Coming To Reason (A Long Road to Love)

by O'Connor, Liza

  She slapped her leg. “Awww, you already know.”

  “I’d still like to hear it from your perspective.”

  After relaying the initial events, she stopped when she got to the point she asked Greg if he’d show her how to do them. “He was so stressed, I feared my offer might kill him.”

  “I know. I’ve lectured him about delegating, but until today, he’s resisted the idea.”

  She shared how she and Destiny made Greg’s day.

  He had lost his smile by the time she finished. “I know you like Destiny, but I need your honest opinion. Should she have been able to resolve this before today?”

  Carrie cringed at his question. “What you want to know is, should she have a boss?”

  He nodded.

  “I don’t know the answer. In my experience, system managers are mostly ‘show and posturing’, depending on better skilled employees beneath them to do all the work. What happened today resembled what happened at Lancaster Chairs with a very good, but overworked systems person named Jack.

  “When I arrived, the sales program database had been improperly structured, like yours. Jack had never received training in creating reports, so no useful information could be obtained from our…” She had to stop talking as if she still worked at Lancaster Chairs. “the database. In retrospect, I’d classify his misses far more severe than Destiny’s, and I think he’s one of the best systems people I’ve ever met.”

  “Then why can you see what needs to be done so easily?”

  After all the abuse she’d taken tonight from Trent, his sincere approbation felt like balm to her soul.

  “Because I have a user perspective, and I know what a database should be able to do. I had an excellent computer professor in college. Thus, when Greg showed me how to bounce back and forth between so many pages, the wrongness astounded me. I knew a better interface could be written.”

  She met his worried eyes.

  “My guess is, either whoever gave the specs to the salesman didn’t know what they wanted, or maybe the requirements changed since then.”

  He cleared his throat and stared out the window. “I gave the salesman the specs, and you are right in both assumptions. I knew generally what we needed, and I’ve changed the requirements several times since.”

  “Well, the next time you change specs, let Destiny know and she’ll have the system aligned with user needs right away.”

  “I also gave the requirements for the other program you fixed for us,” he added.

  She patted his arm. “There, you aren’t at fault. The software company had a lazy programmer customizing data for clients.

  Dan faced her. His mouth opened, but he forgot whatever he planned to say when the driver pulled to the curb and hopped from the car, opening the door a second later. Dan got out and reached in to help her out. Trent always walked on and left Sam to extract her. She much preferred Dan’s consideration. It meant she didn’t have to chase him down before he entered the restaurant.

  The delicious aroma wafting outside the restaurant caused her stomach to turn into what sounded like a pit-bull arena. Even Dan could hear it growling.

  Twenty people stood in line waiting to enter. She feared she’d die of starvation before they got a table. Fortunately, Dan ignored the line and entered the front door. A waiter smiled at him and waved him back.

  Had the man dared show such easy familiarity with Trent, her ever so proper fiancé would have ignored the fellow and complained to the owner.

  The young man spoke when they reached him. “We have a table opening in a half hour, but Dad thought you’d prefer the porch.”

  “The porch is fine,” Dan assured him.

  They followed the boy through the kitchen, where the tantalizing aroma almost made her faint. She must have wobbled since everyone turned and stared at her.

  A large man wearing an apron and a puffy hat held something an inch from her mouth.

  “Eat!” he commanded.

  She looked up to Dan, standing behind her, and he reiterated the command. Trusting him, she opened her mouth and her taste buds came alive with the riotous flavors. She closed her eyes.

  Next thing she knew, she stared up at the stars. Dan and a heavyset woman looked down at her with worry in their eyes.

  Focusing on Dan, she smiled. “I’ve never tasted anything half so delicious. Can I have another?”

  They both laughed with relief. The woman hurried into the kitchen and Dan pulled up a stool and sat beside her. “I’m glad you woke up. I had my phone out to call 911. Do you often faint when your taste buds are tantalized?”

