Chapter 12
CHAPTER 12
JAMISON
I’m in the biggest battle of my life. I hit the video chat button and rub the ache in my chest.
It rings twice before Aiden’s camera connects. “Jami, it’s good to see you. What’s so urgent that you needed a face-to-face meeting instead of just a chat over the phone?”
“I needed your full attention and I don’t trust you not to multitask if it’s just a call.”
“In that case, tell me what’s going on?” He moves closer to the screen.
I should walk away and leave this mess behind, but I can’t.
“When you were here, you mentioned investigating Hunter Efron. Is that still something you’re interested in doing?”
“What’s this about, Jami?”
My ribs tighten, but I push through it. “I had a discussion with him Friday after our mock launch. During this talk, he mentioned he’s closer to getting your sister to marry him.”
Aiden’s eyes bulge. “You’ve got to be shitting me. How does she expect that to work out?”
“They think they can take their relationship to the board and have her clause removed. ”
“Would that be a bad thing? If she loves him and he makes it so she won’t lose her job, maybe taking it to the committee is the best thing for her. She seems to be into the guy.”
My thoughts go back to our dinner. She defended Hunter, which is probably why Aiden is reconsidering his position around their relationship.
“Aiden, I wouldn’t care, but I’ve seen sides of him that are huge warning signs. If she marries him, it’ll be a horrible decision.”
“Do you think he’s that much of a concern?”
“With every cell in my body.” I glance at the picture of her on my desk in my home office.
She’s surrounded by sunflowers and beaming from ear to ear. She’s carefree and in her natural element. It’s the Dori I know and love.
He reaches over to a digital notebook and pencil. He presses something that causes the screen to illuminate.
“What kinds of things are you concerned about? Because if I go down this path, I don’t want any surprises.”
“He’s had someone investigate Dori all the way back to college, maybe longer. He’s spread rumors about her that don’t put her in the best light. On top of that, I believe he’s having her followed.”
Aiden finishes writing and considers something. He peers back at the screen. “How do you know all this?”
“I’ve heard the rumors myself. Dori told me she suspected he had investigated her to find out more about her past. I think he’s having her followed because someone was following me”
“Why do you believe someone was tracking you?”
“I saw a man around a few times and he was acting suspicious.”
“That doesn’t mean?—”
“Aiden, it was right about the time you told me to watch out for strange things happening.” I bounce my knee up and down under my desk.
“Okay. Tell me more.”
“I ended up seeing the guy in my complex. Hunter lives a floor above me, so I checked the guest log. Sure enough, Hunter had a visitor by the name of Joe Ison. I looked into him and found out he’s a PI.”
“Why would Hunter hire someone to follow you?”
“When he found out Dori and I knew each other as kids, he thought we were trying to take down his company in some underground conspiracy.”
“Why would he think that?”
“I don’t have all the details, but he’s paranoid about something. I don’t know what that is, though.” I shake my head. “I don’t get a good feeling about him, Aiden.”
He taps his electronic pencil against the edge of the notebook. “Why didn’t you tell me about this sooner?”
“I didn’t think he was a bad guy at the time. Paranoid, sure, but not ruthless. Dori warned me he could be, but it wasn’t until recently I saw it for myself.”
Aiden pinches the bridge of his nose and thinks about something for a moment. I give him the time he needs and keep my mouth shut.
He peers at me through the screen. “What did you see him do?”
I can’t tell Aiden about Hunter’s threats toward me, so I latch on to the best thing I can think of. “It goes back to him having me followed and how I believe he’s doing the same with Dori. He’s coming across as overbearing and controlling.”
“How so?”
“Um… He shows up at restaurants when she’s out. She seems surprised as if she didn’t tell him she was there.”
“Has she told you that?”
“You know her. She’s private and won’t tell me if that’s the case. She wouldn’t want to cast a shadow over him just in case she ends up married to him.”
Aiden sighs. “If I investigate his company, I have to get the department involved.”
“I’m not asking you to do that. This is all about Hunter. He’s hiding something. Just like you said, where there’s smoke, there’s fire.” My heart pounds fast because I think I’m losing Aiden’s buy-in.
“Fuck, bro. If I do this and things go south, I could get in a lot of trouble. I hate doing things like this.” His eyebrows bunch together. “I don’t know if he’s that dangerous.”
“I’m not saying he’s dangerous, but he’s hiding something. And he’s changing your sister into someone she’s not.” My hands start to sweat.
I’m on the verge of panicking. If he says no, I’ll never know what Hunter’s up to.
“Jami, tell me more about how he’s changing her.”
