“And what Aidan Sheppard wants, he gets,” she said, tossing his words back at him.
That wasn’t true. And that was okay. He understood life wasn’t fair. Didn’t expect it to be. But this time, this one time, he deserved to get exactly what he wanted.
“You’ll be well compensated for your time and travel expenses,” he said, sliding the contract back into the envelope and handing it to her. “Be off my family’s property by five and we’ll pretend this never happened.”
Before he’d even finished speaking, she started shaking her head. “This—” she waved the envelope “—states I’m employed for the next six weeks.”
He tapped his fist against the side of his thigh. She’d never been stubborn before. Had always compromised. Or, in most cases, gave in.
“What do you want?” he asked.
“I want those six weeks.”
“Why?”
She frowned. “I told you, I—”
“I know. You want this job. But why here? Surely there are other opportunities out there far away from Jewell.”
“The first wedding here will be your mother’s.”
“My mother’s wedding isn’t until July.”
Yvonne shook her head. “Diane said she and the senator were moving the date up to April 9.”
And the surprises just kept piling up. He hated surprises.
“You’re going to be in charge of planning my mom’s wedding? Of course you are,” he said before she could respond. “What wedding planner wouldn’t want to be in charge of possibly the most talked about event of the year so far? After all, Al’s a beloved ex-politician. A wealthy ex-politician with powerful connections. And if the wedding is deemed a success, well, then who gets the credit?” He watched her carefully. “You do.”
Two spots of color appeared high on Yvonne’s cheeks. “It’s not about taking credit.”
“No. It’s about you using my mom’s wedding as a way to help your career. Sorry, Princess, but I’m not about to let that happen.”
At the use of his old nickname for her, she blanched. “You don’t have a say. I went into this contract with Diane, and unless she terminates it, I’m staying.”
You don’t have a say.
Just as he hadn’t had a say about the end of their marriage. Resentment churned in his stomach. But he didn’t give in to it. He walked away. Because no one made Aidan Sheppard lose control. Especially not Yvonne Delisle.
CHAPTER TWO
“WERE YOU GOING TO TELL me?” Aidan asked as he entered his mother’s spacious kitchen. “Or was I suppose to find out myself?”
Pouring coffee into a mug, Diane Sheppard glanced at her son. Even when he planned on working out in the vineyards all day, he looked as if he’d stepped out of some sort of catalog. He had on loose cargos and a plaid denim work shirt open over a waffle knit Henley. His short hair was neatly combed, the golden strands dark and damp from a recent shower.
As usual, Aidan had arrived at the break of day for a run around the vineyard before returning to shower and dress in the bathroom adjoining his office upstairs. All before she’d even had her cup of coffee.
Her eldest loved nothing more than his routine, his schedules and his family.
It was up to her to help him see there was more to life than the first two. That he didn’t have to sacrifice so much for the third.
“I’m afraid I can’t answer that, as I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Although she could guess.
Diane sighed. This conversation was not going to be easy.
She tightened the sash of the new knee-length, velour robe she wore over her pajamas. Then again, no one ever said doing the right thing was easy.
“Coffee?” she asked.
Not waiting for an answer, she poured him a cup.
He accepted it without taking his eyes off her. “I’m talking about you hiring my ex-wife to work at the Diamond Dust.”
He watched her steadily, his eyes a cross between her own blue ones and the green of his father’s. But under his careful detachment, she sensed his agitation. His anger.
Her sons. Though they tried, they couldn’t hide anything from their mother.
“I was going to tell you,” she said, adding cream to her coffee before crossing to the large, granite-topped island to sit on one of the high-backed stools, “when I deemed the time right.”
His jaw worked—throwing away all the money she’d invested in his orthodontic care as a teen by grinding his teeth to dust. “I’d say the right time is now. Seeing as how I discovered Yvonne picking through Dad’s stuff at the carriage house while I was on my run.”
“Oh?” Diane sipped her coffee to hide her surprise. “I wasn’t expecting her until this afternoon.”
She’d last spoken to her the night before, when Yvonne had called to let Diane know she’d received the signed contract and the keys to both the cottage and the carriage house. Diane had half thought Yvonne wouldn’t show up at all. Returning to Jewell couldn’t be easy for the younger woman. Not after how things ended between her and Aidan. How she’d ended things between them.
And though Diane had nothing against her ex-daughter-in-law, Yvonne had never struck her as being brave enough, strong enough or self-sufficient enough to tackle the difficult things in life head-on.
Lord knew, Aidan could be all sorts of difficult.
But she’d hoped the promise of a new contract would bring her back. Good to know she’d been right. Again.
“What the hell were you thinking?” Aidan asked.
She narrowed her eyes. But since his reaction—and his insolent tone—were quite understandable, she took another drink instead of calling him on it. “I was thinking that she’d be the best person to plan my wedding.”
“Your wedding. Right,” he said. “Would this be the wedding you’ve moved up by three months without telling your family?”
“I—”
He held up a hand. “Wait. Let me guess. You were going to tell us. When you deemed the time right.”
“I was going to tell you,” she said frostily, “at lunch tomorrow. After a few more details had been nailed down.”
“Why move it up at all?”
“Yvonne’s already booked for the summer and this was the only time her company was willing to spare her for a few months.” What she didn’t mention was the exorbitant fee she’d agreed to in order to get World Class Weddings to let their most popular planner leave for six weeks. “Al and I moved the date up so she could take the job.” She smiled brightly, as if Aidan wasn’t trying to skewer her with his glare. “From all accounts, she’s one of the best wedding planners in the South.”
Her stubborn son seemed less than impressed. “And since you hired her to plan your wedding, you decided to throw in a job at the winery as a bonus?”
“I decided that we could use someone with her skills and connections to help get our events business off the ground.”
“Get off the ground? We decided only three days ago to start hosting events. I thought we’d do a little research. See if this idea is even feasible before committing to it.”
“We’re already committed. You and your brothers agreed—”