Jill. Such a simple, sweet name for such a poised firebrand. She sat in the chair next to him and crossed her slim, tanned legs. It was easy to pretend to still be looking at the floor while letting his eyes roam over her smooth skin. Her foot twitched, and he looked up to see her eyes on him, one eyebrow raised. He smiled, unrepentant. “Turnabout’s fair play, you know.”
She almost smiled. “Well, now that we’ve adequately looked each other over, what do you say we find out what Nate’s scheming?”
Haverton chuckled and sat in his chair on the other side of the desk. “Have you put the pieces together yet, McDaniel?”
“The picture is coming into focus,” Blake said.
Jill raised an eyebrow. “Not for me, it isn’t.”
Haverton leaned back in his desk chair, linking his hands behind his head, and directed his attention to Jill. “McDaniel and I have a very specific contract. Two of the companies that were part of our recent deal are especially important to me. One is Elysian Ice Cream; the other is Gourmand’s Fine Chocolate. McDaniel agreed to give me oversight on the integration process.”
Blake looked up at the ceiling. He had known that agreeing to that would come back to bite him, but at the time it had seemed worth it to make the deal. “I have several teams built to manage the process, and I’ve made sure you have access to review everything being done.”
“I know,” Haverton said. “And I appreciate it. Unfortunately, I’m finding that my time has a lot more demands on it than it used to.”
Jill laughed suddenly, and Blake’s eyes shot her way. What was so funny?
She cleared her throat. “I hear the honeymoon phase usually lasts about a year.”
Nate grinned. “I sure hope it does. Regardless, I would like to be free to focus my attention on my family. I want to hire you to be my deputy in over-seeing the integration from my leadership into McDaniel’s.”
“I was afraid that’s where this was headed.”
Blake rubbed his forehead. “No more than I was.”
“I say we let Jill do what she does best. She has the credentials and my wife’s recommendation. Give her full access to all the data, and she can formulate a recommendation for what you can do to make each business profitable. And of course, if she can’t figure out how to make them earn money for you, I expect her to report that as well. I trust her to balance both our interests in a fair way.”
Pink tinted Jill’s cheeks, but she still looked incredibly composed for someone who was blushing. “I haven’t said I’ll agree to it.”
Blake had been ready to protest, but now he wondered why she would refuse. It had to be a great opportunity for someone as young as she was. Because she had managed to strip away his caution, he asked, “How old are you? If you’re even twenty-five, I’ll shave my eyebrows.”
“Well go find a razor, because I’m actually twenty-six.”
“You don’t look it,” Blake said. “And it doesn’t change the fact that you’ve hardly had time to acquire the kind of experience and expertise needed for a job like this.”
Jill rose like a fury and stared down at him. “I’ll have you know that my father has been grooming me for this since I was a baby. In high school, while all my friends were in cheerleading or going to the mall on the weekends, I worked part-time at my dad’s office, being force-fed spreadsheets and trade jargon. I went to Columbia and graduated summa cum laude. During the summers between semesters, I did formal internships. I have been working as a consultant for three years now, and my success rate is the highest in my office. I speak three languages fluently and two others proficiently. I have worked all over the globe. Now tell me. What qualifies you to do what you do?”
Blake grinned, appreciating her point. “Nothing but my money.”
“Great,” Jill said. “So don’t underestimate me.”
She was amazing. He whistled long and low. “I swear I’ll never do so again.”
Her passionate attempt to put him in his place was nothing less than masterful. But how could he work so closely with such a dangerous woman? Since he’d first seen her looking vibrant and cool in the shade, he’d felt drawn to her. It only became worse the longer he was around her. He couldn’t allow this attraction to build into anything more.
It did not escape Blake’s notice that Haverton was hugely entertained by this situation. Focusing his attention on the man, Blake asked, “You want to hire her to take your place in the integration?”
“Precisely. She can report to me. What do you say, Jill? Will you do this for me? I wouldn’t trust anyone else nearly as much.”
