The Teacher's Billionaire (9 page)

Warren nodded in acknowledgment. “That sounds just like Ruth, to put others first. It was one of the things I loved about her.” He paused lost in thought for a moment. “She acted strangely our last night together before I went back to school. I assumed it was because she was nervous about me telling my family about us. We argued about it that night actually. She knew my parents had someone else in mind for me. To them my relationships were more about business than anything else.” Warren explained as if he'd just started putting things together. “Then she broke things off. I never thought about her odd behavior again. I was too angry at her. I wonder if she knew then that she was pregnant.”

Though he continued to talk aloud, Callie wasn't certain he was speaking to her. Still, she felt the need to say something. “I don't know exactly when she found out. Helen just told me my mom was really scared when she did. She waited as long as she could to tell her parents even.”

He shook his head sadly. “She shouldn't have had to go through it alone.”

Callie felt compelled to comfort this man who although a stranger was still her father. To hug him. Instead she said, “Her parents and brother were very supportive, so she wasn't alone.”

Warren smiled as if he knew she was trying to comfort him. “I'm glad. They always seemed like nice people. I noticed they sold the store a few years ago.”

Callie nodded surprised that her father would've noticed something so insignificant. “They actually stopped running it awhile ago. My Uncle was doing everything. He and his wife decided to retire and move to Arizona.”

“
Nice choice. It is beautiful out there.” Warren put the album on a table near his chair. “How is Dan? Your mom and uncle always seemed very close.”

“
Okay. I think. He took mom's death really hard.” This man before her just kept surprising her. After more than thirty years he still remembered her uncle's name. Talk about a good memory.

Warren leaned back. “Does he know I am your father?”

“
No. She never told anyone until she asked Helen to mail your letter.” A familiar sense of anger and betrayal washed over. Tears threatened.

Deal with this later. You don't want to cry here. Save the tears for afterward when you're alone.

“
This is probably difficult for you, Callie. Why don't we switch topics for now. Tell me a little about your childhood.”

The next two hours literally flew by. She'd expected their time together to be strained and awkward, for it to drag on, but it didn't. True it was a little strange, especially at first, but overall she had a pleasant morning. Warren Sherbrooke seemed to be a genuinely nice man. Not at all what she expected of a rich and powerful politician.

“
It is a little after noon. Why don't we join everyone for lunch,” Warren suggested. “I asked our cook to prepare something special this afternoon, at least for everyone else. I'm still eating dry toast and clear broth. Doctor's orders. We can talk more after that.”

Callie wasn't sure she felt up to having lunch with everyone. She would much rather retreat to her motel. She didn't argue though. How could she? It was lunch time, and she was a guest in her father's home.

We're actually going to eat in here, Callie wondered following her father into the smaller informal dinning room. The room appeared so ornate she half expected to see servants waiting to pull out her chair. Instead she found her father's wife, Elizabeth, her half sister Sara and Dylan seated around a beautifully set table.

Here we go. Round two.

“
Callie, this is my wife Elizabeth.” Warren walked up behind his wife and placed his hand on her shoulders.

She didn't need to be told who the fashionably dressed woman with the perfect hair and makeup was. Callie had seen plenty of photos of the woman who was still quite beautiful even though she was well into her fifties.

You can do this.
Callie forced herself to smile.
She's not going to bite.

“
It's very nice to meet you, Mrs. Sherbrooke.” Callie extended her hand and waited unsure of what to expect. While her father had mentioned his wife several times during their conversation he hadn't even hinted at her feelings regarding this bizarre situation. And after her brief encounter with her half sister two days earlier, Callie didn't know what to expect from her father's wife.

“Please call me Elizabeth. It's a pleasure to finally meet you my dear,” Elizabeth replied taking Callie's out stretched hand. “Warren has been looking forward to meeting you since he received the letter from your mother.”

Despite Elizabeth's pleasant tone, Callie remained unsure of her true feelings. Her smile looked forced and her voice was cold telling Callie that Elizabeth was less than ecstatic about having her husband's illegitimate daughter in her home.

Not your problem. He invited you, remember.

“You've probably guessed that this is my daughter, and your half sister Sara,” Warren continued walking over to his daughter.

Callie nodded and smiled at the younger woman wondering what she might say today. She'd been rude before, but perhaps she would be more agreeable with her parents present.

“We met the other day,” Callie informed Warren. “But we didn't really have time to talk.” She had no intention of telling her father what had really happened. There was no point in appearing childish and petty.

Warren pulled out her chair. “Of course you already know Dylan.”

For the first time since entering the room, Callie let herself look over at Dylan. She hadn't been able to get him out of her mind all night. The day they spent together had been wonderful. And her silly romantic side couldn't help but want to do it again. The logical part of her brain knew that would never happen. Yesterday he had merely been keeping her company so she wouldn't be lonely. There had been nothing more to it.

Dylan hadn't been able to take his eyes off Callie since the minute she walked into the room. Despite his best efforts he'd been thinking about her constantly. He wondered how her time with Warren was going. The previous day she admitted that she'd felt nervous about meeting him. And he couldn't blame her. Dylan couldn't imagine a more awkward situation. That was why he'd been tempted to greet her himself when she arrived that morning. Just for moral support of course. Or at least he kept telling himself that.

He wouldn't let himself admit that he simply wanted to see her, that he just enjoyed being in her company. So instead he conveniently went for a long run at the precise time he knew she was arriving. He'd even considered skipping lunch with the family, but his mother requested that he join them.

