Chapter 21
Audrey
This is exactly what I wanted. Don’t freak out now. Everything’s going as I planned.
Well, sort of planned. Maybe more like wishful thinking.
“Alright, Audrey, just have a seat here. My business associate will be here shortly.” Joe pulls out my chair for me, and after I sit, he helps scoot it in.
His hand brushes my shoulder as he moves around my seat to take his.
It’s a touch that’s meant to feel accidental and casual, but we both know it wasn’t.
My skin crawls every time he touches me, for so many reasons.
I clearly don’t have to worry about whether he remembers my mom’s last name.
I wonder what he’ll think when he finds out.
He should be ashamed that he’s basically groped his new employee since the minute he hired her, but I don’t think he will be until he finds out I’m his daughter.
My heart beats hard when I ask, “Is there anything else I need to know about this meeting?”
Joe raises his eyebrows, eyeing me cautiously.
“I just want to make sure if there’s anything specific I should pay attention to so that I don’t miss it.”
Joe’s smile widens. “We’re talking about some real estate deals. Should be pretty straightforward.”
“Great.” I force a smile, wishing Tyler had come with us. I’d feel better if he were next to me. Or at least closer than across the restaurant. I can’t even see him or Matt from this table.
Joe’s rambling about some of his different businesses and what he views as his greatest accomplishments in his career. I take note of what he’s telling me in case there’s anything that might be useful to me, but I figure most of it is exaggerated.
“Bassham.” A deep voice pulls our attention up to the man approaching the table.
He’s tall, but not as tall as Tyler. He has brown hair that’s slightly graying at the temples. His eyes are dark and make me feel like he’s reading my every thought as his severe gaze zeros in on me.
“And who is this?” The way he asks has a shiver running down my spine.
Joe grips my elbow and pulls me to my feet as he stands. “This is my new assistant, Audrey.”
The man reaches his hand out, and I fight the urge to recoil.
Joe continues as I take the man’s hand. “Audrey, this is Representative Greg Freeman. One of the best elected officials in Tennessee.”
I internally roll my eyes. I would be willing to bet the only reason he’s the best is because he does Joe favors that are surely unethical and possibly illegal. Once Greg sits across from us, the waitress comes to take our drink orders. I stick with water, but both men order whiskey.
They make small talk while we wait. I smile politely, but don’t contribute to the conversation, preferring to be ignored so I can just listen and observe.
After we place our lunch orders, Joe leans forward, his elbows resting on the table as he slowly spins his whiskey glass around. “Alright, let’s get down to business.”
Greg nods as he takes a sip of whiskey. “Yes, let’s.”
“We’ve worked together for a long time.”
Greg inclines his head, waiting for Joe to go on.
“So, you should know that I don’t like waiting.” The threatening undertone of Joe’s words makes me uncomfortable.
Not seeming to share my discomfort, Greg laughs. “Joe, you know how these things are.”
Joe huffs. “My business partners like to wait even less than I do."
With a glance in my direction, Greg smiles. “Maybe I can work with your assistant here to get everything squared away.”
Joe doesn’t agree, but he also doesn’t shoot down that idea when he says, “Delays in breaking ground impact you, too.”
I don’t miss the flash of anger in Greg’s eyes, even if his voice continues to drip with Southern charm. “I can appreciate your concern for both of our sakes, but I must implore you to be patient.”
Joe’s jaw muscle tics, and his eyes narrow momentarily, before a phony smile spreads across his face. “Yes, yes, of course. Everyone’s just very excited about this new development project.”
“As am I. And everything will be ready soon.”
I try to read between the lines, but they’re being frustratingly vague. Maybe I can find something in Joe’s office that would make this conversation make more sense. I just need to sneak in there while he isn’t around. And not get caught by Tyler and anyone working with him.
The men move on to less charged topics, and I eat my salad in silence, my mind reeling from the events of today. Was it really just a few hours ago that I knocked on the door and was confronted by Tyler?
It seems like so much longer ago than that.
And it’s only just beginning.
Back at Joe’s house, after working on a few small tasks, I’m taking a break in the kitchen, looking up any information I can find on Greg.
Footsteps approaching have me quickly locking my phone and setting it on the counter in front of me.
My shoulders drop in relief when I see Tyler walking toward me.
When he’s next to me, he runs his hand down my back as he pulls out the barstool next to mine. Goosebumps explode down my arms.
“You doing okay?” His question is soft and filled with concern.
I blow out a breath. “Yeah, I’m excited to have this job. It’s just a lot.”
When we returned from the lunch meeting, Joe assigned me a lot of busy work, now that my laptop had been delivered.
I was hoping he’d include me in some of his other meetings, but he set me up in the dining room.
I asked him if he ever worked from an office instead of his home, but he just chuckled and said that would be dumb when he has everything he needs at home.
I suppose that if I were to run my own business, I’d do the same thing. But it’s unfortunate because I feel like I could do some snooping more easily in an office setting than I’m able to here.
Tyler’s thigh presses against mine, hidden under the island, and my core heats at the contact. “What are you doing Saturday?”
“I don’t think I’m doing anything.”
Resting his arm on the back of my stool, Tyler asks quietly, “Come with me to my stepdad’s birthday party.”
Surprise has my eyebrows jumping. “Are you sure? That seems like a big deal.”
He shrugs. “I’ve met your mom.”
