Authors: Robyn Neeley
She turned her back from the window, and this time she was the one to pace. No man made a fool of her. No man.
There was no way in hell Grayson Cooper was going to get away with this.
“What are you going to do?” Tangie asked.
“I’m going to schedule my first shareholders’ meeting.” She grabbed her keys and purse. “And Coop Jackson will be the man of the hour.”
Grayson pulled into his reserved parking spot, shifted into park, and straightened his tie. He grinned over at Becca’s beat-up truck.
Maybe he could suggest they do some test-driving this weekend. He’d like to see her with a vehicle that wasn’t going to break down on her in the middle of nowhere or in the dark.
Glancing at the factory, he smiled again. He’d have to figure out a way to spend more time on the production line. Lidding the dip had easily become his favorite job, giving him a euphoric feeling that he was personally endorsing each container.
Nonetheless, when five o’clock came last Monday, he was ready to call it quits and take the beautiful brunette to dinner. Unfortunately, when he stopped by her office, Tangie had informed him that Becca had thrown up in the bathroom and gone home.
He’d tried calling that night and a couple of times the next day, but her phone went straight to voice mail. She finally sent him a text saying she had a bad case of the flu and would be taking the rest of the week off to rest.
He’d texted back asking if she needed anything, even offered to bring her some of his homemade chicken noodle soup, but she insisted she was highly contagious and that she’d see him on Monday.
Monday. September first. Today.
Her first day as the majority shareholder in the company.
For weeks he’d dreaded this day. That was before he discovered what an incredible woman Becca Nash was. Sure, some of that discovery happened while he pretended to be another man, and he hated that he’d deceived her. Still, he wouldn’t trade any of their time together while he was Coop.
She’d opened his eyes to how disconnected he’d been to the heart of Guac Olé—the factory and all the employees in it who took great pride in pushing out their product daily.
It was there, working side by side on the proposal, that he realized how perfect she was for him. Sure, he came up with the big idea, but Becca was the one who infused life and passion into it.
That passion and connection to the company had been missing in his leadership. Until now.
He’d planned on confessing all at dinner last week, but didn’t get the chance. He would soon.
But right now he wanted to welcome her on board as his new shareholder. He wasn’t sure what would happen when she took on this new role, but one thing was for sure. He’d support her to the hilt.
He’d asked Eleanor to set up the guest office next to his as a satellite one for Becca. With his assistant’s help and exquisite taste, the office now had new furniture, colorful paintings, and fresh-cut flowers to welcome Becca on her first day. He assumed she’d want to spend most of her time in the factory, but when she was over in the corporate building, he wanted her to have her own space.
Although his black leather couch would always be available should she like to join him on it. He chuckled to himself. Getting her back on his couch should
definitely
be a priority today, because he intended on showing the new shareholder how much he wanted her and how much he’d missed her.
Whistling his way up the walkway, he was surprised to run smack into Gavin with Merle. “Hey, you know that dog can’t do his business on Guac Olé property, right?” He bent down and rubbed the black Lab’s ears, tugging on his bright red bandanna. “What’s your dopey human doing here, anyway?”
“What do you mean?” Gavin asked. “I’m here for the meeting.”
“What meeting?” Grayson walked ahead and opened the door, eyeing the bag in Gavin’s hand, which he assumed were donuts from Betty Lou’s. He could go for one right now. Although now that he wasn’t pretending to be Coop, he should really lay off the donuts … and the cookies … and the Chipotle burritos.
“The shareholders’ meeting. Becca sent Gage and me an e-mail asking if we could be here at nine today.” He paused, scrunching up his face. “I assumed you called it.”
“No.” Grayson brushed off the uneasiness creeping up the back of his neck. “She’s been sick for a few days. She probably thought she’d invited me.”
They took the stairs to the third floor, Grayson’s thoughts flying fast. Why would Becca call a meeting with his brothers without talking to him first? What on earth did she have to say? Maybe she wanted to fill Gage and Gavin in on the proposal. “Look, if Becca mentions the proposal that Coop and she worked on to expand our product into restaurants that I told you about, just go with it.”
