Page 18 of Trade It All (The Barrington Billionaires 3)
Dax shook his head. “Lance needs to know he can’t—”
“If you do this, the only one you’ll hurt is me,” Willa implored, putting up her hand to stop him.
Kate discretely left her office. Clay came to stand beside Willa.
I’ve kept it secret this long. Please, help me find the words to stop this. “I know you care about me, Dax. But you need to respect me, too. I’m asking you to stay out of it.” She turned pleading eyes to Clay. “You, too. This is a game to you, but it’s my life. Please.”
Clay grimaced. “It was a game at first, but not now. Now I feel like an ass.”
With anger still burning in his eyes, Dax said, “If he hurts you again, I’ll kill him. Even if he is Kenzi’s brother.”
“It wasn’t what you think, Dax. Lance would never do that. I can’t say more than that.” Willa let out a shaky breath. “Please keep this between us.”
A curt nod was Dax’s concession.
Tears of gratitude poured down Willa’s cheeks. Dax pulled her to his chest and gave her a brotherly hug. When Willa composed herself, he handed her a tissue from Kate’s desk.
Clay held out his arms, but Willa didn’t step into them. He made a face at her. “Really? Oh, I see how it is. I’ll keep your damn secret, too, but that hurt.”
Willa shook her head ruefully then hugged him. There was no attraction, no zing with Clay, and the hug was just as non-sexual as Dax’s had been. The man had layers. Who knew?
Over her head he asked, “I’ve always wanted a little sister. Can I have her?”
Willa stepped out of his arms. His comment made her smile even though her emotions were still all over the place. “It doesn’t work that way.”
Dax looked relieved that the emotional storm had passed. He joked to Clay, “We’ll share her.”
There was a knock on the outside door of the office. Kate popped her head in. “Mr. Barrington’s secretary called and would like to know what time to expect Mr. Landon this afternoon.”
Clay waved a hand in her direction. “I’m not able to make the meeting. My schedule is booked.”
Willa swallowed and shot Clay a grateful look.
Kate looked back and forth at the people in the room. “Do you want me to call—?”
Dax shook his head curtly. “We’re all set.”
Kate ducked back out and closed the door behind her.
The room was awkwardly quiet for a long moment. Willa cleared her throat and said, “Thank you.”
Clay arched an eyebrow. “If that’s all settled, can we move along to my problem?”
Dax rolled his eyes skyward as if asking for strength. “And that is?”
“What the hell does a personal assistant do?” Clay asked with a straight face, then he smiled. “’Cause I have no fucking idea.”
Willa found herself smiling along with him. “I don’t either.”
A corner of Dax’s mouth twitched as if he were amused but not giving in to it. “Willa is not working for you, Clay. She’ll work here. Willa, ask Kate what she needs help with.”
Yes, Dax was still talking about her as if she couldn’t make decisions for herself, but now that Willa knew he genuinely did care about her, she could forgive his Neanderthal side. Somehow it made her feel safe the way she had when her parents had been alive. She’d thought she wanted to escape the situation in Boston, but no matter where she went, the past would still be there.
It had been a very long day and the idea of working with Kate was a welcome one. Willa didn’t want to play twenty questions every day with a boss who didn’t actually need an employee.
Her next question was an awkward one to ask, but she’d promised Lexi she would help with the bills. Whether they continued to live together or if she moved out, Willa still needed a job that would support her. “Will I still get paid?”
Clay nodded authoritatively. “Absolutely. In fact, I believe your salary should be doubled. Isn’t that right, Dax?” He quoted a monthly amount that was equal to what had once been Willa’s annual salary.
Dax shot Clay a skeptical look. “For an assistant to my secretary?”
“Little sisters are expensive.” Clay shrugged. “She could always still work for me.”
Dax pinned Willa down with a serious look. “Don’t say a word to Kate about your salary.”
“I won’t,” Willa promised. “But you don’t need to pay me that much. I’m okay with whatever the regular rate for someone in that position would be.”
Clay smiled proudly. “Isn’t she the cutest?” His expression darkened. “I still want to punch Lance.”
“You can’t,” Willa interjected quickly. If there was one sure-fire way of bringing the past into the forefront, that would be it.
“He won’t,” Dax said in a tone that delivered a warning to his friend as well.
That evening, Lance parked his car outside the proposed Capitol Complex site. He found a bench near it and watched people move through the area in front of it and between the side buildings. His head was churning with questions. He visually calculated the space, cataloguing permanent structures as well as those that could be removed to improve the flow. It calmed him. He did his clearest thinking when he distracted himself with mathematics. Things that appeared random made sense. Events could be predicted.
Some architects were artists. They envisioned something and then sought practical methods to make them possible. Lance started with a solid foundation and worked his way up. He was often brought in on projects as the voice of reason. Some called him the Dream Crusher.
His office building had been his sole creation and represented his preferred style. Its structural strength, though, and how he’d designed the building to be able to withstand almost anything in nature, hadn’t impressed Willa. She’d said it lacked warmth, which from a business point of view had never been important to him. His buildings were in demand because they were brilliantly designed.
But they don’t connect with people enough that they want to return to them?
Is that how she sees me?
Clay had canceled their meeting without explanation. If the reason had been Clay’s, Lance was reasonably certain he would have told him. Even if only to stir up trouble. The excuse about being too busy was bullshit.
Why would Clay bother with an excuse?
Did Willa say she didn’t want to see me?
Is she with him now?
His phone rang. He checked the caller ID. Ian. Shit. Thursday. I forgot about family game night. He let it go through to his voice service.
He checked through his text messages. There was nothing from Willa.
He rummaged through his computer bag for a moment and pulled out the leather journal he’d intended to give her that morning. His aunt had never done anything for his family while she was alive; it made sense that her journal wouldn’t either.
He opened the top cover and the black card fell onto his lap. He turned it between his fingers. The woman who’d left the card had expressed disappointment in his lack of curiosity. His team didn’t know who she was, but he should find out. Historically, at least where family shit was concerned, the Barringtons didn’t ask questions. Personal topics were minefields that were best avoided completely.
He used to agree with that philosophy, but that was a roadblock that had stopped him from forcing the truth out of Willa earlier. I would have done so many things differently had I known Lexi was the reason for the switch. I would have never called her immature or dismissed what she felt for me. I thought it was a childish prank and my pride had been hurt.
I should have made the truth a priority. My body knew it wasn’t her that day, I should have known that Willa wouldn’t have lied to me.
A part of me knew, but pushing Willa for answers risked bringing the wrath of my family down on me and I hadn’t been willing to do that back then.
Because peace must be maintained.
Fuck peace.
