“Don’t worry about it now. Your dad may change. My life with my dad is so different. Sometimes I can’t believe he’s the same man.”
“Actually, my dad doesn’t give up easily. I expect him to think about our conversation and come up with a new threat, but he knows he’s lost any real leverage. If I help Sydney, I think he’ll threaten to cut my inheritance. I won’t be in the least surprised.”
“That doesn’t worry you?” Nick asked.
Tony shook his head. “I don’t like losing a huge fortune, but I’ll get along without his money and so will Sydney. He can do what he wants. I’m doing what I want.”
Nick shook his head. “I admire you for deciding to stick by your sister no matter what. If it comes to losing your inheritance, let her know what you’re sacrificing.”
“The realization that I’m free to live my life the way I want to is like freedom to someone who has been imprisoned for a lifetime. No way am I giving in to him. His fortune isn’t worth yielding again.”
“Maybe it will never come about. Gotta run. See you, Tony.”
“Night, Nick. Thanks again for dinner. I really think all of you should have let me treat.”
“Forget it. You earned it.” While Nick walked to his car, Tony climbed into his.
Tony wanted to call Isabelle, but it was late. “To hell with it,” he whispered, and pulled out his cell phone to make the call before driving. The minute he heard her voice, his pulse jumped. He wanted to be with her. Next weekend seemed eons away.
Isabelle planned to spend the week trying to finish projects carried over from Morris. Tony left town after the Monday morning staff meeting and she didn’t expect to see him until the following Monday.
She worked until nine Monday before going home. To her surprise Tony called. Several times she started to end the call, but he would always draw her back into talking. In spite of her better judgment, he kept her on the phone for over an hour with his humorous stories about work and interesting conversation. When she finally ended the call, she stared at the phone, looked at her watch and shook her head. “Isabelle, you’re losing it. Say no to him,” she whispered in the empty room.
Tuesday night when she arrived home, she found a large heart-shaped basket with a mixed assortment of spring flowers on her doorstep. Smiling and shaking her head, she carried them inside to read a card that was simply signed, “Happy Valentine’s, Tony.”
He called a short while later. “Thank you for the gorgeous flowers.”
“Happy Valentine’s Day,” he said. “Wish I could be there to take you out.”
“I’ll enjoy my flowers immensely.”
“That isn’t the reply I was hoping for.”
“That’s about as personal as it will get, Tony. We don’t know each other all that well.”
“I beg to differ,” he said. “I remember clearly—”
“Stop right there,” she said, laughing. “I walked into that one.”
“I do wish I were there.”
“I’m sure you could come home if you really wanted to,” she said, amused because he owned the company and could get someone else to take his place. She glanced at her watch, remembering she was going to cut him short.
“You’re right, probably. Maybe I micromanage. I hope to hell I don’t though. My dad did enough of that when he ran the business before it passed on to me.”
“Tony—” she said, starting to tell him goodbye.
“Tell me what you know about the new ad campaign that was started just before I stepped in. The one regarding the East Texas hotels.”
She told him how the campaign was going, what her department had done. She was on familiar ground. Eventually talk shifted away from business and she listened to Tony as she kicked off her shoes and took down her hair.
“You can tell me all about the San Diego opening when I see you. That’s a great town.”
“I’m looking forward to it.”
“Better than where I am in the frozen north. Now if I had you here to keep me warm—”
“Tony,” she interrupted, smiling and feeling tingles in spite of trying to avoid them.
“I’m just telling you what’s on my mind. It really isn’t ad campaigns or hotels. I don’t want you hanging up on me when I’ve waited all day to get to talk to you.”
“I know better than that,” she replied, remembering all the business calls he had taken the night they had been together. It was over an hour later when she finally ended the call. She stared at the phone a moment, thinking about him. She should firmly end the calls from him. Or even avoid them in the first place, because she had caller ID. She took the call tonight to thank him for the flowers he had sent. But once she was on the phone with him there was no hope of cutting it short, because he always talked her into listening or answering.
Flowers, phone calls, a terrific job so she would stay. Where was she headed with him?
Wednesday night Isabelle waited for her close friend, Jada Picard, a Morris attorney, for their plans to work out at their health club.
When Jada climbed into Isabelle’s car, she shook short, straight black hair away from her face and turned gray eyes on Isabelle. “Sorry, I got delayed.”
“It’s fine. I did, too. I’ve just been in the car a minute or I would have driven to the door to pick you up.”
“After the workout, let’s go eat. You can pick the restaurant so we can also celebrate your new job with Ryder Enterprises. How was your dinner last week with our new boss?”
“I’ll have to admit, it was a great evening.”
“Now that he remembers who you are, I imagine you’ll have more excellent evenings,” Jada remarked.
“No, I won’t.” Isabelle stopped for a red light and glanced at her friend. “I’m not accepting another invitation from him. So far, he’s been out of town and when he returns this weekend, I’m away on business in San Diego. I’m staying an extra day just to enjoy the city.”
“You’ll have a wonderful time. I love San Diego. When you return, I predict you’ll go out with Tony again,” Jada said.
“A relationship with Tony won’t happen,” Isabelle said, remembering his kisses and being held in his arms, not mentioning the flowers and phone calls.
“Sounds like it could easily happen.”
Isabelle moved in traffic, keeping her eyes on the road. “No, it won’t. He’s not for me,” she said, despite how she had been dazzled by his kiss and unable to forget him ever, still recalling the long-ago night in as vivid detail as the recent evening with him. “I just couldn’t resist the invitation to celebrate and it was beginning to sound like a big deal if I refused to go out with him. Otherwise, it was nothing and I won’t go out with him again,” she stated, trying to convince herself that she could say no to him.
“Doesn’t sound like ‘nothing’ to me,” Jada remarked.
“He’s not my type,” she added. “Jada, we’re both twenty-eight this year. We’ve both agreed we want marriage and a family. For me, the time has come. Our new boss definitely does not want marriage or a family to interfere with his ambition. He’s already married to his work. Friday night he had calls all evening long.”
“Calls are