Tycoon Takedown (13 page)

Chapter Thirteen

“
I don’t want to talk to him,” the young man snarled as he leapt from his seat in the social worker’s small office and confronted Charles, who was still standing.

“Sit down, TJ,” the social worker ordered from his seat at a small, file-covered desk in the corner of the room. Charles doubted that the man intimidated many people, even when he raised his voice with authority. He looked more like an accountant, and it was clear the boy before him wouldn’t respect anyone less than a bouncer.

“No!” TJ raged. “You here because I said
I’d
sue you? You and your girlfriend should be scared. You can’t tie people up and then put it all over the Internet.”

“No one is suing anyone—” the social worker interjected.

“You can’t stop me. I have lawyers calling every day. They say that what you did was wrong.”

Charles sighed and held his temper. From what h
e’d
learned about Tanner Jacob Moss, h
e’d
had a rough life and had a right to be angry. His father had been a small-time drug dealer wh
o’d
died on the streets. His mother had overdosed when he was nine. Even though h
e’d
stayed clean from drugs, h
e’d
spent the years since then bouncing from one foster home to the next while his bad behavior escalated—just recently turning criminal. “You did steal her purse,” Charles reminded him blandly.

“Fuck you,” the boy said.

“That’s enough, TJ. Wait outside the door for me,” the social worker said.

“You think I’m going to wait while you two sit in here and talk about me? I’ll—”

The social worker stood and shook his head. “You’ll wait because you’re lucky you’re not in juvenile right now, and that’s only because no one pressed charges. Your options are shrinking, my friend, as is the list of those willing to take a risk on you. Go find a seat in the next room and don’t move. Now go.”

After Tanner left the office, Charles looked at the social worker and said, “He’s a handful.”

The social worker nodded and motioned to the chair the boy had left. “Please, sit.”

Charles politely declined. When his lawyer had called and said that h
e’d
located the boy who had taken Melanie’s purse, he hadn’t expected to want to get involved. Yet here he was, in a part of town h
e’d
never been in, discussing a boy he was sure he had no business asking about.

The social worker picked up a file. “I’m not supposed to share any information with you, but your situation is unique.”

Charles rocked back on his heels and decided not to ask. “Is he in a group home now? My lawyer said he was removed from his foster family.”

The social worker tapped his pen on the folder. “Why are you here, Mr. Dery?”

Charles shrugged, as yet still unable to answer that question for himself. “I want to do something for him.”

Sitting up with renewed interest, the social worker asked, “Financially?”

Charles raised a hand and motioned for the conversation to slow. “Maybe. I’m not in a position to give him a home. Are there different levels of group homes? One I could help pay for?”

One of the social worker’s eyebrows rose. “They aren’t like hotels, Mr. Dery.”

Impatiently, Charles said, “Well, what does he need? I’ll buy him whateve
r . . .
so he won’t have to steal to get it.”

“TJ stole because he knew it would get him removed from his latest placement. He wasn’t getting along with the father.”

“Why didn’t you move him?” Charles boomed.

“It’s not that easy. TJ is almost eighteen and he’s built up a reputation for being a tough placement. I didn’t have other options. I was hoping they could work it out. That home has been a good fit for some others. But it wasn’t for him.”

“So that’s it? You’re done? He goes to a group home and you give up?”

“Mr. Dery, you have no idea how many children I have on my roster, do you? Each and every one of them needs more time and more resources than I have. I lose sleep every time one of them is disappointed by another adult in their life. But I’m one man. I can’t save them all. I try, and sometimes I fail, and I have to live with that. But don’t question if I care about TJ. I’ve been watching out for him for almost seven years. How long have you cared about him? How long will you?”

Charles rubbed his chin roughly. “What would you have me do?”

Some of the aggression left the social worker as he sensed the sincerity in the question. “We have a mentoring program. Yo
u’d
meet somewhere public once a week. Check in on him. Keep after him about his grades, ask him about who he spends his time wit
h . . .
be a stable person in his life. That’s what he needs. I’m there for him, but I’m paid to be and he knows that. He needs one person who cares about him. Someone he can’t drive away by stealing a purse. It doesn’t cost anything, but giving him that could be what saves his life. Can you be that person?”

