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“I’ll get Marilyn to contact you and set up a meeting. It will probably only take a couple of days. You need to go ahead and start packing.”
“Packing?” She was starting to sound like a slightly dense parrot. What had she gotten herself into? Luc was helping her, but with strings attached. She had known his every thought at one time. Now he was an enigma.
His half smile made her think of a predator anticipating his prey. “You and Deedee will be moving in here as soon as the wedding is over.”
Three
Two days later, Luc tapped briefly at his brother’s office door and entered. Leo, his senior by little more than a year, was almost hidden behind piles of paperwork and books. A genius by any measure, Leo masterminded the financial empire, while Luc handled R & D. Luc enjoyed the challenge of developing new products, finding the next creative venture.
Leo was the one who made them all rich.
It was a full thirty seconds before his brother looked up from what he was doing. “Luc. Didn’t expect to see you today.”
The brothers met formally twice a month, and it wasn’t unusual for them to lunch together a few times a week, but Luc rarely dropped by his brother’s sanctum unannounced. Their offices were on different floors of the building, and more often than not, their customary mode of communication was texting.
Luc ignored the comfortable, overstuffed easy chair that flanked Leo’s desk and instead, chose to cross the room and stand by the window. He never tired of gazing at Atlanta’s distinctive skyline.
He rolled his shoulders, unaware until that moment that his neck was tight. He turned and smiled. “What are you doing on May 14?”
Leo tapped a key and glanced at his computer screen. “Looks clear. What’s up?”
“I thought you might like to be my best man.”
Now Luc had Leo’s full attention. His older sibling, though still a couple inches shorter than Luc’s six-three, was an imposing man. Built like a mountain, he looked more like a lumberjack than a numbers whiz.
He escaped the confines of his desk and cleared a front corner to lean on his hip and stare at his brother. “You’re pulling my chain, right?”
“Why would you say that?”
“Three weeks ago I suggested you bring a date to Carole Ann’s party, and you told me you weren’t seeing anyone.”
Luc shrugged. “Things happen.”
Leo scowled, a black expression that had been known to make underlings quake in terror. “I can read you like a book. You’re up to something. The last time I saw that exact look on your face, you were trying to convince Dad to let you take the Maserati for a weekend trip to Daytona.”
“I have my own sports cars. I’m not trying to pull anything.”
“You know what I mean.” He changed tack. “Do I know her?”
Luc shrugged. “You’ve met.”
“How long have you known her? It’s not like you to go all misty-eyed over a one-night stand.”
“I can assure you that I’ve known her for a very long time.”
“But you’ve just now realized you’re in love.”
“A man doesn’t have to be in love to want a woman.”
“So it’s lust.”
“I think we’ve gotten off track. I asked if you would be my best man. A simple yes or no will do.”
“Damn it, Luc. Quit being so mysterious. Who is she? Will I get to see her anytime soon?”
“I haven’t decided. We’ve been concentrating on each other. I don’t want to spoil things. Just promise me you’ll show up when and where I say on the fourteenth. In a tux.”
The silence was deafening. Finally, Leo stood up and stretched. “I don’t like the sound of this. When it all goes to hell, don’t come crying to me. Your libido is a piss-poor businessman. Be smart, baby brother. Women are generally not worth the bother.”
Luc understood his brother’s caution. They had both been burned by love at a tender age, but thankfully had wised up pretty fast. What Leo didn’t know, though, was that Luc had a plan. Revenge was a strong word for what he had in mind. He didn’t hate Hattie Parker. Quite the contrary. All he wanted was for her to understand that while he might still find her sexually attractive, he was completely immune to any emotional connection. No hearts and flowers. No protestations of undying devotion.
He was no longer a kid yearning for a pretty girl. This time he had the power. He would be calling all the shots. Hattie needed him, and her vulnerability meant that Luc would have her in his house … in his bed … under his control. Perhaps revenge was too strong a word. But when all was said and done, Hattie Parker would be out of his system … for good.
Hattie was ready to scream. Moving anytime was a huge chore, but add a baby to the mix, and the process was darned near impossible. She’d finally gotten Deedee down for a nap and was wrapping breakables in the kitchen when her cell phone rang. She jerked it up and snarled, “What?”
The long silence at the other end was embarrassing.
“Sorry,” she said, her throat tight with tears of frustration.
Luc’s distinctive tones were laced with humor. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard you lose your temper. I kind of like it.”
“Don’t be silly,” she said, shoving a lock of damp hair from her forehead. “What do you want?”
“Nothing in particular. I was checking in to see if you needed anything.”
“A trio of muscular guys would be nice.”