Jill was profoundly quiet as she considered. Finally, she said, “Yes. I will. I know I’ll need to begin as soon as possible—”
“Yes. Tomorrow if possible.”
Blake raised his eyebrows, but Jill only nodded. “That’s fine. But I have a conference call with my previous client at ten o’clock in the morning so I need to work my travel schedule around that.”
“I’ll fly you to Dallas myself when your meeting is done,” Nate said.
But Blake’s interest had been caught by something else. “Is that who you were speaking to on the veranda?” Blake asked, surprised.
“Yes,” she admitted.
“Are you that flirtatious with all your clients?” Blake wasn’t sure if the possibility pleased him or not.
“Only the ones who act like gentlemen and treat me like an equal.”
Blake grinned and leaned back in his chair. “I’m looking forward to working with you then.”
Jill rolled her eyes. “So far, you don’t qualify. Besides, Nate is my client.”
Ignoring her jab, Blake said, “Yes, but by extension, so am I. I’m the one set to lose fantastic amounts of money if this merger goes down the toilet.”
After giving one huffing breath, Jill’s foot tapped on the floor in a restless staccato. “Yes, and a lot of people would also lose their livelihood. I’m much more concerned with that than adding another zero to your bank account.”
“It would take a lot to add another zero to my balance.”
Nate laughed. “I can see you two are going to get along well. Charlotte hoped you might.”
Jill’s eyes shot to Nate. “Why does Charlotte care if we get along?”
Nate looked panicked for a minute then shrugged, an obvious attempt to look innocent. “You’ll have to ask her.”
Standing, Jill said, “I believe I’ll go find her right now. Enjoy the rest of your meeting.”
Blake watched appreciatively as she walked to the door and flung it open. Jill had attitude, and he found it excessively amusing. When she was gone, the room felt flat. Restless, Blake stood and walked over to look out the long, mullioned windows facing the south lawn.
“From everything I’ve discovered,” Nate said, “She’s extremely competent and has a great portfolio of successes.”
Blake nodded. “Considering the firm she works for, I have no doubt. I know it by reputation.”
“Will you be willing work with her?”
Blake crossed his arms and turned. “Work with her? Sure.”
“So what are your reservations? I can tell you have them.”
“If there is, perhaps, a matchmaking scheme going on here, I’m warning you now, it won’t be successful. I don’t date women who are already married to their careers. Sounds like she has similar reservations.”
Nate stood and walked toward him. “You’ve already discussed dating, huh?”
Blake sent a level look his direction. “It came up randomly.”
“Sure. Don’t worry. Even if my wife has a few hopes, I’m only committed to success on the business end of things.”
Blake shook Nate’s hand. “Then we’re both focused on the right thing. I guess I’ll see you both in Dallas tomorrow. Thanks for the lunch.”
“Thank you for coming. I hope you were able to relax for a while. If you’re anything like I used to be, you could use a little more relaxation in your life
.”
Walking to the door, Blake said, “I’ll relax when I get everything I want in life.”
“You know, there’s a flaw in that logic.”
“What’s that?”
“People tend to want things they can’t have.”
Chapter Three
Jill wished she could have had as much time to sleep in and visit as she’d planned before leaving Nate and Charlotte’s house. After a restless night and getting up early to shower and pack, there was no denying she was bone-deep tired. Dressed in a gray pencil skirt, cream silk blouse, and a yellow, short-sleeved cardigan, she went down to the kitchen for the sumptuous brunch Charlotte had promised.
Leaving her suitcase and purse against the far wall, Jill sat down across from Charlotte and gaped at the Quiche Lorraine, freshly squeezed orange juice, and chocolate croissants spread before her. “You never fed me this well before you got married.”
Charlotte grinned and poured Jill a cup of coffee. “I didn’t have a chef to do all the work. How was your meeting?”
