MOLLY HAD BOOKED a surprise for the morning. Eric had been so wonderful, paying for romantic dinners, and last night, at the gardens...it had been the most perfect evening. After the carousel, they’d wandered through the gardens, lit up especially for the evening, making it a magical fairyland. They’d put up the privacy screen and necked in the limousine on the way back to the hotel, and the night afterward...well, the perfect evening had definitely turned into the perfect night. The least she could do was surprise him with something amazing.
He’d gone back to his room for a shower and clean clothes when her phone rang. She rushed to pick it up; only her family and Ryan had her current number.
“Hey, gorgeous. You rang?”
She laughed at the teasing note in his voice. “You got my message about the charity?”
“Sure did, and they’d be glad of the help. I spoke to the executive director this morning. But I have another idea for you. There’s a company here that could use some expertise. It’s not quite up your alley, but I thought of you because it’s something I’ve been really aware of as a doctor. There’s a company here in Massachusetts that’s being bought out by some conglomerate. The thing is, they’re a leading research and manufacturer of prosthetics. The R-and-D side is in great shape, but some mismanagement has put them in the red. They’re working to fight the bid, but this guy has put forward a compelling offer. I’d hate to see that company bought and sold off piece by piece, you know?”
Hope slammed into her chest. “I know someone with a lot of expertise in this area! Can you email me the details? I’ll see what I can do.”
“Does this mean you’re getting out of the divorce market?”
“Unofficially? Yes. But I haven’t talked to my dad yet, so please keep it quiet, okay?”
“Of course. I’m just glad that I had you for my divorce. Once you get something in your teeth, you’re like a pit bull. You don’t let go.”
“I think I’ll take that as a compliment?”
“The highest kind. I’ll send through that info right away. Have a look and see what you think. Again, it’s not exactly in your wheelhouse, but sometimes an outside perspective is a great thing.”
They hung up and Molly sat down on the edge of the bed, wondering what to do with all her energy. First she needed the info from Ryan before she could ask Eric for advice. But she had that elusive purpose now. Something to take her attention while she figured so many other things out. Battling for an underdog sounded perfect.
But now she had to check out of her room. Her heart grew heavy as she packed all her things in her cases. The bathing suit from the hot tub and the beach. Yoga pants and long-sleeved shirts from the kayaking trip. The red dress that had knocked his socks off...and the black one that was her particular favorite. All these clothes now had specific memories associated with them, ones that she’d cherish. But it wouldn’t be the same as having Eric with her, making her laugh, taking her breath away.
Before leaving to check out, she glanced at her phone. Ryan had sent her links to articles surrounding the health of the company and the struggles it would face to recover. She spent twenty minutes going over the material—if she talked to Eric, she wanted to at least brush up on the particulars. According to one source, two companies had been interested in taking over Atlantic Bionics. Now it was down to one. He also left a parting note that if she came on board, she’d have access to more detailed material.
Tonight she’d be leaving Eric. The idea that she might have something to go home to was a lifeline she latched on to.
They met in the lobby, both of them leaving their luggage with the concierge before heading to the hotel restaurant for breakfast. It was there, over blissfully strong coffee and eggs Benedict, that Molly told Eric of the morning’s plans.
“So, I have a surprise for you. I’ve booked us on an aerial tour. I took a chance that your fear of heights doesn’t extend to flying, since you travel so much.”
“You did?”
She nodded. “An hour above the island, looking at the coast the way the eagles do.” She reached over and took his hand. “You’ll come?”
“Of course I will. I just wish...”
He hesitated and she met his gaze. “You wish what?”
“I wish we hadn’t had to check out. These are our last hours together. At least...for a while.”
She thought of Ryan’s phone call and smiled a little. “I might have an idea about that, but it’ll keep. Meanwhile, it looks like I’m going to be doing some work for the rehab place, so I’ve put the wheels in motion. How about you?”
He reached into his pocket and took out a new phone. “I picked up a new one this morning and got about three hundred emails and at least two dozen voice messages. Which is less than I expected, but the moment I get on the plane this afternoon, it’s back to the real world.”
