Chapter Two #2
The accountants are going over the properties my father was involved with, and I expect a summary soon.
My old man was always a wild card, doing his own thing and not giving me a heads-up on his plans.
As a result, the man’s death left me with a lot of unknowns and dangling projects I need to consolidate.
My plan is to place Kenneth’s deals under my umbrella.
Once I have a grasp on everything, then I can assign deals to our managing directors.
I pull up to the house and stop the car in front of the gate, punching the code into the keypad. The large metal enclosure opens slowly, an annoyance, as always. But with my mother alone in the house but for the help, I appreciate the security the gate provides.
I pull around the circular drive, parking in front. Then, steeling myself, I climb out of the SUV and stride to the front door.
To my surprise, my mother answers in person instead of her latest housekeeper.
Her dark hair pulled back with a clip on one side, her face made up as always, she looks well.
Although she’s mourning her husband’s death, they weren’t close nor had they slept in the same bedroom for years.
I doubt she’s truly devastated over his sudden death.
“Linc!” She pulls me into a hug, the scent of her familiar perfume washing over me.
“Hi, Mom.” I step back and walk inside.
She shuts the door behind me and, once in the marble-floored entryway, I wait for her to direct me to whichever room she wants to go to.
“Let’s sit in the study,” she says. “Come.” She leads me to the room comprised of floor-to-ceiling dark wood bookshelves, a ladder against one wall for show, although I suppose the housekeeper does have to climb it in order to dust the volumes of books.
My mother sits on the delicate sofa with a dark floral pattern, and I settle in beside her.
“So what brings you by? I love to see you, but I could tell from your tone of voice you have something on your mind.”
I groan and run a hand through my hair. “I do. But before I forget to tell you, I’m going out of town tomorrow. If you need anything, Xander and Chloe are here.”
“Oh? Business?” she asks.
“No. It’s personal.” Dammit, this is hard. Harder than I thought it would be. I decide to lay things out the way I discovered them.
“I was going through Dad’s papers and found checks he’d written monthly for the last nineteen years.”
Her gaze flies to mine. “Go on.”
There’s no good way to say it. “Dad had a child with a woman named Tiffany Michaels.”
She gasps and raises her hands to cover her open mouth. “She was his secretary,” my mother says at last, lowering her hand. “Okay, okay. I can handle this. I shouldn’t be surprised, after all. I knew he was having affairs.” She pulls in a deep breath and lets it out slowly.
“There’s more,” I say. “So I’m just going to tell you. Dad sent money to Tiffany, but a few years after she had the baby, she gave the child to her mother to raise. Unfortunately, her mother passed away, and the little girl ended up in foster care.”
Silence follows my pronouncement, so I continue. “She’s in Florida. Miami Beach, to be exact, and I’m going to meet her.”
My mother twists her hands in her lap. “Foster care. Did your father know?”
“According to the private investigator who tracked down her mother, he did.” As always, nausea fills me at the thought.
“And they both left her there?” she asks, horrified.
I nod, glad my mother is upset on Aurora’s behalf.
She presses her hands on her thighs and rises to her feet. “That’s awful. Is she okay? The girl?”
“Her name is Aurora,” I say. “And I don’t know. I instructed the PI not to talk to her directly. I needed to think about how to handle things before doing something rash.”
“Like going to meet her?” My mother, who’s been pacing, turns to face me. “You’re planning on meeting with a young girl you know nothing about. What if she finds out she’s from a wealthy family and decides she wants something from you?”
I stand to face my mother. “Well, I already considered the possibility, and I plan to preempt her asking by giving her what she deserves.”
She gasps. “You can’t! You don’t know this girl!”
“I know she’s my half-sister. I know because Dad would never have paid monthly to keep her a secret if otherwise.
I also know she grew up in a completely tragic way considering her father had enough money to take care of her.
And even when he discovered she’d never seen a dime and had been in the system, he didn’t give a damn.
