The Betrayal is a romantic intrigue that has Holly Malone meeting Brice Chesterfield in her birth father Edward Henderson’s Seattle import-export business. Holly, who hasn’t seen her father in decades because she was told he died, wants to reunite with him and gets a job at her father Edward Henderson’s firm. The first father-daughter reunion is a disaster set up by Brice, who realizes the two are related.

But Brice is hiding a secret. He knows more about Edward than he has disclosed to Holly, who trusts Brice as she has no other man – until Brice betrays her, as well as her father.

Chapters One and Two follow:

One

“Amen,” the robed cleric said.

Even though she’d known about her mother’s impending death to cancer for several months, Holly Malone felt the loss as if it had been sudden. She wanted to control the tears, to be as strong as she always was; but she couldn’t. Brushing away some of the wetness on her cheeks, Holly rose from the chair and approached the casket. In her hand, she carried a single white rose, her mother’s favorite flower. After kissing the bud, she laid it atop the metal box, just as she’d promised her mother.

“I love you, Mom,” she whispered, “and I want to thank you one last time for telling me the truth. It took a lot of courage after twenty-seven years, and I promise I won’t let this new knowledge go to waste. Good-bye, Mom.”

Strong hands grasped her shoulders, guiding her away from the casket while a man’s vice drifted to her ears. “It’s all over now, Holly. Lynne and I will take you home.”

“You’re wrong, Kirk,” she disagreed as she gazed up at her handsome younger brother “It’s all just beginning.”

***

Shutting the door behind the last well-wisher, Holly leaned against it and asked her sister-in-law if she would mind starting the clean-up. Without waiting or an answer, she asked Kirk and Carl Malone to join her in her bedroom. While the men sat on her queen bed, Holly sank into her recliner.

“This isn’t going to be easy for any of us,” Holly explained, “but Mom told me something a couple weeks ago. She knew her time was near even then and wanted me to keep her secret until today.”

“What is it, Holly?” Kirk asked.

Marveling at the uncanny likeness he bore to the father of her memory, she studied the dark-haired, dark-eyed young man for several seconds before she continued. “You’ll have to be patient for once, Kirk. I have to say this at my own speed. Carl, you’ve been very dear to me. You adopted me and loved me like a natural daughter. While I was growing up, I didn’t always show you, but I do love you for it. Actually, it’s probably more accurate to say that I went out of my way to rebel so I wouldn’t show it. Anyway Carl, I’ve known for years that you did your best; but you could never, ever replace Dad.”

“I understood that, Holly,” said the bald man beside Kirk. “Heloise told me before we got married that you’d probably never let me be a real father to you. She told me how close you and your father were.”

“I wish Kirk could have known him, but Mom didn’t even know she was pregnant when Dad left.”

Kirk gazed over at her with pity etched on his face. “Don’t say he left, Holly. He died. Just because Mom’s gone now, doesn’t mean you can bring him back to life.”

Moments earlier she’d felt as though she would explode with sorrow; now it was as though she would explode with joy. Unable to restrain her happiness, she explained everything in a jumble of rapid-fire words.

“But I can! That’s why I’m trying to tell you. He didn’t die, Kirk. He and Mom just decided it would be easier on me if they said so. Dad was forced to leave town and sever all ties with us. Mom kept in touch with Grandma Henderson, though. Dad’s living in Seattle now. At least, he was when Grandma died a few years ago. And I’m going to see if he’ll accept me back.”

Kirk frowned. “Are you crazy, Holly? If he is alive, he’s not going to want you barging into his life after all this time.”

“Mom knew you wouldn’t understand. Besides, I won’t be barging. I have a plan to take it slow and easy, so he won’t be completely shocked by my showing up. Anyway, Mom told me to find him because I’ve had so many bad romances. She read a book that theorizes a father-daughter relationship in childhood can affect the adult woman.

“That’s nonsense.”

“Don’t be so hasty, son,” Carl said. “Heloise had me read a couple parts. When a female child is deprived of a father-daughter relationship, it really can affect how she relates to men when she’s an adult. A five-year-old like Holly could see her father’s death as desertion. Maybe subconsciously, she’s afraid to love a man again.”

