Falling For You

by Nicole Taylor

  “That’s such an amazing idea.”

  “That’s nothing. I’ve got a whole farm full of them,” he said matter-of-factly.

  She turned around to stare at him. “You’re kidding. You’ve got a wind farm? Where?”

  “Two in the USA. Two here.”

  “Here in Dublin?”

  “No. In Belfast.”

  “I’d love to see them. I’ve never seen this technology at work up close.”

  “Really? You’d really like to see a wind farm?”

  She nodded. “If it’s not too much trouble.”

  He grinned. “Absolutely not. I’ll arrange for us to go there before you leave Ireland.”

  She nodded. “Great.”

  As they walked back inside, he asked, “What do you think now?”

  “Of?”

  “The house.”

  “Oh…well…the views are breathtaking, and the house itself is very well-designed. It is bright and airy. It allows for every living area to have full sea views, which is a definite plus. It utilizes energy-saving techniques in every possible way. It seems to have used the most high-end but also the most durable materials and finishes. The landscaping here at the back is beautiful and the grounds well maintained.”

  “But?” he asked, eyeing her shrewdly.

  “But, it’s desperately lacking in two areas.”

  He frowned. “What areas?”

  “Furniture and color! Not only in the décor but also in the landscaping. There’s barely any furniture in there. And the color scheme. Everything is either white, grey, or black. Honestly, I would have expected a man who wore a pink paisley tie to the Innovation Awards Ceremony to have a greater appreciation for bright colors.”

  He laughed. “Bright colors in clothes is one thing. Bright color all over a house is another.”

  She ascended the steps with him behind her. “So you don’t care for color, then?”

  “It’s not a priority for me. I’m more interested in substance than in form. I find white tends to keep the place cool. But it’s not like I’m averse to bright color.”

  “Or furniture?”

  “Or furniture. Perhaps the house simply needs a woman’s touch.” He winked at her as he opened the door for her to walk through.

  She laughed to throw off the nervous feeling his words gave her.

  “Who designed your house?” she asked.

  “I designed it myself.”

  “You did?”

  He nodded. “I also worked onsite during its construction.”

  “I didn’t realize.” His admission hit her with sudden clarity. No wonder he had seemed so offended at her initial response to his house. This was his creation. His pride and joy. And for her to call it ugly. It would have been as though she had insulted one of his children.

  Turning around to apologize, she ran right into him. She hadn’t realized he was so close behind her. She gave a little startled gasp. “Sorry!”

  Gabriel’s arms came around her instinctively. It was almost too much of a sensory overload to be against his hard body. And he wasn’t helping her case one iota. He still had his hands around her waist, and now he was smiling at her in that sexy way that made her weak-kneed. All her addled brain could think was that if she did swoon, at least she was already in his arms.

  Eventually, though, she was able to gather her wits. “I…I just wanted to say that despite all that, your house is very nice. I really like it.”

  “You do?” he asked, still smiling down at her.

  The warmth of his gaze made it difficult for her to talk, so she just nodded.

  “And I love having you here. Very much,” he replied.

  Chapter 13

  “Y ou really need to silence that phone.”

  Leiliana looked over at Gabriel, noting his stern expression. She bristled at his comment. It made her feel as though she was his employee or, worse yet, his child. She had needed to take that call with one of her divisional managers who required advice on a transaction. Surely, he could understand that.

  She shook her head. “I can’t do that.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because I need to be accessible to my employees.”

  “Why?” he insisted.

  “What do you mean ‘why’?” she sputtered. “Things come up. Split-second decisions need to be made, and my employees need me to advise them on what to do.”

  “And you think you’re the only one who can make these decisions? You think you have all the smarts?”

  Her back stiffened. “That’s not it at all. That has absolutely nothing to do with it. The buck stops with me, Gabriel. If they mess up, ultimately, I will be the one accountable.”

  He placed his hands on the table and leaned towards her. “This stance that you’re taking is not good for you or your people, Leiliana.”

  She pointed a finger at him. “Who are you to make such a statement. You know nothing about my people or me.”

  “I know what I have observed over the last couple of days. Every two seconds, that phone rings. Apart from the fact that the constant interruptions are doing us no good and you might as well be back in London sitting at your desk, it tells me that you are not managing the way you should be.”

  She drew in a sharp breath. Now Gabriel had gone too far! He was no longer insinuating she was a poor manager he had just told her to her face. “Now, see here—”

  “You are not entrusting your people with responsibilities and then holding them accountable. As a result, they will remain like babes waiting to be fed by their mother, and if something happens and you’re not available, they won’t know what to do. They will flounder. You have to allow them to make decisions, and if they mess up once in a while, so what?”

  “So what? That’s easy for you to say. You’re not the one with a company with roots that date back to the early twentieth century weighing on you. I’m the first female head. Unlike you, I don’t have the luxury of taking it easy. The first thing people will say is that I couldn’t cut it because I am a woman.”

  There was silence for a while as this hung in the air between them.

  “That’s what this is all about, isn’t it?” he asked softly. “You feel you need to prove your worth.”

