* * *
There was a knock on my door.
Glancing at my watch, I was shocked to see it was almost two. I looked up, smiling when I saw it was Becca. “Hi.”
She entered and took a seat in front of my desk. “Hey.”
“What’s up?”
She frowned. “I haven’t seen you all morning. You didn’t come to the staff meeting.”
“Oh. Yeah. Something came up.”
“You’re not avoiding me? You seemed out of sorts earlier.”
I ran a hand through my hair and pushed my glasses up my nose. No matter how often I had them adjusted, they slipped down. It might have something to do with the way I tore them off my face several times a day and tossed them onto my desk.
Maybe.
“No, I’m good. Could we maybe talk about it over a late lunch? If you haven’t eaten yet?”
A smile played on her lips. “I haven’t. Are you asking me out, Mr. Matthews?”
“Would you say yes if I was?”
“Try me.”
“Would you have lunch with me, Becca?”
She leaned closer. “Yes, I would. On one condition.”
“Anything.”
“The lunch should be somewhere you can kiss me.”
I swallowed. “I can arrange that.”
“Okay.” She stood, crossing her arms. “I’m waiting.”
“Oh.” I jumped up from my chair. “You mean now.”
She chuckled. “If it’s a good time.”
“Yes.” I wanted to be alone with her. “Definitely a good time.”
* * *
We walked to a small place off the main road. It looked like a grocery store out front, but in the back, behind the deli and hot plate counter, was an unoccupied, small, covered patio with a few tables. “You grab a table, and I’ll get lunch. The pasta is homemade and awesome.”
“Okay.”
As she sidled past me, I slipped my arm around her waist and tugged her close. I pressed my mouth to hers, moaning when she opened for me right away and flung her arms around my neck. It was a kiss of hello and I missed you. One still full of new feelings and discovery.
She smiled as I drew back before I got carried away. The thick bushes behind us suddenly looked inviting. As if she knew what I was thinking, she grinned and sat down.
I gazed at her, mesmerized by her natural beauty. Her dark hair was in a braid today, off to one side. Her face glowed, and her eyes sparkled with happiness. She wore a deep teal-colored dress that set off her skin tone. She met my gaze with one of her own.
“You stare at me a lot.”
“I like what I see. It makes me happy.” I paused. “You make me happy, Becca Holden. It’s a rare feeling for me.”
Her smile was one of her shy ones. Probably my favorite. It was different from the businesslike smile she used in the office and the confidence she exuded. It said I pleased her, and it showed her softer side. One I knew few people saw.
“There you go, saying the perfect thing again.”
I bent low, kissing her again, hard and deep. “You make it easy.”
Leaving her gaping and flustered, I went to get us lunch.
* * *
“So you arranged to help this woman?” Becca asked, her eyes wide with surprise. “You make a call and it gets done?”
I had explained why Colin wanted to see me and why I hadn’t been at the meeting. I knew I could trust her. Aiden had known and made sure I knew what had occurred and what items I needed to follow up on. Luckily, there wasn’t much. My department was too well organized.
I finished a mouthful of pasta and shook my head. “No calls. I have a computer I only use for that purpose. It’s untraceable and unhackable. I have contacts in different organizations. I get in touch, arrange the money, then I’m out of it. The person who benefits has no idea where the money comes from.”
“Do the people you contact know where it comes from?”
I shook my head. “It took me a long time to set it all up. All they know is the money is clean and they can help those in need with it. Sometimes, I distribute the money myself. Other times I use these people. But it isn’t traceable back to me. I’m not putting Bentley at risk or his company. He knows what I do. They all do. They know the precautions I take and why I do it. I have their full support.”
“You’re like Robin Hood.”
I laughed and finished my pasta. I pushed her bowl toward her. “You need to eat while I talk. You never finish your food.”
She chuckled self-consciously. “I get so caught up in listening to you, I forget.”
