Love Redefined Read online

  “The thing now is that McLaren just doesn’t need two reps in West Coast property sales.”

  “Right,” I said, trying to push down my fury over Jeff suggesting he might try for custody. “And Jeff was never in sales. He was in finance.”

  “Which, for obvious reasons, might not be the best place for him now,” Harvey said, and I rolled my eyes. Only a father would allow his son back into the company after he’d stolen thousands of dollars right under his nose. As if moving Jeff away from the actual money would make any difference. “So we’ll set this up as a friendly competition,” Harvey went on. “The best proposal wins.”

  “What exactly does that mean?” I asked, my voice calm and strong despite my suspicion that my job was on the line now more than ever.

  “The McLaren winter resort complex is going to be built—the question is where,” Harvey explained. “And the most attractive proposal gets built, and gets the job.”

  “And the loser?” I asked.

  “Finds another job.” Jeff sounded as if he’d already won.

  “So years of experience and loyalty aren’t a factor?” I sat back down, unable to believe Harvey—a businessman—would put so much at risk just because his no-good son needed work.

  “They’ll give you an advantage in the competition, Mike,” Harvey said. Then his voice softened, and I heard him pick up the handset, cutting Jeff off from my end of the call. “Listen, Mike. I know this is a little unorthodox. But you’ve gotta see my hands are tied. Jeff can’t get work anywhere else with his record, and I’ve got a company that can give him a fresh start. He needs an opportunity, and he needs to know I have faith in him.”

  “So you’re going to give him my job.”

  “I’m going to let him earn a place at the company,” he corrected. “And unfortunately, McLaren doesn’t have room for another West Coast rep.”

  “So put him somewhere else, Harvey.”

  “He needs to stay close to Finn, to get to know his son.”

  “This is insane. If he takes my job, that doesn’t help Finn at all,” I seethed.

  “Finn will be taken care of,” Harvey promised.

  “So it’ll just be me who’s dumped on her ass, even though I’ve been working for you this whole time? This was Jeff’s idea, wasn’t it?”

  “I think it’s all in your perspective, Mike. I’m giving you a fair chance here. You’ve got the experience, so you’ve got the advantage. Bring me the best deal, and your job is safe.”

  “This is insane.” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Who did business this way? Maybe I shouldn’t have been surprised—after all, Harvey wasn’t exactly a warm and supportive boss, and his love for Finn had been expressed mostly in pats on the head and birthday cards with checks tucked inside.

  “I look forward to your proposal,” Harvey said. “I’ll hear them Monday after next. Bye, Mike.”

  And with that, he hung up, leaving me to contemplate his words. I could step away now, find another job, and wash my hands of this. But that wouldn’t stop Jeff from pursuing custody. And if I stayed? Even if I won this twisted competition, there was nothing to stop Harvey firing me anyway. Jeff was his only son. He was blind where Jeff was concerned.

  I sat back in my chair and stared at my computer screen. This situation was impossible.

  After I calmed down, I stood and took a deep breath, ready to face Chance Palmer again. I needed to get him out of my office as quickly as I could so I could focus on the task at hand. I needed a new proposal for Harvey, and Kings Grove was not the place. I walked to the lobby door.

  It hadn’t occurred to me what might happen if I kept Chance Palmer out in the waiting room for an hour with Finn, and I was completely unprepared for the scene I encountered when I stepped into the front to let Chance know I had a moment to see him. I’d gone out myself instead of calling up to Eva specifically so I could check in with my son at the same time, thinking he’d be tucked into the chair where I’d left him, keeping to himself as he usually did.

  Instead, I opened the door to the lobby to find Finn practically sitting in Chance Palmer’s lap, both of them giggling over one of Finn’s books like old pals. There was something about seeing Chance—all broad shoulders and masculine dominance—sitting with my little Finn, who was thin and quiet and so vulnerable, that sent a fist of emotion into my throat. I swallowed hard, clearing the lump and stepped toward them.

  “Hello, Mr. Palmer.”

