I waited for the next message.
Are you already in the car?
I laughed.
You think I can drop everything right now?
I know you will.
I blushed. The words shot a thrill through my body. How did he do that? I didn’t have to time to shoot back something biting and sexy. Knight was waiting, and the key in my hand would let me in. I tugged my bag over my shoulder and strolled out of the office.
“Ms. Martin, should I tell Kimble you’re headed out?”
I paused in front of the young assistant’s desk. She had a notepad and pen in her hand.
“No, don’t do that. I’ll be back later this afternoon.” Although, I wasn’t sure if that was true. Kimble was probably already interrogating someone about Knight’s past. I’d rather leave him behind than have him tag along on the scavenger hunt. “He knows how to get in touch with me.” I walked briskly past the girl. I spun on my stilettos. “I’m sorry. I don’t remember your name.” I glanced at her. She wasn’t that much younger than me. All my new hires were business school graduates. She had to be at least twenty-two and twice today I had treated her like a fourteen-year old babysitter.
“It’s Val.” She grinned.
“Val? Hmm.” I used to do a better job of remembering the names of everyone on the staff. I had let other things distract me lately. “Thank you, Val. When did you start here?”
“Two months ago, Ms. Martin.”
I pressed my lips together. “Maybe we could have coffee sometime. You can tell me what your goals are with the company.”
“Really?” Her eyes widened to the size of saucers.
“Yes. I think it would be a good idea. Let’s try to schedule that tomorrow.”
She paused as if she was about to curtsy before she was interrupted by the phone. I’d let my mentoring commitments slide. I’d let a lot of things slide since we broke ground on the Crescent Towers.
I tapped the button on the elevator door when Crew hurried toward me.
“You’re leaving?” He looked confused.
“Yes.” I was irritated my whereabouts were suddenly everyone’s concern.
“I’ll ride down with you,” he announced, hopping in the elevator with me. I was jostled to the side.
“What is it?” I still clutched the key in my fist. I didn’t want to let it go.
“I was wondering if we could talk about something personal.”
I was surprised.
“Is it about you and Seraphina?” I kept my voice quiet even though we were alone.
The elevator deposited us in the parking garage.
“Yes.” He shoved his hands in his pockets. “Why don’t I drive you? We could talk in the car on the way?”
I hesitated. “All right.” I didn’t know how long the impromptu meeting with Knight was going to last. Talking at the office about his affair with Seraphina could be problematic. “Let me text you the address. We’ll take your car.”
We climbed into Crew’s car and he synced the address with his car’s navigation system.
“Where are we going?” he asked. He turned the air conditioning up high.
I shrugged. “It’s an address from Knight. A surprise,” I admitted.
“I see.” He pulled out of the parking garage and onto the city street.
“Okay. Tell me.” I stared at him through my designer sunglasses.
Crew cleared his throat. “Seraphina called me this morning. She told me that her brother filled you in on the situation. Our situation.”
“Yes. That’s true.”
“I thought you deserved to have a conversation directly from me about it.”
“But only now because I’ve been informed?”
He shook his head, slowing at the stoplight. “One of the things you taught me early on is to keep business and personal lives in separate boxes.”
I felt a small lump when I swallowed. “That can’t apply to everything.”
“There was no good way to tell you I was sleeping with Seraphina.”
“She’s having your baby, Crew. How are you going to survive this exactly? When the Castilles see that baby’s blue eyes—”
“That’s why we want to leave as soon as possible.”
The voice in the speaker system told Crew to take the next two right turns.
“And leave everything here?” I checked the time on my phone. “Think about what that would mean. Don’t you have parents here?”
“My mom,” he answered.
“What would she think about you taking off?”
He pulled into an open parking space. We had arrived at a tall office building. He removed the sunglasses from his eyes and turned to face me.
“I think she’d rather have her son alive than dead.” His words gripped me.
I closed my eyes. “Crew, we’re not going to let that happen.” I tugged on the door handle.
“So, you are going to help?”
I hadn’t made a decision yet. I nodded. “Yes. I’m going to help.”
He started to smile.
“But I don’t know how,” I cautioned him. “Would you wait here while I have this meeting? Maybe we could grab a drink?”
“Yes. I have emails to send. I’ll keep the car running.”
I climbed out of the car and entered the building.
16
Knight
There was a wall of windows along the east side of the top floor. I swore I could see the entire Mississippi River from this view. Other than sunlight streaming through the glass, there wasn’t much other than construction dust and exposed wires and beams. Brick pillars stood every twenty feet. It was a huge open space full of potential.
I could see it. The full picture. A backdrop with our names. An office staffed. Adjoining suites. It was right here in this space. The future of the Corbans and Kennedy Martin was going to happen in this building.
I checked the ice in the champagne bucket.
She’d say yes, I knew she would.
I heard the elevator doors. I looked up just in time to see the most gorgeous long legs walking across the debris-strewn floor.
“You made it.” I grinned.
“Did I have a choice?” She twisted her lips together playfully.
“I see the elevator key worked.”
She spotted the silver champagne stand. “Knight, what’s going on?”
“This is the big
