Page 13 of A Family Affair: The Vow
“Okay, that’s not what I meant. What I’m trying to say is that I came to Magdalena for my parents’ retirement party, not to get involved with anyone.”
The left side of his jaw twitched. “Anyone or someone like me?”
“Anyone.” She bit her bottom lip, wished she could control the conversation. “I wasn’t looking for a relationship, period. Not with you, not with anyone.”
He studied her as though he could see right inside her brain. “Interesting, but there’s a problem with that statement because the way I hear it you hooked up withDickthree weeks after you left Magdalena. Last I heard you were planning a happily-ever-after with the guy. Lucky Dick.”
“His name is Richard and I wasnotlooking for him. It just happened.” That was not exactly true. She’d been desperate to prove to herself that Vic Tramont was an aberration, a disruption to her very organized life and the only way to stop the constant obsessing over what might have happened had she agreed to see him again was to find a replacement. Except there really was no replacement for the man. Thank goodness for that. Who wanted such an all-consuming presence in her life? One who made her forget logic and common sense? No thank you.
“So, Dick doesn’t have a problem with you being here?”
“Richardis very understanding and he’s not threatened by a strong woman.” This was probably not exactly true, but what did it matter? It only had tosoundtrue.
“Right. Guess he’s also not interested in spending time with your family or getting to know them. Maybe that’s why he’s only met them once?” Before she could refute the man’s comments, he laughed and continued, “Or is he waiting for the rehearsal dinner to cozy up to Gil and Peg? Less waste of his time and more efficient.”
“You’re ridiculous and rude and I don’t know why Leah ever thought we—” she caught herself, squared her shoulders. “She called you a decent guy with a good heart, but obviously she was blindsided by the smile and the voice that makes a woman think she’s the only one in the room.”
“Obviously. I couldn’t possibly be a decent guy, right?”
She was not going to answer that. “I’ve got to go.”
A nod, a cold “You mean you’ve got to run away from whatever’s really going on, right?”
“That’s not what I meant and stop trying to tell me what I’m thinking. You don’t live inside my head.” The man was the most infuriating person she’d ever met. “I’m not one of those women who needs a man for their oxygen, nor do I need one to tell me what to think.” She forced a laugh. “I certainly don’t needyouto tell me what I’m thinking.” When he didn’t respond, she continued her barrage. “What? The big Vic Tramont has no comment? I find that hard to believe.”
She waited for him to respond,wantedhim to say something so she could counter with more sarcasm and prove just how much he didn’t matter to her. But other than the clenched jaw and tight lips, he remained silent. “You really have nothing to say?”
Rae should have noticed the tenseness of his body and the glances toward the door, but of course, she didn’t because three years of pent-up emotion had taken over and she was on the attack. It wasn’t until she heard the cough behind her that she realized they weren’t alone. A quick breath and she turned to find Nate Desantro’s massive size dwarfing the doorway.
“Am I interrupting something?”
8
“Hey, Nate.” Vic gestured toward Rae who’d turned the color of a beet. “You remember Rachel Darlington, Gil and Peg’s daughter?” No doubt Nate had heard enough of the conversation to figure out Vic and Rae were more than casual acquaintances. Yeah, not good, but the guy was a straight-up poker player who never revealed what he was thinking or how much he knew.
Nate offered an almost smile. “Rae, nice to see you. You’re still in Virginia?”
More pink splashed her cheeks as she eased her hands from her hips, clasped them in a tight ball in front of her. “Yes, still in Virginia.”
“I’m sure your parents appreciate you stepping in to help out for a while. Damn bad deal about your sister.” A sigh and a shake of his head. “Who would have thought a simple walk would land her in the hospital with a broken leg?”
Rae’s eyes turned bright, her voice wobbled the tiniest bit. “I still can’t believe it, or that the driver just took off.” More voice wobbling and a sniff. “What kind of person does that?”
“The kind who doesn’t know the meaning of decency.” Nate’s dark eyes glittered, his voice turned rough. “The kind who should be punished.”
Another sniff followed by a clearing of her throat. “Yes, definitely.”
“Leah’s a strong woman,” Nate said. “She’ll get through this, but I feel for your parents. It’s got to be rough.”
“They have enough to worry about with Leah and I don’t want them to concern themselves with what’s happening here. Once I get a handle on the business, I’ll be fine, but... There’s a lot I don’t know.”
Nate rubbed his jaw. “It can be complicated.”
She glanced at Vic, then back to Nate. “Actually, I stopped by to see if somebody could give me a crash course in manufacturing 101. Frank might be the foreman at our place, but he doesn’t know how to format a spreadsheet or track orders. He said he never had a reason to learn because Leah took care of all of it.”
Where was she going with the request for help? Was that the real reason she’d stopped by, along with her demand he leave Josh alone? No way, she’d never ask for Vic’s help. But then again, maybe she would, because no matter how intelligent or high up she’d climbed in her business world, manufacturing was not that world. There were a lot of gray, hands-on areas that had to be learned by doing or at least observing with a mentor’s guidance. Like Vic.Couldhe do it? Of course, he was capable. Did hewantto do it? Hell no. Absolutely not.
But the way Nate had eyed him two seconds ago, right after her comment about needing a crash course in manufacturing, told him the man was five steps ahead of whatever objections Vic planned to try. “The day-to-day is pretty straightforward. If you can read a customer purchase order and an inventory allocation report, you can figure out how to schedule it.”
