The talk of money made me shift uncomfortably. They spent a great deal of money and living at the hotel wasn’t cheap nor were last minute flights to London. Include my presence in their life and I wondered about their financial situation with the purchase of this company.
I drummed up my nerve and asked him, “Do we need to move? Somewhere cheaper?” I scanned the expensive restaurant. “Eat somewhere less expensive? I can cook you know.”
He blinked at me silently as the waiter placed steaks in front of us. He opened his mouth and then shut it, and it occurred to me this was the first time I’d ever seen Michael at a loss for words.
The food sat in front of us, untouched, as I waited for his response. I fiddled nervously with my utensils, but didn’t attempt to take back my words. I needed to know. It didn’t matter to me if they had money or not. I’d spent most of my life around incredibly destitute people on mission trips, and when we were home it wasn’t luxurious by any means. My dad was a preacher. We depended on the generosity of the congregation quite often.
I didn’t think the brothers were anywhere near as poor as my family, but if money was tight, we could be more frugal.
Finally, he pressed his thumb to his forehead as if rubbing away a headache.
“I can assure you that is unnecessary.”
I opened my mouth to reply but he waved a hand at me giving a soft sigh as he peered at me.
“I can see why my brother adores you. You are nothing like the women in our life.” He smiled fondly. “I take that back. You remind me quite strongly of my grandmother. A woman raised similarly to you. She worked hard her entire life and saw no point in living lavishly. She instilled a sense of responsibility in my brother and I, one that seemed to skip our mother entirely. Make no mistake, Ian and I both appreciate the finer things in life, but we invest our funds wisely.” He reached for his knife and fork and I followed his cue. “When I stated it wouldn’t have been possible without Ian’s investment, I was referring to liquid assets. Quite a lot goes into purchasing a company and you need to show certain funds. Combined Ian and I had what was necessary hence his investment. That, however, has zero bearing on this.” He gestured to the restaurant with his fork. “Your concern…well, to be perfectly honest, it invokes a feeling I’m unfamiliar with. A warmth, you could say, and I’m gratified by it, but it is completely unnecessary. We can easily afford our current lifestyle indefinitely.”
I relaxed at his words and the meal in front of me became much more appetizing. I had popped a bite of steak into my mouth when Michael surprised me yet again.
“It is good to know you can cook though.” He smiled and took a sip of wine. “We’ll need to see about getting you a kitchen.”
I nodded, but didn’t reply, reaching for my glass of water to clear my suddenly dry throat. Michael implied I would be around long enough to need a kitchen, and it occurred to me that I wanted to be around.
I’d been eager to attend college and gain independence from my parents, but the thought of leaving to go to a school Ian could never attend left me depressed. I hadn’t missed Michael’s stipulation. Ian would be going to university, but where? I knew instinctively he would rather not leave Michael and as I thought about going back to Georgia, to a house strangers lived in while my parents remained in Africa, I frowned. There was nothing holding me to Georgia anymore. Not now.
My parents would come back eventually, but even then I wasn’t sure I’d ever return to their home. As I glanced at Michael I knew I’d find myself spending holidays with the Wrights. If they came to me or I went to them, it didn’t matter. We’d become a family and family stuck together.
Chapter Eleven
The next morning I wandered out to see Michael sitting at the table, a full breakfast in front of him. I blinked and then rubbed my eyes to make sure I wasn’t seeing things. I’d assumed he would be gone all day in business meetings or whatever you did when you bought big corporations.
“About time you woke up, sleepyhead.”
I tilted my head and pinched myself. No way was Michael smiling at me and calling me affectionate terms like ‘sleepyhead.’ I was obviously still sleeping and having a the oddest dream ever. He rolled his eyes and gestured for me to come to the table.
“Eat. We have a busy day ahead of us.”
“We do?”
“Yes. Ian normally takes you on tours, correct?”
“Yes,” I answered cautiously. “But I don’t think there’s anything left we haven’t seen.”
He chuckled as he poured me a glass of orange juice.
“I have no doubt he’s shown you a great deal of the city, but knowing my brother as I do, I doubt you’ve seen the places we will be touring today.” He glanced at my pajamas and I tugged uncomfortably on the edge of my t-shirt. I remembered his admonishment from the day before but he didn’t comment on my current attire, only saying, “Wear something comfortable today. We’ll be doing a great deal of walking.”
What felt like a million hours later, we finally returned to the hotel room where I collapsed on the sofa.
“I don’t think I’ll ever be able to walk again.” I moaned as Michael flicked my legs off the sofa so he could sit down.
“I admit that was more intensive than I thought.” He leaned back with a small groan. “Sitting in business meetings all day has made me soft.” I snorted, attracting a glance from him. My snorts didn’t manage the same elegance Michael’s did. “You disagree?”
I rolled my head to look at him.
“I’ve seen you fight. You’re brutal and ridiculously fit. An all-day walking tour of every university in New Orleans shouldn’t be a problem for you.”
“I would think you could have handled it as well then. You’ve been touring this city with Ian every day for weeks.”
“We had breaks!” I shifted so I could glare at him without holding my head up. “You know, lunch, snacks, air conditioning.”
