Table For Two: Barrington Billionaire's Series: Book Two (9 page)

“Oh, my,” Sharon said as she looked back and forth between Dean and Tessa. “Claude, I think we better go in the kitchen and let these two work some things out between themselves.”

Claude didn’t look like he wanted to go anywhere, but Sharon nudged him with her elbow and eventually he rose from his seat and walked out of the room. Dean was grateful for the privacy, but the timing was off. He’d rather they’d had their privacy while they had been on the porch.

Once alone, Dean said, “You don’t know what type of man Dax is, Tessa.”

“Why are you so concerned with Dax, and why do you think he will hurt me? Because as I see it, right now the only one hurting me is you, Dean.”

He looked her in the eyes and could see the truth in that statement. Never had he intended to hurt her, but he was. But that was what you risked when you decided to get involved in such takeovers. Poly-Shyn was going to survive, but he wasn’t so sure Tessa was going to get away unscathed, no matter how hard she tried.
You put yourself between two hammers. It’s not too late to get out before you get crushed.

“The pain you’re feeling right now is nothing compared to what might come if you don’t back off. You do know Dax is seeing Kenzi Barrington.” He wasn’t too happy about that himself, but he wanted to see if she was aware of Dax’s actions or was solely concentrating on Dean’s.

Tessa looked shocked. “Yes I am aware of that, but how do you know any of this? The even better question is, what does this have to do with me?”

“I know way more than you think I know, Tessa. How does that make you feel—Dax being with Kenzi?” Dean asked. He wasn’t sure why he asked that question. Tessa’s feelings for Dax had nothing to do with him. His only concern was to protect Poly-Shyn from the takeover.

If that was the case, then why did the pit of his stomach ache while he waited for her answer? Did he want her to say it hurt like hell or that she didn’t care one bit? Neither should matter to him, but somehow it did and that realization didn’t please him.

“I don’t have an opinion. If she wants him, she can have him. If not, well . . . that is between the two of them. Kenzi seems to be a strong woman, from what I have heard about her, and I’m sure she will find the right person. I still don’t know what this has to do with me.”

She didn’t appear to hold any jealousy in regards to Kenzi and Dax. Was it that they were not intimately involved and only had a business relationship?
Business is all I should be thinking of right now, but damn, Tessa, you have me in fucking knots. Just answer my question.

“What’s your relationship with Dax? And why are you dressed different here than at work? Is your work attire a part of your cover-up for this game you are playing?” His words were clear, and he wanted an equally clear answer.

“Since I’ve never met the man, I would say we don’t have one.”

“None at all?” Dean asked.

Tessa crossed her arms in front of her and asked, “What type of relationship do you think we have?”

“Business.”

“I work for you, Dean. And with the number of hours I put in, do you really think I have time to moonlight for another employer? And as for my choice of attire, how is that any of your business?”

Moonlight, no, but spy, yes.
“Are you saying you have absolutely no connection with Dax Marshall?”

“That is what I am saying. Why? What makes you think I do?”

“I thought you were working for Dax to gather information regarding Poly-Shyn for him.”

Tessa stood up abruptly and paced the room. He could see wheels spinning in her mind. When she finally turned back to face him, her eyes were dark green with anger.

“Are you saying you thought I was spying on you?”

He nodded. The truth wasn’t pretty, but it normally wasn’t as far as he was concerned.

“And you kissed me even when you thought that I—” She covered her mouth. “You need to leave now.”

Dean stood up, went to her, and took hold of her upper arms. “Tessa, listen to me.”

She shook her head and raised her voice. “I don’t want to hear what you have to say, Dean. How could you do such a thing? You thought I was the enemy, but yet you . . .” Tears began to roll down her cheeks.

“It’s not as bad as you are making it sound, Tessa. You don’t know how these things work in business.”

“I might not know about how you do business, Dean Henderson, but I do know that what you are suggesting I did is illegal. The fact that you even thought I could do that says you know nothing about me. Now get your hands off of me and leave. You’re not welcome here anymore.”

Dean didn’t want to let her go. Not like this. He wanted to make her understand why those thoughts had entered his mind. Before he could, he heard Claude and Sharon enter the room again. Sharon went directly to Tessa’s side so Dean released his hold on her, and she turned to her mother to bury her tear-stricken face.

“Son, I’m a peaceful man, but I won’t have you hurting my daughter. Now she said for you to go, so I suggest you go. When things cool down, I’m sure the two of you can continue this discussion, but right now, this is over.”

Dean never let anyone tell him what to do. Claude on the other hand was only trying to protect Tessa, and he had to respect that. This was their home, and whatever he and Tessa had to say to each other was not meant to take place here.

Without another word, Dean headed for the door. He turned and looked at Tessa one last time before leaving.
This isn’t over, Tessa. This is just the beginning.

“I’ll see you Monday, Tessa.” Then he closed the door behind him.

T
essa spent the rest of the weekend avoiding the topic of Dean entirely. She almost made it through Sunday night, but her mother wasn’t going to let her leave without sitting down for a mother-daughter talk.
I should have seen this coming. Why didn’t I leave after lunch? Probably because I need you to tell me it’s going to be okay.

