Home > A Breath of Jasmine(7)

A Breath of Jasmine(7)
Author: Ava Miles

“Hiring her isn’t a board decision per se, but everyone knows you need to bring someone in to help restructure. The stock prices and public concerns aren’t looking good.”

“I know, and I’m more than relieved she agreed. She’ll do a great job, but I need to work with her full time on the plans. It’s not negotiable.”

“Trevor told me. He’s known a few execs who have brought her in. It’s her rules or no consulting. I can’t blame her. Restructuring is time-intensive, and it could drag out for months without a high-level commitment. She’s like a corporate scalpel, they say. Her surgery is painful but successful, and it’s fairly fast. How long did she say it would take?”

Leave it to Trevor to have done his homework. “Three or four weeks. Given our problems, it’s fairly impressive.”

“No doubt. So… Am I first or second choice?”

He gave a hearty laugh. “Your twin thing knows no bounds. You’d both be perfect, but I called you first since Trev’s in Ireland. You’re closer geographically, and Caroline doesn’t have to fortify herself to get on a plane to see you like Becca does with her agoraphobia.”

“I thought as much. Trev feels a little guilty about being so far away, but that’s just the way it is. Did you consider asking Dad?”

When Francesca had suggested it, he’d winced, and he did so again. “I’ve weighed it from all angles. Bringing Dad back in would stabilize some concerns. People know what his leadership means. But I worry it would undermine my leadership in the long-term. It would be like I called in dear old Dad to swoop in and save the day.”

“Yeah, we thought of that.” J.T. sighed. “Well, I guess I’m it. Caroline and I talked about it, and she can handle the museum stuff on her own for a while. I’ll have to get used to those insane hours again. Frankly, I love having a job that allows for more work-life balance. But it’s only temporary. Unless Francesca identifies you as part of the problem, right?”

His brother’s laughter ignited his own. “Right. That would suck.” Or would it? He’d been struggling under the weight of the new position, and yeah, he knew he was a bear to get along with lately. Working nearly twenty hours a day with endless meetings and answering over a thousand emails daily was driving him crazy.

How had Connor done it? How had his dad? Asking them seemed like a pussy move. He would buck up and do what needed to be done. But J.T. was right. If he won Francesca back, he’d want to marry her. How was he supposed to enjoy their relationship when he worked nonstop? She’d alluded to him working all the time this morning, and he hadn’t been able to deny it.

He was going to have to do some serious thinking about that during the restructuring.

“I can be out there in four or five days,” J.T. said. “You can brief me on the major stuff over email or phone beforehand. I’ll assume you’ll be on call if I have any questions or need your take on something. While I’m on the board, I don’t know jack shit about the day-to-day business. I imagine rumors will start flying when people learn you’re working on a special project, and I’ll do my best to allay their fears. Other than that, I don’t see much new happening in the interim.”

“Exactly, and yes, I’ll be on call for anything you need. Also, Francesca doesn’t work on Sundays, so I can catch up then and pinch hit anything you need help on.”

“Not work on Sundays? Good God, what kind of a consultant is she?”

Again, J.T.’s laughter had him joining in. “A smart one. She realizes our brains need to rest, or so she said.” Truthfully, he was already hoping she’d agree to go on a drive through wine country with him on their day off.

Which made him realize he might need to pony up the truth about his feelings for Francesca to J.T. Once the family heard he was issuing an invitation to the infamous matchmaking trio, the jig would be up anyway. J.T. was backing him. He deserved the full truth.

“J.T., I also need to disclose something personal.”

“Okay…”

His tone made Quinn shift awkwardly in his seat. Sharing his feelings had never been easy for him, not even with his family. The fact that none of them knew about Francesca said everything. Except somehow Connor had known. Had others guessed? His mother had her special radar. Well, he supposed he would find out.

“I met Francesca fifteen years ago in London at a party.” He loosened his tie. “Everyone says the Merriams know their soulmates by sight. I knew she was mine.”

“You’re kidding! Wait. You aren’t kidding. How did I not know this? Did anyone know this? Okay. Forget about that. Fifteen years ago. Quinn, what the hell happened?”

He gave his brother an abbreviated account, and by the end of it, he could feel his anger and hurt rising again.

“Quinn, man, I’m speechless. And more than a little sick for you. That’s awful, bro. Totally and completely awful. God! I…I don’t know what to say except I’ll fill your shoes as long as it takes. You restructure Merriam and you win back your soulmate.”

The conviction in his brother’s voice had his chest tightening. “Thanks, man.”

“God, if Trev knew this, he’d be on the first plane out from Ireland to pitch in. Everyone will want to help. I assume you’re calling in the matchmaking trio. They’ll be pissed if you leave them out of this.”

He smiled. “I was going to call them next. In fact, Francesca has brought a chaperone assistant of sorts, who sounds an awful lot like a female Hargreaves.”

“Really? I can’t wait to meet her. I told Caroline I want my own Hargreaves. I mean, that guy is seriously cool. He knows lost Julia Child recipes from his dad’s old spy days. Martial arts. Flamenco guitar. Is there anything he can’t do?”

“Hargreaves is the man. We’ll have to see how this Alice Bailey stacks up. She has to be pretty special if Francesca thinks so much of her.”

“Maybe we can all have brunch at Mom and Dad’s house and get acquainted. Now, you need to call the matchmaking trio, and I need to do a Google search on Francesca Maroun.” But he was apparently too impatient to wait because he almost immediately said, “Wow, bro. She’s gorgeous.”

He thought of how she’d looked in her Valentino suit, oozing both smarts and sex. “Yeah, she is.”

“Way too elegant for you, though.” J.T. whistled. “There’s a photo of her at a gallery opening in Stockholm. She’s wearing Valentino. Oh, man, I already love her.”

Art and fashion would win his brother over. “She wore Valentino today, in fact. Wait until you hear her talk business. She talks like a Merriam.”

“She’d have to, being Georges Maroun’s daughter. He’s the shit. One of the biggest builders in the Gulf and beyond. We didn’t cross paths, but when I worked on Merriam Oil & Gas issues in that part of the world, his name came up often. He is well respected. Even a little feared, I might say.”

That tracked with what Francesca had told him. Quinn had also met the man in the flesh, once, while dating Francesca, and although he’d known many powerful men, none of them had prepared him for her father’s charismatic ruthlessness. His takeaway about her father’s character was one of the reasons he’d never told Francesca about that singular meeting. How did you tell the love of your life that you thought her father was a dick? “I figure he’d have to be a little intimidating to be successful in that part of the world. Francesca can be tough too, but she wears it differently.”

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