Homewrecker Incorporated (29 page)

Grace got up and rushed over to throw her arms around me.

"So, you're not mad?" I asked, not sure how to respond. I kept waiting for one of them to get pissed, like they were all entitled to be. "You were all,
we
were all counting on that money."

"Girl, I would gladly
pay
money to see you happy for a change." Grace nudged my arm. "We've made more in the last few years than I'd ever expected. I know my foundation is going to happen. What's a few more years compared to my best friend's happiness?

"I never imagined having as much money as I do now," Bridget said quietly. "And I've never had any big plans. I just love working with all of you."

"Yeah, I'm with them. It's just money. Don't get me wrong, it would have been nice but like Grace said, it's nothing compared to you being happy for a change."

"Again with that! What do you mean for a change?" I asked, trying to sound offended, but as I scanned back over my life for the past fifteen years, I couldn't point to a time when I could honestly say I was content. I'd tried to act as though I was, put on a brave face, so to speak. Clearly my efforts weren't as successful as I thought.

"Look, you're strong, you work really hard not to let your feelings show, but whether you realized it or not, we could see you wanted more."

"Even I could fucking see it, and you know I'm not big on all that touchy-feely shit," Lydia added.

"This isn't quite as much of a surprise as you think." Grace glanced sideways at Bridget, who immediately turned red. I pinned her with a hard stare, but I couldn't be mad at her for sharing what she knew about me and Grey with the other girls. We were partners, and it was wrong of me to ask that of her.

"I'm sorry for putting you in that position, Bridget." I put my hand on her shoulder. "I shouldn't have asked you to lie for me, especially not to family."

"Do you know what you're going to say to Elsa?" Grace asked.

"Well, considering she was at dinner last night, she's probably got a pretty good handle on the situation. I'm just going to be honest about what I've done, my feelings for Grey, and my perception of her husband. I know he's not a cheater. Seriously, you should see the way he looks at her, especially when she's not looking. He adores her and not to overstate my charms, but I think I could have stood completely naked in front of him without getting more than an offer of his jacket to cover myself."

"I've seen the look you're talking about," Bridget added. "Grey looks at you that way."

My heart fluttered in my chest at the mention of his name. Did he really look at me that way? Would he still when he knew the truth?

"I feel so guilty about all of the lies I've told him, and I'm terrified of what he will think of me when I tell him the truth. What if it changes things for him? What if he can't love me when he knows?" I said, confessing the fear I realized had been dancing in the back of my mind since the day Grey and I first met.

"If he really loves you, nothing you share with him about your past will change that. What matters now is the future. At least that's what Jared said when I told him," Grace confessed, biting her lip as she looked at all of us. 

"Jesus, Grace! Why didn't you say anything before?" I said, pushing her leg.

"It's a long story and I'll fill you in later. Right now, we need to talk to Patty and then you need to meet Elsa and go get your man!"

❖

The call with Patty wasn't as bad as I anticipated. She'd almost seemed amused when Grace started the call by blurting out I was in love with my mark's twin. According to her and Grace, we weren't necessarily in breach of contract with Elsa because I assured them I was confident in my assessment of Gregory. I just had to persuade her to give us little more time to dig into Kristen Page.

"I'm so glad you called, Claudia," Elsa said, standing to hug me. I returned it easily.

I took my seat across from her at the table out on the patio of the quaint little bistro.

"I took the liberty of ordering drinks for both of us," she said as the waitress set down two glasses of white wine.

"Thank you." I picked up my glass. "I'm not sure where to start," I said with a sense of déjà vu.

I took a long sip of wine, a very nice Pinot.

"Actually, I want to ask you something before you say anything else," Elsa said, stopping me. "Do you love him?"

I nearly spit out my wine.

"Grey, are you in love with him?" she asked again.

I probably looked as if I was having a seizure with the way my eyes fluttered from the surprise of her question. I'd assumed she expected there was some sort of relationship between Grey and me, but for her to jump to that conclusion after only seeing us together once... I was shocked to say the least.

I took a breath, gathering myself before I responded. "Yes."

It was as simple as that in the end. No dressing it up with excuses or explanations. That one answer was at the heart of it all. I loved Greyston Michaels.

She regarded me closely and then smiled wide.

"Thank God!" she said, taking a drink. And I'd thought I was shocked by her question. Her reaction was even more surprising and doubly perplexing.

"So, you're not mad?" I asked as the noise of the city moved around us as if my entire world wasn't shifting on its axis.

"Not at all," she continued. "I'm not sure if you're aware, but Grey and I have always been rather close. Gregory and I were best friends, and Grey had always been his best friend before me, so our connection was a natural result. I've known him as long as I've known Gregory, and he leaned on me when Ashley broke his heart all those years ago. He didn't want to tell his family about all of the messy details because of her connection to them. Grey's good like that."

God, even after everything Ashley had done to him, he tried to protect her.

"After dinner last night he pulled me aside, and let's just say he's fallen for you--hard. I encouraged him to go after you."

"Why? Why would you do that?"

"Because for a long time I worried, we all worried, what happened with Ashley was it for Grey. In five years away, he hadn't so much as had dinner with someone romantically. He'd thrown himself into the work, which had never really been his style. Don't get me wrong. He's a hard and very capable worker, but family always comes first for him. Ashley hated that about him. Despite coming from a wonderful, loving family, she's most concerned with status and power, so she pushed Grey toward things he didn't want. I think when we all got over the initial shock of what Ashley did, we were relieved she'd left Grey. I'd always worried they weren't right for each other, and then you came along and I was certain they weren't."

