The noise of outrage wasn’t lost on him. “Yeah, the past is in the past, right? Isn’t that what you said to get me on this damn plane? So much for that. Don’t say anything else to me, Gray. I’m going to see Aunt Linn like she asked, but you stay away from me.”
He looked over and offered her a mock bow. The feeling was mutual.
Chapter Five
Grayson buzzed Roman’s line. “Hey, buddy. Mind stopping by my office for a minute?”
“On the way,” Roman responded, and a few seconds later, he strode through the door.
“Close it,” Grayson asked.
Roman’s brows rose, but he obeyed. “What’s up? Anything I should be worried about? Because if it’s about TKEK, you said I had a little more time to get the bugs worked out for the next step. I plan to go downstairs to talk to Jeff about some of the coding he did.”
Grayson raised placating hands and stood up. “Whoa, whoa, dude, chill. It’s not that. I just have something to tell you, and I’m not sure how you’ll take it.”
Suspicion clouded his best friend’s gaze. “Oh boy, I have a feeling I’m not going to like whatever you’ve got to say. Just lay it on me. I can take it.”
He dropped into the chair on the opposite side of Grayson’s desk and stretched back, extending his legs. Grayson appreciated that Roman could relax so well in his presence. A few of his employees were so stiff, he had trouble conversing normally with them. A couple fell to stuttering despite how hard he worked to appear nonthreatening. Tonya had once told him he appeared cold, and the revelation shocked him. He made a practice to go out of his way to be accommodating, offering bonuses where he could, being generous with vacation time. He knew the stress they all tended to work under when producing software for demanding clients.
While he had been in business for over fifteen years now, no one seemed to get him. Sure, he enjoyed a good relationship with those closest to him like Roman and Roman’s great aunt. Then again, the ones that should have been closer than his friends were his parents, yet they were not. He and his mom and dad hadn’t spent much time together because it always fell into a big argument. Grayson might be successful, but he didn’t follow in his father’s footsteps to run a construction company. Nor had he asked for advice regarding his software venture. The slight might have been unspoken, but it remained nonetheless. His father knew nothing of computers and programming. Arrogance and a know-it-all attitude when he was younger made sure the wedge between the three of them dug in.
Even with all his success, something was still missing from Grayson’s life, and he knew what that element was—a family. He craved what Roman had, but that was nothing new.
“Tonya’s back in town,” Grayson announced without preamble.
Roman started and sat up straight, his eyes widening. “You’re kidding?”
Grayson shook his head. “No, I picked her up myself.”
“You mean when you flew out to Los Angeles? You said that was business.”
“It was—in a sense.” Grayson folded his arms over his chest and planted his feet. He hesitated to admit Aunt Linn had asked him and not Roman to hire a private investigator to find Tonya, and she had asked him to keep it quiet while he did so. At first, he didn’t want to agree. The circumstances surrounding Tonya’s disappearance had left them all topsy-turvy for awhile, and he felt enough time had passed to get back to an even keel. Roman had wasted no time replacing her, which had led to many fights between them. In the end, Grayson had to admit he made a good decision in Abby for the single reason of having Lukas. “I wasn’t sure if she would accept. I also didn’t know if you still had feelings for her.”
While he spoke, Grayson had focused on the paperwork covering his desk. At the last few words, he raised his gaze to study Roman’s face. He noted the red in the man’s cheeks and the eyebrows that had crashed low on his forehead.
“Why the hell should I feel anything for that cheating bitch?”
Grayson grunted. “That much vehemence says different.”
“I love Abby.” Roman seemed to make a concentrated effort to sound believable, and then all the anger left his countenance. “We’re good, right?”
Grayson smiled and sat down. “Yeah, you’re good. I know you two will work through the problems.”
“I just need Abby to make it a priority and take time off. Sometimes she makes me feel like a single dad.” Roman chuckled. “Listen to me. Might as well be an old woman the way I’m talking.”
“You said it, not me,” Grayson teased.
