Hot Commodity (Banks / Kincaid Family #1)(47)

Boston sat up. "Helbrock’s your new in-laws?" He paused. Why did he not know that already? He thought Olivia’s last name was—

"Her name’s Roark now," Cameron supplied. "Vivian Helbrock-Donovan-Roark. Livy warned me she’d make a nasty enemy, but I didn’t think the bitch would strike this quick."

"Well, how’s that for a welcome-to-the-family," Boston said. When Cam snorted, he reluctantly added, "She’s got the top bid as we speak."

Cameron’s head snapped up. "Has she voiced an intent?"

Boston shrugged. "Says pretty much what we’re saying; she’s thinking about fixing it up. But she might have the same plan we do."

A shoe-production company, Shaney boasted top-of-the-line engineering equipment that put out a better quality of product in half the time as similar factories. While Cam and Boston had found that to be true, they’d discovered other problems in Shaney Manufacturing that would practically guarantee anyone who bought it would go as bankrupt as the current owners.

But it just so happened that EarnNet already owned a shoe-production manufacturer, and if they could get their hands on Shaney’s machines, they’d make their own company prosper.

Cameron shook his head. "No," he told Boston. "I’ve done a background on her. She doesn’t have anything else in the shoe line. So, I’m sure she just wants Shaney so she can take away my toy. If she wins the bid, she won’t know what to do with it. She doesn’t realize she’s playing with the big dogs now. I’ll bet my life on it."

"Want me to kick her back to the porch and seal this deal with Shaney now?"

It took a minute for Cameron to answer. Rolling his bottom lip between his thumb and forefinger, he finally answered, "No. Roark doesn’t want the company. And it’d probably sink her if she won the bid. I did a little research on her after I met Livy. She couldn’t handle Shaney if she got it. I say we let her win and then watch her flounder."

Boston’s eyes widened in shock. "But we’ve just spent months working to get—"

"I don’t care," Cameron cut in. "We’ll come across another sweet deal later. I want this payback now. I want her to suffer for every heartbreak

she ever caused Livy."

Stunned by the venom in his friend’s words, Boston blinked. He’d been wondering if Cam had been getting serious about his accidental wife, but now he had his answer. It cheered as much as it disheartened him. Cameron had been his best friend for nine years. They’d shared so much, including heartache over women.

Boston assumed he and Cam would remain bachelors together for a long while yet. He’d at least hoped it would take his cousin just as long to get over his first love as it was taking him. But by the way Cameron’s eyes filled with vengeance, Boston realized his pal had moved on without him.

"And who knows," Cameron added, glancing up with a quick grin. "If she goes belly up, maybe we’ll get another chance at Shaney, but for an even lower price."

Boston shook his head and smiled. "Remind me to never get on your bad side."

A strange look Cameron’s crossed face. "The woman needs to be taught a lesson. The way she treated her daughter…" He paused to grit his teeth.

A bolt of unease rippled through Boston. How exactly had Roark treated Cameron’s new wife? He kind of liked Olivia, liked looking at her naked anyway. The thought of her hurt, actually physically harmed, didn’t settle with him. But his cousin didn’t enlighten him.

Cam glanced up and sent Boston a tense smile. "Roark deserves bankruptcy."

*

Though she’d only been joking about having supper ready, Olivia was starving by the time five o’clock rolled around. After only an apple for breakfast and a skipped lunch, she was ready to gnaw off her arm. As evening approached, she once again ventured into Cameron’s kitchen. She raided his cabinets to find them fully stocked with pastas and beans and sauces. But there were no boxed meals or insta-suppers anywhere.

Olivia frowned and set her hands on her hips. Her new husband didn’t know how to cook, did he? Though it appeared he did, she refused to believe it. It wouldn’t be fair if Cameron was domestically inclined. He was already rich, and handsome, and successful. Being able to cook gave him too much advantage. And it didn’t help that she hadn’t the foggiest idea of what to do with all the food she found.

Well, there was no time to learn like the present. Shrugging, Olivia pulled down a package of spaghetti noodles and a can of tomato sauce. What could be hard about making spaghetti? It was just pasta, sauce, and meatballs, right? And actually, she could do without the meat.

Feeling optimistic, she opened the package of pasta and frowned inside at the contents. She had no idea how much pasta was needed to feed two people. She poured the entire package into the round pan she’d found and tossed the box into the waste basket. Then she struggled to open the sauce. It took her a while to figure out how the electric can opener worked, but when she finally pried the lid open, she felt cockily successful.

Humming, she poured the entire can of sauce over the hard noodles and set them on the stove. Crouching down to examine all the devices, she finally figured out how to turn on the correct burner. Twisting up the heat, Olivia bit her lip and wondered how hot it needed to be.