The truth slapped her across the face. Oh, my God, had she done it again? Gotten herself tangled up with a man who was far more interested in her name than in her? And now she would be tied to him forever, wouldn’t she? Because there would always be their child between them.
Her stomach turned sickeningly.
She would get to the bottom of it later, and deal with one crisis at a time. The first one was preparing for her meeting with Nicole Bennett. For that she had to be at the top of her game.
* * *
NICOLE BENNETT WAS one of the most beautiful women Lizzie had ever seen. She was close to Lizzie’s age, give or take a year or two and petite, with a glorious mane of dark brown hair that was twisted up into a tidy chignon at the base of her neck. A few artfully arranged tendrils spiraled whimsically by her ears, and her skin was flawless. Her figure was packaged perfectly in an off-white skirt and blazer with trim a shade darker. The two tones were repeated in her heels, and she carried an expensive leather satchel in a perfectly manicured hand.
Lizzie, on the other hand, had popped the button on her skirt during a bathroom break and was in constant fear of the zipper letting go. Her blouse felt a little too tight across her breasts, too, although she’d taken ten minutes to freshen up in the bathroom and had tidied her hair and touched up her makeup.
“Ms. Bennett,” Lizzie greeted, holding out her hand and trying not to feel like the ugly, awkward stepsister. “Please come in.”
Lizzie showed Nicole into a small boardroom. It was no less luxurious than the big room, but on a smaller scale. Rich wood furniture, comfortable chairs, photo prints of the ranch on the walls. A carafe of coffee and a pitcher of water were set in the middle of the table, along with a plate of pastries.
Ms. Bennett had to know she was on Baron turf here.
Once they were seated Lizzie folded her hands on the table. “What can I do for you today, Ms. Bennett?”
Nicole smiled and took her time answering, instead reaching for the water pitcher. “Do you mind if I have a drink? It’s hot out there today.”
“Oh, of course. Help yourself.”
Lizzie forced herself to wait patiently as Nicole poured a glass of iced water and took a few sips. “Better,” Nicole smiled, relaxing a little. “It’s good to finally meet you, Ms. Baron.”
Which meant that Nicole knew who Lizzie was, while Lizzie was pretty much in the dark about Nicole—other than the basic details from her AB Windpower bio, which stated her role at the company as well as her academic background.
“Likewise,” she replied, reaching for the second glass and pouring some water. She was suddenly feeling very dry. There were questions she wanted to ask and it was hell trying to bide her time.
“You’re probably wondering about the proposal we sent over.” Nicole smiled at her, then reached into her satchel and took out a file. When she opened it, Lizzie recognized the top sheet as the same document she’d received by courier only hours before.
“You’re the one who requested the meeting,” Lizzie reminded her coolly. “Danish?”
“No, thank you.” Nicole leaned forward a little. “Lizzie, I’m not here to confront or threaten you. You can relax.”
Lizzie merely raised an eyebrow. “Then why are you here? I’ve been through your proposal. It’s interesting reading for sure, but I can’t understand why you’d want to merge with an oil company. It practically goes against your mission statement.”
Something flickered across Nicole’s face, but she cleared it quickly. “Baron’s profile is strong. It would be financially beneficial for us to merge with your company. There would be significant benefits to us, as Baron is a publicly traded company.”
“But why us, and why now?”
Lizzie had read the report. She knew what was in it. But it was different seeing someone face-to-face. She’d worked in HR long enough to know the value of in-person meetings. There were nuances that simply couldn’t be gleaned from a black-and-white document. And right now Ms. Bennett appeared confident but a bit rehearsed.
“You’ve said yourself that you’re interested in alternative forms of energy. Besides, Baron lost that contract in the Gulf not long ago. We’re in a unique position to help each other.”
Except Baron’s position wasn’t that weakened.
“One contract is hardly
a significant event,” Lizzie reminded her. Well, maybe it was somewhat significant, but it certainly hadn’t put the company in a precarious position.
“One contract on top of a president and CEO who is recuperating away from the office and the picture for Baron Energies isn’t quite as rosy as it was even a few months ago.” Nicole took a sip of water. “Your stock position has weakened significantly.”
Lizzie’s ears pricked up at that, but she forced herself to remain calm and detached. “The stock is rebounding.”
“There’s been a lot of trade activity.”
Lizzie frowned, her composure slipping. “And would AB know anything about that?”