“Successful, but it made me sad to say goodbye to Señor Patena. He and his wife were so good to me while I was in Argentina.”
“We have to say goodbye today too.”
“You know I’ll be back. Especially if you feed me like this.”
“Yeah, but I’m mad at Nate for taking you away from me so soon.”
Jill grinned at her. “You should totally keep him in the doghouse for a few days.”
As they laughed, Nate walked into the kitchen with a briefcase in one hand and a bouquet of flowers in the other. Taylor, Charlotte’s six-year-old son had a small bouquet of his own. When Nate took the flowers over to Charlotte and dropped a kiss on her head, Jill knew there was no way he was staying in the doghouse for very long. She smiled at her friend’s happiness, but her heart twisted in pain. She’d likely never know how it felt to be loved like that.
But then Taylor waved his flowers in front of Jill’s face to get her attention. “These are for you.”
The ache in her chest eased as if the sun had risen in her soul. She looked at Taylor’s innocent young face framed by rumpled bed-head and melted. “These are for me? Here, give me a hug.” She pulled him close and squeezed him till he started squirming, then gave him a noogie for good measure.
“When will you be back?” Taylor asked.
Jill grinned. “You’ll have to beg your step-dad every day to fly me back for a visit till he gives in, okay?”
“Okay,” Taylor said. He sat down at the table and grabbed a chocolate croissant.
“Are you ready, Jill?” Nate asked.
She got up, steeling herself to go back into business mode. “Ready. My bags are by the door.” Stupid suitcase—it was a metaphor for her life.
“Great. Let’s get going. We’ve got work to do on the flight over.”
“Will you be back tonight?” Charlotte asked Nate.
He nodded. “Even if it’s late, I’ll make it back.”
Jill hugged Charlotte, waved at Taylor, and followed Nate outside. His driver opened the door to his limo and they slipped inside.
Nate talked about the job ahead as they drove, and Jill kept focused on the task of learning as much she could about the businesses she’d be working with, filing away the info. She’d spent years training her memory so that she could keep every detail ready, just a thought away. But this morning, a small part of her mind was distant, taking in the country scenery passing by the windows. She felt in her gut that this job was going to be a big step in her life, and she was nervous about it. She couldn’t put her finger on why, but she felt it in the unsettled, almost nauseous feeling in her stomach and the tension in her shoulders.
Maybe it was because this might finally give her a chance to prove she was more than just the daughter of the head of the firm. Her co-workers thought she had an advantage, she knew, but they didn’t understand the steeper curve she was up against to prove she deserved her position on her own merit. But this job was big. If she could pull this off, surely it would earn her the respect she deserved. Maybe even from her dad.
Nate’s expression changed as he settled into business. After they discussed what Nate wanted her to do, he said, “When you are reviewing Elysian and Gourmand’s, do what you can to make them profitable. They were both struggling when I bought them, but I hadn’t figured out exactly why before I sold them to McDaniel. Do what you can to keep them from being mangled in the corporate machine.”
Jill glanced down at her tablet, looking over the list of businesses Blake owned. “I never like to see any business closed down, but sometimes it’s the only option. I just hope Mr. McDaniel considers his employees as much as his bottom line.”
Nate nodded. “He’s a good man. I wouldn’t have trusted anyone else, despite the scandal about his mother.”
“What happened?”
“She was convicted of insider trading and a whole slew of other unethical business practices. She was their CEO so it nearly destroyed their image. Their stocks plummeted and the whole company fell into chaos. McDaniel stepped up after his mom got sentenced to ten years in prison. He saved the business from going under.
“What else do you know about him?”
Nate leaned back and shrugged. “Not a whole lot about his personal life. In fact, next to nothing. But he’s the exact opposite of his mother, and everyone knows it.”
Jill stored away all this information. From what she knew, Nate was a good judge of character. Blake might be arrogant and judgmental, but if he was honest and conscientious, she’d be able to work with him.
