Billionaire’s Missing Baby Page 19

  Twirling her wine glass, Maya was the picture of an unconvinced skeptic. “Be that as it may, I know you, Dana. I know you couldn’t do something like this. You can hardly lie when Dad asks if we keep alcohol in the house. And that’s over the phone! You’d never be able to keep a straight face in person—even if you could, you’d feel terrible. It would tear you up to live a lie.”

  It was very true, but Dana tilted her head stubbornly. “I wouldn’t be living a lie. It would just be a couple meetings with this representative, someone I don’t even know. I’d hardly have to do anything out of the ordinary, I think.”

  “You think?”

  How bizarre, Dana thought, that the exact same position she’d been so wary of with Andrew, she was now defending with Maya. Life was unpredictable, that was for sure.

  Maya flipped through Netflix, searching. “And now, you’re going to be up all night thinking about it. Just watch—you’re going to end up tossing and turning, and you haven’t even answered.”

  Dana picked up her plate and started in. It was mouth-watering. Maya may be a waitress with dreams of being a doctor, but she sure knew her way around a kitchen.

  And she knew her older sister, perhaps too well. Hours later, midnight came and went and Dana was still awake, turning it over and over and over in her mind. Something about the desperate, pleading note in Andrew’s voice kept her from putting the proposition aside. Maybe it was just because he was so attractive. Maybe secretly, Dana did want to be his fiancée, just for a little while.

  She rolled over and pulled a pillow onto her head, but that wasn’t going to do a thing to keep out the endless nagging at the back of her mind. I wouldn’t be living a lie. She was just going to go about life as usual, attend a couple parties, have a conversation or two with some new people. She’d only have to lie about the part with Andrew, after all. Only about being engaged. Only that.

  Dana looked up at her alarm clock. It was already one in the morning. She had to get up at quarter to seven for work. With a frustrated huff, she burrowed under the covers and tried—and failed—to clear her mind and catch a little rest before tomorrow.

  Chapter 6

  Several streets away, Andrew crawled out of bed when his alarm clock ripped apart the silence. He’d blinked in and out of fitful slumber, really only catching enough rest to suffer through half a hundred gut-droppingly realistic night terrors that he’d woken up, gotten on the subway, and Dana had moved in the night to avoid him, changed jobs, left the city, left the planet, all in an attempt to never have to speak to him again.

  He lived alone in a rather modest condo—when he’d gotten his most recent promotion to manager, he’d shopped for a better living arrangement around the city, and found a cozy two-bed on the fifteenth floor with a sliver of the bay visible to the east. At first, he’d asked eagerly to see the luxury apartments, even houses, aware now that he could afford anything he wanted to. Bellwethers was a profitable company, and didn’t skimp on salaries, that much was certain. But after viewing a couple high-end options, Andrew felt they didn’t fit, like a pair of pants that kept falling down. Thankfully, he waited until he found one he liked. The past three years had been comfortable and content here on the fifteenth floor, with his one extra bedroom that—truthfully—was just an extra office.

  Today was possibly the least comfortable he’d ever been in his own house. He showered, trying to ignore the way his bathroom mirror made him look even thinner than he really was. Was he losing weight? As a kid, he’d always been scrawny, and he’d missed the gym the past few days, first over the weekend, and then with work…

  Andrew slapped a button and the shades across his windows opened automatically. It was going to be another chilly one, as usual in a New York October. It would be snowing before they knew it. Was it already almost Halloween? Where had this year gone?

  He got dressed in a suit and tied on his shined loafers. As he did, a ball of gray and white fur trundled out from under his bed and tried to rub a face against Andrew’s leg.

  “No, Gandalf,” Andrew pushed the cat away. “We talked about this. If you want pets, it has to be before I get dressed. I can’t show up to the office covered in cat hair.”

  Gandalf glared up at Andrew and sat stubbornly next to his feet. He’d been in bad shape when Andrew adopted him. His previous owners had abandoned him, but first they’d had him declawed, which put the poor guy at a serious disadvantage on the New York streets. Little more than a mangy, furry skeleton, Andrew had still taken a liking to him when he’d started to feel too alone in his empty house. He’d almost bought a kitten, but his mom had suggested a shelter cat. Since coming home, Gandalf had fleshed out to be not only a large cat, but a very lazy, very tubby one, as well.