“So Tonya, huh? She look good.”
Hell, yes! “More mature, I guess, kept her figure.” Grayson did his best to make it sound like he’d noticed only in passing, but the truth was he’d not been able to stop looking. Her hips were rounder, and if possible, her breasts were bigger. She’d grown into an incredibly beautiful woman, more so than she had been the last time he saw her. He didn’t know what he had expected, or for that matter dreaded. He’d thought she would have found some other schmuck to marry and have a couple of kids. Aunt Linn hadn’t asked for more than her location, but he had requested the private investigator to include Tonya’s romantic status. The man had been thorough. He had gone the extra mile and informed Grayson of all her activity over the last seven years. Tonya hadn’t dated for four years and then had a total of two sexual alliances over the last three. When he found her, she did not have a current lover.
Grayson shook himself of thoughts of bedding Tonya himself and the kiss they shared on the plane and focused on his friend. “What do you plan to do about Abby? You two haven’t had much time together, and as much as I wish Lukas was mine, he’s not. He should be with the two of you more.”
Guilt registered on Roman’s face. He ran a hand through his dirty blond hair and left it in disarray. “I know. We had another argument this morning about all her damn meetings. She had one at six-thirty, if you can believe it.”
“A.m.?”
“Yeah.”
Grayson hesitated. He wondered if there was more to this situation.
“Before you say anything, she’s not cheating.”
Grayson frowned. “How do you know that?”
“I know because I wouldn’t give in. I insisted she have a conference call at home. Worse two hours of my life. Remind me not to fuck up what I have here and get into women’s fashion.”
“Boring?”
“Like watching the grass grow.”
Grayson burst out laughing. “I don’t think she’ll be headhunting you any time soon, bud.”
“Thanks,” Roman said without humor.
“Listen, if it will help, I’d be glad to let you work from home more often.”
“I work there two days a week. It means nothing if she’s not there. Like I said, sitting in on her meeting just to make my point turned out to be torture for the both of us, and since Lukas is too young to keep quiet, we couldn’t have him in the room. I had to keep checking on him. Let me tell you, Abby was not happy. By the time I needed to leave to come here, I worried about her shooting me between the eyes.”
“Ouch, that bad?”
“Worse.”
Grayson felt sorry for the guy, but he also knew Roman was committed to his marriage. He and Abby might have hit a roadblock, but they would figure it out. He imagined communication was key, and both of them tended to say the wrong thing to each other. He knew how that could be.
“Hey.” Roman cut in on his thoughts. “Does Tonya know about the abortion?”
The sudden switch in conversation threw him, along with the weight of the question. Yet, the fact that Roman asked made him question again if his friend was quite over her. “No, I don’t think she does, and I’d like to keep it that way. I’ll keep her out of your hair while she’s here.”
“You’ve had your own issues, man. You don’t need to protect me.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
They chatted a little longer, and then Grayson let Roman get back to work
. He shuffled the papers in front of him and picked up his pen to make notes. When he found his mind wandering, he turned instead to the computer. That didn’t hold his interest either. Over and over his thoughts drifted to Tonya. When he dropped her off at the hotel, he’d wanted to join her and not leave until the two of them were sated. He hated her. He told himself that, and he felt it, especially when he recalled the past, but tell that to his body, which insisted on lusting after her.
He stood up and walked over to the window. Leaning against the glass, he surveyed the quad in the middle of the building he had specially designed a couple years ago as their new headquarters. Mostly tinted glass, the building and its layout with attention to employee comfort created greater production and higher morale. Not to mention the grounds, which included lots of trees and grass and flowers. He loved how his people thought nothing of carrying laptops out to the benches or even spread blankets on the grass to conduct their meetings in the open air. He had never stopped them from getting comfortable tossing balls about, playing games, and just having a good time at work. The stress relievers were important, and he catered to them.
