One Month Later

 

“I have a meeting with Mr. Jack Stone,” I said as I approached the security desk. “He should be expecting me.”

“Ms. Wilde?”

I nodded, feeling nervous for reasons I couldn’t begin to explain to myself. Or chose not to. I stepped back slightly as the security guard looked my name up on his computer, looking around the massive glass and marble lobby. It was empty despite the fact that it was just before nine, about the time most employees should be arriving for the day’s business. I was surprised not to see a line of people waiting at the elevator with coffee in their hands. But, again, this place wasn’t a typical business office. If I knew Jack Stone, he insisted his people arrive before dawn as he probably did.

“You’ll need to wear this badge while you’re on the premises,” the guard said almost apologetically, handing over a piece of plastic that hung from a small, chrome clip. “It’s new protocol.”

“Thank you.”

He gestured to the elevator. “Top floor. His secretary, Kim, will be waiting for you.”

When he said that, I assumed he meant she’d be expecting me when I made my way to Jack’s office. But, no, she was literally waiting for me, standing at the elevator doors when they opened.

“Ms. Wilde,” she said politely as she watched me step through the doors, “Mr. Stone was called away to a meeting, but he should return momentarily. He’s asked me to make you comfortable in his office.”

“Thank you.”

I felt like my brain was set on repeat today. I followed her down the long hall, impressed by what Jack and Brent had done here. I was still in Nashville when they built this place, but I’d heard every little detail of it. The few friends I kept here in Memphis were always careful to mention the Stones whenever we spoke. For that reason, I knew within a week after their mother went public with her breast cancer diagnosis, knew when the cancer came back, knew when she died. I knew the details of their father’s death—even though I could have lived without most of that information—knew who came to the funerals, where they came from. I knew about this adventure when it was still a drawing on a piece of paper.

It was impressive, though. I was happy for them.

When we reached the double doors of Jack’s office, Kim pushed them open and stepped out of the way so that I could get the full effect without any distractions. And, I had to admit, it was quite breathtaking, if a place of business can truly be breathtaking. Jack had always done everything a little over the top and this was no exception. A massive oak desk sat in front of a wall of windows that looked down on the beautiful green fields behind the building that housed the obstacle course that was all the talk in town, and the area where the new training facility had broken ground just a few weeks ago. To one side was the door to what I assumed was a full bathroom, beside it a chrome and glass bar that looked ready for a cocktail party. A full-sized couch and several easy chairs filled out the other side of the office, a lovely spot for those intimate meetings meant to put clients at ease.

If I’d had one of my stagers plan this room, they couldn’t have done it better.

“Can I get you some coffee or tea?”

I’d almost forgotten Kim was still there.

“Green tea?”

“We have some with lemon, if that’s okay.”

“Fine. Thank you.”

She smiled as she stepped away, closing the doors in her wake. I stood there for a moment, not really sure what to do with myself. But then curiosity got the better of me and I walked over to Jack’s desk, lifting a framed photograph that was on his desk facing away from me. When I turned it over, I was a little surprised to find a lovely photo of a redheaded woman. I’d heard that Jack was engaged, and then I heard that he wasn’t. I hadn’t realized he’d already moved on.

Good for him, I supposed.

I set the photo down and turned, my realtor’s eye taking in everything about this room, from the color of the walls to the thickness of the plush carpet. It really was a lovely room; one I could sell in a heartbeat if ever given the chance.

“You’ll never believe what the contractor—”

I spun around, that voice more familiar than my child’s in the middle of the night. I stepped back, my ass hitting the top of the desk with a clatter of falling photo frames and shaken pens in ceramic cups.

Gentry stood just inside the door holding a leather portfolio that was open and chaotic with jumbled papers. Unlike the few people I’d seen on this floor of the building, he was dressed in jeans and a flannel shirt, the sleeves rolled up to reveal a fresh tan on his strong forearms. It was his hands that drew my attention, though. Those hands—long fingers and thick palms—filled my dreams for years after we broke up. They were the same, strong and capable, hands that I knew more intimately than I knew my own.

I bit the inside of my cheek. Hard. The pain pulled me back to reality—mostly.

“Amelia,” he said on a heavy sigh, his eyes moving slowly over the length of me, forcing me to cross my arms over my chest like that would protect me from the heat that suddenly rushed through me, coming to rest in my cheeks.

