by Susan Meier
“I’m not saying that it’s good to be a recluse or anything,” Seth continued. “I know Ty goes too far. But there are times when it’s appropriate to let your private life be private.” He caught her gaze. “And I think this is one of them for me. I’m taking Ty’s route this time and handling this alone.”
Madelyn rose from her seat. “Okay. But when the Wall Street Journal interview is completed, do me a favor and tell Ty you’re looking for your brother.”
He shook his head. “Madelyn, don’t get your panties in a bunch over this. My P.I. isn’t going to find Cooper. Thank you for being optimistic enough to think I need to share this with Ty, but I don’t.” He pulled in a shaky breath. “This is my last attempt at finding Cooper. When it fails, I’m done. I simply need something official like a P.I. report that says he’s gone, so I can go on to the next step of my life.”
“I still think you should tell Ty….” Madelyn prodded hopefully.
He shrugged. “I don’t.”
“Seth, Ty’s going to be mad if you find Cooper or if he just shows up one day when he isn’t prepared.”
“Come on, Madelyn, Cooper’s been gone for eight years. Chances are I’m not going to find him.” He caught Madelyn’s gaze. “And neither one of us wants my overburdened big brother worrying about nothing. That’s why you’re also not going to mention this to Ty.”
Madelyn gasped. “Oh, no! You might have hired me, but I report directly to Ty. Because of Sabrina, I live with him. If you don’t tell him, I have to tell him.”
“Really? You once told me that the PR director was something like the office confessor, the one who needed to be privy to everybody’s secrets so she would know how to prevent them from becoming public knowledge. Well, I just told you something I need to be kept confidential. Are you telling me that what you said before isn’t true?”
She licked her lips. “This is different.”
“Not from where I’m sitting. You came in here as the PR director, wanting to make sure I didn’t upset Ty by telling him my P.I. can’t find Cooper. Anything I told you I told you as the PR director, expecting confidentiality.” He held her gaze with his pale green eyes. “Am I going to get it?”
She licked her lips again. Whether she liked it or not, Seth was right.
“I’ll keep your secret. But since you insist I’m speaking as the PR director, I’m also going to give you some advice as the PR director. Tell Ty you’re looking for Cooper.”
Seth laughed. “Well, if that isn’t twisting things around to suit yourself, I don’t know what is.”
“I’m not twisting things around. I’m giving you the advice you need to hear. If Cooper shows up without warning, Ty will be furious.” She turned and began walking to Seth’s door. “And he’s not going to be angry with Cooper. He’ll be furious with you for not telling him you were looking for Cooper. Technically, that advice will save your butt…. Which is really why the PR director gets to know everybody’s secrets. It’s not just my job to keep your reputation intact, it’s also my job to tell you how to save your hide.” She paused by the door. Before she opened it, she said, “If you’re smart, you’ll listen.”
Ty was immersed in work when the reporter for the Wall Street Journal arrived. Madelyn called him from the front desk to let him know she and the reporter were in the lobby and she was bringing him up. Glad the wait was over, Ty put away the files he had been working on and turned off his computer monitor. A few minutes later, there was a knock on his office door.
“Come in,” he called, rising from his seat as a young man in his twenties entered with Madelyn. Though the reporter was dressed in a dark suit, white shirt and tie, he didn’t look old enough to have graduated from college let alone be the representative of such a prestigious publication as the Wall Street Journal.
Madelyn closed the door and said, “Jeff Allen, this is Ty Bryant, Chairman of the Board and CEO for Bryant Development.”
Ty rounded his desk to shake the reporter’s hand. “How do you do?”
“I’m fine, thank you.”
“Have a seat,” Madelyn said, motioning for Ty to return to his seat before she directed Jeff to take one of the two chairs in front of Ty’s desk. She sat beside Jeff.
“Let’s get right to it,” Jeff said. “Why am I here? A privately owned company like Bryant Development doesn’t usually seek the publicity an article will bring. Why are you now?”
