He was right. Which was what scared the hell out of Simon. Gary’s proposal outraged him, but deep down a part of him was entertaining the idea. It would be so easy to pay the guy off and be rid of him. With Gary gone, he would have the chance to really start his life with Heather. A life he was ready to seize with both hands.
“I need more time to think this over,” Simon conceded. “And something like this needs to be done through the proper channels. We’d need to get our lawyers involved.”
“Sounds fair enough,” Gary said. “You have my contact details.”
Simon gave a curt nod and stood up. “I’ll need a week or more to consider things.”
“At least you’re not totally unreasonable.” Gary got to his feet and flashed a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Which means I know you’ll make the right decision.” He turned to head to the door before spinning around again. “Obviously, if we go through with this, you can’t tell Heather or Finn you paid me to skip town. This has to stay between us, Simon.”
“Obviously,” Simon said, his tone chilly. Telling Heather about forking over millions of dollars to her ex-husband was the kind of thing that would utterly destroy their relationship. If he went through with this she would never forgive him. But if he didn’t give this scheme some thought, she could very well lose her son forever.
After Simon let Gary out, he decided to head downstairs to the swimming pool to do some laps. It was the only way to clear his head. Because he was going to need to think clearly if he had any hope of making the right decision. There had to be a way to make this work. Just how?
HEATHER BRUSHED HER hair for probably the thousandth time. Her stomach was full of butterflies as she appraised herself in the bathroom mirror. The makeup she had applied looked natural and her hair had a healthy sheen to it. But she still felt jittery. Simon had called her earlier and insisted on seeing her. He had sounded so mysterious over the phone that she didn’t know if he wanted to share good news or if something was off. She couldn’t read his tone at all and had been too afraid to ask. She was being silly. Like a high school kid all over again.
On top of her jitters, she felt giddy at the prospect of seeing him for the first time since they had gotten back to Seattle several days ago. Phone calls weren’t enough. She wanted to see him. Had to touch him.
The gold necklace he’d bought her in Florida dangled around her neck, the bejeweled pendant mere inches above her heart. The heart that ached to be near him.
The doorbell’s ring made her jump, but she quickly smoothed her hair one last time and raced out of the bathroom. She forced herself to slow down, half paranoid she’d be out of breath by the time she made it to the front of the house.
When she opened the door, her pulse started to race at the sight of him. Love was making the butterflies in her stomach flutter like crazy. She felt like she was seventeen years old all over again. “Hi, Simon,” she said softly, flashing him a shaky smile.
He didn’t return her smile. Instead he swept her into his arms and held on to her so tightly she knew that something was amiss. Usually his hard body reassured her, but the absence of that comfort set her on edge now. Her nerves were already making her body tremble with apprehension. Gathering her strength, she stepped out of his arms and motioned for him to enter. “I hope I’m not intruding,” he said stiffly.
“Of course, you aren’t,” she said. “Finn’s with my parents, so we have the house all to ourselves.”
For a moment he stopped to look at her. “How do you manage to look more beautiful every time I see you?”
That chased away her jitters somewhat and she smiled. “Flattery will get you everywhere.”
He chuckled and lightly brushed his lips against hers. “You smell wonderful.”
She giggled and led him to the living room, where she had already set out refreshments on the coffee table.
Small talk was only going to be a waste of time. She knew that no matter how much she dreaded ruining the mood, it was best to get right to the point. “What did you want to talk about?”
“About us,” he said. “Us and Gary.”