A Christmas Proposal: A Hidden Threat Short Story (8 page)

Cali was the only female in the board meeting with a bunch of stuffy men old enough to be her father, most of them she’d known since birth. It was pointless as far as she was concerned. No one really said anything new, just rehashed the information she’d reviewed only an hour ago. The board had accepted her position in her father’s stead without question, instantly including her, for which she was grateful. It would have made her job much harder without their acceptance. 

The meeting finally ended just after ten o’clock, and she politely shook hands with each of the men before going back to her office one floor up. The moment the elevator doors opened, she saw him, and everything she’d told herself about overreacting went out the window. Her heart accelerated just at the sight of him, and then he looked up. Their eyes met. For a moment, she thought she saw something flicker in them, but then it was gone. 

He waited until she was almost in front of him before getting to his feet. “Ms. Stanton.” 

She told herself to snap out of it. “Good morning, Mr. Andersen.” She was going for polite and professional but didn’t know if she’d pulled it off. Her heart had not calmed down. “Um…Give me just a minute to…to put these things on my desk, and then I’ll be ready.” 

He just nodded as she walked passed him and into her office. She needed to get control of herself if she was going to be spending the next three hours with this man. Closing the door, she quickly deposited the folders on her desk. She took a few deep breaths, trying to calm her heart thudding in her chest. Once it was under control, she left her office. 

This time, she was a little more prepared when she caught sight of him. Her heart still picked up its pace, but she didn’t think anyone besides her would be able to hear it. Stopping a few feet in front of him, she said, “After you.” Matthew hesitated for only a moment before turning toward the elevator doors. She followed, trying to keep her eyes
only
on the back of his head rather than where the bottom of his suit jacket was brushing up against his backside. 

Two and a half hours later, Cali didn’t think there was an inch of Stanton Enterprises they hadn’t covered. They’d even been to the warehouse where the equipment was stored prior to shipping. At every stop, he’d made her use her security code to enter the department. 

She had to admit the security set up was quite extensive, at least to her untrained eye. Matthew had pointed out some of the security cameras and explained their strategic placement. There were even a few places where fingerprints were required. Cali had no idea how they’d gotten hold of her fingerprints, maybe from her Doctors Without Borders application? She didn’t know and wasn’t going to ask. After what she’d seen, the man beside her was very good at what he did. She doubted there was anything he couldn’t accomplish if he put his mind to it. 

They slowly walked down stairs to the first floor. As they came out of the stairwell and into the main lobby, Matthew took her over to the main reception desk and showed her the small monitors fed from the various security cameras placed directly in front of the building. There was also a panic button, which would alert not only security inside the facility but also the police. The amount of money the system cost had to be staggering, which left her with little doubt how serious the threats that Matthew had told her about yesterday were. 

Other than asking a few questions for clarification, Cali hadn’t said much over the last few hours. Matthew had been very professional. They both moved to the front doors, and he pointed out the two cameras situated to monitor the entrance. Then, he turned to face her.

Placing both hands in his pockets, he studied her face. She wasn’t exactly sure what he was looking for, but whatever it was, he must have found it. “Are you hungry?”

Okay. Not what she expected. “Excuse me?”

He looked mildly uneasy, but continued. “It’s lunch time. And I thought maybe if you were hungry…” He paused as if waiting for her to say something. She didn’t. She had no idea what to say. Given the internal chaos he was causing her, the first thing her mind screamed was,
No!
Thankfully, she kept a firm hold on her initial and very unprofessional reaction. 

Seeing he wasn’t getting a response, he figured he might as well just come out and ask. “Would you like to go to lunch?”

Cali felt the need to say the words out loud. Just for clarification. Well, that and allowing her to wrap her mind around what was happening and figure out how to deal with it. “You’re asking me to go to lunch with you?”

The side of his mouth pulled up in a hint of a smile, and Cali’s heart skipped a beat. “Yes.”

She swallowed. Did she want to go to lunch with Matthew Andersen? Yes. Should she go to lunch with Matthew Andersen? She mentally sighed. Probably not. 

Obviously, she was taking too long to answer, and Matthew shifted his weight. “Look it’s no big deal. Don’t worry about it. I just thought—”

She interrupted him. “Sure.”

He gave her a full-fledged smile this time in response, and she knew if she didn’t move soon, she wouldn’t be able to remain standing. 

Matthew opened the door. “After you,” he said mimicking her from earlier. 

Cali just smiled at him before walking through the open door. 

What in this world am I doing?
he chided himself.  After working so hard all morning to keep things professional, he now found himself in a cozy little Italian restaurant with her. They’d passed two cafes on the way here, but they hadn’t interested him. He told himself it was because he wanted to talk to her more about the situation and brief her on what was happening this Friday, but he knew better. Matthew had no desire to talk business. He wanted to find out what made her tick. Then maybe she would stop consuming his every thought, and he could concentrate on what he was supposed to—his job. 

    Cali slid into her chair. The restaurant he’d selected for their lunch surprised her. It must have been new. She didn’t remember it from her many trips out to eat with her father when she’d accompany him to work years ago. 

She took a quick look around. It was full of deep reds and bright whites. The atmosphere was quite welcoming. There were several occupied tables, a good sign. She hoped that the food was decent. The restaurant was well lit, but she could imagine having dinner here with the lights turned down. It would be the perfect intimate setting for a date. 