Someone in this family has to make up for what Dad did, and I intend to be the person who helps her. ”
My mother folds her arms across her chest and sighs. “You’re right. I just…” She shakes her head. “I know he was your father, but I hate that bastard.”
Stepping close, I wrap an arm around her and hug her against me. “I know. And for good reason. But are you going to punish a young girl for his transgressions?”
I know my mother better than she knows herself. Her initial response was in frustrated anger at her late husband. Not Aurora.
“So you’re okay with all this? Because I’m talking to Xander, Dash, and Chloe tonight and leaving first thing in the morning.”
She nods and steps away, straightening her shoulders. “I agree. You’re a good man and I’m proud of you, Linc.” She touches my cheek with her hand. “Call me and let me know how it goes.”
“I will, Mom. Thanks.” I let out a relieved breath. I’m not worried about my siblings, especially since our mother is now on board with me bringing Aurora home and making sure she has the money she needs to start the life she should always have had.
I say goodbye and settle back in my car, pulling out my phone, which buzzed in my pocket a few times while I was with my mother.
Texts were waiting for me.
Jordan: Private plane booked. Flight plan filed. Takeoff at seven a.m.
Jordan: Sanctuary Suite booked at W Hotel in South Beach. I still think it’s unnecessary. Scale down and I’ll stay in a regular room.
Jordan: I booked us for a week. Can always extend.
Jordan: Rental car taken care of as well.
I grin at her professional perfection and type back.
Linc: Check on the plane. No dice on scaling down. You’ll stay in the suite’s extra room. My driver will pick you up for the ride to the airport. Don’t mention the words Uber or taxi.
Jordan: Fine.
Linc: That’s no way to talk to your boss.
Jordan: No, but it’s how I talk to my best friend. Later. I have work to do.
With a smile still on my face, I head back to the office to go over paperwork on the Central Park deal.
* * *
Jordan
I pack a bag, not worrying about stuffing everything in a carry-on. If Linc is going to take the corporate jet, I can bring a big bag if I want to. Though I’ve been with Linc on the plane before when we’ve traveled for business, I’ve never gotten used to the luxury.
I zip my suitcase and set it by the front door, then grab my favorite blazer and slip it on. My cell rings, the screen flashing the concierge number downstairs. I pick up and ask the morning person manning the desk to tell Linc’s driver I’ll be right down.
I lock up my apartment and head downstairs to find the driver standing by the open car door.
“Hi, Max,” I say.
“Good morning, Ms. Greene.” He inclines his head, his silvery gray hair slicked back with gel. He’s been working for the Kingston family for as long as I can remember. “Nice day for a flight,” he says.
The sun shines above us and clear skies mean no turbulence. “Yes, and I’m grateful.”
He takes the handle to my luggage and walks around the back of the town car to put the suitcase in the trunk as I climb into the back seat, where Linc is waiting. In no time, Max settles in the front, and we’re off to the airport.
“Good morning, sunshine.” Linc faces me, eyes covered in aviators that only add to his sex appeal.
Since our kiss, I can’t deny my attraction to him is stronger than ever. “Good morning.”
I take in his white dress shirt, standard wear for him, but today his sleeves are rolled up, revealing his muscular forearms. Thanks to a dedicated workout schedule, he’s well-built and solid.
And the scent of his woodsy cologne? Oh, I like how good he smells. In fact, I want to bury my face in his neck and savor him up close and personal. Again.
I swallow hard and ignore my body’s reaction, happy my light blazer covers my now perky nipples.
“I’m dying for a cup of coffee,” I say, smiling as if everything is normal. Before I kissed him, I’d put these thoughts so far into the back of my mind they hadn’t impacted me daily.
Now though, every time I see Linc, something about him turns me on.
“We can get some coffee on the plane.”
Coffee. Right. I force my mind back to the mundane and nod. “I would have had a cup this morning, but I was running late.”