“I miscalculated the time it would take.”
It was so unusual to hear Michael admit his failings I lost my glare in sheer disbelief.
“Did you just admit you made a mistake?”
“I said I miscalculated.” He sighed. “Who knew it would take so much time to tour each school? And really would it pain them to have a golf cart available for our use?”
“Right?”
“I’ll make a note of that for the dean. Whichever school you…Ian chooses will be outfitted with golf carts for visitors to the school.” Michael’s slip didn’t escape me. He’d used Ian as an excuse for the tours, saying he wanted my assistance in persuading Ian to go to one of the universities located in New Orleans. The only way I could successfully do that was if I were familiar with them myself. So we’d toured them all or at least the ones Michael deemed acceptable.
“What did you think of them? There were only two I thought would suffice.”
It didn’t take a genius to know which ones he was referring to.
“Tulane and Loyola.”
“Yes. You agree?” His pleased smile had me chuckling.
“It wasn’t difficult to decipher which ones you would consider suitable. They are expensive and somewhat exclusive.”
“Yes, I felt Tulane had a bit more rigorous acceptance policy.”
“Wouldn’t that be an issue with a last minute enrollment?”
His face clearly stated I was being ridiculous.
“Not when you will donate enough money to have a building named after you.”
“Oh.” I echoed meekly. “That would do it.”
“Well, not after me. I’d probably have it named after our grandmother. A much more suitable moniker.”
I smiled at his rambling. Only in this house did people debate who a building would be named after. My stomach chose that moment to rumble loudly, reminding me forcefully that we’d barely paused for lunch and then it had been half of a sandwich.
Michael glanced at me and reached behind him for the phone. His long arms made it poss
ible without him getting up and I was impressed.
“Yes, I’d like to order room service.” He paused. “The entire menu. Yes, send up everything on the menu and be quick about it.” He dropped the phone back into the cradle with a sneer. “They act as if they’ve never heard of such a thing, and I know for a fact Ian did the same when we first arrived.”
“Sounds like something Ian would do.” I paused and then asked, “Do you really think we can eat all of that?”
“Are you joking? I’ve seen you eat.” A pause and then. “I’ll be lucky if there’s anything left for me.”
“Oh!” I pitched a pillow at his head and watched it bounce off on to the floor. “You’re supposed to be a gentleman, Michael!”
“What? I only spoke the truth.” The laughter in his voice kept me from flinging the other pillow, instead hugging it to me.
“I liked Loyola, but there is no way Ian is going there.” I told him, returning to our earlier conversation.
“It was a lovely campus. A rather overabundance of female students, was there not?”
“Exactly.” I muttered flatly causing Michael to chuckle.
“If there is one thing I can assure you of, Ian will not be distracted by a bevy of lovely ladies. His sole focus is you, something I can’t recall ever seeing from him.”
“For now. Who knows what the future will bring?”
“I don’t know that, but what I do know is I didn’t anticipate it bringing you into our lives. Yet here you are and neither Ian nor I wish to see you leave.”
A knock at the door had him gracefully standing as I contemplated what he’d said. He was right, as usual. Never in my wildest imagination would I have considered a man like Ian in my life. The idea of throwing my lot in with them and seeing where it took me was terrifying. I was a planner and even if the thought of sticking to my plan left me unhappy it was still difficult to change direction midstream.
And all of that was without even taking my parents’ reaction into consideration. I winced at the thought of telling them I’d decided to live in New Orleans with two guys and go to school here. Talk about a parent’s worst nightmare. I could only imagine how badly they’d take the news. Only the fact that they were thousands of miles away at the moment had me even considering it. Plus figuring out a way to have Michael break it to them. They’d taken a shine to him during our calls and always wanted to talk to him before hanging up.
My head dropped back on the sofa as the matter of living arrangements came to mind. We were in a hotel now but their stay here was supposed to be temporary, and since it had become more permanent what did that mean? Right now I was in Ian’s room and he slept on the couch which was fine for a couple of months but not long term. I could live in a dorm, but I could already picture how that argument would go.
“Thank you.” Michael tipped the server and shut the door. “Dinner is served.”
His interruption was a relief from the tangle my thoughts had become. He stopped short at my expression though.
“Eat. You’ll feel better. No decisions need to be made tonight, Jane.” His eyes were sympathetic as I sighed. “Today was overwhelming, but tomorrow will be easier and then Ian will have returned. We’ll sort everything out. I promise.”
“I believe you. Just too much going on with an empty stomach.” I forced a smile for him and his eyes narrowed before he grinned. The unexpectedness of it caught me off guard.
“I think this calls for dessert first, wouldn’t you agree?” My smile was more genuine as I watched him lift lids looking for the tray with dessert. “It would be the last one.” He passed me a cookie and as I bit into the warm gooeyness of it I let everything else go. Michael was right, it would all work out.
The next morning a knock on the door woke me. An impeccably dressed Michael stood on the other side examining his fingernails. His eyes flashed as he gave me a quick onceover.
“I have a meeting with Audra this morning. I wondered if you’d like to accompany me?”
I felt my eyes light up as a rush of pure vindictiveness went through me.