“Hello, Gentry.”

“What are you doing here?”

I shrugged a shoulder. “I have a meeting with Jack.”

Surprise registered in his blue eyes. He pulled the portfolio up against his chest as he continued to study me. It was almost as if he was comparing what he was seeing with what he remembered of me. I knew the feeling because I was doing the same.

He seemed bigger, somehow. Taller. Wider. Stronger. Age was kind to him, like it was to a good wine. There were no new wrinkles around his eyes, no gray at his temple, but he was older. There was just this sense about him, a change that I could feel but not quite put my finger on. It was like he’d lost a little of that old charm, but again, maybe it was just a maturing of his charm.

He tilted his head slightly. “I’d heard you were back in town. I was going to call you—”

“That’s not necessary.”

“Sure it is. We left a lot unresolved when I left.”

“I heard you’re engaged.” I pushed away from Jack’s desk, trying to look casual as I moved around it—putting as much space between us as possible—to stand at the windows. “Congratulations.”

He cleared his throat, clearly uncomfortable with the turn in the conversation. And then he surprised me by dropping a compliment. “You look good, Ami.”

That I couldn’t do. He could have gone anywhere with this but there. I bristled, pulling into myself as pain seared through me. “Please, don’t.”

Before he could speak again, Jack came barreling into the room, talking on a cell phone to someone who made him laugh quite seductively. I turned and he smiled at me, offering a slight wave as he came toward the desk, dropping a laptop and some paperwork onto the blotter.

“Gotta go, babe,” he announced into the phone before disconnecting and dropping it into a suit pocket. “Hey, Ami! How are you?”

I moved into his arms, let him hug me as I buried my face briefly against his shoulder. He smelled familiar—there was something about the Stones that always smelled like home to me—and the warmth of him was reassuring. It’d been a while since a man had held me. Jack was like a brother, but it felt good just the same.

He stepped back, curiosity lighting up his eyes and checked me out. “You look good, kid.”

I smiled, blushing again but for a very different reason. “How are you, Jack?”

“I am…fantastic.” He laughed at himself. “Really, with the exception of a few difficult moments, my life has finally been on a good track these last few months.”

“That’s good.”

His eyes darkened a little as he regarded me again. “I heard about your dad. I’m really sorry. How is he?”

I shrugged. “It’s a cruel disease.”

He nodded, sighing softly, making me think that his own father was on his mind. But then he turned and gestured vaguely at Gentry. “What’s up, brother?”

Gentry hesitated, but then came forward and handed Jack a piece of paper. “The contractors are saying they need a different permit to proceed with the foundation.”

Jack barely glanced at the paper. “Take it to Remy. This is her department.”

Gentry nodded, taking the paper back. “Good to see you, Amelia,” he said softly before he turned to go.

I watched him, pain bursting through me again. There was so much pain! I’d thought I’d buried it a long time ago, but that obviously wasn’t true. Seeing him was like digging up a grave and rolling around with the deceased.

The past was dead. I needed it to stay that way.

Jack was watching me as I watched Gentry. The moment the door was closed, I caught him with this deep, contemplative expression in those dark eyes. I knew Jack well enough to know what he was thinking and I really didn’t want to go down that road.

“Let it go, Jack,” I said softly as I moved around him and took a seat in one of the strategically-placed chairs in front of his desk.

He watched me a moment longer, then moved behind his desk to take a seat on his throne. He made a teepee of his fingers and rested his chin on them, waiting for me to speak.

“My agents and I have been having a few issues with…I guess the only word would be harassment.”

“What kind of harassment?”

“My car was vandalized outside of a listing a week ago. One of my agents was at the same house and some guy on a motorcycle drove by and shot paintballs at the front of the house. We thought at first it was exclusive to that house, but then it happened the following day at another house. Our signs have been vandalized all over town and just last night someone spray painted symbols and…I don’t know, crap, outside our office.”

“Did you call the police?”

“I did. Every time. They said there was nothing they could do until we actually saw who was doing it.”

Jack sat back, shaking his head. “Ridiculous.”

“I’ve had one agent quit because of this and more will follow. I’m already struggling to repair the damage my father did over the past year or so because of his illness. I can’t afford to lose agents. Or clients.”

Jack nodded. “You want to hire us.”

