Chapter 7
CALI GOT OUT OF THE limo and stared at the largest home she’d ever seen up close and personal. “You grew up here?”
“I did,” Xavier said, lacing his fingers through hers, but she yanked her hand away.
It wasn’t so much that she was still mad over the knowledge he’d been using her from the start. She’d be a hypocrite if that were the case. However, she still held a fair amount of shame over what she’d done, and now his parents would know the truth of her betrayal.
They’d hate her and that was no way to start a relationship.
There was no way in hell she and Xavier would make it, and the sooner she accepted that, the better they’d both be.
“How long are you going to remain ticked off?” he asked, placing his hand on her back, guiding her up the walkway toward the front door.
“I can tell you’re still mad at me, so...”
He let out a slight laugh. “You’re good at deflecting attention. If I ever need a lawyer, I know who I’m calling.”
“If I ever make it to law school.”
He leaned in, kissing her cheek. “You will, and you’ll be a great attorney, and I’ll beam with pride at your graduation.”
“Anyone ever tell you that you can be corny as hell?”
“Never.” He pushed opened door. “Mom? Dad? We’re here.”
She swallowed, holding her chin high as she stepped into a two-story foyer with a split staircase. It looked more like a room than an entryway with a love seat positioned between the railings and wingback chairs in the corners.
“Xavier.” A woman wearing a pair of dark slacks and a red sweater stretched out her arms as she entered the space.
“Hey, Mom.” He kissed her cheek. “This is Cali.”
“Nice to meet you. We’ve heard a lot about you over the last two months.”
The butterflies in her gut turned to cement, landing in the center of her stomach. His parents had known from the beginning what Xavier had planned, but her situation was brand-new information, and she had no idea what they thought about her, or her parents.
“It’s nice to finally meet you too.” She held out her hand, but his mother pushed it aside and pulled her into a warm embrace. “I’m so sorry for what your parents are going through. I can only imagine how difficult it has been.”
“Thank you.”
His mother had a sweet, caring smile and seemed genuine in her greeting, but that didn’t settle Cali’s nerves.
“Your father is waiting in his office.”
“Max and his wife are about a half hour behind us. Sadie is bringing her partner. Can you send them back when they get here?” Xavier asked.
His mother nodded.
As they walked through a long hallway, Cali glanced at all the family portraits hanging on the wall. Images him and his sisters in various activities. A few candid snap shots of the family along with a large family portrait at the end of the hall. “You don’t have any brothers.”
“Nope. Just four sisters. One older, and three younger. But don’t mention my older sister, Bonnie. She’s become the black sheep and it upsets both my parents.”
“Good to know.”
For a woman in love, there was so much she didn’t know about Xavier and his life.
She paused mid-step in front of an open door. A man, who looked like an older version of Xavier, sat behind a big, dark desk. He peered over his reading glasses. “Come in,” he said with a deep voice. “You must be Cali.” He stood, stretching out his hand.
“Yes, sir,” she said, trying to swallow the thick lump in her throat. The office was filled with trophies and pictures of Xavier and his sisters. Obviously, Mr. Sumner felt great pride for his family.
“Son,” his father said with a nod. “Please sit down.”
“Did you read the information I sent?” Xavier asked, cutting to the chase.
His father nodded. “Cali. What do you think? More importantly, what do you want?”
“The only thing I want right now is to make sure my parents get to keep their business and never have to deal with Thompson or the Costello’s again.” She didn’t want to deal with or discuss anything else.
“My son has asked me to front him the money, and I have no problem doing so. I think what happened to your parents is a crime, but what I want to know is if you want to keep your agreement with Xavier or have us buy—”
“Dad. Seriously? That’s none of your business.”
“It’s two hundred and fifty thousand dollars’ worth of my business.”
“Not when you’re really asking about our relationship and what we intended to do. That is for us to decide.”
