Chapter Twenty-One
I’m walking back to Reid’s building with coffee and croissants the next morning. Not early morning. We slept in, and Reid is still in bed. I went and checked in with Patrick to ensure we’re not needed for filming this morning. Apparently my crew working on laying tile in the guest bathroom isn’t all that interesting.
When my cell rings, I give serious consideration to not picking up. I only look at the screen because it might be a friend who needs me.
Paul.
I definitely consider not picking up. I consider chucking my phone into the East River. But the truth of the matter is he’ll find a way. “What do you need, Paul?”
“I need some fucking support is what I need,”
he grumbles. “I need a CEO who actually gives a damn about her job, but I’m not going to get that, am I?”
I’m so tired of this. Reid has real problems. Jeremiah has real problems. “Buck up, buttercup. The board meeting is coming up. Maybe you’ll get lucky and be named the CEO and then you can deal with all of this. Except that’s what you’re supposed to be doing now, and you call Mommy at least twice a day. By the way, I’m talking about me. I’m Mommy in this case. Be careful what you wish for.”
“You’re such a bitch, and you should be the careful one. When I’m the CEO, I don’t think there’s going to be much of a place for you,”
he threatens. “Look, I called because I need to know if you’re about to cause some kind of scandal that’s going to bring down the company.”
“What? The only scandal the company had was improper tax prep and misuse of funds. I assure you that’s not happening on my watch.”
“I’m talking about your sex life.”
A pit opens in my gut. Well, we knew Ivy might not get everything. “My sex life has nothing to do with work.”
“Oh, but it does according to the reporter who called your mother. You’re sleeping with the designer on your vanity project. According to her, he’s a celebrity. I never thought you were that kind of a woman. Do you realize what a shock it was for your mom? She wanted a quote on how your mother felt with you being the other woman,”
Paul practically snarls. “Do you realize how much you hurt her? How much of an embarrassment you are to all of us?”
I hang up because I’m incapable of dealing with him right now. I need to talk to Reid before this hits the news. I’m not even sure what’s hitting the news and why I’m suddenly the other woman.
I realize I’m out of time when I see the photographers. There are three of them, and they appear to be waiting for something.
Luckily I’m wearing a ball cap and no makeup and a fairly shapeless sweater. I let out a long sigh because I have to get past these guys who seem to be waiting for someone to arrive and then I have to tell my boyfriend that apparently Ivy didn’t get everything. Or Britta decided to go to the press without the tape. It was a long shot. We fell asleep in an excellent place, but knowing the press is here might kick him right back into save-Harper mode.
I think seriously about turning right around and running because if the tape got out, they might recognize me. I should have asked Paul more questions.
But I can’t leave Reid alone, so I continue walking. It’s like they always tell you. Pretend like nothing’s wrong and nothing will be wrong.
“Harper Ross,”
one the photographers yells, and suddenly there are cameras everywhere and dudes shouting questions at me and proving that all those people who told me that lied.
“How does it feel to be a homewrecker?”
one of them asks with a ghoulish grin.
“I don’t wreck homes. I fix them.”
I realize this could be bad for my business. “Please excuse me.”
I try to get around them.
“What do you have to say about allegations that you sent a sex tape of yourself and Reid Dorsey to his fiancée?”
“I did? Dude, I didn’t even know there was a sex tape until yesterday. I assure you I didn’t send it to anyone.”
“That’s not what Britta Olensoff is saying,”
Man Number Two explains. “According to a report out on Celebrity Today’s website this morning, she received the tape along with some taunting words from you. Something along the lines of you have him now.”
“Did she release the tape?” I ask.
“No, of course not,”
Guy Three says. “She’s a lady.”
She’s something else, that’s for sure, and she definitely doesn’t have the tape. She’s pivoting for some reason, and I need to figure it out. “Well, good for her, and I’m not commenting further.”
The door comes open and the doorman looks frazzled as he manages to pull me in. “Are you okay, Ms. Ross? I don’t even know what’s happening. Those three showed up right after you left. Then a limo pulls up and this blonde woman walks in like she owns the place. I’m pretty sure she knew the photographers were going to be there because she talked to one of them like they were friends. I told her Mr. Reid didn’t want to be disturbed, but she called him and he let her up.”