Before Melanie, Charles would have said no. He would have cited a hundred reasons why his schedule didn’t allow for additional time commitments.

But h
e’d
watched the still-trending video at least twenty times since sh
e’d
left. And each time, he liked his reaction to the boy less. How had he become a man who lacked compassion? Compared to what Tanner had gone through, his tragedy was minor. After his loss, h
e’d
still had parents who loved him and a stable home. Parents who loved him still, even though he hardly ever went home to visit them.

“I can’t imagine h
e’d
want me as his mentor.”

For the first time since Charles had walked into his office, the social worker smiled. “Not at first. No. But I’ll make sure he meets you. Don’t expect him to open up immediately. He’s had a lot of disappointments in his life and he’s learned not to trust anyone. But keep your appointments with him. Be there to listen to him and that will change.”

After a quiet moment, Charles nodded. H
e’d
done many things in his life that he regretted, things h
e’d
give anything to be able to go back in time and fix. This could be his chance to set some of it right.

Charles walked out of the office. Tanner wasn’t in the seat the social worker had asked him to sit in, but he was down the hallway and was glaring at Charles.

Charles didn’t know if he would reach the young man or fail miserably, but he had to try.

For Tanner’s sake as well as his own.

Charles was riding back to his office in his limo when his phone rang.

“You’re answering your phone again. Is that a good sign or a bad one?” Mason asked with humor.

Charles glared out the window at nothing in particular. “It’s been a long week. My latest client was a hard sell, but I finally have him fully on board.”

“Most people sound happier announcing shit like that.”

“I told you—”

“I know. Long week. So your bad mood has nothing to do with your girlfriend, Melanie?”

“She’s not my anything,” Charles snapped.

“Ouch. Touchy subject. Did you have a fight? She kick your ass? You don’t have to tell me. No, scratch that—you owe me the highlights. Did she want to tie you up all the time so you broke it off? I’m not into that personally, but for a woman that beautiful
I’d
pretend to be.”

“You’re so full of shit. And I’m not having this conversation right now,” Charles said and was about to hang up, but Mason started talking again.

“You were a lot more fun in college. What did New York do to you?”

“I believe it’s called growing up. You might want to try it.” Although his words were harsh, he was ribbing more than reprimanding his friend. This was a conversation the
y’d
had so many times before, it had become a running joke between the two of them.

“No, thanks. You’re serious enough for both of us. So now that you and Melanie are over, want to head to Vegas with me for a weekend? I have some friends who are gathering out there. It’s going to be quite a bash.”

Although they were living very different lives, a part of Charles would always appreciate Mason’s friendship and offers. “I’ll be working through the weekend.”

“Are you going to tell me what happened?”

Charles closed his eyes briefly. “I asked her to stay and she left.”

“That sucks.”

He almost denied it, but one of the reasons he and Mason had remained friends for so long is that they could be real with each other. “Yes, it does.”

“Did she say why?”

“No, she left while I was sleeping.”

“The old sneak-out-in-the-middle-of-the-night move. I hate that one—unless I’m the one doing it. Did you call her?”

Charles opened his eyes and rubbed one of his temples. “Yes. Three times. She’s not taking my calls. I’m done. Asking her and her son to move in with me was ridiculous anyway. What the hell would I do with a five-year-old in my house? I don’t want to raise someone else’s child. I don’t even want my own. I’m glad she left.”

Mason was quiet for a moment, then said, “Maybe you should contact your sister and see if she knows anything.”

“No. It’s over.”

“Okay, if you say so.”

“I do.”

“So, no Vegas?”

“No.”

“Call your sister,” Mason said and hung up.

Charles shook his head, and rejected the idea right then and there.

He rejected it again later that day when he sat in his office, blindly staring at its closed door, mulling over what Mason had said.

He was not going to call Sarah. He would, however, stop avoiding her attempts to contact him.

The past week had given him time and perspective. He didn’t need to explain his side to anyone.

I offered Melanie everything.

She didn’t want it.