“I’m not Robin Hood, Becca. It’s part of my amends toward my past. Some would argue the money isn’t clean. It’s tainted.”
She chewed, looking thoughtful. Patting her mouth with her napkin, she met my gaze. “Like my father, you mean?”
I shrugged. “Others as well, I’m sure.”
“I disagree. You went to jail. You did your penance. You paid them back the money plus the interest they lost. You owe them nothing, and they took four years of your life.” Her voice shook.
I was shocked to see the glimmer of tears in her eyes. I reached for her hand and squeezed it. Her emotions got me every time. “It’s okay, Becca. It’s in the past.”
A tear ran down her cheek. “I feel as if you were the one robbed.”
I wiped the moisture from her skin. “I like to think it happened for a reason. Because of being in jail, I worked hard to learn everything I could. I got a job with an amazing company. I get to help people who need it. People, who, like me years ago, get overlooked.” I wrapped my hand around hers, stilling her fidgeting fingers. “I got to meet you.”
I met her gaze. “I’d do it all over again if it meant I got to meet you.”
She sniffled, offering me a watery smile. “You say the best things.”
I winked then indicated her half-eaten bowl of ziti. “Are you going to finish that?”
She pushed it my way. “No.”
I polished it off in about five minutes. I had gained a new appreciation for food when I got out of prison after four years of bland. The textures and spices. The smells and nuances of different cultures. I loved trying new dishes. Becca enjoyed experimenting as well, and Toronto was a melting pot of ethnicity. I looked forward to discovering lots of new places with her.
“So, can I ask you something?”
I swallowed the last mouthful. “You can ask anything.”
“What is the deal with Colin?”
My hand holding my glass of water froze partway to my mouth. “Excuse me?”
She began to laugh and reached across the table, patting my arm. “I should have phrased that better.” She lifted one eyebrow in a gesture I was too familiar with after working with Sandy.
It said: Busted.
“You were a little abrupt with him this morning.”
“We worked it out.”
“You weren’t actually jealous, were you?”
I looked down at the table and shrugged. “This is all new for me, BB. All I saw was a handsome guy handing you what I thought was his number. I realize it was stupid and my reaction was over the top.” I met her gaze. “But I also realized I have no claim on you. You are free to date anyone you want.” I swallowed the bitterness I felt.
She studied me for a moment then smiled. “No one has ever been jealous regarding me before. You were kinda cute.” She sat back. “Even if it was, as you say, over the top.”
“I apologize.”
“I would never date someone else while I was with you, Reid. If you don’t understand that, let me reassure you right now.”
“Me, either. You’re it for me, Becca. Done and dusted.”
Her eyes grew round.
“I mean . . .” I scrubbed my face in frustration, realizing how that sounded. “I mean I don’t want to date anyone else.”
“Okay.”
I sighed. “So much for saying the right thing.”
&
nbsp; She chuckled. “You did fine.”
“So what did you want to know about Colin?”
“Oh. How on earth is he Sandy’s grandson? He must be thirty. She told me she turns fifty-five next month. Is he adopted?”
I leaned back. “Ah, no. Sandy was a bit of a wild child. When she was eighteen, she married a man who was forty and had a son her age already. His son—Aaron—got married and had Colin when he was twenty-four, and a daughter, Jennifer, a couple of years later. She was a very young grandmother.”
“Wow!”
“I know.”
“Is she still married?”
“Yes. Her husband, Max, was a doctor. He retired years ago, and his health isn’t great. But they are still together. She looks after him with some home care help. He still adores her and she him.”
“And she got on well with his son?”
“Yep. They are great friends, and Sandy loves Colin to bits. He gets a kick out of telling people she’s his grandmother—they never believe him. He teases her about it a lot.”
“You’ve spent a lot of time with them?”