“Even if that’s the case,” Kirk reasoned, “no good can come from digging up the past.”

“I just want to find out why he left,” Holy explained. “Mom was too weak to tell me everything, but she knew. I know you think I should be locked up, Kirk, but I have to see him again. When I moved in here to help take care of Mom, I sold most of my things. I’m leaving the day after tomorrow. At least, try to understand how I feel.”

“I can’t, Holly. I just don’t see why you want to put yourself through that rejection again. You haven’t heard from him in twenty-seven years. Why don’t you just let him stay dead?”

“Because he’s my daddy, and I could never accept his death. For years, I prayed every night that he was still alive. I really thought somebody had made a mistake and he’d come back for me some day. Well, half of that prayer’s been answered. I want to see if the second half will be, too—the half where he accepts me with open arms, where we spend as much time together as possible to make up for all the years we’ve been apart.”

“But, Holly, you can’t …”

“This isn’t open for discussion, Kirk. I’m going and that’s that. I’m renting a trailer for what few things I kept, and I’ll leave early that day after tomorrow. I just wanted to say good-bye to you guys privately.”

***

“I’m sorry, Miss Malone,” the immaculately dressed woman apologized as she laid down Holly’s application, “but we don’t have any openings on the security force.”

“I’m very good at my job, Mrs. Murdock,” Holly said, without sounding boastful, “so I hope you aren’t just saying that because I’m a woman. As I said on my application, my college major was criminology.”

“I saw that, but it could be a liability for us. You might not be satisfied as a security guard. You’re definitely overqualified.”

“I don’t think you understand. Guarding is my career. I worked for a freelance security company for five years because I enjoy the work. I certainly wouldn’t quit for something better—not without more than ample notice, anyway. That’s not how I operate.”

“Actually, I do understand, Miss Malone. Unfortunately, there just aren’t any positions open in that department. I’ll keep your application on file, though, and I’ll certainly keep you in mind if something comes up.”

Holly sighed and pushed some of the wispy bangs out of her eyes. Ever since her mother had told her about her father, she’d lived on the hope that she could land a job at her father’s company. Now that she couldn’t, she didn’t know what step to take next. “I guess I’ll go back to waitressing. Henderson Quality Imports was my last hope for a security job.”

“You’ve had experience as a waitress?” Mrs. Murdock asked.

Holly stared at her, stunned by her excitement. “Yes, ma’am.”

“What kind of restaurants? Not fast-food was it?”

“It was one of the nicer restaurants in my hometown. I worked my way through college there.”

“We have an executive dining room on the top floor. It’s very nice because it was built for our executives to entertain clients. I’ve interviewed several young women for the job, but I wasn’t satisfied with any of them. If you worked in a restaurant like you claim, you’d be perfect.”

“But I didn’t bring references for a job waitressing.”

“That’s okay. I’m a good judge of people, and Mr. Henderson trusts that in me, which is why I’m the personnel manager. Just give me the name of your employer so I can contact him. Until I get a reply you can be a temporary hire. If he says you’re inept, which I highly doubt, I’ll just let you go if you’re not performing up to Mr. Henderson’s standards. The reference letter from your security employer praises you very highly, and it’s my guess that your restaurant employer will do the same. After all, you did say you worked in the same place throughout college.”

Despite her excitement at obtaining a position with the firm, Holly replied casually. “If you really feel that way, I could sure use the job.”

Mrs. Murdock wrote down the name, address and phone number of Holly’s former employer then buzzed her assistant. When Sara answered the intercom, Mrs. Murdock instructed her to escort Holly upstairs and introduce her to the restaurant manager. Finally, Mrs. Murdock led Holly to the door, asking when she could begin work.

Grinning, Holly replied, “Is last week to long to wait?”

“Not at all” Mrs. Murdock returned with a smile, “but I think tomorrow at ten-thirty would be better—if one of the uniforms in stock fits you. But I doubt you’ll have any trouble finding one. We stock extras just in case. Have Mandy help you.”

“Mandy,” Holly repeated. “All right, Mrs. Murdock. And thank you for having faith in me.”

