“No, thanks.”
Samantha felt herself bristle. “What is it with you?” she asked. “Why won’t you even give the woman a chance? Name me one thing she’s done that you don’t approve of. Give me one example of where she screwed up big time.”
“I don’t have any specific events,” he said.
“Then what’s the problem? You said you trusted my opinion of her and were going to stop assuming the worst.” He made her crazy. Jack could be so reasonable about other things, but when it came to Helen, he refused to be the least bit logical.
“I don’t think the worst,” he said.
“You certainly don’t think anything nice. She’s pretty smart. Why don’t you talk to her about the business?”
“My father wouldn’t have told her anything.”
“How do you know?”
“He didn’t talk to anyone about the company.”
“To the best of your knowledge. Did it ever occur to you that he might have married her because she’s smart and capable? That maybe when things went bad, he talked to her.” She held up both hands. “I’m not saying I know anything. But neither do you. You treat Helen like she’s a twenty-one-year-old bimbo your father married because she had big breasts. It’s crazy. You have an asset there you’re not using.”
He looked at her. “You’re a very loyal friend.”
“Helen makes it easy to be. Will you at least think about what I’ve said?”
He nodded. “Promise.”
She was fairly sure she believed him. Jack had never lied to her. But why was this an issue in the first place? Why didn’t he already know his stepmother’s good points? Every family had secrets, but this one seemed to have more than most.
“It was just my mom and me,” she said. “I can’t relate to problems inherent in a large family.”
“Want to trade?” he asked, then grimaced. “I’m sorry. I know you and your mom were close. You must still miss her.”
She nodded, thinking she’d missed her most during the last few months of her marriage. When she’d wondered if Vance was really what she’d thought or if she’d been overreacting.
“We’d always had a special relationship,” she said, “but we got even closer after my dad left. There was something about worrying about our next meal that put things in perspective.”
“The man was a first-class bastard,” Jack told her. “You haven’t talked to him since?”
“He never wanted to talk to me. When I got older, I tried a few times, but eventually I gave up. He just wasn’t interested. I heard he passed away a couple of years after my mom.”
“I won’t say I’m sorry. Not about him.”
“I always think that things could have been different. I wasn’t interested in him for what I could get. I just wanted a relationship with my father. But he never understood that. Why do relationships have to be so complicated?”
“Not a clue.”
She stood. “Okay, I’ve taken up enough of your time. I just wanted to tell you that I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be.”
“Thanks, Jack.”
She left, not sure if she’d made things better or worse between them. She had a feeling that the only way to really solve the problem was to make a decision one way or the other and stick to it. If she was going to keep things business only, then she should not go to his office to chat. If she was interested in something else, then she should do that.
Complications, she thought. Questions and no answers. At least her life was never boring.
* * *
Jack returned from his working lunch meeting with the vice president of finance to find his stepmother waiting for him in his office.
Helen smiled when she saw him. “I was in the neighborhood,” she said.
Under normal circumstances, he would have been polite and done his best to get her gone as quickly as possible. Since his last conversation with Samantha, he was curious to find out what Helen wanted.
He motioned to the leather sofa in the corner. Helen crossed the room and took a seat. He followed
Samantha felt herself bristle. “What is it with you?” she asked. “Why won’t you even give the woman a chance? Name me one thing she’s done that you don’t approve of. Give me one example of where she screwed up big time.”
“I don’t have any specific events,” he said.
“Then what’s the problem? You said you trusted my opinion of her and were going to stop assuming the worst.” He made her crazy. Jack could be so reasonable about other things, but when it came to Helen, he refused to be the least bit logical.
“I don’t think the worst,” he said.
“You certainly don’t think anything nice. She’s pretty smart. Why don’t you talk to her about the business?”
“My father wouldn’t have told her anything.”
“How do you know?”
“He didn’t talk to anyone about the company.”
“To the best of your knowledge. Did it ever occur to you that he might have married her because she’s smart and capable? That maybe when things went bad, he talked to her.” She held up both hands. “I’m not saying I know anything. But neither do you. You treat Helen like she’s a twenty-one-year-old bimbo your father married because she had big breasts. It’s crazy. You have an asset there you’re not using.”
He looked at her. “You’re a very loyal friend.”
“Helen makes it easy to be. Will you at least think about what I’ve said?”
He nodded. “Promise.”
She was fairly sure she believed him. Jack had never lied to her. But why was this an issue in the first place? Why didn’t he already know his stepmother’s good points? Every family had secrets, but this one seemed to have more than most.
“It was just my mom and me,” she said. “I can’t relate to problems inherent in a large family.”
“Want to trade?” he asked, then grimaced. “I’m sorry. I know you and your mom were close. You must still miss her.”
She nodded, thinking she’d missed her most during the last few months of her marriage. When she’d wondered if Vance was really what she’d thought or if she’d been overreacting.
“We’d always had a special relationship,” she said, “but we got even closer after my dad left. There was something about worrying about our next meal that put things in perspective.”
“The man was a first-class bastard,” Jack told her. “You haven’t talked to him since?”
“He never wanted to talk to me. When I got older, I tried a few times, but eventually I gave up. He just wasn’t interested. I heard he passed away a couple of years after my mom.”
“I won’t say I’m sorry. Not about him.”
“I always think that things could have been different. I wasn’t interested in him for what I could get. I just wanted a relationship with my father. But he never understood that. Why do relationships have to be so complicated?”
“Not a clue.”
She stood. “Okay, I’ve taken up enough of your time. I just wanted to tell you that I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be.”
“Thanks, Jack.”
She left, not sure if she’d made things better or worse between them. She had a feeling that the only way to really solve the problem was to make a decision one way or the other and stick to it. If she was going to keep things business only, then she should not go to his office to chat. If she was interested in something else, then she should do that.
Complications, she thought. Questions and no answers. At least her life was never boring.
* * *
Jack returned from his working lunch meeting with the vice president of finance to find his stepmother waiting for him in his office.
Helen smiled when she saw him. “I was in the neighborhood,” she said.
Under normal circumstances, he would have been polite and done his best to get her gone as quickly as possible. Since his last conversation with Samantha, he was curious to find out what Helen wanted.
He motioned to the leather sofa in the corner. Helen crossed the room and took a seat. He followed
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