In the midst of all this, he had also become the CEO of Phineas’s international logistics firm, Hoffman Logistics Company, also known as HLC in the industry. At his father’s insistence, he’d worked at the company, in various positions, off and on over the years. Since his father’s death, his most important task had been to calm employees and business associates and reassure them the company remained a viable player in the industry, even though its beloved leader was no longer at the helm. All the more reason to get a quick answer from Eva, so he could head back to Atlanta and deal with the issues he’d left behind to come down here and talk to her in person.
He spent every day and night reading reports, in meetings, doing everything he could to maintain a sense of order and keep the company from falling apart. Three senior executives had already bailed and gone over to the competition. Keeping up company morale was a priority to stop any further migrations.
He thought about Eva again. Today she’d looked so fragile as he’d looked down at her slender frame. He’d wanted to pick her up and take her away from her low-paying job and give her the care she needed because she obviously wasn’t taking care of herself.
To think she carried his child, and he’d almost missed out because of his pride. He’d still been angry and tending to a bruised ego over their breakup when she called to tell him the news. Despite his response, deep down he’d known the truth. Unlike some of the mercenary women he’d come to know over the years, she’d been one of the few who’d never asked for anything from him. Not once had she ever asked him to pay her bills or buy her an expensive piece of jewelry.
What he couldn’t figure out was what he’d done to make her hate him so much. The anger in her eyes had been almost enough to laser him in two. Did she have any idea how many other women would love to be in her position—to be offered marriage? Instead of being appreciative, she acted as if she’d been offered an all-expenses-paid trip to the depths of hell.
And why had she ended their relationship in the first place? He’d come to the island for his sister’s wedding, and even though they’d made plans to see each other, she’d refused to see him until he showed up at her job on Saturday morning and gave her no choice. Her only explanation for why she no longer wanted to see him had been that their relationship had run its course and she wanted to move on.
He swore.
Sauntering back into the room, he loosened his tie. He hadn’t been ready to move on. Women didn’t end relationships with him; it usually happened the other way around. Her rejection had bothered him for weeks as he pondered her words, trying to find some hidden meaning in the things she’d said, but couldn’t. Then, out of the blue, she’d called him to say she was pregnant.
Maybe he hadn’t given her the best response, but he couldn’t be blamed. Their relationship hadn’t been exclusive. For all he knew, she could have broken up with him because of another man and was trying to trap him with that other man’s child. But he had to be truthful and admit his role in this. The last time they’d made love, he hadn’t used any protection. He’d been riled up by the thought of her seeing someone else.
They had an agreement: don’t ask, don’t tell. But he’d asked. And she’d told.
One day in April, he’d had to cancel his weekend plans to see her, and when he’d called a few days later to see what she was doing, she told him she planned to go out with a “friend”—a male friend. He’d been so jealous, he’d driven almost five hours straight without stopping because Phineas had taken the private plane out of town on business and he couldn’t get a commercial flight. When he’d shown up at her apartment, she’d been surprised to see him, and he’d made up something about his plans changing yet again. All he really cared about, though, was making sure she didn’t go out with this other guy.