  And affectionate. Andrew sighed and rubbed his face despite his own protests, stroked the cat’s back—along which he hadn’t been able to feel spine for over a year. At least he’d done one thing right.

  Unfortunately, thoughts of Dana closed in again the moment Andrew pulled his coat and scarf on and headed out the door. He knew he’d made her completely uncomfortable yesterday. Hell, he’d made himself uncomfortable! It was an awkward thing to ask of a person, especially one as upstanding and honest as Dana. Why had he even thought she would agree to such an arrangement?

  And yet, Andrew found himself excited and anxious all at once to reach the train. And a little scared. After all, most of last night’s dreams had started this way, with him heading down to catch the subway as if nothing was amiss.

  The station was six blocks from his building, so Andrew walked fast on his long legs to be sure that he didn’t miss it. It was just as cold out as it had looked, scurrying along under the shadows of the skyline. The subway came into sight, and Andrew checked his watch. It would arrive in minutes. His scurry hastened into a light jog, hands dug safely and warmly in his pockets.

  All the while, he was planning in his head… what if she had decided no? What would he say then? Moreover, what if she said yes? How would it feel to pretend to be engaged to her for two or three weeks?

  Andrew’s chest did bizarre and slightly frightening things at the thought, and he swept through the gate and onto the platform just as the doors were hissing open. He went to the third car—where Dana usually waited for him—and slipped on board.

  And there she was. She stood out effortlessly, bright in her red coat and green head band. Her dark eyes were already on him, and she gave him a small smile as Andrew waded through the crowd in her direction.

  “Good morning,” he offered, oddly relieved that she was actually here. A part of him had been afraid that she would have found another way to work today. A part of him had been quite sure that she would attempt to avoid seeing him.

  “Morning,” she replied. Her usual cheer seemed dimmer today, which hurt more than anything. The last thing Andrew had wanted was to make her unhappy. He almost said exactly that, but Dana started talking as the train doors slid shut. “Andrew, I’m so sorry, but I don’t think I can do this.” The words were rushed, almost blurted, as if she was worried about his reaction. “I know it’s for your project, and I really do think it’s important, but I just—I don’t think I can—I don’t feel like it’s appropriate to pretend like that.” She looked around helplessly at all the ears in listening range and lowered her voice. “I just don’t feel comfortable at all with the thought of pretending to be your fiancée.”

  Andrew sighed. “Are you sure? I mean… there’s no one else I would trust with this sort of thing. I couldn’t possibly just… ask some woman off the street. Believe me, I don’t find it perfectly agreeable, either… Is there anything I can do to change your mind?”

  The disappointment at her refusal hit him sharp. Still, she was clearly being as straightforward as she always was in this matter, and at least she seemed to have really considered it before making a decision. Besides all that, Andrew much preferred her to be happy and cheerful like usual. Getting on the train today to see her subdu
ed and pensive had nearly been as bad as his tenaciously bad dreams.

  But at his words, she seemed relieved, and smiled sadly. “I don’t think so. I mean, I want to help out, but I was talking to my sister Maya last night, and—well, she sort of convinced me not to.”

  “Convinced you not to?”

  “I had my doubts already,” Dana explained quickly. “But we were talking and she just didn’t think I’d be happy about the arrangement. She thought I’d just sit around guiltily like a robbed a bank, acting suspicious, and that I wouldn’t be able to live with myself. In fact, I’m a little afraid that I’d just blow our cover altogether. I’m not very sneaky.”

  He had to admit, it was a little annoying to think that while he was trying to convince Dana to help, there was her sister on the opposite side trying to convince her to say no. What had he ever done to Maya, anyway?

