Kate Takes Care Of Business (4 page)

Liz was totally in sync with Reid’s ideas and views so why wasn’t he getting drunk and sitting next to Liz instead?

Liz patted down her top with a napkin. “So that’s your plan? Marry one of your own and live in a castle by the sea?”

In the echo of Liz’s mockery, Kate burned with shame as she recalled the same thing Reid had said to her. Had she been nothing to him but a lonely, spoiled rich bitch craving a little romance underneath the stars?
Oh no. You’re not that obvious. Are you?

Kate felt trapped and betrayed by the memory of her own emotions but she wouldn’t let this smirking bitch have the last word. Kate shrugged. “And does that sound so bad? What if it were the castle my husband and I built
together
so we could raise our children and let the dog run around?”

Kate surprised herself that the admission came so easily to her lips.
Oh no, what are you saying?
You sound like a drunk high school virgin!
She chugged her beer in tasteless gulps. She slammed the empty glass down on the table. “Yeah, Liz, you’re right. Maybe that
is
the bigger, better deal I’m waiting for.”

Reid put his arm around her. “Easy Kate. Liz didn’t mean anything. I think you’ve had enough.”

Kate shook herself free from him. “Really? I thought we were just getting this party started. Woo hoo!” She poured herself another beer.

“Excuse me.” Liz stood. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

“Take your time,” Kate said. “We’ll be right here waiting for you, won’t we Reid?”

Reid rolled his eyes and made a placating gesture to Liz. “Don’t worry about it, okay?”

Liz huffed and pushed her way through the crowd toward the restroom signs.

Reid took a cigarette from the Liz’s open pack on the table. “Least you can do is apologize when she gets back.”

“Apologize for what? We’re just two girls talking and getting to know each other. You wanted me to get to know your friends, didn’t you?”

Reid smoked his cigarette in silence and stared at the band poster on the wall.

Kate tapped her nails on the table top. She desperately wanted to be done with this evening which had begun with so much seductive promise in the afternoon. The idea of kissing him after even one cigarette was turning her off.

What was Reid thinking? Did he know Liz would be alone? And what was up with all this free booze? Was he trying to get her drunk so she’d agreed to some kind of crazy . . .

Kate shook hear head.
No. He wasn’t like that . . . was he?
Difficult to tell sometimes, though, the way a lot of guys thought about sex these days and what they expected after bombarding themselves with online porn. Lots of heated talk about wild hookups but not much about loving relationships—or was that just her inner prude finally having her say?

She had half risen was starting to murmur her “too much to drink too fast” excuse for wanting to leave, when she saw the slim, sun-tanned, country-club young man edging his way toward their table.

It was Sterling Hallman.

His unexpected arrival was a relief, but one with mingled emotions. She knew he loved her in his own way but he had never come right out and said it. The best he could do was their secret promise. Although just the sight of him bolstered Kate’s injured ego, she could see that he was in one of his jealous, sulky moods.

He bore down on their table, his expression grim. “Kate? What the hell? You turned off your phone. I tore up the hotel looking for you.”

Kate giggled. “How’d you find me?”

“Your dad. He wants you to come back too.” Sterling glanced around. “Jeez . . . of all the dives . . . you couldn’t have picked a better place? C’mon, you’re hammered. I’m parked outside.”

Reid stood up and extended his hand to Sterling. “I’m guessing you’re
the
Sterling Hallman. Hope you didn’t rush away from the country-club on account of us. I’m—”

Sterling glanced down at Reid’s hand. “Yeah, I know who you are and Mr. Winslow told you to wait until the press party.” He glared at Kate. “But it looks like you’ve decided to throw a little party of your own.”

Liz slid up to the table and stood beside Sterling. Kate noticed the strange, faintly eager look flash in her eyes as she studied him.

“Sterling, I’m so happy to see you but I didn’t expect you for hours.” Kate pouted and made her best drunken, party-girl plea for him to stay. “Come on, don’t be boring, sit down and have a drink with us.” Kate pointed. “That’s Liz and you’ve met Reid already.”

Liz and Reid made polite acknowledgments of the introductions and sat down at the table.