Cali stopped her thoughts in their tracks. Why was she thinking this? Oh, right. The man sitting across from her. 

Sparing him a brief glance before picking up her menu, she wondered why he’d chosen this place. They’d passed several other eating establishments on the way. Why here? Although she was curious, she couldn’t bring herself to ask. Boss, remember? 

She looked up at him again, and their eyes met. He gave her a smile and her heart sped up. Cali didn’t understand it. She’d been attracted to other men, but she’d never had this type of reaction before. Maybe her teen years were coming back to haunt her, or maybe the reason she was reacting so strongly was because she knew he was off limits.

Just then, the waiter approached them. “Good afternoon. My name is Seth, and I’ll be your server today. Did you need a few minutes, or are you ready to order?” 

Matthew and Cali’s eyes met again, and Matthew nodded to let her know he was ready if she was. Seth took their orders and their menus before turning from the table. 

After their server left, they no longer had the menus to distract them. Cali fidgeted with the napkin on her lap, and Matthew took a sip of his water. He put his glass back on the table and cleared his throat. “Your dad said you were a doctor.”

She bought her eyes to meet his across the table. “Yes.” 

When she didn’t continue, he gave her another brilliant smile. “Have you always wanted to be a doctor?”

Cali nodded. “Pretty much. My mom died of cancer when I was eleven,” she paused and gave him a shy smile, “which I’m sure you know.” He gave a knowing smile back. “After watching her suffer and not being able to do anything to help her, I knew.”

He nodded again. “It’s hard losing a parent.” She raised her eyebrows in question. “I lost my mom when I was eight. I was young, but I still remember how helpless I felt.”

“I’m sorry,” Cali mumbled.

“It’s okay. It was a long time ago.” There was a long pause. “Alvin…your dad…said you were working with Doctors Without Borders.”

Cali loved to talk about her work, and it showed in her tone. Her face took on a glow of happiness he’d not seen from her before. “Yes. I was working in Africa when I got the call from Dad.”

“How long were you there?” 

“Just shy of two years. I wasn’t in one place the whole time though. They move us around to wherever they need us.”

The server came back with their food, and they dug in. Her enthusiasm continued as she told him about Rachael, Chad, and the other people she worked with at the small makeshift clinic where she’d treated the local patients. Halfway through their meal, they both fell silent. 

“I met Jason Andersen this morning,” Cali said to break the tension in the air around them. 

Matthew paused before laying his fork beside his plate. “When?” he demanded and then realized how harsh that sounded. “Sorry. I didn’t mean it that way. It’s just…Jason doesn’t tend to…” Matthew was trying to find a polite way of putting this. “He deals more with the operational end of things. I’m just surprised you crossed paths with him.”

“He was outside my office when I came in this morning,” Cali smiled, remembering. 

“He was?” Matthew asked, surprised.

She nodded and couldn’t suppress a giggle. It appeared Matthew had no idea about Jason and her assistant. “Yes. Apparently, Lisa needed some help carrying a few things.” 

He was quiet for a minute while he processed the information. When he looked into her eyes again, he saw the answer to his question. Shaking his head, “How did I not see that? How did I not know?”

“Ma…Mr. Andersen, you can’t be expected to know about every relationship. I’m sure there are others.”

“One,” he said, visibly upset, “yes, I should. It’s my job. Emotional ties mean possible vulnerabilities.” He paused. “And two,” he added, taking a deep breath, “being my brother, he should have told me.”

Cali dropped her fork. “Your brother?”

Matthew stopped mentally cursing his brother and looked at her with first a bit of concern and then chagrin. “Your father didn’t tell you anything, did he?”

She sighed. “Apparently not.”

Picking up his fork again, “Let’s correct that,” he said, taking another bite. 

Cali nodded.

He started with his and Jason’s backgrounds, sharing that they were both in the military for a while. She learned of the initial letter her father received from the anonymous source that had started the mystery they were trying to unravel. And then Matthew explained how he and his brother came to work for Stanton Enterprises via a mutual friend at the Chicago Police Department.

Matthew told Cali of an incident where one of the shipping managers was blackmailed. The man had been having an affair and was coerced into giving out shipping information after receiving potentially damaging photos of him and the woman. It shed some light on just why he was so upset when finding out about his brother and Lisa. 

Finally, he filled her in on the shipment this Friday and its importance. This was the third attempt on the same delivery, and the clients were getting restless.  

“Jason and I will be there personally to make sure things go as planned.”

Cali was silent for a long time. Their lunches were long gone, their plates removed, and the bill paid. She was staring blankly at the table, thinking. Raising her eyes to meet his, she said, “I should be there too.”

“No,” he said firmly. 

She nodded her head. “If this shipment is as important as you say it is, then an extra set of eyes could help.”

Matthew was shaking his head. “No. It’s too dangerous.”

“I’ve lived in Africa for the last two years, Mr. Andersen. I think I can handle a simple shipment of supplies.”

Matthew tossed his napkin on the table and stood. “It’s my decision, and I say it’s too dangerous.” 

He was clearly frustrated, and he waited for her to stand. Finally, when she was in front of him, she said, “I am your boss, Mr. Andersen.”

“Not on this you’re not,” he said. He turned toward the door and left her no choice but to follow.