Chapter 17
Jenna
The doorbell rang. Jenna handed Anita the sandwich she’d just finished making. “I’ll get it.”
Reuben stood on the steps with a large white box in his hands. He handed it to Jenna, who gave him a quizzical look.
“Mr. Ward hired me to make sure you got it. There’s not one dent in that box,” Reuben said, standing taller.
“Thank you, Reuben.” Jenna held her hand up. “Just a sec.”
“You know the drill.” Reuben shook his head. “I’ve been fully compensated for my time.” He looked at the box with curiosity. “What’d he do bad this time? Buy you a yacht?”
Reuben smiled and walked away, leaving Jenna squinting at the box. She wandered back into the house, stumbling in her distraction, and set the box down on the counter.
“What is it?” Anita asked.
Jenna backed away. “I don’t know. I don’t want to know.” Devon thought he could buy his way out of anything. She didn’t want his job, or a bedroom in this house, or whatever was in that box.
Anita bustled over, pulling the lid off before Jenna could stop her. They both stared, wide-eyed, at the soft blue fabric nestled inside. Jenna took another step back as Anita gasped, pulling it out of the box.
Anita held the dress up to herself, swaying from side to side as she grinned at Jenna. Jenna had to admit, it was stunning. The bodice was ornamented with tiny silver beads, and as the flowing skirt cascaded downward, it blended slowly from blue to the palest grey.
Jenna shook her head, glaring. “What does he think I am? Another person he can buy off? He thinks he can take me out of the trailer park and give me a job and dress me up pretty like some kind of doll, and I’ll fall at his feet with gratitude?” She exhaled, wishing a gust of fire had accompanied her breath, and that it had turned the gorgeous dress to black ash. She looked around at the house, with its four-inch molding and granite countertops, feeling trapped, even if she’d never slept a night there. Did he think he owned them? What exactly did he think she owed him?
“Wait,” Anita said, picking up a white envelope. “There’s a card.”
“I don’t need to hear what he has to say.” Jenna turned toward the kitchen, picking up lunchmeat and mayonnaise and heading to the fridge.
“Dear Jenna, I need you for one more night. We’re holding an event this Saturday, and it would be very helpful to have our charitable donations advisor in attendance. If you agree to come, I swear you’ll never have to see my face again.” Her mother’s voice trailed off at the end.
Jenna slammed the fridge door harder than she meant to. So that was how he wanted it. She reminded herself that she was the one who had said she was done. It was probably for the best.
“What do they need me for? TrueLife only signed off on all that because it makes them look good. I made them look good. How could I have let him make me forget everything I was fighting for?” She rubbed her hot, watery eyes.
“What do you mean?” Anita said, walking over to push Jenna’s hair back behind her ears. “Look at me. And what about all those people at the meeting the other night? They probably got a good night’s sleep for the first time in forever. Is he really all that bad?”
Jenna scowled when she remembered the way her heart had skittered so many times at the sight of his hopeful brown eyes. The way time had slowed when his arms were around her. She’d nearly lost sight of everything that was important to her, and that was that bad.
“Yes, he’s that bad, Mom. That’s great that he’s helping people, and that he has purpose in his empty billionaire life. But until he admits what his company is doing to people, I can’t have anything more to do with him.”
“But you’ve worked so hard. You deserve a night to celebrate.”
The front door swung open and Tali walked inside. Without saying a word she went to the fridge and rooted around until she found a soda. It fizzed as she popped it open. She tipped her head back and guzzled, then dropped her head, sighing. “I’m sorry. It’s been a really long day.”
“But it’s only two in the afternoon,” Jenna said. “You’re off early.”
“Selling designer seconds to teenagers at the mall on a Saturday is not for the weak of heart. I was hoping I could hang here for a while, and then crash here. And then spend Sunday here. It’s so quiet. It’s like living in the Stepford Wives movie or something. But without the psycho robots.” She glanced quickly over at Susan, who was quietly reading in the corner. “There aren’t any of those right?” she whispered.
