Chapter Two
Penelope
“Care to run that by me one more time?”
I straightened the hemline of my dress with a flicking motion. I loved this dress. It was one of my favorites. I’d picked it out with Madeline just the other day. Having a daughter had brought plenty of issues to the table when I was a teenager, but at twenty-nine, it was, in fact, like having a live-in best friend. Madeline had both impeccable good taste and absolutely no filter. The perfect shopping partner. I’d worn it for extra luck today to deal with my older brother’s nearly constant emails and texts from the past few days.
“I can say it a hundred more times if you’d like, but it changes nothing. Will, he’s staying with me. End of story.”
My eldest sibling, who right now was staring at me as if I had suggested turning Madeline Media into a nonprofit instead of calmly announcing my current living situation, flopped back into his chair with a grunt. I hid a grin. And they thought I was the dramatic Dougherty. Not by a long shot. I was the calm sibling, the poised figurehead. Will was the brains, while my other brother, Adrian, was clearly the creativity.
Together we made the perfect corporate weapon. And at twenty-nine, I didn’t need my brother’s approval. I’d merely come here as a precautionary action since it was my weekend to host family dinner and I didn’t want my brothers to be surprised by my current household guest.
“You,” Will said, snapping his spine straight once more and lining his hands up on his desk before neatly drawing out some shapes, “the CEO of Madeline Media, are taking in a homeless man who saved your life, and he is currently moving into your penthouse.”
I nodded, leveling my brother with the same intense stare I used in the boardroom.
Will’s eyes bulged, but he continued on. “And you intend to keep him there until…?”
I didn’t bother responding. He already knew the answer.
Will sat back, his chest expanding as he inhaled and obviously prepared to continue this days-long battle. I held up a hand, stopping him when his lips parted once more. “I intend to keep him there as long as he needs to get back on his feet.”
This time he groaned, dark head falling forward. I bit down on my lip, waiting for the words to settle into his brain. He knew as well as I did that I wasn’t about to give up on this. After what happened last week, I had never felt more terrified or more lost than I had before my stranger-turned-hero had appeared. And then, after he had dispatched my would-be muggers, seeing him fall to the ground had ripped what remained of my heart and sanity straight out.
Paying for his hospital stay hadn’t been enough. And when I visited, finding him alone, pale, and stitched from an ugly gunshot to the upper arm, which must’ve happened during the fight, I knew exactly what I wanted to do. Especially when the hospital called to tell me the man whose care I was paying for was fighting to leave against medical advice. Of course they couldn’t let him leave unless he was going somewhere safe, where he could be cared for while the injury healed.
Such a simple solution, I hadn’t even thought twice before answering.
He had saved me.
I could do this for him. It took only a few minutes to send over my address and direct them to my assistant to help arrange the delivery of anything and everything that he might need during recovery.
But for the first time in a long time, I hadn’t second-guessed myself or worried over the decision. I had seen the look in his eyes when he reached for me, his own body a shield against those who attacked me.
I knew that I wasn’t in any real danger from my hero. My penthouse was easily large enough for me and this man to live in separate wings and see each other only if we wished to. Throw in my on-site bodyguard, and it wasn’t as if he was going to drag his barely conscious self over to hurt me. And even if it had been said, I would go on record anywhere necessary to say that I didn’t believe this man could ever hurt me.
The truth of it had been shining out of his eyes in those moments before everything went wild. He was a good man. Deadly, I had found out quite quickly, but good. I knew I wanted this person safe and healthy. I had a feeling it had been too long since anyone had done that for him.
“Do you have any other questions, big brother? Or can I go pick up your niece from school?” I smoothed the fabric of my dress across my knee.
“I don’t like this.”
“That’s not a question.”
Will was gnawing at his lip, a habit he’d had even as a small kid. “Does Madeline know too?”
“She does. And she will see him when he’s more stable.” No sense letting my softhearted daughter meet someone who might be gone from our lives just a quickly as he had appeared. “As of now, she’s going to stay the week at Adrian and Nicole’s, just coming for dinner and then going back.”
Will nodded. “You know this is insane, right?”
My temper flushed my skin. “I am an adult, Will, and I don’t appreciate you talking to me like that. You would never treat Adrian this way.” I crossed my arms, my foot bobbing ever so slightly. “I’m not a kid anymore, and I can make my own choices. If you don’t like it, then skip this weekend’s dinner.”