"But I was supposed to be working for you, not falling in love with your brother-in-law," I said, feeling guilty.

"You may not realize it but in following your heart, you showed me mine again." She smiled as she looked down at her ring.

"Last night wasn't the first time a man mentioned you to me. Gregory told me about you the very first day you showed up in the office. All he could talk about was the way his brother was looking at you. That's why he asked you to the gala. We usually have to drag Grey to the event, but he changed his tune when he found out you were going," she said, laughing.

I nodded along, clinging to her every word as I finished my glass of wine.

"The day before your partner met with my attorney, Gregory came home so excited for his brother and so happy to see me after my time away in Guatemala. We spent the evening watching one of our favorite movies as we snuggled on the couch and then when he was away at conventions, he would call me and we'd stay up talking all hours of the night like we hadn't done since we were teenagers. I almost asked him about the photos a million different times, but I couldn't find the nerve. Then Patty told me about Arrow Components and I knew there was an explanation, but Patty persuaded me to hold off."

Elsa put her hand over mine. "I saw the way Grey looked at you last night and how a simple touch from you pulled him out of Ashley's dark cloud in a heartbeat. When I turned to my Gregory, he had that same look in his eye. All I could see in them was love, the same love that had been there since we were teenagers. It might have changed, grown deeper over time, but it hadn't faded. I don't know why I let someone else persuade me it had or why I let someone else turn me away from my heart."

"You asked him about the photos, then?"

"Yes," she said, smiling. "The woman, Kristen Page, showed up one day pretending to be seeking a job with the company. Her résumé was impressive, so he met with her to discuss potential opportunities. He quickly realized she had an ulterior motive after human resources did a background check. He confronted her at their next meeting, which she'd requested be in her hotel restaurant, and she admitted to working for Arrow Components. She claimed she was only sent there to feel him out about a potential acquisition. She even had an offer and letter of intent prepared. He turned her down flat."

"So then she sent the photos to you?"

"No. Right after he left the meeting, Gregory received an anonymous e-mail with the photos arranged under a tabloid headline accompanied by a threat to release the photos if he didn't reconsider the offer."

"But why didn't he just tell you what happened?" I asked, trying to understand.

"A second e-mail followed with two more potential headlines. One about my family, more specifically about my father leaving for another woman, and the other about my inability to give Gregory a child, which it asserted was due to an abortion I'd allegedly had in college."

"Oh my God," I whispered, covering my mouth.

"There was a copy of some paperwork that documented my visit to a women's clinic which performed abortions, but I was actually there for a blood test to confirm my pregnancy. I miscarried a few days later."

"I'm so sorry, Elsa."

"They threatened to release all three of the stories if Gregory didn't comply. As you can imagine, the scandal would have a huge impact on the foundation given the beliefs of some of its largest donors."

I nodded.

So all of it was a ploy to force Gregory into selling the company. As strange as it was, I was grateful for their attempts. If it wasn't for them sending those photos to Elsa, I probably would have never met Grey.

"What I saw as Gregory becoming distant was him trying to protect me. He's been stalling Kristen and Arrow Components for the last few weeks while a team of investigators worked to dig up anything he could use to back them down, and they are finally making some headway." She leaned back in her chair, looking relieved.

"I'm embarrassed I ever doubted him but even worse, I let something Ashley told me years ago affect me and make me doubt my husband and one of my best friends."

"What do you mean?"

"After Grey left for Japan, Ashley came to the house, crying her eyes out. We'd known each other a long time, although we'd never been very close. She broke down, telling me leaving Grey was the hardest thing she'd ever done but he'd given her no choice. She claimed he was the one who cheated on her and that was why she didn't shown up at the church."

As if I didn't already have enough reason to dislike Ashley.

"Grey was gone and the relationship was over, so I kept that information to myself, just like I'd done when Grey told me she was the one who cheated. When these pictures showed up, I wondered if she was telling the truth and it was really Grey who was the cheater. If he could do it and then lie to me so convincingly, it wasn't a stretch to believe Gregory could as well."

Doubt was a tricky, nasty bitch.

"Elsa, what about the rest? About hiring us? Did you tell Gregory about that as well?" I held my breath, waiting for her response. If Gregory knew, he would likely be telling Grey at any moment.

"Yes and no." She took a drink. "I told him I'd hired an investigator but not the rest."

Elsa grabbed my hand on the table.

"I wanted to talk to you first, but I have to tell Gregory the truth--all of it. Just like you need to tell Grey."

"I know," I replied with a sad smile. "I'm just terrified he's going to hate me when he finds out what I really do for a living."

"He's not going to like it, but he'll figure out a way to deal with it. I know Grey. He loves you; that will be enough for him."

Her words reassured me, and I suddenly couldn't wait a moment longer.

"Thank you, Elsa, for everything," I said, standing as I pulled out my wallet. 

"Please, lunch is on me. You have places to be." She placed her credit card on the table.

I weaved through the tables out onto the sidewalk, waving at cabs like a madwoman until one finally stopped. I dialed the number for Grey's temporary assistant and sat back, trying to steady my heart as I prepared to reach out and grab a future I never believed I could have.

Chapter 17