Gavin nodded, albeit while smirking, as Eleanor approached them, offering to watch Merle. Gage had already arrived and was leaning against the wall outside the Legacy boardroom, texting on his phone.
“There you are.” Gage put his phone in his pocket and tipped his cowboy hat. “Hey, Gavin, did you bring the donuts?”
“You know it.” Gavin waved a paper bag in the air. “Even got Becca’s favorite.” He winked at Grayson and handed the bag to Gage.
Gage lowered his voice. “Gray, I like Becca and all, but your lady could have done a better job prepping us for this meeting. You might need to talk to her about that. Charlotte could give her some tips.” He opened the top of the bag and peered in. “Hmmm. I don’t think this is going to be enough. It’s a packed house in there.”
Who the hell was in there? Grayson peeked inside. Around the table sat his entire senior team. Did Becca seriously call a meeting with all of them? Regardless of his feelings for her, this was not the way to do business. As the CEO, he needed to be kept abreast of any meeting being convened with the executive team.
He adjusted his tie and stepped in. He’d talk to her after the meeting, but right now he’d go along with it. He wouldn’t embarrass her on her first day. He greeted his team, motioning for his brothers to join the group.
Where was Becca? Grayson scanned the room and made pleasant chitchat with Tom and Bill while his brothers took empty seats at the other end of the table.
“Howdy, everyone. I hope I’m not late.”
Grayson froze in place.
The owner of that deep, boisterous greeting waltzed into the boardroom. The thin man had sandy brown hair and a beard to match, and he wore dark jeans and a button-down white dress shirt with a Western bolo tie.
Grayson’s heart dropped at what was at the center of the tie. His strawberry charm key chain had been somehow roped into it.
Grayson bit down hard on his lip. Even without the charm, he recognized the disguise immediately.
“Grayson, it’s good to see you, man.” The guy—whom Grayson was 100 percent sure wasn’t a guy—nodded in his direction, sliding his glasses up the slope of his nose.
“I didn’t know you’d be here,” Grayson said flatly, shoving his hands in his pants pockets. He made no motion to sit down.
The apparent guest of honor introduced himself, shaking Tom’s hand and then Bill’s. “Coop Jackson. Nice to meet you fellas. I worked with Becca on her recent proposal. She said you all supported it and invited me to attend the meeting.”
“We loved it,” Bill replied. “It’s a brilliant idea.”
Grayson caught Gavin’s questioning stare. He gave a short shake of his head while trying to process what the fuck was going on with Becca dressed as a man, wearing a wig, beard, and glasses.
This wasn’t happening. Strike that. This wasn’t going to happen. Not here in front of his brothers and the executive team. He stood and motioned for the door. “Coop, why don’t we step out of the meeting and talk privately in my office?”
“Not so fast, Grayson. Becca will be here any minute, and you don’t want to miss her arrival.” She turned and faced the group. “If my former college roommate would take a seat and indulge me …?”
Grayson locked eyes with her. How did she find out about his disguise? The only people who knew about it other than Gavin were Roselyn, Meg, and Meg’s two friends. Had one of them slipped up? He needed to play it cool, because one thing was apparent from her icy cold stare. She was pissed. “Be my guest.” He sat down and pushed back in his seat.
Becca walked from one end of the rectangular table to the other, before she began. “I’ve known Grayson for a long time. He was there when I lost my job as a vacuum cleaner salesman, and he always supported my vegetarianism, which comes and goes,” she said in her disguised voice. “And when I needed a job, he was right there to jump in and offer me one.”
She came up beside him and slapped his back. “Hell, he even let me borrow a pair of avocado socks. Do you all know he owns a set for every day of the week? Probably wearing a pair right now.”
“Coop,” Grayson started through gritted teeth. “I doubt my team is interested in the pattern of my socks.”
She moved past him toward the wall with his dad’s portrait. “Maybe not. All they know is that their CEO is smart, ambitious, generous, and loyal. The right man to further his father’s legacy and lead this company into the future. Wouldn’t you agree, Gage?”
“Sure.” Gage looked at Gavin. “How does this guy know my name?”
