One to Win

by Michelle Monkou

  “My grandmother would say that I’m a handful.”

  Leo nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly with the sentiment. “I appreciate you popping over, but how can I help you?”

  She unfastened the top button of her starched white shirt. “We used to have our lunch treats. I don’t know about you, but I miss it a lot.”

  He came around from behind his desk and buttoned her shirt and walked back to his seat. “That was the Hamptons.”

  She unpinned the bun in her hair. “Location doesn’t affect my appetite.”

  He moved papers from one side of the desk to the other. If he didn’t, he’d run his hand through her hair, clutch a handful and bring her halfway across the desk for a kiss.

  “And this desk is the perfect width.” She dragged her finger over the surface. “And the perfect length. Like a certain body part I know.” She puckered her lips.

  Damn. He was hard.

  “I can’t. My secretary may come in.”

  “No, she won’t. I told her that I didn’t want to be disturbed for about twenty minutes.” She crossed her legs. “It’s all clear.”

  Leo sat back in his chair. His woman was unbelievable. And she was making it difficult to say no to the temptation.

  She scooted over the surface of the desk until she was in front of him. She slowly slid her legs open. “Commando,” she mouthed.

  His phone buzzed. He took a deep breath and checked the incoming message.

  Ready to talk.

  Leo sat forward. Dresden. “Fiona, I’m going to have to get with you a little later. I have to take this.” He waved the phone.

  She pouted but didn’t move.

  He kissed the tip of her nose, but his focus was on contacting Dresden before the man refused to take his calls. “Scoot. I have got to get to work.”

  “Remember this. When you come to my office to get down and dirty, I’ll give you the brush-off.”

  “You have a cubicle.” He winked.

  “And that makes it a sweeter challenge.” She adjusted her clothing, leaving her hair to fall onto her shoulders, and exited his office with a delicious sway to her hips.

  * * *

  “Well, ladies, on a weeknight, we’re here. It’s time to go see what our grandmother wants.” Fiona was the first to get to the door. Dana and Belinda followed, fussing about the scheduled family meeting at their grandparents’ upstate New York home.

  The door opened and Mrs. Finch popped into view.

  “Mrs. Finch, I didn’t expect to see you here.” Fiona hugged the house manager and waited for her cousins to get through their greetings.

  “I’ll be working over this way for a bit until after the birthday celebration.”

  “That’s good news for us because we are over our heads with this stuff,” Dana admitted before Fiona could offer a similar confession.

  “Let’s get together after the meeting tonight and clear up a few details for the birthday,” Belinda said.

  “Sounds good, ladies. Well, go on into the living room. Everyone is here.”

  Fiona again led the way to the living area. She made the rounds exchanging hellos.

  “As you know, we’ve been trying to reach out to Dresden. Good news is that he responded to my letter.”

  “Great!” Fiona exclaimed louder than anyone else. “So when do we meet him?”

  “He’s only meeting with Leo.” Grace raised her hand to squelch the chatter. “I don’t want to overwhelm the young man. But since that’s a go, the next thing that I want to discuss is having him there at the birthday party.”

  “Awkward, Grandma.” Dana shook her head. “Do you plan to include him in the family video montage?”

  “You can’t,” Verona shook her head, too. Her panicked expression was available for all to see. “The guests...they don’t know.”

  “Why don’t we make a public statement before the birthday in the spirit of family togetherness?” Fiona suggested.

  “Can’t. Or rather, we won’t do that without Dresden’s permission. I want to be as sensitive as possible, although I dearly want to do whatever it takes for him to be at the birthday celebration.” Grace sat next to Verona. Their obvious unity over the matter showed in Verona’s hand in Grace’s.

  “How do we know what he’s going to do?” Dana looked around the room. Naturally, every member of the family was there.

  “Leo is heading off to see Dresden this evening.” Verona shared the news.

  “Where is that?”

  “Canada. Toronto.”

  Fiona nodded at each revelation, pretending that she knew that Leo was gone and what his destination was.

  “When does Leo get back?” Belinda asked the question, her attention bouncing between Grace and Fiona.

  “Don’t know yet. He was on his way to the airport about an hour ago. Fiona, did he give you any further details?”

  She shook her head. Further details? He hadn’t told her one thing about it, nor about going on a flight.

  “I would also like to announce the expansion of the family foundation’s focus to include single parents. In the meantime, let’s put our heads together to come up with a few organizations for consideration. And I want my daughters to run the foundation.”

  Silence descended like a two-ton boulder. Grace had always touted her granddaughters as the keepers of the legacy and continuation of Meadows Media’s success. They certainly didn’t need an additional task on their plates.

  Fiona clapped, cheering on the grand gesture toward her mother and aunts. They were not left out or seen as no longer relevant. Although her mother had never shared those thoughts, the general feeling from the outside was that Grace had faith in only her granddaughters. Before long, the others were also cheering and hugging over the news.

  “All right, enough of that. We’ve got work to do,” Grace said.

  “Could you excuse me for one sec?” Fiona headed out of the room and aimed for the library. She needed privacy to make her call. The phone rang, but Leo didn’t answer. She let it go to voice mail to leave a message, except her phone beeped with an incoming call.

