The Chosen Heir (The Bolles Dynasty Book 3) (17 page)

“I’ll drive you back to your flat. Come over for dinner and we can discuss your plans for Breen at length.”

She shook her head. “I don’t think that is a good idea. Last night got out of control.”

He moved closer to her. “Our work week is intertwined. You’ll have to get over the awkwardness.”

A look of stubbornness settled over her. “We are playing with trouble. It would be far better if we decided not to indulge our fantasies.”

Why did she resist the attraction between them? “I don’t agree. Life is about fantasy.” He pulled her close and she resisted briefly.

She whispered, “Not here. Anyone could see us.”

He kissed her neck. “You are too prim. Life is to be lived, not hidden away.”

She pushed him away. “What if my father were to see us?”

He couldn’t worry about other people’s reactions. “Neither of us is in a relationship. We have the freedom to explore a romantic involvement.”

Stepping away from him, she said, “It’s fine for you. You are not from here and you don’t care what others think. But I do.”

She placed her golf clubs back in the cart and waited for him to join her. He was looking out towards the ocean and seemed not to be in a hurry to leave. It was an enjoyable afternoon, but their disagreement weighed on her. She wanted to explore the desire between them, but nothing good would come of it. She would be left with a tarnished reputation and he would move on.

 
***

By the end of the week, Bridget was on edge. She had spent long days at Breen trying to unwind the reasons the company was failing. Part of it was the international pressure on prices, but some of it had to do with the fear the employees had around change. They thought that the business was about to go under and couldn’t be drawn into any type of enthusiastic approach to trying something new.

She had been avoiding William but had agreed to meet him for dinner that evening. She didn’t want to go to his house, but he had insisted and it would have become a point of contention if she didn’t agree. Somehow she needed to maintain a professional demeanor and insist that their relationship stay on a professional footing. But unfortunately images of their sexual encounter in his car kept surfacing in her mind. They were both adults but somehow had allowed their desire to take over.

Looking through her wardrobe, she decided to avoid stockings and instead put on slim-fitting jeans and a pressed white dress shirt. She dabbed on a touch of makeup and added a few bracelets and a necklace. William had offered to pick her up, but she insisted on taking public transportation.
 

Arriving at close to seven o’clock, she walked up the path and twisted the antique door chime.

Mrs. Blake opened the door. “It’s lovely to see you. Mr. Bolles is on the terrace.”

Crossing through the expansive great room, she relaxed her stiff shoulders. She hadn’t seen him in a few days and worried that he would not support her ideas about Breen.

Stepping through the double doors out onto the stone terrace, she stopped. He was on the phone and in a heated debate about foreign markets. He motioned for her to come out. He ended his call and a silence hung between them.
 

He looked sexy in a light blue, short sleeve dress shirt tucked into worn jeans and bare feet. He seemed relaxed and, after meeting his gaze for a moment, she looked away. She had missed him over the last few days, which was crazy. Her job took every ounce of her energy and yet she found time to fantasize about him. Maybe that was why he seduced her in the car? He had to know that she was drawn to him.
 

Moving forward, he captured her in a fleeting embrace and kissed her cheek. “I wondered how long you would avoid me.” She could feel her heartbeat accelerate.

Moving away from him, she leaned on the low stone wall. “It was a hectic week at Breen.”

He smiled at her. “What would you like to drink?”

“Red wine?”

He went into the house and she forced a breath into her lungs. When he had ended his call and met her gaze, all thoughts evaporated from her mind. Why did he have that effect on her?

***

Returning with two glasses and a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon, William reminded himself to take it slow. She worked for him and his fascination with the beautiful brunette wouldn’t help move his companies forward. The markets over the last few weeks were volatile and the grip he had on his investment portfolio was beginning to slip. He needed a win.

Bridget stood back and he opened the bottle of wine and poured two glasses. He watched her take a small sip of the full-bodied wine and tasted it himself.

“How did you make out this week?”

She turned away from him and looked out at the back garden. “It’s been difficult. The employees are fearful of change and they are as a group exhausted by all of the financial issues facing the company. Most of the long-time employees have stayed, but the younger ones have jumped ship. They took any energy and momentum out of the place.”

He took a swallow of the boldly flavored wine. “Your new hires will be critical.”
 

She met his gaze. “I’m worried the doom and gloom atmosphere will infect the new employees.”

She had the ability to be a great manager. “I’ve faced similar dynamics. You may need to ask a few people to leave if they are unwilling to help turn things around or unable to accept the changes coming.”

She nodded. “There are some positive aspects. The quality of the hats is remarkable. With a shift in marketing, increased sales won’t be a huge obstacle. Also raising the prices slightly will help the bottom line.”

He moved to the table and motioned for her to join him. “What is going on with the owner?”

She looked away. “Patrick. He is tough. I’ve been able to figure out that he is the inspiration behind the product line and overall quality, but he is pessimistic and seems defeated.”

William took another swallow of wine. “I’d offer him an early retirement.”

