Unfortunately, an absent Adam only made her feel slightly better. He wasn’t the only thing weighing on her overwhelmed mind. It was hard to believe that fifteen years of work had led to this. She was taking over the helm of this amazing company.
It was bittersweet. She had dreamed about this for years, but now that it was here, she was scared. The problem was the dream. In every dream of the future, Herb had been there handing over his company. He was standing over her shoulder, micromanaging her decisions as he’d done the past few months. She thought she’d have his knowledge and leadership to rely on for the first year… heck, for the first few years. She figured she’d have to send him away kicking and screaming.
Even though she knew she had been groomed to take over, fear bit at her heels. Knots twisted in her stomach. Was she ready? Could she make Herb proud?
She walked toward Herb's office, delicately smiling at her well-wishing staff as they headed to their offices. These people, her people, had faith in her. They had been through a lot together, and she refused to let them down.
She shook all the negative thoughts from her mind. She’d worked too hard to wimp out now. She not only knew what this company needed today, but she knew she could take them into the next decade.
Herb and Allison had spent the past six months designing a five-year plan to keep Byrnes and Company in the forefront of the jewelry market. They had successfully anticipated the market trends thus far. She had been taught by the best, and she’d be dammed if she was going to lure herself into self-deprecating thoughts.
She smiled when she saw Julie Connolly sitting at her desk behind the reception counter. Julie was not only responsible for keeping Herb on track, she was also the face of the company when people came into the office. With a desk right outside Herb's office, she was the pulse and nerve center of the organization.
Julie’s ear was pressed up against the phone, while her hands clickity-clacked away on the computer keyboard. She turned her head and gave Allison a pained smile. She spun back toward her computer screen, continuing to talk with the client on the phone.
Alarm bells clanged a symphony in her brain, her head pounding in reverberating sympathy. Julie offering a pained smile? Not even making eye contact? Julie’s weird behavior was just one more oddity added to her morning.
Allison’s smile faded. Over the past few months, the women had become even closer as they had discussed the transition that would take place over the next couple months. Julie would’ve slowly moved from being solely Herb’s assistant to working with Allison as well. Herb wanted to prepare her, as she’d been his loyal assistant for six years.
She knocked on the doorframe to Herb’s office, trying to get Dale's attention.
He raised his head and waved her in. “Is it that time already? I've been so busy going over Dad's notes.” He smiled, and motioned to one of the leather chairs in front of the large flame-maple desk.
The office had been Herb's sanctuary. The portraits on the walls showing past hockey greats skating their way to Chicago hockey immortality offset the professional atmosphere of maple and leather.
Allison smiled. She only knew about their skating prowess from her years with the Byrnes family. It was difficult not to, especially when the Chicago Flurries hockey games were the norm from October to April. That didn't include the two months of playoffs that could potentially be tacked on to the end of the season. She didn't complain, but the insanity the season wrought on the office was sometimes overwhelming.
Allison glanced over at Dale and watched him smile warmly. “Hey Ally-gator, I just want to wait for my brother. We should both be here for this.”
Allison smiled and relaxed into the black leather chair. His demeanor reminded her that nothing had changed. Dale was her age, and had been the one who always welcomed her into their family home with open arms. While Adam tolerated her in their family outings, Dale had always been enthusiastic about her tagging along. She appreciated him for that.
Adam entered the office and closed the door. With one look at his expressionless face, Allison’s shoulders tightened, sending another wave of gongs through her mind. Her eyes closed as she wrapped her fingers around the chain at her throat. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale.
The calming breaths and her good luck charm didn’t seem to soothe her nerves.
How could she relax when Adam wouldn't even meet her stare?
“I’m glad we could all meet together this morning. I wanted to make sure we were all on the same page before we make any announcements to the staff.” Dale beamed and rose to his feet. He reached for a hockey puck sitting on the corner of the desk and tossed it from one hand to the other, softly tapping the edge to the desk in between each toss.
“We have the opportunity to make something extraordinary here, and I’m thrilled to be a part of it. Dad always wanted his sons to be a part of this company. It might be a bit late, but I guess it’s true what they say, ‘better late than never’.
“Allison, you’ve done such a great job over the years. We know how much Dad loved you. He had…we all have the upmost respect for what you’ve accomplished. Given that, we want you to stay on as Vice President. I will take over the helm, for the time being. It’s what Dad would have wanted.”
Allison forced herself to keep a nondescript expression on her face, while anger seethed within her. Dale continued to yammer about the company’s new direction as she fought the queasiness building in her stomach. All that work— gone. All the late nights, analyzing and interpreting the market, for what? So the prodigal son could walk in and undo all of their progress.
“…I’m so excited about the new ideas I can bring to the company. I learned so much from my time in Singapore. It’s really a wonderful place.”
“Weren’t you a bartender in Singapore?” Adam asked.
“I was, until I moved into the monastery,” Dale snipped back. “The Taoists are a wise people. There are many lessons we can learn from them.”
“Taoism?” Adam sighed.
“I truly understand my place now. I think you should both spend some time with your spirituality. It was enlightening.”
