“Where do we want to meet them?” Riley asked, seemingly totally onboard with this idea.
“For something like this, we have a pub that we like to use, it’s called Sixes. It generally doesn’t open until four, but the owner Vivian opens it for us if the need arises. You can regale Greg with stories about how you know the owner so you asked her to open early just for you guys.”
Riley nodded and then pulled out his phone.
Everyone sat with bated breath trying to figure out what was being said on the other end of the line, until the last sentence, then they knew that Greg was all in.
“Perfect, Adeline and I will see you and Trinity at noon for lunch at Sixes. Do you need the address?”
Melanie quickly jotted down it down and passed it in front of Riley.
“Yeah, it’s off Church Street.” He disconnected and smiled. “He’s in, but he wouldn’t give me her info. He said that he wanted to make sure that I was treated fairly.” Riley closed his phone and put it away, the whole time keeping one hand on Adeline’s thigh.
“What bullshit,” Loren mumbled and then pulled out her phone to call Hillary and set up their lunch.
Riley and Adeline walked into Sixes at eleven thirty and were greeted by a woman with wide eyes and coal-black hair. “Vivian.” Adeline’s smile was warm and easy. “Thank you so much for doing this. This is Riley, his sister is the one with the asshole.”
“You know that I’d do anything for you four,” Vivian said before turning to Riley. “It’s nice to meet you. It’s always good to see family supporting one another.”
“Are we all set up?” Adeline glanced to the employee’s-only door as she spoke, and Vivian nodded.
“Yeah. Piper is already in the backroom, and she will stay back there unless needed.”
I turned to Riley and explained. “We hire an off-duty deputy or police officer for the confrontation time as an extra safety measure.”
“I have several staff members here today,” Vivian added. “It was unavoidable since today is truck day and I’m not inventorying all that product by myself.”
“Is Duck in back too?”
“That man is here before I am most days. I’ll tell him you said hi. For now, though, you two can have a seat over by the windows so you can see them walking in, okay?”
“Got it. Thanks, Viv.”
Vivian disappeared into the kitchen and Adeline and Riley settled in to wait.
“Show time,” Adeline said as Greg’s car pulled into the parking lot. Sunday must have relayed the warning, because Mikki, their server for the day, and Danny, the bartender, both took their places in the dining area.
When Greg and Trinity walked in, Riley stood and greeted them and then waited for them to take their seats before reclaiming his own. The four of them had just placed their drink order when on cue the plan went into full operation.
Adeline’s phone started ringing. “Excuse me, I’m so sorry, I thought I had silenced that.” Adeline grabbed her phone and then pretended to look contrite when she answered. “Hi, Loren?”
“Adeline, I was just calling to see if you were available for lunch.”
“Ohh. I wish I could, but actually I’m with Riley and your husband. We’re having lunch at Sixes. He and Riley are talking about the land, remember? The realtor is here as well.”
“Adeline, Loren does not get involved in my mayoral business. Please stop,” Greg’s voice was curt.
“Oh, I’m sorry. It’s just that Loren was the one who’s been encouraging Riley to do this with you and the realtor, so she already knew. I didn’t think. I’m sorry.”
“Riley, perhaps we should meet another time when you can meet alone and in a more professional setting.” Greg stood.
“Loren, I better go.” Adeline hung up but right then Mikki came over and delivered the drinks. “Here you go, and the appetizers you ordered will be up momentarily.” Mikki directed her eyes toward Vivian.
Awesome, Vivian was trying to help keep him here. Adeline just hoped that Riley wouldn’t ask, what appetizers? But he was smarter than that. Instead, he played a different card. “Greg, I totally understand, in fact I think I understand more than you are saying.”
Greg looked at the both of them with a bored expression.
