Mistletoe Maneuvers

Thirteen

It was official. She was lost.

Lessa scooted forward in her seat as she drove slowly down the two-lane dirt road in Connecticut, hurrying toward a board meeting in the middle of nowhere. On either side of the road was a landscape more appropriate for Halloween than Christmas: deserted farmlands, their brown, dried-out grasses blowing in the wind. Every now and then she would see a lone abandoned house or barn with the roof caved in. Lessa followed the winding road down a hill and found herself enveloped in fog. She turned on her fog lights and continued, slowly making her way through the thick, cotton clouds. She had agreed to have the meeting at this out-of-the-way location because it was Christmas Eve and many board members were already at their vacation homes throughout New England. This just happened to be the halfway point. But the last thing she felt like doing on Christmas Eve was driving around dirt country roads in search of an ornery board and their deceitful, if charming, president.

At the thought of Rick, her stomach turned over. This would be the first time she had seen him since they had returned from the Bahamas. Despite his repeated phone calls over the past two days, she had not spoken with him. What was the point? He had her shares. Although she had been a fool, he had played by her rules. And she had lost.

And now she had no choice but to resign her position on the board. It was ridiculous to think that she could stay on. After all, she had never fit in with the stuffy and shortsighted people she was surrounded by, the same people who had fired her father. And now that she had lost her stake in the company, why would they keep her on? They would not. It was time to bow out gracefully.

Unfortunately, it was proving easier to walk away from the company she had thought she loved than it was to walk away from Rick. She had barely slept all night, filled with dread at the thought of seeing him again. Instead she had walked the floor, analyzing and reanalyzing the situation. She didn’t need Psych 101 to figure out what had happened. It boiled down to one issue: honesty. This whole thing could have been avoided if she had just been honest with herself. After all, did she really think that Rick would agree to be her partner? Did she really think that just because he had made love to her he would fall in love? Rick had remained honest to himself and his business. It was she who was the traitor.

She had underestimated his immense attraction. With one kiss, Rick could make a woman forget who she was and where she was going. It was the way he listened, the way he looked at her when she spoke. He made her feel as if she were the most interesting person in the world.

Time, she thought. She just needed some time to clear her head before seeing him again. She needed some time to think before even mentioning his name. But she didn’t have any time. In fact, according to her watch, the board meeting had already started.

She thought of the scene that awaited her. Were the board members eager to give her the evil eye? Would they jump with glee when she informed them she was resigning? Or did they already know? Some, she suspected, had been aware of Rick’s plan from the beginning. She was on her way out, Rick was back in power and the stock was already going back up.

She checked her watch once again and pulled out her cell. Still no reception. A psychologist would have a field day with this one. She, who was never late, was going to be late for her own resignation. Was her tardiness intentional? And why wasn’t she more upset about leaving Lawrence?

True, her time there had not been happy. She had been fighting an uphill battle, one that had been doomed from the beginning. The only reason she’d had even attempted it was because of her promise to her father. She had never asked herself whether being a part of Lawrence Enterprises again was something she really wanted, because it did not matter. It was an obligation, something she had to do.

But she’d always known her aunt was right; if Lessa had succeeded at Lawrence, she would have paid a steep price. Lawrence Enterprises was a public company and she knew from her father’s experience just how taxing and emotionally exhausting it was to run. There would always be someone looking over her shoulder, someone trying to take her place.

Perhaps she should think optimistically. It was very possible that this was a blessing in disguise. She did not want to work for someone else. She wanted her own company run by her own rules. Unfortunately, the whole experience made her wonder whether had she chosen the right business. Was she destined for a career in the resort industry? She had always thought that if she worked hard enough, like she had in tennis, she would succeed. But she had had talent on the tennis court. Was it possible she had no talent for this business?

One thing was obvious-hard work alone was not enough. Perhaps, she thought optimistically, all she needed was a little luck.

As if the forces were listening, her car suddenly began to shimmy. She fought for control of the car, yanking the throbbing steering wheel and pulling over to the side of the road. With a groan of despair, she hurried outside to inspect the damage. So much for luck. The right wheel looked like a deflated inner tube.

