Chapter 25
“T HREE O’CLOCK,” C ARRAH sighed, spotting the night table clock. She turned over in the covers for the umpteenth time until she was back on her belly. She stuffed her arms under the pillow and blew a loud breath.
For a while she stayed in that position, kicking at her duvet till it fell from the bed. First she was cold; now she was hot. Back, belly, or side, nothing induced the sandman to grant her sweet dreams. Finally she sat up and scooted back to her upholstered headboard, drawing her knees into her chest.
She contemplated life, as though it wasn’t about that kiss Chris had laid on her lips hours ago. Would a kiss that made you forget the world make you suffer insomnia? “Yes, apparently so,” she mumbled although no one could hear her since she was safe in the confines of her room.
The world she knew no longer made sense, and after that kiss, it never would again. How could it when the forbidden was what she wanted? The sense of security that enveloped her as they connected awakened something deep inside that had been waiting to be set free.
Only, her family could never know. Not while Chennault Cosmetics continued to dominate the industry they were clasping by threads.
Her lids began to droop. The circles Chris ran in her head began to slow. She glanced over at the clock and saw that it was now five thirty. A few hours of sleep were all she needed before she would find her way into her father’s office to debate her most recent discovery for possible solutions to balance the serum.
Carrah pulled her cover from the floor, slid back down into bed, and rested her head on the pillow praying for sleep to come.
The ringing of Carrah’s phone forced her eyes back open. At a turtle’s pace she reached to her bedside table and picked it up. Through blurry vision she read CHENNAULT GROUP on the caller ID. Her eyes closed for a second.
No matter the push and pull between her brain and desire, she was in no position to avoid Chris. They had to talk about what had happened and reestablish boundaries.
“Hello,” she answered, trying her best to sound like she wasn’t still in bed.
“Good Morning, Ms. Charles!” The chipper voice gave Carrah pause. One, why wasn’t Chris on the other end of the phone? Two, she had to get used to the whole pen name thing. “This is Shayla from Mr. Chennault’s office. I’m calling because Chris mentioned that you signed with Ms. Grimké, and there are a few documents requiring your signature. Our digital signature software is experiencing issues and I really need to get these items processed today. Are you able to come by the office and get things situated?”
This was inevitable. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to see him or be held in his arms again; it was just that the dynamics of their relationship had changed. Those confessions from last night could lead to scandal, heartbreak—
“Yes.” Carrah abruptly cut her racing thoughts and replied to his assistant. Chris had told her the story of his mother. Hiding from him and what they’d done would be to please everyone else, not her. “I’ll be there sometime around noon today.”
“Great, I’ll see you soon.”
When they disconnected the call, Carrah saw that Chris had sent her a message in between the time she fell back to sleep and now. This was good, right? She opened the message and read:
Last night…
His text was only two words, but it was loaded with innuendo. The warmth that tingled up her spine before it rushed her body in Mrs. Caldwell’s greenhouse had returned. It was as if she were again reaching up to wrap her arms around his neck. One kiss seemed to have the power to erase the world that had pitted them against each other.
Pure fantasy. They were living in a reality where the morning after could bring regrets. What if he were second-guessing, feeling her out to make sure he avoided a land mine? Carrah was not interested in playing her cards. She’d done that last night. Right now, she had to maintain some of her guard. There was a world surrounding them that dictated who and what they had to be to each other. So, her reply was simple too.
… It happened.
There was no reply. After she showered and dressed, there was still no response. Either she had struck a nerve or the warring thoughts doing battle in her mind were doing the same in his. They could talk about it once she got to his office.
Half past noon, Carrah pulled up to the Chennault Building. She quickly checked her hair and makeup while rehearsing what she would say about not hearing from him. She got out of her car, adjusting the straps of her sundress as she made it through the entrance. She opted for the stairs to tame the restlessness she was experiencing.
As she approached the suite door at the top of the stairs, her belly flopped. She took more than a few breaths then turned the knob to enter. Shayla greeted her the moment she walked in and ushered her down the hall. It was as though anticipation was doing the rocket launch countdown as they made their way to a door that was across from where she remembered Chris’s office to be.
“On a call?” Carrah asked Shayla while pointing at the closed door to his office.
Shayla laughed. “Normally, yes. Today, no. He’s traveling.” She opened the door to a small conference room and motioned for Carrah to have a seat. “Urgent business on the West Coast had him catch a red-eye out last night so he could be there for business first thing this morning.”
Well, at least there was a reason for why he hadn’t responded back to her message. “Does he travel like that often?”
“He hasn’t traveled much since May. Since I’ve known him, he’s kept a rule that May through July are off-limits since he comes to the Shores. The expansion hasn’t allowed him to be as liberal. Are you the same?”
“If you mean come here during the summer, yes. Although this summer I’ve been forced to work a little.”
“I hardly can call any work done here in this cute little town work.” Shayla chuckled then proceeded to divulge her family’s excursions as they explored the town.