Jenna rolled her eyes, smiling. Tali thought she was crazy for not moving in. But she figured if Jenna wasn’t going to take advantage of the situation, she would. Tali probably spent more time with Jenna’s mom than she did these days.
Tali’s eyes landed on the dress. “Whoa. Where did you get that? It’s gorgeous.”
“Devon sent it,” Anita said. “He wants her to go with him to a fancy party.”
“What kind of party?” Tali’s eyes bulged as she hurried to run her fingers over the dress. She held it up, examining every detail.
“It doesn’t matter. I’m not going.”
“Oh, you’re going.”
“You can’t make me go, Tali. It doesn’t matter that he’s rich and h—attractive. I don’t want anything more to do with Devon or his stupid company. Unless I’m protesting them.”
“That’s why you’re going to the party.” Tali’s eyes sparked with the mischief that had gotten them into a lot of messy situations over the years.
Jenna tipped her head, her eyes narrowing. “This isn’t going to end well, is it?”
Tali giggled, a note of insanity in her tone. “That doesn’t mean it won’t be a lot of fun.”
“I don’t doubt it. So what are you thinking?”
“Remember what we talked about last Halloween?”
Jenna searched her memory. Her eyed widened as she remembered the plan they’d concocted. “We were only joking about that ... right? It’s not exactly in good taste.”
“When did behaving tastefully ever get anyone attention? The answer is never. Believe me, I would know.”
Jenna was frustrated with Devon, but she believed that he was a good guy—at least that he meant to be one. She didn’t want to ruin his life or make him look bad. But she couldn’t stop protesting TrueLife just because she had a soft spot for the CEO. She’d do whatever she had to do to make him see the truth, even if it meant things got ugly.
She walked slowly over to Anita, biting her lip as she deliberated. Then she took the dress, holding it up to herself. “You know, this would look fabulous on me.”
Chapter 18
Devon
Carmen stuck her finger into the leftover marinara sauce and tasted it. She nodded, raising her eyebrows. “It’s good.”
“High praise, coming from you,” Devon said.
“I guess you learned a thing or two over there, after all. It’s good to see you cooking again, even if you destroyed the kitchen. You’ve barely set foot in here since you got back. But ...”
“But what? Not enough oregano?”
“No. Is this happy cooking? Or is it the sign of a heavy heart?”
A hollow laugh escaped Devon’s throat. “You know me well.”
Carmen shook her head. “I thought so. It’s that woman, the one from the party.” She chuckled. “You didn’t know she was going to give you trouble when she painted you red?”
Devon scratched the back of his neck, turning to lean against the marble countertop. “What can I say? I like a woman who challenges me.”
“Good. So what’s the problem?”
“I’m an idiot. And she doesn’t want to see me again.” He hadn’t been able to get the pity and disappointment on Jenna’s face out of his head. She’d been right all along, but her patience had run out. He couldn’t blame her.
But it wasn’t just Jenna that had brought him to the kitchen to attempt to ease his pain with food he had no appet
ite to eat. The guilt caused by the suffering of those people had wormed its way under his skin. Their words had haunted him until he couldn’t deny the truth any longer.
“So stop being an idiot.” Carmen had always had a gift for simplicity, and little patience for stupidity.
“Thanks. I’m glad we had this talk, Carmen.” Devon grabbed oven mitts and carried the chicken parmesan and garlic green beans out to the formal dining room. His mother sat looking very small at the end of the enormous table.
Jaqueline cut off a small piece of chicken and took a bite. “You know I normally avoid carbs, but this is so delicious. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
Devon laughed, putting food on his plate that he knew he wouldn’t touch. “Probably have your sizable staff cook dinner for you.”
“Yes, but this is cooked with love. I can taste it.” Jaqueline frowned, putting down her fork. “Sweetheart, I know you had other dreams. I’m so proud of you for stepping in and helping your father’s company stabilize, for helping me.” She paused. “But if you’re not happy, I don’t want you to stay.” She finished quickly, as if she was afraid of losing her nerve.
