Trigger

Chapter Two

Chapter Two

Emma

Closing my eyes, I breathed in the salty sea air and smiled, propping my feet up on the wrought iron rails of the balcony connected to my room. I loved the way the waves sounded as they crashed along the shore. We’d been in Charleston for the past week, staying at one of Glenn’s many homes. And I hadn’t had to do a single thing other than relax, which was odd. Working for one of the richest men on the east coast had its perks, but he was interesting to say the least. I’d been under his employ for a little over eight months now.

A knock sounded on the bedroom door. Opening my eyes, I sat up straighter and turned toward the sound. “Come in,” I called.

The door opened and Glenn stepped inside, his face a stony mask. I’d seen that look a million times, but could never decipher what it meant. His dark hair had more wisps of gray than it did when he’d hired me.

“Are you busy?” he asked.

I jumped out of my seat, setting my notebook on the deck table. “Of course not. Is there something I can do for you?”

He shook his head. “Not at the moment. I wanted to stop by and share our plans.” He walked further into my room and looked out toward the ocean, his crisp, button-down shirt and pants perfectly pressed. I’d never seen him look normal, in something as mundane as a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. “I’m sorry for being scarce the past week. Something came up that required my attention,” he said, turning his attention to me.

“No worries. I was just working on a new song.”

His lip pulled into a small smile, a rare occurrence. “How’s it coming along?”

I shrugged. “Okay, I guess. It’s been so long since I’ve written one. It’ll probably sound horrible.”

“I very much doubt that,” he added. “I’ve heard you sing some of your songs under your breath.” Blood rushed to my face in embarrassment. “But one of the things I wanted to talk to you about is my son,” he continued. “How would you feel about working for him when I retire?”

My pulse spiked and I could feel my heart pound. Wade Chandler was twenty-nine, just two years older than me, but he made me nervous. He was extremely good looking, yet serious all the time, hardly ever smiling. I’d seen so many people give into him from a single stare. Even though I’d worked for Chandler Enterprises for several months, I’d only spoken to Wade maybe three times, and that was a ‘how are you doing’ type of thing.

Brows furrowed, Glenn stared at me. “Is something wrong?”

“No,” I blurted with a laugh. “Are you sure he’d want to work with me? We’ve never really spoken to each other.”

He nodded. “I know, but it was his idea to take you on. I thought I’d ask first, to see if you were interested. The money would be the same. He thought you two could get to know each other better when he arrives.”

“Is he coming to Charleston?”

Glenn’s phone rang and he looked down at the screen before shutting off the sound. “He’ll be here tomorrow morning,” he said, lifting his gaze to mine.

“All right, I can do it,” I answered. “I’m always up for a challenge.”

He smiled. “You’ll do fine. Once he gets to know you, he won’t be so . . . uptight.”

“Glad to hear it.”

He started to take a step back and stopped. “There’s something else I wanted to tell you. I’m hosting a dinner tomorrow night and I need you to be here. Wade will be joining us, but I have another guest who’ll be arriving in town later tonight as well.”

“Okay,” I said with a nod. “Is there anything you need me to plan for the dinner?”

He shook his head and walked to the door. “Mrs. Walker has it handled. I do, however, need you to find a nice dress to wear. You can charge it to the company card. The Mercedes is in the garage if you want to take it.” He paused at the door and glanced at me over his shoulder. “Oh, and I won’t be around this evening, but Mrs. Walker will cook your dinner when you’re ready.”

“Thank you.” I waved as he walked out the door and shut it behind him.

It wasn’t the first time I had to buy an evening gown for one of his formal events, or even drive one of his expensive cars. My biggest fear was wrecking one of them, but he didn’t seem to care. Fifty thousand dollars to him was like pocket change. My family hadn’t had a lot of money when I was growing up, so it was strange experiencing how the other half lived.

Working for Chandler Enterprises wasn’t exactly what I thought I’d do with my college degree. After graduating with a BA in creative writing, I’d moved back to Charlotte and held a job at the local newspaper. I’d done that for five years, until out of nowhere, the infamous Glenn Chandler approached me as I walked out of the office one day. He offered me three times as much to work as his assistant and write his business proposals. I couldn’t pass it up.

Grabbing my brush, I ran it through my long, blonde hair before pulling it into a ponytail. It was time to shop for my dress. Mrs. Walker was in the kitchen cleaning off the counters when I entered. She was a middle-aged woman with shoulder-length, brown hair and a kind smile. Since Glenn hadn’t needed my assistance as of late, I’d been helping her in the kitchen from time to time.

“Do you need anything while I’m out?” I asked her.

She looked over at me and smiled, tossing her dishrag in the sink. “No, I’m good, sweetheart. I went to the grocery store this morning.”

“Okay. I’ll be back this afternoon and I can help you with dinner. We should eat together, since Glenn will be gone.”

Her face brightened. “I’d like that. My husband has to work late anyway. We can eat out on the terrace.”

“I look forward to it.” I waved goodbye and walked into the garage, where the sleek, black Mercedes sat. I cranked it up and started on my way to downtown Charleston. King Street was the place to go, so I parked in one of the first places I could find and hopped out of the car. Before I could even shut the door, my phone rang.

“Hey, Mom,” I answered.

“Hey, baby. How are you?”

Shutting the car door, I locked it and hurried across the street. “Good. Just out trying to find a dress for a dinner tomorrow night.”

“That sounds nice. You still liking your job?”

I laughed. “Can’t complain. I’m making more money than I would anywhere else. Besides, I’ve basically had the whole week off, with pay. It’s nice to sit on the beach and write.” My mom cleared her throat nervously. “What is it?”

“You aren’t—you’re not sleeping with him are you?” she asked, her voice low.

I burst out laughing. “Oh my God, I can’t believe you asked that. No, I’m not sleeping with him. Eww . . . he’s like a father figure to me. It’s not like that, I promise.”

“Okay, just making sure. It’s been weighing on my mind for a while now.”

“You have nothing to worry about. However, when he retires, I’ll be working for his son. Now that will be interesting.”

“Oh,” she said, drawing out the word. “Yes, it will. He’s an attractive man.”

“With zero personality. Trust me, there’ll be no mixing business with pleasure. He’s coming down to Charleston tomorrow. Glenn wants us to get to know each other, since we’ll be working together in the near future.”

“Just be careful. The Chandler men strike me as the kind of guys who get what they want. Don’t let them run all over you.”

I shook my head and smiled. Glenn and Wade had always treated me with respect. “I won’t, Momma. Is that all you called to say?”

She sighed. “No, it’s not. I wanted to tell you to be careful down there.”

“What do you mean?”

“I was walking by the break room and saw the news. A lot of the nurses were talking about a young woman around your age who was found murdered on the beach. As of right now, they don’t have any leads, which means the killer’s still out there. Don’t go walking around at night by yourself.”

Chills ran up my spine. “Did they say where she was found, or how she was killed?” I loved walking on the beach at night.

“They haven’t announced the details, but she was found not far from where you’re staying. I just want you to be safe.”

“I will, Mom. I’m almost always with Glenn, so nobody’s going to get to me.”

“All right, baby. I love you. Make sure to call your father when you get a chance. You know how he likes to hear from you when you’re away.”

We said our goodbyes and I walked into the boutique. My safe haven no longer felt safe.