“That’s not like you,” he says, looking at me with concern in his eyes.
I shrug. “I didn’t know what to pack.”
Because I’m staying in the suite with Linc. First I went back and forth over what nightclothes to put in the suitcase, and then I couldn’t decide if I needed a nice dress. Were we going anywhere, or did he plan to hang out with his sister? In the end, I packed everything I could think of.
He chuckles. “Now you sound like Chloe.”
“Are you saying indecision is a female thing?” I challenge him, because I’m hungry, uncaffeinated, and irritated with myself for the sudden attraction I feel for my best friend.
He holds up his hands. “Whoa. I’m kidding.”
“Sorry. I think I just need a nap on the plane.” I’m about to lean back and close my eyes when my cell rings. A glance at the screen shows Mom, and I let out a groan.
“Something wrong?” Linc glances over as I send the call to voicemail.
“No, it’s my mother and I don’t want to take the call.” I stuff my phone back into my purse.
He raises an eyebrow and then it obviously dawns on him. “She’s not happy we’re going out of town together,” he guesses.
I sigh. “That would be an understatement.” Although my mom and I have a great relationship, the one thing we disagree about is my relationship with Linc.
“And she hates our close friendship.”
“Also an understatement,” I mutter.
“And your father? How does he feel about our friendship?” Linc asks.
I sigh. “At least he doesn’t concern himself with things that aren’t his business. To him, I have a great job and a good life, and those things make him happy.”
My dad, Patrick, is an electrician who worked for the same company for years until he opened his own business. He has job security and he’s happy. He lets his wife ramble about her feelings, but he doesn’t take sides.
“As for my mother, don’t get me wrong, she thinks you’re a great guy. She also thinks about things like station in life.” With a shrug, I say, “Me working for you makes sense to her. Our friendship? Not so much.”
He winces. “God, she reminds me of my father. At least in how she thinks money defines people. But it only matters what we think. And I know you’re good for me.”
Reaching out, he grasps my hand and holds it tight, something he often does. Touching my hand, my back. All things I’ve never allowed myself to notice before.
I smile at him. “You’re good for me, too. Now let’s not discuss our parents’ old-fashioned views.” Even if they make some sense to me, too. “Let’s talk about your plans for once we arrive in Florida.”
He begins tapping his foot against the floor of the car. “I want to go to the offices of Dare Nation.” Before I can ask about the office or why he wants to go there, he explains.
“When I first found out about the paychecks, I hired a PI. He found Tiffany Michaels, the woman my father had been paying. She told him her daughter had gone to foster care after her mother died. Tiffany didn’t know anything more,” he says, his disgust obvious in his tone.
“And after Aurora aged out of the system, any record of her disappeared. Then suddenly, out of nowhere, they got a hit on her name, a paycheck she cashed working for a place called Dare Nation.”
While he’s talking, I google Dare Nation on my phone. “A sports agency?”
Linc nods. “Owned and run by Austin Prescott. He used to be a pro football player. I had the PI do some digging, and it turns out Aurora has been staying with a woman who is close to another Prescott brother and the rest of the family. So if I want to find out about my sister, I need to start with Austin Prescott, Aurora’s boss. ”
I nod in understanding.
“I made an appointment to see him. I don’t want to spring myself on Aurora, so I’ll start with Prescott and see what he can tell me about my sister.”
The car stops at a gate for Max to talk to a security guard. Linc hands over his ID and I do the same, a necessity at Teterboro, the main private jet airport for New York City. The airport itself is located in New Jersey.
“We’ve arrived,” Max says as the car comes to a stop in front of the main building.
“Thanks, Max,” I say.
“Thank you.” Linc climbs out of the car and helps me out as Max pulls our luggage from the trunk.
We check in at the desk inside and head immediately out to the tarmac to board our jet.
I don’t know what awaits Linc when we reach Florida, but I’m glad to be by his side when he finds out.