“Cassie!”
“Oh, look I just bought you a gift certificate, too.” She sent the confirmation to Ally’s email. “And Wednesday night, you’ll take Jonathan to dinner at hmm, the most romantic restaurant in town. Here’s a steakhouse downtown that’s supposed to be good. I see big food, intimate tables, candlelight and wine.”
“We haven’t gone out for dinner for ages.”
“Okay, you have a reservation at eight.” She forwarded that to Ally’s email, too.
“But...”
“Oh, look, I just bought you a gift certificate there, too. Wow. You’ve got things to do, Ally-cat.”
“Cassie! Since when are you my fairy godmother?”
Cassie leaned back and smiled. “I like to think I always was, but I’ve been slacking off for a while. Time to play catch-up.”
“You shouldn’t.”
“I did. Bippity boppity boo.”
“I’m scared, Cassie.”
Cassie sobered that her sister sounded so uncertain. “He loves you, Ally. He told you so. You just need to start fresh and remember why you’re crazy about each other.”
“But a baby...”
“Forget that for the moment. Just let it go. You don’t want to lose each other over it.”
“No.” There was new resolve in Ally’s tone.
“And send Mom on a road trip. Alaska would be good. Maybe Chile.” Ally laughed. “While she’s gone, change those locks.”
“She’ll be offended.”
“Tell her that you and Jonathan are having sex in every room at every hour of the day and you don’t want her to be shocked.”
Ally laughed. “Cassie!” Then she gave a little squee. “Look at all these emails. You really did it.”
“Of course, I really did it.”
Ally sighed. “I’m sorry I was so angry with you. Why did you do it, Cassie?”
Cassie dropped her gaze. Ally still lived in that town and her throat tightened at even the prospect of naming names. “I can’t talk about it. I’m sorry.”
“Did you have a good reason?”
“I thought so.”
“But now?”
Cassie bit her lip. “I still think there wasn’t really a choice, but the truth is that all the choices sucked. No matter what I’d done, it would have haunted me. It still does.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Me, too.” Cassie cleared her throat. “So, you go and have fun and tell Jonathan the truth while you’re at it.”
“I will.”
“Let me know how it works out.”
“I will.” Ally’s voice softened. “Thank you, Cassie.”
“You’re welcome, Ally-cat.” Cassie stared at her phone for a long moment after her sister was gone. Once again, she was tempted to call Reid, just to talk to him and hear his voice, but she remembered his disdain for women who tried to change the deal.
If she ever called him again, she needed to have a good reason.
Reid wasn’t looking forward to his discussion with Chase, but it had to be done.
For Lionel.
For Lisa.
For Cassie.
For the future to be different from the past.
The other man looked up warily from his lunch when Reid approached. Reid had checked in and spoken to the supervisor, and been pointed into the lunchroom.
“What are you doing here?” Chase demanded when Reid paused in front of him.
“I wanted to talk to you.”
“Why here?”
“Because you’re sober.”
Chase’s eyes flashed and he glanced around. He was eating by himself, though, and no one had overheard. “That’s not your business.”
“No, it’s not.” Reid pulled out a chair and sat down. “But I just offered Lisa a part-time job and she was concerned about your reaction, so I said I’d talk to you.”
“Lisa doesn’t need a job.”
“Oh, I think she does. I think she needs a lot of things, like a bank account and a job.”
Chase bristled. “My wife is none of your business...”
“My employees are my business.” Reid removed the copied sheet of paper from his pocket and unfolded it, then handed it to Chase.
“What the hell is this?”
“Read it for yourself.” Reid sat back, watching the other man.
Chase’s belligerence faded into dismay, then he glowered at Reid. “Where’d you get that?”
“I found it in Marty’s notes.”
“You don’t know that it’s true.”
“Sadly, I do know that it’s true.”
“You can’t. Not unless she told.”
“I can, because I saw that Lisa had a bruise on her wrist. Marty used to say that people didn’t often change.”
Chase met his gaze, his own filled with antagonism. “What do you want?”
“I want to negotiate.”
The other man tore the sheet in half, then shredded it. “With what?”
“You don’t really think that I brought the only copy of that and just handed it to you?” Reid asked. “There’s a picture of it on my phone. There’s a copy in my safety deposit box.”
“You haven’t shown it to anyone, have you?”
“That’s what we’re going to talk about. Because I think that Jim Price would be interested, whether you say it’s true or not.”
Chase paled at the mention of the man who owned the plant.
“He knew Marty, you know. They used to play poker together one Friday night a month. I’m thinking he’d recognize Marty’s handwriting and believe his assessment. And I’m thinking, that as a man with three daughters and six granddaughters, he might not be very happy to have a predator amongst his employers.”
“You can’t take away my job, not like that.”
“I wouldn’t be taking anything away, Chase. I’d be revealing your truth and you’d have to finally deal with the repercussions from that.”
The other man pushed aside his lunch. “What do you want?”
“I want to hire Lisa. I want her to have her own bank account. And I don’t want to see any more bruises on either her or Lionel.”
“So now you want my wife? Are you doing her?”