  “Leo? Why didn’t you tell me that you had talked to Dresden? And that you were going to Toronto. I had to find out from my grandmother in front of everyone. And they think that I know what’s going on. But I didn’t know squat.” She stopped, as her frustration petered out.

  “Let’s talk when I get back,” he said. The background noise from wherever he was interjected itself.

  “No. I want to talk now.”

  “I didn’t have time to tell you that I was leaving for Toronto. Dresden had changed his mind and I didn’t want to give him time to pull back the offer.”

  “But you didn’t tell me that you’d been in touch at all.”

  “I’m still working for Grace. The fact that you were brought up to date came from your mother and Grace. But I still have my original assignment, which I was hired to do.”

  “But you know how important this is to me.”

  “And you know how important my job is to me.” He sighed. “Look, I’m sorry that you feel left out of the picture. We’ll talk more when I get back.”

  “Sorry for jumping down your throat. Have a safe trip.” Fiona hung up the phone and exhaled.

  She doubted that they would talk about it to her satisfaction when he got home. Part of the unspoken issue was that she wanted a true partnership. Sometimes, she felt that they had gotten past their own hurdles, but then she could feel him retreating or her wanting to leap forward. The mistiming scared her; she worried that they weren’t in sync and might not ever be the right fit.

  A knock on the door broke her out of her reverie.

  Her mother entered and hovered close enough to touch her. “Hey, I was checking to see if yo
u’re okay. You looked upset.”

  “It’s nothing. I had to talk to Leo.”

  “Everything okay?” Her mother’s concern moved her.

  “Yeah. We’re still working out some kinks.”

  Verona rubbed her arm. “There will always be kinks. And that’s the beauty of falling in love.”

  “Mom...”

  “You don’t think that you’re in love? Please. It’s all over your face when you’re with him, when you’re thinking about him and when you think it’s not going right. Both of you are playing musical chairs with that one chair that might leave one of you standing because you’re not thinking about the other. You’re both very much in your own heads, as if it’s a game that only one can win.” Verona walked back to the door. “Now, come on. We’ve got a birthday to plan.”

  * * *

  Leo sat in the hotel lobby, feeling anything but in control. This job wasn’t about his success. After all, he’d found Grace’s grandson and now had managed to make contact. The rest of this unique situation was about making Fiona happy, and he knew that part of the equation involved meeting her brother. Something that he should have made happen much earlier.

  “Mr. Starks.” Dresden approached from behind and moved into view.

  Leo stood—otherwise, he’d have had to crane his neck to get the full view of Dresden. “Call me Leo, please.”

  They sat in the corner of the lobby. Not much foot traffic on a midweek afternoon in the area. Although he was in Canada, Leo knew all he’d see would be departing and arriving flights, due to the hotel’s proximity to the airport.

  “I’m glad that you agreed to meet me.” Leo opted to start the conversation.

  “I didn’t think that I had a choice, since you weren’t going to stop sending the letters.”

  Leo failed to hide his surprise. So he had gotten the letters. “Grace is desperate to open conversation.”

  At the mention of her name, Dresden’s mouth tightened.

  “Who are you to the family? Are you one of the sons or grandsons?”

  “I’m a lawyer, one of many who work with the family.” No need to mention his ties to Fiona. Too much suspicion already brewed in Dresden’s demeanor. “We wanted to handle the meeting as delicately as possible and according to your wishes.”

  “Aren’t they afraid of me blabbing about being the lost, abandoned child?”

  “Grace would love to share the news with everyone. Her birthday celebration is next month and she’s hoping that you agree to be there.”

  “To be brought before the queen. What about her daughter?”

  “Your mother... Verona...would like to meet you, too.”

  “That’s not happening.” Dresden’s hands clenched on the ends of the armrest. “As a matter of fact, none of it is happening. I came out of curiosity. Nothing more.”

  Leo didn’t push. How could he, when the situation demanded understanding and patience? Dresden deserved respect for his own feelings.

  “Does Verona have other kids?”

  “A daughter...Fiona.”

  Dresden nodded. “And she knows?”

  “Only recently. She really would like to meet you.”

  “Why? To convince me to meet her mother?”

  Leo couldn’t know what was on Fiona’s mind, but he knew that her desire to meet Dresden had more to do with her own emotions than the desire to be a cheerleader on her mother’s behalf. “She is her own woman.”

  “Look, I’m glad that I met you. I’m still not sure about the family. But I won’t close the door on ever meeting them.”

  “That’s all I can ask of you. I’m here until tomorrow. If you’d like to meet or ask me any questions, I’m here.”

  “Thanks.” Dresden stood, shook his hand and left.

  One thing that Leo noticed was that Dresden didn’t waffle with indecision. But in this case, he hoped that tonight Dresden would be overcome with some level of curiosity, if not deeper emotions, and agree to meet again. He liked the man on paper. Meeting him in person didn’t change his initial judgment. And he was sure that Grace and the rest of the family would rally around him. As for Fiona, she did deserve to meet, if not bond, with her brother. He hoped that within the next twenty-four hours, Dresden would reach out and see him again before he returned to New York.

