The Exception Page 4

  And Cane was the same as the rest of them.

  I jumped into my Jeep Compass just a few minutes behind schedule. Alanis Morissette’s “Jagged Little Pill” album blasted through the speakers, her girl anthems distracting me from the Adonis who had taken over my subconscious. By the time I reached Stanley Real Estate, I was almost on time.

  The office hadn’t changed a bit. Dad’s plaques were still on the eggshell-colored walls. The same plant was in the corner, although it was much bigger than I remembered, and the lamp and magazines on the corner table were still in place. All that was missing was Alice, Dad’s longtime secretary.

  I made my way through the building and to my old office. It had been rearranged by the last occupant, but it still felt like mine and I was relieved. Who says you can’t go home?

  I tossed my things on my desk and opened my blinds, gazing out at the small grassy patch behind that building. Kari and I played on that growing up, racing around, practicing gymnastics and playing tag. Mom would pack picnic lunches on the weekends if Dad had to work. We would bring food and a quilt and eat lunch out on the grass.

  The wave of nostalgia hit me unexpectedly. I had been gone for so long. I had been so caught up in my life that I had forgotten about those little moments—the moments that made me who I was.

  My throat constricted as the memories flooded by, comforting and saddening me at the same time.

  “You got this, sweet pea.” I closed my eyes as I remembered the line Mom always said to encourage me. I wished so hard that I could hear her say that to me one more time, to assure me as I started this new chapter in my life. Will I be okay this time? Do I have this? I wasn’t sure, but I had to keep plowing forward either way.

  “It is so nice having you back,” Alice said, bringing me out of my reverie. “You were very missed around here. But you know that.”

  I turned and smiled at her, pushing my memories away. She looked remarkably the same as she did when I left, her greying hair pulled tightly back into her signature bun. “Thank you. It is really nice to be back.”

  “Well, everything feels right now that you are home—where you belong.” She pushed her eyeglasses up on her nose, giving me a motherly look. “Your father wants to see you when you get a chance, by the way. He has a bounce in his step this morning that I haven’t seen for a long time.”

  She turned to leave and I followed her out of my office and down the hall. We reached my father’s door and she gave me a pat on the shoulder and a small smile before disappearing around the corner.

  Alice had always been more to Kari and me than just Dad’s secretary. We had always seen her as a family friend or an aunt of sorts. But after our mother’s passing, Alice stepped up to the plate. She took care of everything, but gave us all room to grieve—especially me.

  The seventh day of March, my birthday, would always be a rough day. There would be no celebrations, no parties, no festivities from my fourteenth birthday on. It would always be a sad day for me.

  It would always be the day my mother died.

  A stay-at-home mom that made homemade dinners, played Candyland, and volunteered her time at a local women’s shelter, Anne Stanley was the ideal mother; Kari and I were the center of her life. Not having her left a tremendous void, but Alice tried to fill it as best as she could. Not in a disingenuous way, but because she had loved our mother, too. She baked cookies for our bake sales, picked us up from school when we were sick, and I’m fairly certain she wrapped our Christmas presents every year.

  She kept things from spiraling out of control.

  “Hey, Dad. What’s up?” I looked across the room at my father. He was handsome, with rugged features and a charismatic smile. He was an astute businessman, but always a father first. There was never any doubt that Kari and I were his first priority.

  “Good morning, Jada.” He looked up from a stack of papers in his hands. “I hope you are ready to jump in head first.”

  “Is there any other way?” Excitement started to build inside me as I took my seat across from his desk. I loved work and the challenge of making things happen. It was in my bones.

  “That’s my girl.” He smiled proudly. “We had a call come in this morning about listing a property in Scottsdale. It’s a commercial building for a new client. It’s known as Solomon Place. They asked that we get up there today and get the ball rolling.” He sat the papers on the desk. “It’s a good thing you showed up to work today instead of next week.”

  “And why is that?” I asked, raising my eyebrows.

  “They asked for you.”

  “They? Asked for me?” I was baffled. “That makes absolutely no sense, Dad. No one even knows I’m in town.” I racked my brain for a connection, but came up short.

  “Do you know someone named Max Quinn?”

  The fog began to lift. “I think so.”

  “Well, Mr. Quinn asked for you to meet him at the property this morning. I typically like to handle new clients and accounts this expensive myself, but I trust you.” He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his desk. “If you are ready, of course.”

  “I’d love to do it. That’s why I am here, right?”

  “Here’s the address,” he said, scooting a piece of paper across the table. “Alice has the rest of the information you’ll need.”

  An hour later, I pulled up in front of a one story commercial building at the address listed on the paper. It was stucco and discreet, but fairly large and on the outskirts of Scottsdale.

  I was excited to get started, to kick off this new phase of my life. But an undercurrent of confusion coursed through me.

  What did Max have to do with it?

  Stepping out of my Jeep, I took in a hasty breath. The temperature overtook me as the hair on the back of my neck became damp with sweat. Dry heat my ass. I quickly made my way to the front of the building, ignoring the construction workers that were obviously watching me from the building next door.

  Looking through the glass, I didn’t see anyone. The door was unlocked, it was hot, and the address matched, so I went on in.