My heart hurts. “Did he tell you to keep me out?”
He shakes his head. “Didn’t say anything about you.”
“Then I’m going up.”
I’m not about to let him fight this battle alone. Even if he gets anxious and kicks me out, he’ll know I want to be there with him.
I can barely breathe the whole way up. I wish we went back to my apartment the night before. Now that I know more about Reid, I see the penthouse for what it is. Carefully designed to show the world what he wants them to see. Perfectly designed. He’s not actually comfortable here. He seems happier and more at ease at my place.
The doors come open, and I realize he is absolutely not comfortable right now.
“How much, Britta? You know there’s only so much I can fucking give.”
“I don’t know about that. You still have this place.”
Her voice is soft but with a hint of mocking. “Poor little rich boy. I don’t want money this time.”
He goes quiet, and I move into the living room.
“Hey, babe. If I knew we were having guests, I would have brought more coffee.”
I act calm, cool, and collected even though I’m trembling with rage on the inside. I believed him before, but now I have confirmation that this woman is nothing but an albatross around my guy’s neck. I need to find a way to permanently remove her. “I brought you some croissants, but I bet you lost your appetite.”
Reid stares at me like he can’t quite believe I’m here.
But Britta can. She’s dressed in slim slacks and a white shirt that’s unbuttoned down almost to her navel, showing off some barely there curves that would look fab on a magazine cover or a runway. Here in the apartment in the middle of the morning, it’s a bit much. “What are you doing here?”
It’s said with a disdain only Europeans can achieve. American disdain is a whole other thing, but the force is strong with this Swede. “Well, I spent the night here with my boyfriend, so I should be the one asking why you’re here.”
Britta’s hair is up in a high, sleek ponytail that sends her hair whipping around with a swish when she turns back to Reid. “Send her away. I’m not talking with your sidepiece here.”
“She is not a fucking sidepiece,”
Reid says, his voice going dangerously low. “You mean absolutely nothing to me and you haven’t for a long time. I’ve had nothing but disdain for you since the first time you blackmailed me for a million dollars in exchange for your silence. Harper isn’t here for my money.”
“Well, apparently she shouldn’t be if you’re running out,”
Britta says with a wave of her hand. “Letting the show go was a mistake.”
“One I didn’t have a lot of choice in. I couldn’t work,”
he pointed out.
“Well, you’ll find a way. This new show might have gotten you another. I’ve heard from some people on the inside that it is wholesome and sweet. I guess this sex scandal will derail it,”
she says with a shake of her head.
Damn it. I did not think of that. I thought about Anika and how it would affect production, but I didn’t think about the fact that Reid and Jeremiah were trying to get someone to back their family-based restoration and rehab show. “We should talk to CeCe about getting a crisis publicity firm. I can call her, and she’ll have some shark in the water by this afternoon.”
“He can’t afford someone like that,”
Britta huffs. “I do keep up with him. I know he’s bleeding money and he’s going to have to sell this place soon if he can’t get another gig. That’s what happens when your brother…”
“Don’t you say another fucking word or I won’t care,”
Reid warns. He’s flush with anger, but there’s softness in there, too, as he reaches me and takes my hand. “Baby, it’s not…”
I shake my head and hug him. “Not your story to tell. I don’t need to hear it. I’m here. I’m right here without reservations or questions.”
He holds me so tight and takes a long breath before letting me go. His hand is in mine when he turns back to her. “What do you want? You don’t have the tape or you would have released it. By the way, your guy on the inside has been fired, and you’re lucky we’re not prosecuting.”
I squeeze his hand to let him know I’m with him. Lawyer would love to. Damn it. I need to figure out that man’s name.
“I’m not sure how you managed that, but it makes no difference,”
she says, regarding us with a cool smile. “The tape was merely to humiliate you. I can certainly get out the word that it exists and I’m far too much of a lady to ever put such a thing out there. The fact that you’re cheating on me is enough. I have an excellent reputation among my fans. They’re women, by the way. Women who watch home and garden shows. Women who like to boycott men who cheat.”
