“I really don’t want to see you hurt,” Jase repeated. “You’re Harry’s daughter. Of course, I care. Steve’s left a trail of broken hearts behind him since Gwen died. I’d hate to see you join that group.”
“Oh, for pity’s sake, Jase. Give me credit for being able to recognize a self-styled womanizer when I see one!”
Jase sighed. “Don’t take him at face value, Mary Katherine.”
“I don’t take men at face value, not anymore. No matter how appealing the face may be. And Steve definitely has an appealing face.” She clicked her tongue against her teeth. “The rest of him isn’t exactly gruesome either,” she added with a small laugh. “He’s really quite presentable.”
Jase looked at her for a moment, before returning his attention to the course. “I’m sorry for the way I treated you those first days you were here,” Jase stated . “I was worried about Harry. I didn’t want to see him hurt. It’s a small excuse, but it’s the only one I can offer.”
“I know,” she answered. “I don’t like it, but I know.”
“You’re still mad at me.”
“You didn’t exactly endear yourself to me,” she replied. “And you haven’t exactly gone out of your way to be friendly. You’ve been avoiding me ever since you came back from Reserve training. You haven’t even been home for dinner this week.”
“Miss me?”
“Like I’d miss a doorbell when it stops ringing.”
“The not going out of your way to be friendly is a two way street, Mary Katherine,” Jase observed. “You’ve not exactly been overly friendly yourself.”
“Don’t stiff neck me with Mary Katherine. If you want to be friends, the name’s Mary Kate.”
“Mary Kate,” Jase echoed with a smile.
“See, that didn’t kill you.”
“You’ve never said if you forgave me.”
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“I suppose I can understand,” Mary Kate responded . “You love Harry. I’m grateful he’s had someone to love. We can make an effort at starting over, I suppose.”
“That’s more than I probably deserve. I was skeptical at first. But you really do care for him. Anyone can see that. That’s good enough for me.”
“Especially since the DNA report has come back proving that I am Harry’s daughter.”
Jase looked at her for a long moment. “I had no idea. Harry hasn’t said a word to me about that. Honestly.”
She looked at him. She wasn’t at all certain she believed him. “Then thanks, Jase. I appreciate how hard it is for you to admit you were wrong.”
“Did Hastings put you off men entirely?”
“I’d rather say that I am cautious, very cautious. They say that a cynic is a bruised romantic. There may be something to that definition. I’m not sure I even believe in love. Or at least not in the ‘love will conquer all’ theory of love. I just haven’t seen things work that way.”
“Oh, Mary Kate! I’m sorry that your illusions were torn from you so roughly.”
“Don’t you dare pity me.”
He smiled at her. “I can’t think of anyone whom I pity less,” Jase said with definite warmth in his voice. “Whatever else anyone may think of you, no one can deny that you’re a strong and beautiful woman with a fine head on her shoulders.”
Mary Kate smiled broadly. “Now, I’m sure of it. Aliens abducted the real Jase. You’re just an android version they left behind as a data collection device. One night we’ll all be asleep and awake the next morning in specimen collection tubes aboard a spaceship bound for Alpha Centauri.”
Jase laughed. “Now, who is showing imagination worthy of a writer?”
“I’m willing to try to be your friend, Jase. And I hope, at least for Harry’s sake, that we can pull it off.”
“Please reconsider going out with Steve. You might think of yourself as able to handle him, but he really is too much of a playboy for you to handle.”
“I’m just playing tennis with him tomorrow after work. Whoever loses is buying dinner,” Mary Kate explained. “It’s nothing serious. Oh, he would like for me to think that he is completely smitten. I suspect that it’s a normal part of his routine. I suspect, also, under that playboy exterior there just might be a decent man.”
“Steve is a good man and a good friend of mine. So I should warn you that Steve has been the club tennis champ for the last three years running,” Jase warned. “It’s been almost two years since he’s lost a match.”
