Miss Prim And The Maverick Millionaire

Damn. That would change things. Though wrong and criminal, if Jenna was guilty, she hadn’t done it for herself but for her mother. She’d practically just admitted that she would do whatever she could to help her parent.

He’d decided back at the office that he wouldn’t ask her about it there. Not in front of her friends and colleagues. So he’d taken her to lunch instead.

Now he just wanted to know the truth. He wanted to tell her he could help. That in turn she could get her mother some help.

After all, he and Jenna Townsend were not that different under the surface. His life could have easily turned out as difficult as hers if not for the random hand of fate all those years ago. Pure luck so often determined the entirety of one’s life. He knew how lucky he’d been.

“Listen, Jenna,” he began, not sure exactly where to start. Business school didn’t prepare you for every scenario. “About my visit to Boston. There’s something I came here specifically to see you about.”

“Yes?” Her question was barely a whisper.

“I want you to know that I can be a friend as well as your corporate CEO.”

Was she trembling? “You can be straight with me,” he added. “I hope you realize that.”

She gave her head a quick shake. “I’m afraid I don’t understand.”

“You really don’t have anything you might want to talk about? Regarding the store, perhaps?”

“No. Not really.” She swallowed. “Have I done something wrong?”

Cabe leaned back in his chair. If she did know anything, then she had the acting skills of a Hollywood-caliber actress. “Huh. You really have no idea what I might be talking about?”

“Not a clue.”

Cabe tried to regroup. Damn. This conversation was becoming way too messy. “Allow me to explain. A routine inventory check last week by security resulted in a troubling discovery.”

She sucked her bottom lip, and heaven help him, he lost his focus for a split second. “Why wasn’t I made aware of this? As the regional manager of that store?”

“It’s our policy to keep such matters quiet until a thorough investigation.”

She gave her head a quick shake. “Investigation? What exactly was this troubling discovery?”

“One of the more valuable pieces seems to be missing. A bracelet.”

Cabe watched as understanding dawned. Jenna sucked in a breath and grew as pale as the white linen tablecloth. “Oh, my God. You think I took it.”

Whoa. He hadn’t expected her to go there quite so soon. “Jenna, wait just a second—”

Her cheeks suddenly grew cherry red. “That’s why you came down here yourself. You think I stole from my own store. You think I stole from you!”

It came so fast he didn’t have time to react. Before he knew it, he wore the rest of his sandwich on his lap and his shirt was drenched in iced tea.

As he watched her storm away, Cabe came to three distinct conclusions. One, Jenna Townsend moved as fast as a prizefighter ducking a punch. Second, judging by her confusion and the vehemence of her reaction, she was most definitely innocent.

And third, if he didn’t get to the bottom of it all real soon, he was likely to lose a damn talented regional manager.

* * *

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. She would never learn.

Jenna bypassed the elevator and ran up the three flights of stairs to get to the floor that housed her office. She didn’t want to risk running into anyone. How would she explain the tears?

To think, for a while there she’d believed Cabe Jordan might actually be in town to promote her! What a laugh. Instead, he’d accused her of stealing from him.

People like her weren’t promoted to corporate-level positions. They were suspected of thievery. They were the first ones investigated when valuable jewelry went missing.

People like her dumped food on others’ laps.

She tried to take a deep breath. She probably shouldn’t have done that. It was reckless and impulsive. Rather than calmly and reasonably defending herself, she’d let her emotions take over. She’d succumbed to the urge to lash out.

Just as her mother would have done.

And she was her mother’s daughter. The apple and the tree and all that. Why did she ever think she could escape that simple truth? The rest of the world wouldn’t ever let her forget that fact.

It didn’t matter how hard she worked, or how many hours she put in. All the years of studying and working her butt off didn’t mean a thing to people like Cabe Jordan. The only thing they saw when they looked at her was where she’d come from.

She’d been fooling herself.

Well, if Cabe hadn’t intended to fire her right there on the spot, there was no doubt he would now. She’d dumped his lunch in his lap! Never mind that she’d never actually stolen anything. She wouldn’t even get a chance to defend her innocence now.

