“Fine, I’ll take it to the board.” Agnes pursed her lips. “You always drive such a hard bargain.”
A loud cell phone ring sounded unexpectedly and Simon retrieved his cell phone to answer it. He got up from his seat and whispered, “Ladies, please excuse me for a moment. Long distance call.”
Heather nodded as he stepped away to take the call.
“How did the custody hearing go?” Agnes asked.
“Oh.” She chewed her lip, unsure of how much to reveal. “I got primary custody of my son.”
Agnes flashed a smile. “That’s tremendous news. I’m delighted that everything has worked out for you.”
Her chest tightened. The truth was, things hadn’t worked out. Not quite. Certainly not the way she had hoped. Winning the custody battle had been such a relief, but the way Gary had ended things still stung. All she had wanted was for Finn to have both of his parents present in his life. But Gary had taken off, leaving his only son behind. Anger and sadness poured over her, but she didn’t know Agnes well enough to confide in the older woman. Instead, Heather decided not to dwell on her pain and forced a smile. “I’m happy, too. I appreciate the support you gave me through all of this.”
“Anytime,” Agnes said.
Their food arrived and Simon resumed his seat. As they dug into their food, Agnes and Simon regaled Heather with stories of Dover’s early days.
When she finished her meal, Agnes dabbed delicately at her mouth with
a napkin. “That reminds me. I’d like to host a small get-together in your honor. A little party for both of you. It could be the board’s way of thanking you for all your hard work lately.”
Simon scoffed. “You mean it’s a party to try to persuade me to do something you all know I’d refuse to do.”
“Nothing has been finalized yet.” Agnes waved a dismissive hand. “I haven’t even brought it up with the board yet. I’m sure they’ll agree to it. I’ll let you know the details.”
“So, not only am I going to be on the cover of some magazine, but I have to have some halfwits follow me around with a camera and go to some party I don’t want to go to?” Simon narrowed his eyes. “The board had better be writing one hell of a check for Blue Naught.”
“As I explained earlier, nothing is set in stone,” Agnes said. “But we now all have a lot of things to consider. After all the negative press Dover has had to deal with, I do appreciate all the work you’ve both done to change things. I’ll always be grateful for that.”
When their bill came, Agnes insisted on paying for everything. With lunch over they headed back to Dover headquarters, and Heather stopped Simon on his way back to his office.
“Did you want to talk about the documentary project?” she asked. “We could draft a list of questions and requests that we can hand over to the TV studio. I know you haven’t agreed to anything yet, but it might be good to write up something that’s in your best interests.”
“I did want to talk about that, but something has been on my mind all day.” His jaw tightened. The sign that whatever he wanted to talk about was weighing heavily on him.
She frowned. “What is it?”
“It’s about my dad,” he said. “I could really use your advice.”
“Okay. Can you give me ten minutes to freshen up?”
He nodded. “Of course. See you in a few.”
After a quick stop to the bathroom, Heather headed back to her office to glance at her emails. Satisfied that she hadn’t missed any important news during lunch, she grabbed her bag and headed towards the door.
She had thought that after the custody trial with Gary things might slow down. Yet now, with Simon dealing with his father and a potential documentary on the horizon, it was starting to look like her life was going to be as chaotic as ever.
Chapter 4
It was rare for Simon to ask for personal advice, but as Heather entered his office he knew he couldn’t connect with his father without her help.
“What’s on your mind?” she asked as she stepped inside.
He motioned for her to join him on the sofa. “This isn’t work-related, but I’m at a loss.”
Heather took a seat beside him and placed her hand on his thigh. “You okay?”
Her touch was like an electric jolt through his body. Nothing could ever affect him the way she did. If he didn’t have so much on his mind, he’d pull her close and kiss her until she was breathless. Tearing his gaze away from her lovely face took a hell of a lot of effort. And it took everything in him to force himself to focus. “I don’t know how to deal with my father.”