The thought put a damper on their earlier fun vibe. “This isn’t going to be easy, is it?”
He shook his head. “No. So let’s enjoy the morning. What time’s the flight?”
She grinned, happy again for one last adventure. “In an hour. Let’s wander the harbor first, shall we?”
They ambled hand in hand along the streets near the harbor, taking in the shops and late-summer flowers. It really was a pretty city, and it was wonderful to wander on their own, without being part of a bigger group. Their own little trip to enjoy and cherish.
Cherish. That was the second time she’d thought of that word today and it gave her a pang of sadness. It was unfair they had to say goodbye. There were no guarantees it would work out. No matter what happened, after today everything would change. Their little bubble of existence would be popped.
At the appointed time they were at the dock for the floatplane that would take them on their tour. The single-turbine plane had room for six passengers, but it was only the two of them this morning since Molly had booked it as a last-minute private charter.
“Welcome aboard,” the pilot greeted them, and with excitement churning through her belly, Molly got in and buckled her seat belt.
“This is pretty cool, Molly.” Eric snapped his belt, too, and looked over at her. “I’ve done a lot of things, but I’ve never been in a seaplane.”
“Me either. I’m a little nervous about the takeoff and landing.”
“Don’t worry,” the pilot called back as the propeller began to spin and the engine revved to life. “Water’s nice and smooth today and we have perfect flying conditions. Just sit back and enjoy the flight.”
They held hands as the pilot steered the plane out onto the water and then opened up the throttle, propelling them forward and then into the air. The city appeared below them—the stone buildings and vast trees and the white boats bobbing in a perfect rectangle in the inner harbor. They banked to the left, taking them along the southern end of the island, and Molly let out a breath. She peered out the window and took a few pictures with her new phone, and then glanced back at Eric, who should have been watching the scenery but instead had his eyes on her. She’d fallen for him; that was all there was to it.
She was just about to say so when her phone buzzed in her hand. She looked down and saw it was a text from Ryan, and she hurriedly opened the message to see what news he had to her follow-up questions.
You asked about the company with the offer on the table. It’s EPC Industries. Owned by a Canadian, Eric Chambault, out of Montreal. Is there more you need?
Molly’s gaze snapped over to Eric, who was watching her quizzically. “Is something wrong?” he asked.
“Just some unexpected news.” She was still trying to digest it all. “I spoke to Ryan this morning—he’s the one I went to the benefit with where I bid on the trip. He’s the one who got me the in at the opioid clinic.”
“Okay. Go on.”
“He’s got a personal stake there, so it made sense to call him about it, you know? But this morning he mentioned another project that might need legal help, and he sent a bunch of information through. A business in Waltham, it turns out. Great R-and-D department, doing some really great things. Financially, though, it’s been mismanaged, and another company is looking at stepping in and buying them out.”
“Huh. Sounds familiar.” He smiled at her. “So what’s the problem?”
Her stomach turned strangely, and it had nothing to do with the airplane or any turbulence. They weren’t even looking at the scenery anymore, and Molly got the feeling she was walking a tightrope, only she wasn’t sure why.
“The company is Atlantic Bionics.”
His smile dropped. “I see.”
“And the company poised to take it over is EPC Industries. You, Eric. Isn’t that a crazy coincidence?”
He nodded. “Not so crazy. It’s why I was in Boston last spring, when I saw you at the benefit.”
“Well, they want to bring me on board to help fight the takeover.” She leaned over and took his hand. “Surely you can see the good of a company like that. Why would you want to strip it and sell the assets? Can’t you walk away from this one? Maybe if they’re given time, they can come back from their financial issues, you know? I did some quick reading up this morning. They need a guiding hand, not to be torn apart bit by bit.”
“I don’t ‘tear things apart,’ Molly. I buy businesses in trouble. Many of them go on in new iterations that are stronger and far more viable.”
“But why take over? Why not invest in it instead? Or just leave it alone?”
