Page 31 of The Heiress

Dang. Georgia was perceptive. Maybe even smarter than she seemed on paper—and she seemed really smart on paper. “Absolutely.” So far I’d allowed her to ask all the questions but I needed a break, so I fired off one of my own. “Will it offend you if I call you Georgia?”

“No,” she whispered, then took a breath. “We’re adults and the relationship we grow will never be one of parent and child, so I see no reason to play-act the parts of our lives we missed.”

“Mr. Dombrowski says you spend your winters here. Where else do you live?”

She relaxed into her chair, crossing her ankles, and sipping from her glass. “There’s no set schedule really, except perhaps that I almost always return here to Key West in November. We have homes all over the world, but I suppose my favorites are this house, the townhouse in San Francisco, and the ranch in Carmel.”

“You prefer to be near the coasts?”

A small smile again. “I do. I love the salt water and sea breezes. I also prefer lower elevations. What about you? You’ve always made your home in Florida. Why?”

That was a dreadfully simple answer. “It’s home. It’s where I grew up and where my parents lived.”

She winced at that.

But really, what was I supposed to do? Ignore the fact that I was raised by different people?

Georgia must have felt the same way because she dove right in. “It’s never going to stop hurting, Samantha. My one and only child was taken from me and even though you sit in front of me now, you’re a stranger with a different name. My heart is broken. It has always been broken. And if I’m being perfectly honest I don’t know what seeing you is doing to me. I want to learn to love you as you are and enjoy what time we do have together, but it’s very hard.”

Her honesty deserved my honesty in return. “I’m spinning in circles right now, Georgia. I had no idea I was even adopted until a couple of months ago. In a few days I lost the only family I had and found out my whole life was built on lies. I am probably heartbroken too, but so far I’ve been so numb I can’t feel anything.” And lost and confused and was there any air in this room? “I’m trying to understand. With time I hope I will. The one thing I do know is that I’d like to get to know you.”

11

After “Key West Tea” I met with the five advisors. I didn’t remember anyone’s names and only vaguely what they did. I signed more non-disclosure agreements and was given an overview of the Roark Corp world. It was a big damn company with arms and branches, boards and committees. At some point Georgia disappeared. I was told I’d see her at dinner and then shown to my room.

Jace sat in an armchair near tall windows with a laptop open and a phone to his ear. The moment he saw me he smiled and a little bit of the overwhelmed feeling lightened.

“Move the funds now and we’ll discuss the changes to the portfolio on Monday.” Jace had his attention back on the laptop.

I wandered the room. Wood floors, wood encased windows, bright white walls. To the left was a king-sized bed that dominated the room. Where Jace sat in front of the windows served as a transition space between the bedroom and a sitting area. There were couches and chairs, a coffee table, and a blue rug. Everything had the look and feel of money. Lots of money. I was afraid to touch most of it.

I found my luggage in the closet, my bag unpacked and my clothes hung or sitting on shelves.

“So how was it?”

I spun around to find Jace now standing just a few feet away. “Georgia is sad but nice. The rest is a blur.”

“It’s how the other half live. Work is money, money is life.”

“I’m not a fan.” It wasn’t like I was expecting to spend days alone with Georgia, but being thrown right into the world of Roark Corp was definitely not on my radar. Georgia’s friend and lawyer, Charles Ming, said it was so that I had a full understanding of the world of Victoria Roark. I didn’t mention how much research I’d already done or how much I knew. I liked having that secret in my back pocket.

“Dombrowski has a pretty impressive operation. He already knows all about the security and protection operation Devil’s Wrath operates, so he was more willing than I expected to show me around and give me access to his team. The house has more security than I thought possible, and that’s saying a lot considering the lengths we go to at the club to make sure we’re secure. He’s got drones that fly over on a non-repeating schedule, dogs patrol the perimeter, Georgia only travels in a bulletproof car.”

Those details made memorenervous, not less. “I guess she doesn’t want to be the next accident victim.” And neither did I.

For a moment I regretted coming at all.

“I have limited access to the security team. Obviously they don’t want to show me all the goodies under the hood, but they’re also understanding of my role here.”

I took a seat on the couch and crossed my legs as I looked up at Jace. “And what role is that?”

“Your bodyguard.” Something electric sizzled between us again. Finally. I was starting to think it—whateveritwas—was gone forever. After Dombrowski threw my world into chaos, Jace changed. I went back to Gainesville. And then we were on a private plane coming here. He’d been kind but focused.

Not like this. Jace had swagger again. And a smile. It did things to me. Twisty, wonderful, exciting things. “I’ve pulled you away from your work.”

He cocked his head to the side in question.

I pointed at his laptop with my chin. “That was a work call, wasn’t it?”

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