Sterling took a deep breath and returned his harsh attention to Kate. “Didn’t you read my texts? I’m sorry I’m late but I drove almost all night to get here so we could go out.”

As Kate fumbled for soothing words, Liz spoke up. “Seriously, Kate. If a handsome hunk of man like Sterling Hallman did that for me I wouldn’t be wasting a night in a bar . . . I’d be with him and wherever he wanted to be . . . and whatever he wanted to do.”

Sterling gave Liz his full attention for the first time. Reid was right about one thing: with lines like that no wonder Liz was hardly ever without a date and judging by the way Sterling looked Liz over Kate figured he liked what he saw.

No need to get jealous. You’re not engaged, you’re not going out, in fact, you’re doing absolutely nothing.

Sterling relaxed and sat down beside her in the vacant fourth chair that she indicated with an inviting gesture.

Reid ground out his cigarette as though crushing something he wanted dead. “So? Should I order another round or are we calling it a night?” He stared at Kate.

“One Scotch won’t hurt,” Sterling said, smiling.

Reid ordered another round but Kate knew she’d had enough. She regretted now having both agreed to come here with Reid in the first place and that she hadn’t left when Sterling insisted.

“When I was on assignment I saw you once at the International Auto Show in Detroit,” Liz told him, “but I had no idea you were such an accomplished driver too. It must be
very
dangerous and exciting.”

Sterling beamed and focused his attention on his new lady friend. He was proud of his driving skill and trophies, and was easily flattered. Since Kate had heard it all before she knew he was trying to get back at her for being here with Reid by hitting on another girl.

No. She wasn’t surprised by his behavior at all.. She had experienced his jealousy before and, usually, felt no more than a mild irritation when it was over. But tonight she found herself ready to slap him and Liz
and
Reid just because he’s arranged this whole debacle in the first place.

Kate didn’t miss the sardonic twist in Reid’s sympathetic grin. Liz was coming on to Sterling at a nauseating speed. Kate could barely stop herself from saying
“For Christ’s sake! Get a room!”

Liz gradually switched the subject from fast cars back to business and the shareholder’s meeting. “You’re staying here for it, aren’t you Sterling?” Liz shifted her chair closer to his. “Being the son of the CEO, I wouldn’t be surprised if you thought of taking over the helm someday. You must know how the
real
inside game is being played at Hallman and Winslow.”

Sterling chuckled. “Yeah, maybe. I know a lot about what’s going on in the backroom but as for taking over from my old man someday . . .” He finished his drink. “I’m not that keen right now but later ...” He shrugged. “Who knows? There might be an opening that interests me.”

Kate was surprised to hear Sterling say that. His cavalier attitude to the family business was Richard Hallman’s greatest despair. Sterling would rather race cars and charm the pants off overly eager chicks like Liz Presley, unless something had changed in the last few weeks. Kate choked back a giggle.

Liz scrutinized her. “What’s the matter, Kate?” She lit another cigarette. “Don’t you think Sterling has the right stuff to take over Hallman and Winslow when his time comes?”

“Sure, she does.” Sterling answered before Kate could reply. “Don’t you? That’s something we’ve talked about ever since we were kids.”

Sterling’s interruption was not only rude and outrageous . . .

It was a lie.

They had
never
talked about carrying on the family business as a serious possibility. Growing up they had been too busy partying their butts off to ever consider taking on the massive responsibilities assumed by their parents.

Yes, something had changed with Sterling,
but what?
Was he finally growing up and leaving his playboy life behind?

Kate yawned, feeling a little woozy. “When Sterling sets his mind to something he can usually get whatever he wants.” She pushed back her chair. “You’ll have to excuse me. I’ve had a little too much tonight but please don’t let me break up the party.” She stood. “I’ll catch a cab outside.”

Reid was already on his feet and insisted on riding back to the hotel with her to make sure she was okay.

“Thanks Reid,” Sterling said. “It’s good to know there are still a few gentlemen left.” He made a gesture of rising from the table then sat down and grinned at Kate. “Call your father, won’t you? We don’t want him to worry.” Sylvia delivered another Scotch and Sterling returned eagerly to Liz’s fawning adoration as though Kate had never been at the table.

