Well, good. Because this is really your brainchild, Lucy.
Oh, no. Not really. I mean, I think of it as my babybut you both know I only hired on after the whole experiment had been started. It wasnt originally my experiment
Yes, but youre the one who took it on. Who brought it to fruition.
Only because Ludwig was such an incredible teacher. She hadnt forgotten the old manOrsons horticulturalistwhod brought her into the fold, made mincemeat of her botany degree, and then taken the time to give her the intensive, practical education that mattered.
This is no time to be modest, Lucy. I know what Ludwig did. But I also know what you accomplished on your own in the last few years. More important yet, we know that we can completely trust you, right, Nick?
Lucy glanced at Nick, only to feel uneasiness stir. Whatever was on Orsons mind, Nick clearly didnt agree with his grandfather. His handsome face went still, his expression cool. Yes. We trust you, Lucy.
He didnt say but, but she mentally heard it. Orson continued on.
When we take all this publicseveral years down the roadI dont know what kind of management setup well need. Or what part youll want to play in it. But right now, we want to expand and yet stay private. Put serious money into more extensive experiments and yet not take untoward financial risks. Orson leaned back and crossed his leg over a knee the same way his grandson did. Lucy, I wonder how much you feel you could handle.
Me?
Id like you to manage the project. Handle the labor to get the additional greenhouses up and running. Plan the planting program. All of it.
Me? she echoed.
I dont know why youre sounding surprised. The staff already thinks youre a terrific boss.
But Im not exactly a boss, she objected. I never thought of myself that way. Once Ludwig leftwell, we all function as a team. Reikos older than I am. And Fritz and Fredwell, theyre more like puppies than employees. I mean, Ive never actually given anyone orders to do anything
Orson smiled affectionately. Actually, you do, Lucybut in a way that everyone appreciates. And I have total faith you can handle the promotion. In fact, there is absolutely no one else I want to do it.
When he mentioned the salary that went with the promotion, she almost fell off the chair. She wanted to. Actually, she wanted to leap on the couch whooping and screaming, but of course she didnt.
Mr. Bernard, Id love a chance at this. I cant tell you how hard Ill work and try to deserve your trust in me. She tried to sound her subdued best, but her head was still yelling ohmygodohmygodohmygod. New car, here we come! Hells bells, she might even move up to an Accord.
Here shed been so sure this day was doomed for a nosedive because of that ugly bout of stomach trouble. Had she ever been wrong. And really, she should have known. Shed worked hard and long to make a life plan come together. Her life wasnt going so perfectly by accident, but because shed fought so hard. Darn it, she deserved it.
But just then, she glanced at Nick again.
CHAPTER TWO
NICK STARED out the sunroom window, jingling the change in his pocket, watching Lucy charge across the lawn back to the greenhouse. The dogs had found herno surprise. The only shock was that they hadnt found her before this.
Baby was a full-blooded Great Dane, where Boo Boowell, Boo Boos name was self-explanatory. Baby had been bred with a ribbon-winning sire and dutifully stood for him, but the minute shed been brought home, she took off and found her own choice of lovers. Boo Boo was the result. The dogs coloring and size were pure Great Dane, but the ears drooped and the tail was wrong and his expression was downright dopey.
Either way, both dogs were bigger than Lucy. The faster she ran, the more they appeared to be chasing her, but that wasnt really true. They simply bounded and leaped around her, thrilled to have their favorite female visit. They adored her. When Boo Boo latched on to her wrist, he never left a mark. When they lavished kisses on her faceand she screamedthey just wagged their tails, understanding that she wasnt remotely annoyed.
Nick wanted to shake his head.
Lucywhose creative horticultural talents could potentially bring in a multiple seven-figure windfall for Bernard Chocolateshad a red nose, a dog-licked chin, a silly flower hat that had fallen in the snow, and jeans with a hole in the knee.
Shes too young, Nick said to his grandfather.
Orson stepped behind him, carrying a fresh mug of coffee. I know she looks young. But shes just under thirty. You were running the manufacturing operations at that age.
But that was only because I had to. Because Mom and Dad died. Because you were ill. And because Clint couldnt tell a balance sheet from a bowling ball.
