Perfect Partners (27 page)

“How do you know that?”

“I read an article somewhere,” Letty said vaguely. “You're not much more than a month away from your due date. Heavens, even if the worst possible case occurred and you went into labor tomorrow, your baby is still old enough and strong enough to survive.”

“Oh, God, don't say that,” Stephanie gasped. “Premature babies have all kinds of problems.”

Letty realized she had miscalculated her choice of reassuring words. “The point is, you've got everything under control, and your doctor has assured you that you're carrying a healthy, normal baby. Everything is going to be fine, Steph.”

“The doctor is excellent,” Stephanie whispered.

“The best.”

“And so is the hospital.”

“Absolutely top-notch.”

“Fully equipped with state-of-the-art fetal monitors and incubators.”

“Right. Able to handle anything.” Letty opened the door at the end of the hall and led Stephanie out into the parking lot. “I'll drive. You need a little time to pull yourself together.”

Stephanie looked momentarily dubious. “Have you ever driven a Porsche before?”

“No. But don't worry. I'm picking up new stuff every day out here on the frontier. Lucky for me, I'm a fast learner.”

Letty walked into her apartment half an hour later and was startled to find Joel in the living room. He was lounging on the couch, his feet up on a hassock. He had a small glass of brandy beside him and Keith Escott's five-year management plan in his hand. He looked up when Letty came to a halt in front of him.

“Hi,” Joel said. “How did the baby class go?”

“I'll tell you all about it later. First, why don't you tell me what you're doing in my apartment at ten o'clock at night?”

“We're having an affair, remember?”

“I thought you were extremely annoyed with me because of what happened at the office this morning.”

“I was pissed as hell. But as you said, the business side of our relationship doesn't have anything to do with the personal side.”

“You're the one who keeps saying that, not me.”

“So, I'm right.” Joel flipped over a page.

Letty regarded him for a long moment and then sat down on the sofa beside him. “I see you're reading Keith's management plan.”

“Yeah.”

“What do you think?”

“I haven't finished it.”

Letty got to her feet. “Maybe I'll whip up a batch of cookies while you read.”

“Hell of an idea.”

Joel ate half the batch of chocolate chip cookies Letty prepared. Then he opened his briefcase, took out a handheld calculator, and started punching in numbers. “You might as well go to bed,” he told Letty. “I'm going to be at this for a while.”

Letty went to bed and tried to read. She fell asleep in the middle of a chapter. A long time later she felt Joel crawling into bed beside her. She stirred.

“Joel? What did you think?”

“I don't want to talk about it tonight.” His voice sounded grim.

“But, Joel—”

“Go to sleep, Letty.”

“Thanks for reading it,” Letty whispered.

A long time later she was awakened again. Joel's hand was between her legs.

“Joel?
Joel
.”

“You know something, Letty? You get wet for me even in your sleep.” He leaned over her. “All I have to do is touch you.”

“It's two o'clock in the morning,” Letty grumbled.

“I can't sleep. I need to run, but there's no place to run tonight. And all my exercise equipment is back in my apartment.”

“You can't sleep?” She touched his bare shoulder.

“No.” His fingers moved in a tantalizing pattern.

Letty sucked in her breath. “Are you trying to tell me you think sex will help you get to sleep?”

“I'm trying to tell you that I want you very badly right now.”

Letty smiled and put her arms around his neck. “All you have to do is ask.”

The next morning Joel refused to give Letty any insight into what he thought of Escott's management plan.

“I'm still going over it,” was all he said as he wolfed down a pile of incredibly light buttermilk pancakes.

She did not like being kept on tenterhooks, he realized, but what the hell. She deserved it. He certainly did not like the growing possibility that the red meat that was Copeland Marine might be snatched from his salivating jaws.

In any event, he could not give Letty an opinion yet, he told himself as he pored over the plan again in his office. He was still reviewing the damn report. The really annoying thing about Escott's ideas was that they just might work.

Joel had been secretly hoping to find a fatal flaw in the management plan, something he could use to show Letty that there was no hope of saving Copeland Marine. Unfortunately, Escott had done a brilliant job of outlining the potential of the company and had come up with a realistic method of fulfilling it.

It would have been so much easier, Joel thought, if he could have pointed to a simple, logical reason for shooting down Letty's suggestion of salvaging the company.

His secretary's voice on the intercom interrupted Joel just as he was starting to run another set of numbers.

“A Mrs. Diana Escott to see you, sir. Are you free?” The chilly note in Mrs. Sedgewick's voice said it all: she did not entirely approve of Joel's visitor.

Damn, Joel thought. Just what he needed. “Send her in, Mrs. Sedgewick.”

Diana swept into the room in a cloud of unsubtle perfume. The whiff of aroma made Joel realize that Letty never wore perfume. He disliked strong artificial fragrances. He liked the way Letty smelled all on her own.

“Hello, Joel.”

“This is a surprise.” Joel got slowly to his feet. “Sit down, Diana.”

“Thank you.”

Diana dropped gracefully into the chair across from his desk. She was dressed in a chic black and white suit that complemented her dramatic coloring. The jacket was nipped in at the waist and flared out gently over her hips. When she crossed her long legs, Joel saw that her high heels were glossy and black. He watched her survey the office with a long, assessing glance.

“You really have done very well for yourself, haven't you, Joel?”

“It's a living. What can I do for you, Diana?”

“You know why I'm here.”

Joel leaned back in his chair. “Maybe you had better spell it out.”

“Keith told me he gave you his five-year plan for Copeland Marine.”

“He didn't give it to me. He gave it to Letty. I mean, Ms. Thornquist.”

Diana brushed that aside with a dismissive movement of her elegant hand. “We all know who runs Thornquist Gear.”

