I’m not impressed by the story. My family doesn’t come from money either, but it hasn’t made my father an asshole. One doesn’t naturally lead to the other. It’s possible to be poor and polite.
Still, I understand that Tom is her grandfather, and I admire the way she looks up to him, even if I don’t agree that he deserves it.
“You think I’m idealistic,” she says.
“Honestly? Yeah. I used to be like that. Age and experience have made me cynical. But I like how you’re passionate about your work.”
She rolls her eyes. “God, you’re so patronizing.” She throws me a glare. “You talk like you’re twenty years older than me. You don’t know everything.”
“Well, I am a god, so…”
That earns me an exasperated glance.
“I don’t mean to be patronizing,” I say in a softer tone. “I’ve had a lot of hard knocks, that’s all, and my company is out there like a pile of raw meat watching as the wolves circle. It’s scary.”
“Technically, raw meat doesn’t have eyes, so it can’t watch anything.”
If she’d been any other Rutherford, that would have annoyed me, and I’d have snapped back, but I discover I don’t want to do that with Maddie. I don’t want this weekend to be miserable for either of us. We shared an intimate moment, and I like her, despite everything that’s happened.
“Like a wounded deer, then,” I offer. “Does that make more sense?”
She doesn’t reply for a moment, keeping her eyes on the road. Then, eventually, she says, “Do you feel like your company is wounded?”
Again, if she was anyone else I’d have denied it heatedly, but I was the one who made the comparison. It’s possible she’s going to report straight back to Tom or her father, so I have to be careful not to reveal too much, but equally she would’ve seen the headlines. She’ll be aware what’s been going on behind closed doors.
“A little,” I say. “When Tom made the offer of acquisition, he’d obviously heard that my father was thinking about retiring. When Dad called the board meeting to tell us about it, the board made it clear that investors need to see stability. So my father basically gave us a dressing down because none of us is in a committed relationship and said if none of us is married with an heir on the way by next Christmas, he’s going to sell to Tom.”
“Shit.”
“Yeah. You read about Wren?”
“That she asked you for a baby?”
“Yeah. We’re old friends, and she approached me the night of the ball. After you and I…” I let the sentence trail off.
Her eyebrows rise. “Wow. I didn’t realize she asked that night.” She glances at me again, her gaze curious. “I did wonder what you thought about it.”
“I was shocked. And flattered. She said I had qualities she’d like for her child.”
“Clearly, she doesn’t know you as well as you thought.”
I give a short laugh. “Definitely not.”
“But you turned her down?”
“At first I asked for time to think about it. By the time I said yes, Marcus had swooped in and offered marriage. Turns out he asked her out at eighteen, but she said no because she’sfive years older. But there was obviously always some attraction there.”
“Why didn’t you ask her to marry you? Friendship is a good basis for a successful marriage.”
“You think?”
“You don’t?”
I frown. “I’d like to be physically attracted to my wife.”
“Oh, come on,” she scoffs, “I saw the wedding photos. Wren’s gorgeous.”
“Yes she is, but we don’t have a connection, you know?”