His mouth dropped open. “Are you seriously asking me to walk away from a multimillion-dollar deal, after we’ve put countless resources and man-hours into it? As a favor?”
Why was his voice so low and dangerous? Good heavens, for the last week they’d talked lots about making a difference and what didn’t make them happy. “Think about it,” she continued, injecting some excitement into her voice. “Instead of breaking it up you could help it. Invest in it and make a huge difference! Think of all the people you could help! You said you wanted to get away from everything being about dollar signs—this could be it, Eric.”
“So what are you asking? For me to sink money into a dying business, or to walk away from something I’ve been working on for over a year?”
She sat back. “I—I don’t know.”
“I didn’t think you...” He cursed under his breath, then turned and looked out the window. They were going over some island or something now, but the flight was ruined and she didn’t quite know why.
“You’re angry.”
“I’m angry at myself. For thinking you were different.”
The words were like a slap in the face, and Molly retreated as if struck. “What do you mean?” she asked quietly, so quietly her voice could barely be heard over the sound of the engine.
“I never thought you’d trade on my feelings. Use my vulnerabilities against me.” His eyes blazed. “I told you before. I might use weaknesses, but I’d never use fears against someone else.”
Guilt slammed into her. She had handled this all wrong. “That wasn’t my intention at all. I would never—”
“What’s this Ryan’s stake, anyway? Why does he care?”
“He’s a vascular surgeon. A doctor.”
“And how long have you known him?”
“I handled his divorce last winter.”
Eric clenched his fingers into fists. Was it possible he’d been played? The deal with Atlantic Bionics had been in development for months, and he’d known there was opposition. The truth was, the manufacturing arm wasn’t enough to support the research-and-development side, and as a result both were going to go down. It was no big secret that he was the head of EPC Industries. He didn’t want to believe he’d been totally suckered, but he had to ask anyway.
“Was this all part of a master plan, Molly? Because it all seems a little too coincidental to me.”
“You think I was a plant?” Her mouth gaped open. “You really think I could...that I would...”
“I don’t really know anything about you, do I?” he growled, feeling not only foolish, but also incredibly disappointed. “We’ve known each other for exactly ten days. Unless, of course, you’ve done your research.”
Her nostrils flared. “You know what? You can say a lot about me but I’m no corporate plant. I had no idea that this was a project of yours or even what your company name was until this morning. Until just now, when he texted. Yeah, it’s a hell of a coincidence, but I swear on my brother’s grave that I did not come on this trip to... For God’s sake. To gain information or try to get you to stop some deal.”
“Until now.”
“Well, it’s important.”
Frustration bubbled over. Yes, he believed her. She would never swear on her brother’s grave otherwise. Besides, she had a horrible poker face and right now she was angry and hurt at his accusation. There were no tears; that wasn’t her style. But her eyes were icy fire as they fell upon him and she did this weird rubbing thing with her lips when she got frustrated. An hour ago they’d been planning one last romantic outing. In the space of three minutes everything seemed to collapse like a house of cards.
“If it’s that important,” he said, a bit quieter, “then you should go home and do your research. Don’t just go by what this Ryan guy tells you. And you’re not a corporate lawyer, Molly. You specialize in family law. Let me tell you they’re not the same.”
“I know how to do research,” she snapped.
“Hey, don’t get snippy with me. After ten days together, the first thing you do is ask me for a favor. And we’re not talking can-you-pick-up-some-antacids-at-the-store kind of favor. You’re asking me to throw away a whole business deal because you got a text message that said it should happen. Do you realize how ridiculous that sounds?”
He looked out the window. “Know what bothers me the most? I actually thought you were different. That it wasn’t about my money or my status or what I could do for you. Thanks for proving me wrong before I leave tonight. Now I can fly home with a clean conscience.”
She faced him then, her eyes wide and hurt. “Know what? Maybe the timing sucks. Maybe the circumstances are messed up. But let’s be honest. This is a perfect excuse for you to push me away because you’re scared of your feelings. It was fine when we were on the trip, but now that it’s time to part and we have to deal with the real world? Yeah. You said yourself you don’t do emotional intimacy well, so let’s call a spade a spade. Because I’m coming from a good place here, and you’re making me out to be something I’m not.”