  “No. But I did faint once before from not eating. I had such a great time today, I missed lunch.”

  His brow furrowed. “Have you seen a doctor about this?”

  “I saw Dr. Lenard when I went to the hospital. He kept me for several days while he got me hydrated and full of food.”

  “Did he suggest a therapist to help you beat this?”

  “Beat what?”

  “Your anorexia.”

  “I’m not anorexic. I just forget to eat.” God, how embarrassing! Her new employer thought she had mental problems.

  “Would you mind if I ask Dr. Lenard’s opinion?”

  “No. Go ahead. I’d give you his number, but my cell phone lies buried in river muck.”

  He pulled his phone and after a moment of searching, he placed the phone to his ear. “Bernard, Dan Marshal. How are you? …Glad to hear it. How’s Maggie? …Oh you’ve got to be proud there… Destiny is doing well, both at Columbia and work… Yes. I’ve hired Carrie Hanson, Trent’s former EA, and I’m worried about her fainting from the lack of food. She’s insisting she’s not anorexic, but sometimes forgets to eat. She says you treated her once before. I wanted to get your opinion. If she’s anorexic, I want to get her help at once.” He smiled. “I know, but if she gave you permission, you could tell me, right?”

  Dan handed the phone to Carrie.

  “Dr. Lenard?”

  “Carrie?”

  “Yes, hi. Will you please tell my new boss I’m just forgetful? Before he regrets hiring me.”

  “How long ago did you and Trent split up?”

  “Oh we’re not split. But Trent did surprise me with his decision I shouldn’t work at Lancaster anymore, so I spent most of Sunday researching and writing a résumé…thus forgetting to eat. Then, today, Dan gave me a job and I focused on learning new skills, forgetting to eat. So in the last two days I’ve eaten breakfast, but not much else.”

  “And what did you eat?”

  “A quarter cup of oatmeal, a half cup of blueberries, and a handful of walnuts, plus hot green tea.”

  “Any idea how much you weigh?”

  “No, but I’m close to eighty pounds.”

  “Are your ribs showing?”

  She sighed. “A little, but not as bad as when you saw me. I’ve been trying to fatten up. I know I’m too thin, but life has been so crazy.”

  “And you’re okay if I talk to Dan?”

  “Yes, but I want to hear, too.” She looked at Dan. “Do you have speaker?”

  He took the phone and hit a button. “You there, Bernie?”

  “I am. Carrie, you there?”

  “Yes, thank you.”

  “I do not believe Carrie is clinically anorexic. Anorexics always feel they are fat; Carrie is aware she’s too thin. Also, what she does eat is nutritionally rich, something anorexics do not worry about. She also eats walnuts, which no anorexic would.”

  “Then why is she starving?” Dan stared at her as he asked his question.

  She closed her eyes. God, she felt like such a freak.

  “Carrie has an underdeveloped stomach that can only process a minimal portion of food at a time, which accounts for her small stature. She requires five small meals a day, however, her busy life seems to thwart her best efforts. Any chance you can measure her weight?

  The heavyset woman placed an enticing plate of appetizers on their ta
ble. “I’ll go get the scales,” she whispered. She pointed to the plate. “Eat while they’re hot.”

  Carrie didn’t need further encouragement. She bit into a half-dollar sized slice of toasted bread with melted cheese, a pesto layer and a pile of raw salmon on top.

  She groaned with happiness at the first bite.

  Dr. Lenard must have heard her. “Do I need to come over?”

  “Only if you want to join us for dinner. The appetizer is to die for.”

  He laughed. “If there’s no emergency, I’d better stay here. I’m performing surgery in ten minutes. Leaving to eat dinner would be bad form.”

  Dan thanked him and hung up. He then stared at the plate like a starved man.

  “Eat! I will only eat one more and then I’m done.”

  “Seriously?”

