Chapter 6
CHAPTER 6
T hey arrived at the party. The building was huge with two stories and huge double doors. It was the biggest house she’d ever seen. It had to be at least thirty thousand square feet.
Adam hurried around to help her from the SUV. Then he handed his keys to the valet.
Bree leaned toward Adam and whispered, “I’ve never seen a valet at a private residence before.”
They stood and looked up at the building.
Adam placed his hand at Bree’s waist as they walked up the stairs. “This isn’t his residence. This is the country club. I thought it would be at his home, but I didn’t pay much attention to the address. Obviously, I was mistaken.”
“Actually, that’s good. I won’t feel like I’m being nosy when I have a look around.”
They entered through the open double doors into a foyer with another set of double doors directly in front of them. The foyer went the length of the building and was about fifteen feet wide.
Adam opened the right side of the interior double doors and then held out his arm to her.
She placed her hand in the crook of his elbow. They stopped first at the coatroom where Bree gave over her wrap. She put the ticket into her clutch and took Adam’s arm again.
He led them inside, where he released her arm and grabbed them each a glass of champagne from the tray held by a server.
Bree took hers with her left hand and sipped the drink while looking around her. The room was painted a cream color with dark wood trim. The bar was old-looking, made from a dark wood, maybe mahogany, and was about fifteen or twenty feet long. Large windows were across both of the walls on the east and west sides of the room. The area was open and was full, but yet not overly crowded. Tables were set up along the windows, leaving the center open and easily navigable.
She stuck close to Adam. He knew these people she didn’t.
“Well, well. Look who the cat dragged in,” said a man with graying brown hair.
“Simon,” said Adam.
Bree could feel distaste when Adam said his name.
“Aren’t you going to introduce me to your lovely companion?”
Adam took a deep breath. “Simon Chandler, this is my wife, Brianna Kincaid.”
Bree extended her right hand. “Mr. Chandler.”
Simon took her hand and brought it to his lips, kissing the top. “Mrs. Kincaid. I’d heard that Adam married, I hadn’t realized you were so beautiful. He’s a lucky man.”
Bree pulled her hand back. “Thank you.”
Adam looked around and behind Simon. “Where is your better half tonight, Simon. Janie is the only reason most people put up with you.”
Simon’s lip curled up. “She was feeling poorly. I brought someone else.” He looked over Adam’s shoulder. “Ah, here she comes now.”
Bree turned at the same time Adam did.
“Valerie.” She nodded her head curtly.
“Brianna. I’d heard you and Adam married. I couldn’t believe it and only three years after poor Brad’s death.”
Bree narrowed her eyes, wishing her gaze was lasers that could zap the other woman out of existence. “I hadn’t heard you were dating again after the last fiasco.”
Valerie, a tall, bleached blonde, wore a red dress with a slit to the top of her left thigh. The dress was sleeveless, with a deep V-neck almost to her belly button, and she wore long, red lace gloves.
Bree thought she looked like a vampire wannabe.
Valerie looked Bree up and down, before turning toward Adam. “Yes, well we all make mistakes. Mine was obviously letting Adam go.”
Adam narrowed his eyes. “You didn’t let me go, Valerie. I kicked you out when I found you’d cheated on me. As the saying goes, you made your bed and then you had to lie in it. I wasn’t about to let you stick around.”
Valerie shrugged. “Yes, I admit that wasn’t my finest hour.”
Adam placed a hand on Bree’s back and started massaging the tension out of her muscles.
He frowned, but didn’t remove his hand from Bree’s back. “You’re just sorry you got caught, not that you did it in the first place.”
She waved a hand in front of her. “Of course, I am. I screwed myself and thought I could get away with the affair with Simon. I found you a little too vanilla for my tastes. It doesn’t matter now, I’m here and that’s all I want at the moment.”
“You haven’t changed since college. The one I feel sorry for in this mess.”—Bree looked directly at Simon with disgust— “is your wife. Janie. You remember her. Nice woman unlucky enough to be married to you.”
“She’s fine.” Simon sneered. “She’s getting exactly what she wanted—access to my money—It keeps her happy, and I can still have Valerie when I want her. Like tonight. She looks much better on my arm than Janie.”
A man with gray hair and mustache approached unseen by either Simon, Adam, or Valerie.
But Bree saw him.
He didn’t look happy.
The man frowned. “Mr. Chandler. I had hoped you would bring your wife.”
Simon reddened. “Ah, Mr. Danvers…my wife was indisposed so I opted to bring Ms. Valerie Kincaid rather than come alone.”
“Kincaid?” He cocked an eyebrow and looked at Adam. “Your ex-wife I assume.”
“Yes, Mr. Danvers.” Adam put his arm around Bree’s shoulders. “Brianna is my wife and the mother of our child. Brianna, may I present Mr. Wade Danvers?”
“I’m pleased to meet you Mr. Danvers,” Bree extended her right hand.
Danvers shook it. “It’s nice to meet you, too, Brianna. May I call you Brianna?”
