Chapter Thirteen
Chilly and downright dreary, the day hadn’t changed much from this morning. Cayden sat in the boardroom of her Chicago office, decked out in her black Gucci dress. She would have preferred her Uggs and yoga pants.
As her team went through stats and figures, Cayden concentrated on her laptop screen. Thanks to Facebook, it took her less than a minute to hunt down Simone.
“We want to add another carrier to our fleet,” one of the seven people said. Not sure who brought it up since she stopped paying attention some time ago, she kept her attention on her research.
“Draw up the proposal and we’ll look at it,” Gil Traymore, her CEO, replied. He flew in last night for the company’s quarterly meetings concerning all of her holdings. She appointed him less than five years earlier and he surpassed all her expectations.
“Let’s call it.” He checked his watch. “We can still make a late lunch.”
“Gil, I have plans. Is there anything else you need me to sign?” Cayden asked.
The executive team of three women and four men gathered their work from the table.
“No food?”
“Not today,” she told him.
Gil waved off the group. “I’ll meet you guys out front.” When he leaned over, the aroma of his cologne filled her nose. “Cutting out so soon? The team loves coming to Chicago for the food. Is deep dish pizza too good for you?”
“Never that. I have some other work.”
“Anything I need to be concerned about?” he pressed.
In charge of several important holdings from her company, she didn’t allow his curiosity to bug her.
“No, everything’s fine.” Cayden scanned the screen. Simone lived in Oak Park, the city of Andrew Lloyd Wright, with her husband and three kids. She ran a home business that centered upon Internet DIY projects.
“Let’s do dinner, tonight.”
“Huh?” Without taking her eyes off the screen, she quickly memorized Simone’s address. “Is there something pressing we need to talk about?”
Dark chocolate and strong, Gil turned her chair around to face him. “Yes … us.”
Focused on him for the first time, she saw the intent in his dark eyes.
“There’s something different about you, and I have a feeling my window’s closing.”
“A window that shouldn’t be opened?” she asked, confused why today of all days he decided to hit on her.
Cayden had almost reached out to him in need a couple of years back, after her big blow up with Levi. However, invaluable advice from her grandfather stopped her. He told her to never make a critical decision out of desperation.
“If it costs me my job, so be it, but I feel like a do-or-die situation is happening here.”
“That seems dramatic.” She chuckled at his extreme description.
“Do you know what it’s like working with someone you just want to…” He made no intention to move, but kept her cornered in her chair. There had to be something in the air. First Greg, then Dale. Those two idiots were in a competition, a status boost to score the richest girl in town. However, Gil seemed different. Untainted by the sheen of her youth, she seriously considered him.
“Tell me I’m wrong and we don’t have a spark.”
She wouldn’t lie and say she didn’t feel anything between them. Nevertheless, it lacked the fire she needed to justify sleeping with her CEO. “Maybe there’s a little something, but is it enough to ruin such a great working relationship?”
His frown changed his handsome features slightly. Rising, he walked to the window. The city skyline loomed in front of them. Even covered in gray fog, Chicago shone brightly.
“I have to get going.” She gathered her belongings. It would take a fifteen-minute drive to get to Oak Park and she needed to pick up reinforcements before her last stop. “If there’s anything else, just email me or courier it to my home.”
“Home?” He gave her a dry laugh. “You’ve lived in Cape Town, Florence, and New York, but this St. Geneva, that’s where you consider home?”
“Sentimental, I guess.”
Leaning against the glass, Gil stared at her with an amused expression. “It’s one of your oldest investments. Just curious why you suddenly want to dump … what’s it called, Goosebay Lake?”
She smiled back with no intention of answering him.
“In all honesty, this is the best job I could ask for. I’ve amassed a fortune with the freedom you’ve given me—”
“But?” she asked, wondering why men always wanted more.
“I’d give it all up if I had a shot, and I can see that…” He threw up his hands. “Whoever he is, tell him he’s a lucky man.”
“Why do you assume it’s a man?” As she walked out of the conference room, she left him with a stung expression. No matter how she felt about him, a fishing expedition would never be in the cards for Gil.
****
Monstrous Victorians lined the residential street. The neighborhood sprouted from a perfect suburbia playbook on steroids. Cayden’s driver pulled up to the one that resembled the witch’s cottage in Hansel and Gretel—sweet and cozy, but nowhere close to the multimillion dollar price tag of the others.
