“And?”Erin prompted.
“She obviously knew nothing about the meeting.”Her wide-eyed reaction to seeing him had been real.No doubt about that.
“You could call her,” Erin said.
“I gave her my card.”
“Oh?”
“If she wants more details, she can contact me.”He was surprised, and more than a little disappointed, that she hadn’t.Loyalty ran deep, perhaps.Most times, that was an admirable trait.But when it was blindly given, it bordered on an emotional reaction rather than a strategic choice.
“What’s our next step?”the Colonel asked.
“We wait.”
“I like it.”The Colonel nodded.“Vultures will swoop in eventually.”
“There’s a danger in that,” Kathryn said.
“Oh?”Connor leveled a glance at her.
“If the rumors are true, BHI is making some bad decisions.There may be nothing worth saving if Pernell does something stupid.”
“The patents make it attractive,” Nathan said.
They were the game changer.
The five of them spent the next hour discussing other interests.Kathryn outlined her plan for Erin to fill in at the foundation while she was on her cruise.
“You are planning to come back?”the Colonel demanded.
Kathryn was slower in responding than Connor expected.“It’s no surprise that I’d like to cut back on the time spent at the office.”
“But?”Connor prompted.
She looked at him without blinking.“I’d like Erin to start looking for someone to take over more of the day-to-day responsibilities.”
Until now, he hadn’t thought much about his aunt’s hopes and aspirations.
“I want to travel more.But don’t misunderstand.I’m not resigning.”
“It’s the influence of that youngster,” the Colonel insisted.
“Perhaps.”
Was it?She’d never married, had never had children.Until now, Connor hadn’t wondered why.She was certainly still young.Fit.Trim.Obsessed with eating well, taking vitamins.She often said she had no intention of aging gracefully.She was going to fight the temptress at every turn.So far, she was doing a hell of a job.“Erin, get with Kathryn offline.”
Erin nodded.
The meeting wrapped up shortly afterward.Erin hung back for a private word.
“What did you think of Lara?”
“Meaning?”
“I’ve known her for a very long time.”
“And?”
