Chapter 2
Brody could spot fear a mile away. It was his job in the boardroom to negotiate the best deals and turn a profit. The young housekeeper trying to find her balance was frightened and embarrassed. That didn’t faze him as much as her beauty did. He’d never noticed what a spectacular woman Claudia had developed into. He’d been busy the last few years with school and work, but how could he have missed when she became a woman?
She’s incredible.
When would he have had the time to notice? He’d been far too removed from the happenings inside his own home. His father, Jason Callahan, was a formidable businessman and taught his son everything he knew about the family business. Callahan Industries was one of the most reputable and respected companies in the country. The corporation managed to secure most of the country’s major construction. If a stadium was being built or a new resort was under construction, Callahan won the steel bid.
Jason rose to power as an entrepreneur in the early seventies when America’s businesses were booming and growth was inevitable. He worked tirelessly to build the multi-billion dollar company. Brody worked alongside his father from the time he was twelve, learning all he could about the industry. After obtaining his law degree from Yale, he came on board full-time and made his father proud. When Jason passed away three years ago, he left the company in the hands of a twenty-eight year old man. The critics were harsh, but Brody proved them wrong. He not only managed to preserve his father’s legacy, but he kept it on top, expanding every chance he got. Now if he could just manage to keep his brother on track, he’d have less stress in his life.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Callahan.” Claudia looked down at the hold he had on her arm. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep.” She pushed her silky black hair from her face. Her cheeks were flush with sleep and her hazel eyes were heavy.
“I see.” Brody looked her over. He found it difficult to stop staring at her. She was lovely.
“You can let go of me now.”
“Can you stand on your own?” He would take any excuse to touch her for a few seconds longer. “I wouldn’t want you to fall.”
“I just got up too fast.”
When he let go of her, she stepped away from him. It was strange but he didn’t like the distance she put between them. He wanted her close.
“I need to finish my afternoon duties. Again, I apologize. Please don’t tell your mother.”
“My stepmother.” He had a mother, and the woman who ruled the estate wasn’t her. “Angela is my stepmother.”
“Of course,” she said. “Please don’t tell her. She’ll be furious with me.”
“Your secret is safe with me.” He smiled because this unassuming girl somehow calmed him. When he first found her sleeping on the bed, he watched her for a few minutes. Her long hair fanned out around her, and her breathing was delicate and slow. She looked peaceful. Nothing like the nervous girl standing before him now. He wondered why he made her so uneasy.
“Thank you,” she said. “It won’t happen again.”
She picked up the discarded pile of sheets from the corner and scampered down the hall.
Brody stepped out of the room and watched as she made her way down the back staircase. How long had she been under his nose? Was he really so involved in his work that he’d failed to notice his very own Sleeping Beauty?
“There you are.” Angela walked down the hall. “I heard you were looking for me.” She leaned in and kissed his cheek. “I was down with the horses. I’m thinking of buying a new one.”
“Because the six you have aren’t enough?” He rolled his eyes.
Angela Callahan could spend money faster than any woman he’d ever met. He never understood what his father saw in her.
“Don’t start with me.” She arched a brow at him. “Your father left me a generous allowance to do with as I please.”
“Have you forgotten who controls that allowance?” It irritated her that his father not only left him the company, but control of the estate and daily allowances as well. His dad knew Angela would drain his hard earned accounts in less than a year of his death.
It was also his father’s wish that Brody find a way to get Gavin established. At twenty-four, his younger brother still acted like he was a teenager. It was getting absurd. No matter how hard Brody tried, he couldn’t teach Gavin a sense of responsibility.
Brody had never been fond of his stepmother. Angela was the complete opposite of his sophisticated, intelligent mother. Angela was a stripper when she stumbled on to his father twenty-five years ago. She was fifteen years younger than him and ended up pregnant with Gavin a few months later. Brody, only seven at the time, didn’t think anything of his father’s new wife and adored his baby brother. It wasn’t until Brody got older that he realized exactly who his father had married. She was a gold digger, and used his dad to get what she wanted. For whatever reason, his father put up with her antics, but Brody wouldn’t allow her to squander away the family fortune.
“You never let me forget. Your father loved me and wanted me to have a good life.”
“And you do,” he said. “I didn’t come here to argue.”
She glanced into the guest bedroom. “Where is that little twit? Look at this room. Look how she left it.”
Angela’s reference to Claudia annoyed him. He didn’t know why, he hardly knew her, but he felt protective of her. Angela was mean to the staff, so he could only imagine how she treated the shy, awkward girl he’d encountered moments before.
“It looks fine to me,” he said.
“The bed looks as if someone has slept in it. How am I supposed to have guests sleep in here? I need to catch her before she leaves for the day.”
“Forget about her.” Claudia was clearly exhausted, so he thought he could spare her the aggravation that was Angela. “I need to speak to you about Gavin.”
“Is this about sending him to Boston?”
“You spoke to him?” He should have figured Gavin would run to his mother for protection.
“He doesn’t want to go.” She closed the door to the bedroom and shook her head in disgust. “It’s so hard to find good help these days.”
Brody ignored her comment. “It’s not up to Gavin. He needs more training. The New York office is too hectic for him.”
“You want to pass your brother off to someone else?”
“I’m too busy to show him what he needs to know. Jacob runs the Boston office flawlessly, and Dad trusted him. Gavin will be fine.”
“Your father wasn’t too busy to show you the ropes. Why can’t you do the same for your brother? He needs your direction.”