  “I wish Dr. Lenard had been my physician growing up. Then maybe I’d be taller. I wanted to eat every two hours back then, but my parents wouldn’t allow me to snack because they believed the snacks prevented me from eating much at mealtime. And when I still couldn’t eat more, they accused me of sneaking food at my friends’ homes.” She shook her head, remembering her misery back then. “I spent most of childhood grounded and hungry. After many years, my stomach figured out that sending me hunger pains didn’t result in getting food, so the chemical triggering them mostly stopped. It will rally if I miss two meals in a row, but otherwise, I’m no longer tortured.”

  She nibbled on the second appetizer, wishing she hadn’t shared so much about her life. The whole thing made her seem freakish. Still, discovering her parents’ dogmatic rules had made her smaller than she could have been annoyed her. Another few inches would have made a big difference in her life.

  “Penny for your thoughts?”

  “Dr. Lenard’s correlation between my stomach and my size made me angry at my parents, which is stupid. I’m sure if a doctor had mentioned to them healthy snacks between meals would make me grow more, they would have allowed them. My small size mortifies my parents.

  He reached over and covered her hand. “I’m sorry.”

  She smiled. “No, I’m sorry. You’ve got to be rethinking your impetuous hire today.”

  “Not at all. If you had a twin sister, I’d hire her, too.”

  A lifetime of pain slammed against her, making it hard to breathe.

  “Carrie. Whatever I said to hurt you, I take it back.”

  He gripped her hands, his brow furrowed.

  She took a deep breath and steadied herself. “I do have a twin sister, but if you ever hire her, I will resign at once.”

  “Then I take back my flippant comment. What I meant is I could use more people like you.”

  “Well, according to everyone who knows Caroline, she is a billion times more impressive than me.”

  “Impossible.”

  She forced a smile. “She has a normal stomach, so she ate normal portions during mealtimes and grew to be a normal-sized person, which enables her to do everything better than me.”

  He tilted her face to his. “I realize you may think she’s superior because your parents preferred her over you.”

  Carrie nodded as she willed herself not to cry.

  “But I suspect she’s quite ordinary now, while you are extraordinary. Your small stature makes you stand out. Anyone who meets you will remember you.”

  She rolled her eyes.

  “However, once they speak to you, unless they’re brain dead, they will realize what an intelligent, perceptive, and intuitive person you are. You never act in your own interest, but for the benefit of others. And you genuinely want to fix everyone’s problems.”

  She shrugged, remembering how she had once told Dan to search his database for other customers who might have been used by Trent’s ex-fiancée from hell. He’d glared at her in return. “People don’t always appreciate my need to improve things.”

  Dan moved back to his chair and ate another appetizer. “If you are including me in your generalization, allow me to protest. Telling me how to solve my problem never bothered me. My annoyance came from the fact my system couldn’t do it…or so I thought at the time.” He rewarded her with a smile, no doubt because she’d fixed his problem three months ago.

  “I’m glad I could help.”

  “And so you know what a great impression you made today, both Jeff and Greg asked to have you assigned to them. Greg is convinced he could delegate to you and, not only would the work get done, but you’d do it faster and better. Jeff believes he could triple his customer base with you as his secret weapon.”

  “Really?”

  “Before he left, he popped into my office and let me know his great idea. I, of course, had to refuse, because you need to be on your own so other consultants can send you people. So you know, everybody’s phone conversations are recorded.”

  Carrie set down her half eaten appetizer and groaned. Would nothing ever go her way? “Any chance mine could be erased for the day? If I ever have to testify, the one call I made today would destroy my credibility.

  “Good point. Would it be a problem if I ask you not to make or receive personal phone calls until we resolve this?”

  Trent would throw a fit, but he’d brought it on himself. His phone call had been way over the line.

  “A most reasonable request. If I thought I could get a promise from Trent to behave properly, I might have suggested it as an alternative. However, he is out of control right now.”

  Dan raised an eyebrow. “So we are in agreement? No personal phone calls?”

