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“You haven’t enjoyed living out of a suitcase for a month in a no-frills hotel while you bust your ass trying to close a high-stakes deal with tons on the line?”
“I get a lot of satisfaction out of helping people. The accommodations were fine. But I’m ready to get back to my real life. When I signed on with the Kinross Corporation, I knew I’d be working hard. I just didn’t know it would be this unconventional.”
“Filled with regret?”
“Not at all,” Cleo said, adjusting her pearl necklace. “I wouldn’t change a thing. I love what Gloria started and others are continuing. There were rumors of her legacy and what fueled her. That’s what drew me to the company.”
“We’ve spent every day for over a month together. How is it that I don’t know where you are from, anything about your family, or what you like?”
“You know what I like,” she countered sarcastically. “I hate olives. I like going for a run when I wake up. I’ve never watched reality television before.”
“That’s all fluff. You know plenty about me. My family is an open book.”
“Your family is a comic book,” she joked. “Why are you so obsessed with knowing anything about me? We’re about to fly back to Boston and finally go our separate ways.”
“And what way are you going?”
“Layla has a project in Portland she wants me to oversee,” Cleo replied, looking thoroughly proud, as she should. For all the bickering they did, Nick never doubted how competent and brilliant Cleo was. “How about you?”
Nick shrugged. “I don’t know. I can’t really tell what everyone thinks about how things went here. Did I blow it? Save the day? I wasn’t really looking to get some big opportunity here. This wasn’t a test. I’m happy with the little business Ben and I started up.”
“But?”
He rolled his eyes. “I also like the idea of helping my family. It meant something to me that they thought I could come up here and do what needed to be done.”
“Under strict supervision from me,” she laughed. “Their words, not mine.”
“Sure,” he cut back playfully. “We all know who was really calling the shots up here.”
“I think by the end, it was Sammy. For a four-year-old, he really knew what he wanted when it came to decorating his new room.”
Nick knew this was probably his last chance to address the elephant in the room. “I had to share with Carmen and Nora the rumors about Ronnie’s possible paternity issue.”
“I wasn’t sure what you were waiting for,” Cleo said, looking bashful. “I wasn’t going to say anything yet, but I figured eventually you’d have to.”
“They were shocked,” Nick reported. “I hated throwing another curve ball their way. It’s the last thing they needed. To find out Ronnie might have a different father than they do was not something they expected. And the rumor that went along with how it happened was news to them.”
“What did they want to do? I know there could be more hurdles for custody of Sammy if he and Ronnie are not blood relatives. We should know that in case, down the road, Don tries to get him back.”
Nick’s phone rang, and he assumed it was an update on their flight. For someone who grated on his nerves so much, he had a hard time imagining what it would be like not dealing with Cleo every day.
“Nick, I need a favor,” Brian said, clearing his throat.
“We already played that game,” Nick joked. “Remember the last month I’ve been sitting on a farm in Canada eating from the same three mediocre restaurants?”
“And I appreciate that,” Brian said, sounding uncharacteristically nervous. “Carmen and Nora are very concerned over the information you gave them about Ronnie possibly having a different father.”
“Okay?” He looked at Cleo with a forlorn expression. He knew this would be a turning point for them, even if he wasn’t sure what his brother was about to ask.
“I need you to get to the bottom of it. Find out if it’s true. A quick DNA test should tell if the girls are full or half-sisters. I have people here who can work on that if you get Ronnie to supply a sample. We should have an answer in a couple days.”
“Are you asking me to stay up here?”
“I’m asking you to wait there for the results, and if Don is not her father, find out who is. The rumors started up there. That’ll be the best place to try to get a name.”
“The rumors were spotty at best,” Nick corrected. As conflicted as he was about not seeing Cleo every day, he wanted to go home.
“I know I’ve asked a lot of you and Cleo. Monica was lucky to get out of there last week. Her role in the real estate deal was done. You’ve both probably been counting the minutes until you can come home. But I need you guys a little longer.”