As the assistant and Holly strolled to the elevator, Holly told Sara how happy she was to be working at Henderson Quality Imports and how she looked forward to living in Seattle. She was just about to praise the apartment she had chanced upon when she spotted a tall man with light brown hair studying an open file folder while waiting for the elevator.

“Now there’s one hunk of a man,” Holly whispered. “Is he single?”

“Who knows,” Sara replied with a shrug. “Mr. Chesterfield hardly talks to anybody, and never about his private life. He wears a ring on his left hand, but nobody seems to know if he’s married or not. It’s gorgeous, too—a wide gold band with five diamonds—but it doesn’t really look like a wedding band.”

Holly considered that. Just because she’d had two failed engagements didn’t mean that she’d lost all interest in men. And this Mr. Chesterfield was quite attractive. If he wasn’t already taken, she’d be more than happy to keep him company for a few months. As a friend, of course, she told herself.

Determined to at least meet him, she said, “I think I’ll find out exactly how eligible he is.”

“He’s a lost cause,” Sara advised with a slow shake of her head. “He’s such a snob she doesn’t even look at a woman more than once.”

Holly chuckled, not the least put off by Sara’s proclamation “Pay attention, kid. I wasn’t engaged twice for nothing. I’ll never fall into that trip again, but I love to date. You just watch him and see if he looks more than once.”

Lengthening her strides, Holly headed toward the elevator as the shorter woman hurried to keep up while Holly chatted. Even though her gaze was on Sara, Holly couldn’t have given the police a description of her if she’d had to, because her mind was on Mr. Chesterfield.

Then Sara exclaimed, “Hey, look out!”

At the same time Holly turned her head toward him, the man glanced up in astonishment. With a startled gasp, he tried to sidestep the on-coming collision, but he wasn’t quick enough to avoid the impact. Dropping his folder, he grabbed Holly’s shoulders and pulled her against him.

This time, Holly gasped—at his unexpectedly protective reaction, at the warm explosion of excitement that swept through her. Sara stared at the pair, clearly amazed that Holly had gotten him to touch her.

Momentarily unable to react, Holly watched while the papers and folder drifted to the floor around them. Something brushed against her ear, and she glanced over her shoulder to see the man’s head right beside hers as he also stared at the mess she’d made. A moment later, the elevator doors opened.

“Oh, no! Not again,” Holly and the man chorused as they dropped to their knees. While they collected the papers, Mr. Chesterfield glanced up at Sara “Hold the elevator, would you?”

While Sara did as he asked, the pair scrambled to pick up the papers.

“I’m really sorry,” Holly said. Realizing that she’d embarrassed herself this time, she began to babble. “I can’t believe I did this again. You’d think I’d learn my lesson and watch where I’m going when I’m talking to somebody. But I love to see the person’s face. I really am sorry, sir. Honest. I hope I didn’t ruin something important. This wasn’t a briefing of some kind, was it? I’d hate to think you’re reading page one then three then five then four and so on.”

“It’s all right, miss,” he assured her, accepting the papers she extended toward him. “Nothing was in order, anyway. I dropped the folder myself a few minutes ago. I was just rechecking to see if everything was right while I waited for the elevator.”

When he rose, he grasped Holly’s upper arm and helped her to her feet while she studied him. Except for the slightly large nose, his appearance was classic, with blue-gray eyes shining brightly against his tanned complexion. Although a three-inch scar ran down his left cheek, it added to rather than detracted from his appearance, because it lent a ruggedness to his otherwise immaculate looks. Ignoring this handsome man would be torture—if she could do it at all.

Releasing her, he extended his hand toward the open doors. “Are you going up?”

“Yes,” she replied, stepping onto the elevator. “Thank you.”

Joining the women, the man shuffled papers while Sara pushed the tenth-floor button then asked him which floor he wanted. When he didn’t respond, she leaned against the wall and turned her gaze to Holly, who was already chatting.

“You should see the terrific apartment I found. It’s in an old Victorian house that the owners renovated into an apartment building. The ceilings are nine-feet high, and the living room, kitchen, and dining area are all one enormous room.” Out of the corner of her eye, Holly saw the man glance at her. “And my bedroom could hold a king-sized bed. My queen looks like a crib I there. The bathroom isn’t very big, but it’s fine for just me. It’s really terrific. And get this! All the trim is solid mahogany.”

