by Leslie North
Gabe knew him too well. Or maybe he knew Duncan too well. “And it had nothing to do with the glances that you and Angie were exchanging Friday night over dinner?” he asked wryly. Stephen didn’t say a word, but that didn’t stop Gabe. “Why are you messing with her?”
“I’m not ‘messing’ with anyone,” Stephen said softly. “And if I were, it’s none of your business.”
“It’s my business when it affects the company. I called you here to help me save Duncan Enterprises, not so that you can be seduced by the woman who is trying to run it into the ground,” Gabe snapped.
Stephen raised his eyebrows. “What happened to the Gabe who said that Angie was good for the company? Weren’t you the one who said that you didn’t have an issue with her being Senior VP?”
Gabe sighed and sat back in his chair. He fiddled with a stress ball while Nathan tapped on the desk with his fingertips. “You know, I’m good at my job. I’ve had so many offers to leave this company and take my talents elsewhere. If Duncan Enterprises went under, it would be no skin off my nose. Especially since Angie is VP. Nothing would reflect badly on me, and I’d finally be able to do whatever I wanted.”
“And what do you want to do?”
“I want to have a job where I’m respected,” Gabe snapped.
“So why did you call me here to save the company if you don’t give a shit if it goes under?” Stephen asked softly.
“Professional integrity. What kind of businessman am I if I let the firm go under without doing more to save it,” he said finally.
“And it has nothing to do with family?” Stephen asked curiously. There was still something Gabe wasn’t telling him.
Gabe ignored him. “I found this in the printer in her office,” he said as he slid a piece of paper across the desk.
Stephen didn’t move to pick it up. “Why were you in her office?”
“She was supposed to get me some reports on Friday, but she never came back to the office. This morning I went to pick them up, but she wasn’t in. But the office was unlocked.” There was no apology in Gabe’s voice.
“And the files were in the fax machine?”
“It took some time for me to find what I was looking for,” Gabe challenged. “So I checked the fax machine, I thought maybe she might have scanned them into the computer to email them to me.”
Stephen stared at the sheet of paper. Whatever it was, he didn’t want to pick it up. Gabe wouldn’t give him something of Angie’s unless it was incriminating. That much was certain. And Stephen wasn’t sure he wanted to see it.
But he had a job to do, and Gabe obviously thought it was important. With a sigh, he reached over to pick up the piece of paper.
“Shit,” he said softly. “She shouldn’t be giving out this kind of information.” It was a detailed report on the ongoing projects and possible future projects. “Where was this going?”
“I checked the log, but there weren’t any faxes sent from her office on Friday. So I can only assume she hasn’t sent it yet. I made this copy and left the original in the printer. I’ve asked IT to send me a report of all faxes sent from her office today.”
“Isn’t that a bit ridiculous?” Nathan chimed in.
It did seem excessive, Stephen thought, but if Angie was sending this kind of information to other companies, they needed to know. He looked at Gabe. “What do you want to do?”
“If the three of us vote her out, many of the board members are likely to follow suit. Duncan will have no choice but to fire her,” Gabe pointed out.
“And elect you the new VP?” Nathan said. “This sounds incredibly selfish. Not to mention that it would be a huge political mistake. The press would be all over us.”
“So you’d rather let her take the company apart than face some scrutiny from the public?” Gabe snapped.
“Hold on,” Stephen said, putting his hands up to calm things down. “Let’s think about this rationally. Gabe, I think we can all agree that you deserve to run this company. The fact that Duncan doesn’t want you at the top probably means something, but there’s nothing that we can do about that right now.”
“We should stop her now before she gives out this kind of information,” Gabe insisted.
“But then we wouldn’t know what she was planning,” Stephen reasoned. “Just because she had a piece of paper in the printer doesn’t mean that she’s selling company secrets.”
“So let’s ask her about it,” Nathan suggested.
“And let her know that we’re onto her?” Gabe threw up his hands. “That’s a great idea.”
“Hold on,” Stephen said. “Angie already knows that you hate her, so it’s not like she thinks she has you duped. Nathan has a point. We know that she’s most likely lying, but if we pretend to buy whatever story she gives us, and then make sure we protect this information, we can watch her more closely. I trust Nathan’s judgment. And I need her.”
“Need her for what?” Nathan said suspiciously.
“There’s a 3.4 million-dollar building job in Chicago. Luxury high-rise condos with first floor shopping. Companies all over the country are vying for the job.”
“Duncan would never agree to that job,” Gabe said absently. “Not if he’s trying to sell off Construction. And what makes you think Chicago will hire us?”
Stephen smiled wickedly. “Duncan undercuts my own company to steal jobs from me. If my company makes an offer, and it looked like Chicago will accept it, Duncan will swoop in to steal the job from me. I’m not equipped to handle the job myself, but Duncan doesn’t have to know that.”
“Christ,” Nathan murmured. “What a bastard.”
Gabe only cocked his head. “Your company could price the job really low, so Duncan would have to take a huge cut by winning the job.”
