Chapter Nine
After his conversation with Randall Taylor, Harlan finally admitted the truth of what he’d been thinking since the night of Felicity’s Ball. What he’d realized the moment he’d seen Savannah again and talked to her. He wanted another chance with her. He didn’t know if it would work. Hell, he didn’t even know if she’d agree. All he knew was he wanted her.
Working with her had its pros and cons. On the one hand she was great at her job. He could already see that she’d be an invaluable asset. Bill had given her a lot of responsibility and she’d come through every time.
But it was getting harder each day to act as if he wanted nothing more than to be her boss. He wanted a hell of a lot more than that. He wanted to kiss her, put his hands on her, and have her put her hands on him. Wanted to feel her soft, bare curves, to run his hands over her while she was in his bed. He just flat wanted her. In his bed, on the floor, on the couch, in a chair, against the wall, anywhere he could have her.
Nothing would happen unless he made the first move and he was tired of waiting. Had they really only been working together for four days?
He walked out of his office and watched Savannah tidying up her desk, preparing to leave for the day. A whiff of lavender came to him, but he was used to that by now, even if he couldn’t figure out why he kept smelling it when there was no reason he could imagine that he should.
She looked up and smiled at him. “Is there something else you need before I leave for the day?”
“Yes.” Hooking his thumbs in the pockets of his jeans, he leaned against the doorjamb. “Have dinner with me.”
“Have—have dinner with you?” She stared at him a minute. “Harlan, are you asking me on a date?”
He half-smiled at that. “I’d say that was fairly obvious.”
“I work for you.”
“Yes, I’m aware of that. I’m pretty sure we don’t have any non-fraternization rules.” He walked over to stand by her desk. Picked up a snow globe she used as a paperweight and shook it. “No, I’m sure we don’t. I’d know it if we did.”
Savannah laughed, but sobered quickly. “I don’t know, Harlan. I’m just not sure we should…go there.”
“Why not?” He put down the paperweight and leaned a hip on her desk.
“Come on. You know exactly what I’m talking about. If we go out together then that changes everything. It would impact our working relationship. It could be bad, especially if we started dating and something happened. We’d still have to see each other every day, unless I quit.”
“True, but that’s not the only reason, is it? Not even the main reason. You’re afraid I’ll hurt you again. Aren’t you?”
She stood up. “Are we really going to get into this? Now?”
“Apparently we are. You’re never going to forget what happened in high school, are you?”
“I’ve told you before, I’d almost forgotten until you brought it up at the ball.”
“Tell me the truth, Savannah. Have you really forgotten what we had?”
Their eyes met and held. She averted her gaze and shrugged. “I tried to forget.”
“But you couldn’t. Neither could I. I never forgot you.”
Savannah crossed her arms over her chest. “Do you expect me to believe that? After the way you broke up with me?”
He started to answer but what could he say? Other than the truth. And he still questioned whether he should tell her or not.
“You just said it was over. No explanation, no anything. Why would I believe anything you said? Can you see why I’d have a hard time trusting you again?”
“Yes. Given what you think you know. But what you’re thinking isn’t true.”
She gave him a disbelieving look. “At first I thought you’d gotten what you wanted and I waited for the gossip that would be all over school. Because I couldn’t imagine that you hadn’t told your friends that you’d scored with the banker’s daughter. But I never heard a word.”
The banker’s daughter. The banker, who was the crux of the issue. “Because I never told anyone. That night meant a lot to me too, Savannah.”
“Really?” she asked, dripping sarcasm. “Then why did you dump me flat three days after we had sex?”
He’d told her father he wouldn’t tell Savannah the truth unless she asked. She was asking. It was time.
“You said you loved me,” she continued. “But that was a lie.”
“No, it wasn’t a lie. I did love you.” She was still close to her father. Would she believe him? Or would she think he was making excuses? Or lying? It wouldn’t take much for her to believe he was feeding her a line.
“Then why? If you loved me so much how could you do what you did?”
He scrubbed his hands over his face. “This is going to take a while. Let’s sit down.”
“Thanks, I’ll stand.”
“Don’t be stubborn, Savannah.”
She shrugged again and followed him into his office. They both sat on the couch, one on either end.
“Well? Explain it to me.”
“You won’t like it.”
“I didn’t like it before. Just tell me.”
Harlan believed in ripping off the bandage. Just put it out there. “Your father is the reason I broke up with you.”
She stared at him, then looked disgusted. “Try again. My father didn’t even know we were seeing each other.”