“Who says I’m not happy?” Had the women of the household all had a conversation about him? It wasn’t likely, and if so it would have to be the first time his mother and Carmen had agreed on something.
“I thought you might be, for a while there,” she said. “All that charity work you were doing seemed to breathe new life into you. But for the last week or so it’s as if someone stuck a pin in you and popped you. I can tell when my little boy’s not happy. Is it the insurance business, or is it that girl?”
Finally he sighed, rubbing the spot between his eyebrows again. “It’s both. But I’m not going anywhere, Mom. I’m afraid it wouldn’t solve anything.”
“Tell me about it. Believe it or not, I have a few years of experience.”
He walked around the table, trying to maintain eye contact but failing miserably. “Jenna deserves better than me. And as for the company, it’s a complicated situation. I want to do the right thing, but there will be consequences.” He finally looked her in the eye, wishing she could understand.
How could he tell his mother he was about to destroy the family name and make her a social pariah? And that was only the beginning. Charles had reminded him constantly of the importance of protecting their employees and their investors. Then there were all the charities they’d planned to donate to. So many people could suffer if TrueLife went down. He knew nothing was more important than the people who were in pain, and those like Jenna who had to watch them suffer while they gave their own life away to try to provide for them, but he wasn’t sure how his mom would feel about it. He expected she’d feel the way he had, when Jenna had first accused the company of wrongdoing.
Jaqueline’s silverware clattered to the table. “I’m so tired of hearing about complications,” she said, her voice suddenly firm. “Your father was always full of complications. Doing the right thing should not be complicated. If you do the right thing you become the man she deserves. You solve both problems.” She gave him a satisfied smile, as if it was that easy. Maybe she and Carmen had more in common than he’d thought.
“What if it hurts people?” he asked. “What if it hurts you? And the company?”
“Oh.” She clutched the heavy gold chains around her neck, her eyes darkening. Then she laughed, but it was a harsh sound. “The company.” She said it like a curse word. She took a long swig of her red wine. “Any indiscretion your father committed could be passed off as for the good of the company. TrueLife brings relief to the suffering and blah, blah, blah.” Her words were starting to slur, as if she’d had a couple of glasses of wine before dinner was served.
Devon leaned forward, the color draining from his face. “Mom, you know, don’t you? About the denied claims?”
“I suspected,” she said firmly. “I’ve never been able to prove anything. So I told myself it wasn’t happening, that all my sacrifices were worth something.” She frowned. “Sound familiar?” She shook her head. “I wanted you to believe your sacrifices were worth something too, that you had one thing to be proud of. Some kind of moral legacy. You were only a child ... but now.”
“Now I’ve just inherited the sins of my father.”
Romeo bounded into the room, yapping as he begged to be picked up. Jaqueline scooped him into her arms.
Devon stared, a dull ache sinking into his chest as he remembered the first time he’d met Jenna. He’d known the moment he’d seen her that she was special. She was coming to the party, so at least he’d see her one last time, even if she’d only agreed out of obligation. It was because of her that he’d changed, and he’d make things right for those people whether or not she ever wanted to see him again. But more than anything he’d ever wanted, he hoped he could win her over somehow. He’d give the effort everything he had.
He ducked his head and headed out of the room. The situation he was running into headfirst hit him like a brick wall. What he was about to do could go very wrong, and not just for his mom and Charles and everyone else.
He pulled out the phone number he’d recently pulled from the company records, and called up Dale Fletcher, recently terminated employee of TrueLife Insurance.
Chapter 19
Jenna
Jenna ended the call. A new member had just joined their support group. Yet another person who was wrongly denied the healthcare they desperately needed. As she’d hung up the phone, Jenna couldn’t help but wonder again if TrueLife had handed money over to charities with one hand, only to tighten their other fist to those submitting claims. Her chest ached at the thought that she might have made things worse.
