Shana nodded. “Do you know what happened?”
“Yes. An auto accident about five years ago. She had worked late at the university, and some student was leaving a frat party while drunk. He broadsided her when he ran a traffic light. She was lucky to survive and credits her seat belt with saving her life. The student wasn’t that lucky. He wasn’t wearing a seat belt and was thrown from the car and killed instantly.”
“My goodness, how sad,” Shana said, shaking her head at the stupidity of anyone driving while under the influence.
“Her husband told her he couldn’t handle a wife who would become dependent on him, so he bailed out. A year later, he married his secretary. It seemed the two of them had been having an affair anyway.”
Ben didn’t say anything for a minute and then added, “Lucky for Mona, her optic nerve wasn’t damaged, just her peripheral nerves. There’s a possibility they can recover, but there’s no guarantee that they will. At one point, she had begun to see more light and color, but now she said that is fading. However, the doctor advised her there is a fifty-fifty chance her eyesight might return or that she could lose it permanently.”
Shana breathed in deeply, thinking of the sad situation Mona was in. It took hearing something like this to make you realize that your problems—the ones you thought were so big—really weren’t monumental at all. “She seems nice.”
“She is nice,” Ben reiterated. “She reminds me a lot of your mother.”
Shana lifted a brow. “How so?”
“They are both fighters. I remember when the doctor first broke the news to us that your mom had cancer. She was determined not to let it get her down, and every day, I watched her put her best foot forward even when I knew what it was costing her to do so. Her strength gave me strength. I can imagine how Mona must have felt when her husband walked off and left her at the time she needed him the most. But she didn’t curl up and die. She adjusted her life and did what she had to do. She’s still teaching at the university and fends for herself living alone.”
“Any kids?”
“No, her husband claimed he never wanted any. Now he and his new wife have two. That was a low blow to Mona.”
Shana tilted her head back and gazed up at her father. “You certainly know a lot about a woman you’ve only chatted with a few times over squash, tomatoes and zucchini.”
Ben threw his head back and laughed. “They were long conversations, but now I get to take her out on a date to get to know her even better.”
Shana heard the excitement in her father’s voice. “And that is what you really want? To get to know Mona better?”
The radiant glow of her father’s smile touched Shana from across the span of the kitchen when he answered and said, “Yes, getting to know Mona better is what I really want.”
* * *
Shana wasn’t surprised to receive a call from Jules the minute she walked back into her condo two hours later. It took Shana a full twenty minutes to tell her sister everything. It would have taken less time had Jules not interrupted her every two minutes to ask a question.
“So there you have it, Jules. Dad likes her and says she reminds him of Mom.”
Jules didn’t say anything for a minute and then said, “But she’s not Mom.”
Shana rolled her eyes, hearing the defiance in Jules’s voice. “Please don’t go there, Jules. It’s Dad’s life, and he decides how he wants to live it and with whom. I hope you don’t plan to make things difficult for him. I think we can both agree that it’s his time to be happy. He loved Mom, and we both know that. And he was there with her through the good times and the bad. I don’t know too many men dedicated to their wives like Dad was to his.”
“Yes, I guess he could have been like your hunk’s father, who bumped his wife off.”
“He’s not my hunk. And how do you know about Jace’s parents?”
“By asking me that, are you saying you don’t know about them?”
“Of course I know.”
“Well, I came by the information from research. I couldn’t sleep the other night, so I decided to let Greta entertain me. I couldn’t remember Mona’s last name to check her out, so I checked out the man you have the hots for. Has he ever told you whether he thought his father was guilty or innocent?”
“I believe he thinks he’s innocent, since he and his brothers still have a close relationship with him. In fact, they went to visit him this weekend.”
“Is that why you wanted a date with good ole Charles? He was going to be a substitute?”
“No.”
“So you say. And what time is Charles picking you up tonight?”
“He’s not. He didn’t call.”
“Say what?” Jules exclaimed, surprised. “Charles finally smartened up and is no longer lapping after you?”
“I guess. Sad thing is that this time I really would have liked to go out.”
“So what do you plan to do tonight?”
“I thought about calling Gloria to see if she’s back from her international flight and, if so, whether she wants to take in a movie.”
“Well, you can always call Charles to see why he didn’t call and then ask him out. But a few weeks ago, you claimed men aren’t a necessity, so do what I do sometimes and go solo.”
“I just might do that,” Shana said, ignoring how her sister was throwing her words back out there at her.
“Be safe if you do go out alone. Now I need to make a few calls and will talk to you later.”
“Wait! When are you coming home?”
“Not sure yet. Probably not for another two weeks. Talk to you later.”
Shana hung up the phone. She should be used to her sister being away a lot, but she wasn’t. Not only was Jules her sister, but Shana considered Jules her very best friend.