Mary Kate laughed. “So much the better. I do so like stiff competition. I’m doubly glad that I
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Jase smiled. “You really think you can give Steve a run for his money?”
“Should be interesting, to say the least. Few people underestimate me twice.”
“That I believe.”
“So will Steve, after I wipe the court with him. He really has it coming.”
“I think I have to see this.”
“It’s still a free country,” Mary Kate replied, as she climbed down from the cart. “I certainly can’t stop you from coming out to watch the match.”
“It wouldn’t bother you to have someone watch you play?” Jase asked.
“No. Why should it? I play extremely well. And I’m used to being watched.”
Jase laughed. “You certainly have no lack of self confidence.”
Mary Kate smiled. “If I did lack confidence, you and Harry would have run right over me. Even if I wasn’t confident, I couldn’t afford to let you see the chinks in the armor. Both of you are deadly when it comes to finding a chink in someone’s armor and exploiting it.”
“Probably,” Jase admitted. “And you are no slouch yourself in that department. There’s nothing wrong with the steel in your backbone. I really admire strength in a person.”
“You know, I think that is the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.”
Jase smiled at her. “Then I shall surely have to change my habits.”
“Uh...Huh... And a leopard will change his spots.”
Yet, she was surprised at the easy camaraderie that existed between them during the time on the golf course. They discussed a variety of topics, finding a vast area of agreement on subjects from national politics to the best brand of golf ball.
After the eighteen holes the foursome returned to the clubhouse. Harry and Norman had won by only a single stroke. Mary Kate suspected that Jase had purposefully missed the putt on the seventeenth to give the win to the older pair. Oh, it had been done smoothly. But there was something about the way the hole had been played which made her suspicious.
“There’s obviously not much of an advantage of being young playing with you two,” Mary Kate stated.
“It was a good round,” Norman Richter said.
“Yes,” Harry agreed, “it was. Shall we have a drink and talk?”
Sitting at a table in the bar, Norman turned to Mary Kate, “Well, Miss Devlin, what do you think of your
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father’s offer to buy my operation?”
Mary Kate smiled. “May I be absolutely frank, sir?”
“Of course,” Norman replied firmly. “I have no tolerance for meally mouthed sycophants.”
Mary Kate sighed then launched into her reply, hoping that she wasn’t overstepping, “From the figures that I’ve seen, if I were you, I’d gratefully accept the offer. It’s extremely generous.”
Norman looked at Mary Kate. “What figures have you seen?”
“Your P and L statements for the last three years, the balance sheets for that period, the retained earnings statements during those years, funds statements for those years. Need I continue?”
Norman smiled guardedly before inviting her to continue, “And what do those various statements tell you?”
“That you’re in a serious cash flow crunch. You have wonderful assets, but they aren’t readily convertible to cash. Unless you find a ready source for available cash, you’re going to have to either file for protection or fold up the busi
ness,” Mary Kate said gently. “And either of those options would be a shame.”
“Continue,” Norman urged tightly.
Mary Kate continued in an equally gentle voice, “If you could ride out the current situation, you might be able to pull yourself out. You did a wonderful job building Richter up from nearly nothing. That is something of which you can be very proud. I’m sure that if you could find a way to ride out at least the next two years, you’d probably be okay. But realistically, it is unlikely that, without outside intervention, Richter Development will survive until the end of the next quarter. You are seriously overextended. And you know I’m telling you the truth.”
Jase added, “In fact, the debt service on Richter’s holdings is just about to strangle the corporation. You haven’t done more than barely meet the interest payments during the last two quarters. The bank is running out of patience.”
Norman looked at them carefully.
“You misjudged market trends. You aren’t alone in that predicament. So don’t feel too badly about it,” Mary Kate said gently. “It could have happened to anyone. It did happen to a lot of people.”
Norman sighed. “That doesn’t make it any easier to face.”
