Aiden ~ Melanie Moreland Read online

  “And?”

  “Apparently, nude was the decision. Black was too—” he held up his fingers in quotations “—harsh.”

  “This is the woman you let pick your socks?” Maddox muttered.

  “Fuck you.”

  “You first.”

  “No thanks, Emmy took care of that as well.” Bentley settled back in his seat, his grin wide and wicked. “That, my friends, is the reason I put up with the constant consultations.”

  “Sex.”

  He shook his head. “Sex with Emmy.” Even though his voice was teasing, there was no doubt about his feelings. His eyes were warm and his contentment shone through. I felt a flash of jealousy at his obvious happiness, but I tamped it down. He deserved to be happy.

  He studied me for a minute, then flicked his hand. “Okay. Back to the business at hand.”

  Inwardly, I sighed with relief. Business, I could handle. Bentley’s inquisition, not so much.

  “Huge lot, over five acres, prime waterfront. Been in his family for years, but none of them live in the province now, and they don’t want the responsibility of a resort. The owner is retiring to be closer to his kids. He reached out to us—the land isn’t even officially up for sale.”

  “Any reason why he reached out to us in particular?” Maddox asked.

  “His granddaughter, Jane Whitby, interned with us a couple of years ago. She told him how awesome I was to her.”

  Maddox raised his eyebrow. “You were?”

  Bentley chuckled. “I remember Jane. She was bright. Efficient.”

  I nodded. “Sandy loved her. We gave her a bonus and a great reference when she left for Calgary. She told her grandfather we would do right by him if we were interested.”

  Maddox nodded. “Great. That was nice of her to think of us.”

  “Anyway, from the pictures I saw, the land is the prize. The buildings need to be demolished. Far too much work to renovate, but it could be sweet if we built. I can already think of a dozen investors who would want in.”

  “If the numbers work,” Maddox mused.

  “This remains between us,” Bentley cautioned. “If we go ahead, nothing anywhere but verbal conversations between the three of us until the papers are signed.”

  “We’re safe, Bent. We’ve overhauled everything—all our systems are tight. Reid has all that shit under control. No one is getting through his systems,” I assured him. “No one is spying anymore.”

  He sighed, staring out the window. I knew the betrayal of his lawyer and friend, Greg, had shaken him. Bentley had become overcautious with everything. Emails, texts, phone calls. He would relax eventually, and I knew I had to be patient.

  “For now, keep it between us,” he stated.

  “Okay.”

  Maddox spoke up. “I thought Muskoka was the place to be for resorts.”

  I leaned forward, shaking my head. “Think about it, Mad. By noon every Friday, Highway 400 is backed up with people trying to head up north. One accident and you’re stuck for hours. Then heading home Sunday is the same. The reason people want to escape the city is to relax. By the time you get there, you’re tense. It takes a full day to adjust, then you have to head back and you’re faced with the same thing. Once again, you fight the traffic and crowds. So, it’s all for nothing. You’re right back to being tense.”

  Bentley spoke. “Aiden is right. We researched it thoroughly. Muskoka is awesome, but it’s gotten ridiculous. The very things you’re looking to escape follow you. The crowds, the traffic, the expense. Port Albany is still small and not as developed. Great views, nice lakes, and still peaceful for the most part. Marketed in the right way, I think it would sell extremely well, whether we keep it in BAM or form an investment group.”

  “We’re pretty tied up with Ridge Towers—can we take on another project?” Maddox queried.

  Bentley shrugged. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Let’s see the land, find out what he’s looking for, and decide if we’re interested. We can always buy and hold it until we decide.”

  Maddox and I agreed. “Good plan.”

  Aiden

  BENTLEY ALWAYS CHANGED when he was interested in something. No one else would notice, unless you knew him. He spoke a little faster and used his hands more. His gaze never stayed in one spot, but instead, moved rapidly, taking in everything as he spoke.

