little aerospace solidarity.”
Bill shook his head. “I think we’ll be baiting the bear, or bears, in this case.”
“Then let them growl.” Nolan glanced at Aaron. “I’ll handle Harcourt if you’ll handle Sterling.”
“It’s a deal.” Aaron smiled. “Just because they’re billionaires doesn’t mean they get to tell us we can’t be friends.”
“Billionaires who pay our salaries,” Bill said. “I, for one, wouldn’t relish losing my job over this. My oldest is talking about going to MIT, and she’s only four years away from graduation.”
Nolan realized that the stakes for him and Aaron were different from Bill’s. “You don’t have to go along with it. You have a family and financial obligations Blackstone and I don’t have.”
Bill let out a mighty sigh. “Yeah, but I support the principle of it. I’ll sit with you guys. My kid shouldn’t have a free ride compliments of dear old dad, anyway. She has the brains to earn a scholarship, so she should work to get one.”
“That’s the spirit,” Aaron said. “Makes ‘em appreciate it all the more, right, Bradbury?”
“It did for me.” With all the talk about solidarity, Nolan decided not to point out that Aaron had a free ride to Stanford courtesy of his wealthy parents. The Blackstones were loaded and gave generously to the university. Nolan was fairly sure they knew Harcourt personally, too, which might be why Aaron had chosen to work with Sterling. That way he’d be confident that he got the job on his merits instead of on his parents’ connections.
“Then it’s settled,” Aaron said. “We’ll get a table together. Darcie, you’ll be joining us, I hope?”
“I haven’t asked her,” Nolan said, “but I’d like that, Darcie.”
“I’d like it, too.” She gave him a special, I-only-have-eyes-for-you smile.
He felt ten feet tall when she did that, especially when they were in front of other people, specifically people like Aaron Blackstone. Nolan might object to competing with him as a scientist, but he’d always felt a jab of envy for the guy’s ease with women. Unfortunately, Blackstone’s talent for impressing the ladies allowed him to snow somebody like Jan Upton. Thank God she wasn’t here this weekend.
Nolan checked the time again. “I need to get Darcie something to eat since she missed lunch. Blackstone, I’ll see you at three on our panel. Bill, see you tonight, but please back out of this cozy arrangement if it worries you.”
“Nope. I’ll be there.”
“Then we’ll see you two later.” Nolan took the liberty of putting his hand on Darcie’s shoulder so he could steer her through the crowd. “Starbucks might be our best bet.”
“That works. I could use a jolt of caffeine.”
He’d thought he did, too, before she’d arrived, but now he was high on Darcie Ingram and didn’t need any artificial stimulants. “I’m really sorry you got stuck in traffic. I hope whatever you drove home for was worth it.”
“It was. How well do you know Aaron Blackstone?”
“Pretty well. He both went to Stanford. We connected some then, and we’ve been in contact over the years since. We keep bumping into each other at events like this. He’s a talented scientist. Well, that’s obvious. Thaddeus Sterling wouldn’t have hired him otherwise.”
“So you trust him?”
“Scientifically, you bet. I wouldn’t trust him for two minutes around you, though.” Once they reached the hallway he dropped his arm from her shoulder. Walking to Starbucks hand-in-hand didn’t project a professional tone for either of them. He wished they could be alone instead of in the middle of the conference crowd, but that wasn’t possible now. Later, though, after the banquet . . . .
“Don’t worry. I can take care of myself when it comes to men like Aaron Blackstone. I know his type.”
Nolan sighed. “Me, too. At lunch he mentioned that he used to date one of my team members. She’s a great person, highly
Bill shook his head. “I think we’ll be baiting the bear, or bears, in this case.”
“Then let them growl.” Nolan glanced at Aaron. “I’ll handle Harcourt if you’ll handle Sterling.”
“It’s a deal.” Aaron smiled. “Just because they’re billionaires doesn’t mean they get to tell us we can’t be friends.”
“Billionaires who pay our salaries,” Bill said. “I, for one, wouldn’t relish losing my job over this. My oldest is talking about going to MIT, and she’s only four years away from graduation.”
Nolan realized that the stakes for him and Aaron were different from Bill’s. “You don’t have to go along with it. You have a family and financial obligations Blackstone and I don’t have.”
Bill let out a mighty sigh. “Yeah, but I support the principle of it. I’ll sit with you guys. My kid shouldn’t have a free ride compliments of dear old dad, anyway. She has the brains to earn a scholarship, so she should work to get one.”
“That’s the spirit,” Aaron said. “Makes ‘em appreciate it all the more, right, Bradbury?”
“It did for me.” With all the talk about solidarity, Nolan decided not to point out that Aaron had a free ride to Stanford courtesy of his wealthy parents. The Blackstones were loaded and gave generously to the university. Nolan was fairly sure they knew Harcourt personally, too, which might be why Aaron had chosen to work with Sterling. That way he’d be confident that he got the job on his merits instead of on his parents’ connections.
“Then it’s settled,” Aaron said. “We’ll get a table together. Darcie, you’ll be joining us, I hope?”
“I haven’t asked her,” Nolan said, “but I’d like that, Darcie.”
“I’d like it, too.” She gave him a special, I-only-have-eyes-for-you smile.
He felt ten feet tall when she did that, especially when they were in front of other people, specifically people like Aaron Blackstone. Nolan might object to competing with him as a scientist, but he’d always felt a jab of envy for the guy’s ease with women. Unfortunately, Blackstone’s talent for impressing the ladies allowed him to snow somebody like Jan Upton. Thank God she wasn’t here this weekend.
Nolan checked the time again. “I need to get Darcie something to eat since she missed lunch. Blackstone, I’ll see you at three on our panel. Bill, see you tonight, but please back out of this cozy arrangement if it worries you.”
“Nope. I’ll be there.”
“Then we’ll see you two later.” Nolan took the liberty of putting his hand on Darcie’s shoulder so he could steer her through the crowd. “Starbucks might be our best bet.”
“That works. I could use a jolt of caffeine.”
He’d thought he did, too, before she’d arrived, but now he was high on Darcie Ingram and didn’t need any artificial stimulants. “I’m really sorry you got stuck in traffic. I hope whatever you drove home for was worth it.”
“It was. How well do you know Aaron Blackstone?”
“Pretty well. He both went to Stanford. We connected some then, and we’ve been in contact over the years since. We keep bumping into each other at events like this. He’s a talented scientist. Well, that’s obvious. Thaddeus Sterling wouldn’t have hired him otherwise.”
“So you trust him?”
“Scientifically, you bet. I wouldn’t trust him for two minutes around you, though.” Once they reached the hallway he dropped his arm from her shoulder. Walking to Starbucks hand-in-hand didn’t project a professional tone for either of them. He wished they could be alone instead of in the middle of the conference crowd, but that wasn’t possible now. Later, though, after the banquet . . . .
“Don’t worry. I can take care of myself when it comes to men like Aaron Blackstone. I know his type.”
Nolan sighed. “Me, too. At lunch he mentioned that he used to date one of my team members. She’s a great person, highly
Similar Books