“Is that right? I've been starting to wonder about that myself.”

Diana's eyes blazed. “This is not a joke. Since you left Echo Cove, I've learned a great deal about the situation here. According to what I heard, this Letty Thornquist person only recently inherited the company. She's an ex-librarian, for heaven's sake. Worked at a college in the Midwest somewhere. She knows nothing about business.”

“Just out of curiosity, where did you hear all that?”

“A man named Philip Dixon talked to Daddy yesterday.”

“
Dixon
. He was in Echo Cove?” Joel sat forward abruptly. “That son of a bitch.”

Diana frowned. “Do you know him?”

“I know him.”

“He's telling everyone that he'll be marrying Letty Thornquist soon and that he'll be making the decisions for Thornquist Gear in the future. I think Daddy's trying to cut some sort of a deal with him.”

Joel paused, letting the possibilities sink in. “Your father believes Dixon's on the level?”

“Isn't he? Joel, I can't stand this anymore. It's all getting so confused. If you're going to shut down Copeland Marine, just do it and get it over with, will you? Don't drag things out like this.”

Joel started to respond, but before he could say anything, his attention was caught by a commotion in his outer office.

“Kindly stand aside, Mrs. Sedgewick. I told you I want to see Mr. Blackstone now. When I say now, I mean
now
.” Letty's voice was muffled by the paneling of the door, but every word was audible.

“I cannot allow you to just barge in on Mr. Blackstone when he's in conference,” Mrs. Sedgewick retorted fiercely. “I told you, he's with someone at the moment.”

“I know who he's with. Arthur informed me a minute ago. Now get out of my
way
.”

The door slammed open, revealing a more than normally disheveled Letty. One would never have guessed that her little blue suit had been freshly pressed that morning. Joel knew for a fact it had been, of course, because he had watched her get dressed.

Letty's militant expression was not one whit marred by the fact that her glasses were tilted and she was slightly out of breath. Nor was her triumphant entrance hampered in the least by Mrs. Sedgewick, who was clutching at the hem of Letty's suit jacket.

“I tried to stop her, Mr. Blackstone,” Mrs. Sedgewick called from behind Letty.

“Thank you, Mrs. Sedgewick. I know you did your best.” Joel hid a grin. He got to his feet and gazed at Letty with polite inquiry. “Was there something you wanted, Ms. Thornquist?”

“Yes, there was. I mean, yes, there is something I want.” Letty turned and closed the door in Mrs. Sedgewick's outraged face. Then she summoned up a lofty smile and aimed it at Diana. “I was told you were here, Mrs. Escott. I knew you would want to speak to me as well as to Joel. After all, the entire management team should be present for this kind of meeting, don't you think?”

Diana looked from Joel to Letty and back again. “What is going on here?”

“You'd never know it,” Joel said, “but we're trying to run a company.” He waited until Letty sat down, and then he resumed his own seat. “You may be interested to hear, Ms. Thornquist, that Professor Philip Dixon paid a recent visit to Echo Cove.”

“He
what?
”

“Yes, I was a bit surprised to hear it myself. Apparently he's telling everyone who will listen that he intends to marry you and take control of Thornquist Gear.”

“Oh, my God,” Letty said, dismayed. She turned to Diana. “I imagine you've come here to find out what's really going on, haven't you?”

“Yes.” Diana studied her coolly. “I take it there's no truth to Dixon's claims?”

“Heavens, no,” said Letty. “Now, then, I hope we've settled that issue.” She drew herself up and straightened her shoulders, which did little to unrumple the blue jacket. “I suppose the next thing on your mind is the status of your husband's excellent management plan.”

Diana glanced uncertainly at Joel. “Well, yes, as a matter of fact, it is. I was just telling Joel, and I may as well tell you, that it's cruel to let things drag along. It's obvious you're going to shut down Copeland Marine. Do it and get it done.”

“What's your hurry, Diana?” Joel asked softly.

She shot him a grim, unreadable glance. “I want it over. What's so hard to understand about that?” She stood up and walked stiffly to the window. “I just want it over. The uncertainty is making everything worse. Don't torture Keith by making him think his plan actually has possibilities. He doesn't deserve that.”

Letty watched her. “Don't you think Keith's ideas should be examined before a decision is made?”

“No.”

Joel glanced at Letty and discovered she was staring at him with a confused frown. He didn't blame her. He was feeling somewhat confused himself. “Why don't you want us to review the plan, Diana?”

“Because it's a waste of time, that's why.” Diana shot him a quick glance and then turned her attention to the scene outside the window. “Daddy has never been able to use any of Keith's ideas. He says they're all garbage. Why would you find them worthwhile?”

Joel traded another glance with Letty. He was suddenly very glad she was in the room. He had the distinct impression he was missing something here. “Escott has done a lot of sound thinking. I'm not saying we're going to implement any portion of this plan, but I will say it's solid. He knows what he's doing.”

Letty gave Joel an approving look, which Joel pretended to ignore. Diana, however, looked stricken.

“That's right, Diana,” Letty said firmly. “We're not trying to torture anyone. Joel—I mean, Mr. Blackstone—and I are giving Keith's plan a thorough review and consideration.”

“Don't,” Diana murmured. “Please, don't. Go ahead and shut down Copeland Marine.” She looked at Joel. “It's what you planned all along. Do it.”

Joel eyed her curiously. But he said nothing, because Letty was getting to her feet and he suddenly trusted her instincts in this situation more than he did his own. He could not figure out what was going on.

“Are we to understand that you actually want us to liquidate your father's company, Diana?”

“Yes, damn it.” Diana whirled around, eyes bright with unshed tears. “I told you I want you to close it down as soon as possible.”