Feigning calm, I tossed my work bag over my shoulder and picked up my purse. “I’ll leave you to it. I know you have a two o’clock.”
Will stood, his face a myriad of expressions before I turned to walk away. “Pen, wait.”
I halted at the door but still swung it open, letting the brighter light of the main office fill the space between us. “What is it?”
“What’s his name?”
A small smile curved my mouth. Something deep in my chest warmed. “Neal. His name is Neal.”
***
Leaving my brother’s office, I took the secret elevator down to where my office was hidden away. Building my office away from the traditional executive offices hadn’t been intentional. Instead, I tucked my suite right in next to the day area facility that Madeline had been in when I’d first assumed this role. It had been an easier choice then, when there were only a few employees and all of them had been blood relatives. But as Madeline Media had expanded, I had stayed put. Perhaps it was nostalgia. Perhaps it was because I was still a little trapped by the idea that my life was nothing like I’d imagined it.
I was a CEO, the head of an executive board. I loved the people I worked with. I even loved working with my brothers, even if they made me a little crazy half the time.
But now that Madeline was at school, hanging with friends, or generally being an almost thirteen-year-old girl, I was a little lost in the quiet of what had always been beautifully chaotic. In a few years, she would be headed off to college, and while I would love witnessing her joys, there were parts of me that ached for a new purpose.
I had terrified her the other night, telling her I was considering going back to college with her. Not that I meant it, at least the “with her” part. But I had thought about pursuing my education again. After all, I’d barely managed to get through college. I had been busy building Madeline Media and raising a toddler while my friends hit up the best spring break locations and learned which fraternity had the best parties.
My life had been different since the moment I saw those two lines, and I had no regrets.
But it left me here, not in my thirties yet and beginning to wonder about what comes next. Sighing, I sat at my desk, letting the squeak of the wheels greet me. Tia, my assistant, swept in, reeling off a long list of things that I had to do today, followed quickly by the list of phone calls and meetings that were coming this afternoon.
When she finally took a breath, I smiled up at her. “How did I ever run this place without you?”
She flushed, tucking a braid behind her ear as she playfully rolled her eyes. “You’re exaggerating, as usual.”
I grinned at her, taking the folder of paperwork from her. “I’m not.”
“Well then, your last assistant wasn’t worth the desk she sat at. You’re the easiest person I’ve ever worked for.”
“Aww,” I said, placing a hand over my heart.
“Aww,” Tia echoed, mimicking my motion and making me laugh.
“Now that we’ve gotten that love fest over with,” I said, straightening in my chair. “I have to get to this to-do list, or else I’ll never make it to dinner with Maddie.”
Tia nodded, dropping a few reminder posts on my desk like I preferred, and quickly swished out of the office. I grimaced, picking up the first stack and eyeing them before quickly deciding that my ADHD was not nearly as interested in this task as I needed to be to actually sort through it.
My phone was in my hand before I could think twice, my thumb hovering over the at-home nurse’s phone number. I’d hired Max this weekend, and he’d jumped right into Neal’s care the moment that he got released from the hospital and settled into my home yesterday.
I’d only been able to check in on my rescued rescuer for a few moments this morning. And even now, I couldn’t find a reason that I needed to call Max, other than the morbid curiosity that took over every time I thought about the mysterious rescuer.
Neal Crowe. That was what the identification in his wallet had said. It was, in fact, the only thing that had been in the worn leather billfold. No cash, no credit cards, not even a picture or something stuffed between the leather folds. Nothing. Just an expired driver’s license. I’d been surprised how young he actually was, too young compared to the way he looked on the hospital bed, his broad features too pale, too gaunt under the fluorescent lights.
I hadn’t known him.
I didn’t think he knew me. But that hadn’t stopped him from jumping in, from saving me and the array of company documentation that I’d been carrying to seal a deal with our new consultants. I wetted my lips, thinking about that moment. The way my stomach bottomed out when I realized that I was completely alone with the two ski-masked faces that had glared back at me as they surrounded me.
I hadn’t even been able to call for my driver, Church, who had been only a half block away. It had all happened so quickly. Thank God I hadn’t had Madeline with me.
My finger jerked before I could stop myself, and when I lifted the phone to my ear, every one of my nerves tingled in response to the ringtone in my ear. I swallowed again, pressing my free hand to the desktop while I waited anxiously for Max to pick up.
The caretaker’s deep voice answered after the first thing. “Ms. Dougherty! Nice to hear from you.”
