Legacy (Montgomery Brothers Series ~ Book 1) Page 10
Her dark gaze narrowed. “Why would you do that?”
“Because it’s good business.”
“Bullshit,” she said, piercing me with her stare. “I’ll consider it if you tell me why you’d make me an offer like this.”
“Because I believe in you.”
“You’ve only known me a couple weeks. How do you know I won’t let you down?”
“I don’t, but I’m a good judge of character. Your work ethic is impossible to miss, your product has a line forming out the door every morning, and I think you’re going to do big things.”
She nodded, most likely processing my words. I got the feeling she didn’t trust easily.
“Well, this was not what I was expecting. Thank you. Can I sleep on it?”
“I’m not sure what there is to sleep on, but sure. We aren’t going to do anything tonight anyway,” I said, taking another bite of the delicious ramen.
“How is it?”
“It’s actually damn good,” I said with a laugh.
“Stick with me, kid. You’ll learn all sorts of new things,” she said. A big grin spread across her pretty face.
I chuckled and took a sip of my odd cocktail. It was growing on me, just like Harley DeLuca.
This friendship was full of surprises.
Chapter Eight
Harley
The morning rush had come and gone, and Molly and I were cleaning up and getting ready for the next surge of customers at lunch.
“You and Montgomery sure are getting cozy,” my best friend said with a smirk.
I threw a dish towel at her and walked back behind the counter to refill the pastry display.
“We’re friends. He’s not my type, and I’m definitely not his.”
She sauntered into the kitchen and dropped the dirty rags into our makeshift hamper. “So, you don’t think he’s hot?”
“Ford?” I said, trying to gather myself a bit before I answered.
“Um. Yeah. Your new bestie.”
“Sure. He’s attractive, if you’re into that richy-rich, formal look, which I’m not. But yes, he’s a good-looking guy. No doubt about it. All three of them are. But I’m friends with all of them.”
“I believe you’re friends with Harrison and Jack. They are needy little fuckers, always coming to you for advice.” She chuckled. “But it’s different with Ford. The way he looks at you, my god, girl, I want to grab some popcorn and sit back and enjoy the show when he’s in here.”
“You’re ridiculous. It’s called friendship banter.” I rolled my eyes.
“It’s called hot, steamy, sexual tension, my friend. Are you honestly telling me you don’t think about it? You know, spending a night in Ford Montgomery’s bed?”
“Hell no. I don’t do friends with benefits. You know that. And he doesn’t do relationships. So it’s out of the question.”
“I’ll bet he’d like to do you, though,” she said, raising one brow at me in typical Molly-dramatic-fashion.
“Not my thing,” I said as the door chimed. I was thankful for the interruption.
Sure. Ford was hot. Sexy as hell. Attractive. All of those things. But he had a reputation, and he’d been pretty open with me about who he was. It would never work. Did I ever think about kissing him when I stared at his full lips? Yes. I wondered what it would feel like to press mine against his. To taste and explore.
Holy shit.
This was so not me.
I needed to put some distance between me and my new bestie. I was starting my day and ending my day with this man a few days a week. We’d been to dinner several times since the noodle house. He called our dinners business meetings, and I didn’t mind at all. I liked talking to him. I liked hanging out with him. But I didn’t believe in gray areas. You were either all in or all out. And Ford would never be all in—so I was all out, as far as ever crossing a line romantically.
I didn’t believe in using sex as a tool. I’d grown up with a woman who sold her body for drugs and cash, and I’d spent my entire life trying to be the opposite of her. Sleeping with Ford would be strictly sexual, and I wouldn’t go there. Not that he’d tried anyway. He hadn’t. Maybe he wasn’t attracted to me that way. That would only make it easier for me not to be tempted.
I made my way back out to the front room to see Molly’s boyfriend, Oscar, with an attractive guy beside him.
“Hey, you finally made it in,” I said, coming around the counter to give him a hug. Molly came sprinting past me and jumped into his arms.
“Oh, hey, I’m Jared. I work with Oscar. Been hearing great things about this place, so we took an early lunch and Ubered over.” Jared was tall with light brown wavy hair. He had dark eyes, and a very handsome face. Molly had been talking about him for weeks and I kept putting off the double date.
“I’m Harley. Nice to meet you. And thank you, so far, so good,” I said, sounding like a total doofus. My flirting game was weak.
“Well, what do you recommend? It all looks so good,” Jared said, but his eyes scanned my body as the words left his mouth.
Wowsers. Jared’s flirting game was on point.
I chuckled and moved behind the counter. “It sort of depends what your preference is. The donuts and the cupcakes are our best sellers.”
“It all looks sweet to me.” He bit down on his lip and his gaze locked with mine. “Why don’t you surprise me with a few things?”
I put one of everything in a box for him and tied some twine around it to buy myself some time. I could feel his heated gaze on me.
Jack came waltzing through the door from the lobby. “Hey, I need to talk to you.”
He was all worked up, and Oscar and Jared both turned to look at him.
