Chapter 17

“CONGRATULATIONS, MY MAN. This project looks absolutely great! Just tell me that Ms. Scott didn’t blow smoke up our asses. This is for real, right?” Gene asked Preston as they sat in a quiet corner of a neighborhood bar. Preston never came into the place except with Gene. No one ever bothered him when he was with Gene.

“If I could speak in front of people, that is what I would have said,” Preston said, shaking his head. “It’s like she read my mind. It worries me.”

“What bothers you?”

“She knew things that I didn’t even know,” he said. “G-Pop and I have been trying to figure a way to crack this consortium that owns the 160 acres that we haven’t been able to get hold of. She identified it, said Duval is a part owner, and said the consortium plans to develop it into a golf course. And to think Duval has held all that back from us! How’d she get him to talk about it? Is she spreading information about me to him?”

“Don’t get paranoid on me, brother. Nothing she said leads me to believe any of that was told to her in confidence. You know Duval. He probably bragged about it, hoping to get her in bed,” Gene laughed.

“You don’t think it worked, do you? I’m such a bad judge of women’s intent. If she was in bed with Duval, I’d need to dismiss her,” Preston said. “I can’t stand the thought of that.”

“It would be the dumbest thing you’ve ever done. Man, you’ve landed a real treasure as your personal assistant. I know you’ve read her resume. Where else are you going to find someone with those credentials as a personal assistant? You’re the chief executive officer and she’s your chief of staff. She’s got your back on everything,” Gene continued enthusiastically. “If I were you, I’d marry her!”

“I can’t do that. She’s an employee. It wouldn’t be right.”

“Don’t get so hung up on what’s right that you miss what’s good.” Gene looked over at him. “You’re both smart people. It was obvious in every word she said today that she admires and respects you. Didn’t you hear how she handled Reinholdt in the meeting when he suggested that they needed Duval’s stamp of approval? She didn’t tear Duval down, but she made it clear that Duval had your approval and that was all he needed.”

“What if it’s all a fake? Duval’s wife came charging into my home Saturday and told me Ms. Scott was out seducing her husband. Then she proceeded to ruin my dinner and the rest of my day with her prattle. It was all I could do to get rid of her!”

“That’s the real problem, isn’t it? Shannon Duval started a rumor and you can’t shake it. Preston, you know the kind of person she is! How could you fall for a pack of lies she tells to get you upset?”

“Is that all it is, Gene? I need to get myself past this.”

Preston was still in a mood when he left Gene and went to Jerico House for dinner. There was nothing he wanted more than to believe Erin Scott was all he imagined her to be. He’d really fallen for the waitress Maizie and knew they were the same person, but the decisive executive he saw as his assistant frightened him a little.

“Did she do okay with the presentation today?” Lawrence asked.

“Flawless,” Jacqueline chimed in.

“I’m wondering if Duval had any idea how she would show him up in the meeting today,” Preston snorted. “I wouldn’t put it past him to set her up for the meeting thinking he could come in later and save the day. His wife showed up at the apartment Saturday and accused Ms. Scott of trying to seduce her husband and go away for the weekend with him. She ruined my meal Saturday.”

“Well, she didn’t go for the weekend,” Lawrence laughed. “As far as I can tell, the only time she spent with him was on the drive to Cloudhaven. He let her off and abandoned her. Then he went off and fell in a creek. I picked Ms. Scott up on my way home from the cabin. Found her walking out the access road.”

“Why would she go with Duval at all? Surely, she knows by now what kind of person he is,” Preston insisted.

“Preston, love, not everything has an ulterior motive,” Jacqueline said, patting his hand.

“It was so much easier when she was my waitress,” Preston sighed. “It was simple then.”

“What waitress?” Lawrence asked.

“I ... um ... sometimes ... the past few months ... I started going out to lunch on Thursdays, so I wouldn’t be inside the penthouse all the time. I wore a hoodie and dark glasses. Went to the diner. Maizie waited on me and we ... sort of ... became friends. She went through a divorce and was alone and applying for jobs. Then I went back to the diner and she was gone. The owner said she got a new job, but wouldn’t say anything else. I was going to ... It doesn’t make a difference. She must have figured out who I was and applied for the job as my assistant to get access to me.” Preston was scarcely making sense, but his mother shook her head.

