A Solitary Romance: Book 1 in the Only Love Series (15 page)

As Kate pondered what could have caused Daud Industrial to break their commitment to her client, an idea struck her brain like lightning.  She tapped away at her keyboard, following her instincts.

Katrina arrived at the library early, content in believing that she'd discovered the reasons for Daud's withdrawal from the deal.   Mike arrived at three thirty sharp.

"I think I've got something, Kate, and it's not looking good."

"I bet we're on to the same thing, then," she said.

"The SEC?"

"Bingo!  It's just our luck that an investigation is brewing into Greir Limited," she said, frustration in her voice.

"Someone is going to have to convince Daud that there's no relation between
that
company and Morris Greir."

"I know, Mike, but who would that be?"

"My contact is going to try and convince Daud to hire a firm, like yours, to perform a due diligence investigation into Morris Greir, Inc.  We won't know until the end of the week if he succeeds or not.  He's got a meeting with the man on Thursday morning in Malaysia."

"Okay.  I appreciate the help.  If Daud responds to reason, the transaction could still go through, maybe with a contingency about the outcome of the audit," Kate suggested, hopeful the deal wasn’t dead.

"That's a good idea, Katrina.  Let's keep our fingers crossed.  Convince Greir not to do anything stupid in the meantime, like trying to contact Daud directly.  These traditional Asians have a sort of protocol they live by, and any attempt by your client to speak to them at this time would be regarded as disrespectful."

"All right.  Thanks again, Mike.  I owe you."

She hugged her old friend goodbye and marched from the library, arriving back at the office before four p.m.  She enjoyed the brisk walk to her building with a nice breeze off the ocean, cooling the warm midsummer temperatures.   She'd wrapped her call up with Morris Greir by four thirty, convincing him to sit tight for the time being and not to panic.

Katrina drew in a deep breath.  She'd have to bring Robert up to speed.  If he was no longer
MIA
, she could get this over with and go home.

She almost tiptoed up to his closed door.  She tapped lightly, as if she hoped he wouldn't hear her, and she could claim she'd tried to contact him.  Instead, she heard him call, "Come in."

Somehow, even working in the same general space, they'd only had minimal contact for almost two months.  Today, his appearance shocked her.  Robert did not look good.  He'd removed his tie and unbuttoned his collar, his jet black hair appearing disheveled—
a first
. His eyes seemed dull.  His arms stretched before him with his hands balled into fists on the desktop.

"Can I come in?" Katrina asked in a small voice.  She hesitated to intrude, sensing something seriously wrong.

"Of course," he said, straightening, but with no life in his voice.

Then she saw something of the old Robert for a moment, a flash in his eyes, or maybe a twitch at the corner of his mouth, but whatever he'd mustered faded almost immediately.

Kate took a seat and waited to proceed.  Her boss stared at her with a blank expression.

"Is something wrong, Robert?" she ventured.

After a short pause, he said, "It's my dad's birthday."

"Oh?" Katrina said, trying to sound chipper.  "How are you going to celebrate?" she asked.

"I'm not," he said.

Her quizzical look prompted an explanation.

"Katrina, my father died six months ago."

A small gasp escaped her lips, and the auditor's mouth fell open.   She had no idea.  The way he spoke of his parents, it seemed certain they were both still alive and well.

"I'm sorry. I didn’t know," she stammered, then added, "the first two years are the roughest."

Robert's countenance shifted a smidgeon, still foreign but closer to what she was used to.

"You lost your father, too?" he asked.

"No, my dad's still alive.  My mother passed the summer before I went away to college."

His face winced as if in sympathy for her loss.  She reached across the table top and gently placed her hands over his, as if by instinct.  Katrina moved her right thumb across the base of his, in slow, steady movements, trying to lend some kind of comfort to the man who obviously struggled with his grief.

"Care to share what you're thinking, Robert?" she asked after a moment.  She had observed his jaw clench at her touch, but knew his hands had relaxed some.  She also noticed that whenever she called him by name, his countenance softened a small degree.

