by Rebecca Rode
Shelby bent over and pulled out her bag. Riffling through it, she removed the bottle of Žinčica. She held it out to him. “Peace offering?”
Wearing a confused scowl, Junior reached out a tentative hand. “What is it?”
The woman guard leaned over to read the label and chuckled.
“What?” Shang asked, still frowning.
“May I see it?” Wade asked.
“I have no idea how to pronounce the name.” Shang handed over the bottle.
Wade turned it over to read the label. “Ah, it’s fermented sheep whey.” He returned it. “I’ve heard of it. It’s supposed to be sweeter than buttermilk.”
“You gave me a fermented drink?” The disdain had returned to Shang’s expression.
“Not knowingly.” Shelby sighed. “I didn’t mean to insult you. I thought you might get the joke. You know, lighten things up a little?”
“You bought it in that Slavic store, didn’t you? You’re a sly one.” The woman grinned and reached out a hand. “Since no one has bothered to introduce us, I’m Ava Martinez. I hope you won’t try to give us the slip again.” She winked. “Wouldn’t want to have to put a chip in you while you sleep.”
“Wait.” Wade looked between the two bodyguards. “You wouldn’t really, would you? Isn’t that against the law?”
“Maybe. Maybe not.” Martinez chuckled at Shelby’s frown. “Just don’t let Mr. Anal here”—she nodded toward Shang—
“Hey.” He shot his partner a scowl.
“—get under your skin so you do anything stupid. Think of us as a team, Ms. Nash.” The woman used a finger to include the four of them. “We want the same thing—to keep you safe.” She turned to Shang and pointed to the bottle. “I’d like to try some of that as a substitute for buttermilk in pancakes.”
“Pancakes with a zing.” Shang raised his brows, showing interest for the first time, and the pair began a discussion about Žinčica’s possible cooking merits.
***
Wade leaned back in his chair, watching the two bodyguards. What an odd pair they made. The fearsome ninja warrior guy and the small, friendly Latina. He put his arm on the armrest and leaned a little closer to Shelby.
“She was kidding, right?” he whispered.
“Huh?” Shelby turned toward him, and then leaned back when her face came close to his, her cheeks flushing. She kept her voice low. “What do you mean?”
“About the chip she mentioned. They wouldn’t really do that to you, would they?” Wade asked, feeling a little stupid.
Shelby didn’t answer right away, like she had to give it some thought first. “I don’t think so,” she finally said.
He straightened, not sure if she was teasing him. When they’d dated in college, she hadn’t been very forthcoming about her family situation. Never any mention of siblings and only an occasional negative comment about either of her parents. All that time he’d assumed her folks were still married but in an unhappy relationship.
Believing that to be the situation, Wade had thought he understood Shelby’s hesitation whenever he’d mentioned making a permanent commitment. He had an intact family, his parents both alive and in love with each other. He had a close relationship with both his older brother and younger sister. In spite of the financial setback his father had experienced when the children were young, they had lived a comfortable life. Wade had thought he would share a life like that with Shelby.
Beside him, she had opened her laptop and turned it on, but she didn’t seem to be working. The tight muscles in her shoulders and the way she kept fidgeting with her hair told him a lot. So much about this job had him on his toes, playing catch-up. She must feel the pressure too. He had done some work on the Wales village design since he had once visited that country for another project and had first-hand knowledge.
The development itself had enough challenges with four distinct villages. He looked forward to seeing it in person, to experience them firsthand. They still had logistical issues to solve. Guests who had paid for an immersive vacation in a French village might not want to be pulled from that experience by seeing visiting staff from a village in China.
He knew there had been discussions about how best to handle the underpinnings of the resort, but he had not been privy to seeing any of the underground plans. He’d been told it was top secret, that his company had responsibility for what happened aboveground. Wade guessed that to be part of their security solution.
He glanced at Shelby from the corner of his eye. As if the project itself didn’t have enough complications ... His thought trailed off. Seeing her interact with Alan Bradley, Wade understood where she’d learned so much secretiveness. If he managed to heal things between them, there was a lot she’d have to share. Even now he didn’t understand the dynamics of her situation, and her stubbornness had always been her strongest personality trait.
“You seem distracted,” she said.
“Just thinking about the project.” He woke up his laptop. At least she hadn’t yelled at him, especially considering her first reaction to seeing him. Her demeanor had been very professional since. The thought gave him some hope.
“I don’t get it,” she said.
“What don’t you get?” he asked.
“Why did you come, Wade? You made it quite clear before how you feel about big businesses.” Shelby didn’t say “and their owners,” but he saw it in her eyes.
Wade couldn’t very well say she was the reason. “I’ve never been one to make decisions based only on the first information I receive.”
“Right.” She dragged out the word, shooting him a disbelieving look.
Wade rubbed the back of his neck. He didn’t want to fight with her. They needed good memories to replace the bad ones. He had to have time to create those.
“I think we should compare notes.” Wade pointed to his laptop. “I’m curious to know what you’ve found out on your own.”
“Good idea.”
