The Expectant Secretary (19 page)

“So, I'm going to be a grandpa.” Teddy chuckled and clapped Brody on the back. “Think we better get the wedding plans under way.”

Brody felt a cold chill through to his bones. “I think the lady has a few objections.”

“Then, Son, you better figure out a way to fix things and win the lady's heart.”

Brody knew then that his father was right. His situation still seemed dark as midnight, but he could now see a distant light of hope filter through the darkness. He could finally see things from a different angle. Thanks to his father's help.

His shoulders squared. He wasn't a damn coward. Because he wasn't giving up on Jillian or their love. He might need every ounce of love to convince her that she needed him, too. And that she could trust him. But no matter what, he wasn't giving up this time.

S
omething was wrong. Terribly wrong. Jillian should have felt relief. After all, this was the day of the big board meeting. Her job with Brody would soon be finished. Only a few more hours and she wouldn't have to see him again. She'd already decided to take a vacation until Personnel could transfer her. So why did she feel shaky, panicky?

And why was Brody suddenly ignoring her, no longer trying to discuss their relationship? He didn't act angry or sad. In fact, he seemed downright chipper. There was a bounce in his step. An easy smile on his face. She was the one rebounding between rage and an incredible sadness that seemed to wash over her with the force of a hurricane.

What had happened? Had he finally accepted that nothing could ever be between them? Anger bubbled up inside her. Wasn't that what she wanted? Her insides twisted sharply with doubt.

How had he turned off his emotions as if he'd switched off a light? Frustration boiled inside her. Why couldn't she turn off those same heart-wrenching, tumultuous emotions? Why did she feel like ranting one minute and crying the next?

As the day wore on, the hours slipping through her fingers like sand in an hourglass, the board meeting
approached, as did the moment when she would finally tell Brody goodbye. Every muscle in her body constricted. Her jaw clenched tighter and tighter, as if the hinges were being screwed shut. She made more mistakes. Her hands trembled, her fingers unable to find the right keys on the keyboard or calculator. Her thoughts centered on Brody, her mind unable to focus on any task.

And Brody had the patience of a saint. She wanted to slap him. Or her. She wasn't sure which.

“How's it going?” Amy asked when she called that afternoon.

“Not much longer.” Even the words were hard to say. Her heart felt incapable of giving a full, complete beat. “The board meeting is in a few minutes. Brody's already in the boardroom, so I can't talk long.”

“You'll feel better when this is all behind you.” Her sister's encouraging, supportive voice didn't give Jillian much hope.

She shrugged and hooked the phone between her chin and shoulder. “I hope so.”

“Perk up! This is what you wanted, isn't it?”

“Maybe…yes…no. I don't know.” Her voice resonated with questions and doubts.

“Did you tell Brody that you were taking a vacation starting tomorrow?” Amy asked.

“That's just it. He didn't seem perturbed in the least. He simply said that was fine.” Her throat burned. His indifference had yanked her up short. “Said he wouldn't need my help after the board meeting anyway.”

“Good. I'm glad he didn't give you any flak.”
Amy paused, then asked, “How come you don't sound relieved?”

Raking her hair back out of her face, Jillian felt a cold sweat break out along her spine. “I don't know. It's like Brody has forgotten I exist.”

“Isn't that what you wanted?”

“Stop saying that!” She sighed heavily. Her shoulders slumped with fatigue. “I guess. But now that he has… I didn't realize how much it would hurt.”

“Or how much you loved him,” Amy supplied.

Jillian shook her head. “No. I've known that a long time. But I thought it would be easier somehow.”

“And it's not.”

“It makes me mad. Mad at him. Mad at me.” Her hands clenched. “What a fool I was to believe he could care for me!” She fell back against her chair. “This just proves I was right. He didn't love me…or the baby. He didn't care enough.” Her voice cracked. “I made the right decision. Finally.” She sighed wearily. “What a mess I've made of my life.”

“Nonsense.” Amy refuted her statement. “You know something, Sis? I've never told you this before, but I admire you.” At Jillian's doubtful laugh, she added, “It's true!