“Sounds great,” Sara agreed.

“It is. Now if I could just afford a decent car. My VW convertible is getting on in years. I love her, but she’s starting to break down a lot. I keep sinking money into repairs because I can’t find a car that I like better. Maybe I’m just partial to Sweet Betsy. She’s served me well for a long time.”

The elevator came to a stop, and the doors opened. As she led Holly into the large foyer, Sara glanced back. Holly turned her head to look at her and knew what had caught Sara’s attention. The man, his eyes still trained on them, was holding the door as he crossed the elevator to the floor button panel. Even after he pushed a button, he stood in the middle of the car, watching them until the doors slid shut with a muffled thud.

Returning her gaze to Holly, Sara said, “You ran into him on purpose, didn’t you?”

“Of course,” she admitted. “I had to get his attention somehow.”

“It sure worked. He couldn’t stop looking at you. If he was going to his office, he should have gotten off on seven. Instead, he rode all the way up then backtracked.”

“I’ll have an introduction within two weeks,” Holly declared, “and a date within four—if he’s not married, of course.”

“You know. I bet you will.”

Two

During her first week on the job, Holly became friends with a waitress close to her own age, 30-year-old Mandy Greenwood, a divorcee with two children. The tall, black-haired woman told Holly that Mr. Chesterfield watched Holly work every day, even though he made it a point to sit in another waitress’s station. At the end of Holly’s first week on the job, he approached her as she poured herself a glass of iced tea to take a break after her tables were cleaned.

“Excuse me, miss,” he said from behind her.

Startled, she spun to face him and smiled to show off the dimple in her right cheek. For some reason, men liked that one dimple, and she wanted to use every ploy at her disposal to gain his interest. Speaking cheerfully, she said, “Hi. Done any paper picking up lately?”

He flashed her a smile but continued in a serious tone. “Not in the past week. I hate to say this, because it sounds like a come-on but it’s driving me to distraction not knowing the answer. You look awfully familiar. Have we met before?”

“Have you ever been to St. Louis, Missouri?”

“No.”

“Then we’ve never met. Besides, I would have remembered.”

He examined her overtly. She had pretty, pale green eyes that complimented her pale red hair and almost alabaster skin. There were a few freckles splattered across her pert nose and high cheekbones, but not enough to be unattractive. And her lush, full lips looked so …

Pushing the unfinished thought from his mind, he moved his gaze to her only slightly large breasts, to her flat stomach and rounded hips. The legs that extended beneath her knee-length yellow and green uniform dress were firm and athletic-looking.

As he returned his gaze to her smiling face, his face heated. He hadn’t even tried to hide his admiration of her body and knowing that embarrassed him. To avoid the thought, he said, “I don’t understand why you seem so familiar.”

“Déjà vu?” she suggested with a crooked grin that looked amazingly tomboyish.

“It would be a first for me if it were. No, it’s definitely something else.” Again, he examined her before remembering his manners.  He extended his hand. “Forgive me. My name is
Richard Brice Chesterfield, IV—Brice to everyone who knows me. What’s yours?”

“Holly Noelle Malone.” She paused then continued with an impish glint in her eyes “The first.”

“Holly Noelle. That’s a very pretty, although very unusual name. Were you perhaps born around Christmas?”

“On Christmas, right after all the festivities. I was too sweet to interrupt all the fun. At least, that’s what Mom used to say my father told people. Did you get all your papers back in order the other day, Mr. Chesterfield?”

“Yes, and thank you for helping me pick them up I forgot to say that at the time.”

“I should have helped. After all, you never would have dropped them if I’d been watching where I was going.”

“I wouldn’t have dropped them a second time,” he reminded her. Still gazing down at her, he continued in a thoughtful tone. “I wish I could stay and figure out why you look so familiar, but I should get back to work. I’ll see you again. Good day, Miss Malone.”

***

Days passed quickly into weeks, but the chance meeting with her father that Holly longed for had yet to occur. Although originally dejected by not getting a security guard position, she came to realize that working in the executive dining room offered a better opportunity for running into Edward Henderson. But he hadn’t appeared even once during her three-week employment, and Holly wasn’t sure seeking him out was a good idea.

