Boss (6 page)

Kelsey knew her capitulation wouldn’t come easily, and it wasn’t an option in the long term. She just wasn’t capable of it.

“You’re a bigger asset to me if you’re at the far end of the table,” he continued. “Divide and conquer, as it were. If there’s gossip, you’ll be able to stanch it. And if we’re separated, we’ll be able to answer twice the questions.” The coffeemaker spit out the last few drips, and he grabbed the cup. “By placing you there, I’m also sending a message that I hold you in high regard. It’s a good strategic move.”

His logic was sound and reasonable, but no less annoying for it.

“Please,” he added.

She exhaled. “Of course, Mr. Donovan.”

“You have no idea how much I like hearing those words.”

On the contrary. She suspected she did.

He took a drink of his coffee and closed his eyes. For a moment, she caught a glimpse of the stress that he, too, had obviously been experiencing.

Afraid that she was close to feeling a little sympathy for him, Kelsey shoved it away. After gathering her belongings, she carried them to the far end of the table.

Moments later, Martha swept in smelling as if she’d bathed in lavender. Her long silver hair had shocking chunks of black laced through it. Her toenails were still Halloween orange, and her black T-shirt bore a picture of her oldest grandchild. If that hadn’t been enough to demolish the tension between Kelsey and Nathan, her infectious smile would have. It was as if she’d personally hand delivered a ray of sunshine.

“
Ciao.
” She waved a hand that was weighted down with rings bearing the birthstones of her kids and a dozen grandkids.

“Morning, Martha,” Kelsey replied.

The older woman angled her head toward Nathan with a puzzled frown.

“Martha, I’d like you to meet Nathan Donovan.”

“Donovan?” After pursing her lips, the woman faced him. “And what are you doing here, young man?”

Kelsey turned away to hide her smile, really happy she hadn’t warned Nathan about the woman’s directness.

He greeted her with a smile and a handshake before resting his hips comfortably on the edge of the table. The act made him look less intimidating, more approachable. “I’ve heard great things about you,” he said.

The intractable tone had vanished from his voice, as if it had never existed.

Kelsey clenched her back teeth.

“I know it’s a shock, but Mr. Newman is in the hospital.” He held up a hand, forestalling her next question. “He’s expected to make a full recovery. Ms. Lane will be sending flowers on behalf of the company.”

Kelsey scowled, more than a little frustrated that it hadn’t already occurred to her to do exactly that.

“As for what I’m doing here…” Conversationally, Nathan relaxed his shoulders.

It wasn’t just his posture that invited trust, it was the warmth in his tone, something she hadn’t heard until now.

“Mr. Newman would never have wanted it to be announced this way, but he was in the process of selling the company. We were originally planning to close next year. Obviously the timeline has been moved up, something no one would have wanted or been able to foresee. From here forward, it will be known as Donovan Logistics. Because you’ve been here so long, we wanted you to be among the very first to know.”

He was good. Friendly, direct, inviting trust. Not at all what she’d expected based on his reputation.

“While there will be some changes, I can assure you that there are no immediate plans to restructure. We’re pleased with the way things are going, and we’ll continue forward.”

She noted the way Martha responded to his charm, part sympathy for Mr. Newman, part reassurance for the future. And giving her plenty of gossip to spread through the company. Kelsey was beginning to get a toothache from the way her jaw was set in response to the youngest Donovan brother.

The door opened and two VPs entered. A few seconds later, a sales manager joined them.

It was go time.

She squared her shoulders and made introductions. Within minutes, she was dealing with IT, ensuring remote logins from the docks were coming online and answering questions about Donovan’s intentions and Mr. Newman’s health.

At one minute until eight, Nathan took control of the room.

He raised his voice the barest hint and asked people to be seated, and he pulled back the chair next to his for Martha. The woman nodded in satisfaction.

As much as Kelsey was loath to admit it, he did a masterful job. Mr. Newman’s meetings almost always started around five after, since he waited for everyone to arrive, grab a coffee and get situated.

