suddenly looked at each other and he knew something was happening between them. It was strange and unrealistic to feel so jealous over a woman who he hadn’t even seen for so long, but he couldn’t help the way it made him feel to think about her with anyone else.
“I can’t make that decision right now,” Ethan said, “Scarlet and I will have to discuss it before we can make any promises.”
“I hope you’ll reconsider,” Lucas said standing.
They stood, and he shook hands with Ethan once again. When he offered to shake Scarlet’s hand he saw the hesitation on her face. She still extended her hand. When he took it, he was shocked by the way his body responded. It had been so long since he
felt that tug, but it was just as powerful as ever.
“Thank you for meeting with me.” He said
The feeling of her hand in his lingered as he nodded and walked through the doors. He waited until he was in the elevator before looking down at where he had touched her. He so desperately wanted to say something to her. He didn’t know what, but he felt a yearning that was beginning to scare him. He hadn’t planned on inviting them to the retreat he had planned for his workers but the impulse was brought on by his desire to be near her for a little longer and the fact that he needed this company.
Chapter 5
Scarlet looked at the pristine black car that pulled up to the curb and sighed. She had been the chosen victim forced to attend the retreat Lucas had invited them to for the weekend. Turns out Ethan’s international travels trumped her spending time with Logan. She had bargained with everything she had but in the end, Ethan had boarded his plane and she was going to the Bahamas. The driver came towards her and cheerfully took her bag and stowed it in the trunk. She opened the car door and almost dropped her bag when she saw Lucas sitting in the back seat.
“I couldn’t get you a car, so I decided to come get you myself.” He said
She stood there on the sidewalk contemplating whether she should get in or not
“I’ll stick to my side,” he said
Scarlet said nothing but slid into the vehicle and held her head straight. She was still in a bit of shock, but she had been steeling herself for the weekend. A few more minutes cooped up with him wouldn’t make much difference.
“How have you been?” he asked,
“I’ve been alright.” She replied
“I had no idea this was your company.” He said, “I was surprised to see you there.”
“I can imagine.” She replied.
There was silence for a minute.
“And your family?” he asked
“They’re alright” she replied although the only person who still spoke to her was her sister. “and yours?”
“They’re ok.” He replied, “my father died about a year ago. My mother and sister took it pretty hard.”
She looked over at him for the first time since stepping into the vehicle. She knew he loved his father and that whatever had happened must have been traumatic for him.
“I’m sorry to hear that.” She replied,
“They must go sometime” he replied, “it’s the way the world goes.”
She shrugged but she was unconvinced of his apathy. It was clear that he wasn’t handling this situation all that well.
“Thank you for coming this weekend by the way, I’m sorry Ethan couldn’t make it.” He said
“It’s fine.” She replied, “we decided that one of us had to come and I picked the short stick.”
She wasn’t trying to conceal the way she felt about being around him. In fact, she meant to make it very obvious.
“Thank you regardless” he replied
More silence.
“It’s been so long since we last spoke” he began, “you’ve done well for yourself? What’s it been like these last five years?”
She turned and looked over at him and found him staring at her quite intently. Their eyes met and suddenly the years fell away and she was the bright-eyed girl she had once been. There was nothing beyond him and she had been too caught up in him to see the signs. Shrugging off the unwelcomed nostalgia, she shook her head.
“You don’t need to pretend to want to know anything about me.” She said, “it’s quite fine for us to remain as we were all these years. Better yet, I think that would be for the best.”
She registered the shocked expression on his face but didn’t wait for him to say anything. Instead, she averted her gaze out the window to watch the landscape passing by. It was all a blur and so she focused on her son. He was with Cecile for the weekend. When she told him about her trip, he had protested and cried and screamed but she had promised to carry home a toy for him which had only calmed him enough to stop the crying. She had tried to take him on her international trips but there were certain places she could never take him.
They continued in silence until they got to the airstrip. It wasn’t the airport as she had expected but a private plot that she knew he, or at least his family, owned. His riches still surprised her, but she knew it was a combined effort of all his ancestor’s business decisions and now he was adding to the legacy.
“We’re here,” he said as the car pulled up to the aircraft.
She didn’t wait for her door to be opened but opened it herself and stepped out into the brisk wind. The driver swerved when she stepped out of the car and went to the trunk to unload her bags instead.
