Chapter 10 #2
"I'm a John Statham fan myself."
"Really?"
"Hmm." He had finished his coffee. Crossing to her, he cupped her face. "I'll call you as soon as I can."
"You don't have to-"
"I do." He kissed her roughly. "See you later. Eat something." He ordered.
Aria turned to watch him leave, a smile playing about her lips.
When she heard the door slam shut, she went to pour more coffee and wondered if she should wait until she drove into town to treat herself to breakfast. Sliding onto the stool, she wrapped her fingers around the cup, her expression dreamy.
For the first time in her life, she had someone who really cared about her.
She had told him the whole sordid bits of her past and he was not running for the hills.
He was being supportive. A frown touched her brow as she wondered for how long.
Shaking off the worry, she went to pour another cup of coffee.
*****
The board meeting was interminably long, making him wonder why his father or uncle were not putting a stop to it. He also had to admit that it was his frame of mind that was making him even more impatient. He could not concentrate. On anything.
Since leaving the cottage, he had thought of nothing else but the story she had told him and what he had read.
He shouldn't have dug any further into the entire thing.
He had also discovered she had been in a relationship with an associate from the firm.
One who had escaped imprisonment only to turn around and dump her.
He had studied the man's smooth look and did not need to meet him to realize he was a first-class asshole.
Had she been in love with him? She had left that part of the story out and he was asking himself why.
Was it because she was still in love with him? The article stated that they had been together for almost a year. That meant serious to him. The article had also referred to him as her former fiancé.
"All right gentlemen and ladies, we'll pick this back up in a few weeks as soon as we have some more details." He roused himself when he heard his father putting an end to the meeting and watched as the members filed out, engaging in light conversation.
"Were we boring you?" Kingsley asked him lightly.
Rising, he went to pour a cup of coffee, his gaze quizzical. The conference room had emptied out except for the Tierney men and Kevin was on the phone, his back turned to them.
"I apologize." Mentally shaking himself, he pushed back his chair and went to fix a plate of the delicious pastries his father's efficient assistant had brought in for the meeting.
"It's the same dead horse we have been flogging for more than two years.
" Deliberately putting away the questions nagging at him, he walked back to the table and sat.
"Birchwood is an old-fashioned town steeped in its ways.
We barely got the farmers to our way of doing things.
" He gestured with one hand as he sipped.
"Old Guy Baker still tills the soil with his fork and refuses to even consider purchasing a tractor.
Jed Hinds thinks the milking machine is a sign that the end is near. "
Shrugging at the smirk on his father's lips, he continued.
"I've been out there dad. These men make up more than fifteen percent of the farmers' association, and they hold sway.
They're also stubborn as hell." Leaning back, he stretched his legs out and felt the weariness invading his bones.
He had not slept well and had woken up early this morning with worries plaguing his mind.
He was in love with a woman he was not sure was in love with him, one who had layers he had yet to peel away.
On top of that, he was pissed and grieved about what she had been through.
"What do you suggest we do?" his father asked him quietly. He had seen the bleak look on his son's face, one that he was trying his best to hide. He was wondering if it would be intrusive to ask about the young woman.
"Throttle back on the discussions. We need to find another way to reach these farmers. Instead of dismissing their concerns we find a way to listen and make suggestions." He looked up when his uncle came over.
"That was Mundle."
"The deal fell through?"
"Like water through a sieve." He muttered grimly. "I'm going to have to take a trip to Texas to speak to Walsh personally."
"How soon do you want to leave?"
"Immediately." He glanced at his watch. "The sooner the better. The son of a bitch wants to stiff us for millions. Those medical supplies were delayed for a reason."
"Please be careful."
He grinned at his brother and shoved back his chair. "I was born that way."
They waited until he had left the room.
"What's going on with you?"
"Nothing."
"Look son," Kingsley tamped down his impatience with great difficulty. "I'd like to think we have a very good relationship, one where you can come to me with anything. There's something bothering you, I can see that."
Finishing his coffee, Kenneth rose to pour more. He had some contracts to see to and a meeting with the head of the acquisition team. He had promised to take in a movie and dinner with Lydia. Aria, he had to admit that the name suited her more. He did not want to be late.
"It was something told to me in confidence." He had been struggling with that, since she told him. His father was right, they had a very good relationship, and he had always been able to share things with him. Aside from that, he valued the man's advice. But he could not betray her trust.
"I see." Kingsley rose to refill his cup. "You found out what she's been hiding."
"Yes." The coffee felt bitter going down his throat. "And it's big."
"I respect the need to keep this to yourself, but you have to understand where I stand. I'm your father and my first concern is for you."
Hearing that and thinking back on what Lydia, Aria had told him twisted his gut. His father loved him. She had never known the love of her parents. She had been brought up in a stone-cold environment and made to feel unwanted. It broke his heart.
Turning to face him, Kenneth studied the older man and smiled. "I always accepted the fact that I was an important part of you and mother's lives. Just like that. No question asked. I was loved."
"Of course you were. You are." A frown touched his father's brow. "What's going on?"
Cradling the cup between his palms, he wandered over to the window. It was already mid-morning, and the pretty white clouds were lining the searing blue sky. It was turning out to be a lovely day, a spring like one. A picnic, he mused. He might just suggest they had one.
"She didn't have that." He murmured, turning around.
His eyes were shadowed with distress. "She grew up with parents who did not give a damn about her.
Oh, they gave her everything money could buy, a stellar education and a place in society, but she was never loved.
" He felt his stomach clenching. "There's more, a goddamn sewer full of it and I have no idea how she's still standing and still breathing, but I cannot tell you dad.
I want to." He strode across the room to put away his cup and plate.
"Christ knows I want to, but I have to get permission from her. "
His father studied him closely and saw the anguish there on his face.
"Is she planning on leaving?"
The question had been uppermost in his mind and was haunting him.
"I don't know. Things are up and down with her and," he shrugged helplessly. "I don't know what she's going to do. I have to wait for her to make the move. All I can do right now is just be there for her." He glanced at his watch. "I'm sorry, I have to go."
"Son." His father's voice stopped him at the doorway.
"Yes?"
"You're going to have to ask her what her plans are and if they include you. I think you have that right."
With a curt nod, he was gone.
Sitting at the table, Kingsley trailed his fingers around the rim of the cup.
Ever since his son turned eighteen and even before that, he had made the decision to step back and allow him to have his own way.
That had been the decision he and his wife had made.
In order for him to be his own person, he was going to need his own space.
Kenneth had always been a very responsible son.
They never had the heartache or fear of him taking a wrong turn.
Naturally, he had experimented with cigarettes, a little weed and had gone wild and crazy about girls. But that was a part of growing up. Hard drugs and wrecking vehicles had never been part of it. He had a feeling that it had been Kevin's influence on the boy.
His brother might be reckless at times, but he was a very good role model. Not overwhelming and not lax either.
Now his only son was hurting. He had fallen in love and should be happy. Right now, they should be making wedding plans. He was longing for a grandchild to hold in his arms. His wife was gone, but he wanted it for both of them.
He had always promised not to interfere in his son's personal life, but this was important. He had to find out what was going on with the woman he was in love with.