Nati was so distracted by the glittery sensation of having Cadeâs hand on her arm that she completely missed the approach of the kiss.
She didnât know what to do. It seemed as if she should tell him to back off because, along with even bigger issues, he was a client, and their families had bad blood between them.
She didnât say anything at all and instead stood there looking stunned.
âSee you,â he said, giving her arm another light squeeze before he let go of it.
âSee you,â Nati echoed dimly.
Nati watched him go, taking in the sight of that rear view that was almost as good as the front. And all she could think was that he had kissed her.
Enough of a kiss to leave her at odds with herself when a voice in her head shrieked, No!
And the rest of her whispered, Moreâ¦
âMidnight maltedsâthere must be trouble,â Cade Camden said when he joined his grandmother, his three siblings and his six cousins in the sprawling kitchen of the Denver home where heâd grown up. Georgianna Camden had raised all ten of her grandchildren here after the tragic deaths of their parents.
âChocolate or vanilla?â she asked without directly responding to his comment.
âChocolate,â Cade answered.
âItâs been a long time since one of us got arrested for teenage hijinks,â Cadeâs older brother Seth contributed.
âNobody died, did they, GiGi?â Lang, one Cadeâs triplet cousins, asked.
Growing up, whenever there was trouble and the sleepless nights that went with it, theyâd all congregated in their grandmotherâs kitchen. Even if she were angry or disappointed or disgusted with the kidsâGiGi had made malteds, done damage control and assured them that they would weather whatever storm came their way.
But tonight, when theyâd each been summoned for midnight malteds during GiGiâs seventy-fifth birthday party, it set off alarm bells. It was something Cade had been anticipating anyway, ever since GiGi had requested that her grandchildren all spend the night. For old-timeâs sakeâ¦
With everyone gathered around the large island in the center of the kitchen, sipping their malteds, GiGi finally explained why sheâd asked them here.
âIâve read the journals,â she said ominously.
As the descendants of H. J. Camden, founder of Camden Incorporated and the worldwide chain of Camden Super Stores, GiGiâs grandkids immediately knew what she was talking about.
Just weeks before Georgiannaâs birthday, her oldest grandson, Seth, had come across a small trunk hidden beneath the floorboards of the original barn in Northbridge, Montana, where H.J. was born. The trunk contained several journals written in H.J.âs own hand. Seth had immediately sent them to his grandmother.
âThis canât be good,â Livi, another of the triplets, said softly. Rumors had always flown that Henry James Camden, his son Hank Jr. and even his grandsons Howard and Mitchum had amassed the family fortune by lying, cheating, bribes and much worse.
âIt isnât,â GiGi confirmed. âI havenât read everything but Iâve read enough to know that the worst that was ever thought or said about H.J.âand even moreâis true.â
That sobered everyone in the room.
They all knew that GiGi had never been privy to any of the business dealings, that her response to the rumors and accusations of backroom deals, of misdeeds and wrongdoing had been to instill in her own sons and grandchildren a strong sense of right and wrong. And because H.J. and her late husband Hank had kept business strictly separate from their family life, and been such good and loving heads of the household, sheâd chosen to believe better of them.
âDuring those last couple of months after H.J.âs stroke he said some things to me that made me wonder, that made me think he might have reason to feel some shame. But you know he wasnât in his right mind most of that time and so Iâd still hoped that the worst wasnât trueââ
âBut it was,â Cadeâs cousin, Dane, finished for her.
âIt was,â GiGi said in a dire tone. âH.J. and my Hank especiallyâ¦.â The elderly womanâs voice cracked. She shook her head. She clearly didnât want to admit it but she raised her chin and continued, âThey trampled over other people to build what we have.â
No one said anything to that.
After a moment of collecting herself, GiGi went on. âIâll grant you that much of what was done was done decades agoâyour dads put more effort into giving back and sharing our good fortune. But even theyâ¦â GiGi shook her head in disappointment. âWell, they still did H.J. and your grandfatherâs bidding.â