A Hard Man to Love (12 page)

“Did you sleep well?” Derrick asked after Saunders disappeared into the house.

Eva nodded. “Did you?”

“Like a baby.” He smiled. He looked relaxed and seemed in a good mood. His demeanor reminded her of the good times they used to share on St. Simons Island. “How’d the shopping go yesterday?”

“It went well. I found the cutest little outfits and a few more stuffed animals.”

Derrick’s lips quirked upward. “She’s not even born yet, and she’s got more clothes than I do and more toys than Toys ‘R’ Us.”

“They were so cute, though. I couldn’t resist.”

She was used to his teasing, even though he encouraged her to get whatever she thought best for the baby. In another week, the nursery would be finished. A local artist was coming to paint a mural of purple dinosaurs dancing in a field of marigolds on the wall. Derrick thought the design looked wacky. She thought it was adorable, and since he’d given her carte blanche over the nursery, her baby would awaken every morning to the sight of polka-dot curtains and purple dinosaurs in a field of marigolds.

“I’d like to see them after breakfast. Did you buy anything for yourself?”

“A couple of outfits for the charity events, like you suggested.”

“I’d like to see those, too.”

They had attended a few business dinners, but he’d informed her to expect the invitations to increase as people grew accustomed to him as the head of HLC. Most they wouldn’t attend, but some—like the upcoming charity events—were a must.

“How is the court case going?”

“The whole thing is ridiculous,” he said with frustration. “They’re throwing everything at us in court, from fraud to claiming that my mother somehow influenced him or threatened him into changing his will. Never mind she’s been dead for fifteen years. Even if she had some influence over him when she was alive, I think that influence would have waned considerably in recent years.

“They’re all so used to Phineas taking care of them, they’re in panic mode. He bought them homes, paid for their children’s educations, and each of his brothers got a substantial monthly allowance.”

“I understand why they’re panicked, don’t you? He’s taken care of them for years, and now they have to fend for themselves. Seems strange he cut them off like that.”

“Yeah. Unless . . .” Derrick frowned. “Maybe that wasn’t the intention. He used to say all the time if you don’t work for it, you won’t appreciate it. None of his brothers worked in the business, and he only has one niece who expressed any interest in working for HLC, and she’s in the New York office.” He paused, the wheels in his head turning. “Maybe he didn’t cut them off. The reason he left everything to me was so that I could continue to mete out the allowances and disbursements. If he gave them a chunk of the estate, they’d squander their inheritance in no time.”

“So . . . what are you going to do?”

He sat back, a thoughtful frown on his face. “I’ll call the attorneys on Monday and tell them to talk to the other side and see if we can mediate an agreement. I’ll be able to head up the business according to Phineas’s wishes, and they’ll continue to receive income and the other perks they received just like when he was alive.”

“Do you think it will work?”

“I hope so. It’ll be a relief to get this behind me.”

Svana came out with plates of food. Biscuits with redeye gravy and chunks of country ham on the side. She left and came back with bowls of fresh fruit drizzled with honey, tall glasses of orange juice, and coffee for Derrick.

Eva took a deep breath, bracing herself to tell Derrick her news. “I hired an investigator to search for my father.”

After a split-second pause, Derrick continued to slice the ham on his plate. “When did you decide to look for him?”

“Right after we got married. You said I could use the money you put into my account in any way I want.”

“You can. It’s your money.” He lifted a slice of ham into his mouth and chewed. “How much have you spent so far?” When she told him the amount, his eyebrows raised in shock.

The skepticism in his eyes made her respond defensively. “I know it’s expensive, but the investigator feels like he’s close.”

“It’s your money. I said you could spend it however you choose.”

“I know, but I don’t want you to think it’s all a waste. He thinks my father could be in California, which makes sense because my mother lived out there for a while after she left school.”

He set down his fork carefully. “Eva—”

“Don’t say it.” She gripped the fork and knife in her hands. “I know I’m taking a risk because he didn’t want me when I was born. I know that. But people change, Derrick.”

