Love and Arson

by Woods, Karen

  His tone was measured when he finally spoke, “Steve’s a friend of mine, a good friend. But I wouldn’t be happy with his dating Beth, and I’m not happy with his dating you. He changes women the way other men change underwear. He’s not anyone you should become involved with. He’ll hurt you if you aren’t careful.”

  She snorted a laugh. “I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself.”

  “I really don’t want to see you with a broken heart.”

  “I’d almost think you cared,” she replied as she looked up at the cart ahead of them in which her father rode.

  “I really don’t want to see you hurt,” Jase repeated. “You’re Harry’s daughter. Of course, I care. Steve’s left a trail of broken hearts behind him since Gwen died. I’d hate to see you join that group.”

  “Oh, for pity’s sake, Jase! I can recognize a player when I meet one. That man should probably have a revolving door on his bedroom.”

  Jase sighed. “Not that bad, but don’t take him at face value, Mary Danielle.”

  “I don’t take men at face value, not anymore. No matter how appealing the face may be. And Steve definitely has an appealing face.” She clicked her tongue against her teeth. “The rest of him isn’t exactly gruesome either,” she added with a small laugh. “He’s really quite presentable. And he’s fun to be around.”

  Jase looked at her for a moment, before returning his attention to the course. “Have you forgiven me yet for way I treated you that first day you were here?” he asked. “I was worried about Harry. I didn’t want to see him hurt. It’s a small excuse, but it’s the only one I can offer.”

  “I know,” she answered. “I don’t like it, but I know. You’re very protective of your family. That’s not at all a bad thing for a man to be.”

  “You’re still mad at me.”

  “You didn’t exactly endear yourself to me,” she replied. “And you haven’t exactly gone out of your way to be friendly. You’ve been avoiding me ever since you came back from Reserve duty. You haven’t even been home for dinner this week.”

  “Miss me?”

  “Like I’d miss the pain associated with beating my head against a wall.”

  He chuckled, but the sound wasn’t completely amused. “The not going out of your way to be friendly is a two way street, Mary Danielle,” Jase observed. “You’ve not exactly been overly friendly yourself. I’d like to start over if we could.”

  “Then, don’t stiff neck me with Mary Danielle. If you want to be friends, my name’s Dani.”

  “Dani,” Jase echoed with a smile.

  “See, that didn’t kill you.”

  “You’ve never said if you forgave me.”

  “I suppose I can understand,” Dani responded. “You love Dad. I’m grateful he’s had someone to love who loves him in return. You can’t know what that means to me. So, of course, I accept your apology and forgive you.”

  “Harry’s been like a father to me. He’d be happy, if we got along. It’s important to him.”

  “But is it important to you?”

  “Very much so.”

  “Okay. We can make an effort at starting over, I suppose.”

  “That’s more than I probably deserve. I was skeptical at first. But you really do care for him. It’s obvious how much you care about him. That’s good enough for me.”

  She looked at him. She wasn’t at all certain she believed him. “Then thanks, Jase. I appreciate how hard it is for you to admit you were wrong.”

  “Did Hastings put you off men entirely?”

  “I’d rather say that I am cautious, very cautious. They say a cynic is a bruised romantic. There may be something to that definition. I’m not sure I even believe in love. Or at least not in the ‘love will conquer all’ theory of love. I just haven’t seen things work that way, for anyone.”

  “I’m sorry that your illusions were torn from you so roughly.”

  “Don’t you dare pity me.”

  He smiled at her. “I can’t think of anyone whom I pity less,” Jase said. “Whatever else anyone may think of you, no one can deny you’re a strong and beautiful woman with a fine head on her shoulders.”

  She laughed, “Now, I’m sure of it. Aliens abducted the real Jase. You’re just an android version they left behind as a data collection device. One night we’ll all be asleep and awake the next morning in specimen collection tubes aboard a spaceship bound for a planet in a distant galaxy.”

