Not knowing what to do, she’d made excuses for Quinn’s absence and continued on with the evening. Always in the front of her mind was the look on Quinn’s face when he said he didn’t know her.
A tear trailed down her cheek. He was right. She’d become everything she’d ever looked down on in her father. Calculating. Worried about the bottom line more than her responsibility to the other people on the planet. She’d gone back to being a person split into two. There was the work version of her who made the hard calls and didn’t feel guilt, who isolated herself behind a wall of ice while she threatened those around her like a dragon, and then there was the woman in love with Quinton. Ginny loved being that woman. She cherished the idea of having her babies in her arms, of loving one man her whole life long, of creating a family that was better than the one she’d grown up in. She ached for long weekends and sleeping in Quinton’s arms.
She drew a circle on the tablecloth with her finger. Inside of her were two different people. For ten years they’d lived in harmony, but coming home and being in charge … she’d given too much leeway to the dragon side of her. It wasn’t an evil thing, but it did need to be tamed. She should be more of herself at work. Allow herself to care about the people she worked with and look at the opportunities she missed to do the right thing because she was so worried about staying on top.
She heaved a breath. She could make this right; she just needed to know what to do first. Chasing down Quinton was on the list. She needed to tell him he was right, needed to make some changes. She stared at her phone, wondering if he’d even take her call.
“I know I left it here.” A petite woman with short black hair and a bounce in her step came through the door.
Ginny hurriedly wiped her cheeks.
“What color was it?” asked Lucas Scott.
Ginny stared at him. He was the answer to her problem, and he’d appeared as if summoned by her desire to make right the wrong she’d committed.
His wife laughed, placing a hand on his arm. “I love that you can recall the formula that describes the collection of fundamental particles thought to make up the universe, but you can’t remember what color my purse is.”
He took her hand and pressed it to his lips. “Let’s get out of here. I’ll buy you a new purse.”
She laughed and headed to the lost and found pile. “It’ll take five minutes.”
Ginny jumped to her feet, feeling as though she was given a second chance. “Mr. Scott.” She stretched out her hand. “It’s wonderful to see you.”
“It is?” He blinked.
“Don’t be rude.” His wife elbowed him. “I’m Becca.” She had an I-save-stray-dogs kindness about her that put Ginny at ease.
“Please, won’t you two sit down? I have a story to tell.” She needed this meeting. “It won’t take long.”
They nodded. Lucas held the chair out for Becca before taking the seat next to her.
Ginny bit her lip. This was no time to be a wallflower, yet she couldn’t be a dragon. Instead of either of those, she grabbed on to the woman who loved Quinn and started talking. The story tumbled out of her, all twisted up with her falling in love with Quinn and finding out tonight that he’d loved her for years.
“I’m sorry, that took longer than I thought it would.” She laughed as she wiped under her eyes. “The bottom line is, Mr. Scott, I’d very much like you to continue the work on InfantPure. And you don’t have to pay for any of it. The lives the formula could save are much more important that our investment in the pill so far.”
Lucas rubbed his chin. He exchanged a look with Becca. She smiled. “Karma is a funny thing, hon.” She turned to Ginny and explained how Lucas had worked out the immunization formula for the Butterfly Flu, but he’d had to give it to his competitor in order to have it put into testing because Lucas was under investigation for the death of his sister, who had died from the infection at their private facility. “Eventually the charges were dropped. But if he’d waited, thousands more would have died.”
Lucas clasped his hands in front of him. “Let’s make something clear. If I take this project, I’m not doing it for the money.”
Ginny stared at them. The impression upon her mind was clear: this was the man who was meant to create InfantPure. It had never been hers. Even the idea, which she’d felt inspired to present to her father, came from a higher source. She’d been so caught up in the numbers and the company that she’d shut off the Source of All Inspiration. “It’s yours, Mr. Scott. Do with it what you will.”
He glanced at his wife. “I think we’ll stay in Seattle for the weekend.”
Becca nodded her agreement.
“I’ll meet you Monday morning to sign the paperwork.”
The relief that swept through Ginny washed away her anxiety. Part of her wrong had been righted. “I’ll send a message to our lawyers. Make it Monday afternoon. I don’t want them to stress out too much.”
He chuckled. “Done.”
They said their goodbyes, and Ginny found herself on her feet with nowhere to go. She called for a car and waited by the front door. As she paced, an idea started to form. She dialed Avery. “I’m sorry for calling so late. “She and Quinton were meant to be together, and she had to right that wrong or she’d never be whole.
“It’s okay.” Avery’s words slurred, and she cleared her throat, pulling herself from slumber. “Is everything all right?”
“No. But I hope it can be.” She proceeded to explain what had happened and how she wanted to fix it.
Avery was a willing accomplice, and by the time Ginny made it home, she was too excited to sleep.
