The Merger (20 page)

Tiffany sat down in
the chair
in front of Julie’s desk, crossed her legs, and admired those shoes Spencer had once bought her. The pang of jealousy that ripped through Julie was enough to make her sick.

It was interesting, she hadn’t trusted her own husband—of course his track record wasn’t stellar. But she trusted Tiffany and Spencer. If they said they were just friends with benefits, then they were. If they said they’d not partake in those benefits, she believed them. The interesting part about that was Julie didn’t tend to usually believe people. She was a lawyer. She always wanted proof.

“Do you want to go home and change?” Tiffany asked standing from her chair.

Julie simply stared at her. “Change for what?”

“We’re going out.”

She shook her head. “Oh, I don’t think so.”

“I don’t care what you think. Mr. Accent from Spencer’s building called and wants us to meet him at Tootsie’s.”

Julie gave that some thought. “The British guy? Are you kidding me? Tiffany, he made a pass at me when I went to Spencer’s the other night. You can’t be serious about going out with him.”

Tiffany tossed her hands up in the air and let them fall. “What is it with you getting in the way of me going to bed with a hot man? First you take Spencer and now Clark?”

There was a humorous tone in her voice, but Julie didn’t like it all the same.

“I haven’t slept with Spencer.”

Tiffany gave her another eye roll and mimicked her sentence. “Your loss. And because you seem like the kind of girl who focuses on one relationship at a time, I know you’re not going for Clark. And I’m only going because I have to hear his pillow talk.” She shook her body and smiled. “That gives me chills just thinking about it.”

Julie certainly wasn’t up for a night out. Then again, maybe it would take her mind off Spencer. Okay, that wasn’t going to happen. But for a few hours she could worry about it less.

~*~

Shipments of lumber were now en route to Nashville. How the trucking company could claim that their funds hadn’t been good was beyond him. The financials of PLL were
solid,
that was why he’d sought it out as
the company
to buy, that and the reputation for quality manufacturing.

Spencer, Ed, and his father sat at
a small
table in the hotel, each with a drink in their hands. The three of them were silent.

Ed had called Darcy to check on her. His father had called his mother. Spencer itched to call Julie, but after the ride to the airport that morning, he didn’t want to seem desperate. He’d make
the call
back in his room.

“I think we need to do an internal audit,” Ed said looking down into his drink. “I know what all the paperwork said when they presented it to us. I know our auditing of the company before purchase showed the company was financially stable, but I just still can’t get over the fact that the trucking company nearly cut loose a contract of that size. BBH doesn’t have a bad reputation anywhere.”

His father nodded. “It wouldn’t be the first company I’d taken over where things got sloppy after I took ownership. It’s hard to let go when something has been in the family for generations.”

“Why sell it then?”

Spencer gripped the arms of the chairs. “Maybe to keep it from an heir.”

His father focused on him, gave him a long hard stare, and then nodded with a cluck of his tongue. “Simone’s father was like that. He’d have sold off every oil rig to make sure she paid for her indiscretions.”

“Avery isn’t an indiscretion,” Spencer argued.

“You don’t have to tell me twice. And likewise, I think his purchase of this vineyard is playing the opposite game.”

Ed motioned to Spencer with his glass in his hand. “You think one of Grayson’s kids had something to do with this?”

He shrugged. “The granddaughter.”

“She’s not even involved with the company, is she?”

Spencer shook his head. “She’s having an affair with one of the lawyers.”

“That’s a nasty word,” his father said picking up his glass and sipping.

Spencer stood. “I’m exhausted. I’m going to head up.”

“You’re staying a few more days?” Ed asked.

“Just a few. I think the internal audit is necessary, but let’s see what happens if I’m just here.”

“You’ll be home by next weekend?”

Spencer smiled. “Yes. I hear I have a pink and black birthday cake ordered.”

His father laughed. “That girl has tried to outdo you every year since you were born.”

“It’s a damn good thing I love her like I do.”

He held out his hand to his father who shook it, then stood and pulled him in for a hug. “Keep us posted.”

“I will.”

Ed stood and shook his hand. “Don’t doubt yourself. This was still a good buy.”

He gave him a nod and headed toward the elevator with that thought still in his mind. It was a good buy. It would net them a near fortune—in time. But first, Spencer had to find the leak.

He rode the elevator up to his room. Leaning back against the rail he closed his eyes and thought of the ride a week ago. Never in a million years would he have thought Julie Jacobson would have kissed him like she did.

The kisses after that had only grown in intensity and now he realized he was longing for them—needing them.

He hated not being with her and wasn’t that funny because a week ago he’d hoped to never see her again.

Spencer tunneled his fingers
through
his hair. It was more than kisses. Even once he did get to make love to her, which he was hoping to seduce her into soon, it wasn’t going to satisfy him. He came from
family
and there was something about Julie that made him think about it more and more.

The failure of her marriage wasn’t hers. He was sure she was a good wife. The very thought gave him a jolt. A week ago he hadn’t considered a wife for many more years. But now it was in his head.

There was a lot of time to mull it over. Sure he had relatives that jumped into marriage and it had worked. Heck, Clara and Warner had even eloped. That wasn’t his style, but neither was jumping into things that weren’t thoroughly thought through.

As the door to the elevator opened and he walked toward his room he thought about the merger. Julie obviously wasn’t the person to let things go too fast either. That was evident by the amount of time the negotiations took.