  Jase just shook his head. “Now, who is showing imagination worthy of a writer?”

  “Not me, for sure, that plot’s old and hackneyed beyond measure. It might have been fresh in the 1940s.”

  “There’s no such thing as a new idea for a plot. I remember in literature class my senior year of high school being taught there were only thirteen basic plots.”

  “Seven, thirteen, thirty-six, there are a lot of different theories about the number of basic plots. One of my under-graduate roommate majored in English Literature. I heard a lot of theories about things like that.”

  Jase chuckled.

  “I’m willing to try to be your friend, Jase. And I hope, at least for Dad’s sake, we can pull it off.”

  “Please reconsider going out with Steve. You might think of yourself as able to handle him, but he really is too much of a playboy for anyone as innocent as you are.”

  “As you’ve been prone to point out, I’m hardly an innocent,” Dani replied, her voice tight.

  Jase sighed. “There is something quite innocent about you. I’ve always scoffed at the idea of the whole ‘born again virgin’ concept. But it fits you.”

  “I’m just playing tennis with Steve tomorrow after work. Whoever loses is buying dinner,” Dani explained. “It’s nothing serious. Oh, he would like for me to think he is completely smitten. I suspect that’s a normal part of his seduction routine. I suspect, also, under the surface there just might be a decent man I’d like to have for a friend. We might get to friendship, when he realizes I’m not going to fall for his well practiced ‘love them and leave them’ routine.”

  “Steve is an old friend of mine. I should warn you Steve has been the club tennis champ for the last three years running,” Jase warned. “It’s been more than two years since he’s lost a match, to anyone.”

  Dani laughed. “So much the better. I do so like stiff competition. I’m doubly glad now I accepted.”

  Jase smiled. “You really think you can give Steve a run for his money?”

  “Should be interesting, to say the least. Few people underestimate me twice.”

  “No, I don’t think they do.”

  “He really has it coming.”

  “I think I have to see this.”

  “It’s still a free country,” she replied, as she climbed down from the cart. “I certainly can’t stop you from coming out to watch the match.”

  “It wouldn’t bother you to have someone watch you play?”

  “No. Why should it? I play tennis extremely well, for an amateur. And I’m used to being watched.”

  Jase laughed. “You certainly have no lack of self confidence.”

  “If I did lack confidence, you and Harry would have run right over me. Even if I wasn’t confident, I couldn’t afford to let you see the chinks in the armor. Both of you are deadly when it comes to finding a vulnerability and exploiting it.”

  “Probably,” Jase admitted. “You’re no slouch yourself in that department. There’s nothing wrong with the steel in your backbone. I greatly admire strength in a person.”

  “You know, I think that is the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.”

  Jase smiled at her. “Then I shall surely have to change my habits.”

  “Uh...Huh... And a leopard will change his spots.”

  She was surprised at the easy camaraderie between them during the time on the golf course. They discussed a variety of topics, finding a vast area of agreement on subjects from national politics to the best brand of golf ball.

&nb
sp; After the eighteen holes the foursome returned to the clubhouse. Harry and Norman had won by only a single stroke. She suspected Jase had purposefully missed the putt on the seventeenth to give the win to the older pair. Oh, it had been done smoothly.

  “There’s obviously not much of an advantage of being young playing with you two,” Dani stated.

  “It was a good round,” Norman said.

  “Yes,” Harry agreed, “Shall we have a drink and talk?”

  Sitting at a table in the bar, a few minutes later, Norman turned to her, “Well, Miss Devlin, what is your considered opinion of your father’s offer to buy my operation?”

  She forced a businesslike smile. “May I speak freely, sir?”

  “Of course,” Norman replied. “I have no tolerance for meally mouthed sycophants.”

  She sighed then launched into her reply, hoping she wasn’t overstepping, “You have wonderful assets, but they aren’t readily convertible to cash. I’m sure if you could find a way to ride out at least the next two years, you’d probably be okay. But realistically, it is unlikely that, without outside intervention, Richter Development will survive until the end of the next quarter. You’re seriously overextended.”