  At the moment, he was on fire. As he spoke with Jed Whitby, I knew he was already forming an offer. Maddox wandered around, stopping every few feet to take in the view. It was stunning. I pulled off my sunglasses to peruse the vast expanse of water. It was a warmer day, with a light breeze. I could imagine how it would feel under the heat of the sun, sitting with a beer, enjoying the view.

  “Fucking awesome,” Maddox murmured beside me.

  “Bent wants it.”

  “No shit. I want it.”

  “That makes three of us.”

  “This is a fucking no-brainer. Whether we keep it, build it, or do some of both, we need to buy this place.”

  I studied the property. “I wonder what’s going on with the pieces on either side?”

  Jed appeared beside me with a chuckle. “You’ll find out in about twenty minutes. I told my neighbors I was selling, and they want in on the action.”

  I inhaled hard at that information. The land formed a wide U configuration. If we obtained all three parcels, the possibilities were staggering. I met Maddox’s gaze, and I knew he was thinking the same thing.

  Jed slapped my shoulder. “Look around and come inside for coffee. I warn you, my wife always told me it was tar. And that was when she was alive to oversee how many grounds I put in the pot.”

  I smiled. “Fair warning.”

  He made his way toward the main house, leaning heavily on his cane. He had told us his health was the main reason he was selling.

  “Too much physical work in the season and difficult to find kids to hire anymore,” he explained to us. “They want tech jobs and things they can do while sitting on their asses, texting all day.”

  We all chuckled at his description because he was correct.

  “It’s lonely in the off-season. My wife and I did this together. Without her, it’s not the same. My daughter has a nice place for me, and her kids are there. Jane is close too, so it’s time to sell.”

  Bentley stood, contemplative, and stroked his chin, while Maddox tapped his cheek, looking thoughtful. I knew they were both going through offers in their heads. I already had a number in mine. I had memorized everything about the area and the values of the properties. As Bentley’s right-hand man, and vice president of the company, my role was unique. Not only did I oversee all the security for the company and Bentley, but I was also involved in all aspects of our acquisitions, as well as legwork for the large projects we took on. Maddox was our numbers man, and he knew our finances inside and out. I was sure if I asked him, he could tell me our bank balances to the penny.

  Ridge Towers was a huge project, both in scope and financially, but I knew we were on track with it. We were on budget, ahead of schedule, and the interest in it was already positive. Once we hired the right marketing team, sales would explode. Originally dubbed Bentley Ridge Estates after a joke from Emmy, we had decided to stick with Ridge Towers, agreeing the name worked with the location. It was going to be an extraordinary piece of our company’s holdings.

  We watched Jed walk into the house before anyone spoke.

  “That was unexpected,” Bent mused. “All three properties?”

  “I know.” I snorted. “I thought this piece was impressive.”

  “If we can get all the land, we can’t pass this up,” Bentley stated. “Even if we break it up and resell, we’ll make a fortune.” He paused. “I don’t want to play games with these people. No lowballing. We’ll listen to them and make a good offer. Wrap it up fast.”

  I admired that about Bentley. He was never out to cheat anyone. He was fair in his dealings, especially when it came to his interaction with
people. Shrewd and intense, but always honest. He had been from the day I’d met him.

  “You have all the figures in your head, Aiden?”

  “Yep.”

  “I assume you know the stats on the adjoining properties?”

  I gave him a scathing look, and he chuckled. “Just checking. Hit me with numbers.”

  I threw out figures for each parcel, and he nodded. “That’s what I was thinking. We need to do some more due diligence, but I think you’re right. Maddox?”

  “As always, my boy nailed it.”

  “Can we handle it financially?”

  Maddox smirked. “Easily.”

  “Then let’s go and listen to what they have to say.”

  I rubbed my temples, the words running together, worse than usual, on the page in front of me. Nothing was recognizable. None of the usual markers I could concentrate on and work with appeared. I glanced at my watch and winced. I had been at this for over two hours and had accomplished nothing. The notes I had were the highlights from the exceedingly unusual business meeting we’d had with the three owners of the properties, Bentley’s musings, and a few points Maddox had made earlier.

