Chapter 38

Chapter 38


ON MONDAY, Mandy SPENT most of the morning in the office on her own. Gina called in sick and Carl sent her a text message to say he was meeting clients out of the office. When she messaged him back to confirm he would be back in so she could let other investors and trade companies know, he didn’t reply.

Answering both phones, hers and the front office, had her running back and forth between both rooms and barely able to get anything else done. She had a contract that needed to be written, and a million other things to get done. Busy was a good thing, it kept her from worrying if Carl had taken the meetings out of the office as a way to avoid her after their last encounter in her apartment suite. She had been hoping that things would go back to normal, like when they had slept together.

It had taken weeks to find the flow and act normal, and even then they still had lingering looks and unspoken words. Or maybe it was just her. Maybe she was imagining all this shit because she had the hots for him. It was just a crazy physical attraction. It had to be. Why else would she be having wet dreams about him?

She made herself a protein shake for lunch and stayed in the front office behind Gina’s desk, her Mac notebook in tow.

After trying to call Carl a third time, she gave up, almost throwing her cell across the room in frustration. “Answer your damn phone, dickhead!” she hissed as she tossed the phone on the desk.

“Remind me not to tick you off.”

Mandy jumped at the sound of a male voice.

Mark stood just outside the elevator, a smile playing on his lips, his arms crossed. He carried himself with the same confidence his brother did.

She froze when she saw him. “Um, Carl isn’t in, right now,” she mumbled, her face heating up.

“I know,” Mark said and moved toward her. “I made sure he wasn’t. I didn’t want you to get in trouble for seeing me.” He grinned. “Plus, all he would have done is throw me out of here again.”

“You wanted to see me?” Mandy raised her eyebrows. This couldn’t be good.

“Yeah.” Mark cleared his throat and shifted uncomfortably.

What was she supposed to do? Kick him out or listen to what he had to say? Carl wasn’t here to make the executive decision. “How about we go into my office to talk?” She checked her watch and then set Gina’s phone to call-answer like Gina did when she took her lunch break.

Mark nodded and followed her into her office. He moved to the chair in front of Mandy’s desk. “May I sit? I promise to only take up a few minutes of your time. I don’t want you to get in trouble, but this is very important.”

“Yes, of course.” Mandy gestured toward the chair and then settled behind the desk in hers. She watched him, taking a moment to really study him. He looked similar to Carl, but even though he looked older than Carl, Mandy knew he was younger. There were dark circles under his eyes, and the callouses on his hands were noticeable, even at a distance, and while he was dressed nicely, it was not the same expensive taste Carl had. Like Carl but completely different. Mandy wasn’t much of an expert when it came to clothes, but Mark dressed like she did—middle class—at least before Carl bought her new work clothes.

Mark watched her at the same time. Probably wondering why Carl would hire a person like her. Or maybe why she worked for a person like Carl.

There was definitely something weighing heavily on Mark’s mind. “What do you want to talk about?”

“Our father.” Mark cleared his throat. “My father.” He hesitated and Mandy noticed his jaw twitch as he tried to figure out how to explain things to her. “Carl and my dad. He’s sick. He has cancer. Carl doesn’t know. Or maybe he does and chose not to acknowledge it.” Mark shrugged and sighed. “For the past three months Dad’s been doing chemo and radiation. But it’s not working. He’s not sure how much time he has left.” His jawline twitched again as he fought to control his emotions. He straightened and cleared his throat again. “He really wants to make peace with everyone and right his wrongs. He’s been trying to get a hold of Carl for a long time now, but he won’t answer Dad’s calls or emails.” Mark ran his fingers through his hair, a gesture that reminded Mandy a lot of Carl. “There have been a lot of wrongs. On all our parts, but Carl needs to come see Dad. I need you to convince him of that.”

Carl’s father had cancer and he didn’t know? That was awful and so terribly sad. She wanted to cry for the man in front of her and his brother. She didn’t know them except for a picture on the wall and her heart broke for the pain they must be going through.

She felt bad for Mark, but also for Carl. What could be so bad that you wouldn’t want anything to do with your own family? She had a crazy, overbearing one and yet she still loved them. Not enough to want the stress of being a maid of honor in a wedding party, but she wouldn’t miss her sister’s wedding no matter how mad she was at Christine. Carl wasn’t a mean guy, he was a ruthless businessman, but as a person he was kind and considerate. She’d never heard him talk down anyone, well, except Nicholas and Stephen, but that didn’t really count. Those instances were circumstantial. “What makes you think I can convince him?” Mandy asked. “I’m his assistant. I haven’t even been working here that long. I’ve known him for less than a year.”

A ghost of a smile graced Mark’s lips for a brief second. “That may be true, but I saw the way my brother looks at you. We might be estranged, but I can still read my brother. I can tell he respects you.” He opened his mouth to say more, but Mandy cut him off.

“I work hard for that respect. He’s asked me to stay out of his personal life and what you are asking of me, isn’t something I feel comfortable doing.” She stared down at her hands, feeling ashamed for wimping out and not being willing to help.

“I’ve never seen Carl look at a woman the way he looks at you.”

Mandy’s head shot up. “I think you’re trying for a Hail Mary pass here, Mark. You only saw us in the same room for a split second, and in that second he yelled at both of us and threatened to fire me.” Mark had no idea what Carl thought of her.

“Oh, I remember,” Mark said and chuckled. “The last time Carl and I saw each other, about a decade ago, wasn’t very pretty. So, he was very angry to see me again. But none of that anger was directed at you. He would have hired you back later that day if you hadn’t called security.” He raised his eyebrows and grinned, looking a lot like his brother. “Probably. He probably would have hired you back.”

“I highly doubt that.” Mandy rolled her eyes and chuckled. “I can’t make any promises, but I’ll try and talk to him. If I lose my job, he probably won’t hire me back again.”

Mark smiled, relief clear on his face as he laughed. “Thank you,” he said. “From me and my family.”

“No promises,” Mandy repeated and stood. “But you’ve totally read Carl wrong. I have little to no persuasive skills when it comes to him, probably even less so if it pertains to his family. But I’ll try, for the sake of your father.”

“That’s good enough for me.” Mark stood and moved toward the main office. “My flight leaves in two hours. If he does decide to come back, tell him the address hasn’t changed at all, okay?” He hit the elevator button.

Mandy nodded and swallowed. She had no idea if she was even going to see Carl today, or if they would get a chance to talk. “I will.” She felt bad making a promise she was likely unable to keep. She held out her hand as the elevator door opened. “It was nice meeting you, Mark. All the best with your father. I hope we meet again under better circumstances.”

“You and me both,” he said and shook her hand.

After he left, Mandy sank onto Gina
’s desk and groaned. What the hell had she gotten herself into?