  Jase added, “In fact, the debt service on Richter’s holdings is just about to strangle the corporation. You haven’t done more than barely meet the interest payments during the last two quarters. The bank is running, has run, out of patience. The only reason your notes haven’t been called yet, is as a favor to me.”

  Norman looked at them.

  “You misjudged market trends. You aren’t alone in that predicament. So don’t feel too badly about it,” Dani said gently. “It could have happened to anyone. It did happen to a lot of people. You aren’t the only one in trouble right now.”

  Norman sighed. “That doesn’t make it any easier to face.”

  “No, it doesn’t,” she continued. “However, think about your people at Richter, about the seventy-three families dependent on the business. You have an obligation to your people, sir. For this reason, if for no other, were I in your position, I would accept the offer. Your people deserve to have hope for their job security.”

  “And what would Devlin get out of this?” Norman demanded.

  “A more favorable tax situation to begin with. All of those lovely properties to depreciate. Your debt load to offset some of the large profits which Devlin has managed to accrue this fiscal year. There will be potential profits down the line when the economy improves,” Dani answered. “The situation is bound to improve, eventually. For now, Devlin is in better shape to ride out the bad times than you are. You would have the satisfaction of knowing your people would be able to retain their jobs. If it were me, I would have been just as hesitant as you have been. But there comes a time when you have to do what is best for your people, regardless of how badly it hurts your pride. It’s far better to sell this as a going concern than to let the bank liquidate everything. Don’t you think?”

  Norman looked at Harry. “Harry, your daughter and stepson make a strong case.”

  “It’s essentially the same case I presented to you a month ago.”

  “It grates, Harry, but you’ve got a deal,” Norman said as he extended his hand over the table.

  “I don’t think you’ll regret it, Norm,” Harry said strongly as he took the other man’s offered hand. “Shall we sign the papers in the morning?”

  Chapter Thirteen

  When Norman had left the room, both Harry and Jase turned to Dani. The look on Jase’s face made her want to cringe.

  “Just how did you get your hands on those figures?” her father asked in amazement.

  “That’s what I’d like to know,” Jase said, his voice dark.

  “I thought I should have the facts in my mind, so I called up the data from the computer system.”

  “How did you get past the security?” Jase asked.

  “There was virtually no security on the computer files. It was open to anyone who wanted to look at it. The file names weren’t even that hard to find. I took the time to print it out before I came out here. I wanted to know what I was getting into,” Dani replied easily. “If the material was supposed to have been restricted, you should have, at least, had a password on the file. Security on your data is awfully lax.”

  Jase shook his head. “Not that bad surely.”

  “A child could hack into the system,” Dani replied with disdain. “Even Jaime could do it, if he set his mind to it.”

  “You overstepped, Dani,” Jase replied.

  “You can have my resignation any time you want it,” Dani offered tightly, hurt at the renewed tone of animosity in his voice. “I won’t be treated like a criminal simply on account of having taken some initiative in a situation which I was thrown into with little warning.”

  Jase said, “I don’t want your resignation. You’ve been doing your job beyond all expectations. Miss Teague, somehow I never can call her Dolores, says you’re worth at least a dozen of any of her other people, put together. She says you’re organized, efficient, a hard worker, and extremely smart. That’s high praise from her.”

  “And of course, the fact I’m the boss’s daughter doesn’t hurt her opinion of me, does it?” Dani asked.

  Jase smiled at her and laughed.

  She wished he wouldn’t do that. He was all too handsome when he smiled. Those rare smiles took her breath away. And when he laughed, she wanted to throw her arms around him and hold him tight until he stopped laughing. Until he stopped laughing and started kissing her. And she didn’t want to stop with the kissing.

  “You really think the security is too lax?” Jase asked.

