Gray Hair Don't Care

by Karen Booth

  Now that her gray had fully grown out, people took notice. A lot of people. Lela had never, ever been “that girl”, the one who turned heads. She’d been to a million parties in her life and had virtually no one take a second look. Things were a little different now. She might have devoted her career to making other women beautiful, but for the first time in her life, she felt that way about herself, and a big part of that was her glorious silver hair. She wasn’t about to let it go to her head, but she was glad that going gray had a silver lining.

  Inside the building, she swiped her ID across the security turnstile scanner, then made her way to the elevators. A super handsome, younger man stood next to her, and flashed her a flirtatious smile. “Which floor?” he asked when they stepped on board.

  “Twenty-two.”

  He pushed the button for her floor, then another for sixteen. They rode together in silence, but there was an undercurrent of sexual tension ping-ponging off the walls. It was awkward as hell. So much so, that she was thankful when the elevator dinged. She had work to do, not sex to think about.

  The man stepped out, then looked back at her. “Love the hair, by the way.”

  “Thank you.” Lela felt her face flush with heat. She might be done jumping through hoops for men, but she still appreciated tastefully delivered attention.

  Up on her floor, Lela’s office was tucked into a corner with a smallish window that mostly had a view of the ugly 70s architecture of the building across the street. She had no staff, just an admin she shared with another of the small JTI brands, and she got marketing and advertising support from various teams within JTI. She benefited from the muscle of a large multinational corporation, but she also felt like a tiny cog in the machine.

  She dropped off her things, then headed up two more floors to one of the more modest conference rooms. She lost some of her earlier confidence when she stepped inside and saw the panel of four JTI staffers she’d never met before. Across from them was a lone chair, apparently destined for her.

  “Good afternoon, Ms. Bennett,” one woman said as she flipped through a binder. “Please. Take a seat.”

  Lela did as she was asked. “Good afternoon, everyone.”

  “This will be quick. We just want to get you up to speed on some reorganization we’re doing. We’re hoping we can help your company…” The woman consulted the paperwork before her, drawing her finger down the page. “Lela B, step onto a larger stage.”

  Okay, so they didn’t know the name of Lela’s baby. At least they were talking about better prospects. “Yes.”

  “One of our subsidiaries, Echo Echo, is interested in working with you, and we think the move makes a lot of sense. They’re primarily a collection of niche fashion brands, but they’re doing a deeper dive on beauty. Apparently, they heard about Lela B and thought it could be a good fit.”

  Lela’s heart swelled with pride. She’d heard about Echo Echo. It was a big deal. Unfortunately, she knew almost no details, but this seemed promising. “Can you tell me more? How things will change for me?”

  “Well, I believe they want you to move your offices up where they are. They have three floors upstairs. Thirty-nine and up from there. They have their own marketing and advertising departments, so that will be a change for you as well.”

  The idea of working with a dedicated team held great appeal. Lela often felt like she was just an item on a to-do list, rather than a real priority. “Great. When does all of this happen?”

  “It’ll be effective immediately. We went ahead and took the liberty of setting up a meeting for you and the Echo Echo founder today at two o’clock. Does that work for your schedule?”

  Like Lela wasn’t going to rearrange everything to get this ball rolling. Of course she was. “Absolutely. Who’s the founder?”

  The woman looked at her like she was nuts. “Echo James. That’s how the company got its name.”

  Echo James. Echo James. Holy crap. Lela felt like a complete idiot. And also like the universe might be punking her. Echo James was Donovan’s daughter. Echo Echo must have been the company he’d been helping her with when he’d been in the city three years ago.

  Luckily, Lela was certain that Donovan was out of the picture. As far as she knew, he was still living in San Francisco. Plus, she wasn’t worried about any potential run-ins with him. It might sting a little, but he had just as much to be embarrassed about as she did. Maybe more. It was all water under the bridge as far as she was concerned. Old news, and Lela spent zero time worried about the past. There was too much to look forward to.

