A Billionaire in Disguise #2 : A Perfect Plan(21)

As William turned into the driveway, past the trees and into the clearing, the sight of the huge RV and new Escape made him stop. Bless her heart! She spent some money on herself. What a beauty, he thought as he approached the RV. William knocked on the door, but there wasn't an answer. The smart girl locked the door, causing him to smile again. She's probably hiking or at the lake fishing. William went back to the Jeep, wrote a quick note, and then stuck it on the door. He'd just call her this afternoon.



Parker heard the sound of water flowing before he found the lake. The sound was so calming, just what he needed. Climbing up on a large boulder, he opened the bag but had lost his appetite for the lunch. Watching the fish jump and smelling all the fresh air made him sleepy. Relaxing against another rock, Parker closed his eyes. With his lack of sleep, it wasn't long before he slipped into dreamland.

Emily was happy that she found a flight leaving so soon. If she hurried, she could be at Davis Enterprises before business hours ended. She looked down at her worn jeans and hiking boots and was grateful not to be in that horrid black suit and heels. Maybe this time I won't go falling on my face. Emily's cheeks flushed. The ticket she purchased was for a round trip. Her plane back to Colorado would depart at ten that night. When I leave, I won't ever have to come back.

The cab driver kept hitting on her, so by the time Emily reached Davis Enterprises, she was already in a bad mood. The young woman at the desk was busy with another person, so she slipped past and rode the elevator up to the twenty-second floor. The woman behind the large glass window buzzed her in.

"You didn't stop at the front desk." The scowl on her face didn't go unnoticed by Emily.

"She was busy. I'm here to meet with Russell and Parker Davis."

"Go over to that desk and speak with Rhonda." Emily could feel eyes trying to burn holes in her back.

"May I help you?" When Rhonda looked up, her jaw dropped.

"I'd like to see Russell and Parker Davis, please."

"You're Emily Carson?" Rhonda still couldn't believe it. Emily's long auburn hair and bright blue eyes were well remembered.

"Yes. Is there some kind of a problem?" Emily wasn't about to take any shit from anyone in this building.


 

 

 

"Parker isn't here, but Russell is. Go over to that door, it's unlocked." Let him deal with it. Rhonda couldn't help but listen.

Russell looked up expecting to see Rhonda. He quickly rose to his feet and extended his hand. "You're Emily Carson, correct?" Doom flooded through him.

"Yeah. I'm not like you and your brother, so I don't pretend to be someone I'm not..." Emily didn't hide her look of disdain and ignored his handshake gesture.

"Have a seat, Miss Carson." Russell picked up his phone. "Rhonda, could you come in here please?"

"Absolutely!" answered Rhonda. "Should I bring popcorn?!"

Russell could already tell this was going to go badly.

Chapter 15

Emily sat down in the chair across from Russell's desk. Rhonda gladly took the chair beside her. As soon as both ladies were seated, an awkward silence settled in. Russell wished more than anything he could send this angry woman over to Parker's office.

"How can I help you today, Miss Carson?" A nervous smile spread across his face.

"Who are you?" Emily had no intentions of wasting time on small talk.

"I'm Russell Davis. Parker is my identical twin."

"I'm sure the both of you shared information about me. I want to know who it was I slept with."

Oh God. Parker, I'm going to kick your ass for this. "I can assure you it wasn't me."

"How do I know that? You have a mustache but you've had plenty of time to grow one." Emily wanted to kick the man.

"Emily, I've only seen you three times. Once when you got your shoe stuck in the sewer, another was at the zoo, and then today."

"You expect me to believe that?"

"Ask me anything about those times."

"This is pointless. You and your brother are very good liars." Emily's eyes began to water but she refused to let them spill over.

At first Rhonda was enjoying watching her husband squirm. Both of the men deserved anything she dished out. But her heart was softening toward Emily. She had to help her.