“No, it doesn’t,” she continued. “However, think about your people at Richter, about the seventy-three families dependent on the business. You have an obligation to your people, sir. For this reason, if for no other, were I in your position, I would accept the offer. Your people deserve to have hope for their security.”
“And what would Devlin get out of this?” Norman demanded.
“A more favorable tax situation to begin with. All of those lovely properties to depreciate. Your debt
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load to offset some of the large profits which Devlin has managed to accrue this fiscal year. And there will be potential profits down the line when the economy improves,” Mary Kate answered firmly with a smile. “The situation is bound to improve, eventually. For now, Devlin is in better shape to ride out the bad times than you are. And you would have the satisfaction of knowing that most of your people would be able to retain their jobs. If it were me, I would have been just as hesitant as you have been. But there comes a time when you have to do what is best for yourself and your people, regardless of how badly it hurts your pride.”
Norman looked at Harry. “Harry, your daughter and stepson make a strong case.”
“It’s essentially the same case that I presented to you a month ago.”
“It grates, Harry, but you’ve got a deal,” Norman said as he extended his hand over the table.
“I don’t think you’ll regret it, Norm,” Harry said strongly as he took the other man’s offered hand. “Shall we sign the agreements in the morning?”
“Your office?” Norman asked.
“That would be fine. Somewhere around ten?” Harry asked.
“Sounds good... I think I’ll hit the showers,” Norman said . “If you’ll excuse me.”
When Norman had left the room, both Harry and Jase turned to Mary Kate.
“Just how did you get your hands on those figures?” Harry asked in amazement.
“That’s what I’d like to know,” Jase seconded suspiciously.
“I thought that since this was a business occasion, that I should have the facts in my mind, so I called up the data from the computer system.”
“How did you get past the security?” Jase asked.
“There was virtually no security on the computer files. It was open to anyone who wanted to look at it. The file names weren’t even that hard to find. I took the time to print it out before I came out here. I wanted to know what I was getting into,” Mary Kate replied easily. “If the material was supposed to have been restricted, you should have, at least, had a password on the file. Security on your data is awfully lax.”
Jase smiled at her. “Not that bad, surely.”
“A ten year old could hack into the system,” Mary Kate replied with disdain. “I’ll bet that even Jaime could do it, if he set his mind to it.”
“You overstepped, Mary Kate,” Jase replied firmly.
“You can have my resignation any time you want it,” Mary Kate offered tightly, hurt at the renewed tone of animosity in his voice. “Just say the word... I won’t be treated like a criminal simply on account of having taken some initiative in a situation which I was thrown into with little warning.”
“I don’t want your resignation. You’ve been doing your job beyond all expectations. Miss Teague,
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somehow I never can call her Dolores, says that you’re worth at least three of any of her other people, put together. She says that you’re organized, efficient, a hard worker, and extremely smart,” Jase replied easily. “That’s high praise from her.”
“And of course, the fact that I’m the boss’s daughter doesn’t hurt her opinion of me, does it?” Jase smiled at her and laughed good naturedly. Goodness, she wished that he wouldn’t do that. He was all too handsome when he smiled. Those rare
smiles took her breath away. And when he laughed, she wanted to throw her arms around him and hold him tight until he stopped laughing. Until he stopped laughing and started kissing her. And she didn’t want to stop with the kissing.