  “Just tell me where I need to go.”

  Chapter Eight

  For Donovan, the best part of being back in New York full-time was working with his daughter, Echo. It had only been a few weeks of consulting for her fast-growing lifestyle company, Echo Echo, but he already felt like this had been the right move.

  This was a big step forward in their father-daughter relationship. When he’d first tried to help her three years ago, things hadn’t gone so great. Echo had been leery of his advice. She was fresh out of grad school, eager to make a name for herself, and determined to do everything on her own. That left Donovan out in the cold, which was probably what he deserved anyway. He hadn’t been there much for Echo when she was growing up. And that was a problem born of unmet expectations and broken promises. It couldn’t get fixed overnight.

  Three years had made a world of difference for Echo’s business. It had taken two for her to get her company off the ground, and since then, it was as if the accelerator had dropped out from under her foot. She was acquired by JTI, given three floors of a beautiful building in the garment district, and granted a substantial influx of funding to bring more brands on board. More important than any of that, she had carte blanche to do whatever the hell she wanted. From Donovan’s extensive experience helping entrepreneurs navigate the never-ending maze of corporate structures, he knew very well that his daughter had a rare opportunity.

  “Dad. Are things always going to feel this crazy? Like my whole life is going completely off the rails?” Echo stabbed at her salad. This was their now-weekly lunch date, eating takeout and sitting on the couch in Echo’s office.

  “Probably. At least a little bit.” Donovan took a bite of his sandwich—low sodium turkey on whole grain bread. He did his best to eat well, since the occasional tightness in his chest still didn’t have a medical explanation. The one time he’d been to a doctor, the EKG and every other test came back normal.

  “Thanks. That’s exactly what I did not want to hear.”

  “Honey, look. This is what happens when you have a hot commodity. It was only a matter of time before the powers-that-be decided to put significant resources into what you’re doing. And with more money, comes more responsibility.”

  “There are so many moving parts.”

  “That’s why I’m here. To help you through all of it.”

  “And I’m glad you were willing to move all the way across the country to do it.” She smiled warmly at him, her big brown eyes flashing so much genuine affection it made his heart hurt. Donovan knew life was giving him a second chance with his daughter, and he was not going to blow it.

  “I will do anything for you. I hope you know that.”

  “I do. And I appreciate it.”

  “Let’s take a break from work. How are things going with wedding planning?”

  Echo closed her eyes, sucked a slow deep breath in her through her nose and forcefully blew it out. She was all about relaxation techniques and being mindful, and this was one of her most tried-and-true methods. After three cycles of in-and-out, her eyes popped open and she looked right at him. “Fine. Everything is fine.”

  Donovan sat back and crossed his legs, ready to do a whole lot of listening. “Clearly, it’s not.”

  “I’m trying to manifest a state of fine, okay? I keep telling myself that if I say it’s all going well, it will actually go well.”

  “Is there anything I can do?
”

  “Not unless you want to call Mom and tell her to back off.”

  Donovan cleared his throat. On a very long list of things he did not relish, at the top was getting into anything with his ex-wife, Genevieve. She had a lethal way of shutting down anyone else’s thoughts, opinions or ideas. It was part of what led to their divorce. Genevieve had gotten tired of him. Or his apparent stupidity. “I think we both know she’s not going to listen to me.”

  “True.” A grumble left Echo’s throat. It was the same noise she used to make when she was a little girl and had reached peak frustration.

  “The only approach with your mother is a direct one. Tell her that she’s stressing you out.”

  “She wants to be involved. I can’t cut her out of the planning.”

  “I’m not saying that. I’m merely suggesting you try to get her to ease up. She’ll listen to you, honey. You’re probably the one person she’ll actually listen to.”

