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“I haven’t technically started yet,” I said.
“I heard you’re looking to fill in the CEO position,” he said. “That’s quite ambitious, considering you’re so young.”
“I might be young but I have the competence and experience.”
Luke gave a nod. “I’d rather you became the CEO than one of the Amhurst brothers.”
“Why’s that? No matter who takes over, our companies would still remain competitors.”
“I’d rather deal with you than them.”
“I won’t go easy on you just because we’re friends,” I said in a light tone and grinned.
“You’re competitive now,” he said.
“I always was. I just never got the opportunity to be seen in college.”
“Daddy Amhurst helped you, then?”
“Yeah. He invested in my company initially. Without his help, I wouldn’t be where I’m today.”
“Your relationship with your stepfather has always been good,” he commented. “I’ve seen how much he cared about your mother. You never gave me the chance to say this, but I’m sorry for your loss.”
I looked down and nodded. “It’s all right.”
A knock sounded on the door. “Come in,” I called out.
Mallory walked inside with a tray topped with cartons of coffee and a large brown bag.
“Thanks for bringing them over,” I said as she placed the cups on the table before us.
“No problem, ma’am. Let me know if you need anything else.”
As she walked away, I noticed the chunky cowboy boots she’d chosen to wear with her beige chinos.She never fails to amaze, I thought amusedly.
When she left, Luke resumed the conversation.
“It was all over the papers here,” he said. “They wrote a lot of terrible things about your mother. I kept wondering if Noah was responsible for them.”
A wariness I hadn’t felt earlier came over me.
If what Luke said was true, Noah would never visit Mom’s grave, my mind whispered.He’d never know what her favorite flowers were.
I noticed Luke watching me intently, triggering the business-savvy part of my personality.
With a start, I realized what he was trying to do.
He was trying to bait me, using something that would surely trigger me. He already knew about my frayed relationship with Noah.
“Brian would set fire to any editorial that would dare to write anything horrible about my mom,” I said in a cool tone. “The funeral was a very private affair. Only family and close friends were allowed to attend.”
“I heard you weren’t there,” said Luke.
“I wasn’t,” I lied. “Still, I knew how things went. Brian told me.”
“You trust that man a lot.”
“Of course,” I said, smiling brightly in his face. “He’s like my dad. He’s the man Mom loved. Without his help, I’d be nothing today. He protected me from everyone. There’s no one in this world I trust more than him.”