  We had been quiet in the SUV. As usual, once Bentley got an idea, he was silent, working through the details in his head. Maddox had been busy on the phone, and I clutched the file folder Jed had stuffed into my hand, the paper covered in coffee cup rings and worn around the edges. Once we hit the office, we went our separate ways, with the plan to talk it over in the morning. I had hoped to break down the document more, but I’d failed.

  Nothing new there.

  Bentley walked in, tugged at his tie, and sat in front of me. He studied my face for a moment, then purposefully leaned forward.

  “What’s going on?”

  “I tried, Bent.” I indicated the sheets on my desk, shame coloring my voice. “I can’t-I can’t do anything with this information. I’m sorry.”

  “There is nothing to be sorry for—don’t even go there. Jesus, Aiden. Have you been at it since we got back?”

  “Yeah.”

  He shook his head. “I glanced at it earlier. I could barely make sense of it myself. His writing is chicken scratch, and there’s no business terminology to focus on. Sandy will type it up for us tonight, and we’ll go through it tomorrow. All of us.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Did you not get my message?”

  I picked up my phone. “Shit. I had it on mute while we talked to Jed. I forgot to switch it back on.”

  “I called and told you to give it to Sandy. I knew you’d stress over this too much.”

  “I hate how you have to dumb things down for me.”

  “I am not fucking dumbing things down. Stop with that shit. You’re smarter than I am, for God’s sake. You just process it in a different fashion.”

  I shrugged, not believing him.

  He scowled. “Aiden, what’s going on with you?”

  Denial tripped off my tongue fast. It was second nature to me now. “Nothing.”

  He tilted his head. “Your boss isn’t asking—your friend is,” he informed me quietly. “Why are you so down on yourself lately? The nightmares—are they back? You look exhausted.”

  I couldn’t meet his concerned gaze. “Nothing new and nothing I can’t handle.”

  “You’re lying.”

  My head snapped up.

  “You forget how well I know you, Aiden.”

  “Leave it, Bent. I’m handling it.”

  He sighed. “I wish you’d go and talk to Chloe, the counselor we’ve been seeing. She’s been amazing with Emmy and me. I think you’d find it helpful.”

  “I don’t want to talk about my past. I want to forget it.”

  He shook his head. “You can’t forget your past. It shapes you, and if you don’t deal with it, it haunts you forever. That’s what I’ve discovered. Running away doesn’t fix anything. Talking it out, getting some help does.”

  I scrubbed my face, wanting the subject closed. “Look, I’ll think about it. Just leave it right now, okay?” I picked up the papers in front of me. “We need to figure out how to make these people happy and buy this land.”

  He knew when to let it go, so he changed the subject. “That was some of the most beautiful property I’ve seen in a long time.”

  “I agree. The views are spectacular. I wanted to pull up a chair with a beer and just look at the water.”

  He sat back, running his fingers along the crease of his pants. “Have you ever wanted a place outside the city?”

  I pursed my lips. We all lived in very different locations. Bentley had the house filled with antiques, reflecting his old-fashioned manners and upbringing. Maddox lived in the penthouse of a condo building, high over the city, all clean lines, and modern. My loft in the warehouse district was open, with brick walls and wood floors, plain and utilitarian. We all enjoyed city living, simply in different ways.

  “I never thought about it until today,” I admitted. “Something about that place . . .”

  “I know. The openness and the views. Made me think.”

  “Yeah.”

  He stood, holding out his hands for the papers. “Sandy will clean these up, and we’ll talk it through tomorrow.” He snorted. “We have to be sure to include the fact that we won’t remove Mrs. C’s crabapple trees for four years.”

