Hanna decided to get away. Not forever. Just long enough for the Jamesons to find another target. Her job was a temporary solution anyway. She cleaned houses and businesses. Worked part-time in the coffee shop. She could take time off but she had to do it without pay, which sucked. That choice would be a financial struggle but going round and round with the Jamesons could cost her the equilibrium she’d been fighting to gain ever since her sister’s death.
For the hundredth time, Hanna wondered if she should have just taken the money Eldrick offered her months ago to stay away from Carter. She’d tried to find Carter back then, and then the stay-away letters started. Then came the bribe.
The cash would have made rebuilding her life much easier. Saying no just made Eldrick double down on the threats of attorneys and lawsuits if she came near his family or talked about them with anyone. He thought it was her job to keep his family secrets.
Man, she hated the Jamesons and how they turned everything upside down. Irrational or not, that hate extended to all Jamesons...even, admittedly to a lesser degree, to the one she used to stare at as he played football on the lawn with his brothers. The one who turned her into a babbling fool every time he smiled at her.
Back then, of course. She was wiser now.
She dunked the mop in the murky water with a bit too much force. The wheels under the bucket spun around. Before she could catch it, the bucket tumbled and smacked into the coffee counter, sending the dirty water spilling over the sides.
Apparently, it was going to be that kind of day.
She sighed as she balanced the mop handle against the edge of the counter and wiped her hands on her faded blue jeans. A tingle at the base of her neck had her glancing up and turning around. The shadow moved in the glass front door of Morning Grind, the coffee shop she cleaned to offset part of the cost of her rent upstairs. Her breath hitched as the face came into view.
Carter.
Of course it was.
It was five in the morning and still dark outside, but she could see every inch of that amazing face. Watch his shoulders lift as he shifted his weight from foot to foot, likely trying to fight off the punishing cold that had settled in early this year, or so the locals told her.
She should let him freeze. Let him form a big Jameson ice cube right there on the sidewalk.
So tempting. But that would just give his father a reason to breeze into town, blaming and threatening her about something new.
She wiped her hands on her jeans again. This time not to dry them off but to beat down the nerves jumping around inside her. A strange mix of wariness and excitement hit her the second Carter pinned her with a crooked smile.
No wonder her sister had gotten reeled in. If the gossip site stories about him were true, a lot of women had trouble saying no to the guy.
Maybe the whole turning-otherwise-smart-women-into-giant-puddles-of-goo thing was an inherited skill. A family trait of some sort. If so, she needed to get over the affliction and fast.
Her hand shook as she turned the lock and opened the door a fraction. “What?”
“You need to work on your welcoming tone.” He grumbled something under his breath before talking at normal volume again. “I was hoping you’d be a bit happier to see me this morning.”
“Since you seem determined to stalk me, no. For the record, I’m not into that.” Or being unsure or off-kilter or vulnerable. None of those feelings worked for her, even though they all raced through her now as she tried not to notice how the wind brought a sexy rush of color to his cheeks.
“I wanted to apologize for just dropping in on you last night.”
Sure he did. “By dropping in on me this morning.”
The corner of his mouth lifted even higher, showing off that arresting smile. “Now that you mention it, I guess this visit wasn’t all that well thought-out either.”
She studied him, letting her gaze wander over that mouth before giving him full-on eye contact. The cute, self-deprecating act held a certain charm, but she knew it was just an act. No longer a carefree boy, he was a man who possessed power and money. In her experience, the Jamesons used both of those as a weapon against others.
Then there was the more obvious problem. “How did you know where to find me at this time of the morning?”
His mouth opened and closed twice.
She cleared her throat. “I’m waiting.”
“Yeah, I can see that.”
She knew stalling when she heard it. Heck, she excelled at that sort of thing. He couldn’t fool her. “Feel free to use words.”
He made a strangled noise that sounded like hmm. “I’m going to be honest with you.”
“That would be nice.” Not that she’d believe whatever he said, but it would be interesting to see what subterfuge he tried to use on her.
He unzipped his coat, just enough for her to see the V-neck of the blue sweater underneath. “I had a friend back at the Jameson office look into you.”
Look into? Creative word choice. “You mean, investigate me.”
“I didn’t say that.”
