Maya had pushed herself to the limit with ten miles, she stopped running. It was time she faced the past with her sister so she could move forward with her life. And there was no better time than the present.
“Do you think she’ll come back?” Ayden asked his best friend on a transatlantic call later that evening. It was before 7:00 a.m. in London, but he knew Luke Williams would already be up. How did he know? Because they were alike—notorious workaholics and driven to succeed. Luke was a financial analyst making millions.
“After the way you treated her when she left?” Luke said. “I wouldn’t.”
Ayden frowned. “Was I really that bad?”
“Hmm, I don’t know, let me think,” Luke paused for dramatic effect. “You were a slave driver at the office, rarely giving the poor girl a day off. And at a moment of weakness, you shag her and then tell her to kick rocks. I dunno, I might have a problem with that.”
“Thanks a lot, Luke.”
“You did call me, you know,” Luke responded. “If you didn’t want me to keep it one hundred with you then you should have called another mate.”
“You’re my only mate.” Ayden replied. He didn’t have many friends. He’d never had the time to make any because he was too busy pushing himself to excel, to make something of himself despite Henry Stewart turning his back and leaving him and his mom with an abusive stepfather.
“Yeah, that’s true. No one else can tolerate you. Except maybe Maya, and you made a royal mess of that relationship.”
“I know I messed up, but I can fix it.”
Luke snorted. “By offering Maya her job back? Why on earth would she ever agree? What does she get out of it?”
“I’m prepared to offer her a generous salary.”
“And if she wants more?”
“What do you mean?”
“C’mon, man, don’t be an idiot. Maya left because you two slept together. If you offer her a job, she might be thinking there’s more on the table.”
Ayden had never thought Maya might want more. “I’m not prepared to give her anything else. You know how I feel about love, marriage, the whole white-picket-fence thing.”
“Yeah, yeah, sing to the choir. I’ve already heard this bit before,” Luke stated. “Poor you, your dad left your mom to marry a hot tart, leaving you and your mom with nothing.”
“That’s right. Love is for other poor dumb schmucks.”
“Like me, you mean,” Luke countered.
Darn. He’d stuck his foot in his mouth. Luke had just married a beautiful redhead named Helena and they were head over heels in love. But if anyone could make a go of marriage, it was Luke. “Present company excluded,” Ayden stated.
Luke chuckled. “You’ve never minced words before, Ayden, so don’t start now.”
“Helena is lovely,” Ayden replied. “And she’s madly in love with you. She can’t wait to have a mess of babies with you.”
“That’s right, my friend. I’ll have Helena knocked up before the year is out,” Luke said, laughing. “That way she can’t leave me for another man when she realizes she married a dumb schmuck like me.”
Ayden laughed. That’s what he loved about Luke. He could be self-deprecating and still be the life of the party. “So let’s return to my original point for this call.”
“What was that again?”
“Maya. And what it would take for her to agree to come back to me, I mean, the position of executive assistant at Stewart Investments.”
“You would have to find the right incentive that doesn’t include becoming a notch on your bedpost.”
“That’s not going to happen again,” Ayden said. “Bedding Maya was a one-time thing. Plus, I doubt she’s been carrying a torch for me. For Christ’s sake, it was only one night!”
“If you say so, my friend. I’ve given my advice, for what it’s worth. Good luck, and let me know how it turns out.”
“Will do.” Ayden ended the call and stared down at the folder in his lap. It held the address of where Maya was staying in Austin. He’d hired a private investigator to research her whereabouts. His timing was perfect because she was back in town for her niece’s baptism and staying at a downtown hotel.
Ayden had to admit he was shocked by what he’d read in the file. He recalled how devastated Maya had been the night she’d come to him after discovering her sister in bed with her boyfriend. If she was returning, it had to mean she’d forgiven them. Surely that meant good news for him? He could ask her to come back to Stewart Investments, and things would be different between them now. After all, it had been years since Ayden had seen her. Although he might have had the odd fantasy about her, on his part, any residual feelings from their night together five years ago were long gone. Ayden had been with many women since Maya. More beautiful. More stunning.
He and Maya had always enjoyed an excellent working relationship. He was certain they could get past this if she was willing to forgive him for his lack of sensitivity and give them another chance. He knew it was a long shot, but there was only one way to find out. He had to go to her, and he wasn’t leaving until her answer was yes.
From the bathroom of the Baptist church, Maya fretted as she smoothed down the dress she’d chosen to wear to Nysha’s baptism. Should she have come?
Throughout the years, Raven had tried to extend an olive branch, but Maya had rebuffed each and every effort. Why? Because Maya was jealous. Raven was living the life that should have been hers. If she was honest, Maya would have loved that life with Ayden, but he hadn’t wanted her five years ago. Or not in the way she’d hoped.
So why come back?
Because she couldn’t go on living this way, holding on to past hurts and hiding away from the world. It was time to move on with her life. She’d come to make peace with her sister.
She glanced at herself in the mirror. The sleeveless plum dress had a deep V showing a swell of cleavage, thanks to the push-up bra she’d spent a fortune on in the hopes it would give her a bosom. Her long black hair, her best feature, was coiffed and hung in big curls down her back. She’d even allowed her hair stylist, who doubled as a makeup artist, to do her face. After all these years, she had to look her best because, Lord knows, her mother would be in full diva mode. Raven, of course, wouldn’t have to try hard because she was naturally beautiful.
And now it was time to face the music. She couldn’t very well hang out in the church bathroom forever. Grabbing her clutch purse, she made for the door. Sophia Richardson was greeting guests at the church entrance. From where Maya stood, she noted her mother’s stylish salt-and-pepper updo and what looked like her Sunday-best suit, complete with pumps. But rather than looking the picture of a radiant grandma, her mother had lost weight and appeared a bit gaunt with sunken cheeks. Her normal caramel skin looked sallow.
Maya braced herself as she walked toward