They spent the rest of the flight reviewing their notes. The thoroughness of Shelby’s didn’t surprise Wade. He hadn’t known her very long before he found she had a well-deserved reputation for bull-doggedness. About everything. She’d always been suspicious, and he’d often thought she’d have made a good investigative reporter.
Seeing how that Grantham attorney had kept her in the dark about the project—and how she had accepted that as the norm—bothered Wade more than anything else about the job. On so many levels. Least of all the development itself. It seemed so unnatural for Shelby to act complacent over something he’d expected her to rant about. Could she have changed that much?
Chapter 5
THE FINAL STAGE OF THE TRIP included a helicopter ride. Shelby hated helicopters. As it did a little up-drop thing that left her stomach in her throat, she clung to her seatbelt.
“You okay?” Wade’s seat faced hers this time, and he watched her with concern.
“I will be, when we land.” She tried to distract herself with the view. The island reminded her of a flower with four petals. Kind of quirky, but probably large enough to be seen from space. No surprise there for her father’s legacy project. From the air, the varying levels of construction that Alan had mentioned became apparent.
“It’s a pretty cool idea for a resort.” Wade leaned closer to their common window, his hair brushing softly against hers.
A little tingle ran through her, and she caught her breath. A few unwanted memories broke free from where she’d kept them hidden—except when she dreamed—of times when they’d sat side by side studying. While their majors had been different, there had still been enough similarities that they’d found each other to be good sounding boards. Wade’s creativity helped to pull together better ideas than she’d have come up with on her own. Surprisingly, her more practical view of things had done the same for him.
“It’s kind of a thrill, you know,” he said, “seeing from the air something that I helped design. And now to help bring it to life.”
<
br /> “I’ll bet it is.” Shelby remembered the many times he’d talked about someday doing just this. She pointed to the center of the flower that looked a little like a small mountain, covered in rich foliage. “That middle section is the original island, isn’t it?”
“Yeah.” Wade leaned over again. “I guess during World War II they had watchers stationed there in case of a Japanese invasion. We’ve utilized the existing terrain and plants for hiking trails of varying difficulties,” he said. “They’re not too far from the staff area, so guests and workers can both use them.”
Shelby knew from other Grantham projects that her father didn’t play stingy with his employees. In fact, he had a reputation for being quite progressive with perks, like providing day care centers in close proximity to his offices and factories, and workout rooms. She tried not to think much about the care Charles Grantham gave his employees. It made her resentful. Why did they get that kind of concern from him, but he wouldn’t even meet her? Not even to talk to her on the phone?
“I haven’t thought much about how the staff would be housed.” She straightened and looked at Wade. Except for her initial blow up—she cringed inside to remember how unprofessional she’d behaved—their conversations since had flowed organically. Like old times. “How long a ride is it on the ferry?”
“Fifteen or twenty minutes on a fast ferry, I hear, so it’s comparable to getting to Catalina.”
Shelby’s mind went in several directions, trying to imagine the responsibility of staffing four separate island resorts. It made her head spin. “I’m glad I didn’t train in hospitality.
He chuckled.
The helicopter began its approach, and her stomach twisted a little. She leaned her head back against the headrest and closed her eyes.
“You look just like you used to on a roller coaster,” Wade said, his tone teasing. “I never could figure out what the point was in riding one since you kept your eyes closed the entire time.”
“Oh, shut up.” The corner of Shelby’s mouth gave an involuntary twitch, but she refused to open her eyes. She hadn’t expected being around him to seem so ... natural. But why not? They’d always had a connection. She’d missed that, having someone so close who “got” her. Traveling so much between jobs, she’d had few opportunities to make friends. Loneliness had turned her into a workaholic. There’d been no point in going home except to sleep.
“We’re safely on the ground, Shel,” Wade whispered.
She sighed in relief and opened her eyes. Their gazes met and something intense flashed between them, making her heart do a sudden gymnastic routine. It only lasted a second before Wade bent over to pick up his bag.
While the others got off, Shelby stayed in her seat, taking some time to calm herself. What had that been? She refused to allow herself to still have feelings for Wade Masters. She was so over him, just like Alan had reminded her.
“You coming?” Wade asked from the door, holding out a hand.
“Yeah.” She handed him her bag. “Just gathering my thoughts for the upcoming faceoff,” she lied.
“What’s that?” He frowned as he took the bag and handed it off to Martinez. He offered Shelby his hand again.
She hesitated. It would be the first time they’d touched since she’d left. His mouth quirked as though he’d read her thoughts, his expression taking on a challenging gleam. Was she so obvious?
“You don’t think Alan means to keep the current project manager, do you?” Shelby accepted his hand. In spite of her determination, her body remembered the familiar warmth of his skin, the strength of his grasp. Once upon a time, when he’d help her from a car, he’d pull her close and steal a kiss. She gritted her teeth at the memory but let him assist her off the helicopter.
“Faceoff.” Wade paused, still holding her hand. “He’s making you do the firing?” They stood close for a second, and she caught a whiff of his cologne again. More memories she didn’t want to revisit.
“It’s not the first time.” She shrugged and gently pulled her hand from his.
“Oh, sorry.” He stepped back. “I think that’s a raw deal.”