“Yes. I need my people reassured and I need to find out who’s doing this as soon as possible so I can put an end to it.”

“We can put up cameras around your business, inside and out. And we can assign bodyguards to your people, send someone with them when they go to listings, have them hang around the office, keep their ears to the ground. And Brent is an awesome investigator. We’ll have him check things out, see if he can figure out who has it out for you.”

It sounded great. It also sounded very expensive.

“Like I said, the business is struggling. Dad hid his illness for a long time, so no one was watching over him and he made some really bad investments, sold off properties at a terrible discount…we can’t pay a lot.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Jack got up and came around the desk, taking my hand in his as he took a seat beside me. “You’re practically family, Ami. You don’t have to pay anything.”

“Jack, I can’t take advantage of you that way.”

“And how many times did you feed me when I was in New York, huh? How many times did you and Gentry let me sleep on your couch that one summer?”

I bit my lip, not really able to equate those moments of generosity for my boyfriend’s older brother to now. There was a hell of a lot of water under that bridge.

“I’m glad you’re back in Memphis. I’m sorry it took your dad’s illness to get you here, but…we take care of our own here.”

I inclined my head. “I really appreciate it, but you have to let me pay you back somehow.”

He tilted his head slightly like he was thinking about it. “You could make us that incredible double-chocolate cake you make. Do you remember that?”

I smiled. “Yeah. It was my mother’s recipe.”

“Every time you made that, I think I gained twenty pounds just looking at it! The most amazing thing. I was telling Raelyn, my girlfriend, about it the other day and she didn’t believe me. Rae…she’s a sugar junky. She’d be in heaven to have just one bite of that thing.”

“Okay,” I said with a little chuckle, “I guess I’d better drag out the old Bundt pan, then.”

The truth was, I hadn’t baked in a very long time. But the idea of it was nice. I used to enjoy that sort of thing.

I used to enjoy a lot of things I don't do anymore.

He squeezed my hand. “Go to work. I’ll organize a team and send them over, okay?”

“Okay.” I stood. “Thank you, Jack.”

“Of course.”

He walked me to the elevator and hugged me when it opened. I couldn’t help but feel pulled back into something I didn’t even know I’d missed until now.

*

“You’re late.”

I shot Joan a dirty look. “You don’t think I’m aware of the time?”

“Leslie’s already gone out on a showing and Bob’s been standing in my doorway for nearly forty minutes, wanting to know when you’re going to get here and start the morning meeting. He apparently has something he wants to discuss in front of everyone.”

“I’m sure he does.”

I dropped into my office chair—which was definitely not the throne-like thing Jack had in his office—a heavy sigh escaping my lips as I reached for the computer mouse. I already knew I had more than a dozen emails waiting for me because the alerts come to my phone, but I wasn’t sure I was ready to deal with them.

“What’s Bob got his panties in a wad about?”

Joan shrugged. “What does he usually get worked up about?”

The listings. He always felt like I didn’t give him the best listings because I didn’t like him. The truth was, I didn’t like him, but that had nothing to do with it. I didn’t give him the best listings because he wasn’t a very good salesman. The only reason I hadn’t fired him was because he was one of only a few who didn’t jump ship when it became clear my dad was losing his mind. And he didn’t take advantage of him like a couple of others. He worked to help my dad and I felt like I owed him for that.

“You okay, Amelia?”

I looked up. Joan and I had been besties since elementary school. She was the only constant in my life, giving up a good job as a manager at a four-star hotel downtown in order to come help me repair Wilde Realty. I couldn’t have gotten this far without her. In fact, I was pretty sure we would have closed our doors in a week if it hadn’t been for her. I owed her everything.

“I’m good, Joanie. Just beyond exhausted.”

“Long night?”

I nodded. “They all are.”

She nodded sympathetically. “Well, I’ve got the new listings up and I made that call to the accountant you mentioned—”

“Oh, hell! I forgot all about that!”

“Taken care of.”

“You’re an angel. Thank you.”

She just smiled. “I try.” She headed for the door. “Should I gather everyone for the morning meeting?”

I shook my head. “We need to put it off a while.”

“Why?”

“I hired Stone Security. I want to wait until they get here so I can explain it to everyone at once.”

“You were at Stone Security?” Her eyes suddenly lit up. “Did you see Aiden?”

