by Joan Kilby
“You did remarry, though.”
“Not for twelve years the second time, and sadly, that didn’t last long. I didn’t really fall in love again properly until I met Serena.” Ian’s face creased into a smile. “She’s wonderful. I sent you an invitation to the wedding. Maybe you didn’t get it.”
Or maybe he’d thrown it in the garbage unopened, the way he did every card or letter from his father. “I’m sorry I missed it.” To his surprise, he found he meant it. “Do you have any other children?”
“No. Serena has two daughters from her first marriage and didn’t want more. Both her girls are in college back east.”
Scott processed the fact that he had two stepsiblings he’d never met. Maybe when his life settled down a bit, if it settled down…
“You and Cassy should come out on the boat with us sometime,” Ian said. “We could go salmon fishing.”
“I don’t know…maybe. Cassy and I aren’t really engaged.” He didn’t want to lie about something so important to a prospective business partner. Oh, who was he kidding? He couldn’t lie to his father. Damn. He’d sworn he would never be sucked into Ian’s orbit and here the old man was, talking about going fishing together.
“I know all about you and Cassy. It’s clear to me what you are to each other but I’ll let you work that out for yourselves.” Ian glanced at his watch. “I’m afraid I’ll have to cut this short. I’ll get my PA to fax you the steps that should take place immediately as part of a restructure.”
“Sure, just tell me what you want. We’ll talk again when you get back from China.”
“Wait and I’ll walk out with you.” Ian put on his suit jacket and packed his briefcase. He called his PA to ask for a cab, then joined Scott at the door. There, he paused. “My wish is that through a mutually beneficial business deal we can find our way back…to, if not a father-son relationship…then at least a friendship.” When Scott said nothing, he added, “Regardless of how far you want to take the personal side, the offer of financing is solid.” He held out his hand.
Scott hesitated, long-held anger and resentment warring with a residual need for his father’s love and acceptance. When was he going to grow up and truly not care what his father thought?
“A lifetime feels like eternity when you’re holding a grudge,” Ian said gruffly. “I’m sorry I hurt you. You’ll never know how sorry I am.”
All Scott’s life, Ian had been a shadowy evil figure that haunted everything he did. Maybe it was time to put those demons to rest and come into the light. Maybe growing up meant forgiving. He hesitated, then clasped his father’s outstretched hand. Awkwardly, they stepped forward and met in a clumsy, rough embrace. “I’m sorry, too.”
Ian cleared his throat and stepped back. “Welcome aboard Thornton Holdings, son. I can’t tell you how pleased I am that we’ll be working together.”
“I am, too.” Scott released his held breath and blinked rapidly. Dad.
…
“He’s here!” Cassy hissed in a stage whisper when the outer door began to open just before noon. God, she hoped the meeting had gone well and Scott hadn’t thrown Ian’s offer back in his face. She jumped up and hurried into the coffee room. The guys scrambled to push back their chairs and follow her.
They were all lined up beside the table laden with cake and champagne flutes when Scott entered. “Where is every…”
They all cheered. Cassy hurried forward and strapped a metallic red party hat to his head. “I told them the news, well, the bare bones. What happened? We’ve been going crazy waiting for you to tell us the details. Did it go well? Did you get everything you hoped?”
“It went really well, even better than I expected.” Scott’s happiness shone through, despite the fatigue lines from three nights with minimal sleep.
“Oh, Scott, I’m so glad.” Scott and Ian must have connected in more than simply a business sense. If they worked together, they were bound to resolve the rift that had kept them apart for twenty-odd years. She knew Ian wanted it and now she was certain Scott did, too. Having his father back in his life was the missing piece in the puzzle of his life, the balm that would heal his heart.
Yes, everything was coming together in the most wonderful way. Last night’s emotional lovemaking was the icing on the cake. When she recalled how Scott had looked at her, she still got goose bumps. He’d been so intense, she’d thought she would combust from the love building between them.
And yet she had to admit she was just a teeny bit anxious about how he really felt about her. Neither of them had used the L-word. Did he love her, or were they merely friends who’d turned to sex as a distraction from the excitement and anxiety of the Dreamcatcher? Was this the beginning of an amazing extension of their friendship? Or the beginning of the end? When they’d been just friends they’d been able to talk about anything. She would have simply asked him. Now she was scared to mention the deep feelings she had for him because it mattered too much.
She wouldn’t think about it. She would try not to worry. Scott was Scott. He wasn’t like anyone else. That’s what she loved about him.
Scott turned to his techies, who were still waiting expectantly. “Cassy probably told you we have an angel investor to fund production of the Dreamcatcher. This morning, we discussed the agreement in principle. There are a few details to hash out but essentially, it’s all happening. The factory in Tacoma is available and work will start right away to upgrade the facilities with a laboratory and new offices.”
“You mean we’ll have to leave all this?” Tom asked in mock sorrow, gesturing to the cramped coffee room.
Scott laughed. “We’ll have tons of space in the new digs. And we’ll need the space because I’ll be hiring more staff.”
“More techies?” Tom asked.