“This way,” Lucas said holding out his hand for her to take. She sidestepped him and walked towards the entrance to the plane. She climbed the steps and realized that the small aircraft had already been boarded by whoever else was coming with them. She looked around and a face caught her attention; it was the woman she had seen clinging to Lucas that night. She did her best to hold back the sneer, but she couldn’t help it. The woman only looked at her with interest.
“You should take a seat,” Lucas said coming up behind her.
Eyeing the remaining seats, she decided to take hers beside a smiling cubby faced woman who was smiling up at her. She walked over to the seat and slumped down into the seat.
“You have something better to do than enjoying the Caribbean sun?” the woman asked thoughtfully.
The question made Scarlet smile. She had always wanted to go to the Bahamas, in fact, she had been planning to visit late this year with Logan. It had been her childhood dream and for a short time, it had been the place she envisioned visiting on her honeymoon. She didn’t mind going there, she just didn’t want to go with Lucas.
“I’m just a bit unprepared.” She replied, “this was a bit last minute.”
“Oh, I get you,” the woman said flashing her a look of understanding, “poor Lucas can never get it together sometimes. He’s trying to get it together after his father died you know.”
She looked at Lucas who was sitting next to the woman she knew didn’t like her. He had told her his father died but she didn’t really care, she didn’t want to know anything about him or his family.
“Hopefully he gets it together soon.” She replied, “I’m Elizabeth by the way.”
“I’m Scarlet” she replied, “I hope he gets it together as well.”
She felt a hint of curiosity which she had tried to shrug off and so she decided to get some more information on the man she once knew.
“Do you work for him?” she asked
“Sorta” Elizabeth replied, “he bought out my nurseries and renovated a floor in his building so that mothers can have their young children in the office.”
Scarlet was a bit surprised to hear this. There weren’t many companies that didn’t discriminate against women who were mothers and even less who made investments like these into their employees like that.
“What’s that like?” she asked suddenly intrigued
“Well we have a nursery and a kindergarten” the woman replied, “it’s better than anything I ever owned. He gives us anything we request to make the place good for all the children.”
“And how does this work for the mothers?” she asked
“They come by whenever.” The woman replied, “I think they feel good knowing their kids are just an elevator ride away.”
“It must get noisy?” she asked
“The floor is noise proof.” The woman replied,
“Sounds like he thought of everything.” She replied thoughtfully
This was the Lucas she remembered. He was insightful, meticulous and caring. Somehow some parts of him had remained the same.
“He didn’t really think of everything, but he was always open to advise. That’s the part that matter and the part that makes him a much better than his father was.” Elizabeth replied,
“Did you know Lemu,
” she stopped herself, she didn’t need anyone knowing that she knew the old man, “his father I mean?”
“No, but when I came to the company I heard stories. I can’t believe a man like Lucas came from a man like him.”
Scarlet scoffed. Although Lucas was the better version of his father, he was still his father’s son and was capable of the same evils.
“They’re more alike than you could imagine,” she said to herself.
“So, what are you doing here?” Elizabeth asked
“I own a party planning company he’s trying to acquire. I think he means to convince me here.” Scarlet replied,
“Oh yes, I’ve heard some mumblings about that.” The woman replied, “I hear it was the dying wish of the old man.”
Scarlet had a moment of shock before she regained her bearings.
“What do you mean?” she asked
“I heard that Lucas was told to acquire the company, or he wouldn’t be able to fully inherit his father’s legacy.” She replied, “from what I can tell, it was very sneaky of his father to drop that in last minute. The old man was going senile.”
Scarlet let out a long breath and sat back in her chair, so this was why he had insisted on buying their company. There was no rationality behind it. He wanted to acquire it because he had to. The thought suddenly hit her like a pile of bricks. She was all that stood between him and inheriting his fortune. How the tides had changed.
“That’s interesting,” Scarlet replied suddenly feeling empowered by the knowledge.
She wasn’t crazy for vengeance and she was the last person to try to harm anyone, but she was suddenly all too aware of the power she held; she would make it as hard as she could for him to acquire their company. It would be too easy. Just as soon as the thought came, she was ashamed. If he made a reasonable pitch it would be foolish of her to reject him. Sure, her company was doing great, but the trends were showing that the industry for planners was dwindling. They were handing by their good reputation and her knack for keeping clients.
“Well, I hope you like him, he’s a good man,” Elizabeth said flashing her curious glance