“Except it’s not cheating.”
I do feel the need to point that out.
She ignores me. “So you can move ahead with this…worker person.”
“Contractor,”
I correct.
“Fine. You can move on with this contractor and you’ll lose your chance at the show. You’ll be vilified, and no one will work with you or your brother. Especially after I put out the truth about him. You can sell this place and move to Arizona or wherever poor Americans go.”
“Hey, the Phoenix real estate market would like a word.”
Because those prices are soaring. I should know. I tried to convince my mother she needed some sun. Then she told me I need some sons, and I went back to drinking heavily.
He sighs and frowns down at me. “You can’t help it, can you?”
“Sarcasm is how I deal with stress,”
I admit. I am feeling stressed because I know whatever Britta says next is going to be terrible.
“Or we can change this narrative entirely,”
Britta offers. “I think you’ll find I sat down with a couple of journalists to talk about my epic love story and how many times I’ve forgiven you since you’re the love of my life.”
“You don’t love anyone but yourself,”
Reid replies, but he seems calmer now.
“No one else needs to know this.”
Britta shrugs it off and settles her designer bag over her elbow. “Now, if you choose to work with me, I think you’ll find your image rehabbed and all doors open to you within a year or so. Of course, you’ll need to quit the show you’re working on right now. I can’t have my husband working with his former mistress.”
Reid drops my hand. “I’m not going to marry you.”
She gives him a chilly smile. “Of course you are, and the truth of the matter is this is the best course of action for you as well. Your brother will fuck up again, and you’ll lose it all.”
“We lost it all because of you.”
His eyes narrow, and he moves toward her.
“Hey, babe. If we’re going to murder her, we should do it when there aren’t a bunch of photographers she hired downstairs.”
I’m pretty sure this is what they mean by being the voice of reason. “We should wait until we have excellent alibis and she doesn’t see it coming. I would say poison, but we all know she doesn’t eat. Maybe we could sit a Birkin bag out on a frozen lake and then oops, she falls through the ice.”
“I am unamused by you,”
she says, her eyes rolling before she looks back to Reid. “I suppose you have to decide between your ordinary-looking contractor person and the brother you spent your whole life protecting. Also, you should know I intend to tell the press I’m pregnant.”
“You’re pregnant? Whose baby is it?”
Reid asks, sounding shocked for the first time.
I’m not. I know this play. “She’s not pregnant. She’ll tearfully put out a statement in a couple of months that she lost the baby and either the story will be that her husband is by her side or he ran off with the help. Either way she gains sympathy, and that makes me wonder. What are you trying to hide?”
For the first time Britta looks slightly unsettled. “I’m not hiding anything. I’m simply done waiting. I’ve always known Reid and I are endgame, as you Americans like to call it. Think about it, Reid. It’s your choice. It always has been, and you always come back to me. Hooper, you should think about that. Did you know he made love to me in Ralavia? He left that part out, didn’t he?”
“Yes, he did, because it’s not true. Now you should leave, and you’ll have our answer soon.”
The only reason I don’t throw her out on her skinny ass is I think Reid needs some time to process.
“Your answer means nothing.”
Britta turns, and her heels click along the floor. “Oh, look. Here’s sweet Jeremiah. He looks a bit haunted. I wonder how he will deal with the whole world knowing his secret.”
She walks past Jeremiah, who is wearing last night’s clothes and looks stark white.
“What did she want? We can sell the penthouse. At least my part.”
Jeremiah seems to be deep into the bargaining state, and I wonder how long he’s been there. Years, it seems.
“Jer, I love you. I can’t. I can’t marry her. I love Harper,”
Reid says, his voice shaking. “I’m so sorry.”
Jeremiah stops, and his shoulders relax. “You love Harper? You really love her?”
Reid nods. “Yeah. Though now that she sees how bad my baggage is I don’t know that she’ll think I’m a good bet.”
