“Sounds serious.”
“It is. If this were all going down in my hometown I’d know how to handle it, but I understand that my actions reflect on the whole family. I don’t want to do this wrong.”
“I’ll have all the boys here at seven. Would that work for you?”
“Perfect. Hey, do you think we should ask Clay? He hates to miss anything.”
“As long as you take his advice with a grain of salt.”
“I will. I would like to hear his opinion. He doesn’t pull any punches.” Connor looked across the room. “Bradford will probably—” He stopped when Bradford shook his head vehemently. “It’ll just be me. See you at seven. Thank you, Sophie.”
“Hang on, Dale wants to say something.”
Connor swallowed hard. His own father had a booming voice when he was angry, but a look of disappoint from Dale cut deeper. He commanded respect quietly. Men stood straighter around him, swore less. “Hi, Dale.”
“A family meeting? Must be something serious. May I ask the name of this friend you’re concerned about?”
“Her name is Angelina Kroll.”
“Have you mentioned her before?”
“No, sir.”
“Describe her to me.”
Connor closed his eyes as Angelina’s image came back to him so vividly his heart started racing. He couldn’t easily reduce someone as dynamic as she was down like that. He almost said beautiful, but she was more than that. Gorgeous. Stunning. Impossible to forget. He considered describing her as intelligent, witty, fantastically sarcastic. As memories from their time together filled his head, a funny warmth swept through him and he sighed. Not just smart, not just beautiful, but brave too. Someone who couldn’t stand by and watch someone suffer without stepping in. “Strong. Brave. Intelligent. Beautiful. And probably doubting herself even though she did the right thing. She makes me wish I were a smarter man.”
Dale made a sound in his throat. “Come on home, son. We’ll help you figure this out. Should we call your father as well? How about Dylan?”
“Dad, yes. Dylan, no. He’s filming on location in Iceland. This is a big opportunity for him. I don’t want to distract him.”
“See you at seven, then. We’ll fly your father in as well.”
“Thanks, Dale.”
Connor ended the call there. After pocketing the phone, he looked up to find Bradford watching him.
“I don’t get it,” Bradford said.
With a nod, Connor clapped a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “I know. But one day you will. You’re sure you don’t want to come with me?”
“Positive.”
“What will you do?”
“Once I get the scent of a dirtbag I can’t walk away until I know everything.”
“And then?”
“Then I handle the situation.”
“Do you want me to stay?” Suddenly it didn’t feel right to leave.
“No, I want you to go have some Carbonara then get your girlfriend and her son as far from this situation as you can.”
“That doesn’t sound good.”
“There is always a price to be paid for getting involved. If you’re not willing to pay it, you don’t belong in the game.”
“I don’t understand you sometimes.”
“There’s not much more dangerous than the desperate. When I take this guy down, and I will, he’s going to try to pin his sins on anyone he can. You don’t want your woman anywhere around him.”
Connor nodded. He looked at the Aristotle book on his desk. Screw moderation. “This is a pretty busy office. I could use a second secretary. If you see Mrs. Tellier again, tell her I’ll match her salary as long as she promises to proofread Kimmie’s novels. She’s been looking for another editor.”
“I’ll do that. Is this the kind of position that comes with a signing bonus and a month off before she starts?”
“It’s exactly that kind of position.”
Bradford frowned. “I don’t like very many people, but I like you. Don’t put yourself down. You’re good just the way you are.”
Connor smiled. “Thanks, Bradford.” He glanced down at his phone. “I need to get going. I can’t be late for dinner. Sophie’s cook makes biscuits fresh every day.” His stomach growled in anticipation.
Bradford laughed. “I’ll contact you if there’s anything you need to know.”
Back at Kimmie’s desk, Connor said, “Kimmie, I’m going out of town. Get the helicopter prepped. Have my housekeeper pack my bags and send them over. Oh, and order a second desk for this office. I just found you an editor.”
She’d been in worse places. Angelina sat on the couch in the house her aunt had left her and sipped on a steaming cup of chai.
Day one of what Whitney called their freedom was going as well as it could. He looked over the websites of countless schools with her and had agreed to visit some the following week. He hadn’t even balked when she’d given him a list of interview questions and essay topics the schools had requested.
She’d spent a good amount of time after that making sure they’d still have health insurance and securing digital copies of Whitney’s school portfolio as well as her annual job performance reviews. Thank God she had friends in the main office as well as the human resource department. Most likely Mr. Svete wouldn’t have a reason to mess with either file, but she was of the opinion that it was always better to be safe than sorry.
Around lunchtime, she updated her résumé and sent it out to several private schools as well as colleges. She was good at what she did, but she had no idea what kind of reference Mr. Svete would give her. By law, he wasn’t supposed to say more than how long she was employed, but he was a nasty enough man to break that law simply out of spite. He’d know prosecuting him for it wasn’t worth emptying her financial nest egg. And unless he did it in writing, things like that were difficult to prove.
I refuse to worry about something that hasn’t happened yet.
When her phone chirped with a text, she gladly reached for the distraction of it.
It was Mrs. Tellier. How are you today?
Angelina responded: We’re good. Did you get to the doctor?
I did. He just wanted to warn me that my cholesterol was up again. Said I could either change my diet or start medicine for it. I asked him if having more sex would help. He didn’t laugh.
Angelina did. What was she like at my age? Relief flooded through her at news that Mrs. Tellier’s health condition wasn’t more serious. How is the office today?
Mrs. Tellier: I wouldn’t know. I took the day off to go shopping for healthier food for my fridge. I get nauseous just thinking about going back to the office and looking at Mr. Svete after the way he treated you.
That was heartbreaking to hear. We’re okay. How it happened was a bit of a shock, but sometimes change is good. Don’t let him win again by saying anything to him about it. You need that job.
Mrs. Tellier: I should have spoken my mind yesterday. I regret that I didn’t. Everyone told me to tell you they’ll miss you.
Thank you.
Mrs. Tellier: So, have you heard from Connor Sutton?