End of story.

Chapter Fourteen

T
hat night, Melanie had just put Jace down to sleep when there was a knock on her screen door. Sarah stepped inside and closed the door softly behind her when she saw Melanie. “You’re still up. Good. I was afraid
I’d
have to wait until tomorrow to hear what happened.”

From anyone else, the statement would have felt like an intrusion, but Sarah had come to her out of love and Melanie was in dire need of some. “Come in. I just put Jace down, so we’ll have to talk softly.”

Sarah held out a small paper bag. “I brought chocolate.”

“How did you know I needed it?” Melanie took the bag gratefully and walked with Sarah to the living room.

“When you picked up Jace without saying anything about your trip, I figured it didn’t go well.” She plopped down beside Melanie and dug into the bag, pulling out a piece for Melanie and one for herself. “Did you find Todd?”

Melanie unwrapped the chocolate carefully, not meeting Sarah’s eyes as she answered, “I did.”

“And?” Sarah pushed gently.

“He died over a year ago. An aneurysm while he was running.”

Sarah dropped her candy and put an arm around her friend’s shoulders. “I’m so sorry. Why didn’t you call me when you found out?”

Melanie continued to play with the wrapper on her lap. “I wouldn’t have known what to say. It still doesn’t feel real.”

“Loss can be like that. It hits you in stages.”

Melanie met Sarah’s eyes. “It’s not that kind of loss. It should be, I guess. But I didn’t know Todd very long. That sounds awful, doesn’t it?”

“No, it sounds honest.”

“I wanted to find him for Jace, you know?
I’d
put off telling Todd about Jace because I always thought ther
e’d
be a better time to tell him. I was fooling myself. I should have told him right away.”

“You didn’t know he would die.”

“No, but I knew what the right thing to do was and I didn’t do it.”

Sarah nodded and said, “Well, this confirms it. You’re human. You make mistakes just like the rest of us.”

Melanie stood up. “Don’t. Don’t brush aside what I did.”

Sarah joined her. “I’m not, but I don’t want to see you beat yourself up over something you can’t do anything about.” When Melanie didn’t say anything, Sarah asked, “What did Charles say when you told him?”

“I didn’t.”

“Did you tell him why you were there?”

Melanie turned away from Sarah and walked across the room. “Yes.”

“But you didn’t tell him about finding Todd? I thought the two of you wer
e . . .
that you ha
d . . .
”

“We were together, but it’s over.”

“I don’t understand.”

“It didn’t work out. That’s it. I don’t want to talk about it anymore.”

Sarah went to stand in front of Melanie. “So what are you going to do now?”

“Nothing. There’s nothing left I can do.”

Chewing her bottom lip, Sarah said, “There is always somethin
g . . .
”

Feeling cornered and raw from the day, Melanie snapped, “I can’t handle your eternal optimism right now. It’s been a long day. I’m exhausted. Can we just drop this? Please.”

With a slight frown, Sarah walked to the door. “David is still at the main house. Do you want me to send him over?”

“I don’t want to talk to anyone about anything, okay? Just leave me alone.” Melanie’s voice rose with agitation.

“Mama?” Jace called from his upstairs bedroom.

With her hand on the screen door, Sarah said earnestly, “I’m sorry, Mel. I didn’t mean to come over and upset you.”

Melanie called up the stairs to assure Jace that she was fine, then turned to Sarah. “No. I’m sorry. Thank you for coming. I didn’t mean to snap at you. I must be overtired. I don’t want to think about anything anymore today.”

With a nod, Sarah said gently, “It’s okay to give yourself a day, Mel, but then you have to pick yourself back up and go on.”

“I will,” Melanie said just to make her friend feel better.

“See you tomorrow?” Sarah asked hopefully.

“Jace has school, so I’ll be up there right after he leaves.”

Sarah stepped outside but lingered on the other side of the screen. “It’s going to be okay.”

Melanie nodded, thanked Sarah again for coming, and closed the door.