Back at the Ritz-Carlton lobby, Reid kept checking his cell as he escorted Kate toward the elevators. He had lost his sardonic grin and looked all at once restless and downcast. “Kate, I’m sorry about tonight.”

He put his hand on her arm and stopped her from entering a waiting elevator. “Please, give me a minute.”

The elevator door closed. Kate spun on her heel. “What? What do you want to say?”

“I’m beginning to think that maybe I was wrong about you and me.”

“If you’re talking about there being no place for me in your world, or you in mine, you’re right.” Kate pressed the button for the elevator. “But I am glad Sterling met Liz . . . ‘cause hey, what are old friends for?”

“Sterling isn’t Liz’s kind of guy.”

“Really?” The elevator door opened. “And how would you know
that
, Reid?” Kate stepped inside. “Good night. And thanks for an entertaining evening. I hope I didn’t embarrass you too much.” Kate felt the first tears welling in the corner of her eyes as the elevator doors closed out Reid’s troubled face.

CHAPTER SIX

The cool shower helped and Kate was glad she had stopped drinking when she did but she was still foggy in the head when she answered the door.

Her father hurried through the door looking more worried than usual. “I just got off the phone with Sterling’s father. He’s arriving tomorrow.”

“Dad? It’s two in the morning. What about Lucille?”

“She checked in a few hours ago . . . while you were out on the town.”

Kate shivered and pulled the French Terrycloth bathrobe tighter around her shoulders. She yawned and shuffled back to her late-night bacon and scrambled eggs hangover breakfast. “And what’s on Richard’s mind that’s so urgent it can’t wait?”

“Too much, and not any of it is good for us.” Dad ran a hand through his iron-gray hair, “I’d hoped Sterling would have brought you back tonight as he promised. There’s going to be enough trouble at the meeting without you and him not getting along.”

Kate gulped her decaf coffee avoiding the implied question. “We do, Dad, okay? We’re just not dating anymore.”

Her father glanced around the suite as if looking for clues. “And is that a permanent situation now?”

“Oh, for Pete’s sake, Dad. Reid’s not hiding in the bedroom and I’m not dating
him
either, satisfied?”

Her father gave her a probing look. “So . . . there’s still a chance Sterling and you could—”

“What? Get married? I don’t know and I don’t want to talk about it right now.” Her head started to pound again. Kate turned away and drank her coffee.

“I’m only asking because Sterling has suddenly taken a real interest in the business of the company and honestly, I wasn’t prepared for that.”

Sterling’s words from the bar lingered around the edges of Kate’s mind. She turned back to him.

“That’s one of the things Richard wants to talk to me about before the shareholders meeting. If I would support his nomination of Sterling to the board then Richard
might
agree to a compromise on the outsourcing issue.”

Kate poured herself a cup of decaf. “And if you don’t?”

Her father frowned. “As CEO he has the most power but he needs to show unified support from the Winslow side of the equation. Without that, you might as well just call the company
Hallman International
.”

Kate shook her head. “We all love Sterling but he barely graduated and doesn’t have any practical business experience. He knows how to spend money but I’m not sure he knows how to make it . . . or how to keep it.”

“That’s one of the reasons I wish you hadn’t come to this meeting. I suspected I might get blindsided. I can’t see myself supporting the move but if I don’t . . .” He stared at the floor. “Can you understand that I don’t want you to see your old man being pushed out the door from the company he helped to build?”

Kate sat down with a sigh. It was no use waiting any longer or rehearsing her speech one more time in front of the bathroom mirror. “Then you need something that will impress the stockholders so much they’ll have no choice but to vote and keep you on as president.”

“What, Kate?” Dad urged her on with a whisper.

Kate took a deep breath and delivered the best pitch she could, considering her mouth felt dry as chapped skin and likely still stank like a brewery. Her father listened attentively, between her gulps of orange juice, and asked pointed questions about her outsourcing plan. Kate gave the best answers she could for two in the morning. “Everyone knows these are still difficult times and the recovery is fragile but there are good plants lying idle and strong incentives from government at all levels to help offset the risks.”