Funny, with all he had accomplished, he sometimes wondered what Tonya would think of it. Back in college, he knew he had influenced her to change her major from prelaw to computer science. That was where her interests lay, and she had shared interesting ideas with him and Roman as her studies progressed. That was why he had offered her a job. Well, it was one reason.
He straightened and moved back to his desk. Like Roman, he needed to get through his evaluations of a few programs, as well as some boring numbers, the side of business that least interested him—the finances. For now, he would vow to keep his hands to himself when it came to Tonya and bide his time until she went back to Los Angeles. That was the best choice for all of them.
Chapter Six
Tonya put the finishing touches on her makeup and checked that her hair looked okay. She frowned at the cleavage she displayed and wondered if it would give Grayson ideas that she’d worn it to tease him, which she most certainly did not. She sighed and went back to the dresser where she had unpacked all the clothing she had brought with her. She liked to be sexy, and she produced her looks without being slutty, even on the job. Yet, if she was honest with herself, she would admit she had donned the dress wondering how Grayson would see her.
This is ridiculous. It was one stupid kiss, and it didn’t mean a thing.
She wasn’t hearing wedding bells, of course, or even speculating on an affair with him. No, she hated his guts. He wasn’t worth her time or effort, but she didn’t deny there had been a spark of attraction from the second he walked through her office door. Even seven years ago, she had noticed his sexiness, and now that she was older and knew herself better, she realized part of the reason why he had always intimidated her was because of the way he made her feel. She had loved Roman more than life, but she had been sharply aware of Grayson whenever she was in his presence.
“Hindsight,” she muttered, and considered jeans and a simple T-shirt. Her cell phone buzzed, and she checked the display. Grayson phoned. Nervous energy had her hands fluttering as she pressed the connect button. “Hello?”
“I’m downstairs. Come down.”
“Good morning to you too.” She tossed the jeans back in the drawer and shut it. “Give me five minutes.”
She could have stepped out the door ready, but instead, she ended the call and sat down on the bed. Let him wait. He had no right to rush her or have an attitude when he had offered to take her to Aunt Linn’s and made her look petty when she said she could take a taxi instead.
After about six minutes, she walked downstairs. He had parked in the driveway and stood leaning against his black Porsche. Body language and facial expression said he knew what she’d done and he wouldn’t rise to the challenge. Annoyed, Tonya stepped around him as he held the door open.
When they roared off down the street, she settled back in her seat and eyed her dress’s hemline, halfway up her thighs. She peeked at him from the corner of her eye, but he appeared focused on the road.
“We don’t have to do this, Gray.”
“I have no problem picking you up, and there’s no one else to do it.”
She had the feeling he referred to Roman, as if she’d even want Roman to chauffeur her around.
“You won’t be here long.”
“Wow, are you telling me I’m not welcome in your town?”
He frowned. “Don’t jump to conclusions.”
“Whatever.”
Soon they pulled up to Aunt Linn’s small family home in a quiet neighborhood. Memories of visiting there with Roman washed over her, and a sense of sadness lodged in her chest. She didn’t miss the man but the family, the belonging. At least, she had always thought she belonged with them.
Her first glimpse of Aunt Linn as she sat up in her bed robbed Tonya of speech. She would have sunk to the floor at sight of the pale, thin woman, a shadow of her former self, if Grayson hadn’t caught her elbow. While she didn’t want to lean on him, she had to admit his touch helped her to overcome the momentary weakness. She pulled from his hold and strode across the room to Aunt Linn.
The old woman with hair almost blue-silver and flyaway in spots opened eyes that were still sharp. “Tonya. You’re here.”
“Of course I am, Aunt Linn.” Tonya sat down in the chair pulled close to the bed. “I’m so glad to see you.”
They hugged, and Tonya could have sobbed at the quake she felt in the woman’s shoulders. Aunt Linn smiled, and her gaze lit up. She turned to Grayson standing in the doorway. “You can go, Grayson. This is girls time now.”
Aunt Linn was the only one who had never shortened his name. Tonya suppressed a chuckle at his dismissal and turned to look at him. He nodded to Aunt Linn and then focused on Tonya. “I’ll be back in a couple hours for you.”