Sliding the keycard into the
lock,
he thought about how her face would flush when he’d question her. Her eyes were deep brown when she was presenting something, but when contradicted they flashed.

They got even darker when she was aroused. The thought crossed his mind. She enjoyed her job as a lawyer, when she was working to make a change, as much as she enjoyed the affection Spencer gave her.

He kicked off his shoes and pulled his tie off from around his neck. Throwing it on the bed, he pulled his phone from his pocket.

Maybe she should take that bar and work in Tennessee. His legal department could use someone as passionate as Julie.

Then again, maybe that was just his wanting her near. She’d be working on the same floor of the Riverside Building then.

Spencer sat down on the bed and pulled up her number. He placed
the call
and waited.

“Hello.” Her voice was so familiar to him now. It only made the need for her grow.

“Hey,” he said feeling the pang of sadness now that he heard her voice. It was crazy, but he was missing her. “How was your day?”

“You know, it was horrible. But I’m bigger than that and I’m moving forward. How was yours?”

“Sounds like we had similar days. Looks like I’ll be here at least the rest of the week. But it might go into next week.”

“Oh,” her voice dipped. “Well, you’ll get what you need out of it. Anything I can do here on this end?”

Spencer smiled. That was just like her. Making sure everything was covered. “I’ll let you know. So what happened in your day?”

“You’re gone,” she said and that made the pang deepen. “Chuck was in a rage over the lumber, of course. Got my heel stuck in the stair
grate
of the trailer, and yes, I know I shouldn’t wear them on
site
. It’s habit.” She laughed. “And now I’m getting dressed so I can go out with Tiffany to Tootsies.”

“You’re going out?”

“Accent man wants to meet her. I guess I’m her keeper? Watchful eye? I don’t know. I don’t like that guy. He made a pass at me the other night.”

Spencer stood and paced the floor. “You didn’t tell me that.”

“Didn’t seem important at the moment when it happened. I’m just not in the mood to go out.”

“Tell her no.”

There was a sigh that softened his spine. “No. I can’t always just focus on my job or on you,” she said nearly on an inaudible sigh and that twisted inside him. “I’ll go for a few hours. See the sights.”

“You can stay at my place when you’re done. It’s closer.”

“No. If I haven’t stayed with you, I’m not going to stay without you.”

He sat back down again. “While I’m gone, think about staying when I get back.”

“Spencer…”

“I know. You’re not ready for a rebound. It’s not going to be one. And we haven’t been friends for months and now I want you to stay.”

“I want to stay. Let’s just see how it goes.”

He pressed his fingers to his eyes. “Let’s do that.”

Julie said her goodbyes and disconnected the call. With one final look in the mirror she decided she looked good enough to have a beer in a bar and that was when she heard
a knock
at the door.

Tiffany was early.

Julie walked through the apartment and pulled open the door. There in the dark stairwell stood a man and a gasp instantly jumped from her throat.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you. We need to fix this light out here. I didn’t know it burnt out,” he said

“It was on earlier,” she countered and now wished she’d looked out the peep.

“I’m John Forrester. Spencer and Avery’s uncle.”

“Oh.” She stuck out her hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

John shook her hand and smiled. “I didn’t mean to startle you. Avery wasn’t home or I would have had her introduce us.”

Julie nodded. “She’s not due back until…” she paused. “
Well,
before next weekend.”

John’s brows furrowed. “Where is she?”

“France.”

His lips tightened and even in the dark stairwell Julie could see that wasn’t a welcomed answer. But the look was only a flash and he smiled again.

“I take care of the property and usually I check it out before they rent it. Just to make sure everything is okay. Do you mind if I look
around?
I can come back
sometime
when you have someone else here. I understand that.”

And she figured he really did. Why did she feel he was completely safe? Julie wasn’t one to rely on someone’s word as a judgment of their own character. The lawyer in her needed proof, but she supposed Spencer had already given her that. This man was part of his family and from what she’d already learned that family was tight.

“I don’t mind if you look around. Can I get you anything to drink?”

“Nah, I’ll only be a minute. You look like you’re heading out.”

“Tiffany, Spencer’s friend,” she said as if she needed to clarify, “and I are going out.”

“Tiffany?” There was a bit of humor in his voice as he looked around the room. “She keeping a close eye on you?”

“Why is that?”

“She’s always been in love with Spencer.” He walked down the hallway, turned on the bathroom light, and stepped in. “Ed might have mentioned to me you and Spence have an interest in each other.”

“Well, we’re getting to know each other.”

John stepped out of the bathroom. “Looks like
the shower
head could use a tightening.” He turned off the lights and headed toward her bedroom then stopped. “May I?”

He had to be the most courteous man she’d ever met. “Of course.”

John turned on the light and stepped it. “You couldn’t do better,” he said from inside the room.

“I beg your pardon?”

He stepped out and turned off the light. “Spence. You couldn’t do better. Those are some fine boys Zach and Regan have.”

“Oh. He’s very kind. He gave me a job and found me a place to live.”

John nodded as his eyes wandered along the walls and floors. “You’ve stumbled into a family who works that way.” He headed toward the kitchen and Julie followed. “How’s the ice maker in the freezer?”

“Fine I guess.”

“Good. I just replaced it last year. Let me know if anything happens.” He turned on and off the water and the same with the oven and stove. “Everything looks okay. I’ll come by this weekend and fix that shower head before it does become a problem.”