15. Gabriella
Gabriella
A workman was outside my office door when I arrived.
“Is there a problem?”
“Replacing your nameplate, Mrs. Sinclair.”
Fuck you, Damien. Your secret-keeping ability is the worst.
“Hold on to the one that says Crystal, just in case.”
“I hope you’re joking.”
I grinned. “It depends on the time of day.”
Opening the door, I went inside. My gaze naturally went to the large window behind my desk, the one that looked out over Indianapolis. I wasn’t high up in the skyline; nevertheless, the view was much better than the one I had at Beta Kappa Phi. Sitting behind my desk, I removed my phone from the drawer where I’d left it earlier in the day.
I had numerous missed text messages and calls, three from Niles, one from Millie, and one from my mother.
“Okay, Mom. You’re first.” I hit the icon, wondering how I would explain the last weekend. As she answered, I decided direct was best. “Hi, Mom. Is Dad around?”
“He’s not. He’ll be back soon. Is everything all right?”
“I suppose. I thought you should know; I got married this past weekend.”
Silence.
Prolonged silence.
“Mom?” I questioned, wondering if our call was disconnected.
“Ella, I think I misunderstood you. You haven’t mentioned dating anyone.”
“Remember I told you about the campaign that I was roped into?”
“Working with Damien—you married Damien.”
I scrunched my nose at the way her volume rose with her statement. “Yep.”
“Oh, Ella. Why? What’s happening?”
I thought back to the answer I gave Amber in the hospital. “There’s a lot happening, but the real reason I said yes is because” —I took a breath— “I love him.” I did. I couldn’t deny it any longer. “I care about him. I know I left him, but being back with him feels right.”
“Oh, honey. I’m crying.”
“Mom, I’m sorry you and Dad weren’t there. The wedding was very fast. Damien has offered me a big ceremony in the future. His dad is in the hospital with some heart problems. We’d like to have all four of you and the rest of our family around.”
Mom took a deep breath. “That’s not why I’m crying. I always thought Damien was special. I also understood why you left. If you feel more confident with him now, Dad and I support you. You’re a grown woman. Of course, I’d love to share a ceremony of your union along with the Sinclairs, but that’s your decision, dear. We trust you.”
A lump formed in my throat.
“Thank you for trusting me.”
Mom’s voice regained her usual strength. “We trust him too. In many ways, Damien has reminded me of your father. They’re complicated men, or that’s what they want the world to believe. Men like that need strong women. That’s you, Ella. Stay strong.”
“Thanks, Mom. Things are very busy right now—a million fires. I’ll let you know about a ceremony and when we can get out to Tucson.”
“You’re always welcome. I’ll tell your dad.” She paused. “Is Derek going to be okay?”
“We hope so. I’ll call back soon. Love you.”
“Love you.”
Apparently, the cat was out of the bag.
My next text was to Niles. In the last few years, he’d filled the spot of my best friend. If this marriage wasn’t going to be a secret, I wanted him to hear it from me.
“Hey, back in Indy. Missing you from this new office. Do you have a minute to talk?”
As I waited for his response, I called Millie Barns’s office number. Her secretary put me right through.
“Ella, I was hoping to hear from you before now.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t have my phone with all the meetings today.”
“It’s nearly five on Monday. You met with the pharma coalition over the weekend,” she said. “After hearing from Dwain Welsh, I expected you to call first thing after getting back to town.”
Well, there’s been a lot happening. Instead of saying that, I sat forward, putting my elbows on the desk. “When and what did you hear from Dwain Welsh?”
“He contacted me on Sunday. As you know, Moon Medical has been a Beta Kappa Phi donor for years. He wanted reassurance that even with this new campaign we would continue in that relationship. It seems he is concerned about the coalition—about our representative working from Sinclair Corporate. I have a call out to Mr. Sinclair. He also hasn’t returned my call. I’m beginning to think we may have been premature about your move.”
I shook my head. “This was discussed in Wisconsin. The members of the coalition want their information in a secure environment. That is what Damien supplied here at Sinclair Corporate.”