"Emily, my name is Rhonda Davis. Russell is my husband and we have two small girls. I can assure you that you never slept with him. You've been with Parker, and I'm just as angry about the whole thing as you are." Rhonda openly glared at Russell. "When I was hired here, I knew they were identical twins. I couldn't tell them apart. I was falling for the Davis guy who kept coming over to my desk to talk with me. There were rumors floating around that I was flirting with both men. I was in constant fear of them pretending to be the other, so I had Russell grow a mustache, hoping to ease my fears and put an end to the rumors. Deep inside, I knew I needed something else to tell them apart. If Russell shaved the mustache off, I'd be back to square one. It wasn't until we all went to the beach that I saw his birthmark. Parker doesn't have it. Show her, Russell." 

"I'm not going to do that, Rhonda..." Russell's cheeks reddened.

"If you want to stop sleeping on the couch, I suggest you do it." Rhonda wasn't going to bend, and Russell was more than aware she meant business. "I asked him to grow the mustache again recently to stop the confusion happening in this situation with you and Parker. Obviously, like me, you need more proof." Rhonda raised her eyebrow at her husband.

"Fine." Russell stood up and lifted his shirt. Emily stared at the strawberry-colored birthmark on his upper abdomen.

"Parker doesn't have that mark," Emily said as she stared. She could no longer keep her tears from spilling over.

"No, Emily, he doesn't. You have been with my brother this entire time. Trust me, I wasn't happy about any of this. I'm the one who went to Colorado and purchased your grandfather's property, not Parker. We aren't a bunch of thieves and we don't run a dishonest company. We're competitive just like any other business, but I promise you, no one wanted to cause any harm during the purchase. I admit that my brother was quite cruel to you after we owned the land. I know for a fact that he felt horrible about himself and his actions. That was Parker's motive behind the lies. Once again, I'm not excusing our behavior. But you have to know that Emmitt Carson was more than adamant about selling, and I was interested in buying. He wasn't drugged, I checked that out before papers were signed. He did mention something about a nature preserve, but I couldn't understand him. Had I of known what the circumstances were, I would have contacted you. I didn't know you even existed, and he refused to have an attorney look over the documents. Parker righted those wrongs and gave the property back to you. I'm sorry for any grief that was caused, but I don't understand why you're still angry. I know Parker deceived you, and I played a part in helping him, which I'm very sorry for. I only did it to tame down the media circus, and because he's my brother. I'd do anything for him, other than be with another woman."

"I'm not angry anymore about the land. I'm still hurt over the things that happened with your brother. I hope you understand that I had to find out some answers. Thank you both for providing those. Is Parker going to be available soon?"

"Emily, Parker is still in Colorado," replied Rhonda with a smile, knowing that she eased the poor woman's mind.

"I'll find him. Rhonda, thank you so much and thank you, Russell. I'll never be happy about all the confusion, but at least you cleared it up for me. I guess Parker was telling the truth after all. I must confess, I was the one who started that media circus by calling a family friend named William Lovette. I had no idea the article was going to spin out of control. He's a great guy and was just looking out for me. I had him write another article about the land being given back to me."

"Thank you for doing that, Emily." Russell was finally feeling relieved. Rhonda no longer had daggers shooting from her eyes.

Emily stood and shook their hands, then left for the airport. For the first time in a long while, she was looking forward to seeing the man she'd fallen for.

After the door was closed, Rhonda stood up and wrapped her arms around Russell. "I guess you've learned a valuable lesson." She kissed his lips softly.

"So no more couch?"

"No more couch." Rhonda held him close to her.



Emily reached in her purse and pulled her phone out. She had two missed calls from both William and Mick. She hoped the shepherd was okay.


 

 

 

"Hey, Mick, sorry I missed your call."

"Are you at home? I have a couple of routine surgeries and, of course, I'm behind. Can I call you back?"

"I'm in New York. I'm okay, but long story. Is the shepherd okay?"

"He's doing great, Em. He can be discharged soon but he needs to go to someone who can continue his care and bring him back for appointments."

"I'll keep him until we find someone."

"Em, you can't have a dog where you live."

"I'm at the airport now, so I'll talk to you more about it when I get home. Don't let anyone take the shepherd." Mick said goodbye, but not a word about Parker wanting the dog. He knew it wouldn't be a good idea to bring it up, especially with her being in New York.