A Little Wild (31 page)

“No kidding.” What odd family dynamics. “And if he is unfaithful?”

“Then she wants him to stop.”

Zach grunted. “She’ll take him back?”

“Yes. Unless something major happens, they’ll keep making each other miserable.”

“What a complicated relationship.” That was putting it mildly.

“A world of difference from your parents, huh?”

“I’ll say.” He massaged her shoulder. “Has your father cheated on your mom before?” Zach could never cheat on Tess. He’d played it loose long enough to realize casual sex wasn’t the joyride he’d once thought. He’d choose a lifetime of commitment-enhanced lovemaking any day.

“Not that I’m aware of. Although, I could be wrong. He and a female co-worker had a close friendship years ago. You know, one of those ‘work-wife’ relationships that gets out of hand. He denied to Mom that they slept together, and he ended it to work things out with her. Or, I should say, to keep our family together.”

“He shouldn’t have deceived your mother in the first place, babe. In her mind, he probably cheated on her by caring for another woman that deeply.”

“You’re right.” She shifted in his arms. “Sometimes I worry that growing up in a dysfunctional family has warped my thinking, Zach. I’m not excusing my father’s behavior, but my mother has extremely high standards. I think Dad’s feelings for Darla caught him off-guard. He’d never been in love before.”

“Your father’s never loved your mother?” Then why had the idiot married her?

“No,” Tess replied in a forlorn tone. “In the beginning, they had fireworks, and he’s always cared about her. He’s felt a duty toward her, I suppose, but I don’t know if he’s ever truly loved her.”

“Christ, what a mess.” Zach’s relationship with Tess had begun with lust, too. That, in itself, wasn’t unusual. However, for him, at least, their physical attraction had blossomed into so much more.

“Dad doesn’t love her how she needs him to love her, at any rate,” Tess said. “Maybe he thought his feelings would develop over time.” She fell silent. Moments later, she whispered, “He married her because she was pregnant, Zach. With me.”

“Aw, babe.” Zach extracted the mug from her hands and set it on the coffee table. She turned onto her side, nestling beneath his arm. “How long have you known that?”

“Since I was ten. Mom’s always been vocal about her unhappiness. Not outside the family, though, like she did with you last week. She was appalled at her behavior. Maintaining appearances is very important to her.”

“Don’t worry about it. She apologized.”

“Through me!”

“Doesn’t matter. She’s facing a bitch of a situation. I’d be an asshole not to forgive her.”

“Thank you.” Tess’s voice sounded small.

He stroked her hair. “So your dad has never really loved your mom. Does she love him?”

A tiny shrug. “She says she does. But if what my mom feels for my dad is love, then I hope love never happens to me. She’s so needy. She doesn’t give him any room. She never has.”

“She smothers him.”

“Yes. She’s so desperate for him to love her. But is desperation love?”

“Not to me.” Gently, Zach turned up her face. Her blue eyes glistened. “I can understand loving someone desperately, but not loving someone out of desperation, because you think you’re not good enough without them. Is that how your mom feels?”

“I think so.” Her pale eyelashes swept down then up. “Thanks for talking to me about this.”

“My pleasure. I can’t stand to see you hurting.”

Myriad emotions flickered in her gaze. Deep affection, gratitude, a swirling of worry and reluctance.

“I don’t deserve you,” she whispered.

“I’m not much of a prize, remember? You once told me to disappear.”

“My opinion has changed, Mr. Halliday. I’d cry buckets now if you left me.”

“Good.” He kissed her then stroked her hair again.

“I can’t see you much this week.”

“I understand.” Her family crisis and her work for L.G. took precedence. “Hey, I saw your boss Saturday night.”

She blinked. “Where?”

“Dad and Olivia returned from their business trip, so L.G. and Doris invited them and Ethan and me for dinner. Ethan brought Chloe. Didn’t she tell you?”

“She phoned me at work today. She mentioned having dinner with Ethan after they went sailing, but I don’t remember where she said they went. I wasn’t really listening.” Faint color dusted her cheeks.

“Considering the hell your family is going through, I’m surprised you remember your name, sweets.” He hugged her. “Anyway, it was a nice evening. Dodie’s a fantastic cook.”

Tess chuckled. “What kind of name is Dodie?”

“It’s L.G.’s pet name for his wife. He uses formal names for everyone but Doris.”

“That’s sweet.” Tess chewed her lip. “Any shop talk?”