“Yes, he did. I don’t know how he found out but believe me, he knew.”
“If he’d known he’d have forbidden me to see you. He never did, therefore, he must not have known.”
“What would you have done if he’d forbidden you to see me?”
“I wouldn’t have let that stop me. I’d have seen you anyway.”
“You’re saying that no matter what your father said or did, you’d have defied him.” He believed she’d have tried but there was no way she’d have succeeded.
“I’ve had a lot of practice going against my father’s wishes.”
“But you hadn’t back then. Your father knew you, Savannah. He knew how you’d react. So he took steps to make sure I was out of the picture. And ensure you’d never know a thing about it.”
“Are you telling me he threatened you? Seriously?”
“Not me, specifically. He threatened my family.” Clearly, she didn’t believe him, but he plowed on regardless. “My parents were struggling. They did their best but even with my dad working two jobs and my mother one, they didn’t bring home enough to do more than barely make ends meet. My brother and sister and I worked too, but we all hoped Travis could go to college on a baseball scholarship, maybe even go pro. He wasn’t able to work much, not with baseball taking up all his time. The family was depending on me. When my father lost his primary job they needed my help even more.”
“I understand that. I sympathize. But what does that have to do with my father?”
“He came over one night, the night before we broke up, and sat down with my parents. I hadn’t gone to work yet. When I saw who it was, I joined them. I’m the eldest. My parents figured I was old enough to hear whatever the banker had to say. He reminded them they’d been late on a house payment. One goddamn payment. Said he was sorry but he had to call in the loan.”
“He did what?” She looked shocked as well as disbelieving. She really had no clue what a bastard her father was.
“He called in the loan. Demanded total payment on the house mortgage. They didn’t have the money. Hell, we were barely making it with everyone working and now they were supposed to come up with a massive amount to pay off the loan? It was impossible.”
“I—you must be mistaken. He wouldn’t do that.”
Harlan ignored the interjection and told her the rest of it. “Of course, I knew what it was about. My parents had no clue. I’ll never forget the looks on their faces. Stunned. Totally drained of hope. Despairing.” To this day it made him sick to think about how his parents had felt that night. “I followed him out. He was waiting for me at his car. I asked him what he wanted me to do. I guess neither of us saw any point in pretending.”
“No. He couldn’t have. Tell me he didn’t—”
“He could and he did,” Harlan said flatly. “I went to his office the next day like he demanded. He said if I broke up with you and never saw you again he wouldn’t call in the loan. Of course, I couldn’t tell you or anyone else what really happened. Especially not you.”
She looked stunned. “I—I can’t believe my father would do that. Do you think he knew we…slept together?”
He’d wondered that at the time. “No.”
“If he knew we were dating maybe he found out—”
Harlan cut her off. “If he’d known that he’d have had me killed.”
“That’s ridiculous. He wouldn’t—he would never—you’re exaggerating.”
“Are you sure about that? He was furious that we were even seeing each other. You’re bound to know what he thought of people from the Barrels. What he still thinks.”
Oh, she knew. He could tell by her expression.
“This is a lot to take in.”
“And you don’t know if you believe me.”
“He’s my father, Harlan. I know he’s manipulative and overbearing. But this…I just don’t know.”
“And this is the reason I didn’t want to tell you.”
“Because I don’t know what to believe?”
“Because I didn’t want to hurt you again. I never wanted to hurt you.” And to be honest, because he was afraid she wouldn’t believe him. He was asking her to trust him, the man who’d broken her heart and not her father, who she’d known all her life and clearly loved.
Hell, he might not believe it in her place.
*
My God. Could it be true? Had her father really been that cruel? Not only to Harlan but to Harlan’s family too? Could he have done something so despicable? She was horribly afraid Harlan was telling the truth. “I don’t know what to say. I don’t want to believe my father could have—could have—” Unable to complete the sentence, she broke off.
“I shouldn’t have told you. I knew it was a mistake. I should have just kept my goddamn mouth shut.”
“No, you shouldn’t have. You should have told me then.”
“And let him destroy my family? Not a chance in hell.”
“I could have stopped him.”
He smiled at her ruefully. “Oh, honey, no you couldn’t have.” He took one of her hands and held it gently. “I know you’d have tried. But neither of us could have stopped him in any other way. He held all the cards. We were kids. We had no power then.”
“We could have…been together.”
“How? We could have run away together? With no money, no jobs, no way to support ourselves?” He shook his head. “We hadn’t even graduated high school. Besides, I couldn’t do that to my family. They needed my help.”