She no doubt should have handled it better. But she’d been barely functioning given what little sleep she’d gotten and the stress of being prepared for Cabe’s visit.

How could he have even suggested such a thing?

She didn’t realize she’d asked the question out loud until a voice across the room responded.

“Trust me, it wasn’t easy.”

Jenna’s head snapped up. Cabe stood in her office doorway, pants stained and shirt wet. She resisted the urge to cover her mouth in horror.

She pulled her planner out of the desk drawer. “I was just leaving.”

“Could you recommend a good dry cleaner first?”

He had the nerve to joke at her predicament? God help her, if the coffee tray were still here she might have very well dumped more on him.

“Jenna, listen—”

“What?” she interrupted. “What could you possibly say to me? Do you want me to confess?”

He stepped into the room and shut the door gently behind him. “I simply want to talk.”

“About how I stole from you?”

“I was given the information from my head of security. About a theft at the Boston store.”

She crossed her arms in front of her chest. “Right. And then you decided that if something had been stolen, it must have been that no-good Jenna Townsend. She must have had a hand in the whole mess. It only makes sense. She comes from bad stock. She’s never had much to begin with and she can’t be trusted.”

“Jenna, stop. That’s not how this all came to be.”

She merely glared at him. How dare he deny it?

He walked up to where she stood and gestured to the chair. “Please sit.”

“Why? Would you like to accuse me some more? Should I call an attorney?” Now that she’d said it, she had the frightening thought that she may actually need one.

Her vision grew dark. This couldn’t be happening. After today she may very well have no job. And no hope of finding one if word got out that she couldn’t be trusted. Despite all the years of hard work and sacrifice, she was going to end up penniless on the street. Exactly what she’d feared all along.

To think, the cause of her nightmare would be none other than Cabe Jordan, the man of her teenage daydreams. Who would have thought?

“Jenna, let’s try to talk this out.”

She lifted her bag. “Perhaps you want to go through this. Maybe pat me down before you let me go.”

He blinked. “Pat you down? No. Of course not. I just want to clear all this up.” He leaned over with both palms on the desk between them. “About a week ago my head of security requested an urgent meeting. Apparently, someone realized that a piece of rare jewelry at the Boston store had been switched out during a routine security department inventory. The real piece had been replaced with a cheap replica that looked exactly like the original.”

“And you assumed I did it. Because you know where I come from and what I might be capable of.”

He held one hand up. “Hold on. That’s not what happened. The management team is always considered under such circumstances. It’s just routine.”

At her silence, he continued. “Additionally, there’s an electronic log of anyone who’s used their key to access that particular case, the one with the higher-end items. Your key was the one used.”

Her blood went cold. But that just couldn’t be. “Who says?”

“My head of security up at headquarters. He’s always been very good at his job. I had no reason to distrust him.”

Of course he didn’t. “But you had every reason to distrust me.”

Something shifted in his eyes. “Listen, Jenna. The only reason I came here personally was because it was you. I wanted to get to the bottom of it myself, do some investigating. But there’s a sudden matter that needs my attention with a store opening in the Caribbean. I have to get down there. In my haste, I handled it very badly. I see that now.”

People tended to do that with her, rush to judgment. She couldn’t expect to be granted the benefit of the doubt, not given where she came from. Cabe may claim objectivity by saying he came to look into the matter personally, but it hardly mattered. No, she would have to find a way to fully clear her name, in such a way that there would never be any more doubt.

“There has to be some kind of mistake,” she muttered, trying to think. There had to be an explanation, a way to prove her innocence. But how? She suddenly felt deflated. How could this be happening? Pulling out her desk chair, she plopped herself into it.

A sudden, encouraging thought occurred to her. She looked up at him. “The video? There has to be video footage. We have cameras all over the store.”

He gave her a sympathetic look. “The video surveillance system was conveniently disengaged for a forty-eight-hour period on the fifteenth and sixteenth of last month. We believe that’s when the theft occurred.”