  He and Dana had spoken about their families over the past several months. At least, Dana had. Andrew had admitted that he had parents, and that they were divorced, and that he had a sister in the Air Force. Dana’s descriptions of her family were much more in-depth. She loved to talk about her parents and Maya, and her relatives back in Ghana, and their cousins down in North Carolina, and her father’s brother, who lived in Florida and ran a hotel, and a scattering of twenty-something other relations.

  More than anyone else, Dana talked about Maya, probably because they lived together. Andrew was the youngest of his siblings, and admired how protective Dana was of her little sister.

  “How’s the waitressing job going?”

  “Good, I think.” Dana chuckled. It was good to see her laugh again. “Most of what I hear about it are complaints and whining, but overall, I think she’s doing okay there.”

  The train stopped again at the next station, and another wave of passengers crammed in. Andrew found himself extremely close to Dana, her shoulder curled in against his chest while people packed in on either side. It was busy today. Only because there’s no room, Andrew told himself, but all the same, he definitely liked having her this close.

  “She’s still welcome to a position in my office,” Andrew joked.

  Dana rolled her eyes. “I’d really never hear the end of it. Maya hates desk jobs. She worked at a call center back home for about two months, and I swear, my parents suffered more than she did for it. And I never heard the end of it, when we’d talk on the phone. I was already in New York, by then, thankfully, otherwise I might have strangled her—I don’t know how my mother kept her cool, I swear.”

  Andrew smiled. “I guess she got all the temper. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you mad. You looked pretty close to it yesterday. I was getting worried.”

  Dana shook her head with a grin. “No, no, I wasn’t mad. I was definitely… shocked. And pretty confused. And… well, for a minute I was mad, but I really can’t stay mad very long.”

  “For a minute?”

  “Well, at first, I guess I felt like I was being… propositioned for something less… That’s not the point,” she waved it off. “Once I understood you a little better, it was fine. I mean, not fine. You know what I mean.”

  “Is that what Maya thought?” Andrew asked, horrified and trying not to show it.

  “I think in part, yes,” Dana admitted. Their stop was coming up. “I explained it to her, that was not what was going on at all. She’s just very cynical. I swear, she was born to be a New Yorker. I can’t get her trust anything without giving a power-point presentation about it.”

  “I could make her a power-point,” Andrew offered, raising his eyebrows. Dana laughed.

  “Maybe that would help. Of course, she’s been in a bad mood lately—she missed fall entry for med school, and she was really hoping to come up with a tuition solution. I keep telling her, when she’s a doctor, she’ll be able to pay off loans, but she’s so stubborn. She never spends money if she doesn’t have to.”

  “That’s better than a lot of eighteen-year-olds,” Andrew pointed out.

  “I guess, but she’s just going to have to get it done, or else she’ll be waiting for a long time. You aren’t young forever, and med school is a long—”

  “Wait.” Andrew mind had just leapt on an idea, and it was taking off like a rocket. As the possibilities unfolded, his smile widened. “Wait, so Maya is just waiting for some kind of scholarship for med school?”

  Dana nodded, puzzled. “Yeah… she’s worried about having so much debt when she graduates. Why?”

  “And she hasn’t been having any luck with grants or anything?”

  “Well, she can get grants, but not enough to cover the whole cost. I mean… it’s something like ten or twelve years of school.”

  Their stop was coming up, but Andrew had forgotten it. He looked at Dana slyly. “There’s always the Andrew Poole Scholarship Foundation.”

  Dana levelled a flat stare at him. “And what might that be?”

  “What if I paid for Maya’s school?” Andrew suggested. “Do you think she’d like me more then?”

  Dana snickered. “You can’t be serious.”

  “Completely. I’d be willing to cover Maya’s full tuition in exchange for your help. I wouldn’t want to waste your time.”

  Dana stared at him. For a minute, he thought she was going to ask if she’d heard right, but finally Dana blinked and her stare turned incredulous. “Do you have any idea how much money that is?”

  “Probably less than I paid for my condo.”

  “Maybe,” Dana agreed, still in disbelief. “Maybe not. I—That’s a big commitment, Andrew.”

  “I deal in big commitments. I make long-term deals every day, it’s my job. In this case, I’d be happy to help, especially if you’d be willing to help me in return.”

