Bereft (Seven Year Itch #2)(17)

Chapter 8


Rachel


I should have known he’d have good taste in food. He drove us into Baltimore, stopping only for the valet to be able to park his vehicle. He came around to my side and helped me out of the car, making me feel like it was more of a date than business meeting. Chad winked when he caught me giving him a inquisitive look. “Don’t worry. I’m just trying to be a gentlemen. I won’t bite.”

I wanted to giggle. If he thought I’d let him touch me in that way he had another thing coming. Chad didn’t know I was having marriage problems. As of a few days ago, neither did I. Of all the places I shouldn’t have been, it was here, right now with Chad. Grayson expected me to be home, sobbing my life away. Instead, I was about to have a beautiful meal, and discuss the possibility of a new project.

With nothing else going right in my life, I had to keep my game face on. I let him lead us through the restaurant to our seats. He pulled out the chair for me, waiting for me to sit before taking his own. “Thanks. You can be yourself, Chad. I’ve been around you enough. I remember when you were just a kid running around the office.”

He spread his napkin on his lap before ordering a bottle of wine from the waiter. I smiled and followed his lead, lifting the menu up to read. “Do you come here often?” I asked.

“It’s my favorite actually. My mom used to bring me here when I was little, before she got sick.”

Chad had lost both parents before the age of thirteen. His mother, Charles’ oldest daughter, died of Leukemia. His father had been killed when Chad was only five in a severe accident. I remembered hearing Charles talking about it once. Foul play had been involved, but the case was closed shortly after, and the police never explain why. When the boy’s mother got sick, they moved in with her parents. After she died, Charles and his wife gained custody. He’d been with them ever since.

I knew it was better to change the subject. “What should I order?”

“What do you like?”

“To tell you the truth, I’m so hungry I could eat just about anything. It’s been a rough couple of days.”

He snickered and watched as the waiter brought a bottle of red to the our table and began to pour it. “I bet.” He sipped at his drink. “I should have asked if you ate meat. I couldn’t remember.”

“I eat meat. I don’t have diet restrictions. I’m a mom, remember?”

I tasted the wine, letting it swish around on my palate before swallowing. “Yeah, what’s that like, raising a step-child? Was it hard at first?”

This was an easy answer. “It was a tough transition at first. Stephanie’s biological mother was clinically insane. After she committed suicide, it was easier to gain her trust. I think in a lot of ways, she needed me to get through her loss. We’ve been close ever since.”

“You never wanted kids of your own?” His questions were quite personal. We’d never been friendly in the office. In my opinion, I’d say he knew I disliked him, yet having a conversation about anything other than my husband’s infidelity was acceptable. “I can’t have children. It’s a long story I’m sure you’re not interested in.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.” He downed his first glass of wine. “I suck at small talk.”

“It’s okay,” I replied. “It’s kind of weird being here together, for a business meeting of course. I mean,” I had to correct my statement. “I’m not used to dinners about work.”

He smiled again and traced the edges of his wine while the waiter came over and refilled both of our glasses. “Are you nervous being here with me?”

“No. Of course not.” It was obvious I answered way too fast. He smiled before addressing the waiter with his order. I decided to have the same, and thanked the gentlemen as he took our menus and walked away. “I’m not uncomfortable. If we’re going to be working together we need to discuss things.”

“I get the feeling you can’t stand me.”

“You did barge into my house yesterday. I’ve never been paid a personal visit.”

“I’m not talking about yesterday, Rachel. You’ve never liked me. Be honest. It’s okay. I’ll just have to work harder to convince you I’m not a monster.”

“I never said you were.”

“Ladies love me, Rachel. It’s not a secret. I’m sure you seen them fawning over me. It’s probably for the money, but I’d like to think I have more than my family fortune to offer.”

This was the cocky Chad I knew and loathed. “I think it’s best if we get to business. I have some ideas I want to run by you.”

I sat there drinking my wine and explaining how I wanted to keep the agency open for our clients. I offered to run the whole division, where he wouldn’t have to get his hands into it at all. I even explained how I didn’t have the money to buy him out, but I would work my ass off to make sure it was profitable. Money was money. If he had me running the old company, he could focus on his new project. If he failed, he’d have something to fall back on. His family name would remain intact. He had nothing to lose.

“My grandfather suggested the same thing, but said it would be too much for you to take on.”

“Trust me, it’s not. I can devote one-hundred percent of my time to this job if you give me the chance. It’s a win-win.”