He loves me? It’s stupid how those words wash away all the anxiety of the last few minutes. We can get through this if he loves me. I might be able to get through anything if he loves me. “Yeah, I’m bad at gambling, so you’re good. I mean it, babe. I can walk by a slot machine and it never pays off again. Did I mention sarcasm is also how I handle strong emotion since I love you, too.”
Jeremiah tears up. “I’m so happy to hear that. I can’t tell you. I’m happy for you.”
He hugs his brother and then me. I hold him close. “How was your meeting?”
He backs up and gives me a weary smile. “Well, I spent most of the night in a coffee shop with my sponsor talking about how to keep my sobriety.”
“Jer,”
Reid begins.
Jeremiah waves him off. “She figured it out. Besides, she’s probably going to be my sister-in-law. Let me think for a couple of hours.”
Reid nods. “Of course.”
“Or we can sic Ivy and Heath on her and figure out what she’s trying to cover up.”
It is obvious to me that the Dorsey brothers aren’t big on conspiracy theories. Lucky for them I’m pretty good at them. “Think about it. She doesn’t love you. She’s not really pregnant. She said it herself. She needs to change the narrative.”
“She said I could change the narrative,”
Reid points out.
“No. I think Harper’s right.”
Jeremiah paces while he considers the situation. “She normally wants money or she wants you to short term look like you’re back together. She doesn’t have feelings for you beyond using you. So why would she be willing to tie herself to this family?”
“She’s jealous of Harper,”
Reid offers.
He is a beautiful man, but I don’t see it. “She’s the one who needs to cover something, and the tape gave her the idea she needed. The fact that she lost it and is still pushing means she’s desperate. If she’s desperate, then we can use it against her. We need to figure out what she’s hiding, and Ivy is our best bet. She knows people who can get pretty much anywhere on the web. I would like to do a deep dive into Britta’s life for the last six months. If we can get leverage to make her drop whatever hold she has on you…”
Jeremiah’s jaw squares. “You should know…”
I hold a hand up. “Nope. Don’t need to know. I need to figure a way out of this situation so she doesn’t come back to annoy me every few months. We can do it this way or I hand it all over to CeCe and we have to interview and vet assassins. She’s got a whole plan. But I need you to understand that I don’t have to know what you did in order to help you.”
“That is na?ve,”
he says with a sigh.
“Did you brutally murder someone in cold blood?” I ask.
“No. No one died,”
he shoots back and then frowns. “Would it be okay if the murder wasn’t brutal?”
I shrug. “Look, there are times when I think death is justified. So if you didn’t kill anyone, did you ruin someone’s life without care or thought?”
He looks almost apologetic. “No, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a bad thing.”
“Swindle old ladies out of their retirement? Not pay your contractor? That could be a deal breaker.”
I gasp because I do realize something that could give me pause. “Did you kick a dog?”
Jeremiah steps in front of me and puts his hands on my shoulders. There’s a serious expression on his face as he looks down at me. “I need you to know that you are the absolute best thing that ever happened to this family, and I will be so grateful to call you sister.”
“Don’t push her,”
Reid warns. “She needs time, but I agree that she’s the best thing that could have happened to us.”
Jeremiah draws me in and hugs me. I take a deep breath and realize I have what I need. I have my sisters and three incredible “moms”
who care about me and are willing to make lasagna/talk through a plan/hire an assassin when I’m down. If I play my cards right, I might get the coolest brother out of this. Tears pierce my eyes, and so many of the hurtful, harmful things I heard growing up seem to drift away.
“It will be okay,”
I promise him.
Jeremiah takes a step back. “Yes, it will be. I’ll make sure of it. I’m going to get some sleep because sometimes staying sober is tiring, but I want to talk later. I want you to know.”
He gives his brother a long look and then walks away, moving toward the bedrooms.
Reid steps in front of me, a grave look on his face. “Harper, I know what I said, but I need you to think about the ramifications. She’s not wrong. If she does what she says she’s going to do, I will likely be unemployable for a while.”
I shrug. “I have an office with your name on it, and then you can deal with Paul’s whining and make all my big box stores beautiful.”