“I wanted to learn from Dad. Gavin doesn’t show any initiative. Maybe a new office will help. A change in atmosphere. It won’t be forever. Just a few months.”
They walked down the staircase to the kitchen. He looked around, hoping to catch a glimpse of Claudia, but she was nowhere to be found. She was probably hiding from his wicked stepmother.
“I don’t know,” Angela said. “I hate to force Gavin into anything.”
“You spoil him. That’s always been the problem. We need to let him grow up if he is going to run this company with me.”
“I agree.”
Angela had high expectations for her son. She hated the fact that his father left the company solely in Brody’s name. She wished for the day Gavin would be Brody’s equal. Their father had confided in Brody before he died. They both agreed Gavin would get half of the company when Brody thought the time was right. Brody intended to honor his father’s wishes.
“If you help me get Gavin to go, I won’t contest the purchase of a horse.” He smiled as he reached for the fruit bowl. “What do you say?”
“You are such a negotiator. You’re just like your father, you know that?”
He picked up an apple, tossed it in the air and then caught it. “I have your support?”
“I have your promise Gavin will become a full partner?”
“When I think he’s ready.”
“Okay, then I’ll tell him Boston is in his future.”
“Thank you.” He hated to have to depend on his stepmother for anything, but in this case, he’d take all the help he could get.
“Are you joining us for dinner on Friday evening?”
“Friday?”
“The mayor and his wife are coming. That reminds me, I need to make sure Claudia remembers she is working that night. The girl has been a scatterbrain lately.”
“Claudia will be here?” The thought of seeing her again piqued his interest. He wasn’t aware she worked evenings.
“I don’t usually have her come to such elaborate parties, but she likes to cook. She has agreed to work in the kitchen. I think she needs the extra money.”
He pulled his phone from his pocket and checked his schedule for Friday night. He had tickets to a Yankees game, but he could give them to his assistant. Autumn had two boys and would love the opportunity to go. “I can be here.”
“Perfect,” she said. “The mayor loves to talk Yale with you.”
“He’s hoping I’ll fund a new wing for our alma mater.” He headed for the back door.
“Brody?” Angela called after him. “Shall I have a place set for a guest?”
“I’ll be attending alone.”
“When are you going to find a nice girl?”
I found one in the guest bedroom.
“I don’t have the time, I guess.” He opened the door. “See you Friday.”
* * * *
When Claudia got home, she collapsed onto her bed and pulled the covers up over her. She had to walk a half mile and take two buses to get to her apartment. It wasn’t such a bad commute when she had her own transportation, but once her old car gave out she was forced to rely on the public transportation system. It wasn’t the most reliable way to travel. The bus wasn’t accessible to the Callahan mansion. They lived in a gated community about a half mile from the main road. Sometimes she could catch a ride with Juan, the gardener, but thanks to her little nap in the guest bedroom, he had left without her.
She couldn’t believe she had fallen asleep on the job. She was mortified when she opened her eyes to find Brody Callahan standing over her. She didn’t know him well. When she was growing up, he kept busy with law school, and once Mr. Callahan died he took over the company. He rarely came to the house these days, so it surprised her to see him.
She hoped he didn’t tell Angela about her little episode. The Evil Queen didn’t like Claudia. She wasn’t fond of her grandmother, Alice, either. Her grandmother always suspected it was because she was the housekeeper for the first Mrs. Callahan. Angela wanted to let Alice go when she married Jason, but he would hear none of it. He adored Alice. Claudia wondered if that was why the family agreed to help fund her grandmother’s assisted living.
Just as her eyes began to droop, her cellphone buzzed. She glanced over at the coffee table and debated whether to answer it, but she worried it was about her grandmother so she picked it up.
Crap. It’s the Evil Queen.
Had Brody given her up? Was she going to get into trouble for falling asleep?
“Hello,” Claudia reluctantly spoke.
“Claudia, it’s Mrs. Callahan.”
“Hi.”
“I wanted to remind you that you’re working on Friday evening.”
“Yes, ma’am, I remember.” She didn’t like being at the house any longer than she had to, but when the opportunity came up for extra work she had no choice but to take it. She needed to save as much money as she could before the baby arrived.
“Good,” Angela said. “You’ll be responsible for the appetizers. I’ve gone over the selections you’ve left and made my choices. You can stay late on Thursday if you’d like to start preparing.”
“That will be good.” Again, she didn’t want to spend extra time there, but what choice did she have? She hoped she didn’t run into that sleazeball Gavin.
“I know you’ll be behind the scenes.” Claudia braced herself for the daily insult that was coming her way. “But please make sure you look presentable. I’m expecting some important people, and if one were to wander into the kitchen, I’d like my staff to look appropriate.”
Bitch.
“Of course.” She rolled her eyes and thought of all the ways she could humiliate Angela. She wanted to throw a drink in her face or drop a tray of hot appetizers into her lap. Maybe Claudia would be lucky enough to ruin one of Angela’s Versace dresses.
Stop it.
This woman brought out the absolute worse in Claudia. She ran her hand over her stomach and smiled when she thought about the innocent little one growing inside her. Even though the baby was half Callahan, she was confident the baby would never turn out like them. She wouldn’t allow it.
“I’ll see you tomorrow morning,” Angela said.
“I’ll be there.”
“Make the bed in the guest room. It looks as if someone has already slept in it. Unacceptable.”
Claudia wondered if Angela knew. “I’ll fix it first thing.”
Before she could say anything else, Angela hung up. Claudia put the phone back on the table and shook her head. That wretched woman was her baby’s grandmother.
How could that be?