Relief flooded my chest. Clearly nothing bad had happened during the move. The doctors had said that Neal would most likely be more mobile after today. The bullet had missed most of his vital organs, and while he would have a scar, it wasn’t life threatening. They had been more concerned about the concussion that he’d come in with, the result of falling to the cement after he passed out. But since Neal had woken up a few days before, pulling his IV lines out and demanding to be released, he had made excellent progress, and they expected no long-term issues.
“Hi, Max.” My voice cracked a little, which only embarrassed me further. “Just checking in.”
The jovial-sounding man quickly launched into a variety of technical-sounding details about Neal’s condition as I nodded along, turning to stare out my window. In the background, I could hear a deep, muffled voice speaking.
He was awake, then.
“I’m not exactly sure what all that means, but you sound pleased,” I said after a long moment.
Max chuckled. “Yes, ma’am. He’s looking great. Stitches look great, and no more headaches. The pain medicine he’s on is still keeping him groggy—”
My heart leapt a little. “But that’s normal, right?”
“Completely. From what I can tell, Mr. Crowe lived a rough life as of late. Perhaps his body is just taking the time to catch up on much-needed sleep and care.”
“That makes sense. Thank you, Max. As soon as I get Madeline, we will be home. Does that still work for you?”
“Works great.”
“I’ll see you then. Let me know if you need anything in the meantime.”
We hung up a moment later, and I finally took a long, deep breath and dived in to work. I needed to talk to Madeline one more time before we went home. I wasn’t letting her stay in the house until Neal was up and comfortable, but I still wanted to talk to her about it.
I drilled through the rest of my day and found myself standing by the edge of my desk, nails tapping as I waited for Church to bring my car around. Ever since my attack, I’d stopped doing any kind of errands after work. It was obvious that something was going on, and I wasn’t about to risk myself or my family because of stupid pride.
I would absolutely wait for Church. Outside of being my driver, the man was built like a mountain. And while I knew that his hobbies included cross-stitching and watching reruns of Gilmore Girls with Madeline, his size had always been a feature that made everyone think twice. He’d been the one who had helped pick up Neal and get him into the hospital the day of the attack.
CHURCH: Coast is clear, boss; I have the package.
I grinned, waving to Tia as I walked outside and straight to the black SUV. Church was holding the door, his handsome face turned up in a welcoming smile. I crawled into the back seat, sweeping the tail of my coat in after me. The package, as Church always described her, was sitting in the other captain’s chair, head bowed as she stared into a brightly lit iPad.
“Hi baby. Good day at school?” I asked, setting in for the short drive home.
Church closed the door behind me, leaving us in the shrouded interior darkness. I could still see that Madeline shrugged, her fingers scrolling around the page. I sighed, reaching my hand across and putting it on her arm.
“Are you still upset with me?”
“No.” A lie, obvious by the way that she still wouldn’t look at me. My daughter had been irate about my attack, her teenage angst fueled by the fact that I’d refused to back away from this project to acquire Storm Media. Even after their owner Savi Rodriquez continued to be a massive pain in the ass. There was no proof yet, but as far as we could tell, his company would profit the most if our confidential files were taken.
Instead of looking at me, she stared pointedly out the window, eyes focused on something I couldn’t see.
“It’s okay if you are,” I told her softly. “I’m here whenever you want to talk.” Even though it physically hurt me, I removed my hand from her arm and sat back in my chair. She was allowed to have her feelings. I just hoped that when she was ready to talk about it, she would tell me.
Church got in, easing the engine to life and pulling out into the Chicago traffic. Our penthouse was a short drive from our headquarters, and while I would prefer to walk, that simply wasn’t an option right now.
Maybe she was lulled by my words or the comfortable hum of background music around us, but Madeline put down the iPad. When she turned to me, her face was open and downright vulnerable for the first time in days. “I miss you.” Her shoulders dropped, just a fraction of an inch, but I knew it well enough to know that she telling me the truth.
After a long moment, I said, “I know. I miss you too.”
“How much longer will he be there? Not that I’m trying to put some guy in a coma out on the streets, but I want my house back too.” Her lip quivered.
“He’s not in a coma, Maddie. The medicine is just making him really tired. And I know. It’s been an odd week, hasn’t it? The doctors have assured me that Neal should be up and about by the end of next week, and we can see how his stitches are healing.”
“And then?” Madeline’s confusion over my interest in this man was evident. And unlike how I’d felt telling my brother, I did want to explain it to her.