“And there’s the run. But Duncan gets all his information from Angie. So if we feed her the wrong information, Duncan will push it through. The thing is, I’ve already spoken to Chicago. Someone in the company owes me a favor. They want Duncan Enterprises to work for them, and they know that this is the only way to get Duncan to do it. If Angie thinks the profit margin is much smaller than it is, Duncan will approve it.”
“And when Angie signs a contract with the real numbers in play?” Nathan asked.
“She won’t be able to turn it down without it looking suspicious,” Stephen said confidently. “This job alone would put Construction enough in the black to make the board members think twice about selling.”
“Stephen. That’s an awesome plan. And you’ll definitely need Angie to do it,” Nathan said with a smile.
Gabe looked less than happy. “It is a good plan,” he said grudgingly. “Fine. You can go ask her what she was doing with this information. But don’t trust her, Stephen.”
“I’ll keep an open mind,” Stephen promised.
“She and Suzanne seemed awfully cozy this weekend,” Gabe said. “I wonder what secrets they traded.”
“Angie doesn’t know any secrets about me,” Stephen said with a frown. What was his brother up to?
“But Suzanne certainly does. If Angie was interested before, I wonder what she thinks of you now? Keep that in mind when you’re talking to her.” He stood. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some work I need to do.”
Stephen walked out with Nathan, and Gabe shut the door behind them. “What was that all about?” Nathan whispered.
“He doesn’t want me to take her side,” Stephen said.
“Are you interested in her?”
“She’s attractive, and we’ve flirted a little. But I can keep my head about myself,” Stephen snapped.
“No judgments here,” Nathan said as he put his hands up in surrender. “But Gabe’s not wrong. You and Suzanne are fine now, but there was a time that you weren’t. And they were talking a lot this weekend.”
“One problem at a time,” Stephen said. But he couldn’t help but wonder what his ex-wife had told Angie. And it bothered him even more that he cared.
<
br /> Angie was lugging her tote out to her car when she heard someone shouting her name. With a frown, she looked over her shoulder. Stephen was jogging across the parking lot.
Great. This was all she needed right now. “I’m done for the day,” she said as he caught up with her. “Whatever you need will have to wait until tomorrow.”
“It’s only two o’clock,” he pointed out as he slowed down to match her pace.
“Yes, I’m aware of what time it is,” she said ignoring the obvious question. She didn’t owe him an explanation of why she was leaving early. Opening her car door, she thrust the tote inside.
“Well, I have some business that I need to tend to with you,” he said as he leaned against her car.
“And as I’ve already pointed out, it will have to wait until tomorrow. Goodbye Stephen.” She opened the driver’s door and got in without sparing another glance. As she started the car, the passenger door opened, and Stephen slid in. “What the hell are you doing?” If she didn’t leave right now, she was going to be late.
“This can’t wait until tomorrow,” he said casually. “So we’ll talk on the way.”
“You’re not coming with me,” she said firmly. “If there is something you want to discuss with me, then you can call me later.”
“Yeah, but then I won’t know where you’re going.” He gave her a big grin when she glanced at the clock again. “Are you going to be late?”
“Yes, I am,” she snapped. “And why do you need to know where I’m going?”
“Well, that’s part of the reason that I need to talk to you. You can start driving. I’d hate to make you late for anything.”
He snapped on his seat belt, and she groaned inwardly. Instead of trying to talk him out of it and making herself really late, she just backed the car up and began to drive. “What the hell is so important that you have to hijack my car?”
“It’s not hijacking,” he said casually. “It’s good time management. You and Suzanne were getting along splendidly this weekend. What were you two talking about?”
Angie rolled her eyes. “Is that what this is about? Are you concerned that your ex-wife killed whatever spark I was holding for you?”
“You were holding a spark for me?” he asked with a smile.
“Suzanne and I did talk about you. We also talked about your family, my family, Ben, and the company. Because that’s what women do when they get together. And the specifics are none of your business.”
He stared quietly out the window for a few minutes. “I never did thank you for helping me with Ben. You were right. There were some underlying issues.”
Uncomfortable, she shifted in her seat. “No problem.”
Finally, he passed over a sheet of paper. Her eyes flitted down for a moment. “What is it? I can’t read that, I’m driving.”
“It’s a piece of paper that was found in your personal printer.” A feeling of dread came over her, but she let him finish. “It’s information on all of our current and upcoming projects. It’s sensitive information.”
“And what exactly were you doing in my office?” she demanded.
“I wasn’t the one who found it. It was brought to my attention by someone else. Now we know that you haven’t sent it to anyone, so if you can give me a reasonable explanation, we’ll forget that it even happened.”
Angie wasn’t going to lie. She was raised not to lie, and it wasn’t like Stephen wasn’t going to find out anyway. “It was going to Marks Construction. They need more information before they consider our offer,” she said quietly.
“Offer?” she heard his temper rising, and she gripped the steering wheel. “Our offer to what? Sell?”
“Stephen,” she said quietly.
“Are you fucking kidding me? The board hasn’t agreed to sell and you’re already laying out numbers and providing sensitive information? And to Marks Construction of all people! What the hell were you thinking?” he growled at her.
“Marks can offer the best price,” Angie said softly. She had known that he would be angry if he found out. “But I can’t do anything until the board agrees.”
