Total pages in book: 224
Estimated words: 215705 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1079(@200wpm)___ 863(@250wpm)___ 719(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 215705 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1079(@200wpm)___ 863(@250wpm)___ 719(@300wpm)
“Tell me about it,” he says, lifting his fork.
Reid’s phone rings and he grabs it from his jacket and grimaces. “I have to take this.” He doesn’t apologize to Grayson. He simply states a fact and looks at me. “The DA. I’ll be right back.” He stands up and walks away, entering the house, but not before I hear, “The ink’s dry, Mr. District Attorney, but if you’re calling to offer an added cash bonus to the families of the victims, we’ll take it.” And just like that, he’s inside the house, and I’m alone with Grayson, and the impact of that vulnerability isn’t as forceful as I expect. He’s really an easy personality, his intensity more in his cunning than his force.
“He negotiated the settlement for the families of that serial killer that was in the city,” I say. “He donated his fees.”
He arches a brow. “Did he?”
“He did.”
He changes the subject. “What does your father think about what you’re doing with West Enterprises?”
“He knows this is important to me.”
“And will he reinsert himself into the business?” he asks.
“No. He’s moved on and I want it that way.”
“And he’s okay with you taking over his creation?” he presses. “That seems like it would be hard for him.”
“Yes. It will be, but for now, he doesn’t think it’s real. He thinks Reid is scamming me.”
He doesn’t blink. “Does he know you’re seeing Reid personally?”
“No,” I say and this time I don’t blink. “And I’d rather he not, which is an easy achievement since he’s presently chasing a land deal in Montana.”
“Montana?”
“Yes. Montana, and no, I would not be taking your money to Montana.”
Grayson glances at Reid through the window, shares a look with him, and then refocuses on me. “Do you think Reid is scamming you?”
“No,” I say without hesitation.
“Do you want to know what I think?” he asks.
I narrow my eyes at him. “Why does that feel like a trick question?” I ask because it does. And if it’s not a trick, it’s a test that I do not want to fail, and yet, I do want to know his answer. Perhaps too much.
Chapter thirty-nine
Carrie
Idon’t know why I want this man’s opinion of Reid. I don’t, actually. He momentarily drew me into the web he cast, and I know why. It’s not his charm, good looks, money or power. It’s not about him at all. It’s about Reid, all Reid. I’m falling hard for him. I feel vulnerable where he’s concerned, exposed, but that’s on me, that’s personal. This conversation is not, nor was my decision to stay on board at the company under Reid’s supervision, personal. And so I set the personal aside, and focus on what matters here and now.
“To suggest that Reid is scamming me is suggesting a lack of confidence in my skills and leadership,” I say. “Those things are not lacking. You have to decide if you’re willing to gamble on me, I understand, but ask me questions about those things, not about my agreement with Reid.”
“He needs you to get me. Did you know that?”
“I do,” I say. “He told me you don’t like his past history with Jean Claude.”
Surprise flickers in his eyes. “Did he now?”
“He did.”
“Are you comfortable with that association?”
“I am. He’s not. He told me about his past with Jean Claude and his shift from then to now.”
“You believe that shift is real?”
“I think my recent transition from following my father to becoming my own person makes me understand it well. So, yes. I believe that shift in Reid is real.” I think of his mother’s letter to his sister. “For reasons beyond what I’m willing to share with you. Why does Reid’s past with Jean Claude matter this much to you? Reid is good at what he does.”
“Agreed, but how he gets there matters to me because he takes me with him if I’m in business with him.”
“As he does me. If I felt he cheated my father, or anyone else, I wouldn’t be here.”
“There are many that feel differently about Reid.”
“Are you going to tell me that you’ve become this wealthy without pissing off one single person? Is there no one out there that would say you betrayed them to succeed?”
His eyes sharpen, darken. “Who have you betrayed?”
“Myself.”
He arches a brow again. “Meaning what?”
“I knew when my father was making bad decisions, but I let him convince me I was wrong and he was right. I didn’t stay true to my instincts.”
“And that should instill confidence in me why?” he asks.
“I’m honest. I don’t make excuses. My gut feelings are right.”
“And you consider Reid honest?”
I don’t like the way he keeps pushing against Reid. “What do you want to say to me?”
“The two of you are not alike.”
“If we were then you’d only need one of us, but you don’t know me.”