The Inheritance, page 25
“And now you’re wondering if Kelsey came over for a friendly ‘hey how are ya’ visit or if it’s something else.” Darby glanced around to make sure no one was near enough to overhear. “Are you still seeing Doc on a regular basis?”
Ash nodded, “Yeah, I saw her today. It kind of came up, but we had other things to talk about, so that got put on the back burner. You’re right, though. I should probably talk to her about how I’m feeling about people.” She knew exactly why Darby had brought up Doc. They’d always been able to communicate with the minimum words possible. Darby got her, and sometimes Ash thought she understood Darby better than even her wife did. “I hate being suspicious about everybody. Before, I always knew if someone just wanted to be a friend because, really, what could I do for them then? But now?”
“Well, if it’s any consolation, I don’t think Kelsey is angling for any favors. I’ve known her almost since I opened the bar, and she’s a pretty straight shooter. I think she likes that you two are a lot alike. Strong women who don’t take any shit from anyone.”
“I think you can count yourself in that group, too.”
When Darby left to make the rounds up and down the bar, Ash went into the office and changed into an outfit she particularly liked. She pulled on the black, supple, lambskin pants that Shao had designed with a pinstriped topstitching and high waist that accentuated Ash’s curves without drawing too much attention to her muscular thighs. Shao had matched it with what she called a white, poet-sleeved blouse that Ash wore unbuttoned down to the middle of her chest. On top of this, she’d added a loosely tied tie that Ash always had a difficult time getting to lie just right.
She was struggling with it when Darby stuck her head in the door. She grinned and came all the way inside. “Give me that. You never could tie one of these.” Running the tie back and forth to get it just the right length on both sides, Darby continued with their earlier conversation. “Hey, I was just wondering how you and Doc are coming with your PTSD. Even though you have a ton of shit on your mind, sometimes you don’t seem as stressed as you used to be.”
Ash perked up and smiled, “She says I’m coming along great! No more blackouts or panic attacks. I can even sneak a look out of Phyla’s window every now and then. Doc calls it desensitization. I just call it scary as shit.”
Darby finished tying the knot and stepped back. “Damn, girl. If I didn’t know what a train wreck it would be, I’d take you right now.”
There was that damn grin Ash had always found so appealing. She winked at her friend and headed out. Diva happily left her bed when Ash patted her leg on the way past. “C’mon, girl, let’s go see what the boss is doing, huh?”
When she walked into the bar, a chorus of wolf whistles and appreciative cat calls came from friends scattered around the room. She grinned and posed, turning left and right like she’d seen models do on runways. Kelsey caught her eye and gave her a thumbs up before grinning appreciatively and comically raising her brows up and down to remind Ash of their earlier conversation. It was a good feeling because, at that moment, she realized Kelsey really had been talking to her as a friend and not as a potential step up on the ladder of success. She grinned back, grabbed her black leather steward’s jacket, and headed outside.
Ash walked into the entry hall of the Spring Point Resort and glanced around. They were still in the cocktail phase of the meeting, which meant dinner hadn’t yet started. She spotted Tara Stratton, Allegra’s socialite friend, standing with several men next to a large window overlooking the pool. Ash wasted no time crossing that side of the room off her list.
She spotted Phyla already seated at the center table, talking to Martin Carl on her right. The chair on her left was empty, presumably because that was where Ash was expected to sit. Not bloody likely after this morning’s debacle. As her gaze traveled from one group to the next, a woman caught her eye and waved.
Ash smiled when she recognized Constance, the attorney who worked at Allegra’s law firm. Since Constance had waved to get her attention, Ash knew it was okay to approach. Quite often, whenever she met someone she’d had casual sex with at the club, the person ignored her, wanting to keep all club activities strictly within Code One.
When she reached her, Constance grinned, leaned in, and whispered, “I wondered whether you’d show up. Usually, you come to these things with Phyla.”
“I had a few things to do. What are you doing here? Thinking of investing?”
