wasn't with him now, and differences did matter. Still, they didn't seem insuperable. Common sense told her they wouldn't be easy to overcome. They came from different worlds and were poles apart on how they felt about it. He wanted to conquer her world. She wanted to ignore most of it.
She'd never thought of walking into a ready-made family, husband, daughter and grandchild. A man who already had a grandchild might not want more children. And then there were the inevitable differences over how they should handle the situation. She would always be an outsider because Cynthia was his daughter, not hers. And this didn't even begin to take into consideration the possibility that Cynthia might be jealous of any children she might have. Children might say they didn't value money, but few things could break up a family more quickly than squabbles over who was going to inherit what.
Kathryn closed her desk and got up. She needed something to take her mind off Ron. Her friends had been begging her to let them take her shopping. They said she never bought anything really nice for herself because she saved all her money for the shelter.
Today she felt like buying a new dress. Maybe even shoes and a bag to go with it. She'd call two of her friends. They'd enjoy it even more if they could share being amazed she had finally broken down and agreed to go shopping. Then once she bought the dress, she'd have to think of somewhere to wear it. She'd let them help her with that, too. They'd try to match her up with some guy they thought would make a perfect husband, but she wouldn't go out with him unless she wanted to. This was really an excuse to see her friends again.
Chapter Six
"We're having a problem with Schmidt and Wasserman," Ted was saying to Ron. "They won't listen to anything we say."
"This isn't a matter of money for them. It's an issue of national pride."
"Do you think you can change their minds?"
"I don't know."
"One of the other men said they wouldn't approve the merger if Schmidt and Wasserman were against it. What are you going to do?"
Ron had arrived at his hotel two hours before the meeting. He'd used that time to shower, change and listen to a report on what had been happening the last two days. It wasn't good. Ted and Ben had done everything he would have done, but two essential men - two government cabinet ministers - continued to argue against the merger. It didn't matter how the other men voted. These two men had the power to block it.
By the end of the day it had become very clear that the merger wouldn't - couldn't - go through without the approval of the government. With an election coming up that was predicted to be close, those men were afraid to do anything that might be unpopular with the voting public. Ron would have to give them something they could offer the people, or they would withhold approval.
"We have to come up with a reason they can't afford to vote against the merger," Ron said. "Hire as many people as you need. Spend as much as you have to, but you've got to find something we can use to persuade them to change their minds."
"Do you think you can keep them negotiating long enough to find it?" Ben asked.
"You have to keep them negotiating. I'm flying back to Charlotte tonight." He stuffed the last of the papers into his briefcase. "In fact, if I don't leave soon, I'll be late."
Both assistants reacted with shocked surprise. They'd spent the evening around the conference table in his suite going over every aspect of the merger, preparing arguments to bolster their position, brainstorming where they thought the next day's discussions would lead. Ron looked at his watch. "The chartered jet should be warming up its engines right now. I'll call you before the meeting tomorrow."
"You can't leave now," Ted said.
"I'll be back again in a couple of days, but I have to go home. My daughter needs me."
He couldn't afford to devote all his time to the merger. He had his daughter's life to straighten out. Maybe his own life needed straightening out just as much. He'd never stopped working long enough to think about it. But now he had, and he was beginning to realize something important was missing
"But we've never done a negotiation without you," Ben said.
"They expect you