Raiders T-shirt and scuffed Timberlands. “What are you two up to?”
“Dylan has something planned,” Tara said, her eyes lit with pleasure. Rachel’s eyebrows lifted. She clearly thought something was going on between them. He knew the gossip had flown after their fight at Ruby’s. Candee had called him early this morning after a friend told her. Victor Lansing had joked that he appreciated the sacrifices Dylan was willing to make to solve the Wharton problem.
He was grateful Tara hadn’t taken him up on his dare about the kiss, though he’d been certain she wouldn’t, not in the Wharton fishbowl. He still wasn’t sure why he’d said that, why his heart had flipped at the prospect, why for a few seconds there he didn’t care who knew they still had feelings for each other.
“Have you eaten, Mom?” Tara asked.
“I’m not hungry.”
“You can’t skip meals. You know that.”
“What have we come to when Tara thinks she has to look after me?” Rachel said to him. “It’s a lost cause, but maybe that’s the appeal.”
“I asked Judith to make you some chamomile tea,” Tara said.
“You two go have your homeless fun.”
Dylan was surprised to see the affection on Rachel’s face when she looked at her daughter.
They left and got into the car.
“I have news,” Tara said as he pulled onto the highway. “This morning at the hospital, Joseph said he wants to hire me as a consultant.”
“How did you manage that?”
“I did my homework, convinced people who had influence with Joseph that hiring me would be smart. Legally it would be a hedge against litigation regarding fiduciary duty and oversight.”
“That’s a mouthful.”
“That’s what I thought, but the legal argument was Joseph’s tipping point. So, he warns me that he will not tolerate group hugs or feel-good mission statements, then he asks me to start on Monday.”
“That was fast. Will he cooperate with you?”
“I think so. I told him I would be his eyes and ears, that my role was to calm the waters, reduce conflict and uncertainty. That seemed to relieve him. He really needs a buffer between him and people.”
“Sounds like you’ll do that for him.”
“Yeah. In fact, he got choked up. He told me that Faye had been like that with employees and that he missed her, that it’s been hard to be at Wharton without her. I was very touched.”
“If you got Joe Banes to open up, you’re a miracle worker.”
“Not really. It’s all smoke and mirrors.”
“I doubt that.”
She looked out the window for a few seconds, then back at him. “You’re right. I mock myself because what I do sometimes scares me. I charge a fortune and clients expect miracles. So far I’ve delivered, but it’s a high-wire act. I have to get the vibe, connect with the true leaders, deduce the unspoken conflicts, coax people to trust each other, and there are a dozen ways it can all fall apart at any time.”
“Sounds complicated.”
“It is. There are predictable patterns, but each company is unique.”
“And you love it.”
“I do. Very much. If I keep growing, I’ll need to bring on a partner soon. First, I’ll need to recover from being away so long, but if I can help Wharton, it’s worth everything to me.”
“On that subject, I talked to Candee about giving you some insights into the business department. She wants the three of us to talk it over.” He cleared his throat, not looking forward to the meeting.
“So...a three-way?” Tara grinned.
“I doubt it will be that fun.” Tara had been right. Candee had been upset by their meeting. He hoped Candee wouldn’t give Tara hell when they met. “She suggested Monday night at my house.”
“Sounds good.”
“I hope it will be.” He hoped it would be brief. The less time Tara and Candee spent together, the less chance they’d get on each other’s nerves, hurt anyone’s feelings or turn on him as the common enemy.
“Things are coming together,” she said sounding happy. “I’ll be working at Wharton, looking into what’s happening there. Once Tony gets the car to his shop to check it, we’ll know what caused the wreck.”
“There’s a glitch there. The salvage guy said your insurance company has to sign off before he’ll release the car.”
“Damn,” she said. “I have to get that adjuster on the phone. That’s all there is to it.” She blew out a breath. “One step forward, two steps back.”
“I did talk to one of the poker players for you,” Dylan said. “Mitch Bender was at the meeting last night, so I asked