THIRTEEN
THE NEXT NIGHT, a car took her to a broad glass restaurant flanked by flames. Blaze . Not somewhere she’d expect Alice Breckenridge to hang out. Especially given it was situated in the glittering red skyscraper of the Rouge complex, which included the famed, and often scandalous, Crimson nightclub.
Her door was opened and an usher immediately offered his arm. “Ms. Mayden.” How did he know her name? “Come this way.”
They went inside, and before the ma?tre d podium, he guided her to the right, past a screen and into a private dining room, where Alice Breckenridge already sat. Damn, not a great first impression. Was she late? Should she have arrived earlier? Yes, probably, note to self, always arrive early.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “Were you waiting long?”
“No, I’ve been in the city all afternoon. It was nice to get off my feet. I took the liberty of ordering wine and a selection of appetizers. The boys rave about this place. I thought this might improve my chance of impressing you.”
Sitting down, the waiting wine was much needed relief. “Impressing me?”
Hilarious that anyone should think that, let alone someone like Alice Breckenridge. There had to be something else going on.
“My boys have their fingers on the pulse of the city’s social hotspots. Tripp does anyway, and he keeps his brothers in the know.”
“I don’t know how you keep track of them all.”
“Oh, they make themselves known. But enough about my family, have you had a good day?”
“Not really.”
“No? What happened?”
Honesty would be a good start to the relationship. She’d learned her lesson about lying.
“With this meeting on the horizon, it was difficult to relax. I’m not sure why we’re here.”
“You seem suspicious, on edge,” Alice said. “There’s no need to be wary, I promise this isn’t an ambush.”
“Then what is it? You tell me it’s not about Darroch, but some part of me…” The smile that warmed Alice’s cheeks only heightened her awareness. “What?”
“I fell in love with Ben the first moment I saw him. I never told him that, not until years later. From money, an only child, he was told all his life that he was destined to be in charge, to get what he wanted when he wanted it. Yet, somehow, he held onto his humility… a sliver of it anyway.”
“How old were you?”
“Sixteen,” she said. “We’d moved from California, away from the peacocking suitors my mom warned me about. I’d heard of the Breckenridges, everyone had, and our families had dealings with each other, but I’d always been protected, separate from the business. My family had money, not Breckenridge money, but enough to make me a target.”
“A target?”
“For unscrupulous men looking to cash in and skip a few decades of hard work.” And that seemed… unfathomable. “Don’t look so bemused, this was almost forty years ago. My mother taught me the world was a big place, that interests and opportunities weren’t always what they first appeared. To say she wasn’t a fan of Ben’s would be an understatement.”
“Because…?”
“Because he was young, attractive, and had the world at his feet. His father was a known philanderer.” Okay. Awkward. “I refused Ben’s every advance.”
“You believed he’d be like his father and cheat on you?”
“That would’ve been noble and logical. No, my reasons were much more selfish, I was afraid of losing his affection. Mother said men want one thing and once they get it, they move on to another challenge. We were children really, Ben’s only a couple of years older than me. So influenced by those around us, wide-eyed and na?ve, perhaps. We dated, spent a lot of time together, no matter how much I resisted the physical, he kept making dates, kept showing up. We’d sneak out together in the middle of the night and…”
Alice’s wistful sigh sucked her in deep. For some reason, she was invested in the story, even though she knew how it worked out.
“You gave in?”
“No,” Alice said on a light laugh. “The opposite. I was deeply in love with the man who’d become my best friend. This was long before the days of social media and the scrutiny that brings. Long before smartphones and email, and constant communication. He was everything to me; some might say I became addicted.”
The end being apparent didn’t detract from the intrigue of the journey. “What happened?”
“I told him I wouldn’t.”
“Wouldn’t?”
“Be intimate with him.”
“Ever?”
“With anyone. Until I was married.”
“Wow.”
A side door opened and three servers came in with platters of food. They laid them out then departed without a word. Alice selected a plate, put a few samples on it, and placed it between them.
“Do you have any allergies?” Alice asked. “I should’ve asked before ordering.”
“No allergies.” Alice took a bite of… something, she couldn’t take her eyes away or close her eager mouth. “So…?”
Alice swallowed. “So what?”
