A Bargain with the Boss

by Barbara Dunlop

  He had to stop himself from taking her hands in his. “How did we get here?”

  Her eyes narrowed in puzzlement. “We were prepping for the client meetings.”

  “I meant in the conversation. We were talking about us, and suddenly we’re on to Tucker Transportation.”

  “There is no us.”

  “There was almost an us.”

  It was barely there, but he could tell she stifled a smile.

  It warmed his heart.

  “I’m leaving now,” she said.

  He reflexively grasped her hands. “You don’t have to go.”

  “I do have to go.”

  “Stay.” He gave himself a mental shake, backing off. “I’m sorry. I never do that. I never try to convince a woman to sleep with me.”

  She arched a brow. “They normally throw themselves into your bed?”

  They did. But he knew how that sounded.

  “I like you, Amber.”

  “I’m not going to sleep with you, Tuck.”

  “That’s not what I’m asking.”

  “It’s exactly what you’re asking. It’s 2:00 a.m., and I’m in your hotel room.” She hesitated. “That was my mistake, wasn’t it? What was I thinking?”

  “You didn’t make a mistake.”

  She tugged her hands from his. “I didn’t think this through. I just assumed you wouldn’t misunderstand.”

  “I didn’t misunderstand. I didn’t plan this, Amber.” He’d taken her behavior at face value. He knew she was only trying to help him get ready for the meetings.

  She held up her palms and took a couple of backward paces. “Time for me to say good night. Don’t forget the breakfast meeting.” She took her purse from the table. “Don’t be late.”

  “I’m never late.”

  “True,” she allowed as she retrieved her shoes and strode toward the door. “But I always expect you to be late.”

  “Why?”

  “I’ll see you tomorrow.” And then she was gone.

  He wanted to call her back. He wished he could call her back. But he’d made enough mistakes for one night. He realized that if he wanted Amber to let him get anywhere close to her, he had to back off until she was ready.

  * * *

  Back in Chicago two days later, Amber dreaded meeting up with Jade. She was happy her sister had dumped whatever loser boyfriend she’d hooked up with this time, but she also held out no hope for the next one, or the one after that. Bad boyfriends and heartache had been Jade’s pattern since she’d dropped out of high school.

  Amber tried to harden her heart. Jade was an adult and responsible for her own behavior. But Amber couldn’t help remembering her sister as a lost little girl, younger, who had struggled even more than Amber with their mother’s addiction to alcohol.

  She made her way from her car up the stone pathway to the lobby of the Riverside Aquamarine. Jade was going to meet her in the coffee shop. But since it was shortly after noon, Amber wasn’t going to be surprised to find her in the lobby lounge. It was sadly ironic that Jade had turned to alcohol to combat a childhood ruined by alcohol.

  The hotel lobby was bright and airy, decorated by white armchairs and leafy plants. The lobby lounge was central, but Amber didn’t see Jade at any of the tables. She moved on to the coffee shop that overlooked the pool and quickly spotted Jade at a booth.

  As Amber approached, Jade slid from the bench and came to her feet.

  Amber’s jaw nearly dropped to the floor.

  Jade was pregnant. She was very, very pregnant.

  “What on earth?” Amber paced forward, coming to a stop in front of her sister.

  “Seven months,” said Jade, giving a wry smile as she answered the obvious question.

  “But...when? How?”

  Jade’s expression sobered. “Seven months ago. And the usual way. Can we sit down?”

  “Oh, Jade.” Amber couldn’t keep the disappointment and worry from her tone. Jade was in no position to be a good mother.

  “Don’t ‘oh, Jade’ me. I’m happy.”

  “How can you be happy?”

  “I’m going to be a mother.” Jade slid back into the booth.

  As she took the seat across from her, Amber noted she was eating a salad and drinking a glass of iced tea. “You’re not drinking, are you?”

  “It’s iced tea,” said Jade.

  “I don’t mean now. I mean at all. You can’t drink while you’re pregnant, Jade.”

  “Do you think I’m stupid?”

  Stupid, no. But Jade’s judgment had always been a big question mark.

  “That’s not an answer,” Amber pointed out.

  “No, I’m not drinking.”

  “Good. That’s good. You’ve seen a doctor?”

  “Yes, I saw a doctor in LA. And I’ll find a clinic here in Chicago, too.”

  A waitress appeared and Amber ordered a soda.

  She stared at her sister, noting the worn cotton smock and the wrinkled slacks. Jade’s cheeks looked hollow and her arms looked thin. Amber hated to think her sister might not be getting enough to eat.

  All the way here, she’d been hoping Jade’s stay in Chicago would be brief. She’d dreaded the idea of having her move into the town house for days or weeks. Now she realized that was exactly what had to happen. Jade needed stability, a warm bed, good food.

  “Have you been taking care of yourself?” Amber asked.

  Jade gave a shrug. “It’s been okay. Kirk was getting more and more obnoxious about the baby. He said he didn’t mind, but then he started talking about putting it up for adoption.”