“Just Jack.”

She smiled, her expression growing dreamy as she leaned back against the door jamb. “I’ve heard he’s looking really good these days. Those eyes…”

I shook my head. “Work, Joanie. We have work to do.”

She sighed. “If I must.”

“Let me know when they get here.”

“Definitely.”

I watched her go before settling in to deal with my email situation. I worked for the better part of an hour, checking potential new listings, answering questions from clients, answering questions from potential clients, and doing half a million other things that didn’t always make sense, but were part of the business.

I’d grown up in these offices. My mom and dad started this place before I was born, working side by side like the perfect power couple they had been. My mom used to brag about how I was a born agent because I spent my infancy in a playpen right next to her desk. In reality, I was probably a nuisance to her and anyone else who happened to come to the office. That was probably why I was an only child. But it made for a good story.

And working together…I don’t think it worked out well for my parents. They were together twenty-four seven from the day they got married until their twentieth anniversary. That was the night my mom announced that she’d been sleeping with her doctor for three years and he’d asked her to move to Montana with him. Packed her bags that night. Didn’t even bother to wake me up long enough to say goodbye. My last memory of my mother was her yelling at me for not getting an A on my tenth-grade science final over breakfast that morning.

Good riddance to bad rubbish, my dad said.

I wished I could let go that easily.

Everyone was always leaving and here I was, coming back. I never thought I’d be sitting here, never thought I’d be seeing all these people again. Not even my dad. We didn’t leave things on good terms when I first moved to Jacksonville. But, I guess, illness has a way of changing everything.

“They’re here,” Joan said, sticking her head in the door. Before she could say anything else, Brent Stone strolled into the office like he did it every day.

“Amelia.”

I smiled as I took him in, comparing what I was seeing to the memory I had of him. As the oldest of the Stone brothers, Brent was pushing forty, but he didn’t look a day over twenty-five. There was a healthy glow to his face, especially when he smiled as he was doing now. I’d heard about the tragic loss of his wife and daughter not terribly long after his parents passed. He’d suffered a dark few years. But I also couldn’t miss the gossip about his new relationship, the young sex-worker-turned-college-student he was engaged to marry this fall.

“How are you, Brent?”

“Wonderful now!” He pulled me into a massive bear hug, lifting me off my feet. “Why didn’t you let anyone know you were back in town? I had to hear it from Aiden.”

“I’m sorry. It’s been insane, taking over the business and caring for Daddy.”

“Yes, I heard about his illness. I’m sorry, Ami.”

I shrugged. “It wasn’t totally unexpected after his mother suffered from the same thing.”

His expression grew serious as he regarded me. “You okay? You need anything? Help getting a home aide or anything?”

I shook my head. “We’ve got a wonderful woman working for us. Rebecca. I couldn’t do it without her.”

He inclined his head. “You let me know if you need anything, okay? You’re still family, Amelia.”

“I appreciate that, Brent.”

He stepped back, settling on the edge of the dirty old couch that was pushed against one wall there in my office, his eyes dark and serious as he studied me.

“So Jack tells me you’re being harassed.”

I nodded, going through the story again, quickly. “I think it’s just a bunch of kids with too much time on their hands, but I’d like it to stop before I lose a client or another agent.”

“Of course.” He sat back a little, dragging his fingers through his hair. “We’ll leave a team of six men. I don’t know how many agents you have, but try not to have more than four at in the field at a time so that two can remain here and the others can escort your agents. And we’ll install cameras here at the office.”

“We have a system, an alarm on the door and window sensors.”

“That’s good, but the cameras will catch anyone doing physical damage to the outside of the building.”

“Okay.”

He stood up. “We’ll fix this for you, Amelia. Don’t worry about it.”

“I really appreciate it, Brent. You and Jack have been incredibly generous.”

“Like I said, we still consider you family.”

I inclined my head, wondering what he’d think if he knew the whole truth. But now wasn’t the time for confessions.

“We’ve postponed the morning meeting in order to introduce all of this to my entire staff. You don’t mind hanging around a while to help me explain it to them, do you?”

“I’ll be here most of the day, supervising the camera installation, so no problem.”

