“I understand.”
Susan rolled her eyes. “It’s only because he’s a Johnson. Despite that, he has remained under the radar. The other brothers are always in the spotlight. Women, particularly, want to know why the middle brother has opted to remain out of the public eye.”
“Well, send me everything, and I’ll do my best.”
Fred pushed himself from his chair and neared where Yvette was sitting. He walked up so close to her that she could smell his cologne. Without skipping a beat, she felt his hand on her shoulder, squeezing tightly. “I’m sure you’ll do great,” he said, his voice low. “You ladies continue this meeting. I have to go for lunch. Thanks again, Yvette.”
“Thank you, Fred.”
There was a sense of relief as he left the room. His touch on her shoulder, however, felt as though it had burned into her skin. He really was the worst.
Chapter Two
Jace
It was always the same song and dance with his family. Fact was, Jace didn’t want any part of it. Once you’ve had wealth, real damn wealth, it all seemed so shallow. He’d walked away from it before and he was ready to do it all over again, if he needed to.
“So,” his mother said, taking a sip from her chardonnay glass, “tell me again about this Sergeant of yours. Oh, what was his name?”
“You mean Sergeant Tucker?”
His mother smiled, which made him want to leave the room. Her face reminded him of a mask. It made him feel sick. All that money on those surgeries, and it’d all been used to ruin the face that he’d grown up knowing his entire life. It was like talking to a mannequin of the woman that he called mom.
“It’s been a long day. I think I’m ready to go to bed, actually. The flight wore me out more than I thought it would.”
“That’s all?” she asked, and sat up in the white chair. “But you’ve only just shown up. It’s been years since I’ve seen your handsome face.”
He wished he hadn’t come back. Seeing what she’d become was enough. He didn’t need to see anymore to know that he didn’t belong in this place. The faster he could get away from his family, the better.
“I know, Mom. I’m really just exhausted, and there’s a lot I need to do this week.”
The expression on her face shifted. The look in her eyes, though, let him know that she knew he was lying. She always knew. “All right,” she said defeatedly, placing the half-empty chardonnay glass on the granite coffee table between them, “I’m sad to see you go. Will you visit us in the morning, at least? I know your father wanted to see you today.”
Ah yes. How could he forget? His father sure as hell did. He wanted to tell her that he didn’t care, as his father obviously didn’t. Jace had been away for years and the least his father could have done was cancel his business meeting and show up at the airport. However, neither of his parents had done that. There had always been that distance between them, all because the family business was the most important thing in their lives. Appearances were key, but not when it came to their children.
“I’m leaving tomorrow,” he said flatly, getting up from the uncomfortable white leather couch, which had more of a designer style than functionality. “Can’t be helped. I’ve already rented a place out east and told them I’d be there in two days.”
“Well, surely then, you can see your father. It doesn’t take two days to get anywhere by plane.”
“I’m driving.”
She narrowed her eyes at him and chuckled to herself. “I’m sorry, Jace. What did you say?”
“I said, I’m driving.”
“Why on earth would you drive? It’s a waste of time.”
Of course she wouldn’t understand. Jace knew the way his mother had been his entire life, and she’d only grown worse with age. She hated anything that was considered inconvenient. A car breaking down? The end of the world. Having to take public transportation? The idea would likely give her an aneurysm. Years of thriving in privilege had made her just like those women she used to scoff at when he was younger.
“I’ve been away for a long time, and I miss seeing the countryside.”
His mother shrugged. “Well, it’s your choice. Personally, I’d save myself the time and just take a plane there. How long will you be out east?”
“I don’t know yet,” he said, stepping away from the sitting area. “But I’ll let you know when I get there.”
He could hear the bones cracking in her knees as she rose up out of the accent chair, which didn’t look much more comfortable than the overpriced couch. Everything in their five bedroom New York condo was minimal in design but completely dysfunctional. It looked more like a museum of white and grey accents and random art pieces than it did a home. He wondered if his parents ever missed their cottage out in Michigan, which was surrounded by lakes and forests. They used to go yearly when he and his brothers were kids. He’d reminisced about the place recently during his deployment and he tried to recapture it by visiting Tallulah whenever he was in the country. He and his brothers had taken it for granted back in the day.
His mother followed him as he began his trek through the condo, heading towards the front door. He could see that his mother’s hired help, Jackie, was busy cleaning the already immaculate kitchen. It would seem his mother was still hard on her. He gave her a slight wave as he passed the kitchen, seeing his reflection in the windows that faced Central Park.
“Will you text me tomorrow?”
“Sure. I can do that.”
He couldn’t tell her the truth. Even after all these years, and all of their situations, she was still his mother. Lying to her felt wrong. Telling her that he didn’t want to be there and didn’t want to communicate was too much. It would break her heart, even if it meant he’d finally get the distance he needed. It seemed as though he was never far enough from them.
She placed a hand on his shoulder and met his eyes with hers. “Be sure to visit again soon.”
He couldn’t say anything more, so he merely nodded his head. He’d told enough lies for one day. All he wanted to do was to grab a beer and let his worries lay to the wayside. He’d had just about enough of the theatrics.
Chapter Three
Yvette
Tracking down a man who didn’t want to be tracked was like finding a certain geometric snowflake - obviously, it was difficult. Yvette scoured the internet for anything she could find. Where would a guy go once he got back from deployment? She smiled at the first thought that came to her mind and shook her head, as though that would get rid of it. Strip club. It would be a typical place for him, especially since he’d likely been missing the female form. But he was the son of a rich tycoon and strip clubs weren’t exactly on the to-do list when you had paparazzi vying to follow your every move.
She spun in her chair and let her head fall back against the back. Where could he be? The thought kept rising in her mind like the waves in the ocean. The more she pushed it to the back of her mind, the more it kept fighting. Strip club. It seemed ridiculous, but the more she mulled it over, the more realistic it seemed. Seeing his pictures, and having read through the interviews with his family members, he seemed the type to go to that kind of place on a Wednesday night. The seedier, the better - or so everyone over at The Personage had made it seem.