A hint of a smile hits his lips. “I have been thinking about this. I know you take your family obligations seriously, and I don’t know if I want to go to California without you.”
“Babe, you’re just taking meetings there. You’re not moving.”
“I know, but we would be on the road all the time,”
he says. “That never bothered me before. Now the thought is only joyous if you’re with me. So maybe I will take you up on the job offer.”
I’m floored. This man doesn’t belong in an office picking out paintings for rando motel lobbies. And he’s forgetting the most important part. “What about Jeremiah?”
He nods slowly as though processing the words. “Yeah, I’ll have to have a hard conversation, but he’ll understand. I need to put you first. I love my brother, but you’re going to be… I told him not to push you.”
“How about we agree that we’re both happy in this relationship and it’s likely going to end in marriage and a couple of kids who we’ll be terrified we’ll screw up the way our parents screwed us up, and so we’ll fuck up in totally different ways.”
The sweetest smile lights up the room, and I’m shocked at how we can go from the abyss of Britta’s dictates to this amazing, sunshiney place where we have a future. “We can agree on that. And in honor of our accord, I think I’m going to sell the penthouse, give my brother his half, give Aggie her pension, and then I’m going to bribe your cousin Sheryl to sell me her stock so your position at Ross Construction is unassailable. They won’t be able to vote you out. You’ll own fifty-two percent of the company.”
The Dorsey brothers seem determined to put my jaw on the floor today. “What? You can’t do that. I know it’s a small company, but Sheryl’s stock is worth a million easy, and she can’t sell it to someone outside the family.”
He nods and proves he can pivot. “Then I’ll give you the money and you can buy it. Or I can push you. We could upend all of Britta’s plans with one trip to the courthouse.”
“You can’t. You can’t give up your dreams for me.”
“What if I just figured out you are my dream?”
He asks the question so simply. As if something’s happened and all of his previous anger and anxiety are gone now and he’s been left with peace.
I wish I was. I’m a swirling ball of emotion right now. I…I’m so happy I have a chance with him, but what if he resents staying here with me? He’s used to money, and a lot of it, and I know it’s mostly gone now, but will he be happy in my tiny apartment? Will he be okay with not working with his brother? Can he ever be happy in a family I’m not happy in? “You can’t stay here. You need to be out there doing the work you love.”
He sighs and leans over, pressing his forehead to mine. “I love something more than work. Harper, you don’t get to tell me what my dreams are. You can tell me you don’t share them. You can tell me you don’t love me. But you don’t get to break us up because you’re afraid, and yes, I sound like the biggest hypocrite of all time. I learned something from you when you refused to leave our bed last night. I learned that I’ll go through whatever fire I have to in order to keep a woman I can trust the way I can you. I’m going to figure out a way to get you what you want because making you happy is the job I would like to do for the rest of my life.”
“I don’t know what to say.”
He’s right. I am terrified. Terrified that I’ll love him and it will all go to hell. Terrified that he’ll love me the way he says he will and I won’t be worthy of it.
He kisses my forehead and steps back. “You don’t have to say anything at all, baby. I’m going to give you time, but I’m serious about buying the stock. If what you want is to continue to be the head of Ross Construction, I won’t allow them to hold their votes over your head every single year. I can take out a short-term loan, and then we’ll get this place ready to sell. We should get more than enough out of it to pay for the stock and get me an apartment in your building.”
“Or we could buy something new.”
I know why he said it. I’m acting skittish, but I don’t want to. I want to be brave. Right now living together is as brave as I can be. “Something a little bigger. Maybe closer to the office.”
He draws me close. “It’ll be fun to look. Now let’s eat these beautiful croissants and then go talk to Ivy. It’s helpful to have a hacker friend who doesn’t have any real fear of prison.”
“Oh, that’s because she knows CeCe would just, like, buy the court and get her out,”
I assure him. “See, it’s also nice to have an oligarch on our side.”
He chuckles and then sobers. His hand smooths back my hair. “I love you, Harper.”
I stare at him for a moment and then wrap my arms around him. “I love you, too.”
“We will get through this, and so will my brother,”
Reid vows, holding me close.
I have to pray he’s right.