Merry With a Scrooge (The Love Beach Holiday Collection)

5. Vail

Vail

It’s a mistake.

I knew it the second the words left my mouth. The zap of electricity that fired through me only reinforced the fact working beside Delaney—Laney—is going to test every bit of my control.

She was always beautiful, even as a child, the Sanderson genes have stamped their mark on De—Fuck!— Laney .

I need to get used to her new name.

I understand the need to get out from under the family shadow because I’ve done it myself. Same with my two best friends, one of whom is Delaney—shit!— Laney’s big brother.

But even I have to admit Laney was faced with worse pressure than me. The Sanderson name is global. At least Kavanah is only known here in the states and only by those who work in the construction industry.

Thank God she left my office right after our little chat. It gave me some time to get myself under control.

She’s been here less than six hours and already our working relationship feels in sync like the one I had with Mrs. Jerome. And I worked with my former assistant for over ten years. Longer if I count the time I spent at my father’s company.

Stealing Mrs. Jerome from Dad was just one more thumb to my nose at the old man. We’ve never been close, and telling him I had no intention of continuing to work for him, or one day taking over, hasn’t done anything to change that.

My only consolation is my younger brothers are more than happy to work at Kavanah Construction. QVE has even contracted them on a few projects. Of course, those have only been in recent years now the old man has stepped back and the boys are running things.

It’s been beneficial for both businesses. So, he can’t argue, although I know he wants to.

“Boss?”

Glancing up, I find Chad in my doorway. “Yes,” I say with caution. I have no idea why he’s here when he left my office barely ten minutes ago.

“I got my hands on some information that might change the way you deal with this morning’s incident.”

“The assault on my body or car?”

“Both.”

I nod him in but before he steps over the threshold he motions to someone behind him.

And I can’t say I’m surprised to see Laney Bennett proceed him into the room.

“Laney found some things in her desk that she had IT look into. When they confirmed what she had was authentic I called Lance.”

“Cut the shit and get to the point.”

“Dara Milton took a two hundred-thousand-dollar payment to wreck whatever she could while temping in this office.”

I blink, my brow furrowing and pulling on the knot on my forehead. “She was paid to do what she did?”

“Not specifically. But yes, she was paid to mess up your business and life.”

“By whom?”

“Who did you cut off two months ago?” Chad asks.

“Ah, fuck.” I scrub a hand over my jaw. “I didn’t cut her off completely. She still has access to one bank account.”

“Which is the one the payment was transferred from,” Laney adds.

“She’s not covering her tracks very well.” Chad shakes his head. “Now will you let me put someone on finding her and Kavan?”

I glance at Laney. I don’t know how much her brother has told her, if anything, and I hate her knowing what a fucking idiot I’ve been all because I tried to distract myself from the woman I really wanted.

My life is a colossal fuckup right now. Hell, the only highlight of my private life in the last five years has been Kavan.

And I have no claim to him.

I should have hunted down his biological father and made him sign over the boy long ago. Unfortunately, I took Felicity at her word, that she’d never take him away from me and once we were married I’d have a legal claim to the boy I’ve raised as my own.

Except we didn’t get to the marriage part.

“I can do some digging.”

“What?” My gaze locks with Laney’s. “Are you a private investigator now?”

“No. But I know someone who is brilliant with computers. She can find anyone. Even if they’re trying to stay off grid.”

“My ex is not trying to stay hidden. She’s just trying to keep me from seeing Kavan.”

“So let one of us find out where they are and what they’re doing,” Chad all but begs. “This last six months have sucked. You’ve been a prick to work for.”

Before I can utter a word, Chad has a hand up.

“Don’t argue with me, you know you have been. And if you’re not here making our lives shit, you’re at home stomping around an empty house. In the dark.”

Laney stays quiet. I hate that she’s hearing this. And I hate that my house is empty. Not only of people. A couple of months ago I came home to find someone had been in during the day and cleared out most of the furniture. Kavan’s room stripped bare.

I can’t hold back a sigh. “I know where she is.”

“What?” Chad leans forward. “Since when?”

“Since she used my Amex to secure an apartment.”

“In New York?”

“No. LA.”

“Vail.” My gaze moves to Laney. “Can I be honest with you about this?”

I swallow hard, my throat tightening with regret as I think about all the trouble I could have avoided if the woman I wanted was one I could have. “Go ahead.”

“Quade hasn’t told me much. Easton has been pretty tightlipped too, but Mrs. Jerome has let a few things slip over the years. I think because she considers me family.”

I nod.

“You need to dig. And dig deep. I know your ex told you the baby was yours at first.”

I can’t help the snort. We’d fucked once. And not at the right time for me to have put the baby in her. Felicity quickly turned it around to say she wished it was mine, felt like it was mine.

And I let her weave a tale to fit that because I was avoiding the woman sitting across from me.

“Let me ask my friend to look into this for you. I’ve got some theories and some possible solutions.”

“The only solution is getting me the right to see my son.”

“Then it won’t hurt to do some digging.”

“I’ve tried a number of things to gain access to Kavan. She isn’t going to budge.”

“Which I don’t understand. Chad said, you’d cut her off. How?”

“Credit cards and all but one bank account. I want her to be able to take care of Kavan and she doesn’t work.”

“Okay, brutal honesty. She sounds like a bitch, and this doesn’t make sense. To keep herself in the money she needs to give you what you want. Time with your son. She’s either banking on you continuing to hand over cash or she’s working on another avenue of income.”

I snort with laughter. “Yeah, right. Felicity hasn’t worked a day in her life.”

Fuck . I’m dumber than dumb for letting that woman run me around the way I have. All to protect the little boy who is mine but not.

“You can’t keep filling that account.”

I look at Chad. “And risk her running out of money to take care of?—”

“You don’t even know that’s what she’s doing with the cash. Don’t forget you basically paid to have yourself and your car assaulted.” Laney eyes me with what looks like disgust. “Or are you keeping the lines open in the hope she comes back?”

“Fuck no! I’d gladly never see her again after this, but Kavan.”

Laney pushes to her feet. “Leave it with me and Chad. When we’ve got something that could lead to you being reunited with Kavan we can talk about this again. For now. Stop putting money in that account.”

“But—”

“There’s over a million in there right now. I’ll have something solid, a plan or information, by the end of the week. If she goes through that money by then you can talk about whether to drop more in or let her suffer.”

My gaze darts to Chad who shrugs and gets to his feet. “She’s right, you can’t keep running on this wheel. It’s been over six months. Something has to give and today may have been a breaking point she didn’t count on.”

“And Vail?”

My eyes find Laney at the door. “No one needs to know we’re doing this. Don’t tell my brother. Or Easton.”

I’m not sure if her words are a request or threat. I nod. Because after today, I know I can’t let this continue.

And Laney Bennett has proven to be not only the woman I want and can’t have, but also efficient—competent.

But most of all, I trust her.