  Chance looked up at me, smiling sheepishly, like he’d been caught doing something he shouldn’t have been. “Hi,” he said. Then he looked back down at Finn and said, “I think I have to go now.” He kept eye contact as he spoke and smiled like he was speaking to an adult, and a fresh wave of emotion tried to claw its way out of me.

  Finn turned his head and saw me, sliding from the chair and running at my legs, which he threw himself around, nestling his head against my hip. I dropped a hand to his head and let it slide down his back as I knelt, pulling him into me for a hug. “I see you’ve met my son,” I said to Chance over Finn’s head.

  Chance was standing, straightening his dark pants and oxford shirt, and his obvious surprise cleared quickly before he shot me a smile. “He introduced me to a new book I think I’m going to have to pick up.”

  “Now you’re in for it,” I told him. “Big Nate is a series, and there are approximately four million of them.”

  He laughed. “Should be pretty easy to find, then.”

  I sat back on my heels and looked at Finn. “I’m almost done. Last appointment today and then we go home, okay?”

  Finn didn’t look especially happy to find he had to wait more. “Can I come back with you? I know him.” He pointed at Chance, and I wondered for a minute just how much bonding had gone on out here while I’d been making the man wait. Finn wasn’t usually eager to chat with strangers.

  “No, you stay here. I’ll be quick,” I told him. “Eva is here if you need anything.”

  Finn pouted, but went back to his book and his chair, giving a small wave to Chance as I led him back to my office.

  “Eva, will you keep an eye on Finn? I’m almost done here.”

  “Of course,” Eva replied.

  When I was back behind my desk, I took a deep breath and steeled myself to meet the gray-blue eyes that had flitted through my mind a few too many times since I’d met Chance the day before. “I’m sorry for the way I ended our last meeting, Chance—Finn needed me and I had to get back. But I thought we finished our conversation. I’m not sure what else we have to discuss.” I forced myself to keep my eyes on his as my brain shot random and distracting thoughts at me. So handsome. Too handsome. Those eyes. Look how big his hands are.

  Seriously. His hands? Shut up, brain.

  Chance smiled and leaned back in the chair across the desk from me. He seemed to be perfectly at ease, perfectly at home, everywhere he went. His manner almost made me feel like this was his office and I was the one trying to sell something. One of those big hands held a rolled-up tube of paper, and he held it across his lap as he spoke. “No problem about yesterday,” he said. “I hope everything is okay with Finn. He seems like a great kid.”

  “He is, and he’s fine, yeah. It was less about him and more about my, uh…his father. He, um…” I paused, feeling words pushing their way out that I shouldn’t say. Why was I telling this man so much? “He was released from jail last week and he’s been trying to see Finn. He’s just… He’s not a trustworthy guy, and I needed to get back and deal with that. He’s not supposed to be around us, but it’s hard because he works here. I mean here at the company, but in the San Jose office, not this one.” Finally, I convinced my mouth to shut and stemmed the flow of words I’d been spewing. I’d just told Chance Palmer more than half the office knew about Finn’s father.

  “That sounds pretty complicated,” Chance said, and his eyes were clear and understanding. “I’m sorry you’re dealing with that.” He watched me for a long minute, those eyes o
n my face as I felt blood warming my neck, my cheeks. I cleared my throat, trying to get a handle on my response.

  Chance continued. “The thing is, I couldn’t stop thinking about what you said—about the kind of resort McLaren would want, about what visitors to the resort would want. And I just wanted to show you the drawings we’ve done, to give you an idea what a McLaren property in King’s Grove could look like, what it would be like.”

  “I’m not sure that’s necessary,” I said, but he was already unrolling the drawings across my desk.

  “The property offers a great view of the meadow and the ridge, as you saw,” he said, those big hands pressed on either side of the drawing, holding it down. He picked up my stapler and set it on one end, and then took a paperweight Finn made for me and dropped it on the other side. Then he stood and came around the desk to stand next to my chair, so we were both looking at the drawing right side up. I tried not to breathe too deeply because whatever cologne he was wearing made me feel giddy. I stood so he wasn’t towering over me, but that actually put me closer to the source of the scent. I breathed out of my mouth, hoping that would help with the urge to smash myself up against him just so I could breathe him in.