She’d been tempted to back out of the plan several times. Even after their harsh words, part of her was still clinging to the idea of keeping Devon in her life. It wasn’t just him she wasn’t ready to let go of. She’d had the opportunity to accomplish things she’d never dreamed she’d be part of. But no matter how much charity work TrueLife did, it wasn’t going to make up for the harm they were doing. She didn’t want to hurt Devon, but she couldn’t let him distract her any longer. It was time to stop TrueLife.
Jenna raised her chin, carefully picking up the blue dress and sliding into it.
“Let me get that for you,” Anita said, pulling up the zipper. She gasped as Jenna turned around. Then she smiled.
“Don’t smile like that, Mom.”
“It’s just that you look so beautiful.” She placed a hand over her heart. “It’s a big night for you two.”
“That’s right. Devon will probably no longer speak to me after tonight.” She tasted the bitterness of regret as she said it. Devon was the only one she’d ever spoken to about hopes and dreams and all of that nonsense. Because of him, she’d felt like a person again, instead of a constantly stressed robot just trying to make it through another day. He’d given her opportunities to help people, and it had felt amazing. She hated to sound shallow about it but she liked his face too, and the graceful, confident way he moved, especially when he cooked.
But there was no backing out, now. Everything was in place, and even if she’d wanted to, she was sure Tali wouldn’t let her do it. That was what best friends were for.
Anita gave her a sad look. “It’s too bad. I think you could have made a good team, with a little more time. But you do what you need to do. I couldn’t be prouder of you.”
Jenna looked down, not sure whether or not she deserved her mother’s praise.
“Sweetheart, I left one of my books in the upstairs bedroom,” Anita said. “Could you grab it for me before you go?”
“Sure.” Jenna hurried up the stairs. When she walked into the bedroom she breathed in sharply, stepping back. The room was covered in photos from around the world. She noticed the Great Wall of China, the Eiffel Tower, the Taj Mahal. There were places she couldn’t pinpoint, waterfalls and canyons. She wished she knew where they were, so she cou
ld add them to her travel bucket list. Devon had taken the time to personalize this room for her, after only one conversation in his kitchen. And she’d never so much as stepped foot in it.
Her eyes stung. This last testament of Devon’s thoughtfulness gave her another pang of guilt, but she steeled herself, determined to be strong. She grabbed her mother’s book, which she’d probably brought up here on purpose, and hurried out of the room.
The doorbell rang. Jenna rushed downstairs to slip on her heeled sandals, then pulled open the front door. She inhaled sharply, stepping back, at the sight of Devon standing there in a tux. She couldn’t help but notice the way his gaze caught on her gown, the way it delved into her own as if he never wanted to look away.
“I’m sorry,” she said, slightly breathless. “I assumed your driver would be coming.”
He shrugged, nodding to his Mercedes Benz. “I got the feeling you weren’t really a limo kind of girl.”
She gave him a self-conscious laugh. “I’m more of a public transportation kind of girl, but I suppose that will do. What about Stan?”
“Don’t worry, my mother will keep him plenty busy.”
Jenna felt heat creeping up her neck as she realized she was standing there like an idiot and should probably invite Devon in. She stepped inside, gesturing for him to enter. Then she noticed the loaf of artisanal bread wrapped in cellophane he held in his hands.
“I know,” he said sheepishly. “It’s a strange gift. I just assumed you’d had enough flowers.”
She took it, eyeing the glossy golden crust as she placed it on the counter. “You didn’t ... make this?”
“I did, actually. I might have gone a bit overboard, and my mother doesn’t want all the carbs in her house.” He gestured toward the door. “Should we go?”
They walked to the car, and Devon held the door open for her. Once inside, they drove in silence for several minutes. Jenna wished they could get past the awkwardness caused by their last conversation. Even a good verbal spar with Devon was better than the uncomfortable silence. Still, she couldn’t regret the things she’d said, only the way she’d said them.
Battling the Billionaire Page 10