Where would she ever get the courage to approach him? For twenty-seven years she’d thought he was dead; and as far as she knew, he’d never tried to contact her. Maybe Kirk was right; maybe forcing a reunion was foolhardy. Still, their mother had declared, as firmly as she could on her deathbed, that there was a reason for Edward’s departure. Somehow, Holly had to visit with him to find out what it was. If only she could think of a way to arrange a chance meeting!

“Good afternoon, Mr. Chesterfield,” she greeted, pouring coffee into his cup.

“Good afternoon,” he replied.

Holly splashed coffee into the other cup. “Good afternoon, sir. Do you want to order now or …”

Fingers wrapped around her right wrist, and she stopped talking. The older man questioned her angrily. “Where did you get that ring?”

Stunned, Holly stared mutely at the ring on her pinkie finger. Her mother had given her the heirloom—a relatively simple wide gold band with an H, the cross of which consisted of three small emeralds, connected to the band by four strands of gold The ring meant a lot to Holly, because it had been specially made for her mother as a wedding gift from her father. Finally, she found her voice and answered, “It was handed down to me from my mother.”

His shocked gaze shot to her face. And when she looked down at him, she gasped in astonishment. This time, her heart seemed to stop. The man holding her wrist so securely was a replica of Kirk in about thirty years. This man had to be her father—Edward Henderson!

“Oh, my God!” he exclaimed. “Holly!”

“Daddy?” she asked, her voice cracking with emotion.

“What the hell are you doing here? How did you find me? How did you even know … Never mind. This isn’t the place to discuss it. I want you in my office in ten minutes.” Releasing her, he stood and glared down at Brice. “Both of you.”

Tears brimmed in Holly’s eyes as she watched Edward storm from the dining room. Beside her, Brice examined her distraught expression, unexpectedly sorry that he’d made the connection between the father and daughter. Obviously, the meeting was stressful for both of them; just as obviously, something was wrong. When he’d made the connection and set his plan into action, he hadn’t considered the possible ramifications.

Holly was no raving beauty, but she was pretty. Dating her to get inside details on her father would be easy, but after the confrontation he’d just witnessed, he wasn’t sure it would work.  The only way to proceed with his plan was to give their meeting time to see what developed. After all, it was only the first stage of their reunion.

Rising to stand beside her, Brice slid his arm around her shoulders. “Are you all right, Holly?”

“That’s my father,” she said as though in a daze. “My real father.”

“Maybe you’d better go to the powder room and compose yourself before we go to his office.” Taking the coffee pot from her, he motioned to Mandy, who joined them. “Put this away, please. Miss Malone has been summoned to Mr. Henderson’s office.”

Holly tried to think as she stared at herself in the mirror, tried to recover from the sudden shock of seeing her father. That’s exactly what it had been, too, because she hadn’t even seen him from a distance yet. And he sure hadn’t reacted like he had in her dreams. Instead of being thrilled to see her, he’d been furious. But why?

Straightening her shoulders, Holly vowed to not let this be a set-back in reuniting with her father. She wouldn’t let him see her cry at his rage; she would show pride and determination in his presence. She refused to let him see her heartache.

Holly grabbed a paper towel and wiped her tears. She would ask him why he had treated her so unkindly. He owed her at least that much of an explanation, and she was determined to get it. After cleaning off the mascara that had run under her eyes, she exited the bathroom, where Brice awaited her.

“I didn’t think you’d still be here,” she said as he fell into step beside her.

“I wanted to see if you were all right.”

“I’m fine,” she declared, “and determined to find out why he acted like that. I deserve that much.”

“He was shocked to see you,” Brice said.

“I was shocked, too, but I didn’t get mad—not even when he grabbed my arm. And that hurt. What I don’t understand is why he was to mad at you.”

“I insisted that we eat in the dining room.”

“Oh,” she said, her own anger at the situation growing, “I get it. He wants to blame you for what happened.”

“Probably.”

“Well, don’t let him. He started this a long time ago; he has only himself to blame. And don’t you dare let him try to intimidate you just because he’s your boss. If he hadn’t walked out on us, this never would have happened.”