  Leiliana’s shoulders slumped, and she buried her face in her hands.

  Suddenly she felt hands land on her shoulder. She raised her head. Gabriel had come around to sit beside her. His compassionate expression made her chest tighten and her eyes prick with tears.

  She swallowed. “I just want to do a good job. I don’t want to let my father down. More and more, he has been turning over decision making to me. He expects me to take over from him someday soon.”

  Gabriel smiled gently. “You’re doing an amazing job, Leia, but you are losing sight of one important thing. This isn’t about you at all. It’s about God. You have to trust God to take care of your family’s business. Trust Him. When He says to you that you need to rest and delegate, do that. Don’t be a control freak. It will be impossible for you to do everything yourself anyway. Empower your people to do what you hired them to do. The next time they come to you asking what to do, don’t simply give them the answers, ask them to advise you. If you need to, ask them incisive questions that challenge them to think a little deeper. Then, allow them to go ahead and implement. In that way, you will come to see their abilities and be able to trust them more. Send out an email today saying you’ll be unavailable for the next several days and put them on to the next person in line. Tell that person to call you only if there is something that they feel they can’t handle themselves. Even if they do call you, don’t immediately begin dispensing instructions, question them about their advice and recommendations, and get them to think strategically.”

  She nodded thoughtfully.

  “So will you do it?” he asked.

  She smiled after a while. “I will. Thanks for your advice.”

  He smiled. “Anytime.”

  “How did you
get so smart?”

  He chuckled. “I’ve just had experience with delegation, that’s all it is. My father was a bit of a control freak, and I saw what that lead to. No one did anything without consulting him first. It really stifled innovation. When he wanted people to use their initiative, they didn’t because they had never been entrusted with doing so. Of course, I reflected later that it was probably because he had a lot to hide. Anyway, when I took over the company, I decided to do things differently. I figure that I’ve got this cadre of loyal, skilled lieutenants for a reason. I trust these people. I’m not going to hover over them.”

  That last sentence made her wince. Was she hovering over her people? Making them feel that they were less than capable? For years, she had been accused of being a micromanager, and she had just thought the people saying it were jealous or spiteful. Now, here was this detached observer telling her that she was doing the wrong thing, and there was a better way. It certainly smarted a little to have to face her flaws, but she had to admit that he might have a point.

  She looked into his eyes and said softly, “You really are a smart guy, Gabriel Walsh, no matter what you say.”

  He smiled, and, as his eyes roamed her face, his gaze darkened.

  Leiliana felt her mouth grow dry. She glanced at Gabriel’s lips and so badly wanted to feel them on hers. Suppose she just went over to him, sat in his lap, and fitted her mouth to his…

  In the next moment, common sense prevailed.

  She broke eye contact and looked down at her laptop. “So, where were we?”

  She was here to do business, she reminded herself, not fall in love.

  ~*~*~*~

  Gabriel prepared grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup for lunch but didn’t consider himself sufficiently competent to prepare a three-course dinner. Bearing that in mind, he arranged for dinner to be delivered to his home so that Leiliana would have no excuse to run away when their work was completed.

  When the food arrived, she asked, “Are you trying to fatten me up?”

  He laughed. “Nothing as sinister as that. I’m just trying to be a good host. My grandmother would turn over in her grave if I let you leave here without at least offering you a wee bite to sustain you on your way.”

  It was by no means a wee bite, and the look Leiliana gave him said that she wasn’t of that opinion either. There was Moroccan chickpea soup, roasted carrots with goat’s cheese and pomegranate, Vegetarian Wellington, and vegan cocoa pie covered with fresh raspberries.

  Much to his delight, however, she expressed her satisfaction with the choices. He made a mental note to thank the caterers whom he had told to provide the tastiest vegetarian meals they could come up with.

  As she helped herself to the selection, she turned to him. “It seems as though you and your grandmother were very close. You speak of her often.”

  “We were. She raised me after my ma died.”

  “When was that?”

  “Soon after I was born. My mother caught an infection after she gave birth to me and never left the hospital alive.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “My grandma and grandpa raised me.”

  “So, how did your father come into the picture?”

  He filled his plate and took a seat. “I was around eleven years old when I came home from school one day, and there he was. From what I later discovered, he had come back to visit. He wasn’t aware that I was the living result of his summer romance with my mother until I burst in the inn that day, and for him, it was like looking in a mirror.”

  “How did you feel when you saw him? Were you angry that he was only now turning up?”

  “On the contrary, I was ecstatic. I had spent years fantasizing about who my father was. I always came up with some incredible stories. Like maybe he was an international man of mystery like a spy or something like that, and that he’d been captured by operatives, and that’s why he never made it back to get me. When he showed up, I felt as though I would burst with joy. Not only had my father finally come to find me, but it turned out he was rich and successful. I had no idea that it would come with a price.”

  “What do you mean by that? Didn’t your father treat you well?”

