Wrong Groom, Right Bride

“My stock!” She looked as shocked as if he’d suggested she sell her body. She gave him a hard look. “You have lost your mind. I will never sell my stock. That’s my insurance for the future.”

Simon knew that his father had carried a five-million dollar policy on his life and that most of that money should still be intact. Plus her company stock was worth upward of twenty million dollars, so her future was completely secure. But his mother was angry enough; he didn’t want to make things worse by pointing out the obvious.

For a few moments, he considered offering his mother the money she wanted—not as a loan but as a gift. Simon could afford it. He lived simply and saved more than he spent, and the value of his company stock was equal to hers. But he was reluctant for some reason. If she really did have money problems, he would have gladly helped her out. But she didn’t. She was just spoiled … and had a sense of entitlement. In her mind, since throughout her life as a Hopewell she’d always had whatever she wanted, she always should have whatever she wanted.

Maybe it was past time for her to learn what most people were forced to learn: that there was a difference between want and need.

An hour later, they were still going round and round with the same arguments. Finally, Simon rose. “Look, we’re not getting anywhere like this. I’m sorry you’re so upset, but I can’t change things just because you want them changed. And I think tomorrow’s board meeting will bear me out.” Max had gotten up when Simon did, and Simon rubbed his head.

“You haven’t heard the last of this, Simon. I’m not giving up. I intend to call Elias and then I’ll call all the other board members, as well.”

“That’s your right, Mother.”

“And then we’ll just see who’s boss.”

“Yes, I guess we will.”

She didn’t kiss him goodbye when he left. In fact, she barely said goodbye. He knew she was furious, and he had a feeling she’d be even more furious tomorrow, because he would bet his entire stock portfolio on the fact that the board members would vote with him and Mark. They couldn’t afford not to. Hopewell’s entire future depended on them making sensible financial decisions, and investing now for the future of the company was the most sensible financial decision they could possibly make.

But Simon wasn’t rejoicing in his anticipated victory.

How could he?

His mother might be spoiled. She might have a misguided sense of entitlement. And she might sometimes be unreasonable and petty. But he remembered how she’d always read him a bedtime story, even when she and his father were going out for the evening, how when he was miserable with chicken pox she’d played card games with him for days on end, how she’d beamed with pride when he’d given the valedictory address upon his graduation from college.

No matter what, she was his mother, and he loved her.

As he drove home, he remembered that he’d meant to tell her about his visit to Chloe and how she’d turned down his offer to pay the wedding expenses. But under the circumstances, maybe it was a good thing he hadn’t mentioned Todd’s ex-fiancée. His mother was upset enough.

No sense adding fuel to the fire.

Chapter Four

The board meeting went exactly as Simon had expected. All the directors, Elias Whitney in particular, were sympathetic to Larissa’s point of view, but in good conscience, they couldn’t vote the increase she wanted. Elias apologized to her, but Simon’s mother—after glaring at him—stormed out of the meeting in a fury.

“I’m sorry,” Elias said to Simon afterward. “I know this is going to make things uncomfortable for you.”

Simon shrugged. Things were already uncomfortable. And none of it was Elias’s fault. If only Larissa’s anger was the only reaction Simon had to face. Unfortunately, hers was just the beginning of the storm. By Friday afternoon—after spending hours breaking the bad news of no bonuses to his management staff—Simon wished there was a hole somewhere he could crawl into. At the very least, he wanted a glass of wine and a good dinner. And maybe a weekend of golf. How long had it been since he’d actually taken a weekend for himself?

As he left the office, he thought about how nice it would be if the good dinner was even now being prepared by a beautiful wife, someone who would understand and sympathize with him and tell him he’d only done what he had to do. Someone who would later join him in his king-size bed. And why was it that this thought immediately segued into one of Chloe Patterson?

What was wrong with him? In the past few days, he’d hardly stopped thinking about Todd’s former fiancée. Sure, she was attractive, but Simon knew dozens of attractive women, and he didn’t think about them all the time. What was it about Chloe that refused to leave him alone?

Simon was too honest with himself to blame his preoccupation with her on the fact Todd had jilted her. The truth was, she intrigued him on a personal level. Hell, if he were being completely honest, he’d admit that he was attracted to her … sexually attracted. Maybe he had been from the first time he met her. He still remembered the way he’d felt when he saw her with Todd at the company’s Christmas party last year. Jealous. Almost resentful. It had ticked him off to see Todd with the fresh-faced Chloe with the spectacular legs—she’d worn a short, dark red dress that swirled when she walked—when he, Simon, was alone that night.

Remembering how he’d felt then, he could feel his body responding now. Damn. He’d been without a woman for too long. In fact, he and Alexis had broken up a few weeks before that Christmas party. It was the reason he was alone that night.

He told himself he was being ridiculous obsessing over his brother’s former fiancée. What he needed to do was say yes to one of the dozens of invitations that came his way from more appropriate potential romantic partners. Because Chloe was off-limits. And even if she hadn’t been, she was planning to leave Riverton. Any involvement with her would be a go-nowhere situation—a real exercise in frustration.

But even as he told himself all this, he wondered what she’d say if he were to call her and ask her to have dinner with him. The desire to do so was so strong that he almost reached for his cell. But common sense quickly intervened. Hell, I’ll just be asking for problems. She’ll say no, anyway, so why open that can of worms?

Despite his rationally thought out decision, ten minutes later he found himself driving past Rosa’s Trattoria, one of the most popular restaurants in Riverton. He remembered from the investigator’s report that Chloe and her cousin and aunt had a habit of meeting there for dinner on Friday nights.

Would they be there tonight?

Glancing through the parking lot, he spied Chloe’s distinctive lime-green Volkswagen. Knowing this was stupid, that he should go somewhere else, he pulled into the lot and parked.

“Mr. Hopewell!” Gino Carbone, husband to Rosa and co-owner of the restaurant, exclaimed as Simon walked in. “Welcome back. How are you?”

“I’m fine, Gino. And you?”

“Excellent, excellent. It’s been a while since you’ve been here.”

“Too long,” Simon agreed.

“Are you expecting someone or—”

“It’s just me tonight.” Simon tried to keep from looking into the dining room, but out of the corner of his eye he could see Chloe sitting with two women at a nearby table.

Gino picked up a menu and beckoned Simon to follow him. Simon knew they would have to pass by Chloe’s table. A moment later, Chloe looked up. When their eyes met, hers reflected her surprise, but she quickly smiled and gave him a friendly hello.

He stopped, smiling back. “Hello, Chloe. How nice to see you again.” She looked beautiful in a green blouse that exactly matched her eyes.

When he continued to stand there, she only hesitated a few seconds before introducing him to her companions. “Aunt Jane, Molly, I’d like you to meet Simon Hopewell. Simon is Todd’s oldest brother.”

Simon grimaced. “But please don’t hold that against me.”

Jane Patterson, an attractive dark-haired woman, chuckled. “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Hopewell.” Her brown eyes were filled with curiosity and intelligence. Simon knew she was taking his measure as she studied him. The cousin, a pretty young woman with curly dark hair who was about Chloe’s age, studied him carefully, too.

Protective, he thought. Both of them. And probably suspicious, too. Well, he could hardly blame them. Up till now, Chloe hadn’t fared well at the hands of the Hopewells.

Chloe’s aunt offered her hand, and Simon shook it, then turned to Molly and shook hers, as well. He knew they wouldn’t invite him to join them, but at least he would get to observe them awhile, for they hadn’t been served yet.