Regan nodded. Aiden was obviously a master at multitasking, because he was still on the phone when he asked Cordie for clarification. “How did she erase you?”
“She decided she didn’t get married and she didn’t have me.”
“That doesn’t make any sense,” Aiden said before going back to his phone conversation.
Why was he lingering? Cordie wondered. He was usually in such a hurry. If she asked him why he was hanging around, the question would come out as rude. He could go anywhere he wanted; it was his hotel. It was next to impossible not to look at him. He was wearing a deep-navy suit and a white shirt that accentuated his tanned complexion. He’d obviously been playing a lot of rugby. He had the muscles to prove it . . . and the bruises. There was a new one on his forehead, small but still noticeable. Rugby could be a brutal game, which was apparently why he liked it so much. No holds barred, no diplomacy, just brute force and strategy. Alec had caught the fever and was now a player on Aiden’s team. They were, of course, undefeated and loved to boast about it.
“Don’t you have a game today?” she asked when he joined them again.
“That’s tomorrow,” Aiden answered. “Regan mentioned you were thinking about going to Australia. Is that true?”
“I don’t know what I want to do anymore,” she admitted. “When I found out my mother didn’t die, that she just walked out, I had no desire to find her. Then I read the letter she left for my father, and I changed my mind. I didn’t want to speak to her. I just needed to see for myself if she got what she wanted. But now, knowing about the fake ID she used to marry my father and all the lies she told him . . . if I do go, I’ll probably get arrested.”
Alec’s head came up. “Arrested for what?”
“Assault.”
Alec laughed. Cordie was one of the gentlest women he had ever known. She could never knowingly cause any other person pain. “You’re thinking about punching Simone?”
She shrugged, then said, “I don’t know what I’ll do if I ever come face-to-face with her.”
“Cordie, you couldn’t deliberately hurt anyone, no matter how horrible or sleazy he or she may be,” Regan said.
“Here we go,” Alec said, nodding toward the screen. “Simone Taylor Rayburn. Craig Rayburn is Simone’s husband. She was twenty-one and he was thirty-four when they married. They have two sons, and they live in Sydney. Want me to go on?” he asked.
“Is there a family photo?” Regan asked.
“Yes.” Alec pulled up a magazine website and scrolled through the pages to find the one he wanted. He leaned back so Cordie could get a closer look.
Cordie stared at the happy family smiling back at her from the computer screen and began to shake with anger. She kept thinking about her father and the anguish Simone had put him through. Her reaction to the photo was intense, and—God help her—she really did want to punch the woman.
She didn’t realize she was leaning into Aiden’s side until he put his arm around her. She knew he could feel her trembling and was thankful he didn’t comment on it. Forcing herself to move away from him, she grabbed her purse and said, “I’ve heard enough for now. Come on, Regan. We should go.”
“Hold on a minute,” Alec said. “I went ahead and e-mailed my friend Liam. Let me know when you’re going to Australia, and he’ll meet you.”
“I don’t need a babysitter,” Cordie protested.
“Liam knows his way around Sydney, and he has a lot of contacts. If you were to get into trouble—”
She folded her arms defiantly. “Why would I get into trouble?”
Alec shrugged. “I’m just saying. You won’t know anyone there. He can show you around. He’ll be happy to help. Like I said, he owes me.”
“Aiden, are you and Spencer going to Sydney or Melbourne anytime soon?” Regan asked. “If so, Cordie could go on the company jet with you.”
“No, that’s not necessary,” Cordie said. “Really, I don’t think—”
“It would be fun,” Regan said. “And so much nicer than flying commercial. It’s a long trip. You might as well enjoy it, right?”
“You’ll have a good time with Liam, too,” Alec said. He stood and stretched. “Just be careful. Women tend to fall under his spell. At least that’s what I’ve been told.”
“Fall under his spell? What does that mean?” Aiden asked suspiciously.
“Liam likes women, and they like him. He’s gonna love Cordie,” Alec predicted. “Come on, Aiden. Open your eyes and look at her. Really look at her. She’ll be a dream come true for Liam.”
“Cordelia has enough to deal with. She doesn’t need some sexually frustrated man hanging all over her.”
Alec hid his smile. Aiden was so easy to read. Maybe he was finally waking up. Alec just hoped it wasn’t too late. Since her father’s death Cordie had been different, and she was making big changes. Moving to Boston was one. She wanted a new life, and she was leaving Aiden behind.
“I’m going to the gym, Regan. Are you coming or not?” Cordie asked.
“I’m right behind you,” she stammered. She kissed Alec, grabbed her gym bag, and followed.
They had just reached the French doors when Aiden stopped them. “Cordelia?”
“Yes, Aiden?”
“Is your passport up to date?”
Frowning now, she turned to him. “Yes, but I haven’t decided—”
Aiden wasn’t looking at her. He had pulled out his cell phone and was checking appointments on his calendar. “We’ll leave tomorrow. Be ready.”
? ? ?
Arrogance wasn’t Aiden’s greatest sin. Bossiness was. Did he think she was one of his employees he could order about, expecting her to hop to? And why did he believe it was okay for him to get in the middle of her personal problems?
There was a bigger and even more confusing question to be answered. Why was she meekly going along? Maybe not so meekly, she corrected. In fact, she’d thrown a fit. While Regan held the elevator, Cordie had chased Aiden down the hall and around the corner to his office. She told him she wasn’t ready to go anywhere, and while she appreciated his concern, he really needed to stop worrying about her. She said all this and more to his back, because he didn’t bother to turn around. He just kept walking.
She’d been emphatic. She’d even poked him in his shoulder while she once again explained she wasn’t going anywhere with him. She might have even raised her voice, which was so unlike her, but she stopped arguing when she followed him into his office and found two strangers waiting for him. Aiden gave her his undivided attention then. He dismissed her.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said as he put his hands on her shoulders, backed her into the hallway, and shut the door in her face.
One day. That was all the time Aiden had given her. Since Cordie wasn’t one to make a scene in front of others, she planned to call Aiden later and calmly but strongly decline his invitation to fly to Australia with him. She could be tough on the phone, and she wouldn’t give him time to argue with her. But first she had to come up with a viable reason, because he would ask for an explanation. She was still trying to come up with that good reason when his driver knocked on her door, carried her luggage to the town car, and drove her to the private airport.