Carrah recommended the yacht club’s sailing regatta, Renninger’s Flea Market, launching kayaks from Dorian’s Cove, or taking a day trip to New Smyrna Beach. The woman’s face lit up with excitement, reminding Carrah of how she felt every year she sat packing for the Shores. She deeply resented the position her family had placed her in.
“So you work?” The quizzical expression upon Shayla’s face reminded Carrah of all the times her mother had encouraged otherwise. She tried not to hold it against the woman. Except her face must’ve told a different story because Shayla then said, “Sorry. I didn’t mean to offend. You, uh, you just don’t seem like the type. I mean you’re so glamourous.”
Although Carrah couldn’t see her own face, she fixed whatever ill expression was upon it with a smile. “You thought I was a kept woman?” She snickered, knowing that could never be her despite it being the life her mother raised her to lead as a beauty queen. Not to mention it was the one Trent had begged her to keep so that she could be a prize on his arm at political functions. Never. “I’m actually a chemist. I formulate makeup, skin creams, perfume, and stuff like that.”
“Oh, like what his family does? Is that how you know each other?”
Carrah glanced down to the table, hating that her grandfather had backstabbed Chris’s and tried to sell the company from under his nose. It was the nail in the coffin that triggered the fallout and split of the company. Chàvous kept Noir, and the Chennaults founded Olina Chennault Cosmetics. They’d been fierce competitors since then to the point where she and Chris had abandoned any hope of a friendship until now.
“Our families are business rivals. They have been a very long time. It’s complicated.” Carrah offered no more and firmed her face to make the point.
“Hmm, he said the same. And because I know how to mind my business.” Shayla dismissed the convo and pulled a stack of papers from a folder that was sitting on the table. “He also told me that you needed to sign these documents.”
They both sat at the table. Shayla explained each document requiring her signature before she signed. On the last few pages Shayla read notes highlighted by Chris, clarifying agent fees before pointing to the line for Carrah’s signature.
Shayla gathered all the papers and placed them back into the folder. “I’ll let him know you completed the signatures. Copies will also be sent over to the agent.” Shayla scanned Carrah for longer than what seemed reasonable. “I’m glad he accepted you as a client.”
“Me too… but why do you say that? Or is this something you say to all his clients to make them feel good?”
“You challenged him to think differently.” Shayla got to her feet and looked Carrah in the eye. “That first day when you were here, I knew there was something special about you that could help him find his way again.”
If she’d known Shayla longer, she would’ve asked her to explain. Maybe in time she would understand what the woman was saying. Right now, Carrah couldn’t fathom the Chris she’d been getting close to as a man who was lost.
“Anyone here?”
Both Carrah and Shayla jerked their attention toward the door. The muscles in Carrah’s body tensed. She looked around the room and saw only one way out. Why was Summer here? More important was that Summer couldn’t know she was here.
“One second,” Shayla called.
Carrah shot out of her chair, pressing her index finger against her lips, and moved to where the older woman stood. She pulled Shayla away from the door and shut it. “She can’t know I’m here,” she whispered.
“Who is she?”
“A girl that he and I have known for a very long time.”
Shayla’s eyes narrowed on Carrah. She pursed her lips, but then nodded and left the conference room, closing the door behind her. Carrah began wearing a path around the table, spinning in circles as she waited for Shayla to return.
Thanks to Reese, Carrah already knew Summer had her sights set on Chris. However, Carrah didn’t think it was to the extent that Summer would pop up at his office… or was it? Now she wondered if this was Summer’s first time here or if this visit was a happenstance? The clinginess exhibited by her at the ball and then the way she’d plopped into Chris’s lap last night made her consider if more had transpired between them.
The insecurities that Trent had bred in her rode in like a witch on a broom after they were supposed to have been vanquished with thousands of dollars in therapy. His damage had its lingering effects.
“She’s gone.” Shayla cracked the door and effectively ended Carrah’s pacing. She reentered the room discharging a dismissive wave followed by a snort. “Although I’m sure she’ll be back. Her kind always is.”
“Summer has been here before?” Carrah stiffened as she asked the question. Shayla shook her head no. “Then what do you mean?”
Shayla gave Carrah the girl-are-you-for-real look. “Ms. Bradshaw has called here a thousand times for Chris. At least five this morning, which means he’s not taking her calls. Her unannounced visit is also proof. He’s had several women do this sort of thing when they think their time with him is about to expire and want to hang on a little bit longer.”
“Oh,” was all Carrah managed to say.
For over twenty years she’d known who Chris was, but had not been within his inner circle. Therefore, she had no idea of what his reputation was with women beyond what he’d told her at his cottage. It was still shocking, considering his best friend was a certified dick slinger.
Chris was also handsome beyond compare, smart, accomplished, and extremely wealthy. Carrah had already wasted more than enough time with a man who had similar traits. The only difference was Trent had never promised her anything. She had to believe Chris was different. At least she wanted to.
“Doesn’t seem as if you fall into the same category,” the woman said, regaining Carrah’s attention. “You’re different. That’s why he likes you.” Carrah looked off as a flush heated her cheeks. “Chris has never taken a client, let alone a woman to his grandparents’ cottage. That’s his sacred space, and yet you were there.”