Free Spirit Page 18

  Oh … yeah. I knew that.

  Dylan smiled as she floated through the door. She spotted her quarry at Priory’s desk, switching on the desk lamp, then riffling through the papers sitting on top. This was one of the few times she was thankful she was a ghost. Who knew being dead had its advantages?

  He took out a sheet of paper from his coat pocket and placed it in the pile, a few pages from the top.

  Should she tell Priory and let her catch him in the act or let Mr Stinky go through with his plan? Once he left the room, she could hide the paper then leave it to him to explain to his superiors why he can’t find it? Tough choice. The first option was nice, but he could say the door was open. That element of doubt could work against Priory.

  Aww, damn it! Dylan realized she was overthinking the problem. The simplest solution was to let it play out and then steal the paper and hide it and Priory and Jacey would be none the wiser.

  She watched him switch off the lamp and stumble across the darkened room to the door. When he opened it, he gave the room a triumphant smirk. That look stuck in Dylan’s craw. She barely kept herself from finding that piece of paper and shoving it down his ample throat.

  What happened?

  Dylan looked at Rhea floating near the wall.

  That blimp’s a real crumb. Do you think he’s after some greenbacks?

  Should we tell Priory?

  Hold on. Dylan went back into the room, found the offending paper, and slipped it down the back of the filing cabinet. She returned to Rhea. Nah. Let’s see what he does.

  And if Priory gets hurt?

  She’s a tough broad. She’ll manage.

  Rhea stared disapprovingly. It appeared Rhea didn’t like that idea.

  You’re not going soft on me, are you?

  No. I just think she should be warned.

  I’ve taken care of that. Stop worrying.

  Rhea went silent.

  Okay, Convent, show me what you’ve got.

  †

  Jacey had kept well out of the way of the party guests, using her time to silently supervise the food and drinks. Not that she was needed. The catering company proved to be very efficient and friendly, leaving her to feel very much like the third wheel.

  With drink in hand, she tentatively moved into the living room, edging along the wall to avoid contact with her bosses. The party was slowly deteriorating into a drink fest, and Jacey debated whether to ask the bar to cut down the alcohol. Taking into consideration the guests from Australia, she was sure her boss didn’t want it deteriorating into an all-out brawl. A couple of the senior management were already quite drunk, their belligerence already showing like a stain on their suits. She really wished she had her phone to record the moment for prosperity and, of course, to give her some evidence of the goings-on when her friends wouldn’t believe her.

  One junior member of management, Corbett, had spotted her and she turned around to head back to the kitchen.

  “Hey!” he said, resting a sweaty hand on her shoulder. “Aren’t you McAllister’s secretary?”

  Jacey thought about correcting him, but she could see he was too drunk to even care what she said. Maybe she could tell him she was the first woman to walk on the moon. “Yes, I am.”

  “You must be pretty good in the sack if she invited you here.”

  Jacey blinked. Then blinked again. Did he say what she thought he said? “I beg your pardon?” she asked indignantly.

  “You and that bitch McAllister. She keep you happy?”

  Slug him.

  Kick him in the groin.

  Both were helpful suggestions from her girls, but neither practical nor wise. The glazed eyes facing her were barely able to keep focus. Jacey looked around quickly, then slapped him, and hoped she had been ignored by the rest of the guests.

  No, harder. That was a love tap.

  Jayde was right, but the last thing she wanted was to cause a scene. However, his blatant accusation deserved nothing less in her eyes.

  “How dare you!” she growled.

  “Geez, woman, I’m just asking.” Corbett’s eyes widened, as if he was offended by her reaction.

  She stepped into his personal space and prodded a finger into his chest. “One, it’s none of your business. Two, I was invited because I put a lot of time and energy into this party so you can come along and get drunk and be obnoxious. And three…” she prodded harder “it’s none of your damned business.”

