His Instant Heir(21)

But not now. Cari Chandler was changing him, and not just in his personal life.

"There you are," she said, coming up next to him.

"Mamamama," DJ said. The boy was dressed in a pair of khaki shorts and a blue Polo Ralph Lauren shirt.

"Hey there, buddy," Dec said, reaching out to his son. The boy leaned  over and Cari handed him to Dec. He wished the boy would call him Dada,  but he was learning that with babies and Cari everything happened in its  own time.

As he cuddled his son close, some of the tension inside of him eased. "I just needed a break."

"I get that. These days can be so long. Wait until you go to the staff holiday party."

"Cari, about that," he said.

"Yes?" She looked over at him with those big blue eyes of hers and he  felt a pain in his gut at the thought of saying what needed to be said.

Then he got disgusted with himself. "By Christmas, Infinity Games won't be like this."

"What do you mean?"

"You know I'm here to acquire your company. One of the things we're  looking at is moving some of your staff to the Playtone campus."

She flushed and glared at him. "After today, you'd still do that?"

"Cari, that's my job."

"I thought you were starting to care."

"I am. I do care about you and about DJ."

"But not about his heritage."                       
       
           



       

Her words were quick and he understood where she was coming from. The  past four-plus weeks had started a bond between them that he was  reluctant to see broken, but he knew what he had to do. Kell wasn't  going to give up on vengeance just because Dec had started to care about  one of the Chandler sisters.

"The same could be said of you and your sisters," Dec pointed out. "The  company was vulnerable. We weren't the only ones sniffing around at  buying you out."

She shook her head. "We were having such a nice day. Why are you being like this?"

"Like what? This is who I am. It doesn't matter how much I like your  staff. Some of them are still going to be cut. This is business."

She nodded. "I can't think like that."

"That's one of the things I really like about you," he said. "But that  doesn't mean I can just give up sound fiscal thinking because I want to  please you."

She crossed her arms over her chest and gave him a good hard glare. "I can't stay mad at you when you make actual sense."

He rolled his eyes. She couldn't stay mad at anyone. "That's because  you're smarter than those blonde jokes you are always forwarding to me."

"They're funny," she said. "I'm sorry if it seemed I jumped on you. Is  that why you are over here? Because it's hard to mingle and enjoy  yourself with people you might have to let go?"

Dec didn't have the heart to tell her he just needed a break from all  the people. He wasn't like Cari and wouldn't lose any sleep over the  staff reductions that had to be made. The really good staff members had  already proved themselves by stepping into the transition and taking the  lead.

"I guess," he said.

"Sorry I wasn't more understanding," she said, giving him a quick hug.

"It's okay. Why were you looking for me?"

"To see if you'd watch DJ. My sisters and I have to introduce the  entertainment and thank the staff for the work they've done this year,"  Cari said.

Dec realized that to her these people were extended family, and for the  first time since he'd learned of the acquisition, he didn't feel good.  He knew the top three names on the cut list all ended with Chandler. And  as he watched this woman he was starting to care about, he realized the  full impact of what that would mean to her.

"I'd be happy to watch him, but don't you think it might make people ask questions about why I am?" Dec asked.

"No one is going to be ballsy enough to question you," she said. "But if you wanted to keep hiding out … "

"I'm not hiding out, but I think staying over here out of the way of the staff is wise."

"Me, too. Thanks."

Cari leaned over and kissed DJ on the head before turning and walking  away. Dec watched her make her way through the throngs of people and saw  her stop and chat along the way. Though he knew they were different and  he'd have no problem with losing staff, Cari was going to have a hard  time when she was one of the staff who was cut.

He shifted DJ to his other arm and realized he wanted to find a way to  keep her on. Because just like Frank, he didn't think Cari was going to  enjoy not coming to Infinity Games every day.





Eleven


"We're here," Cari said as she parked her car in the big circle drive at the Chandler estate in Malibu.

Cari dreaded Sunday brunch with her sisters. She knew there was no way  they could know what had happened in her office on her desk almost three  weeks ago. They also didn't know about the dates she and Dec had been  on or how without her meaning for it to happen she'd started to fall for  him. But she felt like her emotions were transparent today. She  adjusted the A-line slim-fitting skirt and the thick black belt at her  waist as she got out of the car in front of Emma's house.

In theory they were all supposed to take turns hosting the weekly  morning get-together but somehow they always ended up at Emma's. Cari  liked to think it was because the house Emma lived in had been their  grandparents' and of course Emma had a housekeeper who did all the  cooking. But she had the feeling it was more than that.

Emma liked being the hostess. She liked being the one everyone came to.  She was the oldest, and too bossy for her own good, so they let her get  away with it.

She glanced at DJ, who was busy chewing on a small plastic boat that he  called num-num. She got him out of the car and headed toward the house.  She'd spent her weekends here as a child running on the marble floors  and playing hide-and-seek in the landscaped gardens out back.                       
       
           



       

Now as she looked down at her son she smiled, thinking that he'd be  doing the same thing soon. She gave him to Mrs. Hawkins, Emma's son's  nanny, as soon as she entered the mansion.

She wondered what Dec's childhood home was like. He'd mentioned that he  still owned it but that it stood empty. Did he have the kind of memories  of his home that she did of this place?

"Sam will be glad to see this little one," Mrs. Hawkins said.

"DJ, as well. He likes playing with his cousin," Cari said.

She looked down at DJ. "You're going to see Sammy."

"Mamamama," he said up at her with that big grin of his.

She kissed his forehead just before Mrs. Hawkins scooped him up and turned to walk away. "Where are my sisters?"

"In your grandfather's den," Mrs. Hawkins said.

It didn't matter that Gregory Chandler had been dead for almost ten  years now or that Emma had taken up residence here. That room would  always be his.

Cari entered the heavily oak-paneled room that she imagined still  smelled of her grandfather's cigars. The large windows at the end of the  room did their best to let in the sunlight but the room was still dark  and felt very masculine. As a child Cari had never ventured in here as  it was the domain of her stern grandfather.

"Hey, girls," Cari said. "I thought we were just having breakfast."

"We will," Emma said. Her oldest sister had thick wavy hair that she  normally wore pulled back in a chignon because she said it made her look  more professional. "Since Jessi is in charge of marketing I wanted to  run your idea past her for the Christmas game."

"Now? I don't have any of the information with me and my staff is taking Sunday off," Cari said.

"It's fine. We'll just get a high-level rundown on it. I want to keep it  a secret from Playtone until we have the finished product."

"I don't think that is going to work," Cari said. "Dec is in the office  and I talked to Allan about the financial targets. If we don't show them  our pro forma and some progress, I think we're in danger of losing  everything."

"Why did you talk to Allan?" Jessi asked.

"He was in the office to see Dec," Cari explained. "What is it between the two of you?"

Jessi looked distinctly uncomfortable, which wasn't like her sister.  "There's nothing between us. He got all protective and mad because I  investigated John before Patti married him."

"Why did you do that?"

"They met in Vegas. I didn't know him, and Patti is a hot property with  her business going international. He could have been a gold digger."

Cari reached over and patted her sister on the shoulder. Jessi really  didn't trust anyone except those who'd proved themselves trustworthy. It  made Cari a little sad because she could remember the sweet little girl  that Jessi used to be before life had hardened her.