  “I hate that I have to say anything at all. I’m a grown-ass woman. I should be allowed to organize my own wedding.” She kneaded her forehead for a moment then took another of her cleansing breaths and grabbed her phone from the coffee table. “Oh, shoot. I have fifteen minutes until my meeting with the founder of the cosmetics line JTI is moving over to us. Do you want to sit in?”

  “Sure. I don’t know a thing about makeup, but if you want me there, I’m happy to do it.”

  “Let me show you the website.” Echo got up and grabbed her laptop from her desk, then returned to the couch and plopped down next to Donovan. “Depending on how the meeting goes, I’m thinking about asking her to help me oversee the beauty division. She’s been a professional makeup artist for over twenty years and really knows her stuff.”

  “What’s the company called?”

  “Here it is.” Echo pulled up the website. “It’s called Lela B.”

  Donovan nearly choked on his sandwich. “Wait. What did you say?”

  “Lela B. They specialize in products formulated for women over forty. I’m sure you saw in the JTI market research that we’re reaching a much broader age demographic than we first thought. Plus, these are customers with a lot more disposable income.”

  Echo began scrolling through the website. Meanwhile, Donovan was starting to experience that tightening in his chest again. “Is there an About page?”

  Echo scanned the screen. “Yep. Hold on.”

  The page loaded and Donovan did a double take. Because there was Lela, looking completely different. “Holy crap.” The words spouted from his mouth like water from a faucet.

  “What?” Echo reared back her head.

  “She’s completely gray.”

  “Dad. What the hell? She’s gorgeous. Who cares if she has gray hair?”

  Donovan rattled his head back and forth, if only to shake himself into the present. “No. That’s not what I mean.” Although Donovan could admit to himself that it was unusual to see a gray-haired woman at the helm of a beauty company. “I know her.”

  “Who? Her?” Echo pointed to the photo of Lela.

  “Yes. Lela Bennett. We went to college together. We were good friends. The last time I saw her was three years ago. When I came to New York when you were finishing grad school.” A sharp pain sizzled in his stomach. He winced at the discomfort.

  “Dad. Are you okay?” Echo gently placed her hand on his shoulder, her face painted with concern.

  He nodded, willing it all to go away. “I’m fine. Probably just my lunch disagreeing with me.”

  “Are you sure? I feel like you tell me that and you aren’t actually okay.”

  “So says the woman who’s trying to will herself into a state of fine with her wedding. I’m good. Don’t worry about me.”

  Echo narrowed her stare on him, seeming unconvinced. She returned her sights to the computer, then back again to him. “Is this going to be a problem? Is there something I need to know about Lela Bennett? Because you’re acting super weird.”

  He cleared his throat. He would not lie to his daughter, but he also wanted to reassure her. “This is not a problem. If you want to work with Lela, I think it’s a fantastic idea. I can assure you that she’s wonderful.”

  “Were you two an item at some point?”

  “Not exactly.”

  “Boyfriend-girlfriend?”

  “Never that serious.”

  “Friends with benefits? Fuck buddies?”

  “Echo. Seriously? You use that terminology with your father?”

  “Just be straight with me, Dad. Because I know you, and when you and women are involved, it never ends well. Ever.”

  He sucked in what felt like his forty-seventh cleansing breath. “Lela and I were best friends in college, okay? Very close. We grew apart when I married your mom. We ran into each other three years ago and that was the last time I saw her.”

  “And? Is there more?”

  It wasn’t easy for a dad to divulge his bad behavior to his daughter, especially since he’d actually managed to make amends with Echo. But he was going to have to own up to this. Echo would see through his facade the instant he and Lela were in the same room. “We slept together. Twice. But it was nothing. There was no romance. It won’t interfere with any working relationship we might have.”

  “Okay. Well, that’s fine, but I need you to promise me that there will be zero funny business.”

  “Don’t worry. Zero funny business.”

  “I’m serious.”

  “I’ve told you a hundred times. Dating and all of that isn’t for me anymore. I’m done.”

