Boston was key to her plan for moving on, but for now she was stuck in Chicago. She vowed to stay away from the Hamilton Hotel so she wouldn’t see him. She didn’t expect him to call her . . . but would he? Was he thinking about her at all? Oh God, she was acting like a teenager.
? ? ?
Regan and Sophie were anxious to see Cordie but were letting her get some rest. They gave her a couple of days to recover, and then Regan invited her to dinner. She and Alec were renting a tiny house on the edge of Cordie’s neighborhood and were trying to make time to look for a house to buy. Since Cordie lived on the way to the Buchanans’ house, Jack and Sophie picked her up. Fortunately, Jack was behind the wheel, which meant Cordie didn’t have to grip her seat and frantically pray that Sophie wouldn’t get them killed.
Dinner was ready when they walked in, and after a quick greeting, they squeezed around a table meant for three. Regan was turning into a great cook. She served lasagna and a salad, and tiramisu for dessert. During dinner they talked about Sydney and how much Cordie loved it. She went into great detail about the Garvan and meeting some of the brilliant researchers.
“I thought you wanted to explore a little bit of Australia,” Jack said. “You mentioned wanting to see Melbourne and Perth. What happened?”
“I met Simone,” Cordie answered.
“Okay, she brought it up,” Sophie pointed out. “Now we can talk about what happened with those people.” Turning to Cordie she explained, “Regan made us promise not to grill you until dinner was over.”
“What was she like?” Regan asked.
“Vile.”
“Start at the beginning,” Jack suggested. Alec nodded in agreement, but other than that he seemed content to sit back and observe and listen.
Without mentioning what had happened between Aiden and her, she told them everything. It took a long while because they all kept interrupting to ask more questions. Alec laughed when Cordie told them about Liam and how charming he was.
“Is he with the police over there?” Sophie asked.
“I don’t know. I don’t think he knows either,” she said.
The only time she mentioned Aiden was when she told them how furious he’d been when he’d learned about the two men who’d accompanied Simone to the hotel.
“One of them grabbed you?” Sophie was astounded. “In the lobby? That takes nerve.”
“You can understand why I wanted to come home.” She went on to tell them about the anonymous phone calls.
“Do you think it was one of the men with Simone who called you?” Sophie asked.
“That’s my guess.”
“He threatened to kill you if you told anyone Simone was your mother?” Regan shook her head. “That’s pretty extreme, isn’t it?”
“Of course it’s extreme,” Cordie replied. “I think they’re all crazy. Liam said the family’s reputation is on the line. He thinks they’ll do anything to keep it pristine.”
“‘They’?” Jack asked.
“Simone; her husband, Craig; and Simone’s father, Julian. He runs that family with a tight fist.”
“It’s a big enough scandal to ruin them, I suppose,” Regan said.
“Maybe,” Cordie replied. “They’re pillars of society right now. You should have seen the way they were fawned over at the ball. It was nauseating.”
“And getting that kind of attention and adulation can become addictive for some people,” Jack remarked. “Alec and I have seen it.”
“People have killed for less,” Alec interjected.
“I can’t imagine killing to keep a secret,” Cordie said.
“That’s because you don’t think like Simone. Your values are different. The fact is, you’re a threat to the family’s little dynasty.”
“I’ll bet she didn’t believe you when you said you didn’t want money,” Sophie said.
“Aren’t you worried?” Regan asked. “You’re so calm about it all. Why aren’t you freaking out?”
“Of the three of us, Cordie’s always been the calm one,” Sophie commented.
“The man was just trying to scare me,” she said. “As long as I don’t put it out there and ruin Simone’s perfect lie of a life, I’ll be okay. Besides, you’re forgetting, I don’t want anyone to know I’m related to those freaks. I wouldn’t put it out there no matter what. I thought I made that clear to Simone, but apparently not, if she was asking, ‘How can I trust you?’”
“And what did you say?” Alec asked.
“I told her she shouldn’t.”
“That might be the reason he called to threaten you,” Jack surmised.
Sophie carried her plate to the sink, then turned around and said, “Cordie, do you realize you just told two FBI agents that someone threatened you? They’ll probably want to investigate.”
Jack laughed. “Probably?”
“Liam will run it,” Alec said.
“Run what?” Cordie asked.
“The investigation.”
“What investigation? There is no investigation,” Cordie said.
Ignoring her protest, Alec took out his phone and began to text. “There is now.”
Cordie closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. “Could we please talk about something else? I’ve thought enough about Simone and her family in the last week to fill a lifetime.” She turned to Regan. “How’s Walker doing?”
“Settling in,” Regan answered. “He told Spencer he’s going to start getting involved in the company business. Aiden won’t like hearing that. He’s in Miami now.”
“I don’t know how he does it. I’m still jet-lagged.”
“How was Aiden in Sydney?” Alec asked.
Cordie wasn’t sure what to say. Alec was so good at reading her. “Busy. He was busy.”
“He’s always busy,” Regan said. “I wish he would slow down and enjoy life.”
Cordie couldn’t understand why she was suddenly feeling so nervous. “He went with me to the Garvan,” she blurted. “He asked me to send my résumé.”
They all looked confused.
“Why would Aiden want you to send him your résumé?” Sophie asked.
Cordie could feel her face turning red. “Not Aiden. One of the directors asked me to send my résumé.”
“Would you work there?”
“Not as long as the Borgias live there,” she said with a shudder. She got up to clear the dishes and bumped her hip on the edge of the counter. Cordie thought living in such a tiny space—even if it was temporary—must be driving Regan and Alec crazy. Her kitchen was at least five times the size of theirs.
Sophie, Jack, and Regan went in the living room, and Alec stayed behind to help.
“How’s the hunt for a house going?” she asked.
“I found one I really like,” Alec said. “Regan loves it, but she doesn’t want to buy it.”
Cordie put the Parmesan in the refrigerator. “That doesn’t make sense. Why doesn’t she want to buy it?”
“Because she doesn’t want you to move.”
Her eyes widened and then she laughed. “You want to buy my house?”
“Yes,” he answered. He straddled a chair and motioned for her to sit. “It’s perfect for us.”