  “He tried. He certainly did the best he could. I can’t fault him there. The price I paid was leaving my grandparents. In my naiveté, I didn’t understand that accompanying my father back to the States would mean leaving them. Once I understood that, though, I was resistant. A visit was one thing. But to live? I cried a river. I loved my grandparents, they were the only parents I knew. They had taken care of me my whole life. But they told me it was for the best. That my father could provide me with opportunities they could only dream of. My father assured me that I would be allowed frequent visits back to Ireland in the summer vacation.”

  “Did he keep his promise?”

  “Yes, I must admit he did.” Barry had been faithful. He had arranged for Gabriel to spend each summer with his grandparents, an occasion he eagerly looked forward to. Thinking of it now, Gabriel realized his father wasn’t as bad as he made him out to be. Barry did, in fact, have his good qualities. He had done many wrong things in his life. But surely he wasn’t beyond redemption.

  “So it wasn’t so bad, then?”

  “It was like being at boarding school and then going home for the summer.”

  “I thought you said your father treated you well.”

  “He wasn’t the problem. His wife, Lily, was.”

  “Oh no, not the evil stepmother.”

  He had to laugh at that. “I’m afraid it’s true. I mean, she wasn’t the worst. I wasn’t abused or neglected. She ensured I was cared for, if by other people. It was her love she withheld.” He added softly. As they ate their meal, he shared with her that Lily really did not like him. He knew that even as a boy. Looking back, he figured she resented what his presence meant in terms of her husband loving someone else but also what it took away from her son as she saw it. To an 11-year old boy who had been looking forward to having another mother, she was a real let down. She was excruciatingly polite and gave him stiff smiles when his father was present and stern glances when he was not. And the light that came into her eyes when her own son was present was never there for him. With him, she was cool and formal. He always felt that nothing he did would ever be good enough for Lily. In fact, he got the impression that his very presence was an affront to her. His accent, his manners, his inquisitive nature, and his energy, everything about him seemed to grate on her nerves. He was soon convinced that she would be happy if he just disappeared. He shared all this with Leiliana, now.

  “Oh, Gabriel!” she exclaimed. She pushed aside the half-eaten cocoa pie and came to sit beside him. “I’m so sorry you had to go through that.” Then she did the most outrageous thing. She ran her fingers through his hair.

  All thoughts of his childhood fled, he was now very conscious of this woman beside him. He could feel his heartbeat kick up a notch.

  He cleared his throat. “Yes…well…I survived. God is gracious.” His eyes met hers, and they stared at each other.

  “Indeed He is,” she said softly as her eyes flickered. Then she dropped her hand. “I think it’s time to go.”

  As he watched Leiliana gather up her things, Gabriel wondered how long it would take her to realize that trying to contain the attraction between them was like trying to stop a tsunami.

  ~*~*~*~

  Gabriel and Leiliana were on the third day of their negotiations, and things were progressing smoothly until they began to discuss the vision for the organization.

  “My vision for this new company is that it becomes the best electronics firm in the market. We want to build products that will endure and blow the competition out of the water,” Leiliana said.

  Gabriel watched her intently as she spoke, then asked abruptly, “Why the best?”

  She was baffled by his question. “Isn’t that what everyone aspires to be, the best?”

  “We’re not
everyone,” he said. “‘Best’ is a comparative word. It suggests that you are competing against another to excel. To be the best, it just means you must be a little better than all the others. Why should that be our standard?”

  “Because being the best means that you’ve seen the standard and raised the bar!”

  “Is that your university degree talking or common sense,” he huffed.

  She narrowed her eyes on him. “Both,” she spat.

  “We need to have a greater vision than being ‘best’ of anything. It should not depend on the success or failure of anyone. If another company does better than us, that’s fine.”

  “Fine for whom? That mentality suggests that we aren’t trying hard enough!”

  The energy in the room was palpable. The tension was thick. Gabriel and Leiliana faced off across the table, chest heaving.

  Suddenly Gabriel pushed away from the table. Leiliana was sure he intended to come around the table, drag her out of the chair, and kiss her. She knew she would succumb without a whimper.

  But Gabriel didn’t approach her. He walked over to the window, placed both hands on the window frame, and stared out at the ocean. He seemed to be trying to regain control.

  Leiliana could relate. With a shaky hand, she reached for the water bottle and took a few gulps of water. As she observed Gabriel’s shoulders relax and his breathing slow, she knew that she also needed to get a grip on her emotions.

  “Take a moment, please, and consider the brands you purchase over and over again,” Gabriel said slowly as he reclaimed his seat. “Even though there may be a cheaper version out there. Why do you do this?”

  “Perceived value for money,” she responded, determined to focus on the matter at hand once more.

  “Precisely. The reason we stay loyal to a brand is because of its values. Because those values align with ours. It’s not necessarily because it’s the best in reality. We don’t generally whip out our phones and check to see how that brand rates overall. We know we like this product because it works for us. That should be our company’s focus. Creating a brand that people identify with. A brand that meets their needs, a brand that will last, a brand that provides support at the times when it doesn’t meet customer expectations.”