That was kind of her point. “So, you had one of your employees not investigate me.”
“I don’t actually work for Jameson Industries.”
“Uh-huh.” It was as if he didn’t know his own last name or for some reason thought the verbal gymnastics would work on her. Either way, she wasn’t buying it. “I often call up places where I don’t work and get people to scurry around, looking stuff up for me in the middle of the night.”
“It does seem to lack credibility when you say it that way.”
“Is there another way to say it?”
She hated to admit that she was enjoying this steady back-and-forth that had her mind clicking.
After months of reeling and mourning, she still kept to herself, not letting anyone she met move past the acquaintance stage and into the friend stage. Not dating. She blamed her time away from the friendship and dating pool as the reason for the adrenaline surging through her now.
Not a new round of attraction. Nope, that could not happen.
“I called in a favor, but that’s not the point.” He held up a hand when she started to respond. “Initially, I assumed coming here and handing you an envelope would get the job done. When it became clear that wasn’t going to happen, I decided I needed to know more about you.”
She folded her arms in front of her. “Because that’s not heavy-handed at all.”
“I wanted to know more about you. About who you are now.” With that, his eyes wandered—not far and not too obvious—but he did give her a quick once-over.
She hated that her stomach tumbled in response. She vowed to ignore the effect seeing him after all this time still had on her. The weird bubbling giddiness, the feeling of not being good enough or pretty enough. All those sensations she’d felt as a teen still battled inside her, which she found truly ridiculous. Getting older should have made her immune to him and all those stupid insecurities.
Guilt swamped her. He’d abandoned her sister and her own failure to stick up for Gena, to hold the line and not feel anything for him, was nothing short of a betrayal to her sister. Gena had talked about Carter leaving and his father sniffing around, trying to figure out what Carter had meant to her. She’d warned Hanna to be careful and not trust them.
Hanna tried to hold on to all of that advice and mistrust, to funnel what had been her sister’s pain and her own frustration, into a defensive shield against Carter. To question every word he said and bury that leftover attraction down deep, but it kept bubbling back to the surface.
Some of the lightness left his face. “You’ve changed.”
The words and his seemingly innocent delivery had her anger spiking. Heat raged through her. After all those years of ignoring her, he pretended he had some insight into her then and now. “Did we know each other well enough for you to make that assessment?”
“I remember the Hanna who would run around the Virginia property and get into everything. Climbing fences and trying to play on the equipment.” He shoved his hands in his dark gray jeans pockets and focused that intense stare on her.
She didn’t flinch. “You mean the same Virginia property I wasn’t allowed to visit after my dad died?”
His eyes narrowed. “What?”
Years before Hanna lost her sister, she lost her father. Her parents had long been divorced but her mom had been listed as her father’s heir and tried to go to the cottage he lived in on the Jameson estate. Her mother never talked about what happened during the visit, but she came back with clothes and a few personal items and that was all.
Hanna knew more existed. Her father had kept a journal. He’d been a faithful employee at the estate for decades. He’d built a life there, had friends and people who worked for him and respected him.
He died on the job at that stupid Virginia estate and her mother had gotten excuses and two duffel bags filled with dirty shirts.
Carter shrugged. “Okay. Visit Virginia now.”
He seemed as surprised to have said the words as she’d been to hear them. “Sure, I’ll just use the key I don’t have and go into the house I’m not allowed to visit in the state I don’t live in.”
“Maybe the envelope is an invitation to visit.”
“You think after all this time your father is willing to hand over my father’s property and wrote to tell me?”
“I can’t explain my father’s actions, but I can offer to help now. If you don’t want anything to do with him or the envelope, then deal with me. Come back to Virginia and get whatever you need.”
Temptation tugged at her. She could go to the property and maybe get some answers to all those questions about her father’s death. About how a man so skilled could fall off a ladder and die. But that meant trusting Carter and possibly running in to Eldrick. It meant owing them, and she’d vowed never to do that.
Breaking eye contact, Carter glanced around. His gaze moved over the tables with the chairs stacked on the tops, and the shelves of merchandise. It hesitated on the espresso machine. “You must have vacation days.”
If he’d looked into her background, he already knew the answer. But, fine. They could play this game.