"It's a long story, Katrina."

"I'm in no hurry," she said, keeping contact with his hands.

Those four words seemed to break his resolve, and he poured out his history on her like a waterfall.

"I never wanted to be part of Dad's business.  That's why I joined the Marines.  I thought that would settle it.  But I'm an only child, and my parents had certain expectations.  It didn’t take me long to realize I wasn’t cut out for the service.  I couldn't deal with the cruelty, poverty and tragedy we witnessed everyday.  So when my commitment was up, I came home.  I was sort of lost, caught between two different worlds.  That's when I met you, Katrina."

His voice dropped, and he paused and held her gaze for a moment.  She kept quiet, giving him the time he needed.  He scrutinized her face as if considering what he'd say next.

He continued, "I still wasn’t willing to kowtow to Dad.  So, I stuck it out at Wood and Associates until the Capital audit finished.  Then, I moved on to an investment bank.  Dad couldn't figure out why I didn't just take my place at
his
company.  I'd been a rebellious kid and caused my folks no end of grief.  Eventually, I decided I should make things right with them, and out of guilt more than anything, I joined the family firm."

Robert shook his head back and forth, slowly.

"They were so happy, Katrina.  I hated it though.  Advertising can be a nasty business, and I'd seen so much real tragedy already. I couldn't stomach suits acting like two sugars instead of one in their morning coffee was a life or death situation.  I stuck it out as long as I could, then told my dad I was having no more of it.  I found a position where I was needed—in third world countries.  I helped charities reorganize and cut expenses to make their donors' cash stretch further so they could reach more people.  I wrote business plans for families trying to start up a goat herd or villages trying to raise funds to dig a well."

He chuckled.  "And in the daytime, I built houses, hospitals, and schools."

Kate smiled.  She never knew this side of her boss, and it warmed her to see him so passionate about such causes.

"The thing is, I'd never felt more alive, and Dad
told
me to go when I explained the opportunity.  He was already sick but kept it from me.  He and Mom both did.  He died while I was half way around the world.  Our relationship had just started to become what it should have been all those years before, when he lied to me and robbed me of the chance to help him through his illness.  I didn’t even get the chance to say
goodbye
.  I’m not sure I can forgive him for that."

Katrina sensed that he shared an intimate part of his life with her when he relayed his history.  His pain was palpable and raw.  She lost herself in his dark, brooding eyes for several minutes as she thought about what he'd shared. 

"Do you know what I think?" she eventually asked.

"No, but I'll hear it."  Her boss smiled, then added, "I thought you'd drifted off there for a moment."

"No, I stayed right with you."

She wasn't about to explain how she picked up on unsaid things sometimes.  She sensed people's pain, motives, and even their circumstances and histories.  He'd think her crazy.

"I think your father wanted you to have your heart's desire and finally figured out it wasn’t working in advertising.  I think he didn't want you to see him suffer, nor did he want to burden you with his illness."

"But, I could have—"

Kate squeezed his fists as hard as she could, given their size compared to her small hands.  He stopped mid-sentence.

"I know you could have handled it, and taken care of him, and run the company, all while comforting your Mom.  I'm sure he
knew
that too, Robert, and I agree, he robbed you of the opportunity.  But I think he loved you too much to watch you suffer along with him.  Maybe he wasn't as strong as you are.  Did you consider that?"

Robert shook his head.  She wasn't sure if he disagreed with her or hadn't thought of his father as she suggested.

She watched the familiar clench in his jaw, but he released his fingers from balled fists and placed her hands in his.  Katrina couldn't take her eyes off the man's hands, and Robert's touch distracted her too much to notice the struggle taking place within him reflected on his face. If she'd only glanced up.

"Why don't you tell me some things about your father? Things you admired about him."

"Uh, uhm." He cleared his throat, trying to regain his composure.

"He was a man of faith," he said matter-of-factly.

That grabbed her attention, and she caught Robert's eyes searching her face.

He held her gaze as she asked, "What kind of faith?"