“No, I’m not,” Reid said with impatience.
“Then why? Why are you pushing yourself into this?”
“Because you’re just like my dad,” Reid said coldly, letting his anger fill his gaze. Chase was startled. “I watched him destroy my mother. Because I was just a kid, I couldn’t help her. But I won’t watch that happen ever again.”
“And all you want is for Lisa to take this job?”
“Oh no, that’s just the first thing I want.” Reid folded his arms across his chest. “You see, Marty also believed that people could change, if they had the right motivation. I think I might have found yours.”
Chase glared at him.
“You’re going to go to AA. They have a meeting right here in town, tonight.”
“There is no way...” Chase began to bluster but Reid pulled out his phone.
“Oh, look, here’s the scanned document. And here’s Jim’s email. I can send him a message with this as an attachment and you might be out of work before your lunch break is over.”
“Wait!” Chase reached across the table, but didn’t touch Reid. “You can’t hold this over me forever.”
“Five years. Five years of you going to AA every week and I’ll burn the original before your eyes.”
“Five years?”
Five years. Lionel would be an adult, possibly at college somewhere. Lisa would have her confidence back. They could make their own decisions then, in a way they couldn’t right now.
“The term isn’t negotiable.”
“Doesn’t seem like much of anything is,” Chase grumbled.
“You could say no,” Reid agreed, his finger hovering over the Send button.
“You’re not doing her?”
Reid shook his head.
“You never will do her?”
“Never.”
“All right,” Chase agreed heavily and offered his hand to shake on it. There was a glint in his eyes that warned Reid this wasn’t completely resolved, but he shook his hand anyway. He left the lunchroom then, feeling Chase’s stare upon him as he walked to the door.
What would Chase do?
He’d call Ryan, of course.
Reid would be ready.
On Wednesday afternoon, the partners had their usual meeting at F5. Tyler looked more delicious than usual in a dark suit and white shirt. Once upon a time, Cassie would have been happy to sit and stare at him all day long, but on this day, she was thinking of how great Reid had looked in a suit at the christening. His look had been hotter, maybe because it had shown her a side of him that she hadn’t expected.
Something was different about Tyler, though.
It was the swagger. Ty was pleased about something, unable to keep a little smile from playing over his lips.
Kyle was his usual cocky self, albeit with a better tan than he would usually have so early in the year. He was crowing about his victory over Hunter in the dance contest the previous Friday and Hunter was daring him to defend his title in two night’s time.
To Cassie’s surprise, Damon was back, although she appeared to be the only one who hadn’t expected him. “Come to present your plan for the Chicago branch,” she teased as they gathered in the conference room.
“Actually, no,” he said with a wince. “I think Ty’s probably right that it’s too soon, plus it looks like Haley and I will be back in town soon.”
“What happened?”
“The job she took was cut for budget considerations.”
“After she moved and everything?” Kyle was incredulous.
“They made financial compensation. And she called her old boss in Queens, and they hadn’t filled the similar job that they’d offered her.” Damon raised his hands. “So, we’ll be back.”
“Right after you sold your mom’s house,” Tyler noted. “That’s bad luck.”
Damon nodded. “It’s okay. It’ll give us a fresh start.”
Cassie watched him, thinking of his mom’s illness and his own PTSD. She reached over and gave him an impulsive hug. “A fresh start sounds perfect.”
He smiled at her shyly, surprised and pleased. “Haley thinks so, too.” He eyed Cassie. “Good trip home?”
“Yes,” Cassie said, knowing she couldn’t say it had been uneventful.
“Let’s get Theo on the line,” Kyle said. “I want to hear those party plans. We’re going to make history when we open F5W.”
“He’s just finishing a call,” Sonja called from reception. “He says give him five.”
“Done!” Kyle cocked a finger at Ty. “This is the part where you get all grim about us exceeding the spending budget yet coming up with fewer members than anticipated.”
“Is it?” Ty asked mildly.
The other partners exchanged glances. “It’s better, though, right?” Cassie asked Kyle with concern.
“Your new plan is rocking. The increased ad spend is having an impact, and the retargeted message,” Kyle acknowledged. “We’re still not where I wanted to be, but we’re making better progress. We’ll be close by the opening.”
There was a moment of silence as the three partners watched Tyler, waiting for his comment. He didn’t make one.
“You feeling all right, Ty?” Damon asked.
“Better than ever.” Ty beamed at them all. “Why?”
“Where’s your pod?” Kyle demanded and Ty laughed.
The other three partners exchanged worried glances.
“It’s bad, isn’t it?” Cassie asked.
“The entire financial structure of F5 is going to tumble like a house of cards,” Kyle guessed.
“I do a better job than that,” Ty scoffed.
“Then what?” Damon demanded. “What’s different?”
“Can you really tell?” Ty asked.
“Yes!” they responded in a chorus.
That grin curved his lips again. “Amy’s pregnant.”
Cassie sat down hard in shock. Kyle’s triumphant shout ensured that no one noticed her reaction. He shook Ty’s hand and thumped him on the back, then Damon congratulated him. Theo cleared his throat on the speaker, demanding to know what all the noise was about, and it was chaos for a few moments.