“You aren’t really interested in doing business, you are just trying to appease me for Loren’s sake. I had a suspicion when you were over an hour late for our first meeting, but I wasn’t sure until we had dinner at the Bohemian and there wasn’t much mentioned about the project, just a lot of boasting that I was your brother-in-law, as if you were trying to solidify that we couldn’t do business together. And now this? Loren is involved a lot—hell, you have her run most of your fundraiser dinners. You’re willing to leave over Adeline talking to your wife, my sister, and discussing something that she already knows about? Fine. I’ll still make my donation, but I can donate it to the county instead of the city.”
“Riley, no, that isn’t it.”
Adeline reached over and squeezed Riley’s hand under the table. His speech had worked, and Greg was trying to backpedal. “Maybe I was a bit hasty.”
Adeline, being the bitch she sometimes prided herself on being, decided to shove that proverbial knife a little deeper. “Once again, Greg, I’m sorry. I know that you don’t think very highly of me, but your wife was inviting me to join her, she and her friend from the other night were going to lunch and I think it was nice of her to think of me.”
“What friend from the other night?” Greg asked, shifting just the smallest amount.
“The one who she wanted me to meet, but I didn’t get to because the woman was sick with a headache.”
White . . . no ashen. Yes, ashen, that was the perfect descriptive word for Greg’s complexion. He was ashen. But Adeline didn’t get to see if there was a more putrid color than ashen because the door to Sixes opened and in walked Loren and Hillary Chatham.
“I’m sorry to interrupt, I just felt so bad for Greg getting furious with you,” Loren announced as she moved toward their table.
“Loren, this is a private business luncheon. You and Adeline can catch up another time.”
Loren, to her credit, ignored him and turned to Trinity. “Oh, I’m sorry, I don’t think we’ve had a chance to meet. I’m Loren, Greg’s wife.”
“I’m Trinity Reynolds.” The woman moved to shake Loren’s hand, but Hillary had finally had enough.
“Excuse me, you’re who?” Hillary asked, her voice at a breaking point.
“I’m Trinity Reynolds.” The fake Trinity reached into her purse and pulled out a business card—a real business card—for Tertiary Development.
“Hillary.” Greg’s voice was cold as ice. “You need to calm down.”
“No, no I don’t. I need to know what the hell is going on because I know for a fact that this bottle-blonde is not Trinity Reynolds, nor is she a part of Tertiary Development.”
Loren took a step back, a wide smile crossing her face. Adeline stayed in place so her pendant could catch everything on camera.
“Maybe you both should have a seat.” Riley stood and pulled out a chair for his sister to sit.
“No, they were just leaving.” Greg once again tried to get his wife to leave, but the woman just kept that triumphant smile on her lips.
“No, Greg, you don’t give orders here. I don’t think you get the full picture, none of you do.” Loren’s voice was calm and cool. “You see, I know who you are, Heather”—Loren looked at the Trinity impersonator before pinning her gaze on the woman she walked in with—“and Hillary, aka Trinity, aka Tertiary, aka fellow Stetson alumnus. And, Greg, I know all about your affairs with both women.”
“His what?” Both women shouted in unison. “You are sleeping with her?” They each pointed to the other.
“Shut up, both of you. Are you shocked that he cheated on you or lied to you? Hello, he’s married to me and has been lying to me and cheating on me. When will all of the dumbass women o
f the world learn? If a man’s willing to cheat for you, then he is also willing to cheat on you.” Loren gave Adeline a disbelieving look.
“I have no clue why everyone’s so upset, you all should be high-fiving each other because I think that if there are three or more it qualifies as a team. Yeah, you got yourselves a team of Greg’s women.” Adeline pointed to Hillary and to Heather and then wrapped an arm around Loren to let her know that she wasn’t really intending anything mean to her. She couldn’t get over the stupidity of her own sex, it really was heartbreaking to see how these two skanks thought that they were the only woman Greg was having an affair with.
