“True. But now that everyone’s talking about it, they know you want something from the board. They don’t know what yet, but when you arrive and ask the question, they’ll know you’re desperate.”
I frown at her for a long moment. The truth of what she’s saying hits me like a truck. “I just made my life harder,” I say.
“Exactly. They’ll ask anything of you now, just because they can.”
“Shit,” I whisper.
“It’s not so bad. Most of them, they don’t want something as demeaning as washing a hundred sports cars.”
“One hundred and twenty-two.”
“Sure, fine. I’ve spread some misinformation to try and help you out a bit, told a few people that you lost a bet and that’s why you washed those cars, but I doubt anyone believes it.”
“Thank you,” I say.
“Oh, don’t thank me. I doubt it’ll do much and it wasn’t hard. Just a few lies here or there, nothing I wouldn’t have done for your father.” She grins at me and laughs.
I hesitate a long moment. “Maeve, something’s been bothering me. I’ve been meaning to ask you this for a while, it just… never felt like the time.”
“What’s that?” she asks.
“Why did my father leave me Cork?”
She laughs. “I thought that was obvious.”
“I’m not so sure. Everyone was surprised when it happened, myself included. We all thought he’d leave it to the board to pick a new CEO. Nobody expected him to name his successor in his will, much less name his young son.”
“True, but you’ve been around the company your whole life. You know it as well as anyone else.”
“But I’ve still never held a CEO position, and this is a major company. The only reason the board went along with it was out of some strange loyalty to him, and because it was easier than interviewing prospective CEOs. They probably figured they could just fire me if I didn’t do my job, and at least they’d get a couple of cheap years out of me.”
“I wouldn’t sell yourself so short,” she says softly.
“But Dad knew the state of this company. He knew we wouldn’t last much longer, just like I know it. I can’t understand why he’d saddle me with this responsibility when the chance of me actually getting the job was so small.”
She frowns at me for along moment then shakes her head. “Josh, I sat in your father’s office just like this many, many times over the years and gave him advice. Sometimes I just listened while he hashed out his plans. But I’ll tell you, I never once thought I actually understood him.”
“That can’t be true.”
“But it is. Your father always talked business, but nothing beyond that. You knew him, you grew up with him. He was a difficult man, always kept things beneath the surface, never talked about certain topics.”
“Like what?”
“Like his family, like his friends. Like his interests outside of this company, which I’ve begun to doubt ever existed.”
I smile a little. “So what are you saying?”
“I’m saying I don’t think I can answer your question, as much as I wish I could. I knew him well, but I’ll never knew him well enough.”
I sigh. “Thanks anyway. I was hoping you’d have some insight at least.”
“I can tell you just that your father loved you very much. I remember when you first learned to walk, he wouldn’t shut up about it, like you were the first baby to ever take a step.” She laughs. “I have my own kids and never once mentioned them to him, you know.”
“He wouldn’t have cared.” I grin at her. “How are they though?”
She rolls her eyes. “Don’t you start pretending either.”
“All right, fine.” I hesitate. “It’s a shame that he had to die for me to start asking these kinds of questions. Maybe if I had been more interested in how he worked when he was alive, I’d be in a better spot now.”
She shakes her head and stands. “I doubt it, Josh. I really do. This company’s been on this trajectory for years and years. Your father knew it and he couldn’t do a thing to stop it. This merger you’re fighting for is Cork’s best bet.”
“Thanks. I hope so.” I glance out the window for a long second then shake my head.
“By the way,” she says as she heads to the door. “Seb McKenzie’s office called.”
I stare at her, on high alert. “What? He did?”
“Sure did.” She grins at me. “A few others did too, but he’s the only interesting one.”
“What did they want?”
“Apparently Seb wants a meeting with you. What about, I can’t say, but I can guess.”
I narrow my eyes. Seb is one of the most important members of the board, and the one man I wasn’t going to bother with. As far as I can tell, he hates Maggie’s father even more than my father did, and he’d never go for any sort of partnership with him.