“Me, scared? That’s funny, coming from you.”
The look of pain that shot across her face filled him with regret. He should say he was sorry, because he was. She was right. He was afraid. Of his feelings. Of letting old patterns sneak back into his life. She’d opened up a whole new world for him, and instead of thanking her, he was punishing her for it.
She didn’t reply, which surprised him, and he didn’t look over at her, either. He didn’t trust himself to say what was in his heart. The pilot diplomatically flew on as if an argument hadn’t just taken place behind him. Eric looked down and saw the city come back into view. In a few minutes they would be landing. He wasn’t even going to go back to the hotel with her; he had no idea what he’d say. He was going to head straight to the airport and have his bags delivered to him. The sooner he got home, the better.
This past week he’d been as “emotionally available” as he’d ever been in his life. He didn’t let people in. Hell, he hadn’t even let Murielle in, and they’d been married. Now he finally had and look what happened.
What a fool he’d been.
He heard sniffling behind him and closed his eyes. She was crying. He hadn’t exactly been gentle with his last words to her, but he was hurt, too, dammit. Last night he’d looked at her and said he was falling in love with her. Now he just felt stupid and raw. He wanted to pull her into his arms and say this had all been a mistake, but something held him back. Maybe she was right. Maybe he was just a coward.
The plane landed with a few bumps on the waves and then a smooth glide into the dock. Molly put her hand on his arm. “Please, can’t we talk about this? I know I’ve messed things up.”
He couldn’t stand to see her beg. “The last ten days we’ve ignored reality,” he said, looking at her finally, “and now we can’t ignore it anymore. This is my life. And that’s yours. We were just fooling ourselves. We should just leave it at that.” Before he screwed it up worse. And hurt her more than she was already hurting. His gut churned as he realized he’d done that his whole life—he’d driven away his mom, his brothers... Murielle. All because he really had no idea how to love anyone.
Now he cared about her too much to let this go on and make it worse.
“I’m willing to try,” she protested, swiping her fingers under her eyes.
He let out a heavy sigh, wanting to give her what she wanted, terribly afraid he’d mess it up just like he’d messed up this morning with his knee-jerk reaction. “We were fooling ourselves into thinking this could somehow work. We had a fling. That’s all. Trying to pretend otherwise was bound to fail. This morning just made it clear.”
They got out of the plane and he started to walk away, his heart hurting.
Molly reached out and grabbed his arm. “You think this makes it easier?” He heard her sob and closed his eyes again, not wanting to do this on a dock in the middle of the day.
“Don’t make it worse than it is,” he murmured. “Let me go, Molly. It’s for the best.”
“You think I used you...well, fine. You go on thinking that, if it makes you sleep better at night. I won’t lie to you or to myself. I fell for you and I’m not going to pretend I didn’t. And it’s not going to be easy to get over you. I shared things I’ve never shared with anyone else—do you get that? So fine. Let this be your excuse if you want it to be, but let’s not lie to ourselves, okay? You—you coward!”
She let go of his arm and rushed by him, her sandals making thudding sounds on the platform. For a moment he considered going after her. But she’d hurt him, too. For a week and a half he’d believed that she had no motives whatsoever. That he could have been an ordinary guy off the street and she would have felt the same, that his money didn’t matter.
But maybe there would always be that little bit of doubt. Maybe it was impossible to separate him from the balance sheet, and it would always be this way. It had been for Murielle, who’d hopped on a rising star and demanded his love, but in the end settled for his money. And it had been for each of his dates since the divorce. He’d worked hard for his success, but there was a surprising downside to having the word billionaire after your name.
It made trusting impossible. He’d trusted her, though. And that was what hurt the most.
In the end he walked around for a while, then arranged for his bags to be delivered to the airport while he caught a cab. His flight was on time and he stretched out in first class, making the first leg of his trip.
The adventure was over, and it was more bittersweet than he’d ever thought possible.