“If this is true…if my father blackmailed you to break up with me…then how can you stand to even look at me?”
“None of this was your fault, Savannah. Hell, you didn’t even know.”
“Still, my father was the one—”
“Your father, not you.” He still held her hand. Keeping his eyes on hers, he brought it to his mouth. “Never you,” he said, and kissed it.
Her heart fluttered. Two factions warred within her. How could she believe her father was the man Harlan described? The man who had raised her and loved her all her life wasn’t a bad man. Yet, Savannah had believed she had no illusions about her father. She’d known from childhood that he was autocratic, overbearing, and manipulative. But not bad…not evil. She knew he loved her, but how had he convinced himself that blackmail was a viable option? How had he convinced himself that he had the right to completely change her life? And completely ruin Harlan’s if he went against him?
“I need to hear this from him.”
“To what purpose? He’ll either deny it, in which case you’ll wonder which of us is lying, or he’ll tell you what he did and that he doesn’t regret it. My bet is the first one.”
“How do you know he doesn’t regret it? Maybe he had a change of heart.”
“Trust me. He hasn’t changed his mind.”
It dawned on her why he was so adamantly sure. “You’ve seen him, haven’t you? Since you came back?”
“Yes.”
“What did he say?”
“He wanted me to fire you. I said no, by the way.”
“He asked you to fire me? I can’t believe he did that.” Why should that surprise her after the other revelations?
“I wouldn’t say asked. It was more like demanded.”
“He’s still trying to run my life. Even after Phillip, he still thinks he knows what’s best for me.”
“Who’s Phillip?”
“My ex-husband. The man my father thought was perfect for me.” She laughed without humor. “The marriage was a disaster, almost from the start.”
“It happens. So was mine.”
At any other time she would have asked to know more. But not now. “All that’s beside the point.” Harlan still held her hand. Did she believe him? If she didn’t why hadn’t she jerked her hand out of his? Why she wasn’t coming to her father’s defense?
Her heart sank. Because she believed Harlan. Because it was perfectly plausible that Randall Taylor had blackmailed Harlan into breaking up with her. That would have been bad enough by itself. But to threaten Harlan’s family…was beyond the pale.
Harlan hadn’t said anything. He simply watched her, probably reading every thought going through her mind, every emotion showing in her face. “I don’t want to believe you.”
“I know. I can understand that.”
“But I do.”
“It’s a lot to take in. I know it hurts, and that’s the last thing I wanted to do. Again.” He let go of her hand and stood up, pacing away a few steps.
She buried her face in both hands. “Oh, God.” Blinking back tears, she raised her head and looked at him. “How could he do something so…underhanded?”
“He’s a powerful man who’s used to getting his way. He did whatever was necessary to drive a wedge between us.”
“A wedge? Try a gulf.”
He shrugged as if in agreement. “When I came back I didn’t intend to tell you. It was fourteen years ago. We were kids then. We’ve both moved on.”
“What made you change your mind?”
“You asked me,” he said simply. “I didn’t want to lie to you again.”
“I need to talk to him.”
“That’s up to you. Are you going to confront him?”
“I don’t know. I guess that depends on what he says.”
Savannah’s cell phone rang in the other room. She looked at Harlan. “That’s my father’s ring tone.”
“Speak of the devil,” Harlan said wryly.
She went into the outer office and answered her phone. “Hello.”
“Savannah, I need to see you,” her father said. “I’m at the house. Can you come over now?”
“No. I was just leaving to get a bite to eat with Harlan.” What quicker way to get to the truth?
There was a pregnant pause. “Don’t tell me you’re dating that man,” Randall said with evident revulsion.
“Okay, I won’t tell you,” Savannah responded, and waited for the explosion.
“What the hell is the matter with you? I told you I didn’t like it. You need to listen to me. You’re making a grave mistake.”
“If I am, it’s my mistake to make.” Every word he spoke made her more sure that Harlan had told her the truth.
“You always have been stubborn beyond belief. If you won’t come now will you come by after you eat?”
“Yes. I’ll give you a call before I come.”
“Just come, I don’t need a call. I have something very important to tell you.”
“Are you all right?” Harlan asked as she hung up.
“Not really. He wants me to come over. I told him I was going to dinner with you.”
“I heard.”
“He really doesn’t like you.”
“No, he doesn’t.”
“I don’t know what to do.”
“I do. Let’s go eat.”