Chapter Ten
Jamie
I pushed the button on the elevator and waited nervously. I wanted to pace, but instead rocked back and forth, unsure exactly what I was going to say or how I’d act when I finally saw Grant. I was already exhausted, having not slept much since Monday night when Chase and I met.
Chase had texted first thing on Tuesday morning, still keeping the story that I should just keep acting like everything was fine and not say a word. He hadn’t shared what he and Summer had discussed, but I had to trust him. Beyond that text, I hadn’t heard much from him at all, which made me nervous. All of that was compounded by having to see my mother. I knew I couldn’t avoid her, but thankfully, Tom had made an excuse not to see me. That wasn’t unusual for him.
“Tom’s always so busy. No matter where we are, he always finds a reason to work. I guess that’s why he’s so successful,” Mom said. “We had such a great trip to Miami. It was one of the few times we’ve had some time to relax.”
Mom loved to brag about Tom, and I was sure she had no real idea why he was here. Hell, neither did I, but I was glad at least I got some time with her. When she wasn’t around him, we actually had a decent relationship despite our differences.
The elevator doors opened, snapping me back to the present and away from memories of hanging out with Mom the night before. Immediately my stomach turned as I thought about having to see Grant again, knowing what I knew. I imagined the bald guy’s voice as he and Grant created some elaborate plot to manipulate me.
I walked down the hallway to Grant’s office, took a deep breath, and rounded the corner.
“Hey, how’s it going today?” Grant’s upbeat voice had surprised me. I half expected him to know everything that was going on in my head.
“Um, I’m good, I guess.” I put my bag down in the guest seat and stood anxiously next to it. “So, what should I work on today? More emails?”
“No, I need some help with reviewing the assignments turned in online. Can you get me a report as to who didn’t turn them in?”
“Yeah, sure.” I reached down, fumbling through my bag for a pen and my notebook. “Anything else?” I asked, dropping the pen and then nervously picking it back up. An uneasiness was in my voice as it trembled.
“Jamie, is everything all right? You seem off today. Another late night?” he joked. “You know, I’m always good for a drink or three.”
“I know, I know.” I nodded. “No. My mom is in town and we were up late talking. It’s been a while since we got to just chat.”
Grant nodded as if he understood and then flipped open his binder, turning his attention back to whatever it was he had been working on when I arrived. “I never really had much of a relationship with my parents,” he said without looking up. “When you wrap up what you’re working on, let me know and I’ll find something else for you.”
“Sure thing. I’ll go grab one of the open cubes out there.” I grabbed my bag and turned to leave the office as Chase rounded the corner and stood in the doorway.
“Oh, hey Jamie,” Chase said, shooting a little smile in my direction and then focusing on Grant. “Guess what?” Chase took another step toward Grant.
Grant quickly shut the binder he had been looking at.
Chase smiled. “Oh, you don’t need to close that on my account.”
Grant sat up tall and slid the binder to the opposite side of the desk. “Not sure what you mean.”
“Grant, I bought Dunamis. As of this morning, I own it. I know you’ve been nosing around. I also know you’ve been working with Darryl Franklin and Tom Wells.”
I could feel my knees begin to buckle as the names hit my ears. Darryl, he was the bald guy. D. Franklin.
Then immediately it sank in that my stepdad was working with Grant.
“Wait, what?” I said, still in shock, but Chase’s attention never left Grant’s eyes.
“You’re working for Tom Wells. He hired you, set you up with everything you needed to appear to be a successful businessman. All so you could get close to me. You knew I was looking at Dunamis for the last year.” Chase’s face began to redden and the vein in his temple protruded.
My head still spun as I tried to focus on anything that wasn’t moving.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Grant responded. “Never heard of either of them.”
“I saw you!” I blurted out. “I saw you at the bar, with the bald guy. D. Franklin, the guy that paid me to flirt and then find information on Chase.”
Grant stood up, looking down at me and then turning his gaze toward Chase. “You have yourself a quick one, here.”
I balled up my fist, clenching it, and took a step toward Grant. Every muscle in my body tensed up as I looked at him.
“Actually, she’s quite amazing,” Chase said. “Smart, quick, gorgeous. She had you figured out long before I did, but you see, that’s my problem. I trust people. I like to see the good in them until they prove otherwise.”
Grant snickered and shook his head. “And it took you how long to figure out everything that was going on?” He looked back at me and opened his mouth to say something else. It was at the moment that everything moved in slow motion.
I swung my arm around with my fist leading in the direction of Grant’s face. As I was almost there he raised his hand to block it, but his arm was immediately yanked down by Chase’s bulging arm, allowing for a clean shot to Grant’s jaw.
My fist connected with a heavy thud as pain shot through my hand, down my wrist and into my arm. “Ouch!” I yelled, immediately clutching my hand while at the same time watching Grant’s head snap back. Blood trickled from his lip.
“You bitch!” he yelled as he grabbed his mouth.
Grant took a step forward and Chase immediately pulled me behind him. “That would be a bad idea.” Chase looked over his shoulder as two security guards entered the small office. “Grant, you’re fired. And it’s doubtful that you’ll be doing any sort of work around here any time soon.”
“You can’t do this,” he yelled. “I’ll sue you. I’ll sue this university.”
“You can try, but you won’t get very far. You need money or a really stupid attorney to come up against either of us, and we both know you don’t have either of those things.”
Grant continued to yell as the security guards escorted him out of the room and left Chase and me standing alone.
“What just happened?” I asked, grasping my hand and wrist as the pain continued to throb.
“Grant was working for your stepfather. Summer filled me in on everything that was going on. They were trying to partner with her company and they were trying to pay you to find info on me. I guess Tom thought he’d be able to manipulate you without you knowing it.”
I sank down into the seat across from the desk as I attempted to make sense of it all. A moment later, Summer rounded the corner and joined us in the office.
“I saw Grant leaving…or rather being escorted out. I guess everything went well?”
“As well as could be expected,” Chase said with a chuckle.
“You hit him? Are you okay?” Summer took a step toward Chase and touched his chin so she could move his head from side to side, examining his face.
“I’m fine. She did it. She has a hell of a right hook.” Chase chuckled again, looking down at me.
I could feel my face blushing not only because of how I’d hit Grant, but also because I felt myself in the middle of an awkward situation. I knew Chase and Summer had a history and as much as I wanted to trust him, I had a feeling where all of this was headed.
“Listen, I need to make sure everything is ironed out with the University,” Chase said. “I’ll catch up with you two later, okay?” Chase faced Summer and looked into her eyes. “Thank you for your help. I appreciate it.” He leaned in and kissed her gently on the cheek.
I could feel the rush of emotions flooding my body. I wanted to scoot away, but I wasn’t sure how.
Then he took a step closer to me. “And you…” He placed his lips firmly on mine. “You really are amazing. I’ll see you in a bit. Love you,” he whispered and then left Summer and me alone in the office.
“He really loves you,” Summer said, looking fondly at me. “I had that, but I chose another path. I chose what I needed in my life, and there’s a part of me that regrets it.” She leaned against the wall as she looked down at me.
“I don’t think it will work. I lied to him. I broke his trust.” I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes.
“He understands. He knows. You didn’t do this. Your stepfather did. Grant did. You found out, and you told him. The truth goes a long way. Jamie, I know Chase. You two are meant to be. Go with it.”
She shot me small smile and then left the office, leaving me alone with my thoughts and an aching hand.