“No, I’m here instead of Allegra. She hates these things but doesn’t feel she can completely ignore what’s happening in the business arena.”
“Ah. You’re a spy.” Ash playfully raised her brows.
Constance’s low chuckle was just how Ash remembered, light, gentle, and full of mischief.
An older man broke off from a group he’d been chatting with and came over. His blue eyes were kind, but there was a sharpness there Ash knew she’d never take for granted. He dipped his chin in greeting. “Care to introduce me to your friend, Constance?”
Constance ran her arm through the man’s elbow. “Of course. Ash Redux, may I introduce you to my father, Gabriel Essler? Dad, this is Ash Redux. We met at a meeting a couple of months ago.”
Gabriel straightened and held out his hand. “I thought that’s who you might be. The atmosphere in the room changed quite a bit when you walked in, Ms. Redux.” He grinned conspiratorially, “Conversations continued while people tried not to look as though they were following you with their eyes.”
Ash sighed as she shook his hand. She didn’t find it as amusing as he did. “Please, call me Ash, Mr. Essler.”
“Gabe.” He glanced over his shoulder at Phyla. “And you’re here with Ms. McGuire. I understand she’s taken you under her wing, so to speak?”
“I’m very lucky to say she has, yes.” Wanting to change the subject, Ash asked, “Did your daughter follow in your footsteps, Gabe? Are you an attorney as well?”
“I’m a real estate developer. I hope you realize what an opportunity has been handed to you, young lady. If I had half her business savvy, I’d be a very contented man. I’d love to sit and pick her brains someday.”
The thought occurred to Ash that she’d just been handed a way out of awkwardly sitting next to Phyla while she talked shop to other people at the table and pointedly ignored her. “So, Gabe, I take it you’re sitting next to Constance tonight?”
He smiled affectionately down at his daughter. “I’m her plus one for the night, yes.”
“Well, I’d love the chance to visit with her. Would you consider changing seats with me for the dinner part of the evening? That would give you a chance to visit with Ms. McGuire, as well.”
He blinked several times and glanced at his daughter for permission, something Ash found endearing. When Constance nodded, he smiled broadly at Ash. “I’d be delighted to switch places with you. A win-win all around, I think.”
Ash and Constance watched him walk to the center table and sit. Ash turned to Constance. “Where are we seated?”
Constance took her to a less conspicuous table near the far wall. The seats faced out into the room, and as Ash sat, she saw Phyla turn to Gabe, shake her head, and say something to him. Ash looked away when Phyla followed his gesture, and her eyes landed on Ash sitting next to Constance, who was watching the interaction with her father with interest.
“Uh oh. Ms. McGuire does not look happy.”
Ash couldn’t help the giggle that left her throat. “Oh well.”
Constance had just taken a sip of water, and her amused snort had her nearly spitting the liquid back into the glass. Once she swallowed, she laughingly joked, “You did that on purpose, Ash Redux.” They put their heads together and laughed, which promised a good start to the most pleasant dinner meeting Ash had attended to date.
Phyla, on the other hand, was not enjoying the evening quite as much. Despite her words that morning, which, now that the alcohol had cleared her system, she’d begun to regret, she’d been looking forward to having Ash seated next to her. The woman Ash was laughing with at the other table looked familiar, and she wracked her brains trying to place her. She turned to the man sitting in Ash’s seat. “Do you know the woman sitting next to Ms. Redux?”
“Constance? Yes, she’s my daughter. She works in Allegra Saint-Germain’s law firm.” He took the opportunity to introduce himself. “I don’t know whether you remember meeting me, but—”
Phyla’s business manners kicked in. “Of course. You’re Gabriel Essler of the Essler Development Corporation. I admired the work on the Stratford Adult Living Community you developed in Eugene.” And that was true. The man wasn’t one of the bigger developers who took on several projects at once. He worked on one at a time with excellent results. “I appreciate a man who takes pride in the quality of his work. So many of the newer developers have lost that trait, don’t you think?”