As they descended the steps to the ninth floor, Holly let her anger grow. That man had treated her abominably, and she was going to get answers, no matter how irate he became because of it. He’d ignored her for twenty-seven years, but he wasn’t going to ignore her now. She wouldn’t let him!

“So which way do we go from here?” Holly asked at the door to the ninth floor. “I know his office is on nine, but that’s it.”

“Left,” Brice replied as he laid his hand on the small of her back and escorted her down the hall.

Even though she was in the middle of a crisis, Holly still felt an exciting chill run up her spine when Brice touched her. She glanced at him over her shoulder, and he flashed her a brief, reassuring smile. Turning her head back she marveled at how nonchalant he seemed. Did he have any idea how sexy he was? Or was his apparent indifference just a ploy to attract women? From everything she’d heard about him, she doubted the latter was the case, because nobody in the company whom she’d talked to had ever heard of him dating.

The pressure on her back shifted, and she turned in that direction when they reached the end of the hallway. He steered her through the third door on their right, and Holly noticed the administrative assistant wasn’t at her desk. Closing the door behind them, he called to Edward, who called back, demanding that they come into his office.

Holly wanted to run all the way back to St Louis if need be. But she could do nothing except numbly let Brice direct her into her father’s office. This was it—the telling moment. Very soon, she would know why he didn’t want her like he had when she was a little girl.

They stood before Edward’s desk, not even being offered a seat. While she stared at him, his eyes scanned her body. What was he thinking? That this was his daughter almost thirty years after he’d left her? She looked a little like Heloise, in that she had green eyes and red hair, and that probably brought back some unpleasant memories. But mostly, in the features, she looked like him. But no matter how good it was to see her again, he didn’t want her in his lie, and she had to remember that if she wanted this reunion to go at least halfway decently.

“What the hell are you doing in Seattle, Holly?” he demanded. “And working for my business at that?”

Her determination to learn the truth vanished, and she responded in a barely audible voice. “Mom sent me.”

“Don’t lie to me, young lady. Your mother promised never to tell you that I’m alive. I want the truth.”

Why was he treating her like a child while they were in the presence of a stranger? Well, she wouldn’t let it show that his attitude bothered her; she would be calm and collected. When she spoke again, however, her voice sounded like it belonged to a little girl.

“I’m telling the truth, Daddy. She said you’d explain why you left.”

“She was wrong,” Edward declare. “Why the hell do you think you haven’t heard from me in all these years? We decided to tell you that I was dead so you wouldn’t try to find me when you were old enough. Now here you are working in my business where you aren’t wanted. I want you out, Holly—today. You march right down to personnel and quit.”

“Never!” she denied. “If you want me out, you’ll have to fire me, because I won’t leave willingly until I know why you ran out on me.”

“Don’t use that stubborn streak on me, Holly Noelle. It won’t work. Not anymore.”

“Then prove it. Fire me!”

“I don’t have to prove a damned thing to you. Nothing. Do you understand?”

“The hell you don’t!” she shouted, her face heating with rage. “You have to prove that you hate me before I’ll quit and firing me is the only way you can do that. I’m not five years old anymore, Dad. You can’t just walk out of my life again, because I won’t let you. You can’t stop me from living in Seattle, either.”

“Why are you doing this? Why is it so important to you?”

“I have to know the truth. Before Mom died, she said you’d answer all my questions, and the first one is do you still love me. If you don’t, you’ll be the one to take action that will keep us apart.”

No longer able to bear the pain of rejection, she raced from the room with tears streaming down her cheeks.

As the pair argued, Brice remained silent. Now the sight of her unrestrained sorrow filled him with guilt. Turning, he called after her and started to follow until Edward’s stern voice stopped him.

“Don’t leave his room, Chesterfield. I haven’t had my say to you yet.”

“But she’s upset,” Brice said. “She needs somebody to comfort her.”

“Holly’s never needed anybody to comfort her, not even when she was a baby. Besides, she’ll get over it.”

“For God’s sake, man. She’s your daughter. Don’t you even care?”

“Did I sound like I do?” Edward’s voice carried no emotion. “This all happened because you insisted we discuss business over lunch upstairs. Did she help you set this up?”