“I’m not a full-time employee.” She lifted her chin because she was not going to hide who she was or what she did to earn a living. “I clean houses and buildings. It’s what I do so that I can eat.”
“Sure. Okay.”
“Sometimes I also take shifts here, usually nights and weekends when the college kids who work here would rather go out.”
He shrugged again. “Makes sense.”
The casual acceptance threw her off. He came from inconceivable wealth. Growing up he only ran with other kids from the same background. He’d segregated himself as if money did matter. Went to a private boys’ school, then off to an expensive college. Spent the last year playing in California. She knew because his photo showed up on gossip sites now and then with this beautiful woman or that one on his arm. And it always pricked at her.
“I’m not ashamed of what I do.” She wanted to be absolutely clear about that.
“You shouldn’t be.”
Okay, he said that but nothing in his past or looking at him now suggested he actually believed it. “I work hard. I don’t get to play much, and I certainly can’t just hop off to Virginia.”
“Then open the envelope.”
He made it sound so simple, but it wasn’t.
“Your father is trying to manipulate me. He’s done it before. Sends letters and expects me to jump to his commands.” And she had...sort of. When she’d emerged from the fog surrounding her sister’s death she’d made a promise. She would never again let Eldrick intimidate or scare her. That meant not letting him in to her life. Not letting him in her door or reading his letters.
Carter sighed. “Tell me why and I can try to help.”
“No.” Part of her still believed Carter knew and this was some sort of game. He was the one who had a relationship with Gena. He’d lured her in with promises of a future then left. Everything that came after—the threats and bribery attempts by Eldrick—related back to Carter. How could he not know?
But that expression seemed so genuine. The offer of coming to Virginia opened a door she’d thought she’d closed. The possibilities whirled around in her head until she had to lean against one of the tables.
“I’m staying at the Virginia estate, so I can pack up whatever may belong to your dad and get it to you. Or, hear me out.” Carter held up a hand. “Come to Virginia yourself. Get whatever property, whatever closure, you need.”
She snorted. It came out before she could stop it. “Because you know so much about closure.”
“I’ve been hunting for it for years where my father is concerned. If I can’t find it for me, maybe I can at least hope you get it.” A new emotion moved into his eyes. Behind that determination something else lingered. A note of sadness, maybe. “My father isn’t in the country. My brothers don’t go to our estate except for special events. I’m there, but I’ll stay out of your way.”
The idea of taking a look at her father’s possessions, of figuring out once and for all if something else happened that sunny afternoon when he died, tugged and pulled at her. But the offer also tripped the silent alarm in her head. The internal warning wail almost had her wincing.
“I can’t just walk away from my responsibilities.” Like some people.
“You’re not the only one who is sick of my father’s constant maneuvering.” Carter hesitated for a few seconds before continuing. “I can help you with whatever he wants from you, but if you don’t want that I still can make sure you get access to the house you once lived in. Stay a few days and do what you need.”
Common sense battled with curiosity. She’d never bought the story about her dad’s death. Being there might let her take a peek and move on...or she could uncover the truth, and she owed her dad that.
But there was still the problem of the newest envelope and whatever Eldrick intended to threaten her about now. “What makes you think your father wants something? I know why I think it, but what do you know?”
“The man doesn’t make a move without an ulterior motive.” Carter shook his head. “Look, the easiest thing to do would be to open the envelope. But it’s your life, not mine. You want to keep your secrets? Fine.”
He actually sounded like he did get it. That eased some of the tension zipping through her.
“I don’t want to be manipulated by my father either. Honestly, I’m only here because my brother, you probably remember Derrick, only gets the family business if certain conditions are met. My brothers have a list of things we must do for that inheritance to happen and this is what I have to do.”
She didn’t like that at all. “You mean me. I’m your ‘thing to do.’ How flattering.”
Carter frowned. “I don’t really understand why or what any of this means or how you fit in, which is likely how my dad wanted it.”
He didn’t exactly speak about his father with love and respect. That piqued her interest, made her want to ask questions, but she refrained. Getting sucked into a big Jameson family mess was not on her agenda today...or ever. “So, you need me to open the envelope.”
“I don’t need anything. My brother does. But if Derrick had seen the look of panic on your face last night when I mentioned Dad, Derrick would have torn up the envelope and told you to never worry about any of us again.”
