“And I’ll go ahead and admit I was wrong. After that frustratingly abstract degree you conned out of the university, I didn’t expect you to want to put in an honest day’s work. I thought you were prepared to fool around for a few hours each afternoon to say you’d been at the office and collect a paycheck.”
“And yet.”
“And yet,” Ian conceded. “I should have trusted you when you said you wanted it.”
“Tony Holland treated me as his errand boy, but worse than that, he flat out accused me of being a spy for Garmin because they beat us on one bid. Quite frankly, I believe he enjoyed treating me poorly because he knew I was going to accept it or be shipped back to being an office drone.”
“Davis, I had no idea. He has a pretty good reputation at the company, otherwise, he wouldn’t be VP of your division.” Ian scrubbed his hands over his clean-shaven jaw and cast a glance at Sophia. She did not look happy.
“Don’t you think he told me daily he was Vice President and Brokerage Manager of the Corporate Real Estate division while I, son of the almighty Ian Healy, was basically his personal assistant, just with my own office?”
“Ian, you’ll have to do something about this. This type of disrespect can’t stand.”
“I know, Soph. Look, Davis, you should have told me immediately. There are going to be employees that would love nothing more than to see me fail, and you are my proxy. I wanted you to gain knowledge in an entry level position, not be spit upon.”
“I’ll take the blame for not coming to you sooner.” Davis smiled at his mother. “You are well-loved in our department.”
Sophia laughed. “I spoil them when I come, so that makes sense.”
“With expensive office equipment.” He winked at her.
“Do you think Tony needs reprimanding or firing, Davis?”
Davis sighed. “He brought Barbara and Peter into my office when he accused me of the Garmin thing. He belittled me every chance he had. But once I stood up to him, he backed off. He hasn’t bothered me in a few weeks, not since I reminded him who I am and that I could get him fired.”
“We’ll play it by ear, then. I’ll come in January and take a look at his own reports, the ones he keeps track of internally.” He paused and looked up as Tabitha stepped into the doorway.
“Mr. Healy, would you like refreshments served now?”
“Yes, please, Tabitha. Thank you.”
“What are we having?” Davis asked his mother.
“I asked her to set up the coffee cart. There should be a few treats on there somewhere.”
Their cook made croissants and biscotti from scratch, among other goodies. “Sounds great.”
“Davis, on the phone you said you were seeing someone,” Sophia prompted as Tabitha pushed the rolling cart into the room.
“I am.”
He allowed them all to be served their first cup before he said anything else. It was chocolate chip biscotti on the cart, his favorite.
“And I’m happy. She’s everything to me, and she agreed to move in with me after the holidays. We’ve already discussed marriage.”
He watched their expressions carefully. His father seemed open to whatever he was about to say next, while his mother hid her mouth behind her cup.
“Son, I was under the impression that the only woman you’ve ever truly loved didn’t return your feelings. Has that changed for either of you?”
“The only reason Luna didn’t want to date me was because she thought you both disapproved.” He dunked his biscotti and didn’t say anything else. He knew how to work a room, considering who raised him.
“Davis, I don’t believe I ever gave her that impression,” Ian said. “You must have reassured her that she was mistaken?”
“I’ve tried. Repeatedly. She was afraid to ruin things, as she put it. She didn’t want to come between us. One of our friends is estranged from his parents because they don’t approve of the woman he’s going to marry. Luna won’t do the same because she believes my relationship with you is more important.” He looked at his mother.
“She’s a lovely girl.” Sophia took another sip of her coffee.
“She’s gorgeous,” he corrected.
