Lara straightened her shoulders and headed down the hallway to her father’s office.
Lara knocked sharply then pushed the door open without waiting for an invitation.
Pernell raised his eyebrows as he glanced up.“Lara, darling.”He cleared his throat.“I didn’t expect you back today.”
“Obviously.”She took a seat across from him and dropped her bag onto the thick carpeting.The unyielding green leather, high-back chair squeaked as she sat.The rest of his office was just as uncomfortable.Dark mahogany bookshelves overflowed with civic awards, mementos and antique clocks.His gigantic desk had a huge phone, a blotter, a few fine pens and a cup of pencils.Begrudgingly, he’d allowed the IT team to install a computer, but it was behind him on a credenza.If he’d ever turned it on, she’d be astounded.His entire space reeked of old-world tradition or, in her opinion, an outdated way of doing business.
In contrast, her work area was minimalistic, equipped with modern electronics.It was designed for focus as well as flexibility.Its small, sparse confines were accented only by a shocking arrangement of red flowers displayed in an artistically shaped alloy metal vase, all designed to encourage creativity.
Their offices were only the beginning of the differences between Lara and her father.
“I just ran into Connor Donovan.”
“Oh?”He glanced away, as if to avoid her gaze.
She gripped the chair arms.“He thought he had a meeting with both of us.”
“Did he, now?”
“Dad, please.Don’t patronize me.”She held on to the tendril of frustration that threatened to unravel inside her.“Why didn’t you mention we had an appointment with him?”
“I thought I’d see if he had anything interesting to say first.”
How long had it been this way, the thrust and parry as she tried to dig necessary information from him?When she’d been young, he’d doted on her.Lara would hurry to him every chance she had.He’d encouraged it.Every time he’d had to work on a weekend, he’d brought her along.He’d allowed her to work summers while she was in high school, and he’d been her greatest mentor.Even while she’d been in college, she’d looked forward to the opportunity to spend time with him.
It wasn’t until after grad school that she’d realized he was attached to outdated ways of doing business, and she’d started to challenge his decisions.
More and more, he’d begun to leave her out of conversations, and the wedge seemed as unbridgeable as it was wide.Now she understood the frustrations that had led her mother to divorce him five years ago.The man was stubborn.
Opting for the direct route, Lara stated, “Connor said the offer is off the table.”
“It was never on it,” her father replied, relaxing back in his seat, obviously once again feeling in control.
“Meaning?”
“He has some ideas on how we can work together on some projects.But essentially he’s arrogant enough to think we should sell the communications division to him.”
“Did you look at his proposition?”
“It was missing a comma and some zeroes.I never even looked at it.”He clapped his hands together and left them steepled.“I tossed him out on his ass.Told him to take his insulting offer with him.”
“You didwhat?”Energy ripped through her, bringing her to her feet.
“Sit down,” Pernell instructed.“I don’t like tipping my head back to see you.”For the first time in weeks, he smiled.It erased years from his face, banished the shadows from beneath his eyes.His eyes, dark like her own, all but twinkled.
“You’re enjoying this.”
“Lara, you should have seen his face.”
Since BHI was a private firm, they didn’t answer to shareholders, just a seven-member board of directors.She and her father both held seats, along with her mother, Helene who had retained her position as part of her impressive divorce settlement.But because of her annoyances with Pernell, her mother hadn’t been to a meeting in at least a year.Occasionally she threatened to show up, mostly to irritate him, Lara assumed.
The other four members had been appointed by Pernell over the years.They were colleagues and of a similar age and mindset.
Lara believed the company’s financial problems could be solved with a steady, firm hand, a compelling five-year plan, some management shake-ups and, above all, getting rid of certain divisions.
At the last board meeting, she’d presented the dismal financial report, for the third quarter in a row.They could not afford for this spiral to continue.
Despite her passionate entreaty urging them to make changes, they’d voted to continue on the course they’d set.
