“Ronan.”
I looked up to find everyone around the table staring at me. “What?”
Owen huffed. “Liza was asking if you had any questions.”
“What? No, I’m good.”
Owen just shook his head while Shea looked nervously at our father. Dad was busy glaring at me.
“I’d like to see a comprehensive list of expansion projects currently in the works.” Huntington’s voice was rough and commandeering as he interrupted our family squabble. He was still reading the reports Liza had handed out. “If we’re going to approve increased expenditures, the board will need transparency on where it’s all going.”
“The board has never asked for that before.” Dad’s voice was just as even, but every Black sibling, as well as most of the executive officers, could hear the knife’s edge just the same.
Huntington, however, either didn’t know it, or didn’t care. “We’re just doing due diligence. Seems reasonable, given all the upheaval.”
I frowned. It wasn’t unreasonable, what he was saying, but making demands at all was new. What was his goal after weeks of hoarding observations?
“Ronan can provide that list by end of day tomorrow,” Liza put in smoothly. “Right, Ronan?”
That, unfortunately, was the moment I looked back at my phone to see if Laney had texted back.
She hadn’t. And now I looked like an asshole.
“Right,” I said without any fucking clue what I was being asked to confirm. “Sure thing. Without a doubt.”
A low growl sounded from Dad’s end of the table. “Is something distracting you, Ronan?”
When in doubt, deny, deny, deny. “Nope. Just taking notes.”
Shea snorted. Owen shook his head.
“On your phone?” Dad asked.
Now I was the one who was pissed off. It was one thing to ask if I was distracted. It was another completely to take me to task in front of everyone, including my own prospective employees. Yes, it was his company, but he was technically on leave. I was the one who was supposed to be taking charge. Dressing me down in front of people I was supposed to lead wasn’t the way to smooth that transition.
“Digitally,” I said smoothly. “It’s the future, Dad. Not all of us need pen and paper.”
If I didn’t appreciate being humbled, you can imagine how Niall Black reacted.
“Is that so?” He was speaking through his teeth now. “Perhaps you could share these notes with everyone. Liza can surely project them with her presentation.”
“I don’t think that’s necessary. I’ll have the list of whatever for Bas here tomorrow.”
Those black eyes bored into me, soaked with challenge. But here’s the thing about third children: we’re the wild cards. Welive on challenges. We will stare back until everyone around us is just as uncomfortable as we are.
Was engaging in a poorly planned game of Owl the most adult behavior in the world?
No.
Was it going to do anything to ensure the faith and trust of the other people in this room?
Doubtful.
Was I going to do it, anyway?
Every fucking time.
Unfortunately, Niall Black wasn’t one to lose staring matches any more than I was. It took Huntington’s voice one more to pull both of us from our little detente.
