Chapter 13
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
S alem
When I finish packing enough for a couple weeks, I drag my suitcases out to my kitchen where Ever is sitting at the table drinking a Diet Coke. I set my luggage near the front door and join her for what will be the last time for a while.
“You know there are two other clients who are going to need your attention while you’re upstate since we already talked to Miss Show The World Her Goodies and her team already. Do you want me to take over with them?”
I blow the air out of my lungs as I go over the list of items I’ll need to work on to begin cleaning up Kellen’s reputation. It’s not a lot, but I’m going to have to pull out all the stops to convince people to help me get the word out.
So I should hand those two other clients to my sister. On the other hand, those clients don’t require as much from me since I’ve been working with them for the past few weeks. In addition, I have the feeling I’m going to need something to take my mind off how hard it’s going to be working with Kellen and everyone in the media who’s already got their mind set about him.
“No, I’ll take care of them too. I’ll have my files, my laptop, and my phone, so nothing will be different than if I was here in the city.”
“I know. I just figured I’d offer since I just finished with that actor and his mess. Not that I don’t think someone else will come along needing our services.”
Laughing, I look around my apartment I’m going to miss for the next few months. “They better. Living here costs some good money.”
She stands up and tosses her empty soda can into the garbage. “Not to worry. I charged Matthias King the premium price to clean up his brother’s mess.”
“A million? You might have come in low, to be honest. Twelve weeks is the least amount of time I’m going to need to clean up his reputation. I’m practically waiting for other women to come out of the woodwork now that the first one has gone public.”
“Do you really think he’s a serial sexual harasser?”
Shaking my head, I answer, “I’m not even sure that’s what happened. Sexual harassment, I mean. But I can’t imagine she’s the first employee he’s slept with.”
“Doesn’t that make it sexual harassment?”
“Not necessarily. Maybe what he says is true—that she wanted to go out with him as much as he wanted to with her. It’s against his company’s rules, but does that make it sexual harassment?”
“You know most people will think it is, Salem.”
I shrug, knowing all too well what most people will think. “Okay, but if there’s no threat of retribution if she doesn’t go out with him, would it still be sexual harassment? Or is it merely a case of poor choices on both their parts?”
My sister slaps the top of my hand and laughs. “This is why you’re the best. Confuse and obfuscate. Make people question what they thought was right. Go get ‘em, Salem!”
That’s not what I want to do with this client. I’d like to simply show the world the person I met down at that resort. He wasn’t perfect, but that Kellen wouldn’t be hated as public enemy number one.
“I guess I better get going. Thanks for letting me use your car.”
Ever stands up and pushes her chair into the table. “Thank that wonderful ex-husband of mine. He’s the reason I have a car just lying around for you to use. I swear I think my lawyer could have gotten him to give up that precious house of his if he pushed just a little harder.”
Her ex, a man I thought she’d be with forever, made the mistake of not forcing my sister to sign a prenup, and he paid in spades for that error in judgment when she caught him stepping out with his assistant. She loves to say that love makes people do stupid things. Obviously, that’s true for some people, but I’ve never been sure that’s the case for most.
“I’m just a phone call or text away, so let me know if you hear anything I need to know.”
She grabs one of my suitcases and I grab the heavier one before I take one last look around my apartment and head out. Twelve weeks from now, I hope to God I come back here triumphant after successfully cleaning up Kellen’s mess.
After an early afternoon drive up the Taconic Parkway with the beautiful spring scenery that lines the road, I make it to Kellen’s grandmother’s house in less than an hour. As I pull up the tree-lined driveway, I see a large gray stone home about half the size of Matthias King’s home. Beautifully kept, the house reminds me of a mansion near where I grew up in Virginia with its large front door and classical style.
I park my sister’s silver Mercedes and walk around the front of the house to admire the fa?ade. Kellen must be used to something quite opulent if he thinks this is some kind of punishment.
“My grandparents loved this place,” Matthias says as he walks over toward me from where he’s parked his car. “It’s a beautiful home. I’m glad I never ended up renting it out like I planned to so we can use it for this purpose.”
He offers me his hand, and I shake it as I say, “It’s good to see you again, Matthias. Is Kellen here already?”
Every hint of a smile disappears with my question. “He is. Complained about the plan from the moment you left. I’m afraid he’s not taking it well.”
Hoping to ease his worries, I smile and say, “I’ve had much worse clients, so don’t despair yet.”
That gets me a tiny smile, and then he offers to take me on a tour of the inside of the house before he leaves. For the next ten minutes, we walk through a lovely home that’s been remodeled in the past few years. Matthias explains that it needed to be updated, so his father began fixing up the home a few years before his death.
His mention of yet another member of his family passing away recently makes me wonder if that’s another avenue I can explore in my efforts to fix Kellen’s situation. This family certainly has suffered its fair share of loss.
“When we were kids, my brothers and I would come here and spend weekends with our grandparents. They weren’t up to the job of handling five boys, so we pretty much ran wild whenever we came over.”
I smile at the image my brain concocts of the people I met running around this home as little boys. Their grandparents must have loved them very much to take all five of them at a time. My grandparents refused to let my brother stay over if they took Ever and me for a night. They claimed the three of us were too much to handle.
“Let me show you to your room. I thought it would be best to give you the master suite, so your bedroom is the only one on the first floor,” Matthias says as we walk down the hall to the back of the house.