  Chapter 11

  Another missing-persons case added to the pile. Fiona walked out of the department briefing hoping that this case would have a happy ending. While some cases involved criminal mischief, this particular one was about life’s sad realities. An elderly man suffering from dementia had wandered off from the family home the previous night. A multidepartmental task force would get busy with a search of the area. Every minute was critical.

  “Hey, Fiona, someone is here to see you.” Jacinda popped her head into the cubicle.

  “Family member?” She looked at her watch. No meetings were set up until later that morning.

  “Nah. Good-looking dude, though.” Jacinda winked at her. “I thought you were all lovey-dovey with Lawyer Man.”

  “Where’s he at?” Fiona wanted to cut off Jacinda’s probing of her personal life.

  “Down the hall in the meeting room. I’ll be rolling out in a half hour if you want to ride with me.”

  “Cool. Come get me if I’m not done. I wasn’t expecting anyone. Shouldn’t take long.”

  Jacinda gave her a thumbs-up and left.

  Fiona couldn’t imagine who was here to see her. But she had a full day ahead of her. No time for personal visits from a possible former boyfriend. She pushed open the conference room door, now curious to see her visitor.

  “Fiona, good morning.”

  “Dresden? What are you doing here?” Fiona was more than a little flustered to see her brother.

  Shock slowed down her brain function. First, her family had never shown up at her workplace. Just as most people avoided voluntarily visiting the hospital, her cousins preferred to steer clear of the police precinct. Besides, her personal life and work life didn’t mix. In order to maintain her sanity for what she had to do in her job, she kept her worlds separate. Now Dresden had shown up looking upset and eager to talk to her.

  “Coffee?” Fiona asked.

  “No. I’ve been in town for a few days. I’m flying out at noon. But I wanted to talk to you.”

  “Okay, have a seat.” His unease sparked a similar reaction in her.

  She didn’t outwardly show surprise that he had been in town and hadn’t contacted her, keeping her disappointment to herself. He didn’t owe her anything.

  Fiona needed to hear what he wanted, but she also didn’t have a lot of time to wait for him to reveal why he was there. She cleared her throat, which seemed to snap his attention back to the present.

  “Grace’s letter started it all. I read it almost every day.” He rested his hands on the table. His gaze aimed downward on his fingers. “And it says everything that I wanted it to say when I found out that I was adopted. My parents didn’t hide it from me.”

  Fiona nodded. She didn’t want to interrupt him now that he’d shared this information.

  “But in that letter, she says that she wants to meet me. The family wants to meet me.” His fingers curled in. His mouth tightened. She guessed that it was anger. “The Meadows family wants to meet me.”

  “Yes, we all do. I was lucky enough to meet you. I appreciate that you allowed it.”

  “Why wouldn’t I? Yeah, it took almost a month after getting the emails from Leo, but I had to work through a few things.” He looked at her and she felt as if she were looking in a mirror. The roundish shape of their eyes matched. “We have the same mother. Besides, Leo had said how special it would be to meet you.” Dresden nodded. “He was right. It was special.”

  “Lo
oks like I have Leo to thank, then.” She tucked Leo’s consideration to her heart.

  “But I can’t meet the rest. I don’t want to. Leo told me to think about it. I guess Grace must have pushed him to get an answer from me. But I can’t.” He shook his head. “I’m not ready.”

  “You don’t have to do anything that you don’t want to. I hope you’re not feeling pressured to meet the family.”

  Dresden shrugged. “I know they will be disappointed. Leo told me that he hadn’t gone back to his village in Brazil after he was adopted.”

  “But your reluctance is understandable because it was from birth.” She didn’t mean to have an outburst. This personal conversation between Leo and him unsettled her, made her question why she wasn’t Leo’s confidante.

  “Love is a strange thing, though. How does loving someone depend on how you were loved?”

  “What did you say?” Fiona sensed that this conversation was turning into an analysis of Leo and her. The tenet sounded too familiar, too similar to the source of conflict that arose frequently between her and Leo.

  “I hope Leo wouldn’t let fear dictate his relationship with you.”

  “I don’t know what to say.” She really didn’t know.

  “I know he’s a busy man and I left him a message. But I wanted to say that it was nice meeting you, Fiona.” Dresden stood.

  Numb and confused, she also pushed back her chair and stood. “Thanks for coming in, Dresden. Whenever you’re ready to meet, I’m here and the family is here.”

  He nodded and left the room.

  Fiona stayed put, reeling from the sudden loss that she felt as her brother walked out of her life. She wanted to run after him and beg him to stay, give them all a chance. But his reluctance was understandable. Hopefully, time could heal all wounds. Hopefully, Grace’s letter would continue to be the inspiration that brought Dresden back into the fold.

  “Yo, Fiona, we’ve got to roll.” Jacinda jingled her keys.

  “Let’s go find Mr. Lowenstein.” Fiona did the mental switch back to her work. Everything imploding in her personal life would have to wait.

  * * *