“She was as shocked as you were. When she told me that her last name was Malone, I didn’t associate the two of you. But I see her every workday, and I see you almost every day. I even told her that she looked familiar. At first, I thought we’d met before, but she said we hadn’t. I decided she’d just forgotten me—until the day before yesterday. That’s when I realized she was here because of you. Except for her hair and eye colors, she’s very obviously your daughter.”

“That’s when you decided you had to butt in where you weren’t wanted?”

“It wasn’t that, Edward. I checked her personnel file while everyone in the office was out to lunch yesterday. That’s how I learned her father’s name is Carl Malone and that her mother is deceased. I thought she might be trying to find you because her mother had died. I was just trying to help her.”

“Why?” Edward demanded.

“Because I want to date her,” Brice confessed, hiding his ulterior motives. “I’ve always been shy with women, and I thought she’d be more likely to agree if I reunited you two.”

“Well, you blew it, and you came damned close to blowing your job. In fact, you wouldn’t be here now if you weren’t the most promising executive on my staff. You’ll go a long way here, Brice, but only if you keep your nose to the grindstone and leave my daughter alone. Your dating her puts you smack dab in the middle of my personal life, and I want you to stay out of it.”

“I’ll let Holly decide that,” Brice said. “You don’t care about her, anyway, remember? So, technically, she’s not part of your personal life, let alone smack dab in the middle of it.”

“She found me, though, didn’t she? Holly was stubborn from the minute she was born and she came out shaking her fist. If she’s changed at all, it hasn’t been there. Now get out of here. And stay the hell out of my life.”

***

When she got back to the dining room, Holly pulled Mandy aside and confided to her new friend that she’d been told to quit. Mandy’s expression of disbelief prompted Holly to explain more fully than she’d planned. Although she initially hadn’t intended to admit it, she ended by saying, “I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if he fired me for not quitting. I was pretty defiant in there.”

Fired?” Mandy asked, startled. “On what grounds? You’re the best waitress Mr. Henderson has.”

“That won’t matter. If he fires me, I’ll go.”

“You can’t be serious. He doesn’t have grounds to fire you. If you let him get away with it, he could do the same thing to all of us. Everybody from waitresses to executives could be fired for no reason.”

“You don’t need to worry about your job, Mandy,” Holly said. “It’s just mine that’s on the line. I’ve got to get home. My head hurts so bad I can hardly see straight.”

“Maybe I should drive you.”

“Thanks, but that won’t be necessary. I’ll make it okay. See you tomorrow—if I still have a job.”

As soon as Edward excused him, Brice raced to the dining room, shouting for Holly as he burst through the double doors. When he met with silence, he called out again, and Mandy came through a kitchen door.

“Tell Holly I have to talk to her,” he ordered, unable to restrain his concern. “It’s important.

“She’s not here,” Mandy replied.

“What do you mean? I just left her. She must be here.”

“Sorry. She was really upset about something. Said she had a headache and went home. You just missed her.”

“Do you know where she lives?”

“Sure.” Withdrawing the order pad from here apron pocket, Mandy jotted down Holly’s address at the salad bar. “What’s going on around here, anyway? Holly thinks she’ll lose her job.”

“It’s not my place to say, but she might.”

“You do know what’s going on, though, right?”

“Know!” Brice exclaimed, accepting the piece of paper Mandy handed to him. “I’m the one who started this whole disaster. That’s why I have to talk to her. Is this address in a Victorian house?”

“That’s right. Holly has a private entrance on the side with a covered porch running the length of it.”

“I’ll remember that. Thank you very much, ma’am.”

Hurrying to confront Edward again, Brice cringed when he learned from Edward’s assistant that the owner had left for the day and told her that he didn’t want to be disturbed so not to transfer any calls to him. Holly’s presence had affected the man more than it had appeared, because Edward never left the office early and always wanted his calls forwarded.

Brice headed toward his own office, his mind centered on the events of the past twenty minutes. Maybe there was hope for his plan yet. All he had to do was mend a few bridges with Holly, and it could still be smooth sailing to the end of this caper. After explaining to his own assistant that he was leaving for the rest of the day, Brice raced to his red MG in the basement garage.