“You don’t—” she began, but he disappeared. She sighed and turned back to Aunt Linn.
Aunt Linn smiled. “That’s our Grayson, does what he wants to do no matter what anyone says or thinks.”
Tonya grunted, agreeing, but not wanting to discuss the man.
“I’m so glad you’re back, my dear.” Aunt Linn took her hands and held them in a soft grip. “I always wished you would have stayed long enough to say good-bye.”
Tonya stiffened. Talk about jumping right into it. She had been prepared for this conversation, but knowing did little for her disposition. Escape appealed big time. “I’m so sorry, but honestly, I didn’t feel like I could face you. No one believed me that I didn’t cheat on Roman, and I thought if you believed the lie too, well, I didn’t think I could bear it. I had to get away and not look back.”
“I believe you.” The words were a whisper, but Tonya caught them. Tears flooded her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. She had thought she put all the emotions behind her, and for the most part, she had. Coming home dredged the betrayal up and opened old wounds.
She leaned over and hugged Aunt Linn again. “Thank you so much. You don’t know what that means to me.”
Aunt Linn stroked her hair a couple times and then drew away. She settled on her pillows and shut her eyes. Tonya started, alarmed that she had upset the woman.
“Maybe I should go…” She began to rise, but Aunt Linn raised a hand.
“No, it’s fine, dear. I just have to conserve energy. Let’s have a cup of tea together. I’ve gotten into the herbal stuff lately, but I have all kinds. I’ll get Betty my nurse in here.”
“No, it’s fine. I’ll make it.” Tonya stood and started for the door. Aunt Linn called for her to add pastries to the menu, and Tonya affirmed she would. After she rattled around in the kitchen looking for supplies, she made the tea and set a plate of cheese Danishes on a tray with mugs and spoons. With everything ready, she returned to Aunt Linn’s room and served the two of them. They sat in silence for a few moments, eating and drinking. Tonya hoped the whole uncomfortable conversation part was ov
er, but for the life of her, she couldn’t think of anything else to talk about.
Aunt Linn took a sip of her tea and then set the cup down. Her hands trembled, and she nearly spilled the contents before Tonya hurried to help her. “Thanks, sweetie. I guess without this silly sickness, I was already getting up there.”
“You’re still beautiful, Aunt Linn. Don’t let anyone tell you any different.”
The older woman smiled, but then her expression grew serious. “I am blessed. I have my Roman to look out for me and Grayson too. You were out there alone. Grayson said he found you in Los Angeles, not Texas like we had thought.”
Tonya fidgeted in her seat. “Yes, I found a position I liked there. Grayson said you asked him to find me.”
Aunt Linn nodded. “I offered to pay for a private investigator, but he refused. Wouldn’t take a dime. I just wanted to see you one last time before I go.”
Moisture started a second time in Tonya’s eyes. “Don’t talk like that, Aunt Linn. You’re going to be with us awhile.” She prayed it was true. “Grayson was always like that too, tossing his money out at the drop of a hat. I never knew if it was a generous heart or him setting the rest of us in our place.” At her bitter words, she put a hand to her mouth. She hadn’t meant to let her anger at the man come out to Aunt Linn, who must love him just as much as she loved Roman.
“Will you consider maybe Grayson truly thinks he saw you?”
Tonya’s spoon rattled into her saucer. The question took her by surprise. “I… I refuse to believe that. He smiled at us and gave us a generous gift, but he hated Roman and me together. Maybe he felt I wasn’t good enough for Roman.”
“You know that’s not true, Tonya.”
“You don’t know it isn’t.” She sighed. “I’m sorry. The last thing I want to do is upset you.”
Aunt Linn, in her usual way, just continued with the next topic that interested her. “How is your cousin, dear? I know he’s the only family you had left after your parents died in that plane crash and being an only child. I hate the thought of you alone on the other side of the country.”
Mistaken Identities Page 4