  “I’ll take that as a yes, then.” Corbett’s head swiveled loosely on his neck and he turned pale. Jacey quickly took his arm and dragged him through the kitchen to the back door. She shoved him outside, and seconds later she heard the sickening sound of someone vomiting.

  Can we kick a man when he’s down?

  Yeah, we could use some punting practice.

  Jacey appreciated her girls coming up with some useful suggestions, but such an action would not be very good for her career. “Asshole,” she grumbled. She debated whether to mention the incident to Priory or let it be. Did the whole company think the same? Did they think she stuck around for the sex? Since that had been false for three years, she felt she could have some righteous indignation about the matter. The last month was a different matter.

  Corbett didn’t return from the backyard, so Jacey left him there. Hopefully, he’d passed out and was indeed resting, face down, in his own puke. She returned to the kitchen to find Priory regarding her.

  “Everything all right?”

  Jacey debated whether to lie or not. “Corbett was being an asshole.”

  Priory took a step toward her. “What did he say?”

  “Just … stuff. You know.”

  “No, I don’t. That’s why I’m asking.” Priory regarded her seriously.

  “He was making assumptions. Asking why I was here and had I earned it.” Jacey couldn’t keep eye contact with Priory’s storm-tossed stare, so she turned her gaze to the floor.

  “Where is he?”

  The tone in Priory’s voice was explosive. Jacey looked up and saw the answering anger in her eyes.

  “Outside, throwing up.”

  Priory put down her drink and made a move toward the back door.

  “Don’t,” Jacey pleaded. “Leave it be.”

  “I won’t have him insulting you like that.”

  How different this was from how she handled Eddles. What had changed? “Why?”

  “I lost you once. I’m not going to let that happen again.”

  It was a sweet thought and maybe Priory had learned a valuable lesson, but in the middle of a party with so many willing listeners, now was not the time to be chivalrous. Jacey realized that this was something she would have to grow a thick skin for if she and Priory were to stay together. “I think he’s in enough trouble. He’s on the ground, face down in his own vomit.”

  “Oh.” Priory said, then chuckled. “There is a God.”

  “Yep.”

  Priory laughed harder.

  “What?”

  “Maybe I should have a word with Silas Edwards and ask that he be transferred to my department.”

  Jacey smiled. Now that would be karma.

  The sound of metal on glass drew their attention. “Looks like the games are about to begin,” Priory announced. Jacey felt the light touch of Priory’s hand on her lower back as she was escorted back into the living room.

  A loud tinkle of metal on glass broke through the chatter. “May I have your attention, please!” Edwards’s voice rose above the din. The noise eventually settled down and he continued. “First of all, I’d like to thank Priory for this year’s Christmas party, especially since she’d only moved into this delightful house a couple of months ago.”

  Delightful. Priory thought about that. It was similar to quaint. She knew her style was probably not to her bosses’ tastes, and certainly not to her bosses’ pay packets either. Although she’d never been invited to any of the board members’ parties, she knew that these men shared one thing in common—h
igh-end mansions.

  Edwards looked pointedly at his watch. “Remember, this party finishes at midnight, so keep that in mind, Charles!” A tiny titter traveled around the room.

  Priory hoped Charles kept that in mind too. She was not looking forward to cleaning up his messes, or his habit of crashing at the host’s house.

  “There’s a motel nearby if you have the need. Otherwise, the limousines will pick you up to return you home.” Edwards looked at each of his employees to make the point.

  “Now that’s out of the way, I have an announcement to make. This afternoon the board exchanged contracts with our Australian friends to establish a new company designed to develop and expand into the world market.”

  Priory knew nothing about the contract, but she really didn’t care. She had more than enough business to handle and didn’t want to commit to any extra work. If she was supposed to know about this new merger, it was up to her boss to supply that information, not for her to go looking for it.

  “We have thought long and hard about who will be the Australian representative of this new company.”

  Priory crossed her fingers that she wasn’t chosen. She didn’t want to uproot herself again for a move to Australia just after acquiring to a new house.

