Chapter Nine
Thursday morning, Rachel couldn’t quite calm the butterflies flitting about her stomach.
While she was traveling to Dallas, her former home city, and not somewhere exciting like Hawaii or Australia, it was her first hotel trip in over two years.
The last one had been with the ex, and she’d mostly found herself ignored unless he wanted sex.
This trip was with Oakley, meaning it promised to be far different.
First, working with the Dallas event staff, she’d made the hotel reservations.
Because of his schedule and position as owner of the company, Oakley had a penthouse suite with an attached twelve-person conference room.
Those VPs staying on-site were in junior suites.
She’d reserved a regular room for herself.
Because the hotel was the location for many of the offsite events, the hotel was fully booked with those either attending the rodeo showcase or participating in it.
She wasn’t expecting an upgrade, nor did she need one.
She’d packed carefully, including several nice cocktail dresses, and her medium-sized suitcase sat next to her desk along with her computer tote.
She’d helped set the agenda for the entire weekend, including her and Oakley’s parts in it.
For the Sunday evening award ceremony, she figured one of her simple black sheaths would be perfect.
Besides, it was the one that still fit and hadn’t faded.
Friday and Saturday night were competition nights, both professional and amateur level.
In addition to the competition rounds, a variety of vendors would be selling everything from souvenirs to T-shirts to a wide variety of foods.
Rachel glanced at the corner of her computer.
She’d scheduled them to leave by nine-fifteen, so she rose to go make another pot of coffee that they could put into insulated bottles and take on the road.
She had the pot brewing in the kitchen when she heard the door to the office open.
“I’ll be right out,” she called. She wiped her hands on a paper towel and stepped out into the room.
And froze. Clemons Frost…no Clemons Fortune now…stood there wearing a white linen suit similar to the one he’d worn the day Allie had projectile vomited.
“You!” they both said at the same time.
Rachel recovered first. She calmed her nerves by striding to the trash and tossing the paper towel.
“Mr. Fortune. I’ll let your son know you’re here since he’s not expecting you.
” In fact, she thought Oakley had told his father not to come to the office in order to keep it a safe space for her.
If he had, Clemons had violated that directive.
“Dad?” Oakley came to the doorway. “What are you doing here?”
“What is she doing here?” Clemons asked instead.
“She works here as my administrative assistant. I told you this, and that because of you, I had to hire her back after she quit. I also told you never to come by the office without calling me first.”
Clemons glared at his son. “You should have gotten rid of her. She’s trouble. Her baby ruined my suit. What the hell were you thinking? Then you always were a fool for a pretty face.”
Rachel bit back her immediate retort of “How dare you.” She tucked her lips under and mentally began to count to ten. She refused to let Clemons get to her or to be unprofessional.
She didn’t get far before Oakley gritted out, “Dad, she’s standing right here so you will not speak about her like that. She’s my administrative assistant, and she’s excellent at her job.”
“You’re too soft, boy. You’re blind to the truth.” Clemons launched the blow with extreme vehemence. “She’s probably already trying to get her claws in you. Speaking of claws…” His eyes narrowed. “You snuck into my house and let my cat out, didn’t you?”
“Dad!” Oakley’s rebuke was clear.
Rachel couldn’t hold her silence. “I don’t even know what you’re talking about.”
Clemons snarled his disbelief. “My beloved cat is gone. The catio door was open. You did it—I know it. You wanted retribution for me suing you earlier in the year. It’s not enough that you are trying to get your hooks into my son—you went after my cat so you could get to me directly.”
“I did nothing of the sort.” She took a deep breath as she’d begun shaking from the vitriol Clemons had launched.
“Ha. Good try. I’m sure you did. You have access to where I live. That’s why you work for my son, to get back at me. It’s part of your scheme.”
Rachel closed a mouth that had dropped open in full disbelief.
Her mother had always maintained that if you didn’t have anything nice to say, then it was best to say nothing at all, and currently the curse words ready to spring forth were probably not entirely professional.
And she didn’t want Oakley to see her like that, even if Clemons deserved a good berating. The man was insufferable. How dare he?
Oakley had moved to stand next to Clemons, as if ready to block any movement of his father toward Rachel.