“I hope you've had a nice visit so far,” Dylan said sincerely. Despite the possible complications Callie created for Warren, he hoped the two of them were able to develop some type of father-daughter relationship.

Callie took the seat across from him. “Very nice, thank you.” As she reached for her water, she nibbled on her bottom lip and an overwhelming urge to taste her descended on Dylan. The previous night he had successfully beaten that urge but just barely. If they had been alone right now, he didn't think he would be able to resist again.

As if on cue, the moment Warren sat down two maids entered the room carrying plates. Everyone remained silent as the carefully arranged dishes were placed on the table.

“Jake called earlier. He won't be able to get here this weekend,” Elizabeth announced once the maids once again disappeared.

Speaking directly to Callie Warren explained. “He's in New York doing some campaigning among the younger voters for me. He hoped to get here this weekend to meet you.”

With everything else going on, Dylan forgot Jake was in New York that weekend. Perhaps he should head home to the city that night himself. He could use the excuse that he wanted to visit with Jake before his half-brother headed back to his townhouse in Virginia.

Though he cared about Jake and was as close to him as he could be considering the eight year age difference, deep down Dylan knew his half-brother wasn't the real reason he now thought about returning to New York. He wanted – no needed to get away from Callie and the feelings she was starting to evoke.

He decided a long time ago that serious, emotional relationships were not for him. He'd tried it once and gotten burned. There was no way he was going to let that happen again. And somehow he knew if he wasn't careful around Callie, she could make him want to change his mind.

“Did he say how long he'd be in the city?” Just asking the question made Dylan feel as if he was taking the easy way out. Something he never did.

“At least till tonight. Then he's heading up to Buffalo,” Elizabeth answered before turning her attention to Callie.

Scratch that idea.
Still there were other excuses he could use for returning to the city.
Lies you mean.
Lies – excuses, it was a fine line between the two. Did it really matter as long as it got him back to his normal life and away from Callie Taylor? Not as far as he was concerned.

***

Seated on the family's private plane two hours later, Dylan stretched his long legs out and tried to read the spreadsheets in front of him. Though his sudden announcement that he needed to return to the city immediately disappointed his mother, Warren hadn't seemed to think it odd when he'd said some business issues had come up. Warren knew all to well what it was like to run Sherbrooke Enterprises. Rather Warren thanked him for keeping Callie company, promised to have someone drive his car back to New York for him and told him they'd talk soon.

While he did feel guilty about lying, Dylan knew getting back to his life was the best thing for him. Once he was back in his Park avenue penthouse Callie Taylor would disappear from his mind.

Which is exactly what I need her to do.
Getting involved with her was out of the question for so many reasons. First she was Warren's daughter, there was no denying that even if his mother still thought a paternity test should be done. Secondly, she was a sweet and genuinely good person or at least she seemed to be. She's the type of woman who expects a serious relationship, he thought to himself, something that might lead to marriage and children. Neither of those two things were in his future plans. Ever.

“
Get to work, Talbot,” Dylan chastised himself focusing once again on the pages in front of him. “I have no reason to feel guilty about leaving. I did nothing wrong.”

Mere minutes after the plane landed Dylan's cell began ringing. Checking the phone's caller id he saw the call was from Marty Phillips, Warren's campaign adviser.

“
What can I do for you Phillips?” Dylan said in lieu of a greeting.

Not a man to beat around the bush, Phillips didn't waste any time with idle chatter. “Curious about how things were going this weekend with Miss Taylor. I know Warren arrived in Newport late,” Marty said in his thick Southern drawl.

Dylan gathered up his files and shoved them back into his leather briefcase. “Everything seemed to be going well when I left.”

“
Good, good. Tell me what do you think of this woman? Do you think we have anything to worry about?”

Dylan knew Marty worried that Callie would go to the media before Warren did. When it came to the media Marty believed it was imperative that you were proactive whenever a possible crisis arose. It was much easier to control the media's spin on things that way.

“
She's not that type of person. Miss Taylor isn't looking to gain anything.” Dylan intentionally didn't use her first name.

Marty didn't immediately reply. “I hope you're right. Still, I think it would be best to keep an eye on her just in case. Stay on top of things. I know someone who would be discreet.”

Though he'd only known her a short time, he somehow knew to his core that she wasn't a threat. Convincing Marty of this was another matter though. “It's not necessary to hire anyone.” The idea of some stranger following Callie and invading her privacy sent a cold chill down his spine.

“
Then you'll keep tabs on her?” Marty asked. “That would probably be simpler anyway. She already knows you and might not question your sudden interest in being around.” Marty paused as if waiting for Dylan to answer him. When he didn't get an immediate response he continued on. “Your mother agrees with me on this. I spoke with her yesterday. She believes it would be a good idea to keep an eye on Miss Taylor for a little while at least. If you cannot do it just say the word. I'll get someone who can.”

For a minute Dylan considered the absurdity of the situation. Basically they wanted him to spy on a perfectly innocent woman. As if he didn't have more pressing matters to attend to. He didn't doubt Marty would find someone else to complete the task if he didn't do it himself. If Marty Phillips was anything, it was resourceful.

Taking a deep breath he slowly exhaled, already knowing he was going to regret his decision. “I'll take care of it.”

Chapter 6

Home sweet home
. Callie couldn't remember the last time she'd been so happy to be home. While it didn't come close to her father's mansion in size or beauty, it fit her perfectly. Surrounded by her own things Callie felt herself start to relax. Something she hadn't been able to do since leaving for Newport Friday morning.