She giggled, but then her face grew serious. “I know I don’t need to hide now you’ve seen, but I totally understand if you’d rather keep things as they were. I know how ugly it looks.”
Anger clouded my vision and sent blood pounding in my ears. I thought I hated my father for what he’d done to Nina and me, but that paled into insignificance when compared with the feelings I had about Atwood.
“You’re beautiful, Christa. It’s Atwood who’s ugly, and soon, every trace of him will be gone from your life forever.”
* * *
“You can get dressed now, Christa,” Dr. Sanchez said, appearing from behind a curtain and taking a seat behind her desk.
I waited for Christa to appear, then clasped her hand as she sat beside me. She was gnawing on her bottom lip, and her fingers felt cold in my hand. I squeezed it and gave her a reassuring smile, which she tried to return but it came out more like a grimace.
“Let me get the good news out of the way first. I can definitely operate, and while you won’t have completely smooth skin, I’m confident that in a couple of years any scarring will be barely visible.”
Christa’s whole body sagged.
I slipped my arm around her shoulders and kissed her hair. “That’s fantastic, isn’t it, angel?”
She nodded, but in typical Christa fashion, she honed right in on Dr. Sanchez’s opening gambit. “What’s the bad news?”
“It’s not bad news, per se,” Dr. Sanchez said. “The scarring on the surface is fairly raised, but the bigger problem is the depth of scar tissue underneath the epidermis. You were cut fairly deeply, so to ensure you are left with minimal aftereffects, I will need to perform several surgeries over a period of months, possibly up to a year.”
Christa offered up a barely there, one-shoulder shrug. “Dr. Sanchez, I thought I was going to have to live with… that… for the rest of my life. A year is nothing. If you’d said it’d take five years, I’d still be thrilled. I’m so relieved that something can be done.”
“I think you’ll be pleased with the final results. I’ll know more after you’ve had your first procedure. In fact, shall we book that in now?”
She glanced between the two of us, waiting for agreement. I locked eyes with Christa who gave me an imperceptible nod of approval.
“Let’s do that,” I said.
Dr. Sanchez checked her schedule and booked Christa in for surgery in four weeks’ time. She’d need a few tests beforehand, but the doctor said they were routine. By the time we left the building, Christa could barely contain her excitement.
“If you carry on jumping up and down like that, I’m going to start calling you Tigger,” I said, grinning.
“Oh, Dayton.” She squeezed my arm, then bounced from foot to foot once more. “I can’t believe it.”
Her happiness sent my heart soaring. I eased up the sleeve on my suit jacket and checked my watch. “Come on, I’ve got just enough time to take you to lunch before my afternoon scheduled meetings.”
I took her to a Thai place right around the corner from my office building. The restaurant was rammed, but they found us a table after we’d waited for a few minutes.
“What are your plans for the rest of the day?” I asked her after we’d ordered.
She threw me a puzzled look. “I’m going to work,” she said.
I waited for our server to pour the water I’d ordered, then took a sip. “You’ve had a stressful couple of days. Why not go shopping. Take Max to the Children’s Museum or cycling in the park, or on a riverboat cruise.”
She rolled her eyes. “I hate shopping at the best of times. Max will be grumpy if I drag him away from his friends to visit a musty old museum. And I don’t want to go cycling or battle with tourists for a trip on the Hudson. I want to go to work, and that’s what I’m doing.”
I held up my hands. “Whoa, you’re scary when you’re pissed.”
She waggled her finger at me, the corners of her mouth twitching upward. “You’d better believe it.”
“Noted.”
We strolled to work, Christa chattering nonstop about nothing in particular. Small talk had always bored me, but with Christa, I could listen to her ramble on all day long. As we walked through the lobby, and then into the elevator, it struck me how many people she knew, despite only working here for six months. I couldn’t fail to notice, though, how uncomfortable they were around me. I had to change that, walk the floor more, become accessible and approachable to my team. My company depended on the efforts of each and every staff member I employed, and while I paid well and ensured the benefits offered were top-notch, I knew I came across as aloof. Christa had a kind word and a bright smile for everyone she came into contact with. I must try to emulate her more.