Another silence. “Kinky,” he said, his voice amused but perhaps a tad hoarse.
Her face flamed, though he couldn’t see her. “To help with moving,” she muttered. “I wouldn’t know what else to do with them. This mothering thing is hard work.”
“Why, Hattie Parker. Are you hinting for help?”
“Maybe.” Deedee was a good baby, but being a single parent was difficult. Hattie no longer felt as panicked as she had in the beginning. Much of the daily routine of dealing with an infant seemed easier now. But Deedee had been restless the three nights since Hattie had dined with Luc. Perhaps the baby was picking up on Hattie’s unsettled emotions. And to make matters worse, Eddie had begun sending a harassing string of vague emails and texts. Clearly to keep Hattie on edge. And it was working.
Luc sighed audibly. “I would have hired a moving crew already, but you’re always so damned independent, I thought you would pitch a fit and insist on doing it yourself.”
“I’ve grown up, Luc. Some battles simply aren’t worth fighting. I know when I’m in over my head.”
“I’m sorry. I made a stupid assumption. It won’t happen again.”
The conversation lagged once more. She looked at the chaos in her kitchen and sighed. “Do you know yet when we’re going to sit down and go over the finer points of our marriage agreement?”
“I thought perhaps tomorrow evening. When does Deedee go down for the night?”
“Usually by eight … if I’m lucky.”
“What if I come over to your place then, so she won’t have to be displaced. I’ll bring food.”
“That would be great.”
“Have you heard any more from your brother-in-law?”
“Nothing specific.” No need at the moment to involve Luc in Eddie’s bluster. “He likes to throw his weight around. Right now, he’s got the perfect setup. I’m babysitting for him, but when he’s ready, he’ll grab Deedee.”
“I hope you don’t mean that literally.”
“He’s not that stupid. At least, I don’t think he is.”
“Try not to worry, Hattie. Everything is going to fall into place.”
For once, it seemed as if Luc was right. Deedee went to sleep the following evening without a whimper. Hattie found an unworn blouse in the back of her closet with the tags still attached. She’d snagged it from a clearance rack at Bloomingdale’s last January, and the thin, silky fabric, a pale peach floral, was the perfect weight for a spring evening.
Paired with soft, well-worn jeans, the top made her look nice but casual … not like she was trying too hard to impress. Unfortunately, Luc showed up ten minutes early, and she was forced to open the door in her bare feet.
His eyes flashed with masculine appreciation when he saw her. “You don’t look frazzled to me, Hattie.”
She stepped back to let him in. “Thanks. Today was much calmer, maybe because the moving company you hired promised to be here first thing in the morning. And I was able to actually take a shower, because the baby took a two-hour morning nap.”
As she closed the door, he surveyed her apartment. “No offense, but I don’t see any point in storing most of this stuff. Let the movers take the bulk of it to charity, and bring only the things that are personal or sentimental with you.”
She bit her lip. It had occurred to her that this subject would have to be broached, but she hadn’t anticipated it would come so soon. “The thing is …”
“What are you trying to say?” He tossed the duffel bag he’d been carrying in a chair and deposited two cloth grocery bags in the kitchen. Then he turned to face her. “Is there a problem?”
She shifted from one foot to the other. Luc was wearing a suit and tie, and she felt like Daisy Duke facing off with Daddy Warbucks. “This union won’t last forever. After all the money you’re spending to help Deedee and me, you shouldn’t have to finance the next phase of my life, as well. I thought it might be prudent to have something to fall back on in the future.”
He nudged a corner of her navy plaid futon/chair with the toe of his highly polished wing tip, giving the sad, misshapen piece a dismissive glance. “When that happens, I won’t cast off you and the child to live with cheap, secondhand furniture. I have a reputation to uphold in this town. Image is everything. You’re going to have to face the truth, Hattie. You’re marrying a rich man—whether you like it or not.”
The mockery in his words and on his face was not veiled this time. He was lashing out at her for what she’d done in the past. Fair enough. Back then she had made a big deal about their stations in life. Luc’s money gave him power, and Hattie had been taught at her mother’s knee never to let a man have control.
The man Hattie called “daddy” was really her stepfather. As a nineteen-year-old, her mother had been that most naive of clichés … the secretary who had an affair with her boss. When Hattie’s mom told her lover she was pregnant, he tossed her aside and never looked back.
Hattie lifted her chin. “It was never about the money,” she insisted. “Or not only the money. Look at what your life has become, Luc. You’re the CEO of a Fortune 500 company. I’m a public school teacher. I clip coupons and drive a ten-year-old car. Even before I began helping with my mother’s finances, I lived a very simple lifestyle.”
