One White Lie: Barrington Billionaire's Series: Book One (7 page)

Rex reached across the table and stole a piece of her toast. “You’re telling me that being in Boston is making you happy?”

Sometimes.
“It’s nice there. So many more opportunities.”

He shook his head. “That’s not what I asked you. I have been to Boston, New York, and many cities around the world. A place doesn’t make you happy, Lena. Who you are with there does.”

He was right. She was in Boston, chasing a career, but not happy. She had blamed it on so many things, but the truth was she hadn’t been happy there since Brice dumped her.
So why stay? He’d made it clear he had wanted nothing to do with her.
It was a combination of things. Hoping someday he would come back, begging her forgiveness, and not wanting to have to admit failure and go back home. Was she making a mistake? Obviously Brice was never going to beg for anything and “I’m sorry” probably wasn’t in his vocabulary either. Maybe it was time to make another change. There had been so many over the past few years; maybe coming home this weekend was a sign that it was time for another one.

“How is Nicholas doing? That’s his name, right?”

He knows my son’s name. What else does he know?
Smiling, Lena answered, “He’s great. My parents are watching him tonight. Dad thought I needed to get out for a while.” It felt good to be able to speak about her son and not hide his existence.

“I agree. You need out, away from all that noise. Why don’t you finish up and let me take you to a movie?”

Her heart began to pound.
He’s asking me out? On a date?
“I can’t.”

“Why? Do you have a husband or boyfriend who won’t be happy about it?”

No one cares what I do. No one at all.
“Not that it’s any of your business, but no, I do not have either.”

“Good, then you have no excuse to say no.”

Oh, just as cocky as you were in high school. I hope I’m not going to regret this.
“Okay. A movie and that’s all.”

Lena spent the rest of the evening with Rex. They went to a movie and then out for another cup of coffee. She hadn’t laughed so hard in years. They spoke about their school years and what happened to all their friends. Most of them were married with children of their own.

It was after midnight when she finally returned to her parents’ house. Closing the door quietly behind her, she made her way to the staircase. Just like when she was a teenager, her father had waited up. “Guess you weren’t so tired after all.”

Turning around, she felt guilty for staying out so late. “Sorry. I met up with an old friend and time seemed to get away from us.”

“So I hear. How is Rex doing by the way? I haven’t made it to the diner in a while.”

Great. Mother is going to love this.
“Good. Did you know he bought the diner?”

“Yes, the whole town celebrated last summer when he signed the papers.” Her father arched his brow and said, “We could watch Nicholas again tomorrow if you would like to go out again.”

“Dad, we only went out as friends. Nothing more. I’m going back to Boston tomorrow night. I don’t want Mom to start thinking I’m moving back home or anything. My job and life are there now.” She didn’t want her words to sound so ungrateful. It was the furthest from the truth. No one could have asked for better parents. They loved and supported her. It was her stubborn behavior that had put the wedge between them before. She wasn’t about to let that happen again. Kissing her father on his forehead, she headed toward the stairs.

“Sweet dreams, pumpkin.”

I sure hope so.
“Goodnight, Dad.”

Once upstairs she checked on Nicholas, who was fast asleep.
Sleep tight, little man.
There was nothing left for her to do but go to bed. Unfortunately sleep didn’t come easily. Her mind wandered back to her evening with Rex. It had been nice. Easy. He’d opened doors for her, said all the right things.
God, he was so sweet to me.

Lying there, she closed her eyes again and could still hear his laughter. She enjoyed being with Rex, so why was she filled with an overwhelming feeling of emptiness?
Dammit.
A few weeks ago this might have been so different. She might have even taken her father’s offer and gone out with Rex again. After all these years, he was still single. He’d made it clear he could be interested in starting things again. Had he been thinking of her like she had him when they were in school?
My very first crush.

Her phone chimed with a message.
Rex.

“Sweet dreams.”

Not sure what to say, she was so confused by everything. Trying to figure out one man was bad enough, adding a second in the mix wasn’t a good idea.
Since when do I ever do the smart thing?
“Goodnight, Rex.”

The timing was off. He was a wonderful guy, but right now, it didn’t feel right. There were unresolved issues she had to address back in Boston before she would be totally free to love again.

As she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep, she had only one person on her mind. Brice
. Thank you for turning back time far enough to screw my life up all over again.