Oh, God. His words knocked the wind right out of her. If there was no video to exonerate her, she had no other ideas. Her eyes began to sting. There was nothing she could do, no way to clear her name. She had no job. She had no real family. She’d probably end up with a criminal record. Despite everything, all the years of busting her behind to get ahead, she’d end up like her mom after all.

Cabe Jordan would always question whether she was a no-good thief.

Wait a minute.

She snapped her head up. “Wait. What date did you just say? The fifteenth of March?”

He nodded. “Yes, that’s correct.”

“You’re certain?”

“That’s what I was told.”

She knew it! Hopeful relief surged in her chest. “Cabe, I wasn’t even in town the week of the fifteenth. I was away at a jewelry designers’ expo in San Diego.”

He quirked an eyebrow. “And?”

“And my keys were safely locked up in the main vault right here in this building. Including the one that would have opened that particular case. I have proof.”

* * *

He didn’t want to examine why he was so relieved. For some reason, Cabe had been hopeful all along that Jenna was completely innocent. And apparently she could prove it. “Proof? You have a way to prove your key was locked up?”

She nodded triumphantly. “Yes. The security officer on call the day before I left signed off on the paperwork. All my keys were locked up in the main vault before I left. Safe and secure.”

“That’s the correct protocol. Where is this security officer now?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m not the one in charge of hiring and managing security.”

Cabe pinched the bridge of his nose. “I have a sneaking suspicion he’s no longer working for us. And that he has a very valuable piece of jewelry in his possession.”

Jenna stood staring at him with satisfaction, clearly enjoying the upper hand. So she was indeed innocent. Just as he’d hoped. Heaven help him, he had to resist the urge to go and hug her. Not that she would have it.

“Guess your security head isn’t as thorough as you would like to think,” she said.

“In his defense, he’s going through a rough patch personally. Clearly, it’s affected his professional duties. I’ll have a word with him.”

She rolled her eyes at him and muttered something under her breath. He thought he heard the words “That’s rich.”

“Jenna, I know an apology isn’t nearly enough. But it’s all I have. My only excuse is that I’ve been swamped with various small projects as well as a major international expansion. I rushed and acted on something that I should have taken the time to examine more closely. I’m deeply, resolutely sorry.”

Her face softened, and the effect nearly knocked him off his feet. “Thank you for that,” she said simply, genuinely. “And I’m sorry for...you know.” She pointed to his drenched clothing.

“Nah, don’t mention it. I daresay I deserved a good food toss.” He was also admittedly relieved. He didn’t have to fire a dedicated and competent employee after all. That left only one problem. Things were extremely awkward now with a star employee who deserved better treatment than he’d just doled out. He had a major mea culpa on his hands. As usual, he had rushed to judgment, merely to save some time. Once again, he’d acted without fully thinking through the issue. Not a good attribute in a CEO, yet another character trait he had to work on.

First thing first. Somehow, someway, he had to make this all up to Jenna.

He was getting ready to say so when her assistant knocked and entered her office.

Nora stopped in her tracks when she saw the state of Cabe’s clothing. “I’m sorry,” she began. “Am I interrupting?”

“That’s okay, Nora. What is it?” Jenna behaved like the consummate professional, addressing her admin as if nothing was wrong.

“The Wellesley store just called. They’re panicked about their staffing shortage,” Nora told her, her gaze still leveled at Cabe.

“I made two very strong offers this morning,” Jenna said. “I have no doubt both candidates will take the job. Is that all?”

“One more thing,” Nora continued. “The store manager at the Burlington site called again complaining about the lack of shelf space.”

Jenna nodded. “Real Estate just called this morning about the sewing shop next door. It’s finally shutting down, so we can take the space over. We’ll sign the lease within the week.”

Cabe watched in admiration. Damn. She really was good. Given her background and her hardships growing up, she couldn’t have gotten this far in life without being smart and disciplined. Would he have fared as well? He had to wonder. If fate hadn’t stepped in and turned his life in a different direction, would he have figured out a way to pull himself up the way Jenna Townsend had? All on his own, like her? Or would he have ended up on the streets? Or locked up in a cell somewhere? Or worse.

