Which meant she was strong enough to open the envelope and read the contents.“Okay, I’m ready.”
“You sure?I don’t mind standing here with you in my arms for another hour or two.”
She laughed, probably as he’d intended, and leaned back with a smile.“We can get back to that later.”
Then she took his hand and squeezed it.She had to scoot Bibi to the side because at some point she’d planted her butt on the envelope.She ruffled her fur.“Keeping it safe, or keeping me from reading it?”
She tugged Lawson over to her small, bright blue couch with its overstuffed cushions.She sat in the middle, and Bibi leaped up to snuggle in on one side while Lawson squeezed into the other end with his arm around her.
Safety surrounded her, and nothing her mother wanted could take that away.
Deciding the band-aid treatment was best, she ripped open the envelope and pulled out the papers inside.
A quick glance showed it wasn’t from her mother at all.It was from the firm of lawyers that represented Frances Bishop Cosmetics.
She skimmed it, but didn’t understand what she’d read, so pulled her eyes back to the beginning and started again.
After her third read, she shook her head.“This is strange.”
Lawson rubbed her shoulder.“You didn’t know you had decision-making powers in the company?”
She shook her head.“I was barely a teenager when Frannie B died.She didn’t say a word to me about anything like this.”
“What did she tell you?”
Dani smiled.“That I could be Dani instead of Daniella if I wanted.That I didn’t have to have the same dreams as my family.I wasn’t broken, I just had different priorities.If the outdoors and creating pretty things made me happy, I should find a job that fit that.”
Lawson kissed her hair.“She must be so proud of you.”
Dani smiled up at him and blinked away the mist.“Thanks.I hope so.”
Then she turned her attention back to the relevant part of the letter.“It sounds like my parents want to merge with another cosmetics company.They say this will expand the reach of both companies.The board of directors wants this to happen.”
“That’s the way I read it, too.Apparently, you have veto power over mergers and name changes.”
Dani shook her head.“This is unbelievable.Why wouldn’t I know about this?”
“No idea.Obviously, mergers and name changes haven’t come up, but someone should have informed you of your rights when you became of age.”
She nodded, thinking it through.She’d lived in a small apartment during college and hadn’t moved home after finishing her degree.Still, she’d seen her family weekly for a family dinner, usually followed by some event where she was expected to cope with small talk with strangers.
A shudder ran through her, and Lawson stroked her arm.“What do you want to do next?”
He was such a good man.“I don’t know.First, I think I’ll let it simmer in my head for a bit, and then I’ll call either the law firm or the lawyer who helped me set up my businesses.”
He nodded.“Sounds like a smart plan.If you give it some time, you’ll have a better idea of what questions to ask.”
“I don’t know how this affects my family’s finances.Are they in trouble?Do they need this merger, or do they simply want to expand?I don’t want the name Frannie B came up with to disappear.But if theyaredesperate for money, what would she want me to do?”
She leaned into Lawson’s shoulder while he held her, and Bibi snored in her lap.
After a few minutes, she shook herself.“I’m going to drive myself crazy just sitting here thinking about it.Let’s go check on the bees.”
Lawson grinned.“I hoped you would say that.The bee suit I ordered arrived yesterday.Now I can get a better idea of how everything works.”
Grinning, Dani took his hand.Bibi followed them out of the cottage.
A black sedan with tinted windows sat on the other side of the street.Probably the courier.Instead of acknowledging his presence, she locked up, took Lawson’s hand again, and headed to play with her bees.
