“Guilty. But Blair couldn’t say enough about her. I was intrigued and slightly desperate to fill the position. I told myself, if it weren’t for that night, I would have continued the process, so I made a business decision there. You see how good she is.”
“I do,” his father said. “Which is even more concerning. I don’t think she wants to risk that along with any other list of things if this goes sideways or even gets out.”
“No shit. We said we were going to put it behind us. And we did. For the first week. Things were great, even if there was underlying tension on my side. Guess there was on hers toobut again, she’s good at almost being indifferent. She was out running early that Saturday after her first week and I was just coming out the same time.”
“Like fate,” his mother said, grinning this time. “Meeting on this island first, reconnecting and then the run.”
Which was where he knew this would go with his mother. His father was frowning, but he didn’t care. He wanted his mother on his side. He might need that romantic torch she always carried.
“It’s a good word for it. We chatted for fifteen minutes tops while we ran side by side. She’s new to the area, figuring things out. I offered to take her to Brookline to the grocery store.”
His mother burst out laughing. “Ethan Bond, one of the most sought-after men in Boston, went on a date grocery shopping.”
He smirked and shrugged. “It wasn’t meant to be a date.”
“Bullshit,” his father said bluntly. “I know my son. You were fishing. You were trying to see if the bait you were tossing made her hungry or swim away.”
When put like that, he sounded like a dick.
The fact his mother moved over and lightly slapped his father’s arm said she felt the same way. “Be nice about it. He could have been being friendly to his new employee and then things just progressively moved from there.”
“It was that more than anything, but I won’t lie and say the bait part wasn’t mixed in there.”
“Moving on,” his father said, clearing his throat. “I take it things took a turn since you’ve been dating now for what? A month? A few weeks?”
“A month. Two months since we’ve known each other. I know this is reckless. I’m the first to admit it. I promised her that her job was safe and if things didn’t work out, we’d move her somewhere else in the company. But itisworking out.”
“I’m not sure how. It’s a huge conflict and I think it’s best to move her now,” his father said firmly.
“No. We are in a good rhythm. Maybe because we’ve got the relationship outside of work it’s easier for her to know what I need in the office or vice versa. You see it. Have you noticed any whiff of anything inappropriate?”
His mother was glancing at his father. He saw his father’s reluctance to answer. “No.”
He put his hand to his heart. “She’s got me right here, Dad. She’s not impressed with things. If anything, she’s extremely insecure about why I’d want to be with her, but she’s a wonderful person. She’s strong, but has this quiet confidence. She’s not afraid to tell me what she’s feeling, even if I’ve got to push a little, but shewilldo it. She absolutely doesn’t want anyone at work to know.”
“Then why are you telling me?” his father asked.
“Because you’re my father, not my boss right now.”
He saw those words might have been what his father needed to hear. His mother got a little teary-eyed and he was confident he had her in his corner.
“I’m still concerned,” his father said.
“I know. I’d be shocked if you weren’t. She really doesn’t want Norris to know, but she told her mother right away. She thought her mother would have talked her out of taking the job.”
“Mitchell, Ethan rarely brings a woman home. You know how all the boys are or were. Are you telling us this because you want me to meet her? You want her to meet the rest of the family?”
It was the hopeful look his mother was sending his father that let him know he had made the right decision coming to them now. “I do. She’s nervous. She’s afraid you’re going to judge her. That she’s only with me for what I’ve got or who I am, but I know deep down she’s not. If I didn’t have these feelings forher, I wouldn’t have come here to tell you. I’d let it go and hope you didn’t find out.”
“I understand that. I think your father does too, but he’s taking longer to come around. How do you know she isn’t with you for your name?” his mother asked.
“I just do. Bella has the same wealth as Eli, if not more since she’s the only heir to her uncle’s fortune. Blake isn’t hurting by any means, but we know the chances of finding someone with our worth is slim to none and it’s never been what I looked for.”
“No,” his father said. “Me neither, but it’s been harder for you than the rest to believe it was you they were after and not your money.”
“I think every Bond family member feels that way and you know it. If she weren’t my employee and Norris’s daughter that I started to date, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. It’s not like you haven’t known him for thirty years.”
“He has a point,” his mother said. “You’re more hung up on the work part of it. Take that out of the equation.”