The next morning, Melanie was cleaning the breakfast dishes in the kitchen of the main house when her boss, Tony Carlton, walked into the room. She resumed what she was doing. Tony wasn’t the type to engage in idle discourse. Although h
e’d
opened up a lot since meeting Sarah, he would never be the chatty type, and Melanie was comfortable with the relationship the
y’d
had for years: cohabitating without much actual interaction.

He surprised her by coming to stand beside her and taking his hat off. “I don’t think you should work here anymore, Melanie,” he said in his gruff Texan drawl.

Melanie dropped the plate in her hands and it smashed into pieces at her feet. Neither of them moved. “Are you firing me?”

Tony tossed his hat onto the table a few feet away. He leaned back on the counter and took his time choosing his words. “You don’t belong here anymore.”

Swallowing hard, Melanie walked to the closet, took out a dustpan and broom, and began to clear away the mess sh
e’d
made. She had known this day would come. Tony didn’t need a housekeeper anymore. He had Sarah now. Had she gone home upset with Melanie last night? If so, that was enough to make a man like Tony ask her to leave. He didn’t like any sort of drama on his ranch. “I understand.” She dumped the broken glass into the trash and removed her apron.

Tony swore under his breath. “You’ll be better off.”

Unable to meet his eyes, Melanie said, “Don’t dress it up like something it isn’t. You want me to leave, so I’ll go. But don’t try to make it look like you’re doing it for me. I’m happy here.”

A sad expression crossed Tony’s face. “You have to get on with your life. Just as I have.”

“Do you want the house back?” Melanie asked. Tony had given her the deed to her home, but that had been when h
e’d
expected her to keep working there. If he did, Melanie wasn’t sure what that would mean for her. Although sh
e’d
made up with her parents, she didn’t feel that she could go back there. No job. No house.

Things definitely have a way of going from bad to worse before they get better.

David walked in and stopped just inside the door. “So this is where everyone is. Anything going on I should know about?”

Tony retrieved his hat. “I was just telling Melanie that she needs to find another job.”

David looked back and forth between them. “Why the hell would you say that, Tony?”

Melanie tried not to show how the announcement had shaken her. She shrugged. “He says it’s for my own good.”

David turned on Tony. “Where is she supposed to go?”

Tony frowned. “I never said she had to move.”

Melanie let out a breath of relief.

“But you don’t want her working here anymore?”

“She’s better than this.” He met Melanie’s eyes across the room. “You are. You’re no housekeeper. You’re too smart for that. Go back to school. You went to college once, didn’t you?”

Emotion swelled in Melanie. “I couldn’t afford it even if I wanted to.”

Tony shrugged. “Shoot, we could probably pay your tuition with the sale of one horse.”

His generosity floored Melanie. “I couldn’t accep
t . . .
”

Tony turned to his ranch manager. “David, you’re real good at talking people into things. Tell her that she needs to do this.”

“
I’d
say you’re doing a good job of convincing her without me.”

“Convincing who to do what?” Sarah asked as she entered the kitchen.

Tony walked over to his fiancée and kissed her lightly on the lips before saying, “Melanie is going back to school.”

Sarah smiled up at Tony. “I knew you could talk her into it.”

“I can’t let you pay for school for me,” Melanie protested.

Sarah shared a look with Tony, then said, “This is what you do for family.”

“I’m no
t . . .
” Melanie started to say, then stopped herself. Although they weren’t related by blood, Sarah was right. These people had become her family. She would have done anything for them, and it was humbling to see they felt the same way about her. Starting over was scary, but it held the hope of a better life for Jace as well as herself. “I’ll pay you back every penny.”

Tony said, “How about if you settle the bill by cooking for us now and then? Have you tasted Sarah’s cooking?”

Sarah made a face and said, “You said it was getting better.”

He kissed her upturned nose. “Because I love you.”

Melanie shook her head at the pair and smiled for the first time that day. There were many parts of her life that still felt wrong, but this—this was right.

After Tony and David left, Sarah remained in the kitchen and helped Melanie finish cleaning it. “I hope you’re not upset that I told Tony about what happened with Todd.”

“How could I be upset? Thank you.”

“I told you things were going to be okay,” Sarah said in her usual optimistic tone.