“Dad, Rachel had nothing to do with Mewington going missing. I know he didn’t come home yet, but we will find him.
The reward posters are going up as we speak.
Right now, you need to apologize to Rachel, and then you need to go meet my sisters. They’re planning on helping you.”
“It’s your help I want, and for you to open your eyes and see the traitor in your midst,” Clemons snapped, his cheeks puffing.
“Dad.” Oakley spoke calmly, as if he’d been through this with his father many times before.
“If you won’t apologize, that’s fine, but I will not have you insulting Rachel in my office or returning if you can’t be civil.
Now, you need to go, and so do I as I have meetings in Dallas and have to be there by noon. ”
His father’s glare never wavered until he suddenly noticed Rachel’s suitcase.
As the hard-sided case was lavender colored, it was clearly not Oakley’s.
“She’s going with you?” His face reddened as he enunciated each word.
“Boy, I hoped I hadn’t raised no fool, but you don’t know her like I do.
I see what you can’t, that she’s probably like your previous admin, who—let me remind you—was a gold digger.
She’s the same. An opportunist.” Clemons threw out the accusation with immense satisfaction and complete smugness that he was 100 percent correct in his assessment.
Rachel hadn’t known Oakley long, but she’d never seen his face blanch with pure indignant mortification before.
His arms tightened at his sides, as if he were resisting the urge to raise them.
Rachel understood. She felt the same. She wanted to reach out and throttle Clemons, perhaps shake some sense into him.
“Dad, now you owe me an apology,” Oakley said.
His father’s eyes widened at Oakley’s words, especially as they’d been delivered in a tone that indicated Oakley’s patience with his father’s unsubstantiated accusations and abhorrent behaviors had run out.
Or, in other words, Clemons had exceeded Oakley’s daily tolerance limit.
“I owe no one nothin’,” Clemons retorted, but he did appear more subdued, as if recognizing he’d crossed a line.
“Yes, you do. Rachel is one of the kindest, gentlest people I’ve ever met.
As for her daughter, she’s a precious gem and the sweetest baby ever.
Allie is adorable, which you would have realized had you not thrown a tantrum when she got sick and threw up.
Instead of being understanding, you were abhorrent and went overboard.
Your behavior was as unacceptable then as it is now.
You did yourself no favors in the eyes of the public, and right now, if you weren’t my father, you and I wouldn’t be having this conversation. ”
Oakley drew a breath. “Rachel is a great admin, one of the best I’ve had, including the one who didn’t want to relocate from Dallas. She’s smart and well-respected, and you’d do well to remember that this is my life and that I’m wise enough to know who to let into it and who to keep out.”
“You didn’t—”
Oakley cut him off. “You can keep your thoughts to yourself regarding my failed marriage and my business acumen. I’m no boy.
I’m a grown man, and if I want your opinion, I will ask you.
Otherwise, stop insulting me and my admin.
” He cleared his throat, leveling his father with another stern look.
“While I am used to your attitude, that doesn’t mean it is acceptable or allowed, especially in my office.
And Rachel has already experienced enough of your bad behavior, so I will not let you continue to insult her now. It’s wrong, and you know it.”
Clemons’s eyes widened. His face had turned a deep purple.
About to say something, he clamped his mouth shut, turned and stormed out the door, leaving it wide open.
Oakley stepped halfway out into the hall.
Then he pulled the door shut and tossed the dead bolt.
“I apologize. He shouldn’t have spoken to you like that. ”
“He’s your father…”
The shake of Oakley’s head came fast and furious.
“No. There is no excuse for that behavior from anyone, my father or not. His belligerence, unfounded accusations and tirades are childish and not suiting to a man of his age or stature. While I know he’s still grieving the loss of my mom, he doesn’t get to take it out on those around him.
She’d be appalled if she heard him speak that way.
” He sighed wearily. “I’ll be discussing this with my siblings as soon as I return from Dallas.
I have half a mind to text them right now, but I don’t want to deal with him anymore today lest it spoil our weekend.
I’m just truly sorry you had to be subjected to that, today or any day. Never again. Not on my watch.”
Her heart swelled. Oakley’s words and actions were conclusive proof that he was the type of guy who stood up for what was right and decent. “Thank you.”