“As I was saying.” Loren’s voice was a bit louder. “I also know about your and Hillary’s attempt to steal Noelle’s trust and your and Heather’s”—Loren directed this to Greg—“plan to purchase Riley’s property for dirt cheap and then resell it to the city for a large amount, only this time you were planning to cut Hillary out.” As if remembering the other woman was standing next to her, Loren turned to Hillary. “Tell me, does your husband know you’ve been sleeping with Greg?”
“What do you want?” Greg still was acting superior.
“I need all three of your driver’s licenses so that I can make a copy.”
“I’m not giving you mine,” Heather pulled her purse close.
“Fine.” Loren opened her purse, pulled out her iPad, and then pressed play. It was their conversation at the table at Cooper’s Hawk and their sex-capade in the car.
“That’s illegal, you can’t use that against me. You broke the law, you’re just as much in the wrong.” Greg pointed at the iPad.
“Come on, now, Greg, you went to law school. You should know that discussions that take place in public aren’t considered confidential. I don’t know for sure, but I would bet money that having sex in public falls into the same category. In public, we accept the assumed belief that someone is going to see us or overhear us. That is why street cameras and cameras inside stores and restaurants are legal. You carried this on in public. So do as Loren asked.”
All three people handed over their driver’s license, which was a sigh of relief since they hadn’t been able to learn anything else about Heather and had no clue of her last name. Adeline held each ID up to her pendant and waited until Sunday gave the go ahead before handing it back.
“You.” Greg pointed at Adeline. “Your necklace is a camera. You’re the one who has turned Loren into a mouthy . . . I should have known. I told Riley you weren’t the kind to keep around.”
“Yes, I know. Remember? I overheard you? But as you can tell, I don’t value your opinion or”—Adeline leaned forward and looked at Hillary and then Heather—“your taste in women.”
Riley stood, his fists clenched.
Adeline realized that this had just escalated and that they needed Piper before it got out of hand. Shit. She reached for her purse and grabbed her stun gun just in case, although truthfully, she’d like to unclip her gun, but you can’t win them all.
“If I hear you say one more derogatory comment about her, you’ll be eating your food through a straw.” Riley’s nostrils were flared.
Adeline tugged on his hand to get him to sit and then pointed toward the hallway, where Piper stood in full uniform. All heads turned to where Adeline had directed her gaze.
“You brought the fucking cops?” Greg was no longer the cool or controlled picture of a professional politician.
“It’s a security measure. She was hired by me just in case this got out of hand. Now, if you’ll let Loren finish and then we can all get back to our regularly scheduled programs.”
Adeline met Heather’s eyes and found that the woman was smirking. The bitch thought this whole thing was funny. What the hell? Then, spying a small movement of her arm, Adeline scooted her chair back and tried to follow the movement of Heather’s hand without being too obvious. The woman was unrelenting, she was headed for Greg’s crotch, and believe it or not, he was pushing her hand away.
That was the final straw, the breaking point for Adeline, having had it with the twenty-two-year-old bimbo. “Heather, you might want to keep your hands to yourself, you’re in a lot of trouble. Oh . . . and close your legs . . . Greg’s breath totally stinks.” She had said it without thinking, and Riley froze for just a second before he started laughing so hard his eyes watered. Yep, sometimes even she was shocked by what came out of her own mouth.
Loren was also at her breaking point. “I’d suggest that you all wait to hear from my attorney. Greg, you might want to find somewhere else to stay.”
“That’s my home.”
“And that was your daughter’s trust you and your married girlfriend tried to steal and sell to a city that trusted you enough to put you in office. The locks and alarm code have already been changed. If you set foot on the property, I will have you removed.”
Loren stood and strode out of Sixes. Adeline and Riley waited for her to leave.
“She just left me.” Hillary was shocked.
Adeline shook her head. “Maybe you can hitch a ride with Greg and Heather, they came together.”
“All right, folks, we’re closing up,” Vivian announced. “You all have caused quite a stir.” Piper still didn’t say a word as she moved to the door and held it open for Greg, Heather, and Hillary walked out.