“Well, this is me,” Christa said as the elevator reached her floor. “Laters.” She disappeared with a wave. I rode up to my office wearing the stupidest grin, and, to the surprise of my board members, it remained in place for the rest of the day.
23
Christa
The next couple of weeks passed without incident. Neither Dayton nor I mentioned what had happened with Arek, and my fears of reprisals turned out to be unfounded. So what if he told Sutton I was living in New York? It would be years before he got out of prison, and I could be anywhere by then.
Since that night, Dayton had been especially attentive and gentle, almost as though he was trying to make up for the fight with Arek. I knew I’d shocked him when I’d admitted he’d scared me. After what I’d gone through with Sutton, that had to be a terrible blow to a man who’d shown me nothing but kindness and compassion.
“Earth to Christa.”
I jerked out of my daydreaming to find Greg staring at me, one eyebrow cocked in amusement.
“Sorry,” I mumbled. “My mind’s elsewhere this morning.”
“No kidding. I’ve been calling you for at least thirty seconds. Now, if you’re back in the land of the living, could I borrow your mind for five minutes? I promise I’ll give it straight back afterward.”
I rolled my eyes. “Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit.”
“But provides the most delight.”
I laughed. “You’re an idiot.”
I adored Greg. He was like the older brother I never had and, in my eyes, he could do no wrong. He was also an amazing teacher, and every day, I learned lots from him.
He cocked his head. “So, you coming or what?” He set off in the direction of the conference room at the far end of the office.
It was only as he strolled off, whistling no less, that I realized the whole floor was much quieter than usual. Apart from the odd one or two people dotted about here and there, everyone’s desk was empty.
Frowning, I followed him. He reached the door, turned around, winked, then opened it. I stepped inside, and a huge cheer went up. The room had been decked out with balloons that read ‘Congratulations’, and there was a bouquet of flowers and the biggest box of chocolates I’d ever seen in the center of the large glass table.
“What’s going on?” I asked Greg, confused. It wasn’t my birthday, or a special occasion that I could think of. And besides, from what I’d seen, birthdays brought at most a card and maybe a drink in the bar across the road after work had finished for the day.
He picked up the gifts and came to stand beside me. “Christa, it’s a little over six months since you first joined us, and in that time you’ve become such a valuable member of the team. Your capacity for learning astounds me. An outsider looking in would think you’d been doing this for years, not months. So, with that in mind, I’d like to officially promote you from an entry-level apprentice to the position of software analyst. Congratulations, sweetheart.”
He handed me the flowers and set the chocolates on the table in front of me. Applause broke out around the room, and calls of “Speech!” bounced off the walls. I shook my head, lost for words. I buried my nose in the bouquet of flowers and sniffed.
“You guys, this is�
� I honestly don’t know what to say other than thank you so much. You’ve all been fantastic and made me feel like such a part of everything.” I clasped a hand to my chest. “I can’t believe I’m no longer an apprentice.”
“You still have to fetch my coffee, though,” Greg said, grinning. “Until we hire a new victim… I mean apprentice… that job still falls to you.”
I saluted him and said, “Yes, sir,” to sounds of laughter.
“Right, fun’s over. Everyone back to work,” Greg said.
My coworkers filed out of the room. I hung back and waited until only Greg and I were left. I closed the door, preventing him from walking through.
“Can I have a quick word?”
He perched on the end of the table. “Sure. Sorry if that embarrassed you, but it had to be done.”
I chuckled. “It was a lovely gesture, and thank you so much for believing in me.” I plucked a petal from one of the roses and rubbed it between my thumb and forefinger, then brought it to my nose.
“What’s the matter, Christa?”