  “Hello?” I called out into the space. “Is anyone here?”

  I was met with silence, save the faint sound of the air conditioner working overtime.

  The building looked to have been empty for a while. The floors were dusty and there were odds and ends of office furniture scattered throughout the large entry room, but otherwise it was vacant.

  “Hello? Max?” I announced again, peeking into one of the cubicles lining the side wall. A sound cracked from a back room and my heart jumped to my throat in surprise. I laughed softly and headed towards the sound, hoping that it was Max and not a murderer.

  As I cautiously approached the doorway, I could hear someone inside. I rounded the corner and stopped abruptly, my heart skipping a beat.

  He was sitting at the desk in the back of the room, his head resting in the palm of one of his hands. I could see his fingers pressing against the sandy colored strands as if in thought. His watch caught the light and sent a prism of color onto the wall.

  He looked so out of place—so large and powerful in the small, drab area. It was a play on opposites—excellence meeting mediocrity.

  He hadn’t heard me arrive, completely absorbed in whatever he was reading, and I took a second to steady myself before I caught his attention. Just looking at him was enough to take my breath away.

  I briefly considered sneaking out before he saw me, but remembered that I was there on business.

  Breathe.

  Taking a deep breath, I knocked gently on the door. He didn’t move anything but his eyes, raising them to mine. A slow smile crept across his face and my heart picked up its pace.

  Cane leaned back in his chair and grinned smugly, like the cat that ate the canary. “Well, what do you know? We see each other again.”

  My racing heart was now fueled by irritation instead of lust. This is the first day of my new life, and I’m being toyed with by another jerk?
Heaven help me.

  I briefly closed my eyes and tried to stay calm. Ripping into him, giving him a huge reaction, would be letting him win and I was tired of handing victories to assholes.

  “It seems that we do. I was told that Max asked to see me?” I forced a smile.

  “Oh, Max would probably enjoy that,” Cane laughed. “But no, you are here to see me.”

  “And why is that?”

  He leaned forward, his elbows on the desk and his grin growing wider. “Isn’t it obvious why you are here to see me?”

  “I’m hoping there is a valid reason.”

  “Why do I sense a little hostility?” He smirked.

  “I guess I’m just confused. I was told Max made an appointment to see me today and then I come in here and you have that look on your face. Sorry if I feel a little addled right now.”

  Cane looked genuinely amused. He stood up and leaned against the desk, rolling his white shirt sleeves up, baring his forearms one golden inch at a time. It was a completely natural thing to do, but watching him do it was almost like foreplay; I felt my chest rise and fall harder.

  “Max is a contractor and I am a real estate investor. I buy properties and Max gets them ready to resell. He manages the construction part of Alexander Industries.”

  “I see.” I adjusted my bag on my shoulder, feeling a little awkward. “So how do I come in to play?”

  “I want to put Solomon Place—this building—on the market. And I thought you could help me with that.”

  “Can I ask you a question? Why did you call our office? You have never done business with us before.”

  I pushed a breath into my constricted chest, feeling my lungs press against my ribs. This wasn’t what I had in mind for my first day back. I was supposed to be serious, focused, starting my life fresh. Instead, I was looking into the eyes of a gorgeous playboy, trying to decide if his intentions were professional or if he was trying to manipulate me. Why do I always find these guys? Why couldn’t Max’s friend have been an accountant or something?

  “This property needs to be put up for sale. Max mentioned that you were a realtor. It seemed like it could be a good partnership.”

  He stood straight and the mood in the room shifted. “What can I say, Jada? You made an impression last night.”

  I squared my shoulders and fought the urge to smile at his playful tone. “If you want to list this property, it would be my pleasure. But if there are ulterior motives, please spare me.”

  A smirk slowly made its way across his lips. “I was trying to keep this professional and you start talking about pleasure.”

  I rolled my eyes, smiling despite myself. “I don’t even know what to say to you right now.”

  “Words can be twisted to mean a million different things.” His eyes locked onto mine, sparkling with mischief.

  “That’s true, I guess.”

  “It is absolutely true. Words can mean anything. It is actions that really speak.”

  I nodded my head and bit my lip to keep from smiling, staying silent.

  “If you would rather figure things out physically, I’m good with that. Very, very good from what I hear …”

  I couldn’t help but laugh. While I was absolutely sure that, on some level, he was serious, his carefree way and lighthearted tone put me at ease.

  “Yes. Let’s get physical immediately,” I said, watching his eyes darken. “Let’s take some measurements and I will let you get back to your day.” I sat my bag down and grabbed a notepad and my measuring tape.

  “There are a dozens of innuendos that could be taken from that. But,” he said, growing serious as I flashed him a warning look, “I will refrain from making any comments.”

  I led him to the main room and he chuckled as he followed.

  “Okay, grab this end of the tape and walk down there.”

  “How long have you done this type of work?” He moved gracefully to the other wall, holding the tape against it.

  “I grew up helping my dad do this kind of thing. I worked for him before I moved to Boston and I worked in real estate there, too. Really, I’ve done this my whole life.”

