“Miss Harte. It’s me. Listen, I need you to come to my office as soon as you can. When can you get in here?”
“I wouldn’t be free until Monday. I’m about to go out of town on a business trip. Is everything alright?” I asked.
“I don’t want to address it over the phone, but you’re going to be interested in something I managed to dig up. I think it could help you with the project you asked me to delve into.”
“Alright. What time would you like me to come in on Monday?” I asked.
“I open at 8. Could you get here then?”
“I’ll be there bright and early. See you then,” I said.
“Looking forward to it. I think you’re going to be a very happy woman when I see you.”
I hung up the phone and dropped it to the floor as my mind began to whirl. What was he sitting on that couldn’t be addressed over the phone? I sat there and pondered as to what it could be. Maybe there was a hiccup with the paperwork. Or the will and testament was forged. Maybe there was a deep, dark secret I could hold over Christian’s head, or maybe he really was mentally incapable of doing this job.
My mind swirled with all the things it could possibly be, but there was a little flutter in my stomach that took me by surprise. It was small, barely even there, but the more I thought about what my lawyer told me, the more it grew.
Guilt.
It was the fluttering of guilt that kept growing in my stomach, bloating me to a size I couldn’t handle.
And I questioned everything I had done up until this point.
For the f
irst time since I learned my father had given Christian the family business, I wasn’t so sure I wanted to take it from him.
And I sobbed when I realized why.
It was going to be a very long week.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Christian
I was waiting at the airport with my bag in hand. For a weekend trip to New York, the only thing I needed was a nice suit, a change of clothes, and my laptop and files. It would be a quick, painless meeting that would place the company in a much better position than it was already in, and I knew Stella and I would be the dynamic duo necessary to get it done.
I saw Stella walk up with her small bag at her side, and for a split second my breath caught in my throat. Even in a simple pair of jeans and a shirt, she looked stunning. She saw me standing next to the entrance to the plane and smiled at me, and I could’ve sworn the radiance from her sparkling eyes evaporated the bones in my legs.
But, none of that mattered. Todd’s reaction to the situation had convinced me that what Stella and I were doing would never be acceptable, so I had to keep things professional. I had to keep it together long enough to shake whatever the hold was she had on me, and I had to do it soon.
“Morning, Christian,” she said. “Thanks for emailing me those notes.”
“Not a problem. My apologies for getting them to you so late. Did you have a chance to look them over?”
“I glossed them. I’ll look them over more on the plane,” she said.
“Now boarding, first-class passengers on flight number 5013 to New York City,” the gate attendant’s voice blared over the loudspeaker.
“That’s us,” I said.
“First class? Was that necessary?” she asked.
“If we are going to go over the meeting information, we might as well be comfortable,” I said.
“Whatever you say, boss.”
I handed my ticket to the attractive female attendant, and she scanned it. Her eyes were probing me, I could tell. What I couldn’t tell, however, was if she was looking to see if I belonged in first class or if she was checking me out.