instead of flying. I love the mountains, the winding roads, the scenery. It clears my head. If I’d flown, who knows where I’d be today. Probably still getting my kicks from stealing businesses out from other hard-working people.”
The self-disgust in his voice turned her stomach. She reached over and squeezed his hand.
He slid his palm over hers, squeezing back. “Anyway, I needed to stretch my legs, and this little store appeared around the next bend. I told the driver to stop. As I walked around, I noticed these mason jars filled with yellow liquid. A home-packaged sort of deal, where frilly lace decorated the screw cap and a simple sticker that had ‘Gleam’ written in black Magic Marker placed on front. The young lady behind the counter said it was her homemade cleaning agent, a recipe passed down from generation to generation that was really popular with the locals. Out of curiosity, I bought one and went on about my day. I didn’t think about it again until I got back home. It was an amazing product.”
“And you had to have it?”
“Oh, yeah. I saw a gold mine. Like I needed more of those. I was already extremely wealthy, but that didn’t stop me. So I drove back up, believing I’d make an offer and she’d jump right on it. These were backwood folks. They didn’t have a lot and I was offering her the world.”
“But she didn’t want to sell?”
“Adamantly refused, stating it was a family recipe that had been passed down from her great-grandmother, to her grandmother, to her mother, and then on to her. And she would one day pass it along to her daughter, and a price tag couldn’t be put on tradition. To say the least, I was stunned. Someone would willingly give up a fortune because of a tradition? How stupid—and I wasn’t above showing her how stupid it was. So I pretended to graciously accept her refusal of my offer and left. Over the next couple of weeks, I made a few trips out there. Never once bringing up the offer, just flattering her, telling her how she’d caught my eye the moment I walked into the store, being the rich city slicker who swooped in and courted the country mouse.”
“Aidan, you didn’t.”
“Oh, I did. I didn’t rush it, either. She was guarded around me, leery, with good cause, but I knew I could win her over. I was patient, letting her get used to seeing me, anticipating when I’d happen to stop in, waiting for that moment I went from being the man who wanted her family secret to the man she couldn’t wait to see. The day she welcomed me with a shy smile and eyes that wouldn’t quite reach mine, I knew I had her, and that was when I asked her out. I didn’t feel an ounce of guilt, Jaylin. Not one iota of remorse. I had a goal. Get the secret. I showered her with the finest things money could buy to do so. I believed if I showed her everything she’d missed by living in a small town, fed her fine dining, bought her fancy clothes, she’d never be able to pass up the opportunity to have it for herself.”
“What happened?”
He shook his head, as he exhaled harshly. “I had degrees, had dealt with some of the savviest businessmen in our country, and had taken them all down. It never occurred to me that a high school dropout, who had no dealings with the wolves of the world, would be so damn smart. But she was, and she became suspicious. She ended up hearing a conversation with one of my business partners. I’ll never forget the day she confronted me. It changed my life. She showed up in my office. Gone were the lavish outfits I’d bought her, the expensive jewelry. The woman who stood before me was the woman I’d met that first day at the general store.”
“Oh, wow.”
“She placed two suitcases on the floor. I later found out it was every piece of clothing and jewelry I’d ever bought her. She thanked me for reminding her who she never wanted to be. It was the first time in a long time I’d felt awful for going to any lengths to get what I wanted. I tried to apologize, but she simply said she wasn’t angry, that she only pitied me, and that I apparently held nothing sacred. Right before she walked away, she added that