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Kelsey kept her mouth shut. But she had to acknowledge he’d done a good job if he’d managed to charm Martha so quickly.
After a few more words, Martha went to talk to someone else, and Kelsey took aside Lawrence, the head of HR, to notify him they’d be releasing Seward. She added that she wanted the tug captain to receive three months’ severance pay.
“I’ll get it calculated right away and request a check from accounting,” he said.
After the man nodded and went on his way, Kelsey felt a strange tingle at the base of her neck. She glanced up and saw Nathan looking at her.
Though he was surrounded by others, he was watching her intently.
Did the man miss nothing?
She chatted with a couple of people before escaping to her office to call Sofia Donovan. The number Nathan had provided was her direct line rather than a general number for the company, and Sofia answered her phone on the first ring. Was every Donovan efficient?
Even though she had misgivings about her new boss, Kelsey instantly liked Sofia. The woman struck a balance of warmth and professionalism as she went through a list of questions. Then she added that her sister now ran the Houston branch and promised to have Zoe call Kelsey within the hour to set up a meeting.
Afterward, Kelsey telephoned the florist to arrange flowers for Mr. Newman. Then she texted Holly about the party plans.
Nathan rapped on the corner of Kelsey’s desk when he entered their suite, but he didn’t slow down on the way to his office.
Still, as if a whirlwind had swept through, it took her a couple of minutes to remember where she was and get back to work. She forwarded the new corporate logo to her preferred vendor and placed an order for pens, mugs and pads before going back to the conference room to clear it of everything that had Newman Inland Marine on it.
Kelsey fought back a gulp of sadness, told herself to focus on the future and show the type of leadership the Newmans had asked for. In her work life, she’d never done anything more difficult.
When she returned to her office, Lawrence was waiting for her.
She slipped into her chair, and he sat across from her. He slid a folder containing Seward’s termination package across the desktop toward her.
When she went to scrawl her name on the bottom of the check, she noticed that it was drawn on a new bank. Since she’d never filled out official paperwork, she doubted Donovan had made her a signer on the account, which meant she had to take the check to him. “I’ll handle this and get it back to you,” she said.
“Yeah,” he said. “I don’t envy you your job.”
Lawrence left. She stood and straightened her skirt before picking up the file folder and crossing the room to knock on her new boss’s door.
He called out for her to enter. Too late, she realized he was on the phone. Regardless, he waved her in, and she took a seat and waited for him to finish.
“Second weekend of December is fine, Colonel,” he said. “I’ll let Connor know we’ll be there.” After a few more words, he hung up. “That was my grandfather,” he explained, unnecessarily.
“He’s a colonel?”
“No. Yes.” He twisted his lips wryly. “I’ll explain when we have more time. Donovan Holdings, which is essentially just family members, is planning a retreat. It’s an annual gathering before the holidays. We discuss all aspects of the various businesses and make the strategic plan for the upcoming year. With the acquisition of Newman, I’m too busy to travel far, and since Cade will use any excuse to skip, the Colonel has decided we’ll hold it at the ranch.”
“The ranch?”
“The Running Wind. Maybe you’ve heard of it?”
“I think most people in Texas have,” she agreed. If it wasn’t the largest ranch in the state, it was certainly close. In fact, it was one of the biggest in the country. She knew the Donovans had owned it for more than a century and that only small, select parts were open to the public.
“The timing on this takeover wasn’t ideal. We’d hoped to put it off until the first of the year.” He shrugged. “As my assistant, I’d like you to be there.”
She blinked. “Me?”
“I’ll want your input, and I’ll want you to be part of the strategy for the logistics business. I have financials to prepare for all the companies as well as a general overview.”
“Are you still CFO of Donovan Worldwide?”
“In my spare time.” He gave a tired half-smile.
Absently she wondered if his exhaustion had been there the whole time and why she hadn’t noticed it.
“Think about it,” he went on, bringing her back to the present. “It’s more than a month from now, and you don’t have to give me an immediate answer. Theoretically, we’d leave work around lunchtime on Thursday so that we’d be in time for an evening overview. We’d stay through early Sunday afternoon.”