Allison wanted to scream. Are you an idiot? What are you talking about? Instead she asked, “Don’t Taoist’s focus on moderation, compassion and humility?”
“The three jewels. You’ve heard of it?” He smiled as she shook her head.
She held back a laugh. Only Dale could discuss moderation, compassion and humility while the lights glinted off of the platinum cufflinks on his tailor-made suit. It would seem a monastery could put the fifteen thousand dollars he was wearing to good use feeding the hungry or spreading world peace.
Allison painted a smile on her face and somehow managed to make it through the rest of the meeting without killing Dale. It took every ounce of restraint, but she was proud of her self-control. Every time he opened his mouth, she just wanted to stuff the tap-tap-tapping hockey puck into it. She left Herb’s office...or actually it was now Dale’s office. Ugh! What a nightmare.
That was five hours of her life she’d never get back. Five hours of his nonsense, and it was only the beginning. Her head dropped in defeat. He was now her boss. Not just a boss in ownership, now he would be here every day. Every damn day. Day in, day out of listening to more variations of that rambling mess of a meeting.
Julie’s forlorn look spoke volumes. “I’m so sorry, Allison. If there’s anything I can do to help. I’m available for wine therapy anytime.”
“Thanks Julie. I’m fine.” She forced a smile and walked a few feet. “Although, I might actually take you up on that later”
Julie smiled. “I thought you would. We can commiserate.”
Allison practically ran to her office, and once inside her sanctuary, she slumped in her chair. She slipped her shoes to the floor and rested her elbows on the bean- shaped desk. Black filing cabinets on one side and a three-foot-long mahogany cabinet on the other supported the desktop, and a black metal panel hid her
legs so she could remove her heels with visitors being none the wiser.
She loved the furniture. The contemporary design didn't match the other offices, but it was in line with her taste. She loved that Herb allowed her pick her own furnishings, and with the black leather couches in her office seating area and contemporary art on the wall, she felt at home in the space.
Home. This had been like a home to her. Now what? It felt like everything had been flipped on its axis. One day she had control over her career, her life, and then, boom, it all went away. She got up and shuffled around her desk to the mini-fridge hiding in the corner. She stared inside, hoping a bottle of wine would suddenly materialize. She contemplated grabbing Julie and hitting the bar on the main level. A nice Pinot sounded good right about now. Hmmm…
But no. It was commonly frowned upon to ditch work and hit the sauce before two in the afternoon.
She settled for a soda, neat, and stared out the back windows of her office. From the twenty-seventh floor she could see the people scurrying around the city streets, everyone desperate to get somewhere.
At one time, she had been desperate to get somewhere, too. Now it was lost time. She had nothing to show for dedicating her life to Byrnes and Company. Although she didn’t regret all the time she spent with Herb, she regretted all the hours she didn’t spend having a normal life.
All those hours devoted to work, with the position of CEO the proverbial brass ring. Now what? Her brass ring was just pilfered by Junior, and here she stood, alone, with nothing. Nothing to show for all of those years of working late, sacrificing a social life, declining dates.
She’d turned down a few good offers over the years, handsome men with great jobs. She’d also turned down a few questionable proposals as well, but those were easy. She’d thought of making a sign: GROWN MEN WHO CONSIDER DELIVERY PIZZA AND CARTOONS AN APPROPRIATE FIRST DATE, NEED NOT APPLY.
She always figured she had time to meet Mister Right, but she’d wasted all those years at the office, when she could have been out getting a life. She thought back and cringed. The last time she had a date, Bush Junior— crap, maybe it was Clinton— was in office.
From her high perch she could barely make out women pushing baby carriages, and men and women holding hands, laughing as they walked along the city streets. Her heart ached with longing. She had put this part of herself on hold for so long. After all, who had time for men when there was a teenager to raise and a company to run?
Who am I kidding? She sighed. Brook was an adult—with a law degree. She couldn't use raising her as an excuse any longer. Granted, working stifled her social life over the past fifteen years, but Herb had spent many futile breaths trying to convince her that her job wasn’t everything. He’d said she should let go. She would have loved to do so, but she really didn't know how.
Chapter Six
Adam walked up to Allison’s open office door, and found her playing with the chain at her neck, gazing out the window. He was stunned how much she’d changed over the years. Gone was the cute, determined girl. She’d become a beautiful, resolute woman.
“Penny for your thoughts, Ally-gator.”
Allison jumped and spun toward the door. A slow smile spread over her lips, and he couldn’t help but notice what nice lips they were.
“Your father always said that to me.”
“He did. He always worried about you.” He entered the office and sank into a guest chair.
“There’s nothing to worry about.” She sat on the edge of her desk, crossing her legs, and swinging her stockinged foot back and forth. The hem of her skirt snuck up her leg, giving him a generous glimpse of her sugar-white thigh. From his recollection, those thighs tasted as good as they looked, and damn, they looked good enough to devour.
He averted his eyes from temptation and played with the Newton’s Cradle sitting on the edge of her desk. It was nowhere near as fun to play with the cold, hard metal toy, but he figured it was the only way to control the thoughts blazing through his mind, pulsing through his body.
“To what do I owe this visit?” Her question brought his mind back from gutter.