At exactly eight o’clock, Nathan began. He took out a piece of paper and began addressing the people in attendance as well as those joining via video. He had obviously prepared and rehearsed for this. Though he waved in two latecomers, he kept going and never tripped over a word. Meticulously, he crossed items off his agenda before moving to the next topic.

At every turn, she was reluctantly impressed. She’d spent years trying to keep Mr. Newman focused, but his meetings had always meandered. In contrast, Donovan was on target.

Then he surprised her by inviting her to say a few words about the going-away party. She promised details would be forthcoming by the end of the weekend.

“Thank you,” he said, taking control again. “If you have any questions, feel free to ask.” He reiterated his key points—jobs were safe, Mr. Newman was appreciated and everyone’s help was needed in order to make the transition smooth. “I know you’ll do an excellent job of informing your people.”

Next he addressed the video attendees, letting them know he intended to visit the docks before the end of the workday.

He passed out a stack of business cards. “Please send me an email by lunchtime letting me know how your meetings went.”

Shockingly, he wrapped up in under fifteen minutes. He stayed around to answer a few questions and greet the late arrivals.

Kelsey realized Nathan had set a new tone. Things were more precise and better organized. He’d left no doubt there was a new boss, one who was serious.

She stood and gathered her belongings.

“I like the young man.”

With a frown, she turned to look at Martha. “Mr. Donovan?”

“Seems honest. I don’t think Mr. Newman would have chosen him as the new CEO if he hadn’t been the right person.”

Kelsey kept her mouth shut. But she had to acknowledge he’d done a good job if he’d managed to charm Martha so quickly.

After a few more words, Martha went to talk to someone else, and Kelsey took aside Lawrence, the head of HR, to notify him they’d be releasing Seward. She added that she wanted the tug captain to receive three months’ severance pay.

“I’ll get it calculated right away and request a check from accounting,” he said.

After the man nodded and went on his way, Kelsey felt a strange tingle at the base of her neck. She glanced up and saw Nathan looking at her.

Though he was surrounded by others, he was watching her intently.

Did the man miss nothing?

She chatted with a couple of people before escaping to her office to call Sofia Donovan. The number Nathan had provided was her direct line rather than a general number for the company, and Sofia answered her phone on the first ring. Was every Donovan efficient?

Even though she had misgivings about her new boss, Kelsey instantly liked Sofia. The woman struck a balance of warmth and professionalism as she went through a list of questions. Then she added that her sister now ran the Houston branch and promised to have Zoe call Kelsey within the hour to set up a meeting.

Afterward, Kelsey telephoned the florist to arrange flowers for Mr. Newman. Then she texted Holly about the party plans.

Nathan rapped on the corner of Kelsey’s desk when he entered their suite, but he didn’t slow down on the way to his office.

Still, as if a whirlwind had swept through, it took her a couple of minutes to remember where she was and get back to work. She forwarded the new corporate logo to her preferred vendor and placed an order for pens, mugs and pads before going back to the conference room to clear it of everything that had Newman Inland Marine on it.

Kelsey fought back a gulp of sadness, told herself to focus on the future and show the type of leadership the Newmans had asked for. In her work life, she’d never done anything more difficult.

When she returned to her office, Lawrence was waiting for her.

She slipped into her chair, and he sat across from her. He slid a folder containing Seward’s termination package across the desktop toward her.

When she went to scrawl her name on the bottom of the check, she noticed that it was drawn on a new bank. Since she’d never filled out official paperwork, she doubted Donovan had made her a signer on the account, which meant she had to take the check to him. “I’ll handle this and get it back to you,” she said.

“Yeah,” he said. “I don’t envy you your job.”

Lawrence left. She stood and straightened her skirt before picking up the file folder and crossing the room to knock on her new boss’s door.

He called out for her to enter. Too late, she realized he was on the phone. Regardless, he waved her in, and she took a seat and waited for him to finish.

“Second weekend of December is fine, Colonel,” he said. “I’ll let Connor know we’ll be there.” After a few more words, he hung up. “That was my grandfather,” he explained, unnecessarily.

“He’s a colonel?”

