Chapter 14
“Mr. Ab Selfie is not an axe murder,” Lucy called from the pantry. She grabbed a six-pack of juice boxes and headed back to the kitchen. “I have proof.”
“So we’re celebrating with mixed berry mimosas?” Emma eyed the bottle of Prosecco Lucy freed from the fridge before retrieving the juice.
“What proof?” Nicole set the car keys on the counter. Lucy had jumped out of the Civic and run for the house before her friend cut the engine. “You muttered ‘I can’t believe it’ the whole drive back from the meeting with Delaney. Did something go wrong?”
“Don’t tell me she invited you over to say Kia wants to do something else this year, party at the zoo, or a sleepover. We were counting on the income. We’d already added it to the budget.”
“Kia wants the party.” Lucy uncorked the bottle and started to fill three wine glasses. “It will be her biggest one yet.”
“What does this have to do with Philip Ryder?” Emma demanded.
“Let me guess,” Nicole said. “Delaney knows him.”
Lucy nodded as she stabbed a straw into the first juice box.
“She’s slept with him.” Nicole reached for the third still juice-free glass and took a long drink of bubbly.
“Yes.” Lucy tossed the half-empty juice aside and raised her glass to her lips. “But she didn’t know him as Philip Ryder.”
Lucy drained her drink and then spilled the entire story—or at least what she’d pieced together. When she finished, she poured another round and looked at her friends.
“Your brother’s best friend, a freaking billionaire, created a Fated for Love account so that you would go out with him?” Nicole said. “How did he know you would find the account?”
“He knows Lucy,” Emma said with a shrug.
“I told him what I was looking for after the disaster date with Mr. Thigh Gap.” Lucy stared into her fizzing, berry-colored drink. “He listened.”
“And when you ignored his presents and continued to date losers, he took action,” Emma said. “He found a way to get your attention.”
“A creepy way,” Nicole muttered. “Stalking you online.”
“I think its sweet,” Emma said. “But my opinion doesn’t matter. What do you think, Lucy?”
“I think . . . ” Lucy took another long drink and then set her empty glass on the counter. “I think that I’m falling for a man who deceived me.”
The alcohol mixed with the heavy doses of sugar from the emergency buns and fresh-baked scone left her dizzy. Or maybe that light-headed spinning feeling came from the realization that the man she’d kissed in the closet, the man she’d fantasized about kissing again, was the same person who’d written those heartfelt messages.
He wrote those messages while I was standing right there!
“I’m falling for a man who chatted about my love life while sending me messages about handcuffs,” Lucy continued. “He knew the whole time.”
Nicole made a hissing sound.
“I wonder what drives a man like Jared to do something like that,” Emma murmured.
“He had to know I would learn the truth,” Lucy said. “We had a date—”
“Which he postponed,” Nicole pointed out.
“Maybe he was afraid Finn would find out so he canceled?” Emma asked.
Lucy closed her eyes and tried to picture Jared Mitchell afraid. She couldn’t imagine a man who ruled the world around him, who dared to steal her away from her date and kiss her—he wouldn’t run from a confrontation with her brother.
“Maybe Jared wanted to get my attention,” Lucy said softly.
“By lying to you.” Nicole carried her glass to the sink. “The bored billionaire bachelor thought it would be fun to lead you on—”
“Or maybe this was his grand gesture to get your attention,” Emma cut in. “What if he meant every word he wrote while pretending to be Philip? Would you forgive him?”
Yes.
But would she learn to trust him?
“I need to talk to him.” She reached into her purse and pulled out her phone. Scrolling through her contacts, she found Jared’s cell and clicked on the message icon. Then she started to type.
I still owe you a juice. Meet me for a picnic on the beach? If you bring the tacos, I’ll bring the drinks. 8pm at the rocks by the Worth Avenue entrance. We can watch the sunset. Your not-so-naïve Handcuff Virgin.
“Do you think he’ll show up?” Emma asked.
Lucy hit send. “If he walks away now, I’ll know it was all just a game.”
“We have a problem.” Finn strode into Jared’s office with his expression set to doomsday grim. “A big fucking problem.”
Jared glanced at his cell, scanning Lucy’s text for a third time. When he first saw the signature, he’d flown into fight mode. He wanted to go to her now. He needed to explain. Instead, he’d paced his office. He couldn’t rush over to the princess lair without a plan.