  Amber’s opinion of this Kirk person went up a notch. “Have you thought about adoption?”

  Jade’s expression twisted in anger. “I am not giving away this baby.”

  “To a good home,” said Amber. “There are fantastic prospective parents out there. Loving, well educated, houses in the suburbs—they could give a baby a great life.”

  Jade’s lips pressed together and her arms crossed protectively over her stomach. “Forget it.”

  “Okay,” said Amber, letting the subject drop for now. “It’s your choice.”

  “Damn right it’s my choice.”

  “Yours and the father’s.”

  “There is no father.”

  “You just said Kirk wanted to give the baby up for adoption.”

  “Kirk’s not the father. That’s why he wanted to give the baby away. It’s not his.”

  The revelation took Amber aback. Kirk dropped back down in her esteem. “I don’t understand.”

  “I was pregnant when I met Kirk. He said he didn’t mind. He said he loved kids. But then...” Jade gave another shrug.

  “Who’s the father?” asked Amber. Maybe there was some hope for financial support. Heaven knew Jade was going to need it.

  “It was a one-night thing.”

  “You didn’t get his name.” Amber shouldn’t have been surprised.

  “Only his first name. Pete.”

  Amber tried not to judge, but it was hard.

  “He was a sailor.”

  “You mean in the navy?”

  Jade nodded.

  “Well, did you try to find him?”

  “It was weeks before I knew I was pregnant.”

  “What about DNA? After the baby’s born. The navy must have a database.”

  “He was Australian.”

  “Still, did you contact—”

  “Amber, I am not going to track down some Australian sailor and ruin his life over a one-night stand.”

  “Why not? He ruined—”

  “Don’t you dare say he ruined mine. He seemed like a really nice guy. But I went into it with
my eyes wide-open, and it was my choice to carry on with the pregnancy. I’m having a baby, my son or daughter, your nephew or niece, and I’m going to take care of it, and I’m not going to drag some poor man kicking and screaming into an obligation he didn’t sign up for.”

  Jade’s words and attitude were surprising but in some ways admirable. Amber wasn’t used to her taking such personal responsibility.

  “Okay,” she told her sister. “You can come and stay with me.”

  Jade was silent for a moment. “Thank you.”

  “We’ll figure this out together.”

  But Jade was shaking her head. “I’m not looking for you to take over my life.”

  Who’d said anything about taking over?

  “It’s only temporary,” Jade continued. “I’m studying. I’m going to write my GED. Then I’m going to get a proper job.”

  Amber could barely believe what she was hearing. “You’re working on your GED?”

  “I’ve been working on it for months now.”

  The surprises just kept on coming. “Seriously?”

  “Why would I joke about that?”

  “That’s fantastic.” Amber was beyond impressed. “I’ll help you. We can—”

  “Whoa. You need to dial it down.”

  “I didn’t mean to dial it up.”

  “Giving me a place to stay is great, really great. But that’s all I need right now.”

  Amber forcibly curbed her excitement. But it was the first time Jade had shown an interest in anything but partying, and Amber’s hopes were running away with her. A baby was an enormous responsibility. But other single mothers had pulled it off. If Jade could keep up this new attitude, she might have a fighting chance.

  Amber couldn’t help but smile at the possibilities, even as Jade came back with a warning frown.

  * * *

  “I thought we’d have him back by now,” Tuck said to Jackson.

  It was late-afternoon Tuesday, a week after the New York trip, and the rain was streaming in sheets down the picture window overlooking the river. The two men lounged in the armchair group in the corner of Tuck’s office. Tuck’s desk was piled with paper and his email in-box was approaching the breaking point. Most of it was bad news, and he was anxious for Dixon’s return.

  “I thought so, too,” said Jackson. He had one ankle over the opposite knee, his legs clad in black jeans topped with a steel-gray T-shirt. “Your brother’s wreaking havoc with my reputation.”

  “I know I’m losing faith in you,” said Tuck. “And I’m beginning to consider the wild rumors.”

  “That he’s a spy?”

  “That there’s at least something going on that I don’t know about.” Tuck didn’t believe Dixon had a secret life. But he was all out of reasonable explanations. It had been nearly a month since his brother had disappeared.

  “Is there anything we could have missed?” asked Jackson. “Some paper record, a secret email account, a different cell phone?”

  “I’ve searched his office. I’ve looked through the mansion. I even called Kassandra.”

  “You called Kassandra?”

  “You didn’t?”

  “Of course I did. But it’s my job to chase down every lead.”

  “It’s my company,” said Tuck. “And it’s going rapidly downhill without Dixon.”

  “What was your take on Kassandra?” asked Jackson.

  “That’s she’s a selfish, spoiled princess who gambled and lost.” Tuck couldn’t help a grim smirk at the memory. Clearly, his former sister-in-law had expected a hefty financial settlement.

  “She’s holding a grudge,” said Jackson. “Do you think she’d harm him?”

  “She probably wants to. But that would require risk and effort. She’s lazy.”

  “Yeah,” Jackson agreed. “I’m starting to wonder if he was kidnapped.”