“First of all, Tucker Marks is insufferable, and the day I let you sell to him will be the day that my body is cold and stiff and lying in the ground. Secondly, you shouldn’t be pushing through a deal that is not guaranteed. You don’t have the authority!”
“You’re right, I don’t,” she said calmly.
It finally sunk in, and he sighed. “Duncan gave you the authority. Son-of-a-bitch!” He slammed his fists on her dashboard.
“Stop that!” she snapped. “Duncan is selling. Why should you care so much about it? You never gave a damn about this company before! And now that it’s too late, you’re ready to swoop in and save the day? So tell me, Mr. Maxfield, exactly what is your big plan?”
Stephen unclenched his fists and leaned back. “I care because it’s my family. Maybe that’s something you don’t understand.”
She snorted. A few more minutes passed before Stephen spoke again. “Where the hell are we going anyway?”
“To my mom’s,” she said. “My family is in town. We’re having dinner with them.”
He turned his head to stare at her, and for a moment, she savored the look of shock and terror on his face. “You were the one who got in the car,” she pointed out. She enjoyed his silence with a smug smile on her face.
10
Seven small children raced out to meet them. As they screamed and shouted in Spanish, Stephen could only pick up one thing.
They all loved Angie.
She bent down to rain kisses on them, and they all shrieked with laughter. There was more rapid-fire Spanish that sent them screaming into the house. Angie laughed, and for a moment, Stephen couldn’t help but stare.
Even over the weekend, when she drank and relaxed at the Duncan home, it was clear that she was guarded. But the smile that split her face was genuine and full of love. He couldn’t help but feel a little jealous that the smile wasn’t for him.
“I shouldn’t be here,” he said awkwardly.
“No, you shouldn’t,” she said, her smile fading. “But you are, and there’s nothing you can do about it unless you want to call a cab.” Her eyes slid over him. “Feel free to do that. Otherwise, try to be nice.”
She pushed her shoulders back and stalked into the house. Stephen deliberated, but curiosity got the best of him. As he walked into the house, the conversation stopped, and all eyes turned to him.
Angie seemed both pleased and pissed that he was there. “This is Stephen Maxfield. He’s in town for business,” she announced awkwardly.
“Maxfield? As in Duncan Maxfield?” one of the men asked as he appraised him.
“Duncan Maxfield is my father,” Stephen said with a tight smile. “I’m so sorry for crashing your dinner. Angie and I were…”
“We have an unavoidable conference call in two hours,” she interrupted. “So it was easier to stay together.”
Wow. She blatantly lied to her family. He frowned as he stared at her. What else was she lying about?
Her family seemed to buy it, and one by one, they came up to shake his hand or hug him. She had two twin brothers, Joe and Jesus, and between them, they had four children. Stephen stared at Joe and Jesus and tried to figure out how to tell them apart, but he couldn’t spot any differences. Angie also had three sisters: Bonita, Anita, and Carolina. Between the three sisters, there were seven more kids. Everyone was married with husbands and wives with the exception of Angie and Carolina.
And then there was Maria Lopez, the matriarch of the family. She was a tiny woman confined to a wheelchair. Like the rest of the family, she held a question in her eyes and she wheeled up to him, but unlike the rest of the family, she wasn’t so subtle about it. “I always love to have company for dinner. If you hurt her, I hurt you.”
His mouth dropped open, but she gave him a big warm smile and moved on. He looked around to see if anyone else heard the threat, but no one
paid him any attention.
Maybe he had imagined it.
The volume in the den grew as the kids screamed and ran around while the adults talked and bickered. Angie had abandoned Stephen, and he sat on the couch and simply observed.
“I said I was sorry,” Angie told her sister as she rolled her eyes.
“But you don’t look like you’re sorry,” the sister pointed out. She was the youngest. Carolina? Stephen was having a hard time keeping them straight. Over in the opposite corner was another fight between the oldest sister, Bonita, and the twins.
“Imagine what you could do if you cooked for us! The festival was a huge hit. You could work full-time!”
“I have two girls. That is a full-time job,” she snapped.
“We would work around your schedule, and we’d pay you enough to hire a sitter. Hell, you’d be able to put them through college.”
“I’m not going to have some teenager raising my girls,” Bonita argued. “And Robert makes enough money to put them through college. When are you boys going to drop this?”
“Never. You’re too good!”
The middle daughter was pushing her mom to the windows. “Mom. These curtains are hideous. When are you going to redo this house?”
“First it’s my clothes, and then it’s my make-up! Now you want to do my house. When are you going to give it a rest, Anita?”
Stephen watched with a smile. This family clearly argued with the best of them, but he could feel the love and warmth in this house. It was something his own family was desperately missing.
“Feeling overwhelmed?”
Stephen jerked his head around as the youngest sat down next to him. Angie had gone over and joined in the conversation with her mother. “It’s nice,” he said with a smile.
“Nice?” Carolina said with a laugh. “It’s chaos. And this is just on birthdays and family dinners. During the holidays, we have cousins. It’s terrifying!”
“That’s something I would love to see,” he snorted.
