Not that they’d been friends, at least, not exactly. Four years her senior, Keith had mostly been the handsome older boy she and her girlfriends had giggled over at family friendly holiday parties.
For his part, he’d barely known she existed.
All of that changed in college when Violet had suddenly lost her grandma, and no longer had the boyfriend she’d come to lean on to get her through it.
Lonely and hurting, Violet had gratefully let herself be taken under Edith’s wing, and it had been at one of Edith’s many parties that Violet and Keith’s paths crossed again. They’d been friendly, but at that first meeting, he’d had a date. The second time they’d met, she’d been with someone. This had gone on for a year or two until they’d finally gotten their timing right and shown up to a New Year’s Eve party solo. A midnight kiss had turned into a Valentine’s Day dinner, then a Labor Day gathering in Southampton, and now here they were.
Her twenty-seven, him thirty-one, and… together?
In truth, Violet never knew what to call Keith. Boyfriend felt juvenile and fluttery. They weren’t engaged, and lovers didn’t apply—not for months now. She supposed they were partners, though she’d be hard-pressed to define what they were partners in.
Mostly, Violet reassured herself that theirs was the sort of grown-up, adult relationship that didn’t require labels or promises. They enjoyed the same restaurants. They frequently attended dinner parties together and were each other’s usual companions to nights at the orchestra and black-tie fundraisers. Keith’s parents adored her, and when Violet had dinner at Edith’s, it was taken for granted that Keith would join more often than not.
Violet knew everyone assumed they were headed for marriage. She was less clear on how she felt about that.
“Have you actually met this Cain?” Keith asked, apparently mollified by her soothing. “Edith brought him by the office, and he’s…” Keith waved his free hand. “God, I don’t even have the words.”
Trying to stifle her irritation at his relentless griping about the Cain topic, she pulled her hand back and picked up her knife and fork once more. “Yes, I’ve met him.”
“The maintenance man fixing the thermostat was better dressed.”
Violet sucked in her cheeks. His condescension rankled, mostly because it was an uncomfortable mirror to her own thoughts, her own snobbery.
“Easily fixed,” Violet said calmly. “I’ll take him to get some suits.”
Keith snorted. “You know as well as I do that it takes more than Edith’s credit card and a good tailor to make him look the part.”
“Keith,” she said, both chiding and soothing.
“Sorry,” he muttered, adjusting his tie as though it were choking him. “It just… it pisses me off that a hobo in a ponytail who’s never even met a razor can come in and take what the rest of us have actually worked for.”
Ah. So that was the reason for his extra prickliness: professional resentment.
Keith was a senior vice president at Rhodes, and he sat on the board. His job meant everything to him, and Edith always seemed pleased with his performance, even going so far as to say in admiration that he’d climbed the ladder faster than anyone she’d known.
If Cain took over as CEO, he’d make Keith’s rate of ascension up the ranks decidedly less impressive.
“I imagine that’s a difficult pill to swallow,” Violet said. “But it’s not like you didn’t know it was coming. Rhodes has always been a family company, and everyone knows the only reason Edith stayed on long past standard retirement age was because she was waiting for Adam to get his act together.”
He said nothing.
“Keith?” she prompted.
He took a distracted bite of his dinner and shrugged. “That felt different. Everyone knew Adam would never be sober enough to run the company. It was only going to be a matter of time until Edith realized she’d have to turn over the reins to someone else.”
Violet’s eyebrows lifted. “Does Edith know that?”
He made an impatient noise. “You know how she is. Stubborn and set in her ways and obsessed with her family’s ‘legacy.’ It’s always pissed her off that sheer force of personality couldn’t manufacture bloodlines.”
“Which is probably why she was so excited to learn about her grandson,” Violet pointed out. “It’s a Hail Mary chance at preserving the Rhodes legacy after all.”
He rolled his eyes. “I forgot how blindly loyal you are to that woman.”
“Loyal, yes,” Violet said, trying to keep the edge out of her voice. “But not blind. Edith’s done a lot for me over the years. And for you, I might add. She hired you to a senior position before you were even thirty.”
“Because I was qualified.”
Or because I asked her to, Violet added silently.
“I’m happy for Edith,” Violet said truthfully. “She deserves to have the opportunity to keep the company in the family.”
Keith pinched the bridge of his nose. “This isn’t an episode of Dynasty, Violet. CEO titles aren’t inherited anymore.”
“Okay, fine,” she said, realizing he wouldn’t change the subject until he got whatever he needed to off his chest. “Who do you think should take over the company?”
Keith shrugged and took another bite of duck.
She tilted her head and studied him. “You?”
He put his fork aside with calm precision. “Why not me? I’m as close to family as she’s got.”
Violet blinked in puzzlement. “How do you figure?”
“Well, you’re practically her granddaughter. And you and I are…”
He waved his hand, as though to say it was obvious.
You and I are what?
Suddenly, Violet wanted very much for him to finish that sentence, as an alarming thought popped into her head: What if her personal connection to the CEO of Rhodes International was why Keith had persistently courted her despite their lack of chemistry?
What if…
No. Violet pushed the uncomfortable, unflattering thought aside. She and Keith were an item well before he joined Rhodes. And there was nothing wrong with professional ambition. He was good at his job, even Edith had said as much. Why shouldn’t he have his eye on the top spot of any company?
Keith winced. “God. I’m sorry. I sound like an ass. It’s just that I care about Edith too, Violet.”
Violet instantly softened, feeling guilty for her traitorous thoughts.
Keith continued. “I can’t stand the thought of some money-grabbing outsider taking advantage just because his mom happened to get knocked up by Edith’s son.”
Annnnnd, just like that, her warm thoughts evaporated.
“How delicately put, Keith,” Violet murmured. “And for what it’s worth, from what I’ve seen, Cain isn’t exactly beating on the door of the corner office. I’m not even sure he wants to be here.”
“Yeah, I’m sure having a company and a billion dollars handed to him is a real tough pill to swallow,” he said sarcastically into his glass of wine.
“You’re getting ahead of yourself,” Violet said. “Regardless of Edith’s wishes, the board still has to vote him in.”