"Oh, he had a great faith, and by that I mean strong, unshakable faith in God.  It's what got him and Mom through my rebel years."  He cracked a small grin.

"I see," she said. 

She imagined his mother on her knees each night, pleading for her son to behave and stay on the straight and narrow path.

"What else?" she asked.

"He loved my mother with everything he had.  He was savvy and smart in many different ways.  Oh, and he was good with people."

Katrina smiled. 
Like father, like son, mostly
.

What are you grinning about?" he demanded.

She debated whether she should tell him but decided against it.

"I've got an idea.  Do you have plans this evening?" she asked.

"No."

She could see that he fought back a smile, and the idea that she could cheer him gave her great pleasure.

"If you promise not to think me silly, I believe there's something we could do together that would be good for you.  Meet me downstairs in ten minutes, all right?"

Robert nodded, tucking the corners of his mouth down to prevent the smile she already knew he hid.

Chapter 11
-A Missed Opportunity-

She waited in the lobby, her back to the elevators.

"What's all this?" Robert asked, surprise in his voice.  "I couldn't tell it was you, at first, hidden behind all those balloons."

Katrina held a large bouquet of grass green helium balloons.  He figured there were at least two dozen and gave up counting at twelve.

"Bring your car around, will you, Robert?  This is how we’re going to celebrate your father," she said.

Once they managed to corral the balloons into the back of the Rover and shut the doors, she told her boss to head for the beach,
Lot Seventeen
, north of the pier.  LaSalla had no idea what the girl had in mind, but he went along, glad he was no longer alone.

"Where did you come up with all those balloons?" he asked, once on the freeway, heading towards Santa Monica.

"I called the florist downstairs and had Jose pick them up for me."

"What are we going to do with them, Kate?"

"We're going to take them down to the beach, stand on the shore, and release one at a time in honor of your dad.  It's something I did for my mother, and I think it will serve you well.  You tell me one of his good qualities and release a balloon.  That's how it works, until they are all gone."  She averted her eyes, sure he would think the idea silly.

Robert didn't think releasing a mass of dirigibles would help anything, but he appreciated the girl's concern and the trouble she went to for his benefit.

"How did you know to choose
green
?  It was Dad's favorite color," he said.

She couldn't control the smile spreading across her face.  Somehow, she'd known that.  She'd have to come up with some kind of excuse, fast, or he'd think her mad, or a charlatan, or worse.

"You wear that color quite often.  So, I just assumed your father favored it too."

She watched as the hard, thin line of his lips broke into a grin.

"So, you take notice of my clothing, do you?" he said, turning and arching an eyebrow.

"Keep your eyes on the road, please," Kate responded.

He found the beach-side parking lot without any trouble and helped Katrina from the car.  She kicked off her shoes as he removed his, tossing them and his socks into the Rover. Then he rolled up his pants and pulled the balloons from the vehicle.

Near the shore, the sand dropped away to a steep incline before meeting the ocean.  Robert grabbed her hand, and with a vice grip, led her to the water's edge.  Thankful she'd worn a pencil skirt, Katrina didn't have to worry about the wind billowing a dress from her body, and could use her hands to hold balloons instead.

"I chose this spot because the hill provides privacy," she said, nodding back to the ridge they'd just descended.  She continued, pulling her hand free of his grip and taking the green bouquet from him, "Now, tell me your dad's good qualities again, one by one."

"He was a man of faith," he repeated.

She handed him a balloon and instructed in a soft tone, "Thank him for the example he set, or thank God for giving you a father who had great faith."

She could tell her boss felt self-conscious, so she added, "It doesn't have to be aloud."

He nodded, closed his eyes, then released the first balloon.  She watched as he opened his lids and stared at the green orb until it disappeared, a tiny dot in the sky.  He continued the process, sharing his father's traits with her while reminding himself of what a great dad he'd had.  It took almost an hour to go through the bouquet.  When he'd released the last one, she felt he'd come to better terms with his father's birthday.