Would I like a front row seat to watch that bitch get was coming to her?
Yes, please.
“Give me ten minutes.” I replied, shutting the door on him and racing to the closet. Whatever I wore had to be perfect. I had no doubt she’d be dressed in some slutty version of a business suit, but I could out class her any day of the week. A navy sheath dress, black pumps, and my grandmother’s string of pearls completed my Jackie O impression.
Michael nodded approvingly as I stepped out of my room. I’d taken care with my makeup and wound my long hair into a bun at the nape of my neck. I was the picture of elegance.
“The pearls are a lovely touch.” He commented, offering me his arm.
“They were my grandmothers.” I answered him. “Something I cherish a great deal and was happy to have back.” Ian and Michael had managed to get my luggage when they’d went after my godfather. It had taken a couple of weeks after the police had seized everything in his home, but Michael was nothing if not persistent.
“Are you ready for this?” Michael questioned with a cautious look. “It won’t be pretty.”
“I would expect nothing less from you than to witness Audra have a complete breakdown.” I replied as we stepped into the elevator. “And I can’t wait.”
Catching sight of my fierce expression in the elevator door, I almost didn’t recognize myself. I couldn’t remember ever feeling such a deep rage and hatred toward someone before now, not even my godfather. My only thought was to watch her pay for the despair she’d caused Ian over the years.
“Bloodthirsty little wench, aren’t you?”
“Before this summer I would have told you absolutely not. Now…” I glanced up at him as the elevator dinged. “Now, I’d like to break out the moves Buster taught me and beat her into the ground.” He gave a surprised chuckle as he guided me to the valet stand. “But I have a feeling your method will be equally as brutal and more suitable for destroying what she holds dearest.”
“I hope so.” He graced me with a cunning smile. “I’ve had her investigated quite thoroughly and believe I’ve discovered her weaknesses. Money and power. I can’t say she’s particularly unique in what drives her, but it does make it relatively simple to destroy her.”
“Why would she work for your parents after what she did? What would make her think she would be welcomed here?” I shook my head disbelievingly.
“Self-centered, perhaps? More likely, my parents offered her money to come and stir up trouble. And she would have succeeded if it hadn’t been for you. Considering Ian’s prior exploits, this summer has been relatively tame even with him being confronted by Audra.” I flinched when Michael passed a car with barely an inch to spare as he continued to talk. “If they hadn’t done so, it’s likely I wouldn’t have bought the company out from under them. Unlike Ian, I had hoped to repair the damaged relationships in our family, but after finding out what they’ve done that is utterly impossible.”
He glanced at me and I shrieked, “Eyes on the road!” He rolled his eyes, but faced the road again and I thought about what he’d said.
“You mean you wouldn’t have went into business with Ian?”
“No, probably not. My wish was to salvage the family company. Bring Ian into it. Make it great again, you could say. I’ve done it once. I have no doubt I could have done it again. But I wouldn’t do that to Ian. Not after he finally opened up to me. All thanks to you.” He nodded in my direction but thankfully didn’t glance over. I blinked back tears at the realization that Michael had made his own sacrifices. Unspoken dreams that he would never mention in an effort to protect Ian.
“That is kind of you, Michael.” He shook his head at my words.
“Truthfully, it’s the least I could do.” His smile was bitter as he pulled into the parking garage. “I’ve done enough damage over the last few years. I wasn’t there for Ian like I should have been.” I opened my mo
uth to protest, but he waved it away. “Yes, I cleaned up his messes, but I wasn’t there. Maybe if I’d met Audra in the beginning. If I’d been around after it all happened instead of buying companies to destroy. Who knows how it all might have turned out? Instead I left Ian to flounder, abandoning him as surely as our parents had.”
“I respectfully disagree.” I settled my hand on his forearm. “You were his constant. His base in the storm. Don’t for one second disregard how important that was and still is to him.” I tightened my grip, giving a slight shake. “Do you understand?”
“I understand your capacity for forgiveness is extraordinary.” He glanced at me with a smile. “And perhaps I will feel as you do one day, but that day is not today. However, we can seek retribution for the wrongs of the past.”
I let it go, knowing Michael would have to sort through his own guilt, but taking Audra down a few notches would be a step in the right direction. We headed toward the elevator and I felt a pleasurable tingle shoot down my spine at the thought of confronting her. I wasn’t sure where my newfound vindictiveness was coming from but I couldn’t deny it felt good. We made the ride up to the executive offices in silence. Michael’s mouth never lost the tiny smirk it had formed as we spoke of Audra and I resolved to keep my silence during the confrontation. This was Michael’s moment and one I was just gleeful at having the opportunity to witness.
“Good morning, sir.” The receptionist was in her mid-forties and in no way immune to Michael’s charm. “Your guest is waiting in the office. I asked her to wait here, but she insisted.” A small frown indicated her displeasure at this fact, but Michael only smiled kindly.
“Perfectly fine, Felisha. It’s a private matter anyhow.” She flushed at his use of her name and I could see Michael had already won over most of the employees with his flawless manners. He leaned down to whisper, “Ready?”
Average Jane Page 22
