18. Jaime
The last person I expected to see was Caroline, but when I saw her at the bar after walking in with Emma, I immediately felt comforted. She gave me a sympathetic smile. ”Hey there.”
Before she could get another word out, I asked, ”Is she okay? Her father’s here. She knows that, right?”
She nodded. ”Yeah, thanks for the heads up. I think she suspected he was on his way, but still nice to know.”
”She”s out there alone with him?” I inquired.
Caroline smiled. ”She is, but our girl’s got this. I told her I was here to help, not that she needs either of us to rescue her.”
I sucked in a breath. ”I know I just…”
”You”re a fixer, I get that.”
I nodded, ”That, and… we”ve been through this before,” I confessed.
She nodded. ”I get that too, but she”s not a kid anymore, and neither are you. You”re both equipped to do it better this time. You”re going to have to trust her.”
Her words hit hard, but they weren”t untrue. That”s when Emma appeared in the bar”s entryway looking for Caroline, presumably because she was avoiding looking at me.
Caroline glanced back at me. ”I’ve got this. Have faith in our girl,” she said, and I nodded, everything in me wanting to go after her to make sure she was okay. But Caroline was right. I needed to trust she could handle this on her own. It’s not that I didn”t think she was smart or tough enough to handle this situation. I just didn”t want her to have to do it by herself. But family matters are complex, and the showdown between her and her father was a long time coming.
I understood why she had to do this on her own, but I was still going to help in any way I could. Which is why Sofia and Jen hid away in my office, going over the audio Jen recorded while sitting at the table with Emma”s father and Andrew Travers.
Charlie popped out from the back. ”Hey Jaime, you’re needed in your office,” he said as he took my place behind the bar.
This was it. Sofia and Jen could have in their possession the undeniable proof. When I walked into the small office, my sister”s expression was strained and Jen looked at me sympathetically.
”Well?”
”Oh, they sang like canaries,” Jen said. ”I wasn”t expecting them to be quite so… forthcoming.”
That knot of dread was back in my belly. ”What do you mean?”
”I—um, well, he talked about his plans to expand on the land, bragged about it actually,” Sofia said, ”but I will say Ashley was right. That man is a pig. Just listen for yourself,” she said, as Jen played the recording through the desktop”s speakers.
…”Now, tell me something. What was your name again? Uh, Jen?” John Carter”s voice came through the speakers.
”I don”t think I”m being unreasonable. I”m just being an effective businessman. This newer generation, present company excluded, of course. This new generation is so involved in feelings and creating lasting connections and it gets in the way. You know, back in my day, it was about surviving and meeting needs. Now my wife, she was a good woman, but I don”t think she was impractical enough to think I wasn”t out there getting my needs met.”
Her nervous laughter wove through the speakers and then Jen asked, ”You described your wife as this beautiful and accomplished woman. Are you trying to tell me weren’t getting your needs met at home?”
John laughed. ”Of course I was, but I was on the road a lot, and I”m sure you can understand that sometimes the art of the deal isn”t as simple as mouths talking. Sometimes other parts have to talk, if you know what I mean.” He stated suggestively.
My stomach turned as I plopped down in one of the office chairs, as Jen and Sofia eyed me warily.
”So, you would fool around?” Jen asked.
”Oh, I wouldn”t call it that so much as taking care of business. Now that”s something you”re going to have to worry about,” he said, presumably addressing Andrew.
Mr. Carter continued. ”My daughter is a smart woman, but she”s like any other woman. No offense, of course, Jen. They get swept up by their emotions, so she may not be as understanding about what you’ll be required to do to close deals. They don”t understand that there”s nothing personal about it, it”s just physical. A man needs to do what a man needs to do. That”s why it”s best to just keep that under your hat. I know everyone encourages couples to be open, but I never found it to be a good idea,” and then there was mixed laughter.
I can only imagine my expression because Jen stopped the recording and Sofia rushed to say, ”I”m sorry, I know you were looking for a damming confession and this sure as hell is one, but you’re getting a little more than you bargained for.”
”Yeah, your sister and I have been trying to figure out a way to splice this, so it only talks about the land deal, but he spent so much time bragging about his exploits that it”s impossible to separate it.”
Sofia looked at me, concerned. ”Do you think Emma has any idea? I mean, I know she’s figured out he’s a jackass, but the cheating is something else entirely.”
I shook my head. ”No, I”m pretty sure she has no idea. I don”t think she would”ve been able to defend him as long as she has if she knew he was out there doing this to her mother. For all of his faults, she always insisted he was deeply in love with Mrs. Carter.”
”He has a funny way of showing it,” Jen muttered.
”What are you going to do?” Sofia asked.
I shook my head. ”I don”t know. I wanted proof—and I got it—but I can’t imagine breaking her heart like this.”
Sofia sighed. ”I don”t envy you, Jaime, I really don”t. I have a feeling Emma will figure this all out anyway. Secrets have a way of coming out. Maybe she’ll find out without having to hear about her father’s infidelity.”
I nodded. ”Yeah, I hope that’s the case,” I said before rising from my chair. I smiled at Jen and my sister. ”I can”t thank you enough for helping me today. I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you.”
”Please, getting to take down a dickhead is always a joy,” Jen said with a wide smile. ”Plus, your sister got to watch me work, so that was an added benefit.”
”You were marvelous, my dear,” Sofia said, smiling at her girlfriend.
”Let me take you out for dinner to repay you. Sofia, I’ll call you later to set it up. But right now, I need to get back to work.”
Both women nodded at me, understanding. They knew I wasn”t just escaping—I had a decision to wrestle with.
When I returned to the bar, Mr. Carter was alone at the corner table, and I knew there was no holding back my disdain now.
He lingered for a while before he wandered up to the bar and gave me an oily smile. ”Bartender, I have to compliment your cocktails.”
I nodded, ”Thank you.”
”But as good as you are at making a drink, I can see you still haven’t learned your lesson. Hanging around my little girl, as if you actually have a chance. I would think someone who valued their job would know well enough to stay away from the boss’s daughter.”
I bit back the retort on my tongue, wanting to oust him about the intel we had just gathered, but this wasn”t the time or the place, and I knew that.
So I gave him a tight smile. ”I would think you’d appreciate that I value your daughter’s safety and happiness above all else… sir,” I bit off the last word. ”Because she”s worth it. I”m a faithful man and I have faith Emma will see what kind of man you really are.”
John Carter laughed, and it sent chills down my spine. ”You know I can”t fire you on the spot because it would be an HR nightmare, but you can bet your ass I”m working on it. One toe out of line and you’ll be out of here so fast your head will spin.”
I smiled genuinely, and it seemed to unnerve him. ”But I”ll still have Emma.”
His expression soured, and he banged a fist on the bar. ”We’ll see about that,” he warned before storming out.
I knew I shouldn”t have said that. I was definitely putting the cart before the horse, but I couldn”t help but enjoy getting under his skin.
Now I just had to make sure my words wouldn”t come back to bite me in the ass, that I would keep Emma by my side no matter how this went down.