“Of course, but my friends call me Bree and I think we will be good friends.”
Wade crooked his arm. “Would you be so kind as to accompany me to meet my dear wife. I’m afraid she doesn’t get around like she used to. Arthritis in her knees has her confined to a wheelchair for these gatherings.”
Bree took his arm, then looked back at Adam and lifted her shoulders just a bit.
“Don’t worry, my dear, Bree. Adam will be right behind us.” Danvers turned and looked at Adam. “Follow us, would you dear boy?”
“Of course.” Adam shot Simon a triumphant grin.
When they arrived, the small, silver-haired woman in the wheelchair smiled broadly. She was lovely. Her hair was in a sleek chignon, and she wore a stylish black evening gown.
Wade released Bree’s arm, walked to his wife, and kissed her on the forehead. “How are you, my love?”
She patted his hand. “I’m fine, Wade.” Then she turned toward Bree and Adam. “You don’t have to worry about me. Introduce me to this lovely couple you’ve brought to see me.”
“Adam and Bree Kincaid, this is my wife, Stacy.”
Bree moved next to the woman and held out her right hand. “I’m very pleased to meet you.”
“And I you.” Stacy looked Bree up and down. “You are just the prettiest little thing. I love that dress. It looks like something I would have worn when I could still walk.”
“Thank you. I love it, too.” She ran a hand over her stomach. She loved the material. Even with all the crystals, the dress still felt wonderful. “When Adam said we were coming and to buy a new dress, I was thrilled. But listen to me. I’m just rambling.”
She extended her hand toward Adam. “I’m pleased to meet you, Mr. Kincaid.”
Adam smiled and turned his attention to Stacy. He took her hand and kissed the top. “Call me Adam, please.”
“Adam.” Stacy nodded. “Wade has told me a lot about you. He’s very enamored with you.” She chuckled. “I don’t mean that the way it sounds. He likes your business practices and that you’ve married. I understand you have a baby daughter?”
Bree grinned, her heartwarming with the thought of her baby daughter. “Oh, we do, and she said her first word today. Mama, while she reached for me, so she knows what is means, too.”
“That’s wonderful.” Stacy smiled. “I remember when our kids were that age. How old is your daughter, by the way?”
Bree couldn’t stop herself from the pride she felt being Lilly’s mother. “Lilly just turned eight months. She’s also turtle- crawling on the floor. We have to watch her like a hawk. I caught her half-way under the bed the other day.”
They all laughed.
“We did the same thing with our oldest. Being new parents is hard, but it gets easier with the next ones,” said Wade.
Adam and Bree looked at each other, agreeing in silence not to comment.
Bree would like nothing more than to have more children with Adam. She knew she was in love with him. She still missed Brad, but Adam had taken care of her. Made sure she got everything Brad had wanted her to get. Brad had left her a wealthy woman in her own right. She didn’t need or want Adam’s money. That was probably appealing to Adam, since his ex, Valerie, had been all about the money.
But Valerie had signed a prenup and got very little. Bree thought maybe he was feeling a little guilty over Valerie’s having had an affair. She knew he thought if he’d been home more often, it might not have happened. That was why he’d been generous with Valerie, giving her the condo they lived in and the car she drove.
Bree knew differently. She’d known the woman was cheating even before Valerie and Adam had married. Bree had tried telling Adam, but he was in love, or so he said, and didn’t listen to her, and Valerie had hurt him.
She turned her attention back to Stacy and Wade. “So, Wade, what does Danvers Industries actually do?”
Wade placed one hand behind his back and the other on Stacy’s shoulder. “We’re like Kincaid Holdings. We have a portfolio of companies we own and manage. It’s much easier having them all under one roof so to speak instead of having fifteen different companies.”
Bree was interested in what Adam did, but he wasn’t very forthcoming about it, so now that she had a captive audience, she meant to take advantage of it. “Are the companies all in one sector of industry?”
Wade chuckled. “It would make it a lot easier if they were, but they are different for the sake of diversity. If one industry goes down, we have others that will offset it and often pick up the slack left by the other companies. You’re passionately interested in business, aren’t you?”
She nodded. “I am. I hope to open my own business one day, but I want to be there for Lilly before I decide on anything else. I’m an author now which will allow me to care for Lilly, but I want to have something else to fall back on. Something physical. Perhaps when she starts school, I’ll have more time to think about it.”
“And what business would you like to open?” asked Stacy.
Bree realigned her body, so she faced Stacy directly and then gazed down at her. “I love to garden, so that’s what I’d like to do…have a garden center. It would carry everything you could want for a lovely backyard garden.”
“It sounds like you’ve given this some thought. Have you done anymore planning?” asked Wade.
Bree shook her head. “Right now, it’s just a dream. Like I said I don’t want to start anything until Lilly is older. She’s the most important person in my life.”
“I understand she’s a baby and needs you, but you can’t live your life just for your children. That’s unfair to you and to them. Trust me on this. I did that with my first one, and he resented me for not letting him grow up like his classmates.” Stacy chuckled at the memory. “We learned and treated the rest of the children differently.”