Bridget touched the stem of her wine glass. “He isn’t ready to leave.”

Working with his team, the hardest issue that they faced was deciding when to let someone go. “He may never be ready. Some owners need to be forced out.”

She took a sip of wine. “The employees hold him in high regard and genuinely care about him. Removing him will be too great of a blow.”

He was tired of talking about Breen. “Letting him stay beyond his usefulness will only hurt the company.”

“I don’t agree. Patrick Breen does have something to offer.”

“You are responsible for implementing the strategy we agreed upon and helping to insure Breen becomes profitable. If Patrick Breen is hindering that process then you don’t have a choice.”

Her eyes flashed with defiance. ”We owe it to the longtime employees to help them make the transition.”

William ran a hand through his hair. He didn’t want to spend the evening debating the best approach to saving the garment company. “No. Actually we don’t. We owe it to our investors to turn the company around and begin making a profit.”

Bridget placed her wineglass down on the table. “I’m not sure the two are mutually exclusive. Re-energizing and supporting the team already in place may produce better results.”

He was being drawn into a conversation he wasn’t interested in having at the moment. “You are coming from an emotional place, wanting to save the employees from the natural consequences of their actions.”

Mrs. Blake interrupted. “Dinner is ready,” the older woman said and then without waiting for an answer returned to the house.

Bridget inhaled deeply and seemed to be trying to calm her emotions. “I’m not coming from an emotional place, but it is worth thinking about the social fabric of the company. It ties into loyalty and commitment. Both factors will help the company re-emerge as a successful business.”

She made him feel alive. “Let’s have dinner. Mrs. Blake prefers to serve in the dining room.”

Opening the door for her, her subtle perfume enveloped him as she walked past. Maybe inviting her to dinner wasn’t the best idea. He had had a difficult time all week pushing thoughts about her aside. He had thought about their golf game, which was odd. She could barely play, but he found that endearing instead of frustrating. He had evaluated the way she approached learning a new skill and had been impressed. Instead of becoming self-conscious or irritated, she threw herself into the game and at times laughed at her inability and other times concentrated hard to gain the needed skillset.
 

Pulling out a chair for her, he asked, “Have you spoken with Olivia this week?”

“No. I know Olivia would give me advice if needed, but we have more of a working relationship then a friendship.”

He sat opposite of her. “Don’t you need a sounding board for this project?” Why did he feel a need to question her?

She shook her head. “Not while I’m trying to get my bearings. Possibly when I need to make decisions on key elements of the marketing or promotion.”

Mrs. Blake served her special meal, rack of lamb with potatoes and roasted vegetables. He could tell what his housekeeper thought of his dinner companion based on the effort she put into the meal. For some reason, she was fond of Bridget North.

 
“How was your week?” Her intensity penetrated his ponderings.

He would not reveal the truth about his week, that he was close to bankruptcy himself and would need to borrow heavily to survive. “It was complex. Several of the companies I have under management need additional investment to get to the next level. I spent most of the week dealing with the financing issues.”

As he took a bite of the well-prepared lamb, she asked him, “Are you overextended?”

He stopped himself from choking. It wouldn’t serve him to react. How could she possibly know that? He was careful to cover his tracks and keep everything afloat.

“Owning various struggling businesses is challenging, but I closely manage and control the flow of investment.”

She placed her fork down. “Some of the elements must be out of your control?”

He carefully hid the reality of his situation, that his father had dismantled any real wealth the family had and that he had been clawing his way out of a deep, deep hole. “I come from a family that has vast resources so there is a safety net of sorts.” It was bad enough that Fionn understood the risks and problems. In fact, if something didn’t shift he would need to contact his brother-in-law before his reputation began to take a hit.

Bridget placed a piece of roasted potato in her mouth. “When you took on investors to purchase Breen and didn’t allocate the funds yourself, it made me realize that you were probably overextended but didn’t want to tell Olivia no.”

Why did she feel the need to ask him these questions? “It can be smart to share the risks. It’s not about a lack of cash.”

She tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear. “I know that you are successful, but there must be limits to your resources. The golf course itself is a money pit.”

“True. I knew that going in. It was more of a sentimental investment. I love to play the course and have many happy memories of spending time with my father there.”

Her words infiltrated his emotions as she softly said, “It’s surprising that you don’t have more resentment towards your father.”

What good would resentment do? “Maybe if he lived I would have, but I lost him when I was only seventeen. I’d have done anything at the time to bring him back.”

“Children love their parents, even if they are imperfect. But you should be careful of taking on the world in defense of him. He was larger than life and an easy target.”

His body tensed and he attempted to relax his rigid muscles. How could she possibly understand anything about his father? “He did make himself a target.”

Her gaze seared into him. “Do you feel the need to defend his reputation?”
 

Why was he allowing the conversation to continue? “Yes. There are countless naysayers who think they know something about my father, but they don’t.”

“You were a child, William. They may know more than you do about his life.”

He stood up. “No. How could that be possible? I knew my father and he was a good man.”

***