  I chuckled. I had liked Jed’s neighbor, Mrs. Cartwright. Bossy and direct, she was determined. Plus, she was an awesome baker. I had devoured half a dozen of Mrs. C’s, as she insisted we call her, oatmeal raisin cookies. They were stellar. They were also the perfect antidote to the insidious brew Jed had plied us with. Tar was being kind. Adding milk made no difference. It remained blacker than the bowels of hell and tasted like burned asphalt. However, we all drank it as we listened, me memorizing the details of the conversation. A far easier task than deciphering the documents Jed gave us.

  “Don’t forget we have to let Mr. Wilcox stay in his house for one last summer.” Jed’s other neighbor had stipulated that condition.

  “How could I? He was damned adamant about it.” Bentley shook his head in amusement.

  “Their demands, such as they were, are all workable. Bizarre, but workable.”

  “If we decide to go ahead, we’ll give them what they want. We can do the offers this week once we hash it out. You and Maddox can work them up together.”

  “Yep.”

  “Great. Unexpected, but great. The potential . . .” Bentley stared out the window. “It’s astronomical.”

  “You’re right.”

  His phone buzzed and he glanced down, grinning as he read the screen. “You still okay for tonight?”

  “Tonight?” I repeated blankly.

  He sighed. “You’re starting your self-defense lessons with Emmy and Cami? Ring a bell?”

  My heart rate picked up at the sound of Cami’s name. Bentley hadn’t been happy about Emmy wanting to learn self-defense but had agreed it was smart and asked me to do it, rather than have her go to a stranger. It wasn’t a surprise when Cami said she wanted to learn as well.

  “Right. Of course. But we can’t use the gym here at the office. That pipe that leaked last week is still being fixed. It’s a mess down there. We’ll need to replace the floor once it’s repaired.” I frowned. “Dee isn’t taking part?”

  “No, she’s working a lot of overtime on some case. She told Emmy she would maybe join in later.”

  “Okay. I can always make plans with her when she’s available.”

  “Thanks, Aiden. I appreciate you doing this for me. For them. You’re the only one I trust enough. You want to use the gym in my place?”

  I couldn’t help the feeling of satisfaction his words gave me. I knew how much Emmy meant to him, and his trust meant a great deal. “No, you have too many machines. I need open space. They can come to the loft. I have a punching bag and everything we need.”

  “Okay. I’ll bring them over later. Six?”

  Bentley was my main priorit
y during the day, but I didn’t have to accompany him in the car all the time anymore. It was convenient for us to go together since Frank went right by my place to get Bentley and parking in Toronto was a bitch. But some days, I drove myself into the office. We took it day by day, but I was always ready should he need me. In the evenings, he used his own car, unless he was attending a function with crowds of people and we felt it was better to have me on hand. When he and Emmy were alone in the evening, he was fine. He was smart and strong, and I had taught him enough moves that he could protect them if need be, and he liked the privacy.

  “Fine. But you need to stay out of the way.”

  “Why?”

  “You’ll be all protective and make Emmy tense. I need to do this my way. You can pick them up later.”

  “Emmy was wondering about Mexican after. Dee can join us around eight if we’re interested in a night out with the girls.”

  Maddox strolled into the office. “Beers, tacos, and pretty girls? I’m in. I’ll text Dee and tell her I’ll pick her up so she doesn’t have to take the subway.”

  Bentley and I shared a look, both of us wondering how often he texted Dee. Or saw her. However, we knew it was useless to ask. He would shut down. It made me think, though, perhaps she was who he was with last night. Maddox was a straight shooter, and he didn’t play the field. If he were interested in Dee, she would be the only one he would be seeing.

  “Aiden?”

  I shrugged, feigning indifference. “I guess.”

  “Okay, I’ll let her know.”

  I stared out the window, fighting the reaction I felt about seeing Cami. She was Emmy’s best friend. I liked hanging with Bentley. He liked hanging with his girl, and she liked bringing along her friends. I was doing my job by helping Bentley. It was smart to teach Cami some defensive moves too. Afterward, it meant nothing, just people enjoying some time together. Like Maddox said. Beers, tacos, and pretty girls. It was all good.