  Get a grip, Mike.

  “The building itself would be more upscale than the current structure,” he continued, pointing to the front of the main building. “But it would also honor the environment, using natural materials to echo the stone and wood around it, and the grounds here—” he flipped to the next page, “also pay homage to the trees and the environment.”

  The drawings were impressive, and Chance was right—the structures fit into the surroundings well, offering a touch of refined luxury without overpowering the beauty of the environment. There was a sprawling pool off the back deck, but the drawings also indicated a separate building behind the main property and a ski chalet for cross country skiers on a different page.

  “This would be an all-season sports center,” he said, pointing to the set-off building. “There’s a bar in here and a small kitchen, and then a sports check-out area for hiking in the summer and snowshoeing and cross country skiing in the winter, and sleds and stuff for kids.” He flipped to the next page. “This is the ski chalet, set around the other side of the meadow at the foot of the ridge trail. Because it’s a national park, we can’t just drop a building at the top of the ridge, but this is a nice waypoint for skiers, and we can talk about how extensive a structure we want—it could be just a little warming hut with hot chocolate and the like, or a full-blown destination restaurant, maybe lunch only in the winter months.”

  I liked the drawings and the ideas were good, but it was hard to think straight with Chance taking up all the space and air in my office. I stepped away from him and lifted my hair off my neck, struggling to feel like myself, to feel in control. Whatever reaction my body wanted to have to Chance Palmer, I didn’t trust it, and I knew I needed to fight it. “I appreciate you taking the time to come down here,” I told him. “But as I mentioned yesterday, I’m not sold on the idea of a rustic property in the McLaren portfolio. And I think we need a downhill mountain property if we’re focusing on winter sports.”

  “Have you already told your higher-ups that it’s a no go?” Chance asked.

  “Well, no. But we have a proposal meeting in two weeks, and I’ll report on it then.” My ‘higher-ups’ would like nothing more than to see me fail so Jeff could take my job. And if Jeff could prove he was stable and had a good job, his fight for joint custody of Finn might have a chance.

  “Then we have time,” Chance said, and a wide smile made his eyes dance and my stomach flip.

  I sighed. Between dealing with my ex’s reappearance, taking care of Finn, and keeping work going, I didn’t feel like I had time for much of anything.

  “Come back up. Spend the weekend. Bring Finn.” Chance was grinning now, excitement lighting his eyes, and his superpowered certainty dazzling me.

  I felt myself soften a bit as I thought about Finn seeing those big trees, having a day to explore the woods and just enjoy himself. Just because my life was a disaster, I hoped Finn’s might still be good—or as good as I could make it.

  “Chance, have a seat,” I suggested, mostly to reclaim some space in my office as my own so I could think clearly—without his distracting presence and that heady cologne so close to me.

  He moved back around the desk and sat, still smiling an easy confident smile that made me think of toothpaste commercials. He was almost unfairly handsome, and my brain was doing it again.

  Such straight teeth. Look at that hair—what would it be like to put your hands in it?

  Stupid brain. I’d fallen for handsome men before, and look where that got me.

  “I’d love nothing more than to take Finn on a weekend getaway,” I said. “But I just don’t think it’s possible right now. And if we did come up, I couldn’t promise it would change anything about my view on this resort.”

  Chance nodded and he frowned slightly, his eyes darker. “I’d love to get you back up to think about it before the Marriott rep scouts the place.”

  Surprise darted through me and I tried not to show it. “I didn’t realize you were entertaining the possibility of bringing in another resort.” Was he bluffing? King’s Grove didn’t seem like a fit for Marriott any more than it felt like the right place for McLaren. What had I missed?

  He lifted a shoulder and pressed those full lips together in a half-smirk. “It’s just business,” he said. “But McLaren is my first choice and I’d love it if you’d take another look. Really be sure you’re making the right choice for your company.”