“No. Yes.” He twisted his lips wryly. “I’ll explain when we have more time. Donovan Holdings, which is essentially just family members, is planning a retreat. It’s an annual gathering before the holidays. We discuss all aspects of the various businesses and make the strategic plan for the upcoming year. With the acquisition of Newman, I’m too busy to travel far, and since Cade will use any excuse to skip, the Colonel has decided we’ll hold it at the ranch.”

“The ranch?”

“The Running Wind. Maybe you’ve heard of it?”

“I think most people in Texas have,” she agreed. If it wasn’t the largest ranch in the state, it was certainly close. In fact, it was one of the biggest in the country. She knew the Donovans had owned it for more than a century and that only small, select parts were open to the public.

“The timing on this takeover wasn’t ideal. We’d hoped to put it off until the first of the year.” He shrugged. “As my assistant, I’d like you to be there.”

She blinked. “Me?”

“I’ll want your input, and I’ll want you to be part of the strategy for the logistics business. I have financials to prepare for all the companies as well as a general overview.”

“Are you still CFO of Donovan Worldwide?”

“In my spare time.” He gave a tired half-smile.

Absently she wondered if his exhaustion had been there the whole time and why she hadn’t noticed it.

“Think about it,” he went on, bringing her back to the present. “It’s more than a month from now, and you don’t have to give me an immediate answer. Theoretically, we’d leave work around lunchtime on Thursday so that we’d be in time for an evening overview. We’d stay through early Sunday afternoon.”

She’d had no idea that he expected his assistant to travel with him. “I typically ran the offices when Mr. Newman was gone.”

“I’m sure we have VPs who are capable of stepping in. Or, preferably, Martha could sit at your desk.”

“She only works part-time,” Kelsey replied.

“See if she can cover. It’s only a day and a half. If not her, find someone else. We’ll be available in an emergency.”

She nodded slowly.

“What can I do for you?” He clasped his hands on the desktop.

“About Seward…” She placed the manila folder in front of him.

He flipped it open, scanned the contents faster than should have been humanly possible then looked up. As if it had never existed, the momentary weariness etched beside his eyes had vanished, replaced by steely intensity. “Three months’ severance? Do you think that’s appropriate?”

“It’s not atypical for someone who’s been with us for so many years.”

“And will potentially cost the company tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of dollars?”

“I’m thinking more about his family.”

“As Seward should have done. Donovan Worldwide pays severance when it’s warranted but never in cases of severe misconduct.”

“
Potential
misconduct.”

“Ms. Lane.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Please.”

She exhaled. While she knew Seward might eventually be cleared of responsibility, the truth was, he had violated the company’s abuse policy.

“Have this amended to cover only his to-date pay and accrued vacation.” He closed the folder and pushed it back to her. His action and tone left no room for argument. “We’ll set you up as a signer on the bank account in the next couple of weeks.”

“Yes, Mr. Donovan,” she said, voice tight. She snatched back the folder and left his office.

Instead of returning to her desk, she headed to HR to request a new check. Rather than riding the elevator, she took the stairs, needing the exercise to clear her mind.

After meeting with Lawrence, she decided to grab a latte from the coffee-cart vendor in the building’s lobby. She took it outside and crossed the road to the urban park with concrete seats, a large swatch of grass, oleanders that had lost most of their blooms and several small fountains.

Since she only had on a lightweight suit jacket and the sun was obscured by clouds, the breeze chilled her.

After a couple of sips, she called her friend Andi.

“What’s going on, girl?” Andi asked.

“Not sure you’ll believe it.”

“Hold on. Let me get away for a minute.”

Andi owned a massively successful salon or, in her words, a hair artistry and design studio. They’d been friends since high school. Both of them had lost their moms early, and both of them had fathers who were overbearing.

“You’re calling to make an appointment, right? That’s what I won’t believe. You’re finally ready to do something about those poor, neglected tresses. Highlights? A new cut? Oh halleluiah, tell me we’re going to get rid of some of that length. We can always put in extensions to make it look longer.” Andi growled deep in her throat.