Chapter 23

The cocktail reception soon moved to a dining room.

Floyd and Arthur both brought their wives, who Chase had yet to meet. Floyd’s wife, Ann, sat between Floyd and Arthur and was content to talk only to them. Arthur’s wife, Daniella, on the other hand, sat beside Vivian, and the two instantly found things to talk about.

“I wasn’t expecting to see you here,” Floyd said to Piper after they were seated and the first course was in front of them.

Chase felt Piper’s unease with the question more than saw it.

“I don’t see why not,” Alex told him. “Piper is our right hand.”

“Isn’t your right hand my husband and Arthur?” Ann asked. “You didn’t get demoted, did you, dear?” Ann turned to Floyd.

“No, honey. I’m still the vice president.”

“Piper has been very instrumental in navigating the landscape of this transition,” Alex told her.

“Not to mention she’s become a trusted and important member of our team. There are reasons Stone Enterprises uses the word assistant. Alex and I now understand that more than ever,” Chase explained.

Floyd squared his chin, his eyes level with Piper’s.

The hair on Chase’s neck started to spike.

“You’re a first, Piper. I don’t believe I’ve ever seen an assistant at one of these events.”

The last thing Chase wanted was for Piper to feel out of place, and Floyd was doing just that. He was about to shut the man down, but Piper beat Chase to it.

“That’s unfortunate, Floyd. Julia, for example, keeps an exceptional pace in managing your busy calendar. With the frequent shifting of your schedule for your long family weekends. It’s not easy circumventing middle management when your boss isn’t in the office.” The smile on Piper’s face had a hint of wicked behind it.

It was the shift in Floyd’s gaze to his wife that clued Chase in to what Piper had just done.

Ann’s next words solidified Chase’s assumption.

“We don’t take long family weekends very often. The last time was . . . back before Christmas.” Ann’s gaze turned to her husband.

“They’re business weekends, Ann.” Floyd’s jaw tightened. “Piper is mistaken.”

With one comment, Piper shut Floyd’s commentary down on his obvious disapproval of her being at the event. And likely just caused the man a weekend of sleeping on the couch. Floyd and Aaron both had spent long weekends with their mistresses.

Chase rested one hand under the table and intentionally tapped Piper’s knee. She tapped his toe with her foot in acknowledgment but didn’t look his way.

The waiter arrived and refilled the glasses of champagne, and Alex changed the subject. “Mom, did Gaylord say why Jack isn’t here tonight?”

“One of the grandchildren is sick.”

“Nothing serious, I hope,” Alex said.

“Didn’t sound like it. They put their family first,” Vivian told them.

Silence hovered over the table like a fog. No one there could say that about Stone Enterprises. Family was not a part of their mission statement, their values, their identity.

Chase was going to change that.

Dinner rolled on a little too slow for Chase’s liking. Eventually, the head of the Regional Heart Association took up position at a podium at the front of the room and addressed the attendees.

Thank you all for coming . . . blah, blah, blah. It’s your generous donations that save thousands of lives . . . blah, blah, blah.

Chase half listened and watched Piper’s expressions while everyone else’s attention was on the man on the microphone.

Even though this exclusive of an event had not been on Chase’s calendar in the past, he identified corporate ass-kissing when he heard it. He was certain the Regional Heart Association did good things—most of the charities out there claiming to help the sick did. However, he was equally certain a big portion of their donations paid for people like Theodore to stand in front of them and tout their achievements.

From watching Piper’s expressions . . . the slight roll of an eye, a closing of her eyes . . . a hand covering her lips as if hiding a grin . . . all these came at a time when Chase felt the same lack of sincerity spewed from the microphone.

Chase had nearly tuned out the man’s voice completely when he heard the words Stone Enterprises in the middle of his speech.

“. . . we are fortunate to have Alexandrea and Chase Stone join us tonight.”

Alex turned and made eye contact with him as the room clapped politely.

“We at the Regional Heart Association see all too frequently the sudden and unexpected death brought on by heart disease and the devastating loss families feel when this occurs.”

Chase felt the eyes of the room shift to their table.

Piper’s expressions evened out.

Alex sat up taller.

And his mother shielded her face with a hand to her cheek.