  “I’m not entirely sure I believe you, but I’m going to hold you to your word.” She got up and offered her hand. “Come on. Let’s get to reception and grab her for this meeting.”

  As they walked down the hall, Donovan sensed he was about to meet a very uncertain future. It was confirmed when they rounded the corner into the reception area, and he saw Lela. Her hair was the most striking difference—it fell in luminescent ribbons around her face, lighting up the features he’d always found so attractive—her big blue eyes and slightly off-kilter smile, framed by what he could admit were very kissable lips. As she stood and their gazes connected, it brought back that moment in Bryant Park three years ago, when they’d both been watching a stranger’s wedding. That had been such a fun day. An amazing day. But like so many things in his life, what had started out great had not ended that way.

  “You must be Lela,” Echo said, eagerly shaking her hand.

  “Hello.” Lela’s face absolutely lit up. “You must be Echo.”

  Donovan hoped to discern Lela’s attitude toward him from the tone in her voice, but unfortunately, a handful of syllables were not going to be enough. “Lela. How funny is this?” He reached for her elbow and went to kiss her cheek but before he got anywhere close to accomplishing either, Lela stuck out her hand, effectively distancing herself from him.

  “It’s so funny, isn’t it?” She gave him just enough of a death stare to illustrate that she did not find this situation humorous. Not at all.

  “I cannot believe you know my dad,” Echo said. “It’s fate.”

  “Something like that,” he mumbled, not acknowledged by either member of his audience.

  “Let’s sit down in my office and have a chat about our partnership,” Echo said. “I’m really looking forward to this.”

  “Me, too.” Lela glanced at Donovan, then promptly disregarded him, focusing on Echo. The two women quickly became a flurry of conversation.

  Suddenly, his golden opportunity to earn a real relationship with his daughter was not so shiny. His past mistakes were catching up with him. Again.

  Chapter Nine

  Freaking Donovan. Back in Lela’s life. Except this time, it wasn’t going to be for a few hours or a night. He was working for Echo, and for all intents and purposes, so was Lela. Which meant, by some bizarre alignment of the stars, she and Donovan were now co-workers. Life had officially jumped the shark.

&nb
sp; Lela settled in at a round glossy white table for four in Echo’s office, while Echo took a call and Donovan was somewhere off in the hall. She stole a chance to admire Echo’s workspace with a mix of black, white, pale pink, and matte gold accents. It was so much more chic than Lela’s office. She’d have to do something about that when she made her move.

  Of course, furnishings were simply a distraction. The real task at hand, balancing her distrust of Donovan with her need for the Echo Echo arrangement to succeed, would be a monumental task. Sitting alone and feeling more anxious by the moment was not putting her in a great headspace to accomplish either of those things, so she made a mental list of dos and don’ts to keep herself on track.

  Do remain unflappable, professional, and above it all.

  Do appreciate that this is ultimately the opportunity of a lifetime.

  Do find a way to establish ground rules with Donovan.

  Don’t think about kissing Donovan.

  Don’t look at his ass in those jeans.

  Don’t forget that Donovan broke your heart. Twice.

  As if he’d heard the thoughts in her head, Donovan strolled into Echo’s office. He hesitated for a moment, eyeing his daughter, who was standing near the tall window, still talking on the phone. His sights fell on Lela at the table, and she could see the moment when he resigned himself to his fate. There was no obvious choice for him in this situation other than to sit down with her. So he did. Right next to her.

  “I need you to not mess this up for me, okay?” Lela asked out of the side of her mouth, smiling like an idiot so Echo would be none the wiser.

  “I need you to not mess this up for me. So we’re even.”

  Why in the hell was he being so bristly with her? “Nice of you to let me know you were back in New York.”

  He cleared his throat, a habit that she’d once found sort of charming, but now grated on her nerves. “It’s only been a few weeks. I’ve been busy. I would’ve gotten around to it.”