“You might be judging him too hard, Tessa. Didn’t you say his father had passed recently, and he is trying to run this business on his own?”

“Mom, that’s not the point. He suspected me of unethical behavior. You know me. I would never do such a thing. Never,” Tessa said seriously.

Sharon patted Tessa’s hand. “Honey, I know that, and your father knows that. But these are things you learn about another person over time. Your relationship is still new and needs to grow.”

Relationship? Oh Mom, if you only knew what really happened. What he thinks of me.
“He’s my boss, Mom.”

“Yet we came home last night to find you in his arms, kissing. I know my eyes aren’t as good as they used to be, but you didn’t seem to mind too much either, if I may say so.”

Damn, I forgot you saw that.
“That’s not going to happen again, Mom. I probably don’t even have a job anymore.”

“And what makes you think that?” Sharon asked.

“I threw him out of your house.”

Sharon laughed. “Oh dear. Did we shelter you that much? Don’t answer that. So you think this man is not interested in you as more than just an employee?”

Tessa looked down at her hands folded in her lap. She didn’t want to think about Dean at all, never mind what he might or might not want with her. Her own emotions were already turning somersaults. Adding anymore was more than she could take. “Mom, can we change the subject? I need to get up really early in the morning if I want to make it back to Boston before rush hour traffic hits.”

“So you’re going to work. Good.”

“Mom, why do you think I still have a job?”

Sharon smiled at her. “He did tell you he would see you on Monday. If he wanted to fire you, then he could have done that from Boston. There’s only one reason for him to drive hours to Denfield. And it has nothing to do with business.” She got up and continued, “But you’re right. Tomorrow you have a big day ahead of you. And I suggest you get up bright and early and get extra pretty before you go into the office.”

Left alone with only her thoughts, her nerves took over. How was she going to face Dean when she couldn’t even face herself right now? Could her mother be right? Had Dean only come down to see her and not because he thought she had some involvement with Dax Marshall?

Oh, I wish it was true. But Mom, you don’t know him like I do. He’s all business all the time.
There was nothing wrong with that, but the way he ran the business was a problem.

She turned off the lamp on her nightstand and pulled the blanket up around her neck. Sleep was desperately needed but, no different than the last two nights, it didn’t come easily or restfully. After hours of tossing and turning with her eyes burning from pure exhaustion, she finally faded off to sleep.

Tessa made it into work much earlier than needed. Since she had blown off work Friday afternoon, she was grateful to have some quiet time to play catch-up. Sitting at her desk sipping on her second cup of coffee, she leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes. It was going to be a long day. If all went well she would be able to avoid seeing Dean and hide out in her office.
Something has to go right eventually.

“You look like you had a rough weekend,” Lexi said from Tessa’s office door.

Tessa didn’t even open her eyes. There was no point. Lexi seemed to have an uncanny way of reading a person, so sitting up and denying it was only going to feed her curiosity even more. “It was a long ride in this morning from my parents’ house.”

“Bummer. I was hoping maybe you and Dean had hooked up and you were recovering from a wild weekend together.”

It might not have been a wild weekend, but Tessa still couldn’t forget the kiss. The fire Dean ignited in her would not cease. If it wasn’t for her parents showing up when they did, she knew she would have given him anything and everything. Not because he wanted her, but because she wanted him. Even now, if she was not constantly busy, her mind drifted back to him. The whole situation was bittersweet. If she only knew for sure what he was thinking and feeling. He asked a lot of questions but didn’t seem to give any information about himself. Was that because there wasn’t any to give? She tried to read him, but he was impossible to figure out. Maybe over time that would change.
What are you thinking, Tessa? You probably won’t have a job by the end of the day.

She could still hear Lexi in her office. Tessa couldn’t help but open her eyes to see if she’d been joking or not.
Oh no. She was serious.
“Lexi, he’s my boss, our boss. And suggesting anything other than that is unprofessional.”

“It’s only unprofessional to get caught.” Lexi laughed. “Besides, he seemed adamant to find you Friday, and I can tell you it didn’t have anything to do with Poly-Shyn.”

“And you know this how?” Tessa was hoping she would not regret asking, but she really wanted an answer.

Lexi came over to Tessa’s desk and sat in the chair across from her. “Oh Dean and I have known each other since we were teenagers. I met him when Willa and I were in boarding school. He had come up to see a mutual friend, Kenzi Barrington. Remember I told you about her last week.”

Oh, I remember. The one involved with Dax Marshall, who seems to have Dean in some crazy uproar. I think I need to find out more about Dax. Can’t fix what I don’t know.
“Well, you read this one wrong, Lexi. He did need to see me, but it was about business.”

Lexi shook her head. “I must be slipping. Maybe next time things will be different Tessa, because I know I wasn’t totally wrong. That man has the hots for you. And that was even before your makeover. Imagine what it’s going to be like when you go to his office today.”

Dean had noticed her makeover, but even that had been seen as a ploy to gain information on Poly-Shyn. What she still didn’t understand was why he suspected her of such a thing. Over the weekend, she’d replayed every moment that she had with him. Could he have picked up on her nervousness and that caused suspicion? If so then he was still going to suspect her because her nerves were worse than ever right now.