Thankfully the next day was uneventful. Her mother never mentioned Rex, and more surprisingly, she never even asked about her evening out. Before Lena knew it, they were back on the bus, heading to Boston. Her brother Gary was upset she wouldn’t allow him to drive her home, but she insisted they enjoyed the bus ride. The truth was she needed to unwind, to have some time to regroup and gather her thoughts before going to the office tomorrow. If she didn’t sort this all out, she knew she would be spending the entire night tossing and turning, and that wasn’t going to solve anything.

This ride was different from the last. Nicholas didn’t close his eyes once. Instead, he kept saying one word over and over again until she thought she would pull out her hair. “Nana. Nana.”
Mom, did you plan this? I wouldn’t put it past you.

Her phone buzzed with a text message. They hadn’t been gone fifteen minutes, and she knew it had to be her mother, checking in on them. She was wrong.

“Had a great time last night. Let’s do it again soon. Have a safe trip back to Boston. Rex.”

She couldn’t respond. Part of her wanted to say she’d had a good time as well but another part of her couldn’t commit to doing it again. It wasn’t fair to either of them right now. Maybe one day, not now.
How can I yearn for someone who doesn’t want me, yet have a great guy here who wants to be with me? What a hot mess.
Lena did the only thing she could. She ignored his message.

Finally the network was strong enough on her phone for her to download a cartoon to distract Nicholas. She hated being one of those parents who used an electronic device as a babysitter, but right now anything she could find to distract him was open game.
How do people do it with more than one?
Well, that wasn’t something she was going to waste another minute dwelling on. It was just the two of them, and that was fine with her. Her father might think she needed a man in her life, but that wasn’t true. She had Nicholas, and they made their own little family. Lena had wanted to tell her father there were things worse than being alone.
Like being with a man who doesn’t love you.

Love wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. Look where it got her last time. Broken-hearted and alone.
No thanks.
She wasn’t going down that path again. What she needed to do was deny her physical needs. But the way he’d looked at her and made her feel when he’d touched her was like a flame she couldn’t resist. Her hand yearned to reach out and touch it, even though she knew she was going to get burned.
Who would be able to resist that?

She had two choices. She could quit her job now, walk away from all that money she desperately needed, or she could suck it up and fight the urge to kiss him again.
That is not going to be easy, maybe totally impossible.

It wasn’t love; it was lust, pure and simple. It’s just a normal reaction to someone who was sexy as hell and could light a fire in her with just one touch. She needed to look at it solely as a sexual need and nothing more.
And it will never happen again
. He’d obviously had something troubling him that afternoon and was looking for a distraction. It didn’t matter if it was her or some other woman. There was no reason they couldn’t go back to the way things were earlier in the week. He stayed in the lab, and she avoided all contact. If she walked away from this job now, it would be another mistake to add to her ever-growing list.

Tomorrow started a fresh week. The countdown was already on to the end of the assignment. If she could pull this off, B&H Advanced Engineering was going to be a sweet addition to her résumé. A name like that could open doors to the businesses that most people wished they had access to. Landing this position, although temporary, carried a lot of weight as they were one of the most sought after chemical engineering companies in the world.

That rejuvenated her to make this a success. She had worked hard to gain the necessary skills, and this was the opportunity to prove she had what it took to be one hell of a personal assistant. Nothing was going to get in her way. She was in charge of her life, where it was going. No one was going to decide her future.
Not this time.

G
oing home was different than it had been in the past. Normally she returned to Boston feeling beaten down, as though she were a disappointment to her parents. Not this time. She wasn’t sure what had changed. Was it possible time did heal all wounds, or had they all grown past the hurtful words they had said? The words were a blur now and didn’t seem that important.
Let them stay that way.

These last few weeks had brought a lot of changes. Some good and some she still wasn’t sure about. Last night she’d spent hours debating them. Her choices around her family were some of them. Had staying away so long been a mistake? If it was, no one made her feel that way, at least not this time. It was not only good for her, but Nicholas loved having the run of the house, giggling like crazy as Nana chased him. A month ago she wouldn’t have thought it possible.
Now anything is possible.
Her relationship with her parents wasn’t perfect, but whose was?
Maybe that’s where I’ve been wrong these past years. I wanted them to be perfect, even though I wasn’t.
So much wasted time. But no more. I’m a mother now; I know the reality of being a parent. Sometimes you might just get it wrong.