Cassie took the time to compose herself. “When’s the big day?” she was able to ask brightly once things quieted down.
“The middle of September,” Ty said with obvious pleasure. “We were waiting to get through the first trimester.”
“You should have told us sooner!” Kyle protested.
“We waited a bit to tell everyone because Amy had an early miscarriage just after Christmas,” Ty explained. “But this time, everything looks to be on track. The doctor said that’s pretty common and not to be worried.”
“But you are,” Cassie guessed and he shrugged.
Then he pulled out a picture from his briefcase with pride. It was the ultrasound.
Kyle turned his head one way and then the other as he looked at it. “I can never figure these things out.”
“Sure you can,” Ty said, indicating with the tip of his finger. “His face is in profile, then there’s a hand and a foot, another hand, another foot...”
“Just two of each, right?” Kyle teased and got a look.
“You said his,” Damon noted.
Ty winked at him, then indicated a tiny penis. Cassie wouldn’t have noticed it on her own, but once she saw it, she couldn’t miss it.
“The legacy continues,” Kyle said, giving Ty a high five. “The sperm of champions rules!”
“What’s wrong with girls?” Cassie demanded in mock indignation.
“Nothing, but it’s cool when the first is a boy,” Kyle said.
“I don’t think so,” she protested. “I was first.”
“But it’s their family tradition. Ty first, four girls.”
“Does Lauren know you think this way?” Cassie demanded.
“We aren’t having kids,” Kyle said.
“Yet,” Damon murmured.
Ty raised a hand. “Easy. More news, too.”
“More?” Kyle demanded. “Can we stand it?”
They laughed together, but Ty frowned. “I’d like to quit my job at Fleming Financial to commit fully to F5.”
“Finally, we’ll all be on board,” Theo said heartily.
“Can we afford you?” Kyle asked and Ty grinned.
“Absolutely, especially since F5 won’t need to hire a full-time finance guy if I’m on board.”
“Person,” Cassie said under her breath and Ty corrected himself.
“Person. With the second club and the condos, there’s a lot to manage. We couldn’t get by with me just consulting and a couple of bookkeepers. Either I have to jump in, or I have to step right out and let you hire someone else.”
“That’s not going to happen,” Kyle said and Ty smiled.
“Thanks. Also, I’m tired of all the traveling. It’ll be easier for Amy and the baby if I’m not on the other side of the world at regular intervals. So, I think it could work out well for all involved.”
Damon cleared his throat. “Are we going to be paying you the same as Fleming Financial?”
“No,” Ty said. “It’ll be a flat salary.” He pulled a document out of his briefcase. “I went over the possibilities with the audit firm and talked to a headhunter about the salary range F5 would need to pay. I’ve done a report so you all can review it and make a decision. I’ve done the research, but I’ll stand out of the decision because of the obvious conflict of interest.”
“So, I’ll be the one to ask the tacky question,” Kyle said and no one was surprised. “Can you afford it, even if it makes Amy happy?”
Ty sighed. “There will have to be other changes. If we go ahead with the transition, I’ll need to sell the penthouse
here. I can make the commute each day easily enough.”
The penthouse. Cassie wouldn’t have been able to talk about giving up Ty’s fabulous apartment so casually.
It seemed she had a bad case of real estate lust.
“It would be good if one of us bought it from you,” Kyle said. “Keep it in the family, so to speak.”
“Fine by me,” Tyler agreed and they all looked at Damon.
He smiled. “I need a house with a yard,” he said. “Haley is talking about starting a family, and we won’t be able to own two homes in Manhattan.”
“Not me,” Kyle said. “I’ve got the house out west and we have Lauren’s place here.”
“Not me,” Theo said. “I’m committed to that little studio with the great view north.”
They looked at Cassie. “I wish,” she said, then sighed. “I more than wish. I covet.” The guys chuckled. “Why don’t you terrify me with a price later and I’ll see what I can do?”
“Sounds good.”
They might have continued with the meeting, but Kyle raised his hands. “Okay, if we’re getting personal, I’ll share my news, too. Lauren and I would like to invite you all to a wedding on the beach in Santa Cruz.” There was a chorus of congratulations although Ty shook his head.
“She’s actually going to do it,” he teased. Lauren was his oldest sister, but his manner told everyone that he knew she was happy with Kyle.
“No, the amazing part is that I’m actually going to do it,” Kyle countered. “A big fat ring, right on that finger.”
“When’s the big day?” Damon asked.
“We figured since you’ll all be in San Francisco for the opening of F5W, we’ll do it that weekend. The club opens May 10, the party goes through Saturday night, on the 12th. We’ll get married Sunday morning—Theo’s left a gap in the schedule—on the beach, then you can either stay to party the rest of the day or grab flights back east.”
“We’ll stay,” Damon said. “We can fly back Monday.”
“Absolutely,” Ty agreed. “This is an event to celebrate.”
“That’s not what you would have said last fall,” Kyle countered and Ty grinned.
“You’ve changed my mind. You make Lauren happy and that works for me.”
Some Guys Have All the Luck Page 20
