Page 27 of The Rebel Heir


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“Fine, Cole,” she snapped before releasing a long breath as she balled her hand into a fist and pressed the side of it to her mouth. “You’re grown.”

“Thirty,”he stressed. “Your youngest is twenty-nine.”

“Don’t remind me,” she muttered.

Cole chuckled again.

Nicolette eyed him and then offered the smile that made America love her. “Cole, this weekend is the only time available forScrumptious’team to get in and get it all done to make the deadline for the mag to go to print.”

He remained quiet.

She nodded, taking his silence for consent. “Thank you,” she said with emphasis as she stroked her hair, which was fast becoming more silver than blond.

He gave her a brief nod before turning his attention to his emails. His team’s most recent analytics report showed a plateau or steady decline across all online social media platforms and the massive company website.

“I’ll be meeting with my team today regarding a redesign and relaunch of the website,” he said as he opened the site and frowned at its slowness to upload.

“I know you have no real interest in the CEO position—”

“Atall,” he insisted.

“My rebel,” she said softly.

He glanced over at her. She was his mother and he adored her—flaws and all. So he offered her his smile.

“Knowing you don’t want it, I’m proud of you for still taking the initiative, and I look forward to hearing more about your plans,” Nicolette said.

In truth, he was looking for a diversion from his thoughts now that he was away from the intoxicating recreation of Europe. The project would help him focus on something else besides...

Missing Jillian.

Nicolette rose from her seat to walk across to the office’s glass entryway. She paused beside his name etched in the glass. “Will you be home tonight,mon fils?” she asked of her son without turning around.

Cole frowned. He didn’t enjoy hurting his mother. He had simply just respected the anger she’d caused in him and allowed himself time to forgive and move on. So he knew his next words would be a blow. “I have a real-estate agent looking for condos...” he began, opening and closing his hand into a fist that he was sure must feel like the grip on her heart. That comparison led him to press his palm flat against the desktop. “Until then, I’ll be staying with Gabe and Monica.”

She stiffened.

Her love for her children was not in question. Never.

“I need privacy. I’m a grown man, but maybe it’s hard to respect that if I’m still living under the same roof as the entire family at thirty,” Cole explained.

Saying no more, Nicolette left his office and walked away. The sound of her heels against the polished tiled floor soon faded.

Cole wiped his hand over his mouth, longing for the days when his life was much simpler. When annoying his father was the most demanding task of his day. Adoring his mother without question. Felt the loyal bond between him and his brothers. Enjoyed the time spent cooking in his beloved food truck. And finding the sweetest no-ties, uncomplicated passion with Jillian.

Now?

Everything seemed disjointed. He felt shattered into pieces and twisting in the wind.

He hated it.

One week later

“You look amazing, Jillian.”

She gave her date a warm look as they danced to the jazz band in the club that had recreated the vintage feel of Harlem. “Thank you,” she said, offering him a smile that belied the nervousness she felt.

Miles Fairmount was the handsome, well-built man who owned the market where they purchased live seafood for CRESS III. After several offers for dinners, Jillian had finally accepted—desperately in search of a remedy for the “I love Cole Cress” blues. She needed all the help she could get.

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