Jordan’s Fine Jewelry absolutely could not lose someone like Jenna. Not for any reason, the least of which being his stupidity. If only he had someone like her in charge of the Caribbean project.

There it was.

The idea made perfect sense. Before this whole theft fiasco, Jenna’s name had come up several times whenever a high-level position opened up at Corporate. She was already due for a promotion.

Perhaps he had a way to salvage the mess he’d made of this whole visit. And possibly even help himself in the process. He was about to make a very strong offer, too. One he hoped Jenna could not refuse. First, he had to get her to listen to him. And forget about what he’d almost just accused her of.

As soon as Nora left, Jenna stood and glared at him. “Well, now what, Mr. Jordan. Am I still under investigation?”

He reached out to gently take her by the arm. “Absolutely not. On the contrary, I need to show you how sorry I am.”

She looked down at his hand, then back with clearly puzzled eyes. “Show me?”

“I assumed my security head knew what he was doing, Jenna. Please understand.”

She stood silent, clearly not ready to cut him any slack. And why should she? He deserved her derision. How could he have let this happen? He hated looking misinformed. Or worse, appearing incompetent. Mistakes were a luxury he wouldn’t allow himself in his position.

“You’re one of the best regional managers we have at Jordan’s Fine Jewelry,” he continued. “I should have handled this differently. And I don’t want to lose you over some...misunderstanding.”

She visibly bristled. He really wasn’t very good at saying sorry, not having had much experience. She had no idea how hard he was trying.

“This was more than a mere misunderstanding.”

He nodded. “I realize that. I think I can make it up to you.”

She pulled her arm free. But she was clearly listening. “How?”

“I could use the services of a competent and experienced regional manager to help me with a project.”

Her chin lifted. “What kind of project?”

“I’m sure you know we’re trying to expand internationally, starting with the opening of a new store in the Caribbean.”

“Yes, I know.”

“You should also know that so far it hasn’t gone at all smoothly. In fact, I need to be there within two days to put out the latest fire.”

She narrowed her gaze on him. “What does that have to do with me?”

“Come with me, Jenna.”

* * *

It took a moment to process Cabe’s words. “Are you offering me another job?”

He nodded. “One that comes with a higher title. And the adequate adjustment in pay, obviously.”

Jenna’s head spun. Within the span of a few minutes, she’d gone from decrying the loss of her next paycheck to being offered a promotion. If she examined the matter too closely, Cabe’s offer might very well be construed as a bribe.

But it was also an opportunity of a lifetime. A very tempting one.

Cabe motioned to her desk chair. “Please have a seat. Let’s discuss this.”

Her pride pushed her to turn her back and walk away, slam the door on her way out. Her business-school-trained brain had other ideas.

Begrudgingly, she pulled out her chair and sat down. “What exactly did you have in mind?”

The look of relief on his face sent an odd shiver down her spine. She didn’t dare read too much into it.

“I’m tired of trying to get this new site up and running by myself. I’ve been meaning to hire someone. You’re perfect for the job.”

“Cabe, you can’t just expect me to forget that you were ready to believe I may be capable of theft.”

“But that’s exactly what I’m asking you to do,” he said with the confidence of a successful tycoon who’s used to getting his own way. “Rather than spend inordinate time on an extensive talent search, I’d like to offer you the position. You’ve been considered for several corporate positions recently, but none seemed to be the right fit for you. Until now.”

“This is not how I imagined being promoted.”

“That makes two of us. This is definitely not how I imagined doing the promoting. One way to look at it would be to say that we’re going to start fresh,” he added.

Maybe he had a point. But she wasn’t about to let him know that. Why let him off easy? Clearly, Cabe Jordan was used to having things handed to him merely because he asked. Unlike someone such as her who’d had to work hard all her life for every accomplishment.

A small part of her nagged that resisting might indeed be a mistake. She still needed this job, pride or not. What if he called her bluff? Her pride won out. “You have to understand, Cabe. I’m no longer sure how I feel about working for you. Given our past history as friends, and that you’ve known me for decades, I would have appreciated it if you’d come to me right from the start.” Oh, heavens. She nearly choked on the words. For all her bravado, she had to acknowledge that he’d genuinely and wholly hurt her. She’d been foolish to expect any more from the Jordan CEO, regardless of past friendship.