“Um, sure, yeah. Give me a minute.”
“Jack, this is my boyfriend Oscar,” Molly said, turning to face him. “And this is his coworker Jared.”
“Oh, hey, nice to meet you both. Well good. Since you aren’t real customers, I need to run this by Harls.” Jack shook hands with both guys and then came around the counter and helped himself to a donut.
“They are real customers,” I hissed. “What is your problem?”
“That chick up in marketing, the one I took out last week,” he said, pausing to chew. “She just slapped me across the face.”
He turned his cheek for me to see it, and there was a slight pink to his skin, but he was being very dramatic considering he was a big, tough football player.
“And why did she do that?” I asked as I handed the box to Jared and my gaze locked with his again.
“Who the fuck knows? She said Sierra, one of the interns, told her we hooked up this weekend.” He was in a huff, and it was hard not to laugh.
“Did you hook up with Sierra?” I questioned him further.
“Yes. Have you seen her? She’s fucking hot.”
I shook my head and smacked him in the chest. “Serves you right, playboy. Don’t dip your pen in the company ink.”
“I don’t technically work here. I’m PR for the company. None of them work for me,” he said defensively.
I pushed up on my tiptoes and patted his cheek. “No. But they both work for the company you own, and they know one another and it’s just…” I paused to find the perfect word. “It’s shady. And slimy. And sleazy.”
Okay, I found three perfect words that fit the situation.
He gasped dramatically but kept a smile plastered on his face. “That’s hurtful, Harls. I wasn’t exclusive with any of them. I said I wanted to keep it casual. They both agreed.”
Jared laughed now. “Looks like they compared notes and had a change of heart.”
I smiled at him. “Agreed.”
Jack looked between me and Jared and then winked at me. He dropped to sit at a table and Oscar and his friend said their goodbyes.
Jack howled as soon as the door shut. “That dude is into you, Harls.”
Molly’s eyes were wide, and her grin spread clear across her face. “I agree. And he’s freaking hot.”
I laughed. “You two are ridiculous. Okay, we have about five minutes before this place starts getting packed. Here’s my advice. Don’t sleep with people who know one another.”
“How am I supposed to do that? Do I give a list to every chick I hook up with of the girls I’ve been with in the past?”
“Maybe just the ones you’ve been with that week,” Molly said, moving behind the counter.
“Isn’t it enough when you establish where it’s going before you hook up? I mean, I always have the talk before anything happens. I’m not a total douchebag.”
I smiled. It was impossible not to love him. Jack was sweet under all that testosterone. His boyish charm and good looks garnered him endless attention. More than he knew what to do with, apparently.
“Tell me what you say to them?” I asked, curiosity getting the best of me. I always wondered how these casual flings went down.
“I just say, hey, you’re hot as fuck. I’m not looking for anything serious, but I’d like to take you home.”
Molly and I both fell over in a fit of giggles.
“Does that really work?” I asked. “And you definitely weren’t clear enough. Do they spend the night?”
“Yes. I’m a huge cuddler, Harls.”
“Well, no wonder they get pissed off,” Molly said, shaking her head. “Mixed signals, Montgomery. You can’t cuddle a chick all night and expect her to think you don’t want to see her again. That’s so intimate.”
“You two never cuddled a one-night stand before?”
“I’ve only had two one-nighters—and no, we definitely didn’t cuddle. It was wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am. And I’m not complaining. I was smiling when they left. But we sure as hell didn’t spoon all night.” Molly wiped down the counter and looked to me.
“I’ve never had a one-night stand, sorry. But no, I don’t think cuddling comes with a casual romp.”
“You’re serious? I like spooning,” Jack whined as the door opened, and he pushed to his feet and rubbed his cheek.
“You need to change your game, player,” Molly said as I greeted our customer.
“Damn. See you later.”
I ignored him and focused on the crowd that filled the bakery in a matter of ten minutes. Molly and I hustled to make drinks, fill orders, and ring up our customers. The second half of the day moved by in a blur.
“I’m going to the back to put some cookies in the oven for tomorrow,” Molly said.
“Sounds good. I’ll start cleaning up out here.”
“Cool, let me know if you need me.” She moved to the back room.
The door chimed, and my jaw hit the ground at the sight of my mother. It had been over a year since I’d seen her. She looked—terrible. Gaunt. Unhealthy. Rough.
“Baby girl, look at you. Gram would be so proud.”
I sucked in a long breath and stayed where I was. Having the counter between us made me more comfortable.
“Hello, Mother. What can I do for you?”
“That’s it? No hug. No greeting. I’m just a regular customer?”
“The last time I saw you I ended up in the hospital, so I think we can do without the hugs, yeah?”
“Baby, that wasn’t my fault. Damon was in a mood that day, you know? And you tend to piss people off with that high and mighty attitude of yours. Like you’re so much better than us,” she said. Her blonde straggly hair looked like it hadn’t been washed or brushed in days, her dark gaze resembled mine and I hated it. She was thin, and her skanky outfit barely clung to her lithe body. She wore a purple lacy bodysuit and black jeans. And yes, her pimp slash drug dealer, was the devil in more ways than just in name.
