Faking Forever (First Wives #4)(48)

She knew he hadn’t.

“No. I did not.” He sat behind his desk and glanced at the open stack of mail. But all of that could wait. “Call a meeting with the executive team in one hour. Is anyone out today?”

She shook her head. “No. You asked that no one take time off when you were gone on your honeymo—” Stephanie stopped midword and dropped her eyes to the floor.

“Right. Good . . . one hour. You and I will meet directly after to go over anything I’ve missed.” He picked up the first paper on his desk, dismissing his assistant without asking her to leave.

Stephanie hustled out of his office, closing the door behind her.

Victor dropped the mail in his hand, leaned back in his chair, and sighed. The images of surprised faces surfaced in his head. Of all the people in the office, their silence.

None of them had been at his botched wedding. Why was that? Oh, that’s right, he needed things to run while he was gone, and asking staff to attend could stop the machine he’d put into motion.

His plan seemed to have worked.

Everything appeared to be running as normal in his absence. The closest Victor came to checking in was when he left a voice mail for Stephanie to reschedule his Tuesday appointment. A meeting he had no business making during his honeymoon. A fact Shannon had pointed out before he’d gotten off the airplane.

The thought of her brought a smile.

He wondered how she would handle a staff that refused to look her in the eye after a personal disaster. With grace, he determined.

His fascination with the former first lady of the state had prompted him to look up as much information as he could about her once he’d returned from Tulum and had been sitting in his quiet, empty home alone. The staff at the governor’s house had reported that they never knew of any problems with the couple, and that they were all very sorry to see her leave. No one had anything negative to say about the woman. Gossip magazines tried to find dirt, and all they came up with was a pretty hefty payment that a prenuptial agreement spelled out in detail before the couple married.

Her ex-husband had been seen with other women socially during his term, but none were pegged as the reason for the split.

Shannon was only seen with friends, or husbands of friends. Twice he found images of Shannon and Paul speaking cordially at an event after their breakup. Both times the magazines talked of a reunion, which obviously didn’t manifest.

Victor was pretty happy about that. Not only would he have never met Shannon, since he highly doubted she’d be running around taking pictures of other couples’ weddings . . . she wouldn’t have been available to flirt with him and hold him in her arms.

The look on her face when he’d kissed her would live with him forever. Surprise, excitement . . . yielding. She’d been as wound up as he. He was shocked that she didn’t push him away the second he touched her, and even more stunned when she told him she couldn’t go any further because of him.

“I can’t do this to you.” Her words had repeated in his head from the moment she uttered them. What had they meant?

In addition to searching the magazines and articles on the lady, he’d also downloaded the book she’d been reading on the beach.

The book was solely geared toward a woman contemplating having a child without the benefit of a husband or partner. Coupling that information with what Avery had suggested—they were there to find someone for Shannon—it stood to reason that maybe Shannon had moved past the contemplating stage of having a child on her own and on to the execution stage of her plan.

So he’d asked her to wait.

Not that he’d be silent for three months.

In fact . . .

He removed his cell phone from his pocket and found her number. He clicked on her number and opened a text message.

He asked one question.

Are you still waiting?

It took a few seconds for the knowing little dots to tell him she was responding.

Victor?

He had no right being this happy.

Good answer, he replied.

I thought for sure you’d be back to work by now.

He smiled. I am. No one is looking me in the eye.

That’s rough.

He stepped out of character and asked, How would you handle it?

You want my advice?

Yes.

Ignoring the elephant in the room never makes it go away.

Victor rubbed his chin and grinned. Wise and beautiful.

The telling dots went on for quite a while, as if she were typing something, changing her mind, and then restarting.

You said three months, Victor. Now go away.

He laughed out loud.

The phone on his desk buzzed.

“Yes?” he answered.

“Everyone is gathered in the boardroom, Mr. Brooks.”

Had it been an hour? He looked at the time.

Daydreaming about Shannon was very time-consuming.

“I’ll be there in five minutes.”

He opened his phone to a different app and slowly made his way to the meeting.

No one looked at him as he walked the hall, and many people scattered out of his path to avoid contact.

He was the elephant.

Inside the boardroom, the talking came to an abrupt halt with his presence.

“Good morning,” he said.

A chorus of replies similar in nature returned.

Then silence.