If true, she liked Derrick way more now than she did when she was a kid and was kind of afraid of him. “And you?”
“We both know you and my dad have unfinished business of some sort.” When she started to deny it, he interrupted her again. “I’m not asking what it is, but I’m giving you a chance to do some exploring on your own, without his knowledge or interference. To come back to his home turf of Virginia and figure it all out, then decide if you want to confront my dad.”
She never wanted to see the man again. She’d tucked away in this corner of New York, far away from the bribery and warnings specifically to avoid having to see him. “What do you get out of all of this?”
“Honestly?” He winced. “The idea of going behind my dad’s back and letting you on the property where he didn’t want you to be gives me an odd satisfaction. Plus, I liked your dad. You deserve to go through his things and visit the place you stayed one last time.”
“You sort of sound reasonable.” Which immediately made her skeptical.
Carter took in a long, deep breath. “My offer is for housing and food, if you want it.”
So smooth. He knew exactly what to say to get her thinking. There was no way he could have guessed from his investigation into her background that there were doubts swirling in her head about that Virginia estate and what really happened to her father there. This offer might be her one chance to look around without a bunch of people following her or chasing her off the property. She might be able to uncover the truth.
The only problem? Nothing ever turned out to be free.
“Who did you say would be at the property?” Not that she was conceding. This was all part of a big plan Carter’s dad had worked out. She was sure of it and equally determined not to be a pawn. But if she could get the upper hand, then maybe...
“I’ll be in the main house. I’m living and working there.”
Her stupid heart jumped. She had no idea why that deep voice affected her. She should know better, learn from her sister’s mistakes. “I thought you didn’t work for the family.”
His head dipped to the side for a second. “It’s a complicated story.”
“It always is.” Because there was nothing easy about the Jameson family.
“Does this mean you’re coming back with me?”
He looked far too satisfied with himself. That didn’t sit right with her at all. She had the sense that once Carter thought he’d won, he would become impossible.
“I didn’t say that.”
He smiled. “You kind of did.”
That look. His face. It was so handsome it bordered on annoying. “You leave and I’ll think about the offer.”
“Not exactly a people person, are you?”
Not the first time she’d heard that. She’d been tagged as the quiet sister. Not as pretty or outgoing or charismatic but steady. She got a little tired of playing the role of forgotten sister.
She’d grown up and grown apart from Gena. Hanna moved away and worked as an administrative assistant. Had a good job. Friends. A life. When Gena’s world came crashing down after Carter, she’d begged for help and Hanna came rushing in. She pushed aside the mix of jealousy and hurt that swamped her at the idea of Gena and Carter together when Gena had known all about the old crush. But she’d arrived too late to save her sister. Even now as she tried to rebuild her life and find a job to replace the one she’d lost, the guilt over not doing enough or the right thing still beat down on her every day.
He rocked back on his heels. “You do know I’m not getting anything out of this, right?”
No way did she believe that. “You poor thing.”
His gaze slipped back to the espresso machine. “I’d settle for something with caffeine in it.”
“You could open a bag and suck on a bean.”
He laughed and the rich, genuine sound washed over her. He moved and it mesmerized her. He spoke and her brain replayed every word.
“I would have been disappointed if you’d offered to make me coffee,” he said.
“I’m happy we understand each other.” She glanced at the clock and dread pummeled her. Employees would start showing up in about fifteen minutes and she still had to deal with that puddle on the floor. “I need to get back to work.”
“Here.” Without another word, Carter went over the counter and grabbed the mop. “I can take care of the spill.”
She would have been less surprised if he’d made a cup of coffee magically appear in his hand. “You’re going to clean something? You...?”
“I have skills.”
She could feel her mouth drop open and her eyes bulge. “With a mop?”
“I’m not my father, Hanna.”
The words shook her out of her stupor because she was starting to believe him. “That’s the only reason you’re still standing here.”
That and his eyes. And those impressive shoulders. That cool voice. Okay, she might have let him inside the shop to look at him for a while. She hadn’t expected him to offer a way for her to settle the past.
No, Carter Jameson was not what she expected at all. Problem was she didn’t have a defense against this Carter and that made him potentially more dangerous to her than Eldrick.