After a good night’s sleep, she was ready for whatever Brice was going to throw her way. Her confidence was strong, and she knew this week was going to be different. Lena exited the elevator and headed to her desk, ready for a new week.
Or so I thought.
The aroma of the fresh roses filled the room. Reluctantly she walked over to the beautiful red roses on her desk, searched for a card, but found none. It was odd, but she knew who they were from and preferred no card opposed to what he may have said on it.
Thanks for the afternoon delight.

She wanted to pick them up and throw them into the wastebasket. Call him and tell him she didn’t want his flowers or anything else he might offer. As she sat at her desk, she found herself staring at them.
Why did you send them, Brice?
Maybe he felt bad about what transpired last week, and this was supposed to be some form of peace offering. If so, she would prefer he ignore it and just move on.
Like I am trying to do.

Taking the vase, she moved them to the filing cabinet, so they wouldn’t be in her way while working.
Who am I kidding? I won’t get anything done if they are sitting here, taunting me, a constant reminder of how good it felt to touch him again.

She could tell herself it was purely a physical attraction, but if that were the case, the flowers wouldn’t bother her. He used to bring her flowers all the time when they dated, but never red roses. Lena had never questioned it then, but now she found herself questioning every aspect of her life, even the smallest detail. It was a defense she’d erected so she’d never be hurt again.
To be human is to feel, and I’m no machine.

With a deep sigh, she got up from her desk and went to make Brice’s coffee. Once she was confident it was just as he liked it, she headed for his office.
Please be dressed today. My restraint isn’t what it should be and probably never will be when I am around you.

The door was slightly ajar. Knocking lightly, she stood there waiting.
No more surprise entries for me.
She knocked a second time.
No matter how much I enjoyed the view.

Anticipating seeing him again, her lips curled and her mouth dried. When there was no answer the second time, she pushed the door open a bit wider. No sign of him. A bit more and she noticed his office was unoccupied. She approached his desk and saw a half-empty cup of coffee.
My lucky day. You’ve already come and gone.

Although she tried to suppress it, an overwhelming feeling of disappointment flowed through her. All she wanted yesterday was to get back to normal. As normal as two people who were once lovers and pretended as though they never were—or would be again—could get.
Who am I kidding? It’s never going to happen. Not after everything we’ve shared.

Lena heard the phone ring at her desk.
And so it begins.
Forcing a smile, she left his office and closed the door. “Good morning. This is Mr. Henderson’s office, Lena speaking. How may I help you?”

“Where’s Nancy? Don’t tell me that idiot brother of mine fired the best personal assistant he will ever have.”

Well, thanks for the confidence builder there.
“I’m only here temporarily.”
Not that it’s any of your business.

“Hey, I hope I didn’t come off sounding like a complete ass. That’s usually Brice’s job.” His deep laugh echoed through the phone.

“Not at all,” she lied.
Must be in the genes.

“So, where is that dear brother of mine?”

Lena knew Brice was one of six. Which one this gentleman was, still wasn’t clear. It really didn’t matter, as Zoey was the only one on the “transfer call” list.
What a messed-up family. I can’t picture what holiday gatherings must look like.

“Sorry, Mr. Henderson is not available at this moment. I would be happy to take your name and have him call you.” It was the same thing she said to almost every person who called.
I should get it on a recording and save time.

“He has you trained already, does he? Don’t answer that. We all know the game. Tell him Alex called. I can leave my number, but we both know he won’t call.”

Lena swallowed hard. She’d handled difficult callers many times, but this one left her feeling uncomfortable. What do you say when the person on the other end already knows the truth?
And it’s not pretty.
“I’ll give him your message.”
And an earful of how to treat family, too.
“I’m sure you will hear from him once he is free.”

How had the person she once loved become so distant from everyone? She never would’ve given him a second date, let alone be with him for a year, if he’d acted like this. When they had been together, he’d made her laugh. He had always been serious about work and very driven for success, but when did it become the one and only thing he cared about? When had he become a stranger to his own siblings? She knew he’d cared about them as he had talked about them with pride back then.
What went wrong?

Lena was tempted to ask him, but doing so would only open up conversations about their past. She had long since stopped asking herself why. Now
“What went wrong?”
was the question she asked herself daily. Was it time for her to get the answers to their sudden and harsh breakup? Would he even answer the question if she asked? And what difference would it make now if he did?
It only confuses things more. Going back won’t change what happened.

The phone rang again. “Good morning, Mr.—”

“Lena, it’s Zoey. How are you?”

Unlike her brother, Zoey’s voice was warm and welcoming. “I’m good. How about you?”

“Hanging in there. How is Brice treating you? Not giving you too much of a hard time, I hope?”