“There are some government contracts we want to bid on,” Ty replied, then realized that might have been a question Madelyn wanted to answer. He caught her gaze and she nodded slightly, silently telling him to keep going. He saw the encouragement in her eyes and for a second he wondered why he simply couldn’t believe that she loved him, or didn’t put some faith in her and take the leap. But this was not the time to think about that and he focused on answering Jeff Allen. “Competition for the projects is stiff. The awards don’t go to unknown, untested suppliers and contractors.”
As Ty spoke, his confidence grew. He never had a problem talking about his company. It was human contact where he fell short. “We have a great reputation but that won’t do us any good if no one knows it.”
“And that’s your message? That you have a great reputation?”
“No, the message is that we have an experienced, talented staff. That our field people are the best. That we can do any job we bid on.”
“Lots of companies can say that,” Jeff said, making notations in a small notebook.
“Yeah, but I have reports on successful private-sector projects to back up everything I claim.”
Madelyn rose and faced Jeff Allen. “You two don’t need me here. But once you’re through with Mr. Bryant, Jeff, I’ll give you a tour of the office complex.”
Before she left the room, however, she gave Ty a quick smile and guilt stabbed at him. All she ever asked of him was that he believe her. He took her advice about Sabrina and he was now a good father. He took her advice about his PR and the townspeople showed him respect. So why didn’t he simply let go and trust that she loved him?
Because of Anita. He’d permanently lost Cooper and temporarily lost faith in himself because of trusting someone too quickly. He wouldn’t do it again.
More important, though, he suddenly realized that if he didn’t do something soon to make Madelyn see he didn’t intend to change his mind about loving her, she would get hurt. As of this morning, Madelyn Gentry would be his friend and only his friend. No matter what she said or did he wasn’t deviating from that position.
The reporter interviewed Ty until one o’clock, then as PR director Madelyn gave Mr. Allen a tour of the building, introducing him to all of the department heads. As they walked, she casually tossed out a few employee names by calling out hello, hoping he’d remember those names and choose those people to interview if he went in search of employee testimonials. When the building tour was over, she invited Jeff to lunch, which he accepted, then strolled into Seth’s office. Making it appear to be a last-minute decision, she asked Seth to join them.
Ty Bryant’s number one cheerleader did exactly as Madelyn hoped he would as they ate at Porter’s diner. He talked about Ty. Not intentionally, but how could Seth avoid mentioning Ty’s name when he answered questions about his high school years or college, since Ty had been his guardian? Ty had given Seth his first job, taught him how to manage his fortune—actually, it was Ty’s business sense that had made Seth rich—and now Ty intended to raise Sabrina.
Every question the reporter asked Seth somehow related back to Ty, and Madelyn sat back and let him talk. Though the article was supposed to be about Bryant Development, most businesspeople ascribed a company’s success to its CEO, and having Seth speak of Ty’s professional and personal integrity was a perfect way to show the reporter that Bryant Development’s domination of its market was no accident.
Lunch lasted until three o’clock. When they returned to the Bryant Building Madelyn said goodbye to Mr. Allen, but knew his interviews
weren’t over. She hoped his choices for employee interviews would be the people she’d subtly directed him to.
When she glanced out her office window at five o’clock, she saw him approach Orelia Makin, a member of the legal staff who had just returned from Boston after handling a complicated matter—on her own. Ty had been scheduled to go with her, but at the last minute decided to let her go alone. Because Ty had trusted her, she stood taller, walked more efficiently, spoke more eloquently than she had the week before. And Madelyn breathed a sigh of relief. Jeff appeared to be going for the employees she wanted him to talk to.
She wasn’t surprised when Ty poked his head into her office at 5:20 p.m., his face wreathed in smiles, his tie loose. “Score another one for the home team.”
Madelyn laughed. “I guess that means you’re satisfied with the way your interview went?”