We stop at the last room, a large pale green bedroom with a four-poster bed and an en suite bathroom. The moment I walk into the room, I’m in love. Not only is there a desk area where I can work, but the bathroom has been completely remodeled with matching light green paint and a large white soaker tub sitting in the middle of the room. On the far wall, a glass enclosed shower offers the option for a quicker way to get clean.
“This is better than the last hotel room I stayed in. Your father had them do a beautiful job with this house, Matthias.”
With an appreciative smile, he nods at my compliment. “He wanted to make sure the updates impressed as much as the bones of the house still do. I had a realtor tell me I could sell this for a pretty penny, but the place means too much to me. Too many memories for me to let it go just yet.”
“It’s gorgeous. I can understand not wanting to part with a home like this,” I say as we walk back out to the public areas of the home.
Matthias stops in the kitchen and looks around at the work that’s been done in this room. Obviously completely updated, it has stainless steel appliances, a large island with a granite countertop in the center of the room, and a breakfast nook where a cute table and chairs give someone the chance to enjoy a meal surrounded by windows that look out onto a large backyard. Even better, the kitchen is entirely white with accents of yellow. It’s as if someone copied from my brain exactly what I’d love to have in a home of my own.
“I’ve arranged for meals to be delivered each day since I wasn’t sure if you’d want to be cooking while you’re working. A housekeeper will be sent over once a week, and if you need anything, all you have to do is call. Since the baby is due in only a few months, I’ve been working at home a lot, so I’m literally only a few minutes away if you need me for anything.”
I sense he’s nervous about what we’re doing, so I try to calm his nerves. “Thank you. I’m sure we’ll be fine. As long as Kellen stays out of the public eye for a while, I can get to work rehabilitating what people think of him. Trust me. I’ve done this before with far worse cases.”
Matthias breathes a sigh of relief. “I hope so. I worry if we can’t get him back on track, he won’t be able to return to King Industries. He’s not this person. I know you probably think I’m biased, and I guess I am, but Kellen’s a good guy. He’s just been making some bad decisions recently, which I know you understand firsthand.”
His reference to being abandoned by his brother on an island in the tropics makes my chest tighten for a moment, but I can’t let myself fixate on that. Yes, he screwed up, but that’s not what I care about with this job.
“Ava said the same thing to me yesterday. I got the feeling she felt a lot of what’s happened has to do with your brother’s passing.”
Sadness fills his expression, making Matthias look years older than he did just a moment ago. “It’s been hard on all of us, but yes, I think she’s right. He’s still mourning Theo, which makes it harder for him.”
He forces a smile and says, “Okay, the rest of the bedrooms are on the second floor, but I wanted to show you my grandfather’s study. I thought you could use it as an office.”
I’m curious about which room Kellen will be staying in, but I don’t ask and follow Matthias as he walks to a room with a dark wood floor and walls painted deep blue. It’s the manliest place I’ve ever seen, and if there was an animal head hanging on the wall, it would definitely be the most masculine room ever.
A large cherry wood desk sits over near a bank of floor-to-ceiling windows, and bookcases in that same dark wood cover the wall nearby. I get the sense this room hasn’t been remodeled, but if it’s any indication of how beautiful the home was before being redone, I’m impressed.
“Okay, well, that’s about it. Again, if you need anything, please call. I think I should apologize in advance for Kellen’s behavior. I hope he doesn’t make you regret taking us on.”
“Not to worry. I’m on the job,” I say with a smile.
I walk with him outside and after he leaves, I venture around the house to get a feel of the property. It’s a spring afternoon with temperatures in the sixties, so it’s a perfect day to be outside. With the sun warming my face, I check out the backyard and see there are no homes behind this one. I don’t know how far the woods go, but I imagine they were the perfect hiding place for mischievous little boys.
An old swing set sits right before the trees start, and what looks like a sandbox that’s been almost completely swallowed up by the grass is to the left of it. The yard could do with a good mowing, but I’m sure Matthias will see to that.
Turning to walk back around to the front of the house, I see Kellen reclining on a chaise lounge on the patio just off the rear of the home. He’s wearing only a pair of black shorts and sunglasses and has a bottle of beer in his hand.
I figure it’s best to start off this working relationship we’ll have for the next three months by saying hello, so I walk over and stop a few feet away from where he looks like he’s sunbathing. Like at the resort, he looks incredible lying there without a shirt on. For a moment, I get lost in the memory of running my hands over his tanned, broad chest and chiseled abs.
God, he’s gorgeous. If only he wasn’t such a jackass.
“Hi. I just got here a little while ago, and your brother gave me a tour of the house. It’s a beautiful home.”
He turns his head to look at me and lifts his sunglasses so I can see his entire sullen expression, complete with the angry eyes staring at me. “It’s a fucking prison, but I’m glad you like it.”
I watch as he readjusts his sunglasses and goes back to enjoying the sun, ignoring me once again. Okay. Not a good start.
“Well, I just wanted to say hello. I figured since we’re going to be living together in the same house for a while that it would be the polite thing to do.”
I honestly don’t know why I’m explaining myself to this man. He made it quite clear when he left me alone in his villa that he didn’t give a damn about me or being a decent person. I doubt he gives a damn that I’m here at all trying to help him.
After giving him a few moments to be polite and say something, I turn to walk back around to the front of the house. I don’t get far before he starts talking again, though.
“Don’t think I’m going to be chatting you up while you’re here. You and my brother can go to hell for making me stay in this house.”
So much for a pleasant workplace environment. He may not be guilty of sexual harassment, but he’s definitely a surly bastard to be around. That’s for sure.