  “What sent you to Boston?”

  My throat constricted. “I moved there with my husband. I’ve just been back here a few days, actually.”

  “You aren’t married now, right? Or did I misunderstand something?”

  “No, I’m not married anymore.” My voice gave a little more away than I intended, earning me a suspicious look from Cane. I noted the measurements and started to the other room, his footsteps close behind me.

  “Are you all right? I didn’t mean to pry.”

  The genuineness in his voice took me by surprise. “Yeah, I’m good. Things happen, you know?”

  “This explains a lot.” He held the tape against the far wall and I scratched down the number.

  I looked down at the notepad for a moment longer than necessary, trying to get ahold of my rioting thoughts. I didn’t want to discuss this with anyone, but especially not a client. Regardless of his flirty nature, amazing looks, or this new side I was beginning to see from him, that is what he was—a client. Nothing more, nothing less.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” I huffed, giving in.

  He held a hand up in defense. “I didn’t mean anything. Just that you are so, I don’t know, halfway pissed off all the time.”

  “Well, maybe that’s what ended my marriage. Maybe I’m hard to deal with.”

  “Well, you are hard to deal with.” He leaned against the wall, crossing one ankle in front of the other. “But what I really think happened is that guy did a number on you. Just saying.”

  “Yeah, well, I don’t really want to talk about it. Just saying.” I made a few notes in my notebook, avoiding his pointed stare.

  “I didn’t mean anything by that. You’re just a hard one to figure out.”

  I shook my head. “That’s not true.”

  “I could form a better opinion about that if you weren’t so damn hard to deal with.”

  My face jerked to his to see a teasing look. I shook my head, walking back in the office and putting my things inside my bag. “Thank you for your help today.”

  “Thank you for coming by on such short notice. Let me know if you need anything else.”

  “I will.”

  He stroked his chin with his thumb. “I think we made a good team, even though you came in here with a bit of an attitude this morning.”

  I winced. The sound of him calling me out embarrassed me a little. “I’m sorry about that. I just wasn’t sure what was going on when you were sitting there all smug.”

  “Words are hard for you, too. We should have started off with the physical. I knew it.” He snapped his fingers in the air.

  I shook my head, making my way to the front door. I needed to get out of there quickly. He was being nice—that wasn’t playing fair.

  “Jada.” Cane’s voice was a command and I automatically stopped dead in my tracks. I turned and he was glancing at his watch. “Would you want to grab dinner later? I feel like I owe you something for coming over here first thing and I don’t like owing anyone anything.”

  He stood stoically, the light shining through the window casting shadows upon his features. He looked sharper, sexier, and more devastatingly handsome than ever before. And as much as my body wanted to go to dinner with Cane Alexander, and, quite frankly, be his dessert, I knew my heart would ultimately be what was carved up and devoured.

  I could not buy into his charm, as much as I wanted to.

  “You don’t owe me anything. Don’t worry about it.”

  “I can’t help it that I feel that way,” he winked. “You are just going to have to go to dinner with me.”

  “I’m sorry, Cane. I can’t. Thank you, though.” I started to leave again but stopped when I heard a soft chuckle come from behind me. “What’s so funny?”

  “Nothing, really. It’s just that I usually don’t invite women to dinner and
I never get turned down when I do. Am I losing my touch?”

  “I wouldn’t know. I don’t know if you had it to begin with.”

  He put his hand over his heart. “That hurt.” He took a step towards me and my breath caught in my throat. “What is it about me that you don’t like?”

  “Nothing, per se.”

  “You are very reserved around me. I think you don’t want to like me. But here’s the thing—I can read women better than anyone. It really is a gift. I know you are interested. So, what’s holding you back? I am just asking for dinner. I’m not out-and-out asking you to fuck—yet.”

  His words were a match, sending my libido up in flames.

  I tried desperately to control my response to him, but it was easier said than done. The crudeness should have had offended me, but my body was humming instead.

  “Do you talk to all your business associates this way?” I asked, trying to distract him.

  “No. They’re usually overweight, middle-aged men.” He made a sour face. “I actually keep business and pleasure separate. You’re just an exception.”

  The air between us crackled, but each of us held back.

  “Cane, look, I’m sorry.” I took a step back until I could feel the cool glass of the front door at my back. “I really do need to get back to the office.”

  “You have to eat. What’s wrong with sharing a meal with me?”

  “Dinner leads to dinners, which lead to lunches, and I just don’t want to go there.”

  “You’re putting the cart before the horse, don’t you think? I may not like you. So, while I admire your ego, I think you are jumping to conclusions.”

  “My ego? That’s hilarious coming from you, Coach!” I exclaimed.

  He burst out laughing. “So, while I admire your confidence,” he modified, raising his eyebrows with a cheeky grin, “it’s just dinner. I’m not sure what’s so risqué about that.”

  There was no way I would have even considered dinner with him the night before, but I found myself now wavering. As I looked at him, all alpha male in front of me, he chose that moment to reach up and run his fingers through his hair. My heart pounded at the sight of his biceps flexing and my body began to ache with want; I had to fight myself to tear my eyes away as my brain took back over.