  “Yes, but Trent has the number I called from. Can I get a new one and you can discontinue my current line?”

  “I’ll ask Destiny to handle it in the morning.”

  “She does phones, too? Wow! You know, going to school and working is hard. She could use help.”

  “So you do think she needs a supervisor of some sort?”

  “I assume she reports to Greg, right?”

  He nodded.

  “Seems like a good report structure. However, running your firm’s three systems and the phone system while going to school is a heavy load. You might consider hiring someone full-time, heavy on system and team-working skills. And let Destiny have a say in the hiring.”

  “Is the last bit of advice because she’s my daughter?”

  “Not the primary reason, but it’s a good one. The main reason is, it’s poor motivation to have your great work recognized and rewarded by hiring someone else to take the choice jobs away from you.”

  Tears welled in her eyes. If she hadn’t done such an incredible job turning Trent’s company around, he’d have never let her go. And he wouldn’t be reverting to ‘Master Trent’ again.

  “Are you full now?”

  She nodded. “But you can still order. I can talk while you eat. I’ve already got several suggestions.”

  “Then tell me on our way to New Jersey.”

  “You don’t have to drive me home. Another train comes in a half hour.”

  When they tried to leave the restaurant, the owner protested, “But you’ve eaten nothing but appetizers.”

  Dan patted his back. “Another time. Tonight I had a starvation emergency and you came to the rescue. I greatly appreciate it.”

  Once they settled into the limo, Dan gave the driver her home address. His knowing it by memory surprised her. Trent still misnamed her city, insisting she lived in Denver, New Jersey.

  Chapter 5

  Dan Marshal arrived at his office at eight. His secretary muttered beneath her breath as if scolding someone. “Problem?”

  She released a long stream of air. “One of our clients has been demanding to speak to you since I arrived. I keep telling him you aren’t in, but he calls back the second I hang up.”

  “Would the rude person’s name be Trent Lancaster?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well, he is no longer, nor ever will be again, a client of ours, so feel free to be as rude as you like in return.”

&nb
sp; “And have a madman come in here and shoot me? No, thank you.”

  “For the record, Lancaster’s a spoiled, petulant, greedy child in a man’s body. But he’s all bellow, no bite.”

  The woman smiled. “Well, when he accused you of avoiding his calls, I have to admit I wanted to reply, ‘as any rational person would’.”

  Dan chuckled. For Helen, such a response would have been extreme rudeness. He went inside and sat down. The moment he turned on his cell phone, it rang.

  Lancaster…again. The ass had continued to call since last night. He did not wish to speak to Trent until he listened to the jerk’s phone call with Carrie. He needed to determine what game Trent played.

  Carrie believed they remained a couple, and given the small bit of the call he heard last night, she had reason to think such.

  He turned off his cell, switched his office line to one not occupied, and asked Destiny to come in.

  Three minutes later, his daughter, wearing a blue headband, pink pigtails, and an orange spacesuit, hurried in and closed the door. Her eyes rounded like saucers. “Does Helen have grandchildren?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well, one of them has truly pissed her off and is getting a scorching lecture.”

  He chuckled, certain Trent and not Helen’s precious grandbabies received the scold. “I want to hear the one phone message Carrie had last night and then we need to erase it.”

  Destiny tensed and crossed her arms.

  “Problem?” He hoped his daughter could do this because he didn’t want anyone else involved.

  “Do you have reason to believe Carrie has committed a crime?”

  “No.”

  “Then you wish to invade her privacy for your curiosity?”

  And this is what happens when you teach your child to question and not do something just because someone tells her to or because everyone else is doing it.

  He leaned forward and met her eyes. “Yes, I wish to invade her privacy so I can decide the best step forward.”

  Her brow remained furrowed. “Sounds nice, but I’ll need more specifics.”

  He rose and walked to the wall of windows, looking out at the traffic below. “Carrie believes she’s still engaged to Trent and, I’m assuming, she thinks their relationship is monogamous.”