For the next half-hour, Phyla split her time between him and the other people around her, all the while watching Ash being the center of attention at her table. Phyla’s insides churned every time Ash bumped shoulders with Constance, only to have the two of them, or the entire table, burst out in laughter at something Ash had said. She wondered why Ash had never been that lively when they’d sat together at one of these functions. Most of the time, she rarely had anything to say, and Phyla thought that had been because she’d been intimidated by the caliber of people they’d been dealing with. Apparently not.
But as Phyla chatted with the people around her table, her attention was mostly riveted on Ash. Not overtly, of course, but more out of the corner of her eye so that she could still converse politely and keep an eye on what was happening at the other table. While she watched, she realized that while Ash carried the table, she also listened when other people spoke. She had the ability to focus entirely on what the other person was saying, as though there was no one else in the room at the time.
Both Phyla and Gabe ordered a cherry cheesecake for desert, and when it arrived, Phyla took advantage of the lull to say, “You must be very proud to have a daughter working at Loftquist, Myers, and Saint-Germaine.”
Gabe beamed over at his daughter, who was grinning and shaking her head at something Ash had just said. “I am. She graduated with high honors from Duke Law. She even beat out my son-in-law, who also went there.”
The tension in Phyla’s shoulders eased. Even though she wasn’t the least bit interested in Ash, she was relieved to know Constance was a married woman. “Did they meet at Duke?”
He lifted a shoulder. “In a way. Laurie visited Constance one fall, and she and Evan took one look at each other and fell in love. I never believed in love at first sight, but that’s exactly what…happened.”
Phyla pursed her lips, and Gabe hesitated before finishing his sentence. The worried look as he studied her face told Phyla her irritation had returned tenfold. She smiled to ease the tension, hoping he didn’t think she was angry at him. This was ridiculous. She needed to stop fixating on every little interaction Ash had with another woman. “I’m sorry, I had assumed you meant that Evan was married to Constance, not her sister.”
He chuckled, “Oh, no. Her mother and I knew early on that marriage, at least to a man, wasn’t in the cards for Constance.”
The bite of cheesecake Phyla had just swallowed became overly dry and seemed to take forever to slide down her throat.
“Are you okay?” Gabe watched her a moment before saying, “I’m sorry if that offended you. Sometimes I forget not everyone is as…open to that kind of thing as we are.”
Phyla found her voice. “To homosexuality? I have nothing against it.” She couldn’t help it. She tried to focus on her dessert, but her wandering eyes betrayed her. Since when had that started? Phyla was known for her absolute control in any type of business environment, and here she was, staring at Ash again.
Only this time, Ash looked up and caught her at it. The humor in her eyes should have made Phyla angry. After all, that look told her that Ash had known precisely what she was doing when she changed seats with Constance’s father. But instead of anger, a warmth spread through her. Ash was aware of Phyla watching her and had acknowledged the fact with a single look.
A very unwelcome voice coming from three seats over chased away the first positive thoughts she’d enjoyed all evening. “Phyla dear. You didn’t tell me Ash had come tonight. I just now noticed her sitting across the room.” Tara Stratton leaned forward so she could look around the people seated between her and Phyla. There was a gleam in her eye that Phyla didn’t like one bit.
Tara’s voice dripped with hidden meaning. “Doesn’t she usually sit with you, Darling?” Placing her napkin on the table, Tara stood and walked behind Phyla. She stopped and whispered in her ear, “Don’t tell me you’ve had a falling out. What an absolutely delicious opportunity. I think I’ll go see if she’d like a second helping of dessert, shall I?”
Any response Phyla could give sounded like something a jealous lover might say, so she simply ignored Tara’s jibe and turned back to Gabe. His angry glare followed Tara across the room. Normally, Phyla wouldn’t care what had gotten a dinner companion so upset, but in this instance, Phyla wanted to know. “Problems?”
Gabe schooled his features and shook his head. “No, no. Just a father’s overprotective instincts where his daughter’s feelings are concerned.”
They both watched Tara walk up behind Ash and put her hands on her shoulders as if holding her into the seat. She leaned in and spoke with her typical over-the-top animation.