“I’ll take your advice under advisement.” Bree wasn’t sure she could do what they suggested, but she’d at least think about it. As the oldest in a family of five kids, she’d always been the one responsible for her younger siblings. Her parents were always working. Bree wanted to be there for Lilly in a way her parents never were.
The two couples chatted for a good thirty minutes.
“If you could direct me to the powder room, I’d appreciate it,” Bree whispered to Stacy.
Stacy pointed toward the entrance doors. “Of course. It’s just off the lobby where you came in. You can’t miss the signs.”
“Thank you.” Bree turned her gaze to Adam. “I’ll be right back.”
“Certainly. We’ll be here.” Adam gave her a kiss on the forehead.
Bree lifted her eyebrows. She had her back to Wade and Stacy, so only Adam could see her reaction.
He simply smiled.
Then she remembered what they were trying to convey and relaxed. Tonight, they were a happily married couple with a baby at home…well, at Rocky and Madelyn’s.
“Excuse me. I’ll be right back.” She headed off in the direction Stacy had indicated.
She was fixing her lipstick in the reclining room mirror when Valerie Kincaid walked up next to her. Bree looked at the woman in the mirror. “Valerie.”
Valerie narrowed her eyes and looked down her nose at Bree. “Brianna. I was surprised to hear of your marriage to Adam. I suppose I should say congratulations.”
Bree lifted a brow and placed the lipstick into her evening bag. “Don’t bother on my account.”
Valerie laughed. “You’re a little snippy tonight, aren’t you? Marriage to Adam not all you thought it would be?”
“My marriage to Adam is wonderful and not any of your business, anyway.” Would her expression give her away? She smiled, though it didn’t reach her eyes. Valerie wouldn’t see that, though. The woman was too vapid to notice anything.
Valerie’s smile disappeared. “My marriage to Adam wasn’t anyone’s business, either, but Brad didn’t seem to have any problems sticking his nose into it. I know it was him who told Adam about me.”
Bree wouldn’t have Brad’s memory savaged. “You’re wrong about that, but even if you were right about Brad, you were wrong to cheat on Adam. All he ever did was love you, but that wasn’t enough for you, was it? And with Simon? What in the world were you thinking? Simon will never divorce Janie. She owns more than fifty-two percent of the business. He’d be a fool to divorce her.”
“You take that back. You’re wrong about that.” Valerie hissed.
Bree laughed. Adam had briefed her about Simon and explained Janie’s part of the business. He knew he’d have to work with Janie more than Simon. “You should do your homework better before you decide to seduce someone else’s husband. Janie’s parents started the business. She was gifted it upon her marriage to Simon. He was the means to an end. She wanted the business, and her parents wouldn’t give it to her until she was married. As part of her dowry, for lack of a better word, Simon was given his part of the business when he married Janie. Theirs is a business arrangement more than a marriage.”
Valerie eyes narrowed and her lips lifted on one side.
Bree thought steam might spray from her ears at any moment. The look on Valerie’s face was priceless, and Bree had to smile, though when she thought of her own marriage of convenience, her smile faltered. She and Adam had the same kind of arrangement. A business arrangement. Her smile disappeared.
Valerie narrowed her eyes and slapped Bree across the face.
Bree’s hand immediately went to her left cheek. It stung and she was afraid there would be a hand print. “What was that for?”
“Because you’re lying. You’re trying to make me angry, and you achieved your goal.”
Bree stiffened and her eyes narrowed. “I’m not lying and if you lay a hand on me again, you’ll be sorry. If you don’t believe me, ask Simon. See what he tells you. Or better yet, ask Janie. Do you think your little affair will be news to her? I guarantee she’s known about it since it happened.”
For the first time, Valerie’s eyes widened and she stepped back.
Bree saw it in the other woman’s face as her confidence wavered.
She wasn’t prepared to let go of her plans, maybe even dreams, that Simon would leave Janie for her.
Bree laughed. “You realize I’m right, and you don’t know what to do. You’ve hitched your wagon to Simon only to find the tires are flat. Good luck, with that and leave me alone.” She headed to the door.
“You know he’ll never love you.”
Bree turned back and faced Valerie. “What?”
“Adam. He’ll never love you. He’s not capable.”
“Maybe you were just the wrong woman and maybe that’s not what I’m looking for.” She didn’t believe her. Bree was sure that Adam had loved Valerie, but what if she was right and Bree was wrong?
Valerie laughed, the sound anything but humorous. “Oh, you’re looking for it. I see it in your eyes when you gaze at him. You’re already in love with him, or well on your way there. Don’t let him fool you. Adam Kincaid is only out for Adam Kincaid.”
“You’re entitled to your opinion, but I’ll tell you now, you’re wrong. I’m getting exactly what I need from Adam.” With those words, Bree opened the door and headed out to rejoin the others.
Was Valerie right? Would Adam never be able to love her? She was correct about one thing…Bree was in love with Adam. Now to figure out what to do about it.