  Tuck frowned. He’d been picturing Dixon on a tropical beach somewhere. If his brother was in trouble, then Tuck’s anger at him was completely misplaced.

  “Maybe he was forced to write that letter to your dad,” said Jackson.

  “Tell me you’re not serious.”

  “Who saw him last?”

  Tuck nodded to his closed office door, his thoughts moving to Amber. She’d kept him carefully at arm’s length since the night in New York, but he was practically obsessing over her.

  “His assistant, Amber,” he told Jackson. “He was in the office for a few hours the day he left.”

  “Can you call her in?”

  “Sure.” Tuck came to his feet. “But I’ve already pumped her for information. She’s the one who gave me his password. He didn’t tell her where he was going.”

  He crossed to the door and drew it open, walking into the outer office.

  Amber was at her desk, profile to him as she typed on the keyboard.

  “Can you join us?” he asked.

  She stopped typing and glanced up, her blue gaze meeting his. There was a wariness there, which he chalked up to the kisses in New York. Could she tell he wanted to do it again? He was dying to do it again. He feared it was written all over his expression every time he looked her way.

  “Sure.” She smoothed out her expression and pushed back her chair.

  As usual, her outfit was straitlaced, a navy blazer over a matching pleated skirt and a white blouse. Her spike pumps were bright blue with a slash of white across the toe. They appeared simple by Amber-footwear standards, but they still struck him as sleekly sexy. Or maybe it was only his fevered imagination.

  As she rose, he caught a glimpse of lace beneath the neckline of her blouse and his desire went into hyperdrive. He warned himself to bide his time until Dixon returned. When things were back to normal, he’d try approaching her again. Amber would no longer be working for him then.

  “What do you need?” she asked as she passed by him.

  “Jackson has a couple of questions.” Tuck fell into step behind her.

  “What kind of questions?”

  “About Dixon.”

  She twisted her head, pausing just outside the office door. “What about Dixon?”

  Did he detect guilt in her eyes? Was she nervous?

  “The usual questions.” He found himself scrutinizing her expression.

  “What are the usual questions?”

  “Shall we find out?”

  “I’ve told you everything I know.”

  “You say that in a way that makes me wonder.”

  “Words strung into a sentence make you suspicious?”

  “You’re jumpy,” he said.

  “I’m annoyed.”

  “You have no reason to be annoyed.”

  “I’ve got work to do.”

  “So do I. And none of our work gets easier until Dixon is back.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “He shouldn’t be your crutch.”

  “He’s everybody’s crutch. Do you know where he is?”

  “No.”

  He gestured her forward. “Then, let’s go talk to Jackson.”

  Amber squared her shoulders and moved into the office.

  Jackson rose. “Nice to see you again, Amber.”

  “Why do I feel like this is an interrogation?” she asked.

  “I have that effect on people,” said Jackson.

  “You should stop.” She took one of the armchairs in the grouping.

  “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  For some reason, the exchange grated on Tuck. Jackson wasn’t flirting with her. But he was joking with her and Tuck didn’t like it.

  “Your questions?” he asked Jackson.

  Jackson caught his gaze and looked puzzled.

  “Sure,” said Jackson, obviously w
aiting for Tuck to sit down.

  Tuck perched on the arm of a chair. He folded his arms over his chest.

  It took Jackson a moment to move his attention back to Amber.

  “I’m sure you’ll agree,” he said to her, “that Dixon has been gone longer than any of us expected.”

  “How long did we expect him to be gone?” she asked.

  “Did he tell you how long he’d be gone?”

  Amber glanced fleetingly at Tuck. “His letter said a month.”

  “It’s been a month.”

  “Almost.”

  “No phone call? No postcard?”

  “Who sends a postcard these days?”

  “People who want you to know they’re having a good time and wish you were there.”

  Amber’s gaze hardened. “I doubt he’s having a good time.”

  Tuck could almost hear Jackson’s senses go on alert.

  “Why?” Jackson asked.

  “You know about his ex-wife.” Amber wasn’t asking a question.

  “I do.”

  “Then you know he’s recovering from her treachery.”

  “Treachery?”

  “What would you call it?”

  “Infidelity.”

  “Okay.”

  Jackson paused. “What was your relationship with Dixon?”

  “Hey,” Tuck protested. “Amber’s not on trial.”

  Jackson shot him a look of astonishment. “Should I be doing this without you?”

  “He was my boss,” said Amber. “Full stop. And if one more person insinuates it was something inappropriate, I’m walking out the door.”

  “Who else insinuated that?”

  “Back off,” said Tuck. This was getting them nowhere. It was only annoying Amber, and rightly so. He didn’t blame her for being ticked off.

  “Who else?” asked Jackson.

  “Tuck.” She slid him an angry glance.

  He held up his hands in surrender. He hadn’t considered anything of the sort for quite some time now.

  “And Jamison,” said Amber.

  Jackson’s tone slipped up in obvious surprise. “Jamison thought you were having an affair with his son?”