She headed for her bedroom and sneezed for the third time that day, noticing that her throat felt a little sore. She hoped that didn’t mean she had a cold coming on. Nothing like stopping it before it got started. She would call her doctor tomorrow for an appointment. Hopefully, he would prescribe some antibiotics or something. The last thing she needed was for anything to keep her from doing her job.
A few moments later, she found out that Gloria’s flight from China had been delayed, so she decided to do her exercise routine, then pull out her latest J. D. Robb novel, and read in bed.
Later that night as she slid between the covers with her book, Shana felt her lips beginning to tingle again, and as much as she wished otherwise, she couldn’t help but think about Jace and her attraction to him. Though her parents had experienced such a beautiful and loving marriage, so far all she and Jules had been involved in were prickly relationships. She had figured Jonathan would be her perfect mate until she discovered he’d only strung her along to find out what he could about one of her clients. From then on, she knew never to let her guard down.
She had dated since then, but the relationships were on her terms, and she didn’t like being rushed into doing anything—like sharing a bed with a man. That had been one of Charles’s faults, which was why she continued to hold out with him. Even with his persistence, he had yet to give her reason to think she would be anything more to him than a conquest. Sometimes she felt she was putting too much thought into it. Why not go ahead and sleep with him since a serious relationship was the last thing she was ready to get involved with anyway? But for her, it was the principle of the thing. She didn’t like being pressured.
Jace wanted her—she was well aware of that, but he was not placing any pressure on her, especially since she had told him there would not be an affair between them. She would admit that, if there was any pressure, she was placing it on herself.
Why was she so attracted to him, and why had his image apparently been scorched into her brain? And why had the taste of him seemingly been embedded in her tongue? And why even now, when she thought about him, could she envision naked bodies entangled in silken sheets?
Sheets that were hers.
Refusing to think about Jace any longer, she cuddled in bed to what had become her reading position and opened her book to where she’d left off. She was determined to get absorbed in somebody else’s love life. Even if the characters were fictional.
PART II
You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving.
—Anonymous
Chapter Sixteen
Jace swiveled around in his chair and glanced at the wooden door that connected his office to the one Shana was using, wishing he had the ability to stare straight through it. Then he wouldn’t have to wonder what she was doing. He figured she was probably working, which is what he should be doing. But he couldn’t concentrate. His thoughts were filled with her.
It was the last day of another workweek, and he hadn’t seen Shana but three times. She had made herself even scarcer than she had last week, and he couldn’t help wondering if that kiss a week ago had anything to do with it. He picked up a rubber band in what was becoming a habit and began stretching it in all kinds of directions as his mind relived that moment in the elevator for the two-hundredth time. The woman had the sweetest lips, their taste as succulent as any delicious fruit he’d ever eaten. He had thought about her all weekend, even during moments when he had visited with his father. And his dreams of her had become even more turbulent, racy and stunningly raw. How was Shana able to cause so much lust to run rampant inside of him? Lust he hadn’t been able to quench. And, from the looks of things, never would.
Drawing in a deep breath, he tossed the rubber band aside and went back to reading the notes he’d compiled from his conversation with his father this past weekend. It had been an enjoyable visit that had lasted six hours, and the four of them had tried to make every minute count.
Jace had gone over all the reports he’d read on the company and had brought up a couple of issues that had concerned him to get his father’s advice. Granted, Shep Granger had been away from Granger Aeronautics for fifteen years, but his mind was still sharp when it came to business matters.
His father knew Granger Aeronautics inside and out, and even though technology had changed over the years, Sheppard had managed to stay on top of advanced technology through books he’d gotten from the prison library as well as on their computer systems. And he had taken classes whenever they had been offered.
Jace glanced up when he heard the knock on the door. “Come in.”
He felt a knot in his throat when Shana walked in. Today, like always, she was wearing one of those conservative yet sexy business suits. This one was turquoise in color, and she had matching shoes to complement it. And today, like always, it looked good on her. “Hi, Shana.”
“I don’t mean to disturb you, but I have my initial report finalized and wondered if we could meet sometime today to go over it.”
Jace shifted his gaze from her to glance at the calendar on his desk. “I’m free any time after two.”
“If possible, I’d prefer that we meet after the office closes. I want this to be a very private meeting between you, your brothers and me.”
He noted that she hadn’t included anyone from his executive team. “Caden flew out today for New York. He has a couple of concerts that had been scheduled and were too costly to get out of. However, Dalton should be free.”
“Great!”
“When Melissa returns from lunch, I’ll have her check with him to make sure that he—”
“I’d rather you didn’t. In fact, I prefer you not mention this meeting to anyone.”
He lifted a brow. “Okay, let’s say around six? That way we can be sure everyone will have left by then.”
She nodded. “I’ll see you at six. And if you don’t mind, we’ll meet in my office.”
“All right.” She then left.
He wondered just what was in her report.
* * *
Shana sat at her desk and felt her heart beating hard in her chest as both Jace and Dalton read the reports she had presented to them. This was her initial report, and once they discussed everything, she would know how to proceed from here.
