A Man's Promise

Sitting at her desk, Shiloh stared at the huge, beautiful bouquet of flowers delivered to her that morning. She had been totally surprised when Tess had walked into her office carrying them. The card attached had simply said, “Remember my promise.”

She pushed away from her desk, walked to the window and looked out. Caden was not playing fair. He’d sent her a dozen roses. All white. Her favorite. He’d known that and was using it to break her down, and she didn’t want that.

Shiloh glanced back at her desk and wished the bouquet wasn’t so beautiful and that what he’d written on that card hadn’t made her remember his promise. A man’s promise to the woman he claimed to love. When Tess had placed the flowers on her desk and she’d read the card, she had been tempted to tell Tess to keep them because she didn’t want them. But then she figured there was no reason she should not enjoy a dozen beautiful white roses. The bouquet wouldn’t change a thing.

Just like it didn’t matter that she was still plagued with memories of how Caden had looked the day he’d paid her a visit here at the boutique. Why did he still have to look so ruggedly handsome in a smooth sort of way? It didn’t make sense. How could a man look both rugged and smooth? She wasn’t sure, but Caden managed it. And then there was that sexiness he exuded so well. Her heart rate increased whenever she thought about it.

Feeling frustrated, she welcomed the ring of her cell phone, a ring she recognized right away. It was Valerie. Moving away from the window, she went to her desk to answer the phone. “How did you know I needed my mind refreshed?”

She heard her friend laugh. “Not sure. Do you?”

“Desperately. Caden sent me flowers. White roses.”

“Oh, a man after my own heart. He doesn’t plan on giving up without a fight, does he?”

Shiloh nibbled on her bottom lip as she studied her flowers. “I guess not.” Valerie had met Caden and she was the one to encourage Shiloh to go to that concert during the time she was in college. Valerie had been able to see through Samuel right from the start.

“I want to get over him, Val,” she said in a soft voice.

“I’m hearing the words, but I’m not convinced.”

“You should be. I have a date this weekend.”

Valerie laughed. “Any reason you don’t sound excited about it?”

“Probably because it’s a blind date. Actually, that’s not quite correct. Apparently, I’ve met the guy. At least that’s what Sedrick claims. He’s a doctor at the hospital where Sedrick works, and Sedrick swears he introduced us. I don’t remember.”

“Hmm, that’s not good if he wasn’t worth remembering.”

She wasn’t going to tell Valerie she thought the same thing. Instead, she said, “Sedrick says he’s a nice guy, and I’m taking his word for it. Sedrick can be overprotective, and he wouldn’t hook me up with just anyone.”

“Then you should have nothing to worry about. Where are you going, and what are you wearing?”

She told Valerie it would be a double date with her brother and his girlfriend, Cassie, and her and Wallace. Sedrick was selecting the place, and once he told her, she would know what outfit to wear. They spent another ten minutes more talking about how plans were shaping up for the grand opening. Valerie and her husband were arriving from Boston a couple of days early to help out with last-minute details.

After Shiloh ended her phone call with Valerie, she leaned back in her chair and stared at her flowers, remembering the first time Caden had given her white roses. There had been three of them...on her sixteenth birthday. Her father had spies at the high school, namely the principal, Mr. Waverly, and one of the teachers, Mrs. Joyner, who reported back to him on her behavior. Caden had sent the flowers to her best friend at the time, Cindy Brooks, to give to her. You would have thought Cindy had handed her a million dollars that day.

Bringing her thoughts back to the present, she checked the clock on the wall. In a few hours, she had an appointment with Nannette Gaither, the woman coordinating Charlottesville’s annual Live-It-Up Ball to benefit cancer research. Shiloh was on the committee that met every two weeks, but since the event was next month, they were getting together more regularly.

She and Nannette had attended high school together, and instead of moving away for college, Nannette had remained in Charlottesville and attended college here. She was engaged to marry Vance Clayburn, a wealthy businessman who’d moved to town a few years ago. Shiloh had never met the man, but it was rumored that he was old enough to be Nannette’s father.

Deciding she had been held up in her office long enough, Shiloh stood and was headed toward the door to go check on things below when the phone on her desk rang. Tess was transferring a call that had come in through the boutique.

She went back to her desk and picked up the phone. “Yes, Tess?”

“A Mr. Caden Granger is on the line and wants to speak with you.”

Shiloh drew in a deep breath. She should take the call and at least thank him for the flowers, but then she thought better of it. The last thing she wanted to do was encourage Caden. If he thought he was breaking down her defenses, he would continue with this, and she preferred that he didn’t.

“Tell Mr. Granger that I’m busy, Tess.”

“Okay, I’ll tell him.”

Tess hung up on her end, and Shiloh hung up on hers. If Caden thought he would get close to her with a bouquet of flowers, he was sadly mistaken.

* * *

Caden held the phone in his hand a full minute before hanging it up. Shiloh had told her employee to tell him she was busy. That was fine. He wouldn’t push for now, but he damn well wouldn’t give up. He knew all about the grand opening of her boutique next weekend, and he intended to attend.

He glanced toward the door when he heard the knock. “Come in,” he called out and then wished he hadn’t when Dalton walked in. “What do you want, Dalton?”

Dalton smiled as he plopped down on the chair across from his desk. “Still in a bad mood, I see.”

“What do you want, Dalton? Some of us have work to do.”

“So do I,” Dalton countered. “I just came from that meeting with those Security guys, and you wouldn’t believe some of the technical shit they have now. Trying it out, I felt like a regular James Bond. And just so you know, you don’t have to tell me why you were in the historical district yesterday.”

“I don’t?” Caden asked, staring hard at his brother.

“No, you don’t. I was able to backtrack all the places you went yesterday with the tracker I put on your phone.” A huge smile spread across Dalton’s lips. “Why didn’t you tell me Shiloh owns a wine shop?”

“Does she?”

“I’m sure you know that she does. So tell me, what’s the real deal with you and Shiloh? And don’t tell me there isn’t one. All it will do is keep me digging.”

Caden leaned back in his chair and built a steeple with his fingers while staring at his brother. “Has it ever occurred to you that it’s not any of your business?”

Dalton continued to smile. “Yes, that did occur to me, but I dismissed it as a crazy idea.”

“And why would you do that?”

“Because you’re the middle child, and I promised Dad I would keep an eye out for you, so everything you do is my business, Caden.”

“Bullshit. But two can play your silly little game. Where were you yesterday? On the way out, I asked Brandy to let you know I was leaving the office, and she mentioned you hadn’t returned from your appointment with a private investigator. Why were you meeting with a P.I.?”

Caden watched the expression on his brother’s face, and it was apparent he didn’t like being the one in the hot seat. In fact, Caden noticed that Dalton actually seemed to be squirming.

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

No doubt it will be damned interesting, Caden thought, keeping an eye on Dalton. “Try me.”

Dalton was silent for a minute, then he said, “I hired a private investigator to find a woman for me. I met her in a nightclub, and she left without telling me who she was and how to contact her.”

“And you hired a P.I. to find her?”

“Yes.”

Caden couldn’t help but chuckle. “You’re right. I don’t believe you.”