Dalton, Tymber - Contractual Obligation (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (19 page)

I don’t deserve either of them.

* * * *

Harper felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. After the dishes were finished, she excused herself to the bathroom, grabbing her purse on the way. There, she checked her blood sugar, took her meds, and read through her e-mail.

There was another message from the manager of the London office, needing her input on the impending deal there to acquire another local producer of aeronautics hardware in Manchester. She’d thought about going herself to handle it, but didn’t want to take the time away from dealing with the new Sebring plant.

Then it hit her. The answer to her problem, buying her time and getting Doug out of the Tampa office ASAP.

Harper tapped out a reply to the London office, then joined everyone else on the lanai. She put on her best fake smile despite feeling like her heart was breaking and hoped Doug would buy the act.

“Guess what?” she said to Doug, praying her voice sounded normal. “You get to break in your new passport tomorrow.”

He looked confused. “What?”

She held up her phone. “The Manchester deal? The London office needs some guidance over there. I’m sending you.”

“Me?”

Sarah looked impressed. “That’s incredible! I’m so proud of you, Doug.”

“Are you sure you want to send me?” he asked Harper.

“Yes. I know you can handle this. I have confidence in you.” She noticed he had yet to mention they’d had an unexpected visitor at the house, much less that it was Tate.

How many other secrets did Doug hold in his heart? And how could she trust him now when he told her he loved her?

* * * *

Doug felt stunned. First Tate showing up, now this. “I don’t know if I’m ready to handle something that big on my own.”

“Of course you are. You’ll be working with our attorneys over there. I wouldn’t send you if I didn’t have confidence in you. Besides, I’m just an e-mail or phone call away.” She dropped the next bomb. “You’ll be over there for at least a month, possibly two. You should be home by the holidays, though. We’ll get you packed and get your ticket booked as soon as we get home.”

“Um, all right.” Why did he get the feeling she was suddenly trying to get rid of him?

Fear set in. Had she seen him with Tate? Then he dismissed that. Harper wasn’t one to run from a conflict. If she had, no doubt she would have been outside introducing herself and asking him questions.

The rest of the afternoon passed quickly. His mom opened her presents, and he forgot everything else when he saw the tearful joy in his mom’s face as she opened the necklace.

“Harper picked it out,” he said as he put an arm around Harper’s shoulders. She didn’t draw away from him. In fact, she snuggled closer.

Must be guilt eating at me
, he thought.
Nothing’s wrong, I’m just imagining there’s anything else behind the sudden trip.

His mom reached over and hugged Harper. “Thank you, sweetie. It’s gorgeous.”

Harper smiled. “I’m glad you like it, Sarah.”

His mom patted her on the cheek. “Call me Mom, for crying out loud.” She smiled at Harper. “You’re as good as part of the family, right?”

More guilt swept through him. She’d insisted Tate call her Mom the first time she’d met him, too.

Harper’s smile widened. “Thanks, Mom.”

* * * *

Harper wanted to cry as she helped Sarah put the necklace on.
Mom
. She hadn’t had a mom in so long…

She wanted to believe with all her heart that Doug hadn’t acted out of greed, but out of generosity and loyalty to his family. Before she confronted him about it, however, she needed to talk to Tate and get the full story. Yes, extreme measures to get Doug out of the way, but she didn’t get to where she was by not doing her research and getting all her ducks lined in a row.

Later, in the car on the way home, Doug reached over and patted her thigh. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” She scrolled through her phone, reading e-mails. “Why?”

“You just seem a little distant.”

She laid her hand over his and squeezed. “Sorry. I wasn’t expecting this deal to come through so quickly. Lots to do. I’m back in business mode.”

“No problem.”

When they returned home she immediately booted her laptop and booked his flight. She printed out the boarding pass. “I had to fly you into Gatwick, sorry. I couldn’t get you a direct flight to Heathrow.”

He took the boarding passes and looked through them. “I’ve never been overseas before.”

“Piece of cake. I’ll make sure someone from the London office will meet you.”

She helped him pack. He had to be at Tampa International at six in the morning, yet another excuse for making it an early night.

She coaxed him into making love to her, not wanting to give up the feel of his arms around her. No matter what, she’d take advantage of that. There was a little comfort in feeling a warm body snuggled next to her.

And she wanted all the comfort she could get since she didn’t know what the future would hold for them.

Chapter Seventeen

The next morning, Harper kissed Doug when he left for the airport. She managed to hold back her tears when he told her he loved her.

“I love you, too.” Although she wished she didn’t, now she knew the truth. She did love him, and the last thing she wanted to do was lose him.

Unfortunately, she had to find out the truth before she could go any farther.