Lessa glanced around the desolate area as she tied her scarf more securely around her neck. Although the fog had cleared somewhat, a cold and bitter rain still fell. She headed around the side of the car toward the trunk. Her only hope now was that she would find a spare. And figure out how to use it.

Rick had been looking forward to this meeting. Since their return from the Bahamas, he had struggled to focus at work. He was like a man possessed. Lessa haunted his thoughts and dreams. The board meeting at least would provide another chance to explain himself to her, another opportunity to prove himself. He would succeed, he had no other choice. He did not want their relationship to end, not like this.

What had gotten into him? After all, wasn’t the inevitability of the relationship’s demise what he’d found so attractive in the first place? Wasn’t this his pattern? Hadn’t his sister accused him of only getting involved with women who were “safe”? Women who, for obvious reasons, he could never love? He had done this ever since Karen had died.

But this time, something was different.

He had never met a woman like Lessa. She was brilliant, determined and feisty. Not to mention her obvious physical attributes. She was a classic beauty, with eyes that seared right through a man, the kind that haunted his dreams. But she was more than a compilation of superficial qualities. There was a vulnerability that he saw in her, a sweetness that made him want to protect her from the world.

Rick checked his watch again, then glanced around the table. The board was getting agitated. Where the hell was she? His heart filled with dread. What if something was wrong? What if something had happened to her?

No. That was ridiculous. He was certain there was a logical reason for her tardiness. He checked his watch again.

“Let’s vote,” Ward said. “I think we have a consensus anyway. We don’t need her here to fire her, do we?”

“We’re not firing her,” Rick said quietly.

“You can’t be serious,” John said. “We’re certainly not going to keep her on the board. Why should we? After all, thanks to you, she’s got a minority stake. And we all saw what she did to the company. She almost led us to ruin.”

True, Rick had once thought the same thing. The stockholders had made it clear they did not consider Lessa an asset. But they didn’t know her. They, like the board, had not given her a chance. “You’re all forgetting that I now own a majority. And I say she stays.”

The room silenced as everyone looked at him, their faces drawn and pale. “You can’t be serious,” Ward said.

“I am serious.”

“She doesn’t even have the courtesy to show up on time.”

“Maybe something happened,” Betty said quietly, voicing his own fear. The muscles in Rick’s neck tensed as the color drained from his face.

Rick pushed back his chair. He couldn’t take this any longer. He stood up and began walking toward the door.

“Rick?” Betty asked. “Where are you going?”

“I’m going to find Lessa,” he said. And before anyone could protest, he left.

Lessa glanced at the mud surrounding the tire. How was she going to do this without becoming a big mess? In an attempt to protect her suit she took off her pretty wool coat and laid it smack in the middle of the mud. She knelt down, fit the tire iron on a bolt and twisted.

Nothing. The bolt didn’t move.

Droplets of rain splashed mud on her clothes as she heaved the iron once again. But her efforts were in vain. She took off her gloves, as if her bare hands might do better. She tried another bolt and then another. Finally, Lessa put down the tire iron and leaned back against the flat tire still on the car. The freezing rain pelted her face and the cold wind whipped through her drenched clothes. But she didn’t mind the rain. In fact, it suited her mood just fine.

The distinct whirring of a car engine filled the air. At the sight of headlights, she jumped up, ready to flag down the motorist.

The car pulled beside her and stopped. Her heart caught in her throat as she recognized the vehicle. Rick? In a sudden stab of vanity, she smoothed her mud-spattered suit. She tucked her hair behind her ears and licked her lips.

The car stopped and Rick jumped out. He stood there looking at her, his brow furrowed in worry, his features dark and handsome. The mere sight of him was enough to make all her angst flood to the surface. And suddenly, whether it was the stress of the morning or simply the stress of seeing him once again, she felt like crying. She bit her lip, trying to gain control of her emotions. She could do this. It was almost over.

“What the hell happened to you?” he asked.

She motioned toward her car. “I got a flat tire.”

“Why didn’t you call?” he asked, looking at the tire.

“No cell service around here,” she said, shivering.

He shook his head, his eyes scanning over her. Once again she was aware of how she looked, the mud-spattered suit, the motley hair. She crossed her arms as he approached. She had imagined this encounter many times in the past few days. Would she slap him and insult him? Or act cool and collected, as if he and the company meant little to her?