Your brother is just as smart as you are. He could have taken the ball if hed just had the interest, the ambition. Once he got that young woman pregnant, everything went downhill for him. The point being, when your parents died, you were both too young to run a company. Technically. But you grabbed hold of the challenge and made it happen.
Nick had heard the refrain of this story too many times before. It was Orsons gospel. Gramps would have forgiven his grandsons all kinds of goofscar wrecks, losing a few million, run-ins with alcohol or drugs, probably even a bank robberybut he was ancient-old-school as far as women. A man didnt get a woman pregnant and leave her. Period. Unfortunately, Clint had made exactly that mistake. Orson had never forgiven him, no matter what Clint had said or done since.
Every once in a while, Nick tried playing go-between. It always worked the same way. Trying to intercede always resulted in his head getting kicked from both directions. But right now, his older brothers problems werent on the table. The situation with Lucy was.
Lucy isnt me. Its not the same thing.
No, it isnt, but were not asking her to run an international manufacturing operation, either.
Nick heard the stubborn note in his grandfathers tone and knew the old man was spoiling for a fight. Orson loved to fight and most of the time Nick gave in. The Bernard Experimental Station was one of Orsons wild-haired follies, which in itself didnt bother him. Orson, after all, had turned Bernard Chocolates into the multimillion-dollar operation it was. If he wanted to fritter away some money, God knew, he was entitled. This situation, though, was different.
Lucy knows that new breed of cacao is potentially worth a fortune. Shes not used to pressure. Shes not trained for it. Its not a fair thing to put on her shoulders.
When Orson didnt immediately argue, Nick focused again on the view below.
She was almost out of sight now, but not completely. A copse of tall blue spruce formed a privacy barrier between the house and experimental station. She had almost reached the woods.
Her hair looked more silver than blond, especially in sunlight, and was finer than filament. She wore it chin-length and simple, but it whished around her face every time she moved.
He knew she wasnt as young as she lookedit had to be challenging to look mature for someone who barely reached five-three and had that baby-fine hair. Hed never seen her wear makeup. Maybe she troweled on five pounds of face paint when she went out, but he only saw her at work. Makeup made no sense in the damp, warm environment of the greenhouses. Her skin was so damned gorgeous, he thought shed be silly to goop it up anyway.
The eyes, though. God. A guy could look into those hazel eyes, get lost and never find his way out. They were dark gold and mesmerizing, framed with a thick fringe of short lashes. Sometimes, talking to her, he could look and look and look in those eyes. Forget who he was, forget how different they were, forget how young she was.
She doesnt have the background to take on this kind of responsibility, Nick said firmly.
Oh? What kind of background is that? Orsons tone was wry. She took Ludwigs experiments and turned them completely around. On her own. Alone. Shes creative, bright, intuitive. She works harder than any three men. Shes responsible to the nth degree.
I know all that, Nick said testily.
But Orson wasnt through singing her praises. Everybody loves her. She may not think of herself as a leader, but everyone else does. Shes always at the head of the pack, making the work fun for everyone else, bringing fresh ideas and spirit and excitement to every project shes involved with.
Gramps, I know all that. And I like her, too. Its just Nick wasnt used to fumbling, but it was hard to find the right word to phrase his objections. Saying everyone liked Lucy was like saying the sky was blue. Of course they liked her. She was like a fresh breeze on a dark day, always upbeat, always finding the right thing to say. And she listened. She tilted her head just so, listening to whoever was speaking intently. She heard people. She didnt just talk. She really heard people.
Like him.
One timeGod knew how shed gotten him talkingLucy had definitely heard him.
Orson was still musing on the nature of the project. Obviously there are areas wed have to take on ourselves. I dont know how many extra employees well need to hire. And security is a critical concernbut you can take that on, cant you, Nick? Shed be in charge of the growing, the plantings, the direct work. But you could oversee that, as well.
You dont think I have enough to do?
His grandfather regarded him patiently. I think youll find time for this because youre as excited about the idea as I am.
Maybe.
You thought it was an old mans foolishness. That I was throwing away money on these experiments. That there wasnt a chance any of them could possibly work.
Dont rub it in.
But you were as thrilled as I was when the results came through. That chocolate was better quality than any weve ever produced. Better than any weve ever tasted from any company. Anywhere on the globe.