I nod and dive in. “He doesn’t want kids. Now she doesn’t. He wants her to quit so they can go public. She’s doing careless things by going out with him in plain sight. You saw it yourself. He stays the night at her place. She stays at his too.”
“Fuck, she can be a pain.”
“I even ran into them in the elevator, making out as the doors opened. It could’ve been his brother. If that happens, she loses everything. You know those things get out and she’ll lose her professional reputation.”
“Wait a minute. Back up. You said she doesn’t want kids now. That’s a complete one-eighty.” Aiden glances off to the side.
“I know. That’s why I’m concerned. Not only that, but she’s going to get caught and then get fired.”
“She’s always been a little reckless, but him putting her in situations that could get her fired doesn’t sit well with me. When is she going to date someone decent?”
Guilt takes hold of my hand and whips me around a few times before I can speak. He would kill me and never talk to me again for everything I’ve done. This included.
I gaze at the latest industry magazine I have on my desk. “There’s one other thing that could help you if you decide to do this.”
“Tell me everything you know. It can only help.”
“Grab your pencil and jot this down.”
He flashes me his digital notebook pen and gets ready to write. “Shoot.”
“There’s a woman by the name of Ava Aldridge. Her dad, Douglas Aldridge, is the ethics officer who sits on the board.”
“What do they have to do with this?”
“Hunter spends a lot of time with her in public. Their relationship doesn’t fit with what he says his intentions are. I’d start there because their relationship is odd.”
Aiden takes a moment to respond. “I’ll start looking into him. If he’s going to marry my sister, I need to know what he’s up to.”
“Thanks, Aiden. I think this will be helpful.”
“We’ll know one way or another if he’s a good match for Dori or if she should dump his ass.” He fakes a laugh. “It might be easier to tell her we love him and think he’s perfect for her.”
My expression twists with confusion. “Why would you say that?”
“Because she likes to do the exact opposite of what people tell her to do.”
“She can be rebellious, but not oppositional.” I take a moment to think back. The only thing that comes to mind is she takes Aiden’s word as gospel. “I’m going to respectfully disagree. She seems to do exactly what you tell her to do.”
He huffs. “No, she doesn’t, but I’m not going to argue with you. We both know she can be reckless, so let’s focus on that instead. ”
“Whatever you say.” Grateful I’ve enlisted his help, my neck and shoulder muscles relax a little.
“Good. I’ll dig into this and get back to you when or if I find something.”
“Fair enough.”
As much as I’m happy about our discussion, unease sets in. When Aiden said Hunter and Dori would get married, my insides cramped. Aiden said it as if it was bound to happen, and I can’t let that occur.
It’s at this moment all my defenses break apart and I admit to myself I’m still hopelessly in love with her. I make an excuse to end our chat and sit, reviewing all the pictures I have of Dori and me together.
I sift through photos of her alone. My chest heats and collapses.
I don’t want to live without her.
Despite everything, I want her by my side. God knows I have my own issues I’ve kept from her. I guess we all make terrible mistakes.
We lost a child and Dori’s dealing with her grief in a way I didn’t expect. Instead of giving her grace and support, I gave her disgusted hell. I can and will make that up to her one day.
This ridiculous notion she doesn’t want kids anymore is not her true wish. I don’t believe for a second she really means that.
I vow to discover Hunter’s secrets and clean up my own shit show with Lauren. Getting her to work with me toward a resolution will be challenging, but I’m done letting her run the show.
She’s had time to prepare for our final goodbye and she knows it’s coming. I just pray she doesn’t go after Dori when she finds out I’m in love with someone else.
Melanie meanders into my office. “Hey, big guy. What’s got you staring off into space?”
“I was just thinking about life.” I twist in my chair so I can face her.
“Aw, life. It’s a fascinating idea.” She strolls to the window and gazes out at the sky.
Something doesn’t feel right about her. She’s not trying to be witty or abrasive. She seems down about something. I join her at the window and peer out to the blistering cold sky.
“What’s new in your life, Mel?”
“I’ve been thinking that I need to change things up.”
“How so?”
“I have a lot of friends, but you and Dori are my only close friends. With Dori, we’ve been drifting apart.”
I catch Mel’s gaze. “I didn’t know that, but even so, you still have me.”
“You’re around, but it’s different going out with you. I need a new girlfriend. Someone I can tell all my dirty secrets to and they share theirs.” Grief fills her eyes.
“You can tell me your secrets. You know I don’t share, so they’ll be safe. As far as your best friend goes, have you talked to her about drifting apart?”
Mel dramatically sighs. “My secrets are safe with you, but you never share yours with me. Why?”
“I don’t have many secrets. Any I have, you wouldn’t be interested in.” I return to my desk, knowing I just fed her a line of shit.