“Thanks, Piper. Vivian, this is for you and your staff.” Adeline handed her an envelope. “Piper, this is for you.”
“You know that I can’t take tips. You pay directly to the county and they pay me.”
“Yep, I know, not a tip. It’s some stuff from Max’s. It’s a gift as friends.”
“Thanks. Nice seeing you again, Riley.” Piper waved as Adeline and Riley headed out.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Adeline
She didn’t want to miss today, because today was the day they were turning Loren’s case over to Barrett Huxley, attorney extraordinaire. So, when she walked into the office two minutes early, she was damn proud of herself.
“Good morning.” Adeline waved.
“Morning. Grab your coffee, Loren should be here soon.” Adeline watched as Melanie picked up a stack of papers and headed toward the boardroom, and then she followed.
When Loren arrived, there were circles under her eyes and she didn’t appear quite as put together as she normally did. “Can I fix you some coffee, Loren?”
Adeline was already up and moving, prepared to get the woman a drink whether she wanted one or not, when Loren answered. “Yes, please. Cream and sugar.”
“Are you okay?” Melanie asked, leaning forward a bit, as if her concern was forcing her closer to the woman in a silent show of support. “Has Greg been bothering you?”
“He’s worried that I’m going to go to the press. He’s only harassing me to know what I’m going to do. He’s trying to get me to wait until after the election. As if he doesn’t have bigger things to worry about—like jail. But I’m not going to wait. I want this done with now, I’ve wasted too much time on him. I need to be free, my daughter and I need to move on.”
“Then what is it?”
“You’re going to think this sounds stupid because all of you are so strong and confident.” Adeline wanted to laugh, because secretly inside sometimes she felt like a scared little girl trying to play dress up. “When you think you’ve found the one, you believe that it’s going to be forever. You think that he’s different from all the rest. You ask yourself how you got so lucky.” Loren took a sip of her coffee then stared out the window overlooking downtown Orlando. “But you wake up one day and find out that he wasn’t different at all, you were just blind. You feel like the world’s biggest fool. Somehow, when this all comes out, Greg will pull through it.”
“Shit always rises,” Adeline hissed.
“But me? I’ll be the one they all feel sorry for. The one who couldn’t keep her husband satisfied, the one who was too stupid to realize he was having affairs. And Noelle? What about my baby? Greg
will move on, make another family. He doesn’t know how to balance. Noelle and I will be the old family and he will never see her again. My daughter won’t know what it’s like to have a father-daughter dance at her wedding, or to have her dad scare away her dates.”
Adeline bit her tongue, refusing to point out the obvious, which was that Noelle probably wouldn’t have had any of those things with Greg anyway. The comment was just her way of lashing out against the nails Loren was driving into the coffin containing Adeline and Riley’s relationship. A way to hide the brutal blows she was feeling and the realization that there was no way Adeline would ever end up in Loren’s position. She wouldn’t allow it. She was way too smart to allow some man to control her or her world. No way. Adeline strummed her nails along the edge of the table, the tap-tap-tap might as well have been a hammer, because each sound was knocking sense back into her. She’d almost let her guard down with Riley, almost. But, the fates were looking after her. Just when she started to cave, shit like this would pop up, a constant reminder that the only person a woman could count on was herself.
Melanie spoke low. “Loren, you didn’t have those things either, and you turned out fine.”
“I had Riley. Noelle doesn’t have an older brother.”
Olivia stepped in, saying, “Noelle doesn’t have a brother yet, but there’s still plenty of time. You may find the perfect man and get remarried and give her a brother or sister. Who knows, maybe the guy will be a single dad and have a son who is older than Noelle. What if the dad loves Noelle like she is his own and the son sees her as the sister he never had? You can’t close the lid yet. You’re so young. We have a file of clients who will tell you that the second time around is the best. They’re so much wiser. They know what to look for but more than that, they know their own worth.”
“You think so?” Loren wiped her face.
Roadster (Iron Ladies Book 1) Page 14