  “I really think so, yes. I’ve been making notes for a report for Dad about this,” she said.

  Harry nodded. “Sounds to me like you ought to be in charge of computer security.”

  Dani shook her head. “No. I’m not in the least qualified for that job.”

  Harry smiled. “You can do anything which you set your mind to, Sweetheart.”

  Jase nodded. “I’d have to agree with Harry.”

  “Thanks for the vote of confidence,” she said, her voice dry. “Jase Wilton compliments me three times in two hours. Hell has obviously just frozen over.”

  Her father laughed.

  “You will take the job?” Jase demanded.

  “People are going to talk about this abrupt promotion, calling it a matter of nepotism.”

  Harry laughed. “Nepotism is just fine, as long as it is kept in the family,” he joked. “Starting tomorrow morning, you are VP of IT.”

  “Whether I want to be or not, correct?” Dani asked. “This was supposed to be a summer job, in anticipation of my getting another teaching job in the fall, remember. I can’t commit, right now, to being here long term.”

  Jase smiled broadly. “Remind me never to be in a position where both of you are against me. I don’t think I could stand the combined Devlin dispositions.”

  “Yeah, right,” Dani said. “Irresistible force and immov-able object time.”

  “Why do I have the feeling you don’t believe me?” Jase asked.

  “I’ve seen you in action. You are a tough businessman. The rumor is you can walk on water.”

  “Oh, but I can... If it’s frozen.”

  She chuckled lightly. “I’d be careful there, Jase. Ice can be very treacherous.”

  “So can life,” Jase replied, without hesitation.

  “Very true... Well, if I’m going to do the job, I suppose I better take a look at the documentation on the current system to see what can be done easily and go from there. I’ll help out, such that I can, but I don’t intend to be at Devlin as a career.”

  Harry nodded. “That’s my girl. Think of this as an interesting opportunity.”

  Dani laughed. “Well, I suppose that would be better than thinking of it as my Waterloo.”

  “Come on, sweetheart,” Harry urged. “By the way, I approve of your new clubs.
I trust you did charge them to me?”

  Dani met Jase’s eyes and continued to look at him as she answered her father, “You told me to, didn’t you?”

  “Yeah,” Harry said, “but that doesn’t mean you obeyed me. You are mule stubborn about money. Did you charge them to my account here?”

  “Yes, I did. Only because there’s no way I could begin to afford them, on my current income, and I didn’t want to spend my emergency money on something as frivolous as golf clubs,” Dani said. “Not when I’m thinking of entering the convent.”

  “You’re doing what?” Jase demanded.

  “I’m trying to discern God’s will for my life,” Dani replied. “That’s all.”

  “That’s all? You really think you’d be happy in a convent?” Jase asked, his voice absolutely incredulous.

  “That’s part of what I’m praying about.”

  “Dani,” Harry replied, “the clubs were a business expense. You’re now part of the regular business golf foursome, at least while you’re here.”

  “I hate the idea of anyone saying I’m trying to take advantage of you,” Dani stated. “I’m not.”

  Her father smiled at her, although there was a puzzled look on his face, “Surely I can give my daughter a gift of a set of golf clubs, if I want to?”

  Dani sighed. “Stopping you from doing anything you want to do is like keeping the Mississippi River from flooding after a spring of heavy rains. Totally impossible.”

  Her father shook his head as he laughed.

  She sighed. “You probably ought to go home. It’s getting late and you do have plans for the evening.”

  “Lyn will strangle me if I’m late for the bridge game,” Harry replied.

  “Can’t have that. I’ll just stop by the office on the way home and pick up the system manuals. Jase and Beth are going out, as well. So, after I put Jaime to bed, I should have time to dig into documentation.”

  Jase sighed. “I should have thought to invite you along tonight with Beth and me. It’s just an informal evening out with friends. We can get a sitter for Jaime. It’s still not too late, and it will be no problem to add one more person to the mix. Would you like to come out with us tonight?”