“Dad and L.G. ducked into the den for a bit, but didn’t ask me or Ethan to join them.” Both men had sent Zach covert looks once they’d emerged. Fearing they might bring up Halliday business, Zach had yammered about his golf game. Soon, all four men were exchanging putting tips while Dodie had toured Chloe around the Greenburg mansion.

The moment had spurred Zach to re-examine his stance on the secrecy surrounding Climbing The Walls. Now, he asked Tess, “Do you still think I should tell Dad about the climbing center?”

“Why, does he suspect something?”

“Maybe. I might take your advice and speak to him, after all.” Then he and Tess wouldn’t need to wait until the climbing gym opened to take their relationship public.

She’d be his as soon as the ink dried on the Crockett’s deal.

Chapter Nineteen

An alien had hijacked Chloe Nichols’s life. The creature looked like Chloe, walked and talked and scarfed down Cheerios with the same enthusiasm as Chloe, but didn’t stress over aging ovaries and no-dating commitments like the woman of the last several months.

Chloe didn’t know what good she’d done to deserve the happiness floating her way, but she planned to never let it go.

Whistling an old Dixie Chicks tune, she passed a caramel latte to the last pre-dinner-rush customer. “Thank you. Have a great night.”

The young man left, and she tidied a stack of take-out lids. Jonnie entered the coffeehouse and plopped a pharmacy bag onto the counter.

“As requested, one package of square Band-Aids,” he said.

“Thanks.” Chloe peeked into the bag while Jonnie donned his apron. The new supply would carry her nicely through her next few dates with Ethan. Some women stockpiled condoms, but Chloe now believed in too-soon-in-the-relationship-for-sex protection.

“Why so many square ones?” Jonnie took the box out of the bag. “Planning for a parachute not to open?”

“Never mind!” Chloe grabbed the box.

Sara returned from clearing tables. “Bandages? That’s what you needed for your date with Ethan?”

Jonnie griped, “You sent me to the drugstore and didn’t say zip about another date!”

Sara tapped her chin. “I once had a friend whose mm-hmms—” she pointed to her nipples “—were so sensitive that she wore bandages around her new boyfriend so she wouldn’t attack him.” Her eyes rounded. “Oh!”

“Aw, shaddup.” Chloe stuffed the box back into the bag.

“You seriously believe Band-Aids will stop you from attacking The Suit?” Jonnie asked as Frank emerged from the washroom hallway.

“They’ve already stopped me from attacking him.” Multiple times. Thanks to Tess’s brainwave.

“You don’t want to attack The Suit?” Frank asked as if the idea lacked logic.

“Of course I want to attack him.” Chloe flaunted a shoulder. “When the timing’s right.”

“Oops, boss,” Jonnie said. “You’d better stash that box—”

“Because lover boy is here,” Frank broke in. “In Hugo Boss, no less. Very sigh-worthy, Chlo.”

Chloe pivoted on her heels. “Ethan! You’re early.” She stashed the bandages into her purse on the shelf below the cash register and exited the serving area to meet him.

“I had to rearrange my schedule.” He gathered her into his arms for a brief kiss. “Dad called an unexpected meeting for tomorrow morning, which required bumping a breakfast appointment to a late dinner tonight. Do you hate me?”

“Never.” She kissed him again. They’d only been dating a week. Aside from not doing the dirty yet, she’d greedily lured him away from his corporate responsibilities more evenings than not. Now she’d share him. A closing date loomed for one of his father’s business deals, necessitating his presence. As a manager, she understood the importance of the bottom line. “We’ll make up for tonight another time.”

He caressed her lower back. “I’m not sacrificing tonight with you, honey. I’ll have to leave early, but that doesn’t mean we need to scrap all our plans.”

“Dinner is out. I can’t have you eating two and getting fat.”

He chuckled. “We can still do the other?”

Park his car in a secluded area and neck like two teenagers? “I wouldn’t miss it.” Touching of Breasts was no longer an issue. She had her secret weapon.

“Can I steal your boss away early?” Ethan asked her employees.

Jonnie sighed. “Anything for a couple in love.”

Sara and Frank nodded.

Chloe’s heart somersaulted.
In love.
After a week?

Well, a week of dating. Several weeks of tiptoeing around their instant attraction.

Yes. In love.

And without sex. What a rush!

Ethan grinned. “Let’s go. Thanks, everyone. We’ll invite you to the wedding.”