“Please welcome Aaron Stone’s surviving children to the podium.”

He should have seen this coming.

The sound of clapping filled the room.

Alex turned to him and leaned forward. “If I go up there, my lack of devastation is going to show.”

Damn!

Chase pushed his chair back and did what he had to do.

Piper smiled up at him and mouthed the words, You got this!

The clapping stilled once Chase stood at the front of the room. “Thank you. I guess this is my crash course in public speaking, and since I just picked the short straw at our table, you get me and not my beautiful sister.”

Alex lifted her glass of champagne in the air at his words.

Chase paused and looked at the many nameless faces watching him.

He met Gaylord’s eyes.

The man offered a nod.

“Alex and I want to thank those of you who had no intention of coming to this event until our father was named in the program. It certainly has given us an opportunity to match faces and personalities, as I’m sure we have done the same for you. For most of you, this is the first time we’ve met. That is unfortunate.” Chase took a breath. “When Mr. Laughlin speaks of the loss and devastation after an unexpected death in regard to our father, I can’t help but wonder how that feels.”

There were several audible noises from the room.

Chase continued. “There was nothing unexpected about our father’s death. Not for Alex and I. When you spend more time building an empire for the sake of building it, and not for the family you will leave it to . . . what do you have? Heart disease, apparently. A family who doesn’t know you. An empty house and cars that sit to rot. Let our father’s death be a wake-up call to any of you who have not found balance in what is important. None of us are getting out of this thing we call life alive. How you live it will not solely be measured by the success of your companies. But by the love and memories you created while you were here. And perhaps by your generosity to organizations such as the Regional Heart Association who may very well help in saving the life of someone you love one day.”

Chase’s gaze met his mother, his sister, and landed on Piper.

She brushed at the moisture in her eyes.

The first to clap was Gaylord, and then the room erupted.

There really was nothing else to say.

Chase thanked the room and walked back to the table while everyone stood.

He accepted his mother’s open arms. “I’m so proud of you.”

He kissed her cheek and moved to Alex.

“You’re doing all the speeches from now on,” she whispered in his ear.

The clapping in the room eased, and music from the band playing for the after-party started.

Floyd and Arthur shook his hand, and Daniella offered a familiar hug. “I don’t even know what to say.”

Piper shook her head and wiped the corner of her eyes. “You’re nothing like your father.”

Chase moved in to hug her, taking advantage of the opportunity to pull her close with a room filled with people watching. Her arms circled his back, and for an all-too-brief moment, it was only the two of them.

All around them, people were moving away from their dinner tables. Several stood close by, anticipating an opportunity to talk to him.

Chase moved out of her arms, his lips close to her ear. “I won’t repeat his mistakes.”

They stared a moment too long.

A hand slapped Chase’s back. “Damn fine speech, Stone.”

Chase turned his attention to Gaylord, who pulled him into a man-hug. The kind that bordered on bruises from the pounding on the back . . . and Piper slipped away.

Piper made her way to the ladies’ room while Chase addressed his new fan club.

His impromptu speech hit deep in her chest. Other than Vivian and Alex, Piper was probably the only one in the crowd that knew just how real his words had been. His carefully measured dis of his father’s life choices was poignant and respectable. A combination not many people could pull off without sounding bitter or fake.

A woman exited the restroom as she walked in, said hello, and walked away.

At the mirror, Piper made sure her makeup wasn’t a mess from the unexpected feels and tears. After a dash of powder and a fresh coat of lipstick, she turned to leave.

Right as Melissa opened the door.

“Fancy meeting you here,” Melissa said.

Not again. “These bathroom encounters really do need to stop,” Piper told her.

Melissa looked her up and down, her gaze landing on Piper’s shoes. “There is no way you paid for that on your salary.”

“Jealous?”

“That’s absurd.”

The woman had such a different personality when others weren’t watching. “You can always sell your late husband’s watches. I’m sure they will buy you a few things.”

Melissa’s smile didn’t falter. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. If there’s something missing from my late husband’s personal belongings, perhaps the unsupervised, unpleasant secretary should be questioned. I mean, how else could she afford all this?” Melissa waved up and down Piper’s frame.

Yeah, Piper could easily see how that would go. She stepped to the side. “Thank you again for the bathroom chitchat.”