He looked steadily at her. “I don’t want you to get your hopes up because you might get hurt. You’re excited by the prospect of finding your father, but you have to be prepared for the fact that he might not be excited to be found.”

Giving her head a vigorous shake, she swallowed down the lump of emotion filling her throat.

“I’m not trying to hurt you.”

“Then why would you say something so cruel?”

“I’m not being cruel. Listen to me—”

“No, because you’re wrong. I can’t believe you’d be so negative.”

“I’m not being negative. I’m being realistic. You can’t keep looking at the world with this Pollyanna viewpoint—”

“I’m not Pollyanna! Stop saying that. The world is not all bad. And what is so wrong with me wanting to find my father? My mother’s gone, and all I know about him is that he was a teenager, too, and he didn’t want to be a father. The photo of him is so worn I can barely see his face. I could have brothers and sisters, and he’ll be a grandfather soon.”

They sat in tense silence for a few moments.

“He could be looking for me,” Eva added, trying to make him understand. “From what I can tell, when my mother left California, she never tried to contact him again.” She paused, her voice growing softer. “I’m not like you. I can’t pretend he doesn’t exist.”

Derrick set his knife next to the fork. “My situation was different, but . . .” She saw how he struggled to get the words out. He unclenched and clenched his hand several times. “I understand the need to know him and meet him. Let me know if you need me to get involved.”

“I won’t. I can handle this on my own.”

He looked steadily at her. “You’re my wife. It’s my job to protect you.”

“I don’t need protecting.”

“I’m going to do it anyway.”

She had to admit there was a certain level of comfort in knowing he’d be there if she needed him. He never talked about it, but he still bore the pain of his father’s rejection from years ago. How unfortunate a good support system had not been available to him as a child.

“I don’t want to fight. We’ve been getting along so well. Let’s pretend I never brought up this topic, and if I need you, I’ll let you know.”

He picked up the silverware. “Fair enough.”

Chapter Thirteen

Derrick sat at the head of the conference table at HLC headquarters. It was Thursday night, and he was ready to go home. He’d called Eva earlier to inform her to go ahead with dinner without him, but he now regretted the decision. If he hadn’t insisted on having this meeting, he could be at home now. He’d decided the executive team needed an update on the merger with the Greek shipping company, and the CFO and VP of operations led the after-hours meeting with the details.

So far, so good. There had been a few hiccups, as were expected, but overall, the alliance was proving to be a good idea. With access to such a large fleet of ships, HLC had gobbled up even more market share and sat on the cusp of becoming the dominant force for the international movement of goods in Europe and the Americas. He already had his mind on expansion, having charged his team to research distribution channels and entry into the next target markets—Asia and Africa.

Despite all the success and the excitement of accomplishing the goals laid out before his father’s passing, Derrick acknowledged an equal amount of pleasure came from having Eva in his life. In the role of a wife, he couldn’t imagine anyone else doing a better job. She adapted to any social environment. Initially, he could tell she’d felt out of place among the other wives, but gradually she’d relaxed and become the perfect hostess and the guest others looked forward to seeing.

She took over management of the household, which included overseeing the maintenance on the house, the grounds, and the cars. She also became involved in the charitable organizations the Hoffman estate supported. In addition to attending functions such as award ceremonies and fundraisers, she made sure that any funds dispersed from the estate were spent in accordance with the stipulations in Phineas’s will.

Her experience in event coordination had also come in handy, making her a popular committee member of several organizations. Not only was she sought after for her ability to plan and coordinate large events with skill, but her knowledge of the industry enabled her to negotiate very favorable terms on events contracts that saved the organizations a lot of money.

And him . . . well, marriage had changed him. He looked forward to going home now, and while the thought of having a family used to scare him, it no longer seemed daunting. In fact, he liked the thought of having someone to go home to. He’d had to take a few business trips, but when he did, he seldom went a night without talking to Eva when he was out of town.