  The train began to slow as the platform approached. Dana still seemed in shock as the subway shuddered to a halt and the doors whooshed open. Andrew led her out onto the platform, and then further into the station, out of the flow of commuters.

  Finally, she narrowed her eyes at him jokingly. “Just a couple weeks?”

  Andrew’s heart leapt, but he nodded solemnly. “Two or three.”

  “And… we just need to meet with these people once or twice?”

  “I doubt it would be more than that.”

  Dana bit her lip thoughtfully. She no longer seemed distressed. Last night, she had clearly been taken off-guard and defensive of his suggestion, but now…

  She started walking toward the stairs, and Andrew followed. The cold outside had already swept down into the station, and as they ascended into the sunlight, it grew more biting. Dana didn’t seem to notice, and the two of them began to walk towards the Seven Diamonds tower.

  Their walk was mostly in mutual silence, Andrew waiting anxiously for her to say anything at all, one way or the other, and Dana following the sidewalk, lost in thought. At one point, Andrew had to steer her out of the way of a bicyclist, and Dana’s hand came to rest on his arm. It stayed there for another two blocks, and became extremely distracting to Andrew as he tried to stay cool and give her space to consider.

  When they entered the Seven Diamonds lobby, Dana seemed to have finally come to a decision. She nodded, almost to herself, and turned to him as they walked.

  “Andrew, I think I can do that.”

  He was worried that if he let his excitement show on his face, he might scare her with the intensity. Instead, Andrew grinned and nodded back.

  “Great! I promise, you won’t have to do anything too weird.”

  For a moment, Dana looked worried. It took her that long to realize he was joking, and she chuckled. “Don’t scare me like that, Andrew!”

  They crossed to the elevators. “So if you have time tomorrow night, do you want to come to my condo and talk specifics? I should know more about what we’re doing by then, so I can give you a clearer picture of when and what and where.”

  Dana nodded. She seemed a little twitchy with nerves, and Andrew hoped they were the good kind. The elevator
tolled, and the steel doors opened. The two of them climbed in, followed by two other workers. With company, Andrew didn’t really want to talk more about their arrangement. This was the Bellwether building, after all, and he didn’t want to risk someone hearing more than they should and word getting back to Westcorp.

  Or Brown. Andrew tensed a little. Would he tell Brown about this agreement?

  On Dana’s floor, she stepped out and waved. “See you tonight.”

  Those simple words shouldn’t have brought such a smile to Andrew’s face, but they did. “See you tonight,” he replied, and the doors slid shut.

  See you tonight. It sounded like more than just catching the train home together. Andrew was practically walking on air when the door opened to Bellwether’s and he crossed the floor to his office. See you tonight.

  “What got you in such a good mood?” Nick asked pleasantly, poring over papers as he followed Andrew into his office. Andrew shut the door behind them and took off his coat.

  “You are not going to believe this,” he said.

  Nick looked up from his papers. “Not going to believe what?” he asked suspiciously.

  “Nick, I have solved the Westcorp family values problem.”

  “Andrew, I really do like you, but I don’t think an office romance is appropriate.” Nick chuckled at his own half-joke, and Andrew waved it off.

  “I need to talk to Brown again. And we need to get in touch with Marcel and set up some dates and times because we are in business, Nick! I’m all set to give this presentation.”

  Still confused, Nick frowned. “Um… Did you go out and get married last night? Because if you did, I’m going to be pretty upset that I didn’t get an invite. Of course, you’d need me to arrange it, anyway. I doubt you can even arrange your own sock drawer.”

  “I didn’t get married last night, Nick. What I mean is, I found a fiancée. Sort of.”

  His assistant was not someone who liked ambiguous terms. Andrew was well aware of this, but was a little reluctant to admit to his whole half-mad scheme. He’d have to tell Nick, anyway, since Nick was in charge of organizing half of Andrew’s life. He’d find out on his own eventually. Andrew just wasn’t looking forward to trying to make another sane person see the sanity in his plan. He stuck his hands in his pockets.