“Absolutely.”
Madelyn had never before seen Ty look so relaxed or so pleased and she realized he wasn’t being Tyrant Ty. Whatever damage she had done on Saturday by pushing him had been undone by the success of his interview. Seeing how quickly he had rebounded, she also knew that, though he would suffer setbacks, he would never permanently return to being the reclusive, distant man he had been. She really had done her job as PR person for Bryant Development. The only thing he hadn’t been able to do in the past three weeks was fall in love with her.
That broke her heart. Not only because it hurt her, but also because she knew they were good together. She knew she made him happy. She knew she could love him forever, but she finally understood why he didn’t even want to try. He genuinely believed he could not trust her, and love required trust. That hurt her, but what Ty didn’t understand was that in the long run he would hurt himself more.
Still, she smiled when she said, “Then we’re ready to go home.”
“I’m going to call Louie’s for dinner.”
“Great,” she said, following him out to the hall and into a waiting elevator. When he pressed the button for the first floor, she said, “Don’t you want to go back to your office and get your briefcase?”
“I’m not working tonight.”
Taken aback, Madelyn stared at him. “What are you going to do?”
“Well, I have to make some calls to set up final interviews for my two nanny choices. Then I thought I’d relax a bit.”
“Doing what?” Madelyn asked as the elevator door closed.
He shrugged. “It’s been years since I watched anything but football or basketball on TV. Maybe I’ll check that out.”
They stood in silence, Ty with his jacket open, his tie loose and his hands shoved comfortably in his trouser pockets and Madelyn clutching the handles of her briefcase and her purse, knowing her mouth was probably slightly open in shock. Deciding to spend an evening watching television was so uncharacteristic of Ty that she was speechless. More than that, however, the unexpected choice pointed to something neither one of them had anticipated. They still didn’t know how far his changes would take him. Though he seemed so positive he would never love anybody, he really couldn’t say that for sure. Given enough time, it appeared he could change his behavior about almost anything.
She wondered if her real course of action shouldn’t be to simply figure out a way to stay around in his life until he realized he had feelings for her. Real feelings. Feelings that could keep them together forever.
Technically she already had the perfect way to stay in his life. All she had to do was get the job as his PR director and she’d be right under his nose for as long as she needed to be.
Chapter Ten
When they arrived at Ty’s house, he said, “I have Louie’s number in the den.”
Madelyn said, “Okay,” but didn’t follow him. Instead, carrying Sabrina, she raced upstairs, intending to change into…
She paused in front of the closet she was using in Ty’s spare bedroom. Change into what?
Juggling Sabrina on her hip, she sighed. “What does a woman wear to get a man to give her a job without forgetting she’s a woman?”
Sabrina laughed.
Madelyn frowned, looking again at the things in her closet. If she wanted to seduce Ty, she could make anything sexy. But what did a woman wear to make a man interested in her both as an employee and a woman?
Setting Sabrina on the bed, Madelyn caught her reflection in the mirror. She wore a simple emerald-green suit with an ecru blouse beneath and a strand of pearls. Her hair was pulled into a professional-looking bun. After a few seconds of thought, she took off her suit jacket and freed the top two buttons of her rather sedate blouse, leaving her strand of pearls on her neck. There. Sort of sexy but not blatant. Also still businesslike enough to remind Ty she was in his life because she worked for him.
She glanced at her hair. The professional bun. Maybe a tad too professional?
The blouse and skirt were enough to remind him that she worked, had a brain and should get the job as PR director for Bryant Development because she’d done exactly what they’d hired her to do. The two open buttons of her blouse proved she was relaxed, but relaxed wasn’t feminine. And she wanted to make sure Ty saw she could fill both the professional and personal spots in his life.
She loosened her bun and let her hair fall clumsily, sexily to her shoulders. Yeah. That was it. The loose, sexy hair. It didn’t look like something she’d done on purpose, only appeared as if she’d taken out her bun. But in a world of business suits, pearls and opened buttons, the sexy red hair was her trump card.