If I can help it, I won’t be anywhere near him.
“Our paths don’t often cross, Lexi.”

“Well today’s your lucky day because they are going to very soon. I saw him in the elevator, and he told me to send you to his office.” Lexi was grinning as she said it.

Tessa forced a smile back, but knew that it was not believable at all. She rose from her seat and headed out the door. “Try not to get into any trouble while I’m gone. I won’t be long. I’ll get you set up for another project when I get back.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t do a thing until you get back,” Lexi said. She picked up her cell phone as though she really was going to spend the time surfing the Internet.

Great. I really hate Mondays.

“Shaun, I don’t want to talk to you about Kenzi. Whatever is going on between her and her brothers is not my concern,” Dean said, but his tone did not match what he felt. She was like a sister to him. If she was in trouble, he wanted to know. But he knew his brother wouldn’t know what really was going on with her. No one ever did.

“Dean, this is not just about her brothers. This is about you and her,” Shaun said.

He leaned back in his chair and stared at his older brother. If his brothers thought there was something between him and Kenzi other than friendship, they were as wrong now as they had been all those years ago.

“I don’t want to hear it, Shaun.”

“You’re going to. If not from me, then from someone else. We were all so damn wrong. Why didn’t you tell us, Dean? We’re your family. We would have protected you.”

Shaun always had a way with words, and this had piqued his interest. He could spend the rest of the day pondering whether they would have supported him, but the truth was, it was in the past and no longer mattered. He no longer needed or wanted anyone’s help.
Too little too late.

“I didn’t need it then, and I don’t now. So unless you plan on changing this subject, let’s consider this meeting over.”

Shaun shook his head. “Kenzi told her family what you did to protect her secret. It didn’t take long for Asher to tell Brice. I have to admit I still don’t understand why you did it. I mean, you went to juvenile detention for assault with intent. If you had just said why you beat that kid up, you might have gotten off, or, at least been put on probation.”

Dean couldn’t believe Kenzi had broken her silence after all these years. Why would she do that now? What did it change? The damage was already done for them both. Talking about it now would only open wounds that should remain closed.

“This isn’t something I want to discuss with you, Shaun. Not with you or anyone,” Dean said, his voice conveying the anger building within him.

“Dean, I hear you. That wasn’t an easy time for any of us. And if everything I heard is correct, it especially wasn’t easy for Kenzi. I understand why she wouldn’t say anything. It’s hard for a woman to come forth after such an ordeal. Even years later, it was a shock to her parents but it explained a lot about her past and present behavior. What I don’t understand is why you held this in all these years and never told us. Not even when you were judged guilty by Dad and kicked out of the house.”

The problem was, he didn’t even understand some of his actions about that day. Yes, he was furious with the knowledge of what had happened to Kenzi, but they never spoke about it. She never asked him to keep the secret, and he never told her he would. There was just an understanding, as they looked at each other, that they both would carry it to their graves. Or so he had thought. What changed to cause her to break her silence after all these years? He could call her and ask, but if they hadn’t discussed it then, why would they do so now?

Dean hated that Shaun was the one who never got riled up over anything, no matter how bad things got. He was always cool and in control. How would someone like him understand what he’d been going through back then? Even when their father flipped out, which was a daily occurrence, Shaun was the one who handled it the best. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t without his own internal scars.

“Things were different then, Shaun. I was different.”

Shaun stared at Dean then asked, “I’m not so sure you wouldn’t do the exact same thing if it happened today.”

Fuck yeah, I would. No one is going to hurt anyone close to me.
Until that moment, he had never really thought about it. He always considered that part of him was long gone, a childhood reaction. But that wasn’t so. The boy who was so filled with anger still lived within him. Only now he used that as a business strength. He was no one’s prey and never the victim.

“We’re two different people, Shaun. You’re a thinker, and I’m a doer.”

“You can’t run a business like that, Dean. At least not for long. If you do, you will lose everything.”

Dean knew his brother was a numbers man. He probably enjoyed reviewing spreadsheets of data when they were only off by a dollar. But that wasn’t something Dean could do. Sitting down too long made him antsy, and he couldn’t concentrate. He needed someone like Shaun to help him run Poly-Shyn, but all his siblings had made it clear they wanted nothing to do with the business. Where was he going to find someone as passionate as he was about bringing this company where it needed to be?

“I’m holding for now. Are you offering to join as a partner?” Dean asked, but he already knew the answer.

Shaun shook his head. “I don’t know anything about plastics and don’t care to learn. I have my own business, which I’m successful at and enjoy. Can you say the same thing about Poly-Shyn? Is this what you really want to do for the rest of your life? Sit here alone, managing the place like Dad used to?”

Dean slammed his fist on the desk. “If you think I’m like Dad, then I suggest watching what you fucking say. Because we both know how he dealt with anyone who pissed him off.”

The office door was open, and when he looked up, he saw Tessa standing there. Her eyes were wide with shock and her face pale. He had said harsh things to her in the past, but this was the first time she had seen this side of him, one that he wasn’t too proud of, yet it was who he was.
Better to see it now than later.