With an angry set to her jaw that appeared when Tara walked up, Constance excused herself from the table and moved toward the conference room where the actual meeting would take place.
Phyla ground her teeth when Tara immediately sat in the vacated chair and swiveled her knees so hers were right up against Ash’s legs.
Ash tried to stand as well, but Tara put a proprietary hand on her thigh, locking her in place. Or so she thought. Ash stood anyway and stepped back far enough to be able to push her chair beneath the table.
Not in the least bit put off, Tara stood and wrapped her arm around Ash’s waist, subtly running her fingers over the quilted, leather-covered ass that quite literally took Phyla’s breath away. Ash had been seated when Phyla first became aware of her presence, and this was the first time she’d seen the quilted leather pants Shao had designed especially for her. Phyla quietly snarled at the way Tara’s hand moved back and forth across the high-waisted pants that flowed down over Ash’s hips as though the leather had been painted on. Ash stepped away from Tara’s grasping hand as they followed the path through the tables Constance had taken and disappeared into the next room.
Phyla was steaming by the time she and Gabe rose to attend the business part of the meeting. She’d never actually done business with the man, though she had seen him at other meetings. Not wanting the evening to be a total waste, she retrieved her card case and handed him a card. “I have several projects on the drawing table. Call me next week, and we can discuss a possible collaboration.”
He accepted the card with surprise and then reached into his pocket to retrieve his own case.
Phyla stopped him with a single raised brow that said, You call me, I don’t call you. She silently approved when, without a word, he returned the case to his pocket. They entered the conference room, and Phyla immediately spotted Ash seated in the front row with Tara beside her, chatting away with her arm lazily draped across the back of Ash’s chair.
All of the other front-row seats were taken, and Phyla stepped in front of Tara and waited for the socialite to leave. When Tara ignored her, Phyla only had to glance at the organizer, who came forward and held a hand out to Tara. “Ms. Stratton. I’m afraid that seat is reserved for Ms. McGuire, but we do have one reserved for you as well. If you’ll just come with me....”
Tara waved him away. “Oh, she can find a different seat, can’t you, Darling?”
Phyla was surprised to see anger spark in Ash’s eyes. She had a difficult time deciding if it was directed at her or Tara. That was until Ash turned to Tara and politely said, “Ms. Stratton. The social hour is over, and Ms. McGuire and I will be attending to business now. She and I need to be seated together, so I’d appreciate it if you’d give her the seat she was assigned so we can begin the meeting.”
Tara blushed, something Phyla had never seen in the entire time they’d known each other. They’d been college rivals competing for the valedictorian honors during their senior year. Phyla had taken the top honor, and Tara had never forgiven her for it.
A nasty gleam came into Tara’s eyes as she stiffly rose. Her nostrils flared, and Phyla recognized the gesture as something that came just before she spewed a particularly nasty piece of vitriol. “You’d better choose your friends wisely, Ash.” She indicated Phyla with a tilt of her head. “This one will kick you to the curb as soon as you’re no longer considered a valuable asset.”
After that morning’s conversation, that comment hit close to home. Phyla didn’t react, however, and she was glad to see Ash had enough control not to either. Tara left with the organizer, and Phyla took her seat. Neither one spoke, and the meeting was called to order. They listened through the presentation and the subsequent questions.
When the meeting concluded, Phyla went forward to ask questions. She expected Ash to be waiting behind her, but when she turned, Ash had gone. Swallowing her disappointment for the second time that night, Phyla slowly extricated herself from the line of people waiting to greet her and left with unsettled feelings, something utterly foreign to her before Ash had come into her life.
Twenty-Three
Some tension remained between them over the next few weeks, but Ash’s teasing good humor had at least softened Phyla enough for her to occasionally blush whenever Ash looked at her with the hunger she couldn’t keep out of her eyes. The opportunity to talk to Phyla about that night hadn’t come up, and Ash instinctively knew to keep most of her craving hidden and locked away.