Damn. He needed a cold shower.
“I know this has been a rough day. I wanted to see how you’re holding up.” Part of him was also wondering if she was speaking to him after the events of the day. He wouldn’t blame her. He wasn’t all that thrilled with path the day had taken. It killed him that she was hurt by Dale’s ridiculous decision.
“I’m fine. You Byrnes men need to stop concerning yourself over nothing.” “You’re not nothing,” he whispered to himself, and shook his head. Thinking
about how much she meant to him didn’t help his situation. He had to remember that he was leaving in a few days.
“Excuse me?”
“Just mumbling.” A long breath crawled through his lungs and escaped his lips. He ran a hand down the knot that was forming on the back of his neck. His nerves rattled and popped. Why did this woman make him so nervous? He inhaled and babbled on. “Would you like to grab some dinner tonight? I figure we both need to eat, and I haven’t had a chance to go to Chicago’s Kitchen and Wine Bar since I’ve been back. It was always one of my favorites. Yours too, right?”
“Rain check? I was hoping to head over to the condo tonight. Since your mom won’t let me sign it over to her, I figured I might as well take advantage of the place. The lease on my apartment ends next month, so I need to start moving my stuff out.”
“Rain check.” He hoped he was able to keep the disappointment out of his voice.
“Sure.”
Julie knocked, peeking her head around the doorframe. “Adam, I was able to get you a table for two at Chicago’s Kitchen for seven tonight.”
“Thank you, but Allison is heading over to the condo tonight. I think I’ll just order room service. But if you’d like to take the reservation, I’d be happy to pay for your dinner.”
Adam watched as the color drained from Julie’s face. He forgot Julie hated handouts. He didn’t think paying for dinner was considered a handout, but it must have upset her. “I’m sorry. You don’t have to take the reservation.
“Um, no, thank you. That’s very generous,” she stuttered. “But I, ah, need to head out. Cody’s daycare called and I need to pick him up right away. He’s sick. There’s this stomach flu going around. I know his friend Dillon had it last week. He must have caught it.”
“All right, take the rest of the day. Hopefully, it’s nothing serious.” “Is there anything else I can do for either of you before I go?”
“No. I’m heading out early, myself. I want to get a start on the condo.” Allison smiled warmly.
“Allison, don’t forget to call Doug Kaminski about your meeting next week.
He likes to talk to you in person.” “Of course. Thank you, Julie.”
“I hope Cody feels better. If there’s anything I can do to help, please call. My mom worked with the Children’s Hospital last year and knows a few of the pediatricians,” Adam added.
“Thanks.” Julie attempted a smile and left the office.
He twisted his neck to relieve the lump of concern growing and tugging on his upper spine. He’d never seen Julie act so strangely. There wasn’t much he could do to help until she asked for it. And if she needed help, she’d ask. When it came to her son, Julie would make sure that Cody got the best care.
Adam shoved the worry from his mind and focused on Allison. A dinner with her would’ve been nice. It would’ve been nice to have a little company as he ate some gourmet Chicago cuisine.
A sigh escaped his lips. Instead, he’d spend another quiet night alone. Now he remembered why he couldn’t wait to go back to Phoenix. Loneliness was never a problem when you worked every night.
* * *
Julie’s feet moved as fast as she could make them go without running. She didn’t want to draw attention to herself, but she had to move faster. Her head was spinning, her heart was thumping, and her ears were drumming. S
he thought she had more time. She never thought Allison would head to the condo so quickly. She might have bought a few minutes with that phone call, but she wasn't sure how many.
She dashed to her desk and jerked open the bottom right-hand drawer. She sifted through the multitude of key rings. Where was that damn key? She glanced over her shoulder, reassured when she could still hear small talk coming from Allison’s office.
At least she hoped it was small talk. As Allison’s friend, she hated to see her talking to Adam again. He had broken Allison’s heart into a million pieces. She didn’t want her friend to have to deal with that kind of rejection again. A true friend would walk back in that office and stop their conversation.
She sighed. She didn’t have a choice. She didn’t have time to worry about Allison’s love life. She clawed through the keys again. Where was it? Her frantic fingers slid over the smooth gold-heart keychain. She found it. Wrapping her hand around the ring, she jumped to her feet. Adam’s voice cut through the air. “I think I’ll call it an early night, too. Have fun at your new place.”
Julie tried to act nonchalant while her eyes followed the man as he exited Allison’s office. She gave a small wave and a strained smile to Adam when he passed her desk and entered Herb’s empty office. She watched him sit in his father’s chair, looking down at the paperwork on the desk.
While he was distracted, Julie grabbed her purse and sprinted for the elevators. Even if Allison called Kaminski now, she might be on the road in a few minutes. She needed to stall her, but how? She had to get to the condo before Allison. Her life depended on it.
The habitually fast elevator crawled down the twenty-seven floors. Julie glared at the LCD numbers creeping along. 20…19…18… She tapped her foot loudly as the car descended.
Tap…4 Tap…3 Tap…2
She checked her watch as the doors crept open. Running to her car, she stopped when she saw Allison’s coupe parked in the corner. She could just… Ugh.
Second Time's the Charm Page 5