But then Cabe held both hands up in surrender and she had a split second of panic. For all her bravado, she really would prefer to be gainfully employed as she looked for another position. Her breath held while he spoke.

“Let’s compromise. You just help me on this one overseas project. We’ll start from there.”

“And then what?”

“Then we revisit the situation and the matter of your employment.”

She gave her head a small shake. “You’re going to have to be more specific.”

“I just mean that I don’t think you should make any lasting decisions right now, in the heat of the moment.”

Jenna’s phone rang but she ignored it, unable to tear her eyes away from Cabe’s intense, steel-blue gaze. “We don’t want to be impulsive.”

She decided to give in just a little. “Perhaps we don’t.”

Cabe pounced, assuming success. “Do you have a valid passport? If not, we can request rush processing and you can meet me there once it arrives.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Cabe?”

“Yes?”

“Do you actually know the definition of impulsive?”

Her question gave him pause, and then he laughed. “I see your point. Nevertheless.”

“I have a current passport.”

“Great. It’s settled, then.”

She stood, met him eye to eye. “Not so fast, Cabe.”

Was that a smile still on his lips? He couldn’t be enjoying this. “Before I say yes, I have a stipulation.”

“What’s that?”

“Once the new site is opened, upon completion of this project, I want a glowing recommendation from you. In case I decide to look for a position elsewhere.”

“I hardly think that will be ne—”

She cut him off. “It’s nonnegotiable. I want your word that you will assist me if I decide to leave Jordan’s Fine Jewelry.” It was the least he could do. After all the long hours of blood, sweat and tears that she’d put into this company. After the way he’d just treated her. And for all the work she was about to put in on this project. He owed her at least that much.

He merely nodded. “If, at the end, a recommendation is still what you want then I will give you one.”

“It will be.”

He crossed his arms in front of his chest and gave her a wide smile, the kind of smile that would have had her swooning if they were still in high school. Even now, her knees grew weak.

“Not if I change your mind.”

CHAPTER THREE

JENNA TOWNSEND HAD clearly never been on a private jet before. Cabe guided her into the cabin and tried not to react to her reaction, though he had a comical urge to gently nudge her mouth closed. Instead, he patiently waited as she took small, hesitant steps up the stairs and into the aisle.

Unfortunately, there remained an awkward tension between them. In the interest of business, he chose to ignore it. She thought she might be looking for another job after the Caribbean project when it was completed. He had other ideas.

Well, he’d deal with that scenario if it happened. He’d been watching Jenna in action since he’d arrived in Boston and he had very different plans for her. He was not about to let her go anytime soon.

Now she stood in front of him, taking in her surroundings as they entered the aircraft. Cabe let her take her time.

As far as private planes went, his wasn’t terribly extravagant. Pretty much standard issue. Leather seats, a mahogany table so that he could get some work done. In fact, his only indulgence had been the fully stocked bar.

“Jenna, please, have a seat.” Cabe gently guided her toward one of the leather chairs and waited until she was seated before sitting down himself.

She immediately clicked on her seat belt and tightened it. She appeared to be more than merely awed. She seemed apprehensive, downright uncomfortable.

“Are you okay with flying, Jenna?” He knew she’d been on business trips before. So what was making her so jittery now?

The smile she gave him was strained, almost shy. “Mostly. I have to admit, flying is a bit of a new experience for me. We didn’t travel much when I was a child.” She glanced around at her surroundings. “And as far as flying in something like this...”

“It’s just more convenient than flying commercial, that’s all.”

She let out a small laugh. “Right. Convenient.”

Something he couldn’t name tingled inside him. In so many ways, Jenna’s reaction to his aircraft was refreshing. How many countless women had flown with him privately over the years? None of them had even seemed to notice the lavishness around them. Every one of them had taken for granted that they’d be arriving at their destination in the lap of luxury.