Chloe’s heart high-kicked into a gymnastics routine.

She retrieved her purse. As they left the coffeehouse, Ethan gazed down at her. “There’ll be one sooner or later, right?”

“A wedding?” she asked, and he nodded.

“Kids, a mortgage, maybe buy this place from the owner so you can be your own boss. All of it, Chloe. Eventually. When we’re ready.”

His sensible yet sexy nature softened her heart to putty.

“Oh, Ethan. Yes.” She grasped his hand. “There will be.”

Zach didn’t appreciate this last-minute summons to his father’s office when he’d wanted to work alongside the renovation crew throughout the day. Stopping at his apartment to change clothes so Dad wouldn’t catch wind of his project had been a major pain in the ass, too. Tess’s suggestion to come clean about the climbing center increased in appeal with each passing hour.

He paced the rug near the fancy French provincial desk his mother had selected over twenty years ago. If she were alive, would Zach even have found himself in this fix? She’d always supported his need to be himself. Shit, Ethan might love patterning himself after their big-business-whiz father, but Zach preferred a smaller, more personal scale. Like Floretta Angelina Manzinelli with her tiny shop of scented candles, soaps and incense.

Unfortunately, before Tess had entered his life, Zach had lacked the balls to put
his
dreams first. His obsession about disappointing his father needed to stop today.

The office door opened. Ethan, wearing one of his customary gray suits, stepped inside and closed the door.

“Dad summon you, too?” Zach shoved his hands into his pants pockets.

His brother nodded. “Is he here yet?”

Zach scanned the empty office. “Does it look like he is? I don’t have a clue what this meeting is about, Eth. Do you?”

Ethan glared at him. “What’s your problem?”

“Sorry. I feel like crap, but that’s no excuse to treat you lousy.”

“Forget it.” Ethan blew out a breath. “Yes, I know why Dad called us here. He wants to tell you, though. Remember, Zach, this is his gig, not mine.”

Zach studied his brother. All summer, Ethan had worked his ass off for Halliday Enterprises while, from Ethan’s perspective, it probably looked like Zach had fucked the dog. Meeting Chloe had restored a lot of Ethan’s long-absent energy. However, today, haggard lines marred his face.

Zach wrapped an arm around his brother’s shoulders. “Eth, I’ve seen you like this too many times before. Chloe not relaxing you how you need?”

Laughing, Ethan shook off Zach’s arm. “None of your business.”

Mission accomplished: his brother sounded thirty-four again instead of eighty. “What’s wrong with a little locker-room talk?”

“That’s how you feel? Then give me the goods on Tess.”

“Her name’s Teresa around Dad, remember—” until the Crockett’s deal closed “—and the Pacific will freeze before I say one word about what she’s like in the bedroom.”

Ethan shrugged. “Then don’t expect to hear about my sex life.”

“Oh, really? Chloe sounds special to you.”

A wide smiled wreathed his brother’s face. “She is.”

Their father entered, a leather portfolio tucked under one arm. “Ethan, Zach. How are my boys?”

“Fantastic,” Zach replied. Aside from needing to deflate Dad’s dream of running Halliday Enterprises with both sons.

“Good. You’re probably wondering why I called you here.”

“Yep.” Maybe if he acted like leaving the company wasn’t a big deal, his father would respond likewise.

“Please sit down.”

Ethan sank onto one of two leather armchairs grouped with a matching love seat. Dad usually preferred the second armchair, so Zach sat on the love seat and adjusted his pants at the knees. He glanced from Dad to Ethan, and his brain buzzed.

Something major is up.

“Dad, I’d like to discuss a project with you,” he broached. Best to deflect the conversation before the pair finagled him into helping with another Halliday venture.

“Crockett’s?” Dad asked.

“Uh, no. Isn’t that nearly done?” As closing dates loomed, the need for Zach’s people skills decreased.

“Yes, Crockett’s is about to become ours. And it’s my gift to you.” Dad placed the leather portfolio on the coffee table and slid the zippered case across to Zach.

Zach gawked at the portfolio. “Huh?”

“Your birthday present,” Dad said.

Zach laughed. “Crockett’s?”

“I’m not going senile. I realize your birthday is in November, and I wanted to surprise you with the news then. However, two days ago, Lawrence advised me that one of his secretaries leaked my intentions. I discussed the situation with Ethan, and he convinced me to approach you now.”