“Not at all.” Lying came easily with this job. She did it all day.
And hated it.

“Good. I was worried it might be a bit . . . awkward. You know after you guys were involved and everything.”

And here is where it becomes more awkward.
“That was a long time ago.”
Or Friday night, depending if hot sex in the office counts or not.

“Well, I’m glad to hear it. So tell that brother of mine I am going to be there at noon for lunch. I don’t want any excuses that he can’t make the time for his one and only sister.”

“I’ll add you to his schedule.”

“Thanks. It’s worth the try, right? What’s the worst thing that can happen? If he says no, we can do lunch and catch up.”

Lena wanted to laugh, but she knew Zoey wasn’t joking. She liked Zoey, and they were not far off in age either, but having lunch with the boss’s sister, never mind who that boss was, wasn’t a good idea.
Please don’t blow this off, Brice.

Unfortunately, her gut was correct. Zoey arrived on time for a lunch date, and Brice blew her off without hesitation, using the same excuse he used for everything: “I’m in the middle of something critical and can’t break away.”

Lena felt so bad, and Zoey was just standing at her desk, so when she said, or demanded, they have lunch together, there really was no way to back out.

Surprisingly lunch was more relaxing than she had anticipated. The conversation turned to things she felt comfortable speaking about: local events happening in Boston.

Lena had reached for her purse but knocked it and its contents to the floor, and that was when everything went sour.

Zoey, being the sweet and helpful person she seemed to be, immediately got up and started helping her pick up everything. Lena could feel her heart pounding in her chest as the words were spoken. “I didn’t know you had a child. What’s his name?”

Lena took the toy truck and children’s book from her.
Lunch was a huge mistake. What have I done?
The last thing she wanted to do was talk about her son. Not to anyone, especially not someone close to Brice. Her personal life was exactly that, personal, and she didn’t want anyone’s opinion on what she should or shouldn’t do. Not answering was only going to imply she was hiding something, so she had no choice but answer her. “Nicholas.”

“I like the name. Guess I was wrong.”

Lena arched a brow puzzled by her statement. “About what?”

Zoey smiled. “I heard something in Brice’s voice the other day when we spoke. I thought . . . well hoped, that maybe the two of you had hit it off again, and maybe you were dating. I didn’t know at that time that you already had someone else in your life.”

Oh my God. I don’t know what she thinks she heard, but it wasn’t about me. Unless it was anger, then maybe it was me. I can’t let anyone think there is anything going on between Brice and me. It will lead to questions I don’t want to answer.
“No. We’re not seeing each other. That was a long time ago, and we have both moved on.”

“Apparently you did if you have a son.” Zoey finished her soda then said, “I’m not so sure about Brice. When he was dating you, he was a different person. He smiled, laughed, and was a joy to be around. I actually thought he was going to marry you. I’ve never seen him look at anyone like that, before or since.”

Are you trying to kill me here because it feels a lot like a knife to the heart?
“He is a very busy man. I’m sure once this project is complete things will be different. Back to the way they used to be.”
Minus me.

Shaking her head, Zoey continued, her voice no longer holding the upbeat tone it had earlier. “I don’t think so. Something changed in a blink of an eye. He wouldn’t say what it was, so I’d assumed it was your breakup. If that wasn’t it, then I’m not sure if we will ever see the man we once knew.”

Lena knew what that felt like. That breakup practically killed her, and she still wasn’t the same person she was then.
And I’ll never be again.
There were things that happened that permanently changed her. There were times she wished she could turn back time and fix whatever had gone wrong with them so maybe she could have her happily ever after. But if changing the past meant not having Nicholas, then she was okay with how things were.

“I don’t know him that well anymore. But I do believe things will change after he completes what he is working on. The stress is evident by the hours he works.”

“I hope so, Lena. So why don’t we talk about something happy?” Zoey smiled, yet her smile was obviously forced. “Have you any pictures of your little one?”

If she said no, then Zoey would questions what type of mother isn’t out there bragging about her son, and if she did, that would only encourage the conversation to keep going. Grabbing her cell phone, she pretended to look at the time. “Oh, my. I forgot the time. I need to get back to the office. There is a call I have scheduled, and I am going to be late.” Getting up from her chair, she picked up her purse and put twenty dollars on the table to cover her sandwich. “I better run, but we will have to get together again soon.”

Lena waved and quickly made her exit. Only when the brisk air hit her face did she realize she had been holding her breath.
Not doing that again.