“It seems that Mr. Welsh is particularly concerned with Mr. Sinclair’s access to the information. He mentioned that Mr. Sinclair may be exiting the CEO position.”
The hell?
The small hairs on the back of my neck stood to attention—little soldiers ready to do battle for my husband. “He’s not.”
“Mr. Welsh spoke of a temporary replacement—Mr. Darius Sinclair.”
Temporary?
“No,” I said more adamantly. “Millie, I know what’s going on. Darius is not taking Damien’s position temporarily or permanently. And honestly, while I might not be the right person to spearhead this campaign in the eyes of the coalition, that doesn’t mean the campaign should be dead on arrival.”
“I’m concerned that we jumped the gun on this. If there’s already discontentment amongst the coalition members, Damien Sinclair is guilty of breach of contract. He promised us the coalition, yet he hasn’t delivered.”
Two weeks ago, I would have easily dismissed this attack on Damien. Now, I was in full attack mode. “Damien has delivered. We met with the CEOs of the coalition. Julia Sherman is the chairwoman. We have her full support. Let me talk to Damien. He is many things, but he wouldn’t purposely mislead us. In the little time I’ve put into the campaign, I can see the possibilities for Beta Kappa Phi and for the pharma coalition. If the coalition doesn’t want me, I suggest Niles.”
“Mr. Walsh didn’t say you were the problem. It’s your proximity to Sinclair Pharmaceuticals.” She paused. “Why would the coalition doubt your ability?”
I inhaled. “It isn’t my ability. It’s my relationship with Damien.”
“You two have a working history. He was your boss.”
For an intelligent, competent woman, Millie was clueless.
Clearing my throat, I spoke, “As of this last weekend, he’s my husband.”
“Ella, we need to talk.”
I rolled my eyes.
“Millie, it’s very complicated. Not only did I work for Damien, but the reason I never mentioned my connection was that we had a personal relationship.”
“Why didn’t you tell me when I suggested this campaign?”
I covered my eyes with one hand and lay back against the chair, my temples beginning to throb. I practically begged her to assign someone else. Nevertheless, I pushed forward, not backward. “The past is insignificant. We’re married. I want to continue my work with Beta Kappa Phi. I don’t believe marriage is a ground for firing.”
“No one is talking about firing you. There is an obvious conflict of interest.”
“There isn’t,” I protested. “I want what’s best for Beta Kappa Phi and what’s best for Sinclair Pharmaceuticals. The coalition is comprised of non-competing companies that were aligned for the purpose of supporting one another. My work with the campaign will benefit all the companies, yes, including Sinclair.”
Millie’s voice filled with exasperation. “I need to call legal.”
“Don’t kill the campaign, Millie. Let Niles spearhead it. I’ll take a lesser position.”
“The compensation?—”
“I don’t care.”
“Come to my office tomorrow. I’ll be here at 8:00 a.m.”
Telling her no was on the tip of my tongue. Then again, Millie Barns was still technically my boss. “What can I bring to assure you that this campaign is worth our effort?”
“At this moment, I don’t know. Be here tomorrow.”
“I will.”
The line went dead.
“Shit,” I sighed, tipping my head back against the desk chair.
I typed out a text message to Damien.
“Dwain Welsh contacted Millie yesterday.”
Next, I opened a text message from Niles.
“Leaving soon. I’ll call on my way home. How was your weekend? All work and…any play?”
I shook my head. He had no idea.
My phone dinged. The message was from Damien.
“On my way to your office. We need to talk and I’m guessing alcohol might be a good addition to this discussion. Let’s get out of here. Tomorrow is another day.”
I texted back.
“Bodyguard?”
He replied.
“They start tomorrow. Tonight, you’re all mine.”
I wasn’t sure how he’d done it. Yet looking down at my left hand, I knew that being all his was where I wanted to be. I turned off my computer and retrieved my purse from the desk drawer. It was only a little before five.
Playing hooky was acceptable when you did it with the boss.