“Sometimes we have to do hard things, Wade.”
“Shel, I—” he began, moving closer again.
“What’s this?” a man’s irritated voice interrupted. They turned to find a short, middle-aged, balding man approaching them at a brisk pace. “Who are you?”
Shelby took a deep breath, and Wade put his hand lightly on her lower back in support.
***
“Martinez,” Shelby said, her voice low, “is security on their way?”
“Yes, ma’am, just as you instructed.”
Wade glanced over his shoulder. The bodyguard’s eyes darted to where his hand still rested, a brow cocked and one corner of her mouth curved up, like she had him all figured out. How embarrassing.
“I’m Shelby Nash,” she said to the man. Her simple statement stopped him in his tracks, the look on his face making it clear he recognized the name. She reached into her large purse and pulled out some paperwork. “You’re Theodore Conti?”
“Yes, that’s me. Why did Mr. Bradley send you?” He pulled out a handkerchief and wiped his shiny forehead.
“I’m here to inform you that Grantham Industries is terminating your contract.”
“You’re firing me?” The short man bristled like a rooster, preparing to do battle. “You can’t do this. I’ll—”
“You’ll do nothing.” Shelby held the paperwork out to the man, pinning him with one of the stares Wade had seen her use many times over the years. He kind of felt a little sorry for the guy. “It was all in the contract you signed, Mr. Conti,” she said. “As an ‘at will’ employee, you work at the will of your employer. Surely you knew that.”
“Well, yes, but—”
“Mr. Bradley has determined your services are no longer needed here. Your termination fee will be wired to your account—per agreement—once you’ve signed this.” She pointed to the contract. “It’s on the back page. There are two originals.” For the first time she glanced at Wade, and he blinked in surprise. “Once Mr. Masters has witnessed your signature, you may keep one for your records. Mr. Shang will then escort you to your quarters to gather your belongings. Anything you can’t carry now will be shipped to you.”
The tension that had continued to rise stopped when she mentioned Shang. Then, the little man seemed to wilt. Conti shot the bodyguard a look and meekly accepted the pen she offered him. After he signed it, he thrust it at Wade. He scribbled his signature and gave it to Shelby.
She removed the back page and returned it to the little man. “I’ll need your passwords.”
“What?” An odd expression flashed across Conti’s face and was gone. It set up Wade’s hackles and, for the first time, he understood what Shelby must have known automatically. The man had been up to something.
“All your passwords.” Shelby put the contract back in her purse and removed a small notepad.
Conti took it with a dark look and wrote down some things. He held the notebook out to her and, just before her hand touched it, he let it drop to the ground.
Martinez bent over, picked it up, and brushed it off before giving it to Shelby.
“Very mature, Mr. Conti.” Her voice held the perfect edge to it. “I wouldn’t recommend you request a referral from us; you won’t be pleased with what we have to say.” She put the notebook in her purse. “Go with Mr. Shang. The helicopter is waiting to take you back to San Diego.”
Wade stood on one side of Shelby, while Martinez took position on her other side. They watched in silence until Shang had escorted the little man out of hearing.
“I assume you’re here for your tekkie skills as well as a bodyguard, right, Martinez?” Shelby still focused on the retreating figures.
“Enough to get his system online for the real techs.”
“You expected this?” Wade asked, fascinated at an inside look at the workings of a large corporatio
n. He wondered if this kind of thing happened very often.
“Not necessarily, but I knew there was a problem just because Alan said so little. Even before I got the email and read the original contract and the termination notification.” Shelby pulled out her phone. “Oh, good. This place has great reception. Excuse me.”
She stepped away from them a few paces and placed a call.
“So, you’re a woman of many talents.” Wade turned in a slow circle, studying the landing pad. It had a good view of the various construction areas.
“With this job, I need to be a little bit of everything,” the bodyguard said.
Wade paused in his perusal of the area and turned to find her looking at him. “What?” he asked.
“You and Ms. Nash have a history.” She folded her arms across her chest. “Is that going to be a problem?”
He hadn’t forgotten that intense moment when they’d exited the helicopter. Or the encouragement it’d given him. She still had feelings for him; he knew it. Now, if he could just get past her wall—
“Are you listening to me, Mr. Masters?”
He blinked. “Sorry. The job won’t suffer because of our history.” He considered her dubious expression. “Look, I made a mistake a few years ago. The worst mistake of my life, believe you me.” When she widened her eyes, he said quickly, “I didn’t cheat on her, if that’s what you’re thinking. I just need to spend some time with her, and I think we can fix it. I could use your help.”
“Pfft.” Martinez shifted away from him a little, her body language showing her disapproval. “I’m no matchmaker.”
“Of course not. Just, if you and Shel happen to be doing something not work related that I could join in on ...” He raised his brows, pleading with his eyes.
The bodyguard studied him, saying nothing. But he thought he saw a curve to the corner of her mouth.
“Let’s go, you two,” Shelby called. “We’ve got some accounts to get into.”
“I’ll see what I can do.” Martinez jogged over to join Shelby.
Wade grinned. The world suddenly seemed a happier place.