“More of everyone,” Scott said expansively. “Another two techies to start and likely more as the company grows. Plus office staff, a manager, sales persons, et cetera. Begin as you mean to go on, according to our investor, who by the way, is also providing consulting expertise in setting up a multinational company.”
“Who is the investor?” Leonard asked. “That Australian woman?”
“No, she was still considering her options when I got another offer. He’s Ian Thornton, of Thornton Holdings.” He scratched the back of his head, then added almost wonderingly, “My father.”
“Cool,” Park approved. “And smart. Good to keep business within a family. You can trust family.”
“I sure hope so. I haven’t always been on good terms with my dad but now he’s more than an investor. We’re basically in partnership. There’ll be some restructuring within the company. I hope you’ll all stay on with me. You’ve been with me from the beginning and I’d like that to continue.”
Tom snorted. “Dude, did you think we were going to let you get big and famous without taking us along for the ride?”
Park and Leonard nodded their agreement.
Scott’s face relaxed into a relieved grin. “Nah, I figured I wouldn’t get away with that. Especially when you hear there’ll be bonuses all around once the documents are signed and the money’s in the bank.”
“That calls for champagne!” Cassy popped the cork and poured out the foaming wine to cheers of congratulation and approval. She raised her glass to Scott. “To the smartest, hardest-working, geekiest mountain biker in the known universe. I predict a wonderful future.”
“Gentlemen,” Scott said, putting his arm around Cassy’s waist. “Meet our first chief financial officer.” He smiled into her eyes. “That is, if you’re sure you want the job.”
“You bet I do!” She’d thought she was content in Bellingham, but over the past month she’d grown, both personally and professionally. Now she wanted a bigger career to match that growth. She loved the wheeling and dealing of high-level finance. “I love working with you.” She turned to the other guys. “And all of you, too. We’re a team.”
“To the team!” Scott raised his glass agai
n.
The guys surrounded Scott, clapping him on the back and shaking his hand. He gave Cassy a hug, making her spill her champagne. She laughed and hugged him back. Which led to a kiss, tongue and all. To hell with propriety at the office. The others cheered as if they were cheering for her and Scott, as much as for the success of the financing. She finally pulled away, a lump in her throat, and gave the geeks an embarrassed grin. Tom, Park, and Leonard were like family to Scott and she was starting to think of them as the brothers she never had. It meant a lot that they approved of her relationship with Scott.
Leonard cut the rectangular cake into precise isosceles triangles and all the guys, Scott included, clustered around the whiteboard to try to come up with a formula to determine the maximum number of triangles possible had the cake been a sphere instead of a rectangular cube.
Cassy sipped her champagne, smiling. Oh, the fun and high jinks the geeks got up to. Seriously, she was relieved so see Scott so jazzed. The worry lines that had been building over the past weeks had smoothed and he was relaxed enough to let loose his goofy side, which she adored.
She was stoked. No more tax files! She hadn’t played solitaire once since she’d been working for Scott. It made her realize that her bad habit of procrastination wasn’t because she was lazy or had no work ethic. She’d simply been bored and unchallenged. She couldn’t wait to begin her new, bigger, more stimulating role in the company.
With Scott’s finance issues resolved, they would have to do something about this stupid sham engagement. Breaking up would be weird now that they’d slept together and become so close, but a sham marriage had never been on the cards and she couldn’t marry him on a pretense. But maybe it wasn’t pretense?
Stop! She was thinking about this again. Oh, hell, she couldn’t help herself. Surely, after last night Scott would agree their relationship was about more than friendship and sex. But it was too soon to talk about commitment or anything permanent. She didn’t want to force the issue prematurely. Better to cement the new emotional intimacy before making decisions about the future.
The fax machine in the corner started to whir.
“This will be the restructuring information.” Scott abandoned the calculus equations and went to catch the pages as they spit out. He eagerly scanned the top sheet, smiling broadly. Then he flipped to the second page. His grin froze, then abruptly disappeared, replaced by a deep frown.
“What is it?” Cassy tried to look over his shoulder. “Not bad news?”
At the whiteboard, the guys fell silent and turned to watch.
Scott swore under his breath and pulled out his phone as he brushed past her. “I have to catch my father before he boards his plane.”
What the hell? Cassy stared as he left the room and the door closed behind him. She turned back to the guys. “Have more cake and champagne. I’ll see what’s going on.”
Scott’s office door was ajar. He was on the phone, his voice tight and angry. “…more than competent to do the job.”
Cassy stopped in the doorway and watched him pace while he listened impatiently. Whatever was wrong must be really bad. Slowly, she pulled off her party hat.
“I am not!” Scott flicked a glance at her and quickly looked away. “I would know if I was. Anyway, I can separate the two. I always have.”
Separate the two what? What was Ian saying?
“No, forget it. The deal is off,” Scott went on. “I don’t need time to think about it. You get back to me when you’ve changed your mind.” He hung up and threw the phone onto his desk in disgust.
“The deal is off?” Cassy repeated. “Are you crazy? What’s going on?”
Scott met her gaze grimly. “Not all my employees will have as good or better jobs in the new company.”
