His eyes flicker at her mention of staying in Vancouver if he loses the promotion. Mistake. Jon is not going to take loss well. Not at all. He has one plan only. Win. Just as he did when it came to downhill racing—he wanted the gold. There was no backup plan. No room for concession.
“Well,” Jon says, “I’m sure Labden will want to keep hisPrincess Daisy‘home’ where he can—”
“Jon,” she warns. “Please, no. Please don’t go there.”
He reaches for the wine bottle, pours another glass, fuller this time. “It’s true, though, Daisy, isn’t it?” He sets the bottle down, takes a big sip. “Maybe Daddy Wentworth tricked us into coming back.”
Her mouth opens. She stares at him. Wind ticks a branch against the window.
“That’s absurd,” she says quietly.
“Is it, though?” He points his glass at her. “I saw that flash of hesitation in your face. Evenyoucan see that it might be possible. Maybe Mommy Wentworth suggested it. Maybe they never had me in mind for COO. Maybe this was the plan all along. Bring you and the grandbaby back, then cut me loose.”
“Why on earth would they do that?”
A darkness enters her husband’s face. Daisy’s pulse begins to race. She knows her dad is manipulative, controlling. But he’d never do that—would he?
“Because they love you, Daize. It’s a fact. And the Wentworths get what they want. They own people and they own things. It’s what they do. And what if they decided after the Colorado nonsense that I am nolonger good for their little girl, their littleprincess? You should never have told them.”
“Don’t put this on me, Jon. It was in the news. Everyone at Silver Aspens knew about it. Of course Mom and Dad were going to hear about the stalker. At least coming from me, I could control the narrative and soften the blow. Besides, it blew over. Everyone now knows that the woman was mentally unstable and desperate for attention. She set you up, targeted you. She admitted it.”
He holds her gaze. Something inside him seems to back down. He smiles, but it looks harsh. “I’m sorry. It’s just—Henry made me wonder. And the fact Ahmed Waheed was brought into HQ two weeks ago—it smells like a premeditated and done deal. Doesn’t it? But it’s fine. And it’s better that Labden is gone from the company. I don’t want to be seen as winning the job only because I married his daughter.” He gets up, kisses her. He holds her face in his hands. “It’s going to be fine. You’ll see.”
She smiles nervously as her pulse kicks up another notch. Jon gathers up the plates and carries them to the kitchen. “So how was your day?” he asks as he packs the plates into the dishwasher. “It was the maid’s morning, wasn’t it? Where did you end up going? Did you have lunch with Vanessa again?”
“I went for a walk and then met Vanessa at the bistro.”
“How is she?”
“Pregnancy suits her better than me.”
“That can’t be true. You’re blooming.”
“Ballooning.”
He laughs. “You’re gorgeous to me.”
Daisy hesitates. “I met her husband, Haruto. Briefly. He came into the bistro to fetch her.”
“Fetch? You make it sound like a dog coming for his ball.”
“Well, that’s sort of how it seemed.”
He stills. “What do you mean?”
“Sort of...I—I’m not sure.”
He waits.
“Controlling, I guess. Vanessa is always so enviably poised, but when Haruto appeared outside the bistro window, she just unraveled. Got totally flustered. Couldn’t even speak straight. Honestly, Jon, she looked scared. And the way he gripped her arm—the more I think about it, the more I’m concerned for her.”
“Theperfect Vanessa? Afraid of her own husband?”
“Maybe we should have them over for dinner or something. Then you can meet them both and check it out for yourself.”
“Maybe we should.”
Jon clears the rest of the table, and Daisy reaches for the mail he left on the counter. As she opens bills and junk mail, Jon’s mobile pings. Daisy reaches for the last item, a brown manila envelope. But a sudden stillness in Jon makes her glance up. He’s studying a text on his screen, his body tense. Daisy sees her husband’s features change. For a moment it appears as though he’s not even breathing. He suddenly notices her watching, quickly pockets his phone, and moves swiftly to pour the remainder of the wine into his glass.
