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“Like to wait,” I finished for her. “I’m aware.”
“He’s waiting at the guesthouse,” she said.
“Thank you for letting me know. I’ll go now.” I didn’t have much choice. It would be lovely if I had a chance to change out of the clothes I’d worn to Northeast Harbor. Not only was I un-showered, but I’d also stood in a cloud of Lydia’s second-hand smoke and had rocking, unplanned, explosive sex in a dressing room with my husband... Who happened to be Mr. Windsor’s son.
But there was no time for showers or nice outfits. There was only time to panic and power walk. If Gene Windsor had summoned me, I’d best deliver my ass immediately.
I hustled across the grounds toward the guesthouse. Bryce would want to know that I was meeting with his father, but Bryce was in a meeting with legal. I couldn’t interrupt him. In any event, it was best not to worry him—I was worried enough for both of us! I would tell him everything when I saw him later that night. After coming clean about Lydia and my dad, I would never keep anything from my husband again. Everything was better when he knew the truth. Everything was better when we were on the same page, close, and connected. I felt like I could handle anything with Bryce by my side.
Except, perhaps, for his father…
What did Mr. Windsor want with me? Maybe he wanted to again try and bribe me into getting an annulment, into leaving his son. He’d always thought Felicia or someone of her stature would be a better choice for Bryce.
I shook my head as I walked. It was probably better not to guess. Gene Windsor was crafty, always five steps ahead—a top-round pro pick to my sorry junior-varsity status. Whatever it was he wanted, I had better be on alert.
I knocked on the guesthouse door, and a guard answered. “Right this way, Mrs. Windsor.” He brought me up the stairs to the living room, where Gene Windsor sat on the couch. He surprised me by smiling and standing up when I joined him. “Nice of you to come, Chloe.” He sounded almost friendly.
Uh-oh.
“Would you like something to drink?”
I shook my head. “No, thank you.”
He turned toward the kitchen and called, “Just a water for me, please.” He turned back toward me, a smile on his face. “No bourbon for me—I need to stay sharp. Today’s a big day for me.”
Double uh-oh.
“Really?” I asked. “What’s going on?”
“First of all,” Gene sat back on the couch and put his loafer-clad feet up on the coffee table, “I’m being formally charged with insider trading soon. We’ve asked them to hold off until after the wedding to honor my niece’s nuptials and her privacy, but I’m not sure the federal government gives a shit about that. So.” He shrugged.
“Second, I understand that the board has asked Olivia Jensen to focus on my son. They want him portrayed as a source of positive stability during a rather tumultuous time.” He had a sip of water. “It’s unfortunate that we had to get to this point, but understandable. And as he’s my successor of choice, I knew this would happen someday. Not exactly likethis, but still.”
I nodded. I didn’t know what to say. But Gene didn’t seem to think he needed to hear from me. He looked at me and said, “The thing is, Chloe, I need something from you.”
“Oh…?”
“Olivia Jensen is very good at her job,” he continued. “I hired her for a reason. That reason is her success rate. The thing about Liv is, she doesn’t give a shit if she hurts your feelings. That’s why she’s good at what she does. She analyzes the data and understands what story she needs to tell based on that analysis. So she has data now, data about my family.”
The way he said ‘my family,’ I knew he didn’t mean me. “Yes, Mr. Windsor? I don’t really understand where you’re going with this.”
“Of course you don’t.” He smiled, but it wasn’t a nice smile. “That’s my point.”
He paused for a beat, all the better to let the insinuated insult sink in.
“I know you’re testing well with certain segments. And I know that you and my son have a genuine affection for each other, which is baffling to me, but it’s really none of my business. Bryce was emotional in the past, but he’ll learn soon enough that he can’t let that control him.” He crossed his ankles together. “The thing is, I don’t believe that you are what’s best for my son. I’ve told you this before. He needs to be with someone who can understand the kind of world he lives in. If he’s to be at the helm of Windsor Enterprises, that’s even more crucial.”
“He doesn’t want to marry Felicia Jones.” I was surprised by how firm my voice sounded, so clear. “I’m going to bet her parents don’t want that either, especially after what happened with Daphne.” I thought about what Mimi Jones had said.I think she’s doing it to get him back, but it’s never going to work.
“Felicia hasn’t tested that well. I’m not tied to her as a particular outcome. She’s still a candidate, but I’m not married to the idea.” He laughed a little. “See what I did there? I made a pun.”
I didn’t dare tell him that his “joke” was neither a pun nor was it remotely funny. But I was shocked at how casually he was dismissing Felicia. He’d been her champion. He’d planted a phone with fake text messages in Bryce’s room to convince me they’d been having an affair. But just like that—because she hadn’t “tested” well—she was out?
“This is why Olivia and I got along so well. I’m ruthless, too. But now that she’s abandoning me for the greener pastures of the board, I have to take matters into my own hands.”
I swallowed hard. I had a bad feeling that he meantmewhen he said ‘matters’—and I definitely didn’t want to be in Gene’s hands!
Gene regarded me. “The thing is, Chloe, it doesn’t have to be Felicia. It just can’t be you. You’re not good enough for my son. That’s not personal—that’s an objective fact.”