  “We’d like to congratulate…”

  A headache began.

  “Hudson Eddles. I am sure he will do the company proud in his new position.”

  Priory ignored the rest of the speech. She was just glad it was someone else.

  “Priory.”

  She took another sip of her cocktail.

  “Priory?”

  Now she could start to think about Christmas, and maybe about a holiday. Would Jacey go with her? Should she ask?

  “Earth to Priory McAllister?”

  What about the girls? Surely, they wouldn’t trash the house while they were gone. They’d be good house sitters, in fact. Security ghosts.

  “Priory!”

  The bark made her jump. “What?” She suddenly realized Silas Edwards was standing in front of her, his face wearing a half-amused look. “Sorry,” she mumbled.

  “Can I talk to you in private?” He glanced around the room.

  Suddenly, she wondered what she had done wrong. Had Eddles finally used his ace and revealed the mess with the Barco contract? She gazed over at the man in question and their eyes met. He had a triumphant, sly grin plastered on his face. He obviously felt he had won the prize. She, on the other hand, didn’t really care.

  “This way,” she said, and led him to the spare room on the ground floor, which had recently been converted into an office. She unlocked the door, switched on the light, and extended her hand in invitation for Edwards to sit on the sofa next to the window. “Please … take a seat.” She closed the door and settled herself on the opposite end of the sofa. “What can I do for you?”

  “I wanted to explain why Eddles got the job.”

  “Sir, it’s all right. If it had been offered to me I would have turned it down.”

  “Really?” He looked at her in confusion.

  “The last couple of months have been a revelation to me. Don’t get me wrong, I love this job. Always have. But this house move has shown me how much time I give to this job.”

  “We all do,” he replied.

  “I know that, sir … Silas. And, until now, it’s been enough. Now I want a home … a relationship. I’m not getting any younger.”

  Edwards held up his hand. “Before you get yourself into a bigger mess, I understand what you’re saying. The board members all have homes and families. A single woman has limited options unless she makes those changes. Going to Australia would make changes for you that you may not want.” He moved himself a little closer and reached over to pat her hand in comfort. “That’s one reason why we went with Eddles.”

  “One reason?”

  “The other is, well, he’s ambitious.”

  Nothing new there, she mumbled internally.

  “Ambitious to the point of obsession. I know what he’s been up to, Priory, and I don’t blame you or your assistant.”

  “Jacey, sir. She was trying to cover my ass.”

  “Don’t worry. She’s not fired.”

  Priory couldn’t wait for the night to finish to tell Jacey that bit of news.

  “He should be careful what he wished for. He’s got the job, but he doesn’t know where it is. He thinks he’s moving into a swank office in a big Australian city. Quite the opposite, in fact. He’s going to have to get his hands dirty on this one.”

  Priory laughed. What comes around….

  “You, on the other hand, have the opportunity to head up the new company as CEO.”

  “But Silas….”

  He held up his hand. “Hear me out. We don’t have enough space in the existing building to house a new company, so we’ve been looking for another location. We found a new complex not far away from here. How does a fifteen-minute journey to and from work each day sound? You can surround yourself with your own people if you can get the company up and running quickly. I’m sure Jacey will be happy with a new job close to you.”

  Priory blushed. Had it been that transparent?

  “Oh, come on. The girl has been with you for three years.”

  “But, but….”

  “As long as it doesn’t interfere with the company’s running, what you do in private is your business.” He smiled at her. “Of course, this would mean that Eddles is under you in rank. He won’t like that.”

  It was a delicious irony. “I think you’re right.” She sobered. “Do you need my answer right away?”

  “Need to discuss it with the girlfriend, eh?”

  Priory noted the tinge of wit in his voice. “Something like that.”

  “Don’t take too long. We want to get this project set up quickly. There’s a lot to do.”