“Oh, did I? Gosh, how terrible of me. While your boyfriend was beating the shit out of me, and you were stealing my graduation money from my purse, I can’t believe I had the nerve to make you feel small. Hmm… I’ll really need to work on that.” I seethed sarcasm. This woman was pure evil.
“Baby,” she said as the door swung open and a large man walked toward her. He wore a black suit and a white button-up. He had an earpiece and appeared to be listening as he held his hand over his ear, before moving beside my mother.
“Ms. DeLuca, I’m going to have to ask you to leave. You aren’t welcome here.” His voice was deep and intimidating. “I’ll count to three. You either walk out on your own, or I’ll assist you to do so.”
“What is this? How dare you,” my mother balked.
“One.”
“Baby, are you going to allow him to speak to me like this?” she shouted, staring up at the large man who showed zero emotion on his face.
“Two.”
I didn’t try to stop it, though I had no idea who he was. But I didn’t want her here. I wasn’t sure how he knew that, but I’d find that out after she was gone.
“I’m leaving. But we’re not done, baby girl. I’m in some trouble and I would hate to have to turn to Gramps. But you’re leaving me no choice,” she said, her gaze locking with mine.
Fear wracked my body.
My heart raced.
“Three.” The man wrapped his large hand around her bicep and turned her toward the door.
“I’m going to sue you. You can’t kick me out of a public place.”
“I certainly can. This is private property and you’ve been asked to leave. Don’t come back.” He opened the door and escorted her out. He stood there with his arms folded, watching as my mother walked away.
What the actual hell?
I stormed outside, seeing my mother in the distance. “Who are you?”
“Security.”
“For whom?”
“I work for the Montgomerys,” he said, staring down at me.
“And now you’re kicking out my customers?” I shouted, dropping my hands to my hips.
“I’m kicking out your mother, yes.”
“Under whose authority?”
“I’m not at liberty to discuss that with you.” He crossed his arms over his chest.
“Oh, really? You just get to kick people out of my bakery without telling me why?”
“You certainly didn’t look like you wanted her there. I’m not sure why you’re complaining.”
I huffed. “Because I’ll kick people out if I need to. I can handle my own business.”
He looked down at me with a condescending stare and I stormed inside. Molly was standing between the kitchen and the dining room. “Well, that was interesting.”
“Can you cover things? It’s slow right now. I need to go take care of something,” I said, tossing my apron on the counter and moving to the door which opened to the lobby.
“You got it. Go get ‘em, Harls. How dare he try to kick your evil mother out of the bakery for you? The nerve of some people,” she said with a laugh as I marched out the door.
I waltzed right back to Ford’s office. I didn’t stop to check in with his assistant. The man never gave me that respect. He just walked in my kitchen like he owned the place. Well, he kind of did, but this was a respect thing. I pushed his door open, and he glanced up from his computer before I slammed his door shut behind me.
“Who the hell do you think you are?” I shouted, resting my hands on my hips.
“What are you talking about? Calm down.”
“My mother just got escorted out of my bakery. You want to explain that to me?” I dropped to sit in the chair facing his desk.
“I don’t know why I need to, but sure. Your mother is a danger to you. She isn’t welcome here.” He folde
d his hands on his desk and stared at me.
“You don’t get to decide that. I do. I would have kicked her out,” I said, anger spewing from my body. How dare he?
“I don’t think so, Harley. We gave you five minutes to react. You didn’t. So he escorted her out.”
“You were timing me?”
“No. I was on the phone with Calvin. He was timing you. He does this for a living, you know. He’s damn good at his job. So, you should have just said thank you, not raised your voice at him.”
“My mother is none of your business.”
“You rent a space in my building. I own a stake in your company. You are my business, which makes her my business.”
“You pompous, entitled, smug—” I paused to think of more offensive words, and he waved me on with his hand. “Condescending, arrogant, bastard. No. You’re a fucking asshole, that’s what you are.”
“Wow. Do you speak to all of your friends like this?”
“Friends don’t get in one another’s business, Montgomery,” I said, turning and storming out of his office.
I fought back the tears in the elevator. I would not cry. I wasn’t a baby. I’d been through far worse than a visit from my mother and Ford Montgomery’s attempt to get in my business. I didn’t even know why I was so mad at him, but I was seething. Maybe it was because it meant he’d snooped into my personal life. Maybe because it scared me that he was trying to help me. I didn’t need his help. Nor did I want it. I could take care of myself. When I walked into the bakery, I leaned against the door for a little bit to compose myself.
He’d looked into my mother. He knew what she did. Who she was. Maybe it was the thought of him knowing my deepest, darkest secret.
And the shame that came along with being exposed.
Chapter Nine
Ford
Jesus. Could this day get any worse? Harley had stormed in my office like a lunatic. I was trying to protect the girl, and she’d ripped my head off.