She wasn’t surprised that it was Jace who finished reading first. After all, he was an attorney and was used to the legalese when it came to reviewing case studies. He glanced up from the papers and his gaze snagged hers. Immediately, she felt every hormone in her body sizzle from the intensity of his stare.
Forcing her gaze back down to the papers on her desk, she drew in a slow breath while thinking that she didn’t need this. Especially not now. They had a lot of work to do, and going over this report was just the start of it. But Jace’s presence wasn’t making it easy. His presence was taking over everything and dominating the office space, and making her very much aware of him...even with his brother in the room.
“Shit, you mean to tell us that there’s a traitor in the company?”
She lifted her gaze and glanced over at Dalton. From his outburst, one would think he was more upset with what he’d read than Jace was. That could only mean one thing. Jace already had his suspicions.
“Looks that way, doesn’t it?” Jace said easily and calmly, without displaying any strong emotions.
Dalton picked up on it, stared over at his brother and quickly reached the same conclusion that Shana had. “Damn it, Jace, you knew!”
“Not for certain,” Jace said smoothly, switching his gaze from Shana to Dalton. “But I had a hunch.”
“And you didn’t tell us?” Dalton roared, offended.
“Only because, like I said, all I had was a hunch. Besides, I figured if my suspicions were right, it would come out in Shana’s report.”
“When did you pick up on something?” Shana asked.
Jace then shifted his gaze back to her. “My grandfather has a private file stored on his computer. He shared the password with me several years ago...in case I ever needed to get into it. It was a file where he mainly documented his thoughts or ideas. One of his most recent notations, one made a week or so before his death, indicated he suspected someone within the company of divulging trade secrets and felt that was the reason we weren’t topping certain bids.”
He paused a moment and then said, “And then after reading how one of our major competitors always seemed to underbid us, I began to think Granddad’s suspicions had some merit.”
Shana nodded. “I agree. That was the first red flag that made me take notice and start digging more,” Shana said. “I have my team investigating this and we must alert the FBI.”
“The FBI?” Dalton asked, surprised. “Why would you bring them in?”
Shana glanced over at Dalton. “Mainly because the theft or misappropriation of trade secrets is a federal offense. Not to mention the kind of contract this company pulls in, primarily from the government. For a few years, Granger Aeronautics was the number one producer of aircraft parts and motors, and now they’ve lost their edge to a competitor who’s only been around a few years. If the reason they lost that edge is because someone was giving the other company...let’s say bid information, then that’s a problem.”
Dalton leaned forward in his chair. “Do you have any idea who could be behind it?” he asked, and his voice was edged with anger.
“No, and we could be looking at more than one person,” Shana replied.
Dalton didn’t say anything but thought about what she’d said. “We’re going to need proof.”
“And we’ll have it. My team is thorough and won’t stop digging until they have something. Once the FBI is involved, they’ll probably do their own thorough investigation and even a sting operation. I know the guy in charge, Marcel Eaton. He worked with my father in Boston when he and Dad were police officers.”
“Your dad was a cop?” Jace asked, surprised, being reminded of how little he knew of her personal life.
“Yes. He retired from the force after twenty years and moved here a few years ago. Marcel is very thorough, and because of my friendship with him, he will keep me in the loop. I’m glad
your grandfather suspected something.”
“I’m glad, too,” Jace said. “Now I understand why he wanted us to take things over. He felt no one would look after Granger Aeronautics like we would.”
“Until Dad comes back,” Dalton added.
Shana lifted a brow. “Your dad?”
“Yes,” Jace said, drawing in a slow, deep breath, knowing his grandfather’s thought processes. “Our grandfather believed that our mother’s killer would eventually be caught and that our father would be set free. He believed it so much that basically nothing in Dad’s office has changed. Granddad made it his business to keep everything intact, just the way Dad left it.”
“For fifteen years?” Shana said, not believing what she was hearing.
Jace nodded again. “I’m sure he didn’t think it would take this long. Granddad hired a private investigator who was supposedly the best in the business at the time.”
“What happened?” Shana asked.
“All I know is that the man died a few years ago in a car accident. I understand he’d been drinking at the time and was on his way home from a party,” Jace supplied. “Granddad thought the man was onto something big—at least that’s what the investigator claimed—but no one was able to find his report.”
Shana didn’t say anything for a minute and then spoke. “I also made several other recommendations in the report that I’m sure you saw but that you’ve yet to comment on,” she said to Jace.
Yes, he’d seen them, and a number of them involved massive department cuts. “People need their jobs now more than ever, Shana.”
“I am aware of that, Jace, but no company can afford to bear the expense of employees not doing what they are paid to do. And, if you notice, there are several departments not meeting monthly quotas. Your grandfather passed a couple of managers over for raises last year.”
Jace had noticed that, as well. “I will meet with them and put down the law. Jace’s Law. They’ll be given six months to turn their departments around or I’ll go in and make personnel changes.”
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