Thirty minutes after taking off from Nate’s private airstrip in Alabama, they landed in Dallas. Another hour later, because traffic was terrible, they arrived at the two towers of glass and steel. The words on one building read “Square Towers” in glinting, silver letters that were nearly two stories tall. It was an impressive sight, made more so by the fact that they’d been built on the outskirts of the city, away from downtown, so they dominated the landscape.
Nate’s driver pulled up by the front entrance on the north tower, and Jill followed Nate out of the car. Inside the lobby, the ceiling soared three stories high. With nothing but glass and steel beams, it was a wonder of industrial design.
Nate knew exactly where he was going, only waving at the girl at the reception desk as he passed.
“Welcome back, Mr. Haverton,” she called.
“Thank you.”
In the elevator, Jill squared her shoulders and took deep, calming breaths. She scooted the straps of her bag further up her shoulder and fought the urge to check her hair and makeup. She was usually much more in control of her nerves.
“You look fierce,” Nate said, looking amused.
Jill relaxed and smiled at him. “I’m putting on my game face.”
“Impressive. I’m glad you’re on my team so I don’t need to be intimidated.”
The elevator doors opened and they walked into a spacious office area with sections of desks clustered around the floor. The bright afternoon sun glared off metal and glass from every angle. Blinking, Jill saw an older woman with fly-away hair talking on the phone and staring at her computer screen. A plaque that said “Secretary” stood on the front of her desk, which stood in front of a row of offices and boardrooms. However frazzled she looked, she was clearly the gatekeeper. Nate approached, and Jill stood to his left as they waited for her to get off her phone.
She turned and saw them. Her eyes widened. She put a hand over the receiver and motioned, “Second conference room on the right. They’re expecting you, so go right in.”
Nate nodded and waved his hand for Jill to go ahead of him. She strode to the conference room door, the click of her heels on the tile floor giving her confidence. Stepping inside, she was met with a room full of strange faces. All discussions stopped as everyone turned to look at her. She saw a tall, balding older man with a grim face and a handsome man with a nice set of shoulders and an arrogant be
aring. Until introductions were made, all she could do was nod at them when they eyed her curiously.
Across from them sat a short young man, surely just out of college, with bright red hair and a scruffy beard. His badge said “Camden” on it, but he was the only person wearing one. He must not be an executive. Maybe tech support? The only other stranger in the room was a beautiful woman with fierce, calculating eyes and an air of proprietary ownership.
But the one who drew her eyes the most was the man at the head of the room.
Blake faced her with his arms crossed and a direct but somehow warm expression in his eyes. He wore a black t-shirt and slacks, at odds with the more formal dress of everyone else, but it didn’t matter. He owned the room. Unfortunately, she was already much too aware of him. Seeing him in this setting made her pulses race.
“Well, if it isn’t our guardian angel,” Blake said, a faint, wry smile hovering on his lips.
“Do you feel in need of saving, Mr. McDaniel?” Jill asked.
“Not yet, but one never knows. We’re glad to have you on board.”
Jill heard Nate close the door behind them and moved to make way for him to come in. “I’m happy to be here.” She thought about teasing him about his choice of dress but decided this wasn’t the place. Blake needed to maintain his authority if, as she suspected, this was a gathering of executives from his newly acquired businesses.
Nate pulled out a seat for her, then sat down opposite Blake, who continued to stand. “Thanks for arranging this meeting on such short notice,” he said.
“Of course,” Blake said, though Jill caught a hint of irony in his voice. “This is no more than a chance to introduce everyone and to share the long-term goals for our merger,” Blake said, addressing the room. “I’ll be meeting with each of you individually. I’m sure all of you know Nate Haverton. This is Jill Harris, who will be working with all of us as our post-merger integration team leader. She comes from a highly respected consulting firm and will be a great asset, I’m sure.”
The Truth about Billionaires (Southern Billionaires Book 2) Page 2