He should be relieved. Lucy knew the truth, and she hadn’t told him to go to hell. But relief hadn’t burst into his office—Finn had. If she’d gone to her brother first . . .
“Damn right we have a problem,” Jared confirmed.
“You heard?” Finn stopped in the center of his office and folded his arms in front of his chest.
Jared nodded. The muscles in his jaw tightened, and his teeth ground against each other. “I did.”
“Do you have a plan?” his friend demanded.
“Pick up some tacos and meet her on the beach,” Jared said flatly. “Hell, at least she is willing to talk to me. That’s a good sign.”
Finn’s brows knit together. “What are you talking about?”
“Lucy. Your sister knows I’m Philip Ryder.”
“I can’t fucking believe it.” Finn let out a burst of laughter. “The deal you’ve been after for fourteen months is about to implode, and you’re pacing your office because my sister learned about your fake online dating profile.”
“What happened to the sugar deal?” Jared shot back. “You said it was handled.”
“Turns out we’re not the only ones interested. Peak Investments out of Colorado approached the chief financial officer yesterday. They’re going to make an offer.”
“You’re sure?”
His partner nodded. “I had lunch with the CFO’s team. One guy came clean, admitting he’d pulled together materials for Peak.”
“Devilla is going to want more money.” Jared shook his head. “Are they worth it?”
“No,” Finn said flatly. “We should walk away.”
“We could try to fix the deal,” Jared said. “Offer them new terms or different incentives. It’s a good company.”
“They’re trying to drive the price up.”
“I’ll meet with them.” Jared added a hint of finality to his tone. “Tomorrow.”
“You should to go back to Manhattan and focus on the companies that are making us money. Coulter can book your tickets. You don’t need to hang out in this heat and try to hammer out a dead deal. Let it go, Jared.”
“I’m not leaving. I’m meeting Lucy tonight for tacos and juice.”
“She wants to meet you?” His business partner cocked his head. “What makes you think that she knows?”
“The way she signed her text,” Jared said with a sigh.
“You’re paranoid,” Finn declared. “Online dating has messed with your head.”
Jared held out his phone. “When she messages you, does she refer to herself as the ‘handcuff virgin’?”
Finn stepped back as if the phone might burn him. “Lucy’s spent the past month looking for a fairy-tale romance. What kind of relationship are you dragging her into?”
“I thought I knew your sister before this. She spends her days making little kids smile. How complicated could she be?” Jared lowered his arm and slipped his cell into his pocket. “I was wrong. Lucy continues to surprise me.”
“How did she find out?” Finn asked.
“I don’t know,” he said grimly. “But I’m going to make it right. Then tomorrow, I’ll put the sugar deal back together.”
“The deal is shot, Jared. We both know Peak jumped in because we’re going after them. The company probably invited them in to drive up the price. Mr. DeVilla plans to sell to us in the end, but the greedy bastard wants more money. We don’t play that game. I don’t work that way. The win is not worth it.”
“The hell it isn’t.” Jared headed for the door. He had an hour to pick up food from Minny and get to the beach. He pushed through the exit and headed for the reception area. “I’ll make it work.”
“How?” Finn demanded. His best friend followed close at his heels, matching him stride for stride.
“Find out what is most important to Jason DeVilla. Is it money? Protecting his employees?” Jared stopped in the center of the lobby and turned to Finn. He dropped his voice knowing that Coulter was trying to listen from his perch behind the reception desk. “I took your advice and found a way to get Lucy’s attention. The same rule applies here. Figure out what they want. I don’t care how you do it.”
“Jason DeVilla wants cash,” Finn said. “What makes you think there is more to it than that?”
“If this is all about the money, we’ll restructure the deal. Add payments based on performance that pay out over time, but won’t cost more up front.” Jared glanced to the glass doors. The elevator banks stood on the other side. He didn’t have time for this argument right now. He needed to get to The Taco Bar, stop by his house, and meet Lucy at the beach. “Talk to his employees, his kids—I don’t care how you find out what they’re after.”
“It’s not that simple,” Finn protested.
“If you can’t fix this, I will.” Jared turned and headed for the exit. “Tomorrow.”
“You’re not superman,” Finn said, still close behind him.
“No, I’m not,” Jared muttered as he reached the elevator bank. “I’m the prince, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to let my kingdom fall apart.”
Finn grabbed his arm before he pressed the down button. “Buying into your own online profile?”
Jared pulled free. “I meant every word. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go convince your sister.”