We stepped out of the office together. It was a small building, a brick storefront that was built to resemble a ranch-style home. My father had it built in the late seventies, so it was outdated, but old enough to be nostalgic now. The front doors opened onto a small lobby with a receptionist’s desk that led to a long hallway with a dozen offices and three conference rooms. A break room was stuck in the very back with the small bathroom meant for just the office staff’s use. It was incredibly outdated, but I had plans to fix that. We just had to wait for business to turn around a little so we could get it into the budget.

Six men, all dressed in black cargo pants and black t-shirts, stood at attention along the front window in the lobby. I didn’t see them at first because of the clog of female office staff standing in the hall. It amused me, however, not only to see what the fuss was about, but to see Joanie at the front of the clump of feminine lust.

“Meeting in ten minutes,” I announced. That broke up the clog. Nothing like the boss to come along and ruin the fun.

Brent walked me down the line, introducing each of the six men. Each one was better looking than the first, each incredibly fit, each appearing to be immensely capable. The followed us back to the conference room where my staff had settled around the table. Bob looked annoyed until he saw our guests. Then he just looked slightly annoyed.

“Good morning, everyone,” I said, all business as I made my way to the front of the room. “I apologize for the late start.”

There were a few grumbles, but not a lot. They were all too busy checking out Brent and his team.

“As you know, we’ve had a few issues with vandals over the past ten days or so.” I paused for a heartbeat, waiting for everyone to shift their attention to me. It was a losing game. “For that reason, I’ve enlisted the aid of Stone Security. They have agreed to provide us with a team of experts who will provide security here at the office and serve as protection to each agent out in the field.”

“What does that mean, protection?” Bob immediately asked.

“Until further notice, only four agents will be out in the field at a time. And those agents will be accompanied by one of Stone’s team members.”

A murmur went up around the room.

“You mean I have to take one of these guys with me every time I show a house?” Bob demanded. “What do I tell the client?”

“Anything you want, Bob.”

“If clients think we are afraid to visit our own listings, they won’t want to work with us.”

I inclined my head slightly. “But this is better than the alternative, don’t you think?”

The room grew very quiet. I finally had their attention.

“You’re really concerned about the vandalism?” Another of my agents, Marley, asked.

I tilted my head to one side as I struggled to find a suitable answer. Brent came to my rescue, moving up beside me.

“My team is trained to observe and to be essentially invisible. They will not get in your way and they are not there to cause issues with your clients. They are simply there to observe any unusual activity so that we might identify the vandals and end this as quickly as possible.”

That seemed to put everyone’s mind at ease. All except Bob.

“I don’t think this is necessary. It’s a stupid expense when it’s probably just a group of kids.”

“Better safe than sorry, Bob,” I reminded him.

He mumbled something else, but my phone buzzed in my pocket at that moment. I tugged it out and bit my lip, my heart stuttering a little. Fifty-two. Not good.

I gestured for Joanie to take over as I slipped out the door. It wasn’t unnoticed. I could feel nearly every eye in the room on me, but I couldn’t help it.

I pressed the speed dial and a warm, friendly voice answered on the first ring.

“We’re okay, Momma,” the voice said, her soft accent warm and almost motherly. “He just didn’t eat as much of his breakfast as he should have.”

“He does that.”

“We’ve got it under control. He’s sipping a glass of juice and the arrow is already pointing up.”

I closed my eyes and sighed. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“You’d be fine. And so would he.”

A hand touched my elbow and I nearly dropped the phone. I turned to find Brent standing behind me.

“Everything okay?”

What did I say to that?

I’d always hated secrets. And I’d never intended to keep this one. If only Gentry…but I couldn’t really blame him, could I? It was as much my fault as it was his.

“Thanks, Chloe. Give him a kiss for me, would you?”

I disconnected the call and turned, holding the phone between both my hands. Brent was watching me, the weight of his gaze almost palpable.

“Thanks for your help in there.”

He shrugged. “You okay? That about your dad?”

I opened my mouth to answer, not even sure I knew what was going to come out. But then a massive screech filled the entire building, the sound of a car alarm going off far too close to where we were standing. I ran to the back door as people came flooding out of the conference room. When I opened the door, black smoke rushed into the hall, making my eyes water.

When it cleared, there was no mistaking the cause. Someone had just tossed a Molotov cocktail through the side window of my car.

“Still think it’s not necessary, Bob?” someone asked.

Could this day get any more stressful?