“Even though you were married to a lousy man, you tried to make it work. You didn't want James to die. You certainly didn't want to end up an unwed mother with a mountain of debt. But you've handled it with class, without complaints. You've worked every step of the way to make your life, and the life for your baby, better.”

The first smile in a week touched Jillian's taut mouth. “When did you get so bossy?”

“Just trying to protect my little sister.”

“Well, nothing will protect me this afternoon. All the legal documents will be signed. All the
t
's crossed. The
i
's dotted. The merger will be complete.”

Amy remained silent for a few seconds before asking, “Will Brody be heading back to Australia?”

Just the thought of him being thousands of miles away made her insides throb. “I don't know. But I would imagine. There's nothing to keep him here.”

Maybe out of sight meant he'd be out of her heart, too. But she knew better. It had never been the case with Brody Fortune. “And that,” she said, feeling her heart ripping into tiny shreds, “will be the end of that.”

 

Jillian's eyes burned. She felt like a zombie sitting in the opulent setting of the boardroom. Activity swirled around her. She tried to sort through the spreadsheets, but the numbers blurred. This is the room where she'd first seen Brody again. And had fainted right into his arms.

At the memory of that first kiss and reunion, a heat radiated from her heart, fried her insides until she felt herself shriveling, crumpling. She shoved aside those thoughts and concentrated on setting up the overhead projector and placing copies of the legal document containing the specifications of the merger around the long oval table.

Over the next twenty minutes, the Fortunes, from the dignified Ryan Fortune and his offspring to his rugged, long-lost brother Teddy and his family, filed into the room, their voices blending and merging into
a low rumble of excitement. Each of the children had been called in to sign the documents that would make the merger complete. She recognized most from meeting them at the recent wedding.

Before the meeting started, Brody took her aside. Dressed in his expensive suit and red tie, he looked powerful, in command. But she recognized the telltale tick in his temple that broadcast his anxiety. She wondered if he realized this was it. After the meeting they'd no longer see each other. There was no going back. This time their goodbye would be forever.

Her stomach lurched, her heart pounding weakly without a sure rhythm, without strength. They'd said it all. If she only knew that he loved her, then she would fight for their future. But the sad truth slapped her in the face. He didn't care.

All he cared about was this merger.

Oblivious to the turmoil inside her, he asked in his brusque accent, “Can you get my briefcase from my office?”

“Sure,” she said, eager for a few minutes alone to try to contain her anger, her paralyzing sadness.

Wanting to reassure him that he was prepared, or maybe she simply needed her own reassurance, she said in a hushed whisper, “Don't worry. Everything is all right.”

He gave her a tight smile. “I hope you're right. This…merger means everything to me.”

Her heart caved in, and she blinked back acidic tears.

“But it's going to take—” he glanced around the room “—cooperation from everyone. I can't do it without you.”

His statement stumped her. She hadn't heard rumors of disgruntled family members. It seemed to be a prosperous deal for all concerned. Maybe he feared some jealous sibling would balk.

When she returned to the boardroom with Brody's briefcase, the smooth leather the same deep, rich shade as the gleaming, polished table, everyone had settled into their places around the table. Brody stood at the far end and cleared his throat. As he began to explain the legalities of the merger to his family, he readjusted his tie as if it were strangling him. Only she seemed to notice his nervousness. She figured he wanted to impress his father and uncle.

A light rap on the door interrupted Brody's prepared speech. His head snapped up, and he paused in his explanation of why he'd been chosen to handle the merger.

“Jillie,” he said in that voice that made her toes curl, “would you see who that is?”

She gave a nod and pushed away from the table. Opening the paneled wooden door, she felt a gasp lodge in her throat. Her heart came to a complete stop as she stared right at Gail.

Dressed in a black suit, she looked cosmopolitan, making Jillian feel dumpy and unattractive. Gail's heavily painted red lips spread into a cool smile. “Sorry I'm late.” She sailed past Jillian as if she was supposed to be here and settled herself into Jillian's vacant chair, successfully occupying the last seat. “G'day, all.”

Jillian's heart gave a faint flutter, increasing with each second, beating harder and faster until anger
pumped through her veins. Her face flushed. Her ears roared.

“Thank you for coming,” Brody said. His mouth quirked into a secretive smile as he looked back at his notes.