“Tell me one. Let me decide if I’m interested or not.”
I try to think of a secret I’m willing to share. My mind flips through them one by one. There’s nothing I deem appropriate .
“See, Jami? This is what I’m talking about. I need someone who can get lost in a conversation where we dig deep into it and mix it all up. Even make a mess of it, but where we end up laughing about it because our plan is so far-fetched that it just might work.”
She mopes to a chair in front of my desk and sits with a melancholic glow about her. This Melanie is nothing like the one I’m used to. I’m not sure what to do.
“Mel, what’s this about?”
“I think I’ve upset Dori and don’t know how to make it right with her.”
That explains Melanie’s sadness. She and Dori are close, like Aiden and I are. It’s got to be eating at Melanie’s heart.
“Does it have anything to do with going out with her brother?”
She shrugs. “It could be that, but Dori told me she was fine with it. She even told me to keep him out late. After that, she basically cut me off from any conversations with meaning.”
“Maybe she doesn’t know how you feel.” I get up and sit next to Mel. “Your conversations don’t seem to go that deep.”
Her shoulders roll forward. “Thanks. I’m in here telling you about my problems and you’re telling me I’m shallow.”
“That’s not what I said. What I mean is you usually stay on the lighter side of things. It’s a breath of fresh air in most cases, but Dori’s dealing with heavy issues. It could hurt if you made sarcastic or lighthearted comments about it.”
Mel points at me. “That right there is exactly what I’m talking about. She hasn’t talked to me about anything.”
I pull back. “I wouldn’t take it personally. Sometimes people need to process things internally before they can discuss it with someone.”
She stands and moseys back to the window, hiding tears in her eyes. “That’s the problem. Dori and I process together. We’ve never held things in. ”
“And you’re sure that’s happening now?”
“Yes. She used to call or text to ask me about how she should respond to a message from you. Now, if your name comes up, she’s tight-lipped. It’s like you’re no longer a topic we can discuss.”
“Dori and I aren’t on great terms. If she’s not talking about me, it’s likely because there’s nothing left to say.” I rise to my feet and lean against the edge of my desk.
Mel glances at me over her shoulder. “Why are you two on bad terms?”
“We had a huge disagreement.” I run my hand over my chest to relieve the pain in my heart.
“About what?”
“Dori turned to Hunter when she could have leaned on me.”
“What did she need to lean on you for?” Mel's brow creases as she studies me.
I realize Dori hasn’t told Melanie anything about being pregnant. Dori’s dealing with it all alone because she wouldn’t tell Hunter or Aiden.
I don’t know why I didn’t think of this before, but this is what she does. She cuts people off and hides away so she can figure out how she feels. My stomach bottoms out.
She tried to handle her grief on her own the first time she miscarried and she fell into a deep depression. I wasn’t there for her then and I’m not there for her now.
How could I be so insensitive?
This is typical of her. She pretends she’s fine to the outside world when inside, she’s crumbling.
It becomes clear to me she needs me more than I thought. She’s buried her pain and it’s going to reach up from wherever she’s hiding it and take hold of her without mercy.
“Mel, what Dori’s dealing with is for her to share, but the issue between her and me is she loves Hunter more. Look, this isn’t about me. This is about you. Just talk to her and be honest about how you’re feeling. I’m sure she’ll open up if you do.”
“I hope so because I miss my best friend.” Mel stares at me like I have the magical answer. “What if our friendship isn’t what it used to be?”
I’m done with this serious conversation. I need to focus on how to help Dori, so I flip the weight of it all.
“Look, if your friendship with her never gets back on track, you can always do what I’ve done.”
“What’s that?”
I gesture to the window. “Pack up and go on to greener pastures. I find an opportunity that will help me hit my next goal and run with it. It’s worked out for me so far. This last move could be questionable, but I’ve learned a lot about myself.”
“Are you thinking about leaving after your contract is up?”
“Possibly. I want my happily ever after. I’m ready for it, and if it’s not here, it’s somewhere out there.”
“So you’re saying we can run away anywhere we want, leave all this behind us, and find our happy ending?” She signals with her hand around my office. “Is it really that easy?”
“It can be if you want it bad enough. We can do anything we want. Who’s stopping us? Once my contract duties are completed, I can move anywhere in the world.”
Mel smiles. “There’s nothing keeping me here. Who knows? It could be fun.”
“You two can’t be serious.” Dori’s appalled voice fills the room.
Melanie and I turn toward the doorway. Dori’s face is pale and she’s struggling to catch her breath. Melanie and I trade a glance.
Dori gasps. “You are serious. You two have been dating behind my back and now you’re talking about running away together. How could either of you do this to me?”