A Mess of a Man (Cruel & Beautiful #2)(106)

“I’ve got it covered. Jeff and Mark will handle the day stuff. And I’ll log on at night and handle the rest.”

Dad’s displeasure when he ends the call is something I push to the furthest reach of my mind as I get myself presentable for the first time in weeks.

My second call is much easier.

“Jenna.”

“Ben.”

She says my name as quiet as a whisper.

“You alone?”

“Not exactly. Give me a minute.”

I hear rustling and the pad of her feet against the floor.

“Is Kenneth in town?”

Her pause is enough answer.

“Since when did I answer to my big brother about who I bring to my bed?”

“Is it Brandon?” I ask, ignoring her deflection.

“None of your business. Now why have you called?”

“Take it from me, baby sister, follow your heart before it’s too late.”

“Shit, who body snatched my brother? Did you fix things with Sam?”

“Not exactly,” I sigh. “I need your help. Did you ever refer that person to Sam for her open position?”

“Yeah, she started, I think.”

“Can you find out if Sam needs an extra set of hands?”

“Oh, Benny boy, I like how your thinking. Give me a minute, I’ll call you back.”

“Thanks.”

“Don’t thank me. You owe me.”

Not quite an hour later when I walk into Sam’s office, everything’s going smoothly until Sam’s sister spots me. Laney isn’t happy and throws every kind of threat imaginable at me, but I hold my ground. Eventually, we come to a sort of unspoken agreement, all in the name of helping Sam. Over the course of a couple days, her attitude toward me begins to soften, as I believe she sees I only have Sam’s best interests at heart. Or at least that’s what I keep telling myself. The next two weeks I burn the candle at both ends but each morning I show up with a smile on my face. I wasn’t there when she needed me the most, so now the least I can do is help keep Sam’s business clicking along.

The day Sam’s due to return, I show up at my office for the first time in about a month. It isn’t long before Trudy informs me my father wishes to see me in his office.

It feels like I’m taking my last steps on death row as I walk past a hallway of offices with everyone watching me like they know my father’s about to give me the boot, not that I can blame him.

“Ben, have a seat.”

Dutifully, I do as he asks.

His demeanor is rather calm and I expect the worst.

“Am I to assume you’ve joined us for the foreseeable future?” I’m not sure how to answer that. When I don’t, he adds. “Is your leave over?”

I nod.

His exhale of breath is heavy with a prepared speech to come.

“When you left your job in New York, your mother and I knew it had a lot to do with Drew. We understood and supported your decision.”

I’d planned to leave the city anyway. Drew’s illness only made me change my plans sooner. But I say nothing to correct him because I’m dumbstruck. All that time he made me feel like a failure, and he already knew.

“Did your recent leave have anything to do with Samantha Calhoun?”

I dislodge the word, “Yes,” with a croak.

“I assume she was worth your absence from work.”

I clear my voice. “Very much so. I needed to help her out for a while.”

He nods. “Do you love this girl?”

“Yes.”

Relief washes over his face. “Finally.”

Stunned, I say, “What?”

He sighs. “You’ve been great in your career; there is no doubt about that. But I was young and single once, too. I wasn’t sure if you’d ever settle down. And I’m grateful we’re not having this conversation about Karen. I would have referred you to the best lawyer in town for an ironclad pre-nup if your mom had gotten her way.” He pauses while I blink, flabbergasted by the turn of conversation. “Samantha is smart and not dazzled by the limelight. I like her.”

“I don’t know what to say.”

“Say that you fixed whatever it was that needing fixing.”

“I doubt it. But I owed her.”

Nodding, he adds, “Don’t give up. Did I ever tell you about how I met your mother?”

He launches into a story about meeting Mom, but ended up dating a different woman with all the right surface qualities, even though Mom was the shit, too. His words not mine. In order to win Mom back, he had to get creative.

Baffling me further, he sends me home to make my last play for Sam, with the expectation that I’ll be back at work bright and earlier the next day.

I search high and low for what I need before I head to my final destination. The intel I gathered during the time spent in her office was that she’s only working half days for the first week. I want to get there before Lauren shows up.

Armed, I manage to knock on her front door.

“Coming.”

Her voice sends all kinds of emotions racing through my four stages of awareness of her on the track of the Indy 500. Lust, Loss, Love, Lonely.

The door opens and she’s startled and stops from opening it wide. “Ben.”