Melanie reached out and hugged her. “Don’t change, Sarah. Don’t let anyone ever change you.”

A week after returning from New York, Melanie sat in the shade of a tree late one afternoon and watched her son work a horse by riding him around barrels that had been set up in a small field. The large smile on Jace’s face told her that he was where he belonged.

While sh
e’d
been away, h
e’d
shadowed Tony extensively, or so David had told her, and the
y’d
gotten on better than anyone had expected. Sarah’s influence extended into how Tony interacted with everyone on the ranch, and it was a beautiful thing to see. Sh
e’d
brought love and laughter into Tony’s life and it had spread across the ranch—and had indeed sparked a feeling of family among people who had worked closely but kept their distance from each other for years.

Now Jace shadowed Tony everywhere, asking him a million questions and practicing whatever Tony suggested. It was a challenge to keep him on the ground and cleaned off long enough to get him to school each day. He raced home, did his chores, then hopped back on whichever horse Tony said he could “work” that day.

Even though Tony wasn’t what most would consider a warm man, Jace hero-worshipped him. He and David had been Jace’s only male role models since he was born. Overcome by emotion, Melanie swallowed hard against the lump in her throat.
The closest thing to a father he’ll ever have.

She jumped when Sarah plopped down in the grass beside her. “So are you ready to meet Jace’s grandparents?”

“As much as I’ll ever be,” Melanie answered. She knew exactly what Sarah was referring to.

Sh
e’d
called Todd’s parents again. The conversation played again in her head, as vivid now as if sh
e’d
just hung up from talking with them.

“My name is Melanie. I called the other day looking for your son, Todd.”

“Yes,” his mother had said cautiously. “I remember you.”

“I have something I need to tell you.”

“Could you hold on please?” The woman had called her husband to her side and put Melanie on speakerphone.

“What does she want?” Todd’s father asked.

“I don’t know,” his mother answered as if Melanie weren’t right there listening. “But I want you to hear it.” It was as if she knew that what she was about to hear would change all their lives forever.

“Melanie, is that what you said your name was?” the father asked.

“Yes,” Melanie had responded slowly. “
I . . .
u
m . . .
” Melanie stopped and started again. “Your son and I dated for a very short time in college. Right before he graduated. I gave him a—”

“If you’re looking for anything yo
u’d
like returned, it’s all boxed up back at our house. Leave me your number and I’ll contact you when we’re there again.”

In a much softer tone, the mother said, “We don’t like to be there much since we lost Todd. Too many memories.”

Melanie said softly, “I understand. This isn’t about anything I want back.”

The father interrupted, “Why don’t you just tell us whatever it is you called to say. My wife gets upset when it comes to anything that has to do with Todd. So let’s not drag this out.”

Melanie took a deep breath and said, “My son, Jace, is your grandson.”

“Did she just sa
y . . . 
?” Todd’s mother asked, her voice rising with emotion.

“Deborah, don’t get excited about this. We don’t know her. We don’t know if she’s lying. Todd never mentioned a Melanie.”

“We didn’t date long.”

“But what if she’s telling the truth?” the mother said urgently, her voice thick with tears. “Oh my God. We could have a grandchild.”

“Do you have any proof that Todd was the father?” the father asked in a firm tone.

Melanie shook her head even though they couldn’t see her. “Are you on a cell phone?”

“Yes,” the mother replied, sounding confused by her question.

Melanie scrolled through her phone and sent a message to their phone. “I just sent you a photo of Jace.”

There was a long pause, then the sound of the mother crying. “He looks just like Todd did at that age.”

“We should do a blood test to be sur
e . . .
”

The mother said, “I don’t need a test to tell me those are our son’s eyes and his smile. That’s our grandson.”

“When can we see him?” the father asked.

Melanie swayed.

No going back now.

“We live in Texas on a horse ranch. You’re welcome to come for a visit.”

“Did Todd know about his son?” the father demanded.

“No.” Melanie whispered the truth. “I never told him.”

The man muted his phone for a second, then came back and said, “We weren’t coming back for another month, but we could fly back early. Where are you located?”