He curled a lip. “Is this where I cue the violins?”
“Oh, forget it,” she huffed. “This is an old argument. What’s the point?”
He shrugged. “What’s the point indeed?” He picked up the duffel bag. “Dinner will keep a few minutes. Do you mind if I change clothes? I came straight from the office.”
“The baby is asleep in my room, but the bathroom’s all yours. I’ll set out the food.”
She had rummaged in the bags only long enough to see that Luc’s largesse was nothing as common as pizza, when a loud knock sounded at the door. She glanced through the peephole and drew in a breath. Eddie. Good grief. Reluctantly, she opened the door.
He reeked of alcohol and swayed slightly on his feet. “Where’s my baby girl? I want to see her.”
She shushed him with a quick glance over her shoulder. “She’s in bed. Babies sleep at this hour of night. Why don’t you call me in the morning, and we’ll agree on a time for you to come by?”
He stuck a foot in the doorway, effectively keeping her from closing him out. “Or why don’t I call the police and tell them you’ve kidnapped my kid?”
It was an idle threat. They both knew it. Hattie had already consulted a lawyer, and a nurse at the hospital had heard Angela’s dying request. Nevertheless, Eddie’s bluster curled Hattie’s stomach. She didn’t want to be in the middle of a fight with Deedee as the prize.
“Go away, Eddie,” she said forcefully, her voice low. “This isn’t a good time. We’ll talk tomorrow.”
Without warning, he grabbed her shoulders and manhandled her backward into the apartment. “Like hell.” He shoved her so hard, she stumbled into the wall. Her head hit with a muffled thud, and she saw little yellow spots.
He lunged for her again, but before his meaty fists could make contact, Luc exploded down the hallway, grabbed the intruder by the neck and put a chokehold on him. Eddie’s face turned an alarming shade of purple before Hattie could catch her breath.
Luc was steely-eyed. “Call the cops.”
“But I don’t want …”
His expression gentled. “It’s the right thing to do. Don’t worry. I’m not leaving you to deal with this alone.”
The response to the 911 call was gratifying. Just before the two uniformed officers arrived, Luc stuck his face nose to nose with Eddie’s. “If I ever see you near my fiancée again, I’ll tear you apart. Got it?”
Eddie was drunk enough to be reckless. “Fiancée? Yeah, right. If she was telling my daddy the truth about you and her, then where’s the fancy diamond ring?”
“I had to order it,” Luc responded smoothly. “It happens to be in my pocket even as we speak. But some jackass has ruined our romantic evening.”
The conversation ended abruptly as Hattie opened the door to the police. They took Luc’s statement, handcuffed Eddie and were gone in under twenty minutes.
In the sudden silence, Hattie dropped into a chair, her legs boneless and weak in the aftermath of adrenaline. Thank God the baby hadn’t been awakened by all the commotion.
Luc crouched beside her, his eyes filled with concern. “Let me see your head.” He parted her hair gently, exclaiming when he saw the goose egg that had popped up.
She moved restlessly. “I’m fine. Really. All I need is some Tylenol. And a good night’s sleep.”
Luc cursed under his breath. “Don’t move.” After bringing her medicine and water with which to wash down the tablets, he created a makeshift ice bag with a dish towel and pressed it to the side of her head. “Hold this.” He lifted her in his arms and laid her gently on the ugly sofa. “Rest. I’ll fix us a couple of plates.”
He was back in no time. The smells alone made Hattie want to whimper with longing. Her stomach growled loudly.
He put a hand on her shoulder. “No need to get up yet. I’ll feed you.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” But when she tried to sit upright, her skull pounded.
He eased her back down. “You don’t have to fight me over every damn thing. Open your mouth.” He fed her small manageable bites of chicken piccata and wild rice. While she chewed and swallowed, he dug into his own portion.
Hattie muttered in frustration when one of her mouthfuls landed on the sofa cushion. “See what you made me do …”
“Don’t worry,” he deadpanned. “A few stains could only help this monstrosity.”
She eyed him, openmouthed, and then they both burst into laughter. Hattie felt tears sting the backs of her eyes. She told herself it was nothing more than delayed reaction. But in truth, it was Luc. When he forgot to be on his guard with her, she saw a glimpse of the young man she had loved so desperately.
She wondered with no small measure of guilt if her long-ago defection had transformed the boy she once knew so well into the hard-edged, sardonic Luc. A million times over the years she had second-guessed her decision. It had been gratifying to establish a career and to stand on her own two feet. Her mother had been proud of Hattie’s independence and success in her chosen field.
But at what cost?