“You really think that the security is too lax?” Jase asked. “I really think so, yes.” Harry nodded positively. “How would you like to be placed in charge of computer security?” Mary Kate chuckled. “Only if you want to see a good application of the Peter Principle. I’m not in the
least qualified for that job.” Harry smiled broadly. “You can do anything which you set your mind to, sweetheart.” Jase nodded. “I’d have to agree with Harry.” “Thanks for the vote of confidence,” she said, her voice dry. “Three compliments in one day. Someone
call the papers. Jase Wilton is breaking new ground.” “You will take the job,” Jase demanded. “Look, tightning up computer security is not an area in which I have any real experience. I’ve had some
course work in computer security, but that doesn’t qualify me to do that job,” Mary Kate stated. “Especially since computer science is a field which changes practically every day and my course work is several years old.” Harry smiled. “What would you say if I told you that I couldn’t think of anyone whom I would rather trust with the system?” “I’d say that you had better reconsider your priorities, Dad,” she answered dryly. “I’d also say that people are going to talk about this abrupt promotion, calling it a matter of nepotism.” Harry laughed. “Nepotism is just fine, as long as it is kept in the family, “ he joked. “Starting tomorrow
morning, you are VP of IT in charge of data security.” “Whether I want to be or not, correct?” Mary Kate asked . Jase smiled broadly. “Remind me never to be in a position where both of you are against me. I don’t
think I could stand the combined Devlin dispositions.” “Yeah, right,” Mary Kate said. “Irresistable force and immovable object time.”
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“Why do I have the feeling that you don’t believe me?” Jase asked. “You have a reputation as a tough businessman. The rumor is that you can walk on water.” “Oh, but I can... If it’s frozen.” She chuckled lightly. “I’d be careful there, Jase. Ice can be very treacherous.” “So can life.” “Very true... Well, if I’m going to do the job, I suppose I had better stop by a bookstore and get a few
basic texts on the subject, just to refresh my memory and to bring me up to speed,” Mary Kate allowed. “That
would be the first step before I dig into the system manuals.” Harry nodded approvingly. “That’s my girl. Think of this as an interesting challenge.” Mary Kate laughed. “Well, I suppose that would be better than thinking of it as my Waterloo.” “Come on, sweetheart,” Harry urged. “By the way, I approve of your new clubs. I trust you did charge
them to me?” Mary Kate met Jase’s eyes and continued to look at him as she answered her father, “No, Dad. I did not charge them to you. I put them o
n my own MasterCard.” “Mary Kate,” Harry replied, “you know that you can’t afford that kind of expense on the wage that we pay you.”
“I won’t have people saying that I’m trying to take advantage of you,” Mary Kate stated firm. “And that is all there is to it. Besides, if I watch my pennies and don’t get too extravagant, I should just about be able to afford to pay off the bill when it comes, even with the new tennis whites and racket that I’m going get. And what do you mean, at the wage you pay me? If I’m taking on more responsibilities, I expect, no, I demand a raise. Since it’s a VP position, you had better make that a substantial raise.”
Jase laughed. “I think that we’ve sheltered a barracuda.” Mary Kate smiled broadly. “It takes one to know one, fella.” Harry smiled at her, although there was a puzzled look on his face, “Surely I can give my daughter a gift
of a set of golf clubs, if I want to?” Mary Kate shook her head negatively. “No. I will not open myself to further insults, directed either at
me or, posthumously, at my mother. I simply won’t do it.” Her father shook his head sadly. “I’m so sorry, Mary Kate. I’ve put you in an uncomfortable position.” She sighed. “It can’t be helped, Dad... You probably ought to go home. It’s getting late and you do
have plans for the evening.” “Audie will strangle me if I’m late for the bridge game,” Harry replied easily. “Can’t have that. I’ll just stop by a bookstore on the way home. Jase and Missy are going out, as well.
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So, after I put Jaime to bed, I should have time to read a text book or two.” Jase smiled at her apologetically. “I should have thought to invite you along. We could have gotten a sitter for Jaime. It’s still not too late. Would you like to come out with us tonight?” Mary Kate nodded negatively. “I really do need to bone up on computer security. Thanks anyway... Besides, I promised Jaime I would spend tonight with him. I get such a kick out of that child.” “He’s something else,” Jase replied warmly, with a smile. “But Jaime would understand. He’s told me he wants us all to be friends.” “Sorry, Jase. I make it a rule not to be out two evenings in a row, and I’ve got a date tomorrow, as you
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