I lifted my gaze to his. “Tell me honestly. Did Dayton have anything to do with this?”
Greg’s eyebrows almost disappeared into his hairline. “No, he didn’t. This is my department. I decide who gets promoted and who gets fired. If you’d been shit, I wouldn’t have hesitated to get rid of you, whoever you happened to be seeing. Except you’re far from shit. You’re brilliant, and with a little more coaching and a couple more years under your belt, you’ll be vying for my job.”
Tension I hadn’t been aware of unknotted the muscles in my shoulders, and I let out a huge breath. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Now get back to work before I give you a boot in the ass.”
I burst out laughing. “I’m on it.”
I worked through until one then grabbed my purse and left the main office. I slipped into an empty meeting room down the hall. I couldn’t wait to tell Dayton my fabulous news. I thought about popping up to his office, but I rarely visited uninvited. I hated disturbing him when he was busy.
Before I had a chance to call him, though, my phone rang. My heart almost stopped when I saw the caller ID. Detective Harris. Oh God. What could he possibly want? Despite my promise to keep in touch when I left Seattle, I hadn’t. I’d wanted to leave that part of my life far behind me, and continuing contact with George would have been too much of a reminder.
My top lip stuck to my teeth, and a tightness spread across my chest. I tried to answer, but my hands were trembling so much, I kept missing the button. On the third attempt, I managed it.
“H-hello,” I said as if talking to a stranger even though I knew exactly who was calling—unless George had had his phone stolen.
“Christa?”
“Yes. Hello, George.”
“How are you?”
I pulled out a chair and collapsed onto it. “I’m fine. How are you?”
“Christa, there’s something you should know.”
He took a breath while I waited, my heart galloping as I imagined all kinds of shit. “George, please.”
“Atwood has been given leave to appeal against his conviction.”
The bottom fell out of my world. The room started spinning, and I clutched at the edge of the table to support myself and prayed for it to stop. This couldn’t be happening. He was out of my life, punished for the terrible ordeal he’d subjected me to. And now he was going to get out, and when he did, he’d make me pay. Arek knew where I was, but even if I ran, it wouldn’t be the end. This was never going to be over, until I took my last breath.
“Christa, are you there?”
My vision blurred, and when I blinked, tears poured onto my cheeks. “Yes,” I said, my voice sounding small and insignificant.
“Listen to me. He won’t get out. This is normal procedure. Appeals happen all the time. Do you know how many of those result in convictions being overturned? A minuscule amount. There has to be significant new evidence for a judge to reverse a guilty verdict issued by a jury, and even then, the prosecution usually appeals, and most of those are upheld.”
I could hear every single word George was saying, but they’d jumbled up in my mind. I couldn’t process what it all meant. Sweat trickled down the nape of my neck, inching over my spine, leaving an icy trail in its wake. I wanted Max. I needed to hold my baby.
“George, I’m going to have to call you back.”
I hung up and sprinted to the bank of elevators. I pressed the call button. “Come on, come on,” I muttered, jabbing my finger onto the button again. Finally, the doors opened, and I spilled inside.
Three minutes later, I burst into the childcare center, wildly looking around for my baby. I spotted him on the far side stacking blocks with Ben, one of his buddies. I ran across and swept him up into my arms, smothering his face with kisses.
“Max, oh God, Max. I love you.”
“Christa?” Sondra gently clutched my arm. “What on earth is the matter?”
I stared at her, my eyes wild with fear. I couldn’t speak. Even if I could, what on earth would I say? No one here knew, apart from Dayton.
“Here, come with me.” Sondra propelled me toward her office and eased me into a chair. I cradled Max who, poor baby, looked awfully confused.
“Momma.” He pressed his tiny hand to my face. “Don’t cry.”
I hadn’t even realized I was, but when I touched my face, I found it wet. I swiped away the tears and gave Max a wavering smile that I hoped held a note of reassurance.
“It’s okay, baby boy. I missed you, that’s all.”