Becca laughed sarcastically, sending chills down Grayson’s spine. He straightened and folded his arms across his chest.
“Now, Jack Cooper.” She tapped on the portrait. “He was the
right
man to lead the company back in his day. A hardworking, honest man who led with integrity and respect. But your current CEO”—she turned from the portrait and removed her glasses, setting them down in front of Gavin—“hmmm, you may need these to open your eyes.”
“What do you mean?” Tom asked from across the table.
“The man whom you are working for—whom all of you have pledged your support to—is a liar and a masterful manipulator who would stop at nothing to get what he wants.” Her hands went up to her face and with one swift yank, she removed her beard, throwing it on the center of the table. “Including impersonating another man.”
All questioning eyes darted over to Grayson, and that only fueled Becca’s fury.
“Becca, this isn’t the place,” he said.
“Why, because you don’t want your staff to know how you duped your factory workers into believing you were Coop Jackson?” She pulled off her wig and threw it at him, hitting him square in the chest.
He counted to three and calmly removed the wig. “Becca … that’s not what I did.”
“You didn’t go undercover for the last two weeks, pretending you were a line worker, deceiving all of your employees, so you could—what? Get some dirt on me so you could get the shares?”
“No, I didn’t do it for that reason.” This was not how he’d wanted to confess his deceit, and she was not going to broadcast any more to his executive team, who might then question his leadership—or his sanity. “Becca, you don’t know what you’re doing or saying. This meeting is over.”
“I know exactly what I’m saying.” Her voice raised, she marched over to him. “If lying and deceiving are traits you look for in a leader, then I want no part of it.” She clutched the strawberry charm key chain around her neck and snapped it off.
“You want the shares, they’re yours. Congratulations, Mr. Cooper, on getting exactly what you’ve wanted. Stay away from me.” She dropped the charm in front of him and stormed out of the conference room.
Grayson finished reading the last letter meant for Nora. His heart hurt reading his dad’s handwritten words. It was obvious from the notes between them that they’d been in love. Why didn’t it work out?
Was it his dad’s ambition that had pushed Nora away? Just like his own screw-up on Monday with Becca. As his executives awkwardly filed out, his brothers stayed behind to offer their support, but it didn’t help him feel like any less of an asshole. Becca was right. He was a liar.
He’d been such an idiot to think he could come clean and she’d understand. How could she? She was a woman who led the factory with integrity.
He set the last letter back in the box. What he’d done had been unimaginable to Becca, and she refused to talk to him after storming out of the boardroom.
Now it was Saturday, and he’d stopped by Gage and Charlotte’s to get the box of letters they’d left on the kitchen island for him. He’d planned on dashing in and out since the two were up in Houston. However, once he stepped back onto the porch, all he could remember was the evening that he and Becca enjoyed, sitting on the wicker swing, staring up at the twinkling stars.
Even though it would be hours until nightfall, the swing was the only place he wanted to be when he finally read the letters. So he took a seat and began to read.
There weren’t many, but the love between his dad and the mystery woman was evident with each note.
For whatever reason, it appeared that she’d ended things, leaving his dad brokenhearted. It seemed like she didn’t feel she was good enough for his father; however, his dad’s ambition—and perhaps his pushiness—may have been what ultimately drove her away.
He picked up the pictures he’d brought with him of this Nora who had the same caramel-colored eyes as Becca. Had this woman been the love of his father’s life?
And was that love the reason his dad had done his matchmaking? Perhaps he wanted Grayson and his brothers to all have their shot at true love, something he himself might have had and lost all those years ago.
Grayson set the letters back in the wooden box, his finger tracing the two hearts entwined on its top along with the letters
J
and
L
. If this woman’s name was Nora, what did the
L
stand for? Love?
He’d asked Gage if he could take the letters. He wanted to show them to Becca, along with the photos of his father with this woman, when he begged for her forgiveness. If this lady was, in fact, Becca’s mom—and he was certain it was, given the resemblance—she might want to read the love story that played out in these letters.
It was a long shot. Becca hadn’t spoken to him since her public blowup in the boardroom.