Carrying her peace-offering pizza and wine, she got out of the car. Not usually the person to spring a tacky pop-up visit on someone, she figured catching Simone off guard would work best. Cayden took a deep breath and rang the bell, but missed the sign that threatened her life not to touch it. “Oh crap.” A dog barked and baby cried on the other side of the door.
“I swear, whoever you are, you better have alcohol and chocolates, or you’re dead.” Simone snatched open the door.
“Wine,” Cayden shouted. “I have wine!” She used the bottle to shield herself.
“Oh, my goodness … Cayden Young.” Still pretty but harried, Simone enveloped her in a hug before ushering her in through the open door.
The picture-perfect house from the outside appeared out of sorts. Children ran around with no real goal in mind, and one mangy dog followed them while the other one pretended to drop dead in front of her.
“Ignore Cookie, he always does that trick when he doesn’t get enough attention. Bryson, go get your sister.” They stepped over the limp mutt. The redhead guided her through the minefield of toys and children. “I’m starving. Please tell me that’s a freaking deep dish. If I have one more chicken finger I’ll scream.”
“It’s Lou Malnatti’s.”
“Hallelujah! I could kiss you.” She plucked the wine out of her hand. “Take a seat.”
Cayden made room on the covered table for the pizza.
“To what do I owe the honor?”
The little boy came back carrying a baby. “Here,” the boy said, handing the infant to her.
“Oh, okay.” She took the baby from the kid before he ran off.
Bouncing the chubby cherub on her knee until Simone uncorked the wine, Cayden waited for her mom to take her.
“This is my one and only girl.” Simone swapped the two glasses for the infant pretending to bite her fat cheeks. “I hope she doesn’t act like hell on wheels like I did.”
“Ah, honey, you know we’re totally screwed.” A tall, strawberry-blond man walked in and headed straight for Simone. The man planted a kiss on the top of her head before he took the baby.
“Holy shit, you’re Cayden Young!” He pointed at her, giving a perfect imitation of Invasion of the Body Snatchers.
“I told you I knew her.”
“You also told me you were a lawyer working for her New York office … sorry if I’m not inclined to believe you.”
“No,” Cayden said, shocked Simone lied about her career. The last she heard, the redhead sold real estate on the gold coast.
“He’s kidding.” She giggled. “Sort of.”
“Mark Bellingham.”
“Bellingham Flowers?” Cayden blurted, surprised, before she shook his hand. They were the biggest flower chain in Illinois.
“Yeah,” Simone jumped in. “Mark’s great grandfather started it, and now he’s—”
“Head of sales, with no sign of being promoted any time soon. My degree was PR, but older brother, the good son, scored the job he’s unqualified for.”
“Ouch!” Cayden groaned.
“Yeah. Trust me, if the parents don’t like your wife, then…” Simone petered off with a little too much honesty.
“Well, Mr. Head of Sales, I have a wedding I’m going to need flowers for.” Cayden hated that the conversation managed to stumble into a weird territory. Digging in her Chanel clutch, she grabbed a card. “Give Katie there a call.”
“You’re getting married?” he asked while he took it from her.
“No! The resort is planning something in a couple of weeks.”
Simone’s eyes lit up with unasked questions. Cayden could guess what she wanted to know, but she had no plans to broach the topic on her love life. “Pizza?” she offered.
“Is that deep dish? It’s like you’re an amazing angel.” He flipped the box open with one hand and managed to swipe the biggest slice. “Sorry, I skipped lunch to get here for bath time.”
“That’s sweet,” she mumbled, for a lack of anything better to say.
“Yeah, it usually goes much faster if he’s around,” Simone added. “So then we can … you know—”
“Go to bone-town,” he said with a mouth full of food.
Simone’s giggle morphed into a manic cackle.
Grabbing her glass, she chugged her wine. Cayden figured their odd behavior had to do with their lack of adult interaction.
“I’m going to start getting these little animals cleaned up. That way you guys can talk.”
Without bothering with a plate, Simone reached into the box and grabbed a slice. “Tell me, great Cayden Young, what’s new in the rich bitch’s hood?” She stuffed the pizza in her mouth. “Mmmh, this is so damn good.”
Cayden waited for Mark to wrangle the herd up the stairs before she dropped her big question.
“Most of you guys at Chesterfield already had a history together. Senior year, I arrived as”—she made quote signs with her fingers—“the new girl.”
“So?”
“The big secret, what am I missing?”
Simone looked away while she chewed. Buying time, Cayden figured as tears filled her big green eyes.
“Everything.”