After changing Sabrina, Madelyn took her to the kitchen and fed her cereal. Then she carried the baby into the dining room where two places were set at the shiny oak table, Ty’s at the head and hers beside it. She slid Sabrina into her high chair as Ty entered the room, holding the takeout containers.
“Hey. Food just got here,” he said, as if making an announcement to a casual friend, but his words stopped when he looked at her hair. She watched his gaze fall to the two open buttons of her blouse, but he didn’t mention either her hair or the relaxed way she was dressed. He set the cartons of food on the table then pulled out her chair.
She smiled politely. “Thanks.” As she sat, she caught a whiff of salmon and her stomach growled. “Oh, wow. That smells great.”
“I love salmon. I hope that’s okay with you.” He took his seat at the head of the table and motioned for her to help herself to the takeout.
“Yeah. I love it, too.”
She served herself from the takeout containers. Then Ty dug in. He didn’t say another word, simply began to eat, and Madelyn’s nerves tightened. She should have forgotten about getting him to notice her as a woman tonight and focused on getting him to give her the job. “So, tell me more about the interview.”
“It went beautifully. You were right. I was myself and everything worked out.”
Madelyn held back a sigh of relief. Not only did the interview go well, but also he gave her the credit for steering him in the right direction.
“I think the follow-up questions Jeff had for employees went well, too. I can casually walk around the building tomorrow…you know, ask about the interview and see if the people he spoke with will tell me what they said.”
“Good. I’d like to know.”
“Okay. No problem.”
Silence stretched between them again as they ate. Madelyn wondered if in all the stress of hiring nannies, and giving the playground presentation and the interview, Ty hadn’t forgotten about the PR job. If he had, she wasn’t going to remind him. Eventually, Seth would approach him about it and she didn’t want to look foolish or overeager by bringing it up when her work was supposed to speak for her. So she changed the subject. “Anything else interesting happen today?”
Ty hesitated, as if considering his answer, then said, “I had an odd conversation with Seth.”
Oh, no! Maybe they did talk about her getting the PR job! And maybe he was behaving oddly because the result wasn’t good! After all, her getting the job
wasn’t the only issue. Ty had never really been sure he wanted a PR department.
“He was talking like a man who is leaving.”
Because that wasn’t what she was expecting to hear, Madelyn’s breath whooshed out. “Leaving?”
“Yeah.” Ty set his fork down on his place mat and gave Madelyn his full attention. “It was the strangest conversation. He said something about being restless, wanting more…feeling something is missing and that he wants to look for it.”
Madelyn swallowed. This was just peachy. She’d led Ty directly to the one topic she had to avoid because she had promised Seth confidentiality. “Maybe he’s just going on vacation?”
“His comments didn’t sound like vacation comments. He was talking like a guy who was job hunting.”
“Because he said he was looking for something that’s missing?”
Ty shrugged. “What else could be missing? He’s got money. He has a position. Women fall all over him. The only thing ‘missing’ in his life is the challenge of seeing if he could make it on his own.”
Not knowing what else to say, Madelyn said, “Oh.”
Ty sighed. “What if he takes a job in another state then doesn’t come back, like Cooper?”
Hoping she could steer a conversation about Cooper into a conversation about anything other than Seth looking for Cooper, Madelyn said, “The way I heard the story, Cooper didn’t come back because he was angry.”
“And he stays away because he’s happy.”
The way Ty phrased that made Madelyn think he knew where Cooper was, and if that was the case she really had to get these two brothers talking. She might not be able to tell Ty that Seth was looking for Cooper, but she could sure as heck get them in the same room and tell Seth to start talking. “You know Cooper’s happy?”
“Reasonably happy.” Ty peered at her. “You don’t think I would let my brother go off on his own without at least checking to be sure he wasn’t starving in some flophouse?”