I drained my water. “Yes. When I joined the company, Sandy took pity on me and fed me a few times. Max is great, and I enjoy talking to him. I’ve only met Aaron a couple of times, but he seems like a nice guy. He lives in Ottawa but comes for visits to see Colin, Max, and Sandy often. Aaron’s daughter, Jennifer, lives in Europe, so Sandy doesn’t see her granddaughter very often. I haven’t even met her.”
“Sandy never had kids?”
“No.”
“Sandy would have been a great mom.”
“I think that’s why she is so close to Colin.”
“Makes sense.”
“Anyway, I rigged a bunch of things at their house to make it easier for them. Colin sees them a lot, so we became friendly. I heard him telling Sandy one day about a patient he was worried about, and I told him what I did. Since then, on occasion, he asks for help.”
“Wow. That must be quite a story—Sandy, I mean.”
“I don’t know everything, but she told me some history. It caused a huge scandal, I guess—the age difference and him having a son her age. She knew Aaron first, and they were friends. She met Max at some social function, and she said it was love at first sight for them both. They went through a lot, but they made it.”
We walked back to the office, our fingers entwined. In the elevator, Becca turned to me. “Thanks for lunch.”
“Anytime.”
“Can I repay you with dinner tomorrow?”
I didn’t hesitate. “Yep.”
She pressed a kiss to my mouth before the doors opened and our hands separated. I followed her down the hall, pausing in my doorway when she spoke my name softly.
“Reid?”
I turned. “Yeah, BB?”
She glanced around quickly, then kissed me again.
“You do have a claim. I wanted you to know that,” she declared, then hurried away.
The grin never left my face the rest of the afternoon.
Reid
I stared at the computer screen—for the first time in my life, I didn’t understand the images in front of me. I restarted the video, slowing it down, trying to memorize the instructions. I was failing big-time. I glanced at my phone, checking the time. It was after seven, and the office was empty. I studied the screen again, thinking of Becca’s offhand remarks over lunch at my desk earlier that day.
“Bentley’s wedding is in two weeks—how exciting!”
I nodded, noncommittal.
“What’s the matter? Are you an I-hate-weddings kind of guy?”
I chuckled, looking at her sandwich, wondering if she was going to eat the other half. She’d been working on the first half for a solid ten minutes. My entire sandwich was gone in five. “I have no idea. I’ve never been to one.”
She gasped. “Really? I love weddings!”
“Nope.” I tugged on her plate. “You gonna eat that, BB?”
With a laugh, she pushed the plate my way. “You’re hanging around Aiden far too much. You’re beginning to eat like him.”
I picked up the sandwich with a grin. “I’m still a growing boy. So why do you love weddings so much?”
She leaned her elbow on my desk, propping her chin in her hand as she gazed past me out the window. “I don’t know. The beautiful dresses, the words of love, the flowers, and everyone smiling.” She shrugged. “It’s really nice. The speeches are usually long, but I imagine since it’s Aiden and Maddox speaking, they’ll be pretty entertaining. Later, we can dance!”
I almost choked. “Dance?” I managed to get out.
She bobbed her head enthusiastically. “I know we’re not announcing we’re a couple, but you’ll dance with me, right?” She moved her index finger around the desk in small circles. “If you’d rather not, I can ask Craig or someone else.” A little grin tugged on her lips. “I think I heard Sandy say Colin was bringing her. I’m sure he’d dance with me.”
I narrowed my eyes. “I don’t think so. You want to dance? Then we’ll dance, Ms. Holden. I’m claiming all of them. Now.”
She stood, brushing off her skirt, fighting a smile. “If you insist.”
“I do.”
“Yep. That’s part of the wedding! Look at you getting into the spirit!”
She picked up her phone and left.
It was only after she’d walked out that I realized she’d played me.
Damn, she was good.
Really, though, I was fine with it since I didn’t want anyone else dancing with her.
Except, I had no idea how to dance. I had never attended a dance growing up, two-stepped with a woman in a country bar, or even swayed with someone in a drunken haze.