All right. All right. So Im as excited as hell, Nick said irritably.
Orson smiled, but then he turned serious. Its not just that I feel Lucy has earned the promotion and opportunity. I do think that. But also there are few people in this life that I completely trust. That girl has integrity. She wouldnt pick up a dime on the street that wasnt hers.
Thats partly why I think shes too young. Shes naive. That kind of young. Still idealistic. All that shit.
So am I, Orson said mildly.
Nick shot him a grin. Yeah, but youre hopeless. Besides, youre my grandfather, so I can find a way to protect you whether you want me to or not.
Orson smiled back, but then he simply looked thoughtfully at his grandson. Do you have some personal reason youre not comfortable with Lucy?
Of course not. Nick easily and immediately put that question to bed, but he thought damn right he had a reason.
She was attracted to him. It was an embarrassment for hera problem that cropped up the minute he showed up, that other people noticed, that made it hard for her to work with him. He didnt want her hurt, and didnt want to put her in any situation where he knew she could be hurt.
But explaining that to his grandfather would only make it more awkward for Lucyand himself. The answer was simply to stay as far away from her as possible.
Look, Gramps, put her in charge, if you want. Give her the promotion. But weve got a dozen irons in the fire over the next few months. Ive got to be in Europe part of that time. So let me think on it, see if I can find someone else who can watch over her and the project.
Someone besides you.
Exactly.
We both know this is something that could revolutionize the chocolate industry. We just cant put it in the hands of a stranger, Orson said.
I know. I agree. It was a worry in itself that Lucy had been the one to come through with the miracle. If Nick had ever believed it could happen, hed have hired massive, unprecedented security for the project from the get-go. But that was like fretting over spilled milk. Ill find the right person.
As long as it isnt you, Orson repeated again.
It wont be me, Nick expressed with absolute certainty, then glanced at his watch. Ive got to get rolling. Madris going to drive you to the doctors this afternoon?
Between you and Madris, someones hounding me nonstop. Im sick of it.
Nick turned away from the window completely, ready to concentrate completely on Orson now.
She was out of sight.
FOR A MONDAY that started out darn worrisome, it sure turned out fabulous. The instant Lucy got home, she dropped her jacketon the floor. Peeled off her boots. Then, as an afterthought, chucked the rest of her clothes down to her underpants.
Yes. With the word promotion singing through her head like an aria, she danced through the house, flipping on the tube to the Oxygen channel, then boogie-wooing into the kitchen to pour herself a half glass from her dusty bottle of Gallo, then sipped it, still dancing. She started getting chilled from running around without clothes, but who cared?
Promotion. What a bubble-popping, orgasmic, rainbow-pretty word. Dollar signs paraded in her mind. Big, beautiful dollar signs. Now shed have money to pay for the white carpeting. Money to upgrade the Civic. Money to pay off her Pottery Barn couch and the purple satin sheets and the museum print of the eagle.
She was gonna beokay, not richbut solvent, solvent, solvent.
And more to the point, oh, way, way, way more to the pointshe was going to be a major player in the chocolate thing. It was actually going to be her baby. Seeing the advent of chocolate not dependent on rain forests. Developing the most fabulous chocolate products in the known universe. Creating products that no one else hadthat no one else had even dreamed of.
Her.
Lucy.
Lucy Fitzhenry.
Was actually going to make history. Chocolate history. So it wasnt world peace or a cure for cancer, but sheesh. When push came to shove, what was one of the most absolutely critical things in life?
A rhetorical question, of course, as she sashayed over to her private stash by the computer drawer. One truffle before dinner. Oh, yes, all the rules were going by the wayside tonight. If those who called her an obsessive-compulsive fuddy-duddy could only see her nowhaving chocolate before dinner. With wine. Walking around the house near naked. No looking at the bills. No cleaning. No doing anything constructive.
And they said shed never manage being wicked. Hah. She was just swallowing the last sip of wine when the doorbell rang.
She froze, then spun around, cracked her toe on a chair leg, winced, and then hobbled into the bedroom, yelling, Hold on! Ill be there in a minute! As fast as she could, she yanked on yoga pants and a sweatshirt, yelling out another promise at the top of her lungs, and then pedaled for the front door.