“You told him you wouldn’t be intimate with him until you were married and…”
“He proposed the next day.” Alice dabbed the corner of her mouth with a napkin. “I spend so much time eating with men that I forget some women aren’t as forthright. Please, help yourself.”
The story was better than the meal.
“He proposed the next day?”
“Very romantic.” Again, the woman urged the plate her way. “He pulled out all the stops. Flowers, music, moonlight.”
She didn’t care about food. “And you said yes?”
While sipping her wine, Alice nodded. “I was so young, my mother warned me not to leap into forever at that age, that I’d come to regret it.”
“Have you?”
“Not a single second. Not with Ben or with my boys.”
“Did you consciously decide to have so many children?”
“We didn’t trip and fall into it by accident,” Alice said and laid a hand over hers. “But I’ll talk about my boys all night if you let me. I’d love to learn more about you.”
“Not much to learn, nothing as exciting as what you live every day. Honestly, it’s awe-inspiring. Your family, the way you love each other, support each other…”
“We are blessed.” Alice pushed the plate toward her, so she selected a canapé. “Darroch was an advanced child. Less interested in academia, although he was more than capable, he has a knack for reading people.”
“Is he your favorite?”
Alice laughed. “Why do you ask that?”
“You talk about him a lot.”
“You brought him up first.”
Yes, okay, her mistake. “I admit, I’m fascinated. You must have such an affinity with the opposite sex. Men have always confounded me. I tend to overthink and overcomplicate things. I know I do, but… I have never met a man who follows through on promises. Hell, not even promises, just shows some common decency.”
“You have now. All of my boys will treat you with the greatest respect, including Ben. And if any of them give you cause for concern or you have questions…” Alice reached into her purse on the table and produced a card. “Call me.”
“I can’t take that.” If Darroch didn’t trust her enough to give out his number, what would he say if he found out she had his mother’s? Maybe she was some crazy stalker determined to get him no matter what. “It wouldn’t be right.”
Alice tucked the card into the side pocket of the purse in her lap, all she could do was look at it.
“There, I have given it to you. I’ll be offended if you refuse it.”
Well, great, hello rock and goodbye hard place. “You mentioned your project.”
“There will be time to talk about that.” Alice picked up her glass. “Do you have siblings?”
“Sisters. Two.”
“And your parents?”
“My mom is… highly strung. My dad isn’t around. I met him. At least who my mom says is him.” Not a flicker of judgment. “Can anyone be as truly good as you seem to be?”
Alice laughed. “No one is perfect. My mother’s words still echo for me, the world is a big place. Everyone has a story and we’re not always in control of it. I’ve seen children neglected and exploited by wealthy parents and less affluent alike. I’ve witnessed parents who torture their kids simply by being together. And I’ve seen single parents prevail and excel. Nothing in life is straightforward.”
No, and until then, she hadn’t put the pieces together. Adopted. Some, maybe all, of the Breckenridge boys were adopted. Were they all adopted at birth or had they lived difficult lives before meeting their saviors?
She wanted to ask.
Wanted to know more.
About Darroch.
Goddamn her.
He’d said he wanted to be all she thought about and he was getting his wish. Maybe the phone number thing was a product of his past. Could he have a phobia? A trauma? Something he may be embarrassed about or wouldn’t want to confess so early in their relationship? How could she have been so hasty to dismiss him? God, put in that context, she was an absolute bitch.
“Mr. Breckenridge must be quite a man to deserve you.”
“Ben is thorough and considerate. We have dinner every Friday night, we’d love it if you could meet us for a drink tomorrow.”
“And crash your date? No thank you.”
“Please,” she said, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. “After thirty-five years of Friday night dinners, I’ve more than earned one drink with a friend after all those I’ve had with his business associates. And it’s not like our boys never crashed. What Ben cares about is the drink we share on our bedroom terrace at home, when he reminds me of the promises we made and the lifetime we’ve spent together.”
“I don’t need to ask where that goes…”
They laughed. “Some things men never grow out of.”
“I don’t know if that’s reassuring or terrifying. Does thorough and considerate continue on from your terrace?”
“Ben knows how to take good care of me,” Alice said and reached for a menu. “Join me in a cocktail?”
“Why not?”
She hadn’t eaten and this was the boss’s wife, maybe that was why not. Something about Alice Breckenridge disarmed her. Stupid maybe, but this was safe, she was safe, and the night was only just beginning.