Debbi Rawlins - Alone with You

“Harrison,” Norma said.

“Wow. I’ll give it to him. He must have been very convincing to win Dad over.” Lexy tried to not feel resentful. Bitterness would only derail her meeting. Besides, she had no right. She sure hadn’t given her brother’s feelings a thought when the attention and praise were centered on her. She’d been far too selfish, her sense of entitlement off the charts. Easy to see now, so at least she could be grateful for losing the blinders. Besides, she wasn’t looking to replace Harrison. She only wanted him to scoot over a little.

They’d reached her father’s office, his huge double doors still the same sturdy oak. She paused a moment, wondering if recanting would’ve been enough for him. Had she backed down and gone to Harvard like he wanted, would her life have turned out differently? Or would he have held it against her for daring to have her own opinion?

Sadly, her decision to go to Stanford had had nothing to do with sound reasoning and everything to do with Hunter Livingston. After dating him for six months they’d agreed to apply to Stanford together. It had never occurred to her that her father would object. And with such vehemence. Before she knew it, her innocent act of independence had escalated to full-blown rebellion.

Ironically, her relationship with Hunter hadn’t made it to freshman year. But the war with her father had quietly raged on.

“I assume he’s in there.”

“Yes. So is Harrison.”

“Are they just finishing up?” she asked, hoping she’d be meeting her father alone.

“No, I’m afraid your brother fully intends to stick his nose where it doesn’t belong.”

Lexy sighed. “So they’re waiting for me.”

Norma nodded. “It’s shameful, their treating this like an interview. You have as much right to help run this company as Harrison does. I haven’t spoken to your father for two days.” She slipped behind her desk, tugged down the hem of her black blazer and lowered her voice. “I don’t even know if the idiot noticed.”

That made Lexy smile.

Norma pressed the intercom buzzer with a manicured red nail, announced Lexy’s arrival, then released the button before her father could respond. Wonderful. That must’ve improved his mood.

“Don’t take any guff from them, you hear me?” Norma’s warning frown eased. “It’s good to have you back.”

Switching her purse to her left hand, Lexy murmured, “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.”

Norma’s expression fell. “That doesn’t sound like the girl I know.”

That headstrong idealist hadn’t been up to her eyeballs in debt. Still, the sadness in Norma’s green eyes got to Lexy and she pulled back her shoulders. “You’re right. I’m going to totally kill this,” she said, and smiled at the alarm in the older woman’s face. “It’s slang. And it’s a good thing.”

“Oh. Well, then, go kill it.”

Lexy paused, her hand on the doorknob. Maybe Harrison was sticking around to give her moral support. He was actually a pretty good brother most of the time. Okay, some of the time.

She found a smile the second before she opened the door. “Good morning, Father,” she said, not surprised to see him sitting behind his antique mahogany desk.

He nodded. “Good morning, Alexis. You’re right on time.”

When she didn’t immediately see Harrison, she thought Norma might’ve been mistaken. And then Lexy spotted him, sitting on the couch against the back wall, directly under the Monet. His relaxed posture couldn’t hide the frost in his eyes.

“Hello, Harrison, good to see you.” She tensed when he didn’t respond. So what...he felt threatened? Too bad. There was plenty of room in the company for both of them.

It would serve Harrison right if she sat with her back to him but they weren’t kids anymore. She settled in a chair that mostly faced her father without her position being rude to her brother. “The lobby looks great,” she said. “Nice, clean lines but still warm and inviting.”

“I’m still getting used to all that chrome,” Marshall said with just enough disdain to get his disapproval across. “I’ve promised to give it another month.”

“I’m glad you like it.” Harrison moved to sit closer to Lexy. “We’re branching out into new arenas. I feel it’s appropriate for the company to have a fresh face. Show we’re in step with the times, that we’re as relevant now as we were three generations back.”

“Good taste never goes out of style,” her father said, his censoring gaze switching from Harrison to Lexy.

Oh, yeah, this was starting out well. Both of them looking for her to be an ally.

“Tell me about the new directions you’re exploring,” she said, and saw a hint of a smile lift the corners of her father’s mouth. He must have liked the way she’d taken control of the conversation.

Harrison started in, suddenly brimming with enthusiasm. Until he was cut off with a raised hand.

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.” Marshall’s frown emphasized the lines creasing his forehead and fanning out at the corners of his blue eyes. “I hope you have your résumé with you. And your transcripts. I’d like to see what kind of education Stanford provided.”

Her temper flared. She’d known this wouldn’t be easy but she’d hoped he wouldn’t be petty. “Really, Dad? You don’t know where I’ve been working or what I’ve been doing for the past three years?” Her annoyance was met with silence. “Either way, does it matter?”

He studied her for a moment, then hit his intercom button. “Norma, would you please send in coffee?”

Lexy dug into her briefcase as she took a couple of calming breaths. “Here,” she said, leaning forward to slide the papers across his desk. “My résumé and transcripts.”

She saw the ghost of a smile again and knew he was impressed that she’d stayed a step ahead of him.

At least now, for the most part, she could read him. As a child she’d been incapable of deciphering the peculiar mix of respect and frustration he seemed to feel for her. He admired her independence and strong will right up until she defied something he held sacrosanct.

From as far back as she could remember, relatives, employees—everyone—had commented on how much she was like her father. They were both smart, goal-oriented and driven.

But that’s where the similarities ended. Her father was dogmatic in the single-mindedness that propelled him through life. While she cared about the company, a lot more than her father or anyone else realized, there was more to her than the Worthington name. Yes, she’d do almost anything to protect their image, but she had her own line in the sand.

“I see you’ve had only one long-term job since graduate school,” he said, scanning the first page. “Why is that?”

“I wondered that myself after I’d interviewed nonstop for several months. I finally figured out it had to do with my last name.”

He looked up. “I hope you aren’t implying I interfered.”

“Not at all.” She smiled. “You didn’t have to.”

He held her gaze for a long disconcerting moment. If he cut the meeting short it would be her fault. Dammit, she’d promised herself she wouldn’t bait him. She needed this job more than she needed to be right.

After a brief knock, the door opened. Norma rolled in a coffee service, which she pushed toward the sofas and conference table.

“Not there,” Harrison said. “Here will be fine. We shouldn’t be much longer.”

Norma blinked, then looked to Marshall for confirmation.

Lexy had no idea if he’d responded nonverbally. Her gaze had gone from Norma to her brother. When their eyes met, the contempt that swept his features startled her. Why was he running hot and cold? She hadn’t done anything to him. Harrison had always been the yes-sir, no-sir type, waiting to express his scorn behind their father’s back. He’d applauded her defiance. Called her his hero.