Taming the VIP Playboy

Cam came around his desk and leaned back on it. “I have no idea, Nate. I wish I had an easy answer for you. But women are complicated and I have no idea how to unravel the mystery of them.”

“You’re not really helping me,” Nate said.

“I know. I’m sorry about that.”

Nate thought about the fact that Cam, who was very smart and very sure of himself, wasn’t sure of love. Did that mean he had been right in thinking that the Stern men weren’t meant for love?

“On a related note to this woman talk—Russell Holloway called me this morning and asked if he could have Jen’s number.”

Nate went very still. “Why?”

“He’s heard some good things about her and he wants to offer her a job.”

“I hope you told him to step off.”

Cam shook his head. “That’s not my call. I gave Jen his message and his business card. It’s up to her if she wants to take the job.”

Nate didn’t agree with his brother but he kept that to himself. He needed to talk to Jen anyway—it was something he’d been avoiding since she’d confessed her love.

He hoped he hadn’t driven her straight into Russell’s hands by ignoring her the past few days.

“What’s the matter?”

“I don’t want her to work with Russell,” Nate said.

“Then tell her how you feel. I don’t know a lot about love but I do know that women are big on talking.”

Nate knew that, too. “Do you think talking would have fixed the problems between Dad and Mom?”

Cam walked back around his desk and sat in his leather executive chair. “I don’t know that anything would have helped them. They weren’t suited to each other.”

Nate had thought so, too. Their dad had been so warm and caring and always put Nate and his brothers first, even over his pro-golf career. Made them feel so important to his life. Just the way Nate had observed Jen doing with her nephew. He wondered if he could feel the same about her.

“I don’t know what to say,” Nate said at last. “To Jen I mean.”

“What do you want her to do?” Cam asked.

Nate wanted her to stay, but saying that would let her know that he was as vulnerable to her as she was to him. It would even the scales in the balance of power between them.

He’d heard once that the power in a relationship belonged to the one who cared less. And he was beginning to believe that was true because Jen had all the power. And that was what scared him. He just figured out that it wasn’t love. It was the fact that he was going to have no power over anything with her if he admitted how much she meant to him.

And to a man like him, a man used to controlling the world around him, that was almost like saying he’d lose the ability to breathe. It was unthinkable.

“I don’t know,” he admitted to Cam. “I want her to stay but I’m not sure how to say that to her.”

Cam nodded. “Let me know what you decide. I want her to stay for your sake, Nate. If you want Jen don’t let her go.”

“Aren’t you concerned about the club, too? She’s a very good dancer.”

“There are other good dancers in South Florida, bro, but only one Jen where you’re concerned.”

Nate knew that Cam had a point and was very glad that his brother had told him about the offer. Even though it was the work day he had a reason to see Jen. Not knowing what Jen was going to do was making him a bit crazy so instead of avoiding her, he sent her a text and asked her to meet him at the park where they took Riley to play baseball. Time to find out what she was thinking and where she wanted her life to be.

Jen was eating an early dinner with Riley and Marcia when she got Nate’s text message. Riley had finished his dinner and asked to be excused to the living room.

“Who was that?” Marcia asked once Riley was out of earshot.

“Nate.” Jen hoped that he wanted to talk because he’d had time to think about her confession of love and maybe he was ready to move on to the next level of commitment with her.

“What does he want?” Marcia asked.

“To talk, I imagine. Why are you still treating him with distrust?” she asked her sister.

“Why aren’t you? He hasn’t been around for a few days. Is there something wrong between you guys?”

“I don’t know. Can I ask you something…not about Nate?”

“Sure, go ahead,” Marcia said.

“I got a rather strange message today.”

“What? What was it?” Marcia asked.

“Cam said that Russell Holloway is interested in talking to me about working in his Kiwi Klubs.”

“Do you know what you would be doing?” Marcia asked.