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And not the wife he wanted. What was going to happen to their marriage still needed to be resolved, and Victoria wasn’t looking forward to that discussion, either. Connor had been tiptoeing around her sensibilities since the news of her father’s heart attack, and hadn’t raised the subject again. But despite his gentleness, it would have to be dealt with.
Victoria hoped that her resignation from ACE would make Connor reconsider, that it would convince him how seriously she took her commitment to mothering Dylan.
“It’s far from easy juggling a demanding career and being the perfect wife and mother. We women have such high expectations of ourselves.”
Victoria gave a tired laugh, and opened her eyes. “You can say that again. I had such grand intentions.”
“Don’t be too hard on yourself, Victoria.” Bridget sat forward in her tall leather chair. “It’s been a traumatic time for you—inheriting a baby, acquiring a husband and keeping up with your workload. I’m quite a fan of yours, you know.”
Staring at Bridget in disbelief, she said slowly, “No, I didn’t know. I thought I’d disappointed you, too.”
“Not at all.” Bridget gave her a smile. “I admired you two years ago when you told me that you were going to be an egg donor so that your best friend could have a baby. You were worried that I would be unhappy because the process would take time from your work.”
“Yes.” She’d been very concerned. Being a donor had been physically and emotionally taxing and had taken up time that had cut into her workday. “But you never objected once—aside from suggesting that I have counseling to make sure that I would be able to separate myself from the baby once it was born.”
“At the time I thought it unlikely that you would ever have children—you didn’t seem to have much of a life outside work. I thought that the baby might be your only one.”
Victoria watched as Bridget glanced at a photo on her desk, then back at her.
“You probably don’t know I was engaged once.”
“No, I didn’t.” Victoria had perceived Bridget as having no life away from ACE Accounting. She couldn’t help wondering what had gone wrong with the engagement.
Bridget must have seen the questions in her eyes. “We were touring, on a motorcycle. He drove, I rode pillion. There was an accident—an oncoming driver overtaking recklessly. They told me I was lucky. I broke my back—he died.”
The image of Bridget young, on holiday and riding a motorcycle with her lover shifted Victoria’s entire perception of her. “I’m so sorry.”
“It was almost twenty-five years ago.” Bridget gave her a small smile. “I got over it. But, as you may realize, what I have isn’t the life I imagined for myself. I pictured myself at fifty-five with a happy marriage, children all grown up and a successful career. I thought I would have it all.”
Sadness for the other woman filled Victoria. “Thank you for sharing this.”
“I want you to know that I understand a little of what you may be feeling. Loss and emptiness are terrible things. You lost your friend. But you have a baby—and a husband. Enjoy them. Resign if you must. But if your husband knows you as he should, he won’t want you to give up your career for him, or even for the baby. If he loves you, he’d want you to find a solution that lets you have it all, without stressing you to death in the process.” Another smile softened the words. “But I’ll accept your resignation, if that’s what you decide you really want.”
Victoria felt infinitely lighter, as though a load of expectation had been taken from her shoulders. She started to thank Bridget but the other woman interrupted her.
“Of course, there is another option that may bear thinking about. Why don’t we rearrange your hours? Perhaps you can come in three days a week? Or five mornings? It’ll be easy to organize, now that you’ve hired a junior accountant to help you.”
“But partners have to work full time—it’s in my contract,” Victoria protested.
“Archer, Cameron & Edge wouldn’t want to lose you, Victoria.” Bridget gave her a wink. “Particularly when there’s a chance that we might secure the account of the Phoenix Corporation. Reducing hours wouldn’t even impact on your profit share—I’d make sure of that.”
Victoria couldn’t help it, she laughed.
“You didn’t think this was all about philanthropy, did you?”
But Victoria had seen under the frigid exterior. A bond had been forged between them today that she knew would endure. A peculiar friendship. Bridget was not the hard-nosed harridan she always appeared to be.