He grinned, then struggled to get down. I put him on the floor, and Sondra, God bless her, produced a toy for him to play with.
“Do you want to talk?”
I shook my head.
“Is it work? Dayton?”
I shook again, more vehemently this time.
Sondra covered her hands with mine. “Shall I call him?”
“I want to go home,” I said quietly.
Sondra’s brow wrinkled, but she didn’t press me. “Okay, sweetie. Let me call you a cab.”
Ten minutes later, Max and I were settled in the back of a taxi. Sondra had even had the foresight to request one with a child seat. He was still clutching the toy she’d given him in her office, his tiny brow furrowed in a frown. His instincts were telling him something was wrong. I stroked his hair and painted on a bright smile. “How about peanut butter and jelly sandwiches when we get home, Max?”
His face broke into a grin. “Yes, please.”
I got him fed and settled, then checked my cell. I had three more missed calls from George and a text. I opened it.
Trust me. It will all be okay. Call when you feel up to it.
I prayed he was right.
24
Dayton
I steepled my hands under my chin and zoned out as members of my board presented the quarterly results from each of their departments. I’d already gone over the reports last night, so nothing they said here would come as a surprise. The company continued to grow, and if we hit the mark on the forecasts by the financial year end, I’d break into the top ten privately owned companies in the United States. That was all companies, not just in the technology sector. Not bad for a guy who’d started with virtually nothing other than a hunger to succeed, if only to get revenge on his father.
My cell pinged with a text from Nina nudging me to approve the expansion of the Chicago office. I ignored her. I needed more time to go over her plans properly, and while I trusted my sister implicitly, I was far too much of a control freak to simply sign off on something I hadn’t gone over in minute detail. Besides, she was visiting in a couple of weeks. It could wait until then.
“Mr. Somers, I need an urgent word.”
My head snapped up to find Angie hovering by the door to the boardroom. I scowled at her. Angie knew better than to interrupt a board meeting unless the building was on fire, and I didn’t smell smoke.
&nb
sp; “Wait outside, Angie. We’re almost done here.”
Normally she’d have scuttled off the instant I dismissed her, but instead, she stood her ground and locked eyes with me—very un-Angie-like. “Mr. Somers, sir. I wouldn’t have interrupted if it weren’t extremely important.”
I expelled an irritated sigh. “Well, what is it?”
“In private, sir.”
Angie turned around, leaving the door to the boardroom wide open. A prickle of unease inched down my spine. Angie had worked for me for three years. She’d never acted in such a way. I got to my feet and smoothed my tie. “Ladies, gentlemen, carry on. I’ll be back shortly. Frank, you have the chair.”
I closed the door behind me. Angie wasn’t alone. Sondra was with her, pacing and nibbling on her nails. My thoughts went straight to Max.
“Is Max okay?” Panic leached into my tone. If anything had happened to him, I’d… I’d… I didn’t know what I’d do.
“Max is fine,” Sondra said, allaying my fears.
“Thank God.” I frowned. “Then what is the matter?”
“I’m not sure,” Sondra said.
I sighed. “Sondra, I don’t have all day. Spit it out.”
She nodded. “Sorry, Mr. Somers. Um, Christa turned up about a half hour ago, in a bit of a state. She’d been crying. She grabbed Max and said she wanted to go home, so I put her in a cab. I thought you should know.”
I tensed my shoulders. If any of her coworkers had upset her, they were going to feel my wrath. “She didn’t say anything at all?”
Sondra shook her head. “Not really. I asked her if it was work, or… you. She said no.”
I nodded. “Okay, thank you for letting me know, Sondra. You can get back to work now. I’ll take it from here.”
Sondra offered up a faint smile then left.
I turned to Angie. “Cancel my meetings for the rest of the day and tell Frank I’ve had to leave urgently.”
“Yes, sir.”
Tempting Christa: An Irresistibly Mine Duet - Book 1 Page 19
