her a long time ago. She had a gut feeling that she wouldn’t have been running away from him as she had. Rather, she would have run toward him. The warmth and genuine sincerity banked in his gray eyes and expression threw her big-time. She was used to dealing with game-faced operators, not someone who wore his emotions and heart on his sleeve for her to see.
“Matt and I are close,” Wyatt agreed with a half smile. “But now that I know your dad is a Texan, he really is kin.”
Chuckling a little, Tal murmured, “You and Matt are very similar in personality—laid-back, easygoing, with a good sense of humor.”
Cocking his head, he said, “So? Is that a good thing or a bad thing in your book?”
Tal felt him feeling her out, trying to go deeper into who she was. His sincerity caught her off guard. She could feel that solidness and groundedness that was always a part of Wyatt. “It’s a good thing in my book,” she said. She saw Wyatt nod, a pleased gleam in his eyes, as he studied her.
“How are you going to handle being CEO of Artemis Security? Matt’s been telling me about it,” Wyatt said, finishing off his coffee. “Won’t you be pretty much deskbound?”
She sighed. “I know. It’s the only part of it I don’t like, but Dad’s building it inside an 1850s farmhouse, about twenty miles outside Alexandria, Virginia. There are plenty of back roads I can jog on to be in nature. Plus, he’s putting in a fully equipped gym on the first floor for all the employees, and I’m sure I’ll be down there working out.”
“It sounds like a state-of-the-art building with all the latest bells and whistles money can buy. Plus, it’s no small thing that your dad and his brothers are all in the military. You can potentially get intel through their networking and resources, if needed. Right?”
“Yes, Dad is actively working within the Pentagon network, and he’s making more connections through all the military branches, letting them know we’re going online within a year.”
“Sounds like an idea whose time has come,” Wyatt said. “Matt was saying that pretty soon, when you’ve handed over your commission and you’re at Artemis, you’ll be a key player as the CEO. You’re the right person for that, Tal. You’ve got a lot of experience as an officer here, and managing people is second nature for you. Sounds like the right place, right time.”
He saw her grow quiet, staring down at the cup in her hands. He liked that she didn’t answer right away, instead thinking through things carefully. Then again, she was a sniper with a sniper’s mind, used to sorting out all the details before making any movement or decision. He enjoyed watching her, feeling her mull over his question and give it serious thought. It was just one more facet of her personality that he appreciated.
Tal placed her mug on the table and looked over at Wyatt. “I think being a CEO runs in my whole family’s DNA. My entire family, because of its financial resources, has always been aware of the needs of those who have less. My cousin Angelo, on my Greek side, was telling me about how, in the twelfth century, his family began his shipping business. It was backbreaking work and involved a lot of sacrifice, plowing money back into the business to build more ships for their growing fleet. I think they’d be stunned to see it today; it’s the second-largest shipping fleet in the world.”
“You know, Matt once told me that in the twelfth century, the Kemel family pretty much started out the same way. They were just poor Turkish sailors who decided to band together to own their own ship. Was that a coincidence?”
“I don’t know. Maybe some kind of cosmic synchronicity at work. I find it fascinating that in the twentieth century, the Kemel family’s shipping company, Artemis, ended up with Delos and our Greek family through marriage. At the trunk of our Turkish family tree were poor sailors who worked hard to support their
“Matt and I are close,” Wyatt agreed with a half smile. “But now that I know your dad is a Texan, he really is kin.”
Chuckling a little, Tal murmured, “You and Matt are very similar in personality—laid-back, easygoing, with a good sense of humor.”
Cocking his head, he said, “So? Is that a good thing or a bad thing in your book?”
Tal felt him feeling her out, trying to go deeper into who she was. His sincerity caught her off guard. She could feel that solidness and groundedness that was always a part of Wyatt. “It’s a good thing in my book,” she said. She saw Wyatt nod, a pleased gleam in his eyes, as he studied her.
“How are you going to handle being CEO of Artemis Security? Matt’s been telling me about it,” Wyatt said, finishing off his coffee. “Won’t you be pretty much deskbound?”
She sighed. “I know. It’s the only part of it I don’t like, but Dad’s building it inside an 1850s farmhouse, about twenty miles outside Alexandria, Virginia. There are plenty of back roads I can jog on to be in nature. Plus, he’s putting in a fully equipped gym on the first floor for all the employees, and I’m sure I’ll be down there working out.”
“It sounds like a state-of-the-art building with all the latest bells and whistles money can buy. Plus, it’s no small thing that your dad and his brothers are all in the military. You can potentially get intel through their networking and resources, if needed. Right?”
“Yes, Dad is actively working within the Pentagon network, and he’s making more connections through all the military branches, letting them know we’re going online within a year.”
“Sounds like an idea whose time has come,” Wyatt said. “Matt was saying that pretty soon, when you’ve handed over your commission and you’re at Artemis, you’ll be a key player as the CEO. You’re the right person for that, Tal. You’ve got a lot of experience as an officer here, and managing people is second nature for you. Sounds like the right place, right time.”
He saw her grow quiet, staring down at the cup in her hands. He liked that she didn’t answer right away, instead thinking through things carefully. Then again, she was a sniper with a sniper’s mind, used to sorting out all the details before making any movement or decision. He enjoyed watching her, feeling her mull over his question and give it serious thought. It was just one more facet of her personality that he appreciated.
Tal placed her mug on the table and looked over at Wyatt. “I think being a CEO runs in my whole family’s DNA. My entire family, because of its financial resources, has always been aware of the needs of those who have less. My cousin Angelo, on my Greek side, was telling me about how, in the twelfth century, his family began his shipping business. It was backbreaking work and involved a lot of sacrifice, plowing money back into the business to build more ships for their growing fleet. I think they’d be stunned to see it today; it’s the second-largest shipping fleet in the world.”
“You know, Matt once told me that in the twelfth century, the Kemel family pretty much started out the same way. They were just poor Turkish sailors who decided to band together to own their own ship. Was that a coincidence?”
“I don’t know. Maybe some kind of cosmic synchronicity at work. I find it fascinating that in the twentieth century, the Kemel family’s shipping company, Artemis, ended up with Delos and our Greek family through marriage. At the trunk of our Turkish family tree were poor sailors who worked hard to support their
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