More virgin territory.
That was why, on a Friday night, I was studying dance videos and websites. Surely, it couldn’t be that difficult? Lots of people did it. I had seen Becca dance. She was graceful and fluid. I just needed to make sure I didn’t stomp on her toes. I looked back at the screen and realized watching wasn’t going to cut it. I needed to practice.
I checked the hallway, glancing up and down. It was deserted. Satisfied, I returned to my desk and turned on my wall of monitors. I studied the movements for several minutes, then pushed off my desk. I recalled the instructional tutorial from earlier.
Relax.
Keep your head up and back straight.
Listen to the music.
Let your body feel the rhythm.
I rolled my shoulders, already confused. How was I supposed to relax but keep my back straight and my head up? I decided to go with relax.
I hung my head and listened to the music. It had a nice tempo. Self-conscious, I tapped my foot to the beat and attempted to follow the steps on the screen. I was awkward and stiff. I kept going the wrong way instead of the way they instructed. I stumbled and had to right myself.
It was much harder than it looked.
I tried again, cursing loudly when I slammed into the corner of my desk. I kicked at the edge, wondering how bad it would really be if Becca danced with Colin. He had a girlfriend, after all.
The flash of jealousy that hit me at the thought of her in his arms instead of mine made me try again. This time, I tripped over a chair.
I stood up, brushing off my pants as I heard the sound of clapping. Startled, I spun around to see Aiden in the doorway, his expression amused. He indicated the monitors behind me.
“What the hell are you doing?”
I hit the end button. “Nothing.”
He walked in, his shoulders shaking from laughter. “I think you were attempting to dance, but at first, I wasn’t sure if you were having a seizure or drunk.”
“It wasn’t that bad.”
He met my gaze. “Yeah, kid, it was.”
I sighed, dropping my head to my chest. “Becca wants to dance at Bent’s wedding.”
“And?”
“It’s another punch card, Aiden. I don’t know how to
dance. I have never danced in my life!”
He frowned. “Not even when you’re alone in your boxers making a sandwich and a good song comes on the radio? You don’t start busting a move?”
“First off, thanks for the visual, and second, no. Never. And I don’t think ‘busting a move’ is what Becca wants. She wants slow and romantic—” I jerked my thumb in the direction of the wall “—like they’re doing.”
He rubbed his chin and shook his head. “I think that’s a little out-of-date for Becca. She wants you to dance, not waltz.”
“Dammit, I wasted a couple of hours.”
He snorted. “Boy, if that was after a couple of hours, I wouldn’t want to see what you looked like to start.” He shrugged off his jacket and rolled up his sleeves. “Okay, let’s get at it.”
“What?”
He grinned. “You wanna learn how to dance? I’m gonna show you.”
* * *
“Seriously, could you step on my foot again? I think there’s one toe you haven’t bruised or broken yet,” Aiden grumbled.
“It’s not my fault. You have such big feet.”
“You know what they say about big feet . . .” Aiden waggled his eyebrows.
“Fuck. Knock it off. Do you really need your hand on my ass?” I complained again, reaching behind me to tug his arm higher.
“Trust me, when you’re dancing with Becca, that’s where it will end up. Cami likes my hand there, right around the curve of her—”
I stepped back, holding up my hands. “Dude, I am not Cami.”
“No shit. Her ass is great, and she’s graceful. You need to relax.”
“I can’t relax! You keep telling me what to do and hugging me . . . and feeling me up! It’s just not right, Aiden!”
“Me telling you what to do, or the hugging part? Because, seriously—I like the feeling up part.” He winked. “You’re a little bony, but if I batted for the other team, I’d go for you.”
I rolled my eyes. “You are so immature.”
He held out his arms, waiting for me to take his hand. “Okay, again. You need a lot of practice.”
With a sigh, I stepped into position. “Watch where you put your hands,” I growled.
Vested Interest Box Set Books 4-7 Page 11