I settled back into the chair, my face feeling hot. “Then I’m not really sure. I’d like to get him set up in an apartment or something, at least for the year. He risked his life to keep me safe. It’s important to me that he feels safe too. I don’t think anyone has done that for him in a long time.”
“Do you think he’ll want your help? Lots of people don’t want others in their business.” Madeline shifted now, eyeing me closely.
I shrugged, stealing her move, “Honestly, I don’t know. But we both know that if those guys had gotten their hands on the files I was carrying, Madeleine Media’s future would’ve been at risk of catastrophic failure.”
“Not to mention their CEO being attacked,” Madeline said, her voice wavering again.
I reached for her, and this time she took my hand. “The time will go fast. Is it bad at Adrian and Nicole’s place?”
“No, they’re great. I did have to have a brief discussion about how much PDA is too much PDA though.”
I laughed. “I’m sure they loved that.”
Madeline grinned. “Oh, you know it.”
My mouth, which had pulled into a smile, softened again. “I’m sorry this is uprooting you, Maddie. But it’s the least we can do for him.”
“I know that, Mom. I get it… I just don’t get it.” Madeline threw her hands up, obviously a little frustrated by how to explain herself. “You do what you need to do. But I’m staying for dinner tonight.”
I pulled up my phone. “Was I supposed to be cooking something amazing, or do you really miss me that much?”
Madeline let out a soft cough, and I burst out in laughter. “What’s going on in that head, missy?”
“Mr. Crowe’s nurse is so cute,” she whispered, her voice a hushed noise against the soft music that Church had going on in the front seat.
I bit down on my lip, attempting to stop the laugh that burned in my throat. “He is really lovely, such a kind man.” I paused, turning back to her. “Wait. Cute? Hmm…Max Hill, huh?”
Madeline’s eyes bugged. “Shhh, you’re so loud! And yes.”
I giggled, pressing my hand over my lips as I stared over at her. I guess Max was cute. And he’d passed the background check with flying colors, so I wasn’t worried about her having a little crush on him. The fact that he was at least ten years older would keep them plenty separate.
“He’s very attractive,” I deduced finally.
“Ugh,” she said. “Attractive is the worst way to describe someone.”
“Oh,” I said, watching Church’s shoulders rise and fall with soft laughter as I straightened in my seat. “So sorry to ruin your fun. Crush all you want, but leave the man alone. He’s keeping my knight in shining armor happy and healthy.”
“Noted.”
We were delivered safely upstairs before Church disappeared to his home a few floors below for the remainder of the night, promising that he’d bring his husband by later this week for cocktail hour. My brother was coming later to pick up Madeline for her to stay at his house, so I didn’t need a driver for the rest of the night.
I pulled out our prepared dinners and warmed them quickly on the stovetop while Madeline pestered Max about his favorite foods, his favorite color, what college he’d gone to, and what his first concert had been. I rolled my eyes but couldn’t stop the smile on my lips as the young man kindly answered each one before telling me that he would be back later tonight to take the midnight shift. Neal hadn’t woken up much this evening, and Max had decided he wanted to do one more overnight before he moved to something less intensive for the remainder of Neal’s recovery.
I nodded, comfortable with our routine already.
After both Madeline and Max were gone, I scooped up a bowl of our dinner tonight, a turkey chili concoction and made my way into the guest room. It’d been completely changed into a medical suite for Neal, complete with a small second bed, which Max had been making his own. Not interested in infringing upon the caretaker’s space, I chose the chair closest to Neal and pulled it over. Folding myself into the chair around my bowl, I turned a movie on my phone and propped it up against the man’s leg.
“I hope you like musicals,” I told the sleeping Neal, watching for a moment as his chest rose and fell under the soft blue sheets. “This one is my favorite, and I honestly could use it right now. Today was brutal. My brother thinks I’m insane for keeping you here. Even more so than usual. But I know a good person when I see one. And you—no matter what you look like now—you came for me when no one else did.”
I smiled then scooped a hefty spoonful into my mouth. Talking with my mouth full, I jabbed my spoon at the small screen. “Oh I love this part.”
I spent the rest of the movie sitting like that, and before I knew it, Max was gently shaking me away. It was midnight, and he was here to take the next shift with Neal. My eyes ghosted over the quiet form of the man on the bed before I stretched and headed back to my room.
“Good night, Max,” I called back, and then after a bit of hesitation, I added, “Good night, Mr. Crowe.”