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.”