“Oh, no, Scott, you can’t let the geeks down. They’ve worked so hard for this.” She reached for his phone. “Let me talk to your father. I’ll convince him that every one of those guys is worth his weight…”
“It’s not the geeks who will lose their jobs.” His expression was so foreboding that her skin went clammy. “It’s you.”
Chapter Eleven
She was being fired?
Cassy’s jaw dropped. She stood stock-still, unable to comprehend. Unable to react. After a few seconds, she forced her mouth shut and reached blindly for a chair. She sat with a thud, the wind knocked out of her. “I-I don’t understand.”
“I wanted to make you chief financial officer. Ian said no. Apparently, the company needs someone with the right qualifications, an MBA at a minimum, to be credible in the world of high finance. In the restructure, you can be one of a team of accountants or an assistant office manager, but that’s it. I can’t believe it. This morning we got distracted before we could talk details but he was all buddy-buddy. Now… Wham! He blindsides me.”
She only half listened, trying to process. When she’d begun this job she hadn’t had any expectations that it would turn into a career. She’d thought she would help Scott out for a month or two before going back to filing tax returns for small business owners in Bellingham. As the weeks passed and success loomed on the horizon, her aspirations had climbed. She’d begun to see what she was capable of, and to want more. She wanted to stretch, grow, and reach her full potential. She wanted to do it alongside Scott, working together to achieve something really big and meaningful.
Suddenly she had a dream where she hadn’t had one before. All morning she’d been floating in a giant bubble, buoyed by her hopes and plans. Scott had come back from his meeting and confirmed he wanted her side by side with him, and her happiness was complete.
Then, without warning, the bubble had burst. Relegated to a lowly accountant position, without even the responsibility of running her own business? No frickin’ way. It was an insult.
Ian, whom she’d trusted and regarded as an ally, had sidelined her. She’d risked her own relationship with Scott to bring father and son together. Now Ian was throwing her to the curb without so much as a thank-you, all because she didn’t have the right piece of paper?
“I worked my ass off for you and the Dreamcatcher and this company,” she raged, pacing his office. “I put my own life on hold to help make this deal happen. Your problems were my problems. Together we overcame every obstacle. I’m part of this company. I did every job you gave me, and more. Who does he think prepared the marketing plan and the forward projections? How dare he say I’m not good enough? Bastard!”
“I know. It’s crap.” Scott passed her the fax. “There’s a handwritten note at the bottom. He says he knows you have talent and potential and he’d like to put you through an MBA program at Harvard.”
“Oh. Thanks a lot, Ian.” She pushed away the sheet of paper, unread. “Send me clear across the country. Get me away from your son and his company.” Yes, he was making her an amazing offer—but on his own terms. “I like the way he goes about getting what he wants. No discussion, just him laying down the law.”
“Don’t worry, Cassy. You’re going to be CFO,” Scott said. “Didn’t you hear me? I told him just now there was no deal without you.”
She gave a derisory snort. “He won’t agree. I spent a lot of time researching him and the way he does business. He’s ruthless when it comes to trimming the fat of companies he works with. And he never backs down once he makes a decision.”
Scott took her firmly by the shoulders. “I said, I won’t be working with him. It’s not an issue.”
Cassy blinked as it sank in that he was serious. “Wait a minute. Scott, I was just venting. You can’t turn down the deal with your father.”
“I can, and I did. You’re essential to the company. I’m not going to cut you loose on his, or anyone’s, say-so.”
“You would lose his financing, after all we went through to get it.” The thought sickened her. “You don’t have a choice.”
“I always have a choice. Saying no is a choice.”
“But…but we’d have to go looking for another angel
investor. That will take time. PacTech will get ahead.”
“It’s a risk I’m prepared to take.”
“Well, I’m not.” She couldn’t let Scott lose out on the financing because of her. Not to mention that his reconciliation with his dad would take a massive, possibly irrevocable, step backward if Scott was forced to choose between her and his father. No, no, no. She wouldn’t be the one to stand in the way of the two men coming together. “You and your dad are just getting to know each other again.”
“That’s not going to happen if he shafts you. You’ve been there for me my whole life. He hasn’t.”
Although she was still angry and sickened, Cassy had calmed down enough to think clearly. That’s when the self-doubt crept in. Ian was right. She was a chartered accountant, not a financial consultant, not a marketing guru. Definitely not ready to run the finances of what would be a global business. She hadn’t been able to snag Lorraine. The only reason she’d gotten Ian as an angel investor was because he wanted to be back in Scott’s life. Scott was on the fast track to the next level and he needed someone with the clout and the qualifications to take him to the heights he deserved. That person wasn’t her.
“No,” she said firmly. “I’m not going to stand in the way of your success and I’m sure as hell not going to be the obstacle between you and your father.”
“This isn’t your decision to make.” He reached for his phone and dialed. “Tod? Scott Thornton here. Has Lorraine made a decision yet? No? Okay. Can we talk? Just five minutes. First, I need to know if Lorraine wants to have a say in who I hire.” He paced, his fingers twitching at his side while he waited. Then he punched the air. “Excellent. Where are you? Don’t let her leave the hotel. I’ll be there in fifteen minutes. I don’t care what her schedule is, I’m coming and if she’s smart, she’ll be there.”