  I blew out a breath, picturing my son’s little face as he’d grinned next to this man while they read a book together. I hadn’t seen my son smiling a lot lately. “We’ll come up for a day,” I said before I could change my mind. “Just to see the trees, give one more look to the resort, and let Finn get some fresh air.”

  “Great,” Chance said, and he looked surprised, like he hadn’t expected me to give in so easily. “That’s great. He’ll love it.” He rolled up the plans he’d shown me and tucked them back into the tube at his side. “Saturday?”

  I nodded. “Saturday works. We’ll plan to arrive around ten,” I said. Though I was confidently making these plans, on the inside I had no real idea what had possessed me to agree. I didn’t like the idea of losing a property to a bigger resort competitor, and I liked the idea of Finn getting a day away—but another thought was rolling around inside me too, and I didn’t like it at all. I wanted to spend more time with Chance Palmer.

  Because evidently I didn’t have enough on my plate as it was.

  Because it seemed I hadn’t learned my lesson when it came to handsome confident men. No matter how perfect they seemed—in fact, the more perfect they seemed—the more secrets they were likely hiding. And secrets rip lives apart, destroy relationships, and break people’s hearts.

  Still, I’d just agreed to meet Chance Palmer this weekend in Kings Grove. And I was filled with equal parts dread and excitement.

  I walked him from my office and said goodbye, expecting him to head for the front door. Instead, he strode over to where my son sat with his back to us, hunched over his book. Chance squatted down in front of him. I watched, hoping he wouldn’t mention the trip to Kings Grove. If he didn’t tell Finn, there was still room for me to change my mind. And it wasn’t his place to tell him, either. I started to cross the room, to try to stop him, but I didn’t need to worry. He said, “Goodbye, Finn. It was nice to meet you.”

  Finn grinned at him and replied. “Nice to meet you, too.” I swallowed hard as I watched Chance Palmer stand up and leave the office. With all the charm and sexy confidence poured into that package, Chance was a very dangerous man—and I had learned a thing or two about dangerous men.

  Chapter 5

  Chance

  My feelings were all over the place as I drove back up to Kings Grove after stopping through the Palmer offi
ce in town to check on a few local projects. We’d expanded our operations in the valley after the fire last year, but neither Sam or I wanted to move down here to supervise the Fresno office full time, so we did it remotely. Still, when I was here, there was no reason not to stop in and check on things.

  Candace Rios managed the office for us down here. She was a tiny woman, but she made up in gusto and determination all that she lacked in size. Even I was a little bit afraid of her.

  “All on track, boss,” she’d assured me as I looked over the various stages of building projects on her spreadsheet. “How’d the resort meeting go?” Candace knew about the resort because she was on the weekly status call, and McLaren had been on our calendar for a while.

  “I’ll let you know,” I had told her. “Still in the works.”

  “Well, if anyone can get it sealed up, I bet you can.” Candace grinned and waved goodbye, and I got back in the truck to head back up the hill.

  Sometimes it felt like everyone else in my life had a false view of my capabilities, and I wondered if I could possibly live up to their expectations. Sometimes I wondered where they got those expectations in the first place.

  I guided my truck up the steep curving two-lane road as the valley floor fell away beneath my tires, the landscape shifting from the drab brown and muted dark greens of the hot agricultural landscape to the rolling scrub and sprawling oak trees of the foothills.

  Every time I made this drive, my mind flung me back to the first time I’d come back up after grad school—after I’d sworn I was never going back. And then I wound up coming back anyway. I never talked to anyone about that time in my life, though I had told Sam enough to understand the broad strokes. One person defined that time in my life. One person who was gone.

  Rebecca.

  I’d met her in grad school, and she was brilliant—every meaning of that word fit her. She shone like sunlight reflected off water—flitting and glinting and challenging. And she was the first person in my life who didn’t take one look at me and assume every little thing about me based on my family, my business, and my looks. At school I hadn’t been Tony Palmer’s oldest son. I’d just been me, and it was more of a relief than I’d ever imagined.