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5
Angela seethed from the moment Bron had, whether by accident or on purpose, revealed Donald’s excuses for why Sienna shouldn’t be in the wedding.
First, it was that Angela’s feelings were hurt. Then it was that she’d think Sienna was choosing sides. She could let all that go. But when he claimed that she’d make the divorce settlement disagreeable, that pushed Angela over the edge. Sienna would assume her mother was a vindictive bitch who would use her own daughter to make Donald pay.
No wonder Sienna had curtly rejected the Santorini vacation. Angela couldn’t abide that Donald was still trying to turn Sienna against her, even after he’d divorced her.
She jumped in her car after Bron’s departure. The woman wasn’t a bad person, quite the opposite. She could be a good friend for Sienna.
But Angela had to deal with Donald. She had no illusions that it would change him, but it would restore some of her power to call him on his dishonesty.
Donald’s anteroom was decorated in muted colors with a sofa, two chairs, and a one-cup coffee machine on a sideboard. His replacement secretary, seated at a desk outside his door, was a battle axe of indeterminate age. After Bron, maybe he thought he needed real protection.
She glanced at the nameplate. Heather. The name was completely incongruous with the woman’s wide shoulders, thick neck, short gray bob, and steely gaze.
But Angela wouldn’t be cowed. “I’m Angela Walker. Please tell Donald I’d like to speak with him.”
“You aren’t on Mr. Walker’s calendar.” Her voice was as thick as the rest of her body and as steely as her eyes.
“That’s because I’m his wife. I don’t need to make an appointment.” She couldn’t quite make her voice as steely as Heather’s.
“He never makes an exception, not even for family.” Heather raised her nose as if she smelled something bad. “And as I recall, you’re the ex-wife, not the current wife.”
Angela smiled at the slam Heather had hoped to deliver. “I am the current wife because he doesn’t have another one yet. He has an ex-secretary who will become his wife in the next few months. I’m sure he’s told you all about me and that I have an axe to grind and that you should never let me in.”
Her little speech surprised a raised eyebrow out of Heather. “He hasn’t told me you have any ax to grind. He hasn’t even told me not to let you in.”
Odd. Maybe it meant that Donald didn’t consider her a threat. Then she spied the pictures on the desk, two families with children, obviously Heather’s grandchildren. “I’m just here to talk about our daughter. Sienna. I’d really like Donald’s advice. I’m worried about her, and he could always handle her better than I could.”
It wasn’t a lie. She was worried about Sienna. And Donald had always gotten on better with her, mainly because he was the master manipulator.
Heather’s demeanor seemed to soften, the corners of her mouth rising slightly.
Angela added, “If he’s not in a meeting, that is. I don’t want to break up anything important. But this is about his daughter.”
Heather picked up the phone as if she’d gone through these same kid problems herself. “Let me check. If he’s not on the phone, I’ll slip you in.”
“I’d be ever so grateful.”
It took several long moments of quiet back-and-forth conversation, but when Heather hung up, she pointed at the door. “He’s only got a very few minutes.” She gave Angela a hopeful look, as if between the two of them, they could solve all Sienna’s problems.
Donald was seated behind his massive desk, two large screens in front of him and a magnificent view of the San Francisco Bay behind him.
He waved her into a chair. “You hate driving into the city. This must be important.”
At fifty-five, he was a handsome man, the gray rapidly taking over his brown hair and adding to his distinguished demeanor, steady, knowledgeable, his suit impeccably tailored, giving the sense that everything was well-toned beneath the bespoke material. Even if it wasn’t.
“It’s about Sienna.” She came to the point. “You lied to her.”
He raised one eyebrow. If his hair had been dark, he would have looked like Spock. Or the devil. “What makes you say that?”
“You told her I didn’t want her in your wedding, that I was afraid she was choosing sides. And that I could be a vindictive bitch who would make things difficult for you, especially about the house you bought while we were still married and didn’t include in the settlement.”
His hazel eyes turned flinty. “I never said you were a vindictive bitch. And the house was purchased in the company’s name, so it wasn’t part of any property settlement.”
“That’s my point. I couldn’t get it from you even if I took you to court. You just told Sienna that to make me look bad.”
He allowed himself the smallest of smiles. Though he didn’t want to appear to be gloating, he was enjoying the fact that she’d come here. “Sienna doesn’t need any more ammunition to think badly of you. She’s had her whole life to do that.”