Another woman opened the restroom door, ending the scowl on Melissa’s face.

“By the way . . . I love that dress,” Piper said. “Red is definitely your color.” The funny thing was, Piper meant every word. Kill ’em with kindness.

The scowl it provoked from Melissa was a bonus.

Piper left the widow with a light heart and a spring in her step. As Piper saw it, she’d managed to ping-pong Floyd’s borderline insults into a “Don’t start a pissing match with me that you can’t win.” And then there was the ongoing crap with Melissa that was bound to end soon since the two of them didn’t run in the same circles.

Well, except for this night.

Piper knew this was a one-off. Floyd was right that assistants weren’t a part of dinners where the table cost was ten thousand if you sat close to the podium and six if you sat in the back of the room. No matter how you spun that, the meal was stupid expensive. And the plus-one was not a well-titled secretary. It was a board member, or a family member. A perk for middle management. Not the Pipers in the world.

With all that in mind, she was determined to enjoy her time living the high life and not let Melissa or Floyd get under her skin.

The volume of the band had increased from the time she left the hall to when she returned. The lights were slightly dimmed, and several people were out on the dance floor.

The first couple Piper noticed were Gaylord and Vivian. Where most of the couples danced alongside each other, Gaylord looked as if he turned a current pop hit into something he could two-step to. In short, the two of them were holding each other as he moved her around the dance floor.

“They look cozy,” Piper said as she came up behind Alex.

“Not sure how I feel about that,” Alex said.

“What’s the worst thing that could happen?”

Alex glanced at Piper, then back to the dance floor. “Let’s see . . . they could start something up, it goes on for a while, or maybe it doesn’t. Gaylord does something that isn’t kumbaya, and a tiff between the Morrisons and the Stones begins. We have enough challenges. I hate to invite enemies this early in the game.”

“Or . . . ,” Piper started, “they start something and embark upon an amazing chapter in their lives that continues and unites both of your families. Or . . . if they do, in fact, find that they don’t work, they act like adults and go their separate ways.”

Alex seemed to chew on Piper’s words for a minute. Then caught Piper out in left field. “Is that what you think is going to happen with you and Chase?”

A lump caught in Piper’s throat, and it took a moment to respond. “There really isn’t—”

“I see how he looks at you. There is no Photoshop to blame when you see what’s obvious with your own eyes.” Alex turned to face her. “My concern isn’t you. I want to make that clear. I think you’re lovely. Work aside . . . you’ve been a friend to us both and an advocate for what we’ve needed most since you appeared in our lives.”

“But?” Piper needed to hear the rest of Alex’s thoughts.

“If things don’t work out . . . what happens then? Do you leave? Does Chase disappear from the day-to-day operations? Not to mention, you know more about us than anyone in this room.” There was real concern in Alex’s tone.

It wasn’t what Alex was saying that got to Piper, it was that she had the exact same thoughts.

She could assure Alex that she wasn’t leaving, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t be asked to go.

“I’m not Melissa,” was all Piper could say.

Alex reached out and placed a hand on Piper’s arm. “I know that.”

Tears welled in her eyes.

Alex squeezed the arm she was holding. “I shouldn’t have said anything.”

Pull it together, Piper. “No. You haven’t said anything I haven’t thought.” She swallowed and said what needed to be said. “I’ve met the most wonderful person in my life, at the worst possible time.”

“Piper?”

“Chase and I . . . we haven’t. I need you to know that.” Piper looked directly in Alex’s eyes at that moment. When it was apparent Piper was pregnant, Alex needed to know that Chase wasn’t responsible.

“I’m so sorry I brought this up.”

Tears were seriously threatening to fall if she didn’t exit this conversation. “Don’t be. I need this job more than you can comprehend. I’m not going anywhere unless I’m told to.” It was the only way Piper could ask that she not be fired for something she’d only dreamed about doing. “I need to go.” And she did. Fast. Or make a scene.

“Piper, please.”

Her eyes started to swell, and her nose filled with emotion.

Then she saw Chase working his way through the crowd toward them, completely oblivious to what they were talking about.

Piper was going to lose it.

“I’m not feeling well. I’m going to grab an Uber.” And without anything more, Piper walked away.

“Piper!”