“What is it with you and coats?” he asked.

“I used it to kneel on. I didn’t want to get dirty.”

He took off his coat and attempted to loop it around her shoulders.

“I don’t want your coat,” she said, stepping away from him. She didn’t want to touch him or anything that belonged to him.

She might as well have slapped him. His eyes darkened and narrowed. “Get in the car,” he said.

She might not have wanted to touch him or anything that belonged to him, but she was willing to make an exception when it came to his car. She picked her wet and muddy coat off the ground and followed his instructions, stepping into the warm vehicle.

He got inside and slammed the door. When he pulled the car back on the road, he said, “I’ve been trying to reach you.”

Trapped in a car, she was helpless to escape his masculine power and deep, stirring sexuality. She couldn’t look at him without seeing the lips that had made her forget her name, the hands that had caressed her so tenderly. She could almost feel herself once again falling under his spell.

“I need your account information,” he continued, “so that I can transfer the stock back to you.”

“I don’t want it.”

“Then I need your account information so that I can pay you for it.”

Now she was getting it. He was afraid of a lawsuit, afraid that she would make a big stink at the company and drag down his net worth. Well, he needn’t have worried. She had told him once that she was not a hysterical woman and she had meant it. She planned on walking away with whatever dignity she had left.

“Look, Lessa, talk to me. We need to communicate if we’re to work together.”

“We’re not going to be working together, Rick. I’m a minority shareholder. There’s no way I’m going to keep my position on the board.”

“I’m giving you my support, Lessa. No one can do a damn thing about it.”

“You mean, whether they like it or not, I’ll stay on as chairman?”

“That’s right.”

“I don’t want to work someplace like this, Rick. How would I justify my position? The president’s mistress? Former mistress.”

“So take back your stock. You’ll be the principal stockholder once again.”

“I don’t want it back. It was a deal, Rick. Fair and square.”

“You can’t leave Lawrence Enterprises, Lessa. You said yourself that it’s meant to be. It was what your father wanted. And the work you did on the Antigua/Florida deal was very good. You took charge of it and brought it all together without my help. I need someone like that.”

“I’m resigning, Rick. It’s my Christmas present to the board.”

He hesitated. “Lessa, I bought Mara del Ray. It can be yours. To remake, do whatever you want.”

So he had bought it after all. “You were smart to buy it. It’s a good investment. You’ll see.”

“Lessa, think about this. You’ve wanted to be at the helm of Lawrence for years. Don’t let your anger toward me get in the way of your dreams.”

It was tempting, but she couldn’t stay. She couldn’t bear the idea of working side by side with Rick, knowing that he didn’t care about her. That he never would.

“I thought you weren’t a quitter,” Rick said.

How dare he insinuate that she was giving up, admitting defeat? It was taking every ounce of courage for her to leave the company she had fought so hard for. “I have no choice. I realize now that although this company still uses my father’s name, it’s not his anymore. And it hasn’t been for a very long time. It’s your company, Rick. You worked for it. You deserve it.”

“Don’t do this, Lessa,” he said, pulling in front of the building where the meeting was being held. “You can’t walk away from something that you love.”

“Thought I loved. But I was wrong.” As she looked at him, she felt a stab of sadness. She was no longer talking about the company, but him.

“I’m not going to let you do this,” he said, parking the car. “I’m not going to let you walk away like this. What will it take?”

“Why do you care, Rick?”

“Because I…I care about you,” he said, taking her hands in his.

The words hung in the air. She wanted to believe him so badly. He slid next to her and pressed his lips against her, gently covering her mouth. She could feel herself letting go, her defenses melting away. She wanted to believe him. And she did. But it wasn’t enough.

No matter what they did or how hard they tried, they could never be partners at Lawrence Enterprises. Despite the fact that she had given it her all and had played the match of a lifetime, she had lost, and one thing she knew was how to accept defeat gracefully. There would be only one victor in this match. She pulled away from Rick and stepped out of the car. As she walked toward the inn, she felt as if her heart were breaking.

I will miss you, Rick Parker, she said in her mind. I will miss you.