Read Online My One And Only by MacKenzie Taylor - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: MacKenzie Taylor
Ads: Link
that."
"Harrison," she said gently, "I've seen the numbers. Ethan might be your last hope." She let the words hang between them for several seconds. Then she deliberately lowered her voice. "He's the best in the business. If anyone can pull Montgomery Da ta Systems out of this trench… " She trailed off.
Frustrated, she began to pace the confines of the plush office. She'd been in this room hundreds of times. She had listened while Harrison planned the future of his empire. She had provided research and reports, analysis and input on projects and ventures that had carried the business steadily forward. She had learned more, seen more, and experienced more in this office than she could have imagined the day he'd hired her.
Always, he'd been in control of the conversation. He'd been both mentor and friend, but she couldn't fight the sensation that their roles were changing.
"Look," she said, "I wasn't trying to deceive you." At his skeptical glance, she winced. "No matter what it looked like."
"You knew how I'd feel about this."
"I have reports coming across my desk every day that say there's no bailout in sight. Your field offices are calling in a panic that they aren't going to meet payroll. The stock is sinking, and at the rate we're going, a buyout is inevitable."
"I pay you to run the Montgomery Foundation, Abby. I wasn't aware you'd taken on financial analysis as a sideline."
She winced again. It wasn't like him to be acerbic. In the ten years she'd known him, she could count on one hand the number of times he'd spoken to her out of irritation. His biting sarcasm was one more sign of how deep were the wounds of his conflict with Ethan.
She sat down in her chair with a slight nod. "Point taken."
Harrison tapped the end of a fountain pen on his desk in a sharp staccato. "I ought to fire you for this."
"Probably."
"You had no right—"
"Harrison, can you honestly tell me that you'd rather lose your company than swallow a little pride and ask for Ethan's help?"
"Yes," he said without hesitation.
Stunned, Abby stared at him. "Oh."
He frowned at her. "You didn't think so?"
"Well, no, I—"
"I've spent my life building and developing this business. We've had some very good years, and I believe we'll continue to have good years."
When she would have interrupted, he held up a hand. "We will probably have those years under someone else's leadership."
"But—"
"Let me finish." He set the pen down and folded his hands on his desk. "Maybe I held on for too long. Maybe I should have started listening earlier."
"There are back taxes—"
"I see you've been talking to Robert."
"People are anxious," Abby admitted. "I've been under pressure to try to reason with you."
He leaned back in his chair and shot her a weary smile. "How many members of my illustrious family have called you in a panic?"
"Several."
He looked tired, as if the burden of his sisters, their husbands and ex-husbands, children and stepchildren, cousins, aunts, uncles, and the scores of in-laws had suddenly become far greater than he wanted to bear. "I'm certain they have."
"They're concerned."
He tapped his finger on the desk in a lazy rhythm. "Last time you counted," he said, "how many members of my family are gainfully employed?"
Abby frowned. "Not counting the ones who work for you?"
"Not counting those."
"Four, including Ethan."
"Hmm. No wonder they're anxious."
"Your board has been asking me to try to reason with you."
"And by 'reason ', they mean bring in Ethan to bail us out?"
"It's come up, but I approached him on my own."
"No one believes I can do it by myself."
The defeated sound of his voice struck a nerve. "Harrison—"
"Don't bother to deny it."
"No one's questioning that you've provided excellent leadership for this company."
"Please. Whatever you do, don't placate me. You, of all people, ought to know how I hate that."
"I'm sorry." For everything, she thought. That you're in this place and I can't help you. That your
"Harrison," she said gently, "I've seen the numbers. Ethan might be your last hope." She let the words hang between them for several seconds. Then she deliberately lowered her voice. "He's the best in the business. If anyone can pull Montgomery Da ta Systems out of this trench… " She trailed off.
Frustrated, she began to pace the confines of the plush office. She'd been in this room hundreds of times. She had listened while Harrison planned the future of his empire. She had provided research and reports, analysis and input on projects and ventures that had carried the business steadily forward. She had learned more, seen more, and experienced more in this office than she could have imagined the day he'd hired her.
Always, he'd been in control of the conversation. He'd been both mentor and friend, but she couldn't fight the sensation that their roles were changing.
"Look," she said, "I wasn't trying to deceive you." At his skeptical glance, she winced. "No matter what it looked like."
"You knew how I'd feel about this."
"I have reports coming across my desk every day that say there's no bailout in sight. Your field offices are calling in a panic that they aren't going to meet payroll. The stock is sinking, and at the rate we're going, a buyout is inevitable."
"I pay you to run the Montgomery Foundation, Abby. I wasn't aware you'd taken on financial analysis as a sideline."
She winced again. It wasn't like him to be acerbic. In the ten years she'd known him, she could count on one hand the number of times he'd spoken to her out of irritation. His biting sarcasm was one more sign of how deep were the wounds of his conflict with Ethan.
She sat down in her chair with a slight nod. "Point taken."
Harrison tapped the end of a fountain pen on his desk in a sharp staccato. "I ought to fire you for this."
"Probably."
"You had no right—"
"Harrison, can you honestly tell me that you'd rather lose your company than swallow a little pride and ask for Ethan's help?"
"Yes," he said without hesitation.
Stunned, Abby stared at him. "Oh."
He frowned at her. "You didn't think so?"
"Well, no, I—"
"I've spent my life building and developing this business. We've had some very good years, and I believe we'll continue to have good years."
When she would have interrupted, he held up a hand. "We will probably have those years under someone else's leadership."
"But—"
"Let me finish." He set the pen down and folded his hands on his desk. "Maybe I held on for too long. Maybe I should have started listening earlier."
"There are back taxes—"
"I see you've been talking to Robert."
"People are anxious," Abby admitted. "I've been under pressure to try to reason with you."
He leaned back in his chair and shot her a weary smile. "How many members of my illustrious family have called you in a panic?"
"Several."
He looked tired, as if the burden of his sisters, their husbands and ex-husbands, children and stepchildren, cousins, aunts, uncles, and the scores of in-laws had suddenly become far greater than he wanted to bear. "I'm certain they have."
"They're concerned."
He tapped his finger on the desk in a lazy rhythm. "Last time you counted," he said, "how many members of my family are gainfully employed?"
Abby frowned. "Not counting the ones who work for you?"
"Not counting those."
"Four, including Ethan."
"Hmm. No wonder they're anxious."
"Your board has been asking me to try to reason with you."
"And by 'reason ', they mean bring in Ethan to bail us out?"
"It's come up, but I approached him on my own."
"No one believes I can do it by myself."
The defeated sound of his voice struck a nerve. "Harrison—"
"Don't bother to deny it."
"No one's questioning that you've provided excellent leadership for this company."
"Please. Whatever you do, don't placate me. You, of all people, ought to know how I hate that."
"I'm sorry." For everything, she thought. That you're in this place and I can't help you. That your
Similar Books