  She hesitated. “If you don’t mind me asking, sir, what was the importance of Barco?”

  “Nothing, really. We had started negotiations with the company, then found some discrepancies which hadn’t been revealed in earlier discussions. We stopped negotiations. I’m hoping Eddles was using the contract to unsettle you while the decision about Australia was still being made. If he deliberately tried to force the contract through then….”

  “I’m sure it was to make me look bad, sir.” Or so she hoped. “The lawyers would have sorted it all out.”

  “At our expense.” Silas had a thoughtful look on his face. “Damn him. If he….”

  “He’s getting what he deserved. Please don’t say anything yet. I’d like the situation to sink in a little first before we burst his bubble.”

  “I think I can manage that.”

  “I’d also like to take some time off after Christmas, if that’s possible. I haven’t had a holiday in….” She couldn’t remember.

  He hesitated before speaking. “I suppose we can. How long did you anticipate having off?”

  “Just a couple of weeks, sir. I’d like to spend some time to turn this house into a home. Maybe Jacey…?”

  “She may as well. We can’t break up the team now, can we?” He stood up. “We can use the time to do renovations on the new building.” He moved to the door. “Is there any other business to attend to?”

  “I don’t think so, sir. Let’s go celebrate Christmas.”

  “Merry Christmas, Priory.”

  “You too, Silas.”

  Chapter Twenty

  Priory waved off the last of the partygoers from her front doorstep. “Glad that’s over,” she muttered. Something touched her back.

  “Everything all right?”

  “Now it is. Things can get back to normal, or as normal as it can be around here.” In the background she heard the sound of glasses clanking against each other. She looked toward the kitchen. “Are they nearly finished?”

  “The last load is finishing up in the dishwasher as we speak.”

  Priory walked into the house and waited for Jacey t
o move before closing the door. “Come on.” She took Jacey’s hand and led her into the living room. “Let’s have a drink.”

  “Another one?”

  “A special one.” Priory drew Jacey to the sofa and gently pushed her to sit down. She walked into the kitchen and helped herself to two glasses and a bottle of whiskey. There was no way she was leaving the good stuff out for her cohorts to drink. On her return she found Jacey dozing, her head resting against the sofa. “Hey,” she said gently, nudging the sleeping woman.

  “Huh?” Jacey stirred and took the offered glass of alcohol. She took a sip and grimaced. “Wow! That woke me up.”

  “Maybe a drink wasn’t a good idea. Why don’t you go off to bed and I’ll join you after the caterers are gone.”

  “No, I can keep you company.” Jacey took another sip and looked at her. “What happens now?”

  There were so many answers to that question, and Priory wondered which one Jacey was referring to. Did she mean immediately or after Christmas? Was she talking about their relationship and where it was going? Or maybe it was referring to her meeting with Silas Edwards. She didn’t want to appear an idiot, but she knew she had no choice but to be one.

  “With what?” Priory took a swig from her own glass, hoping the alcohol would give her courage.

  “You didn’t seem too concerned that Eddles got the job.”

  “No, I wasn’t.” Priory sat and took another sip, hoping the delay would give Jacey the opportunity to give her a clue about where the conversation was going.

  “Why?”

  Atta girl.

  She made sure she had eye contact with Jacey before answering. “Because I didn’t want another upheaval. I’ve finally found where I want to be and it isn’t Australia.”

  “Why?” Jacey repeated.

  “Haven’t you figured it out by now? I want to be with you. I love you, Jacey Ryder.” Priory braced herself for a response and hoped she was right. If she was wrong, well, she’d probably need that holiday.

  A lone tear gently slid down Jacey’s cheek.

  “Are you okay?” Was it a tear of joy or a tear of regret? Priory finished off the whiskey in one gulp. The alcohol felt like it had ripped off the lining of her esophagus as it burned a path down to her stomach. The pain laid itself over her like a scratchy blanket and she coughed violently. That was a stupid, stupid thing to do.