“Yeah, but not as my date.” Nerves twist my stomach, thinking of showing up to the party with Tyler. There’s also an undeniable amount of excitement rushing through me at the thought.
He sighs, pushing his stool out and removing his arm from behind me.
I immediately miss it. “If you don’t want it, I understand.
Just give it some thought and let me know later.
” Placing a hand on the counter in front of me, he grips the back of my chair.
His woodsy, masculine cologne invades my senses as he bends over to put his face close to mine.
“But just know, I want nothing more than you there with me, no matter how I introduce you. Decision is yours, mama.” His lips brush mine in the lightest of grazes, and I swallow a whimper.
I really should hate that nickname, but every time he uses it, the butterflies tell me otherwise.
He walks around the island and pulls two water bottles from the fridge. Setting one in front of me with a smirk, he gives me one last peck on the forehead before he leaves the room.
The thought of meeting his family is terrifying under normal circumstances. But now, the fear is palpable. How much harder is it going to be to keep up the pretense of using him after meeting the people who are most important in his life?
But am I still using him? I have this job, so I don’t need Tyler anymore. Does that make it better? Can I convince myself that he and I are in a real relationship now and set aside how our relationship started?
Opening the bottle, I gulp down some water in an attempt to drown out my jumbled thoughts, when my phone vibrates. I set the bottle aside and pick up my phone.
Jennifer: Clear your schedule. I’m coming over tonight. Bringing wine and dinner.
I smile and type out a reply.
Me: Okay! Sounds great!
It might be a good idea to let Jennifer in on the newest development of my plan. She could have some insight that would help me.
Grabbing my water bottle, I make my way back to the dining room. I’m almost done with the report Joe asked me to create, and I plan on seeing what I have access to on this new computer before the end of the day.
“I’m sorry, you did what now?” Jennifer’s sitting on my couch, wineglass in hand, staring at me, slack-jawed.
I let out a huff of annoyance. “I already repeated it twice.”
She holds up a hand as if to ward off my attitude. “You did, but I just wanted to make sure I heard it right that you basically stalked this poor man.”
Rolling my eyes, I mutter, “It wasn’t stalking; it was just learning about him from a distance.”
“Uh huh, okay…sure. And now you aren’t a doctor anymore, and you’re working for your dad? Right alongside your new boyfriend?”
I flop against the back of my couch, careful not to spill my wine. “I’m still a doctor. I just took a leave of absence for a few months.” I take a drink. “And wouldn’t you do the same thing? This is the perfect way to get dirt on him. It was the in that I’d been looking for.”
She gnaws on her lip, studying me. “And what about Tyler?”
Every emotion I’ve struggled with since meeting Tyler clogs my throat. “Well, I don’t know if he’s my boyfriend…” I trail off, not sure how to explain it to her.
“But?”
I sit up and twist on the couch, leaning against the armrest. “But I like him a lot and am terrified that he’s going to hate me when he finds out I kind of used him.”
Her expression turns sympathetic as she reaches over and squeezes my knee. “Maybe he’ll understand when you explain to him why you did it.”
My heart hurts just thinking of him finding out and the possible reaction. “Yeah, maybe.”
The dilemma of when to tell Tyler is layered. If I think meeting his family is scary, admitting to him everything I’ve done and lied to him about is way scarier.
Obviously, I’ll have to tell him at some point.
If I’m able to get the money from my dad, the truth will be exposed anyway.
But I need to be honest with him before that happens.
I know I can’t tell him before. Because if it ends horribly between us, I wouldn’t be able to go work for my dad like nothing happened.
I also have no idea how Tyler would react.
Would he out me? Would he keep my secret but convince my dad to fire me? That’s too much of a risk.
After she refills both of our glasses, Jennifer mimics my position on the couch. “That’s a problem for another day. Why don’t we go through what you have and see if we can’t figure out how big a piece of shit your dad is?”
The laugh that leaves me helps shut the emotions revolving around Tyler back into their box to deal with at a later time. I reach over and grab the notebook I’ve been jotting things down in over the last few weeks and flip to the most recent page.
“Well, today’s meeting was with some state representative.
There’s something about a development deal.
But they didn’t give me much to go off of,” I explain distractedly as I read through the notes.
“This is the second politician he’s met with in the last month or so.
The first one has some rumors of misconduct and fraud surrounding him, but he’s not been charged with anything yet.
I wasn’t able to do a lot of research on the one we met with today, so not sure if he is as upstanding as the last guy. ”
“Okay, what else do you have?” Jennifer scoots closer to me on the couch to look over my shoulder.
I grimace. “Well, not a whole lot more. Just some hushed phone calls and meetings with other men who look unsavory.”
She frowns down at my notebook. “I’m going to play devil’s advocate here, so don’t be mad at me.”
I nod my agreement.
“Is there any chance your dad is just an asshole and not actually doing anything illegal?”
“I told you he was arrested, like, ten years ago on racketeering charges.” I can’t hide my frustration, even though I agreed not to be mad at her.
She shrugs. “The charges were dropped. So maybe he was innocent. Or he learned his lesson and doesn’t do that stuff anymore.”
“Or maybe he learned how not to get caught,” I snap back.
Her expression is sympathetic with a hint of skepticism. “Yeah, maybe you’re right.”
I close the notebook and toss it onto my coffee table. “Let’s talk about something else.”
The fear of failure is so intense that the thought of not having a chance to do this for my mom is too much for me.