“No. Ellen told me she applied for a job in marketing—which didn’t exist. After her initial interview, we put our heads together and worked out a deal where ... Oh, Preston, you know you’re hard on assistants. We told Erin Scott that if she could put up with you for six months, we’d find a place in marketing for her. She didn’t come to us applying for your job.”

“She was perfect from the very start. Even her coffee tastes better than what I had before. And the way she goes around the room with disinfectant wipes and makes sure my puzzles are reset. I’ve never had an assistant who was such a help. She handled all my correspondence with Duval because I really can’t stand the man. I keep thinking the other shoe is going to drop and my vision of perfection will disintegrate.”

“Maybe you should think about marrying her,” Lawrence said. “I could see when I was in your office working on the proposal and presentation that she was a natural fit with you. She could practically complete your sentences for you.”

“It was that Thursday when I figured it out,” Preston said. “She went out to get lunch for us and then set the table exactly like it’s set at the diner. Arranged the food on all three plates just like it would be served at the diner. She had the table wiped down and silverware set exactly the same. Later that night, I looked up her resume and saw that she’d been at the diner.”

“And?” Jacqueline asked.

“She’s more qualified for my job than I am! Is that it? She was an executive for Allard Holding Company. Do you suppose they’re planning a take-over bid? Is that why she took a position she was so overqualified for?” Preston asked.

“Hmm. Things could be worse than being bought out by Allard. They’re a good company,” Lawrence said. “I haven’t heard of them being interested in real estate development before, though.”

“The board authorized the executives to negotiate a partnership with Interlake Land Holdings. And did Mom tell you what she said about the 160 acres that are held out? Royce Duval is part of the consortium that holds the property. They want to develop a golf course there when the resort is finished.”

“Hmm. That could be beneficial to all of us. She didn’t mention that when we were talking on the way back to Jerico City. I’d guess she assumed we—or I, at least—knew. That doesn’t sound like an idea that Duval would come up with, let alone him forming a consortium to buy and develop the land.”

“Sounds more like Shannon Duval,” Jacqueline said. “Now there is a devious woman. If you accused her of trying to become your assistant and seduce you to take over the company, I’d believe you.”

“I ... She ... That bitch!” Preston exclaimed. “She brought a lunch and wine to the apartment Saturday. I want her keycard revoked and reissued so it won’t unlock the elevator. She completely ruined my dinner. I was making an Italian roulade—a braciole—with fresh pasta. She tried to give me wine and just took over the kitchen. She ruined everything. After I sent her away, I spent the rest of the weekend cleaning my space. It was violated.”

“Ah. And it was Shannon Duval who told you your assistant was spending the weekend with Royce,” Lawrence said. “You know, if she wasn’t so good at her job in the finance department, I’d suggest you get rid of her, but she’s likely to be the one who raises the funds we need for Cloudhaven. I understand she had an affair with another employee over the holiday. Duval arranged to have him fired in the cutbacks.”

“Affair over the holiday. Fired,” Preston said. “Maizie said her husband had an affair and lost his job. They divorced.”

“You need to figure out where your head is when it comes to your assistant,” Jacqueline said.

“I need more details.”

“You’ve often talked about working remotely. Stay here this week,” Lawrence said. “A week or so alone in the office will tell you how she’s doing and who she’s loyal to.”

“Yeah. Good idea.”

The office was quiet when Erin went to work. Everything was exactly like she’d left it the night before. She made coffee and circulated around the office checking cubes, to find none had been solved. When Mr. Carver did not appear to make breakfast, Erin crept up the stairs and saw his room was pristine. The bed had not been slept in. There was no sign Preston had come home the night before.

She returned to her desk and began the daily routine of sorting email and getting the day organized. She sent a couple of urgent items to Mr. Carver, including a reminder that they needed to start negotiating a partnership with Interlake Land Holdings.

About half an hour later, she received a reply from Preston.