She dropped her gaze to her lap as she picked at the skin next to her thumbnail. A relationship based on lies and betrayal from both parties was nothing but a recipe for disaster.
But it was her disaster.
“It’s okay,” she said, lifting her head. “Buying out the contract would be the best for everyone. That way, Xavier and I can see where we stand, but also, he can pursue the story without worrying about breaking any contractual clauses with Infidelity, as long as he never mentions them, which there is no reason to since the focus of his story has shifted.”
“I appreciate your honesty and directness,” his father said.
“I think there is one more item we need to discuss,” she said, shifting her gaze to Xavier. “Max and Sadie can never know about Infidelity.”
“The only people who know outside of Infidelity are sitting in this room, my mother, and my little sister, Finley.”
“Your sister knows?” Cali shrieked. Wonderful. One more family member who wouldn’t trust her as far as she could spit.
“Finley knows everything,” his father said, leaning back in the chair. “I stop for a burger and fries and somehow she knows. She’s like a secret whisperer.”
“The only reason she knows that, Dad, is either you have a ketchup stain on your shirt, or you don’t hide the bag well, and just so you know, Mom wasn’t born yesterday. She knows too, she just chooses not to call you out on it.”
“I can’t get away with anything in this house.”
“My father complains of the same thing,” Cali said. “Only his downfall is dessert.”
Xavier reached out and took her hand in his. This time, she didn’t pull away. After this was all over, maybe they could start over.
***
Xavier paced in his father’s office while Sadie, her partner, Rex, and Cali went over the plan.
Dumb fucking plan.
“Stop,” Cali said, looking over her shoulder as she leaned over the desk. “I can’t think with all that stomping around.”
“I don’t like this at all.”
“It’s not your call,” Cali said.
He was about to protest more, but his phone rang, and it was one of the businesses in the same hood as her parents. “This is Xavier Sumner.”
“This is Rick Wellington. I own Wellington Meats.”
“Yes. Mr. Wellington, thank you for getting back to me.”
Xavier had called ten businesses. Three of them told him to take a hike before he finished asking about Thompson and his contract. Two of them flat out denied it. One no one answered, but four, including Wellington Meats, took the information, said they hadn’t done business with the man, but would look into it. Xavier knew they were lying, but figured if he played his cards right, he’d get what he needed.
“I spoke to a couple other business owners and after doing a little research on our own, we’d like to help you.”
“Help me how?”
Sadie glanced in his direction, and he made eye contact. This could be the big break they both were looking for.
“I signed that contract with Thompson, and he’s about to pull the plug, forcing me to sell to him for ten thousand dollars.”
“Jesus Christ,” Xavier said under his breath. “What is the clause that gives him that right?”
“If my profits fell under a certain percentage. But the kicker is, that only happened because I used one of his suppliers, which had bad meat, higher costs, and other issues that forced me to take a huge hit. I knew there was a buyout, but I had no idea it was so low. Everyone I’ve talked to is in a similar situation. None of us can afford to lose our businesses. In some cases, it’s the family’s only source of income.”
“Can you gather everyone? And is everyone willing to talk with the FBI?”
Cali stood, making her way across the room. She rested her hands on his shoulders, her gaze locked on his.
“Yes. We are. Name the time and place, and we’ll be there.”
“Meet us at the Banister’s place. Two hours. Bring all the legal documentation. We’ll have a lawyer there along with the Feds. Trust me, we’ll figure this out. Very worst-case scenario, we blow the whistle using my television show to do it.”
“Thank you, Mr. Sumner. We all appreciate your efforts.”
“It’s my pleasure.” He tapped his phone, ending the call. “Sadie, set up your sting. We get Thompson singing like a canary, and you’ll get the biggest bust of your career so far, and I’ll get that show and another book deal.” He cupped Cali’s chin. “You’ll become the best damn lawyer.” He brushed his lips across hers. “And we’ll get to find out what this thing is between us without anything hanging over our heads.”