Part 14 (1/2)
It wasn't like her to hedge. Then again, she'd never been in a situation like this. She wasn't sure where she'd even start to describe her relations.h.i.+p with the complicated man.
”I imagine you confronted your father,” Helene said. ”Wish I could have seen that.”
”He said the offer was missing some zeros and a comma.”
”Which you don't know for sure.”
”Correct.”
”And taking it to the board won't gain you anything. So you might as well treat yourself to a spa day. Nothing is solved by dwelling on it.”
Lara shook her head. A ma.s.sage didn't solve every problem. On the other hand, it might help her to sleep better. ”This is our company, your future, as well.”
”You got nowhere with your father. Which means you need to go to Connor and ask.” Helene was lifting her gla.s.s to her mouth when she froze. ”You already have, haven't you? Clever girl.” Helene put her gla.s.s back down. ”In fact, that's why you didn't call me back last night. You were with Connor.”
”How the h.e.l.l do you do that?”
”DNA.”
”DNA?”
”You get your brain from me. That's precisely what I would have done. Besides, you're generally more forthcoming with information. You went to his home? Had dinner, maybe?”
When she didn't answer, Helene went on, ”What's he like in private?”
She discarded about a dozen adjectives before settling on, ”Smart.”
”You don't take a company like Donovan Worldwide and make it bigger than it was without being intelligent. Surely you discussed the offer?”
”No. We didn't. Honestly. He said it was no longer on the table.”
”For your father, perhaps. You'll know how to make it happen, if it's possible. I don't suppose the old goat is talking about retiring yet?”
”If you're referring to my father, the answer is no.” She didn't mention the way he continually shut down the discussions about hiring his successor. Like him, the rest of the board likely a.s.sumed that she would step into his position, but that side of the business didn't play to her strong suit. Though she'd become somewhat adept at strategy, vision and leaders.h.i.+p, it wasn't what she really wanted to do. She preferred to figure out how to make it happen.
Helene squeezed Lara's hand. ”What you're trying to do is admirable, but sometimes walking away is for the best. You owe BHI nothing. You can start your own business or become CFO for another company. You've got mad talent, my girl. Don't let it be buried.”
Though she appreciated what her mother was saying, Lara's sense of duty wouldn't let her walk away. All the days at BHI with her father, all the studying, years of schooling, all were to one end, helping her father succeed.
”You can only help people who want to be helped,” Helene added as if reading Lara's mind.
Her mother had learned that lesson, Lara knew.
Lara moved the conversation away from work. ”You have your ladies' soiree today?” She suspected her mother realized it was a defensive tactic, but she didn't argue.
”Today we're having a mixer. We'll be having men in attendance.”
”Oh?” The information startled her. ”Anyone in particular?”
”We're not particular. As long as they're single and rich. Well, knowing how to dance is nice. Nice, but not necessary.”
Lara hadn't ever considered that her mother might eventually want to date again. After leaving Pernell, she'd started traveling with friends, and she'd even taken the desired trip to Australia. ”Mom? Is there something you're not saying?”
”You'll be the first to know, darling.” But she looked into the depths of her wine.
At least Lara was temporarily distracted from her own problems.
Her mother picked at her salad and skipped dessert, which told Lara plenty. But it also kept Helene from mentioning how little Lara ate.
Over coffee, Helene said, ”You know, Erin's mother, Angela, might like to join us in future. I should invite her.” She pulled out her phone and recorded a voice message to do just that. ”Could be good to have her as a friend.”
Lara went still. From her mother's standpoint that made a lot of sense, but she wasn't sure she liked the idea of the two of them being friends.
”I'm sure one of the ladies has her number. If not, I'll have you get it from Erin.”
Helene picked up the check, then they said their goodbyes.
By the time Lara arrived back at the office, she only had time to respond to a few emails before grabbing her briefcase and going back to the lobby to meet April.
The woman was already parked in front of the building, standing on the curb with the back door open.
There were parts of Connor's need to control things that she could get accustomed to, maybe even appreciate, Lara realized. ”Good afternoon, April.”
”A pleasure, Ms. Bertrand,” she replied before closing the door.
After asking to be sure the car's interior was a comfortable temperature, April eased into traffic.
It took little more than five minutes to reach the building that housed Donovan Worldwide.
April said she was at Lara's disposal. After thanking her, Lara went inside the building.
No matter how calm she pretended to be, nerves swarmed Lara as she rode the elevator. As she waited for it to stop and the doors to open, an odd feeling settled over her. She'd made this trip twice in two days. As Connor's wife, his sub, it might not be that unusual. The idea of calling him husband seemed intimate, frightening, exhilarating, all in one.
Again with confidence she didn't feel, she exited the elevator then walked toward Connor's office. Unlike yesterday, Thompson stood to greet her when she arrived in the reception area.
”The biscotti was a nasty lie, something just to entice me, wasn't it?” she asked him.
”Not at all. I baked it last night.”
”You...” She opened her mouth, stunned. This big, burly former military man brewed the best coffee on the planet, and he baked? But instead of finis.h.i.+ng her sentence, she said, ”Impressive.”
”I have many talents, Ms. Bertrand.”
”As I'm learning. But aren't they complicated to make?”
”Time consuming,” he replied. ”Helped that I had all the ingredients on hand.”
She was moved in a way she rarely was. That he'd gone out of his way for her, that he a.s.sumed-or knew-she'd be back, that he was giving his tacit approval to her, touched her. ”I'm not quite sure how to thank you.”
”By eating them,” he said with a big grin.