She arrived at the office nearly an hour early. Without Doug there, and with Gorden now happily retired all of three days, Harper tried to focus on her work and couldn’t. She couldn’t stomach the thought of food and skipped breakfast. The clock crawled. By noon, she realized she wasn’t accomplishing anything and took off for the gym to get her workout in early. It allowed her to burn off some tension and time to think without obsessively checking for messages.

She didn’t know what she wanted to do. If she met with Tate and decided Doug had acted in the best interest of his family, she’d back away, no matter the damage to her heart. She couldn’t live with herself if she’d come between them.

But that was Doug’s choice to make
, the voice in her head argued. That voice wanted Doug in her bed for the rest of her life.

It doesn’t matter. I can’t live with that.

And what if he acted out of greed?
the doubtful voice asked her. What if she decided everything he’d done had been merely an act?

Her heart ached at the thought. She didn’t want that to be the truth. She’d rather walk away willingly than find out she’d been duped. It would be much easier to bear.

She wanted to believe the best of Doug, not the worst. She didn’t want to believe she’d been lied to, deceived, led along.

Wearing herself out in the gym didn’t help quell her racing thoughts. She showered, returned to the office, and set about catching up with e-mails. She still had an hour before Tate was due.

If
he showed. If that happened, well, then she’d figure out what to do later.

* * * *

Tate stopped at a gas station a few blocks from the Holt house and stared at the business card in his hand. He should just return to Gainesville tonight. He shouldn’t spend the money on a hotel room for the night.

But the woman seemed agitated, anxious to talk to him. Maybe she could shed some light on why Doug had done what he did.

Tate found a cheap hotel in a not-too-bad section of town. The next day, he spent his time wandering over to Pinellas County and walking the beaches before making his way back to Tampa. He hoped this Harper Wells lady didn’t mind he wasn’t dressed in fancy business clothes. He hadn’t anticipated meeting with anyone other than Doug. He wasn’t too ashamed to admit he’d been stalking Tina’s Facebook feed and knew Doug would be at the party. He’d been willing to take that small chance to talk to Doug.

He arrived at the building fifteen minutes early and found the receptionist.

“I’m Tate Gillis.” He held up the business card. “I’m supposed to meet with Harper Wells at four.”

“Sure.” She placed a quick call, then stood. “Right this way.”

He wasn’t sure what to expect. He glanced around as he followed her, half hoping to see Doug somewhere. When the receptionist knocked on and opened an office door for him, he found himself face-to-face with the woman from yesterday.

“Thanks, Kim. That’s all,” Harper Wells said.

The receptionist closed the door behind her when she left.

The woman looked as nervous as he felt. She offered him a smile and stepped over to him, holding out her hand. “I didn’t have a chance yesterday to properly introduce myself. Harper Wells.”

He shook. “Yeah, I figured from your business card. Tate Gillis.”

They stood there for a moment in awkward silence before she finally indicated a comfortable-looking leather sofa. “Let’s sit and talk.”

He followed her and sat. “Are you Doug’s boss?”

“Yes. How much did he tell you yesterday?”

“He didn’t. He said he’d signed some sort of nondisclosure contract and couldn’t talk.” He studied her. “You’re not just his boss, are you?”

She shook her head. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know when I hired him that he had a boyfriend.”

Tate fought back bitterness. “Great.”

* * * *

Harper was afraid of losing his attention before she even had it. “I asked you here today because I don’t want to pass judgment on Doug without knowing all the facts.” She told him about how and why she’d hired Doug, leaving out the more personal parts of the recent developments of their relationship. “From the way I understood it, his parents were drowning in debt and about to lose their house to foreclosure,” she said. “They were swamped by medical bills. When I heard that, I—forgive the cliché—made him an offer he couldn’t refuse.”

Tate sat there for several long, silent minutes, obviously digesting what she’d told him. “I love him,” he finally said. “And yeah, he loves his family. That sounds like something he’d do to help them out.”

“So what do we do?” she asked.

He snorted. “What do you mean? It sounds like there’s nothing I can do. He signed a contract to work for you. I know damn well he’ll uphold his end of it. Especially if it means it’s for the good of his family.”

“But you love him,” Harper softly said.

He nodded. “Yeah. I always will.” His sad expression nearly broke her heart.

They sat there in uncomfortable silence for a moment. She felt horrible, fidgety. “I’m sorry this happened to you, Tate. I had no idea.”

“It’s not your fault.”

“Yeah, it is.”

* * * *

Something pinged Tate’s intuition, niggling at him. Harper didn’t look well at all, and in the half hour or so he’d spent with her, she was looking progressively worse. When she got up to pace, he wondered if she was on drugs or something. “I mean, I feel this is all my fault,” she insisted. “I never meant for this to hap…” She stopped pacing.