Jillian's world tilted crazily out of sync. What was happening? Why was Gail here? The realization that they'd been working together on this project, without Jillian's knowledge, and probably doing a lot of other things made Jillian's knees weak and wobbly. It took every ounce of determination to remain standing.

“Now that we're all here,” Brody said, his voice firm and solid.

He didn't even seem concerned that Jillian had no place to sit. She stood on the sidelines…once again. She felt as conspicuous as intimate apparel flapping in the breeze on an old-fashioned drying line. Anger fired her temper like a bottle rocket.

“We can get started.” Brody looked toward her, then. “Jillian, if you could put up the first overhead.”

Her hands clenched into fists. She wanted to walk right out the door and never look back. She opened her mouth to tell Brody off once and for all. Then snapped it shut. What was she going to do? Make a scene in front of the board? Get herself fired? No way. Brody was wrapping up this deal, then he was probably going back to Sydney. With Gail. What did she care if he slept with a barracuda? What did she care…?

She almost collapsed with despair, and the love she'd felt for Brody weighed heavily on her. She wouldn't—couldn't think about that now. She had to finish this meeting. Then she could leave. She could
mourn for however long it took to get Brody out of her system. Until then, she needed to keep this job. She wouldn't let him get the best of her. Not this time.

A numbness winding through her, she walked stiff-kneed over to the projector. Maybe that's why he'd been in such a wonderful mood today. Maybe he and Gail had reunited after their last argument, after Jillian had shown him his fears and why their relationship couldn't work. Maybe that's why he hadn't seemed to need or care about her anymore. Hot, angry tears seared her eyes.

Switching on the projector, her hands shaking so badly she thought someone had to notice, she determined to survive this meeting. Later she could collapse. She could cry until she had no more tears. But then she would forget Brody Fortune as easily as he'd forgotten her.

She glanced at the wall to be sure the projection was focused on the screen. Confusion clouded her mind. Her heart stopped. Her hands turned to ice.

What was this? A hand-written note had been placed on the overhead. She recognized Brody's penmanship. The bold lines. The cautious slant. She reached to remove it and replace it with the correct one. Then her hand faltered. She read it again. Slowly this time.

Jillian, will you marry me? I love you. I've always loved you. Brody.

Time telescoped into what seemed like a time warp, as if the world had suddenly slowed. Her movements seemed heavy and awkward. Her breathing laborious. But her heart almost bolted out of her chest.

“Before we settle the merger,” Brody said, his
voice sounding strained, “we have another family matter to handle. A different kind of a merger.”

She felt all eyes in the room focus on her. Especially Brody's. His eyes were warm, friendly, imploring, and turned her emotions inside out. Her mind spun out of control. She could barely hear his words over the pounding of her heart.

Suddenly his words before the meeting—
This…merger means everything to me
—made sense. Her nerves unraveled like a ball of twine. She shook so hard that she figured the floor beneath her had to be causing it. But the tremors came from deep inside her.

“Jillie,” he said, his voice infinitely calmer than her erratic pulse, “it seems as if circumstances have always been against us. But not today. This time, I'm going to set the record straight. And if you don't believe me, then you'll have to listen to these testimonies.”

“What are you doing?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. “Why are you doing this?” She could only mouth the question as turbulent emotions clogged her throat. Was he making fun of her? Trying to humiliate her?

Then Teddy Fortune spoke. “Lady,” he said, leveling her with steely gray eyes that reminded her of Brody, “you've tangled my son in knots. I've never seen him so miserable.” His voice resonated with raw emotion that only a parent feels for his child. He pulled a red rose from beneath the table and laid it in the center. “He is one hundred percent in love with you.”

“I can testify to that,” Griff said, adding a rose to
their father's. “And I can tell you that he's never been serious with a woman. Before or since he first met you. You're the only one for him.”

“Well, I suppose it's my turn,” Gail said, her features drawn tight. She plunked down another rose. Her nail polish matched the deep, red hue. “I put up a damn good fight, but it looks like you won.

“Anybody who knows me, knows that I never admit defeat. But I suppose I have to now.” Her gaze shifted toward Brody. “That, or Brody would cancel every deal we've ever made, no matter the price he paid or money he could lose.