“Kid? He’s close to forty.” Anger welled up inside Hayden, but he held his tongue.
“True, but he’s a dreamer at heart. We never thought Armand would be taking over—Randolph planned to give Armand a sizable share but not give him control of the Kings. I was to take over as owner and general manager.”
“So you feel cheated?” Surprised by Anders’s openness, Hayden hoped to glean as much information as possible.
“No, no, of course not,” Anders rushed out. “But the team must be protected.”
This was getting stranger and stranger. “Why would Mr. Winters do anything to hurt his business? When we spoke, he seemed intent on the Kings continuing on their winning ways. He’s grown up in the organization, and he knows what he’s doing, at least to some extent. I’m going to make things easier for him. That’s why I added him to all the meetings scheduled that I discovered he was left out of. An oversight, no doubt.” He kept his face bland.
Was that a flash of annoyance in Anders’s eyes?
“That’s good to hear. I’ll check with Lucy so that doesn’t happen again. I can’t imagine how that slipup occurred.”
I’ll just bet. I wonder how many other meetings he’saccidentally missed.
“Great. And I’ll reach out to everyone as well.” His smile was cat-that-drank-the-cream satisfied. “It’s always good to have a backup. I’m sure you agree.”
“Of course. And I’m very glad Armand has someone in his corner.”
Hayden finished his coffee and spied people trickling in. A quick glance at the computer screen showed it to be several minutes after nine. “Well, time for me to get to work. I appreciate the talk, Mr. Anders.”
“I’m glad we’re on the same page, Hayden.”
We’re not even reading the same book, Russell, but I know your story.
Russell walked away, greeting people, and Hayden set out to work on Armi’s schedule, as well as reading up on the trade negotiations.
“Did you bring the flowers?”
Armi stood in front of him, and this time Hayden’s pleasure was genuine. “I did. I know you like roses, and I thought they’d brighten up the place.”
Happiness shone from his face. “Thank you. They’re beautiful.” Almost reverently, he touched the petals of the pink roses.
“I’m glad. There’s another bouquet in your office. If you like, I can have them all the time. I’ll have the florist deliver them when these start to fade.”
Armi nodded. “I’d like that.” Halfway to his office, he turned. “Can you come inside, please?”
Confused, Hayden followed him and shut the door. “Is everything all right? Did I do something wrong?”
Armand remained still, gazing at the large bouquet of roses on his desk. “I’m confused. How did you know I like roses?”
“I…” He wet his lips. Did it sound weird? Maybe, but he wasn’t going to lie. “I researched you and discovered your passion is roses. You’ve won numerous contests and have some exotic bushes you’re credited with creating in the New York Botanical Gardens.”
“I don’t know if I’d give myself all those accolades.” As was becoming obvious, Armi rarely accepted praise and was more used to self-deprecation. “I experiment by grafting them to try and grow new subspecies.” He touched the petals of the roses on the conference table. “Sometimes it works, but often it doesn’t.”
“I’m sorry.” Hayden laced his fingers together. “I hope you’re not angry with me.”
“Why would I be?” Armi’s brow puckered.
“Maybe you didn’t want me looking you up online? But I was trying to learn more about you.”
“I’m not mad. But you know…you could just ask me.” Armi’s shy smile was like a warm hug on a cold night. “I guess you discovered I’m not very interesting.”
“That’s no way to talk. Owner of a billion-dollar franchise sounds pretty damn sexy to me.”
A bright-red flush rose over Armi’s face. “Okay, now I know you’re kidding me. I’m the least sexy person around. Please. Don’t think you have to flatter me. I know.”
“Know what?”