He always returned as soon as possible, even if it meant arriving in the middle of the night. When he did, as he eased into the bed, she would awaken and roll over toward him.

“You’re home,” she’d whisper.

“Yes, sweetheart, I’m home,” he’d whisper back and pull her into his arms.

As the CFO droned on about the increased market share and showed graphs of the revenue HLC anticipated earning in the coming years, Derrick smiled to himself. He and Eva refrained from discussing the past, but that didn’t stop them from arguing like an old married couple. For example, during their conversation at dinner a few nights ago, he broached the subject of hiring a nanny again. She’d insisted they didn’t need one. An argument ensued from there.

Then there was the time when he climbed into bed and had the displeasure of rolling in crumbs. He’d told her for the umpteenth time not to eat in bed, and she’d yelled back she couldn’t help it and was eating for two. Right afterward, she burst into tears, and he, feeling like a heel, had ended up apologizing.

Somehow all their arguments ended with him apologizing.

He chuckled, and eleven heads turned in his direction.

“Was there something you wanted to add, Derrick?” His CFO looked curiously at him from the other end of the table. A multicolored pie chart showed on the screen behind him.

Derrick had reviewed it all before he allowed the data to be presented to the entire team, so he had no concerns. “No, ah . . . you’ve been doing a good job. Continue.”

The CFO smiled and turned back to the screen. Using a laser wand, he drew a circle around a slice of the chart. “So, based on our projections, in five years we expect market share to—”

“You know what?” Derrick interrupted. “It’s late. Why don’t you all go home? You’ve been working hard, and I think this could wait until the morning, don’t you?”

They all looked around at each other, but no one had the courage to agree with him, as if they thought it was a setup.

Derrick stood, signaling the legitimacy of his comment. “How about we reconvene tomorrow at noon? We’ll order in some food and make it a working lunch. Any objections?” He didn’t expect any, nor did he plan to entertain any. “All right, then. Review the files carefully and come prepared to discuss and offer suggestions. Good night.”

The executives had stunned expressions on their faces as he left the room. It didn’t matter to him. As the boss, he could do whatever the hell he wanted, and right now he wanted to get home to see his wife.

On the way out, he stopped by his suite of offices to get his briefcase. Once he retrieved it, he exited to find his administrative assistant had returned to her post and was making copies.

She looked up and smiled. “Good night, Mr. Hoffman.”

“Good night.” Derrick’s steps slowed. “How late are you scheduled to work every day?”

She looked confused. “I . . . I work as long as you need me to, sir.”

He smiled. “But how late are you
scheduled
to work?”

“Until six.”

Last he checked, it was almost nine o’clock. “I tell you what, why don’t you go home? And from now on, leave at six. I’ll let you know if I need you to work late.”

Her mouth opened and closed a couple of times before she finally got any words out. “Oh, thank you. Thank you, Mr. Hoffman.”

“One more thing. From now on, call me Derrick. Mr. Hoffman was my father.”

With a smile of pure pleasure, she said, “Yes, sir. I mean Derrick.”

“I’ll see you in the morning.”

****

At home, Derrick dropped his briefcase in the study and went upstairs. The bedroom was silent, and the television mounted on the wall was on, but had been turned down to mute. After a quick sweep of the other rooms and not finding Eva, he removed his jacket and tie and went in search of her. He found her downstairs in the kitchen.

Standing at the door, he watched her at the counter as she ate some combination of food to satisfy her strange cravings. Her belly was a little more than seven months swollen—looking like an oversized basketball. She’d never looked more beautiful, and he’d never wanted her more. The feelings rushing through him were so fierce, he remained glued to the floor.

In that moment, he accepted what he should have known all along, what he’d refused to accept for fear of leaving himself wide open for hurt and possible humiliation.

I’m in love with her.

His throat constricted, as if someone were choking the life out of him. To breathe, he had to undo the top button of his dress shirt. The last thing he ever expected or wanted to do was fall in love with her. He’d fallen prey to the very thing he’d hidden from all his life.

“Hey, you’re home.”