Merger to Marriage (Boardrooms and Billi - By Addison Fox Page 0,24
changed into something that excited him?
Teddy took a seat opposite him. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you’ve got a sweet spot for Mayson. First smart move I’ve seen you make, Turner.”
Holt’s gaze grew sharper as Teddy’s words indicated more of an opening salvo than a casual conversation. “I’ve made a lot of smart moves over the years. I’m just sorry I’ve not been able to make any for Craddick, Inc.”
“Now, Holt, you know my feelings on big real estate deals. I’ve been more than straight with you.”
“Yes, you do them sparingly, and only with those you’ve known more than a decade. Regardless of the price they bring the property in at or the incentives they can negotiate on your behalf.”
“I’m a family man first, a businessman second. It’s a trait I expect in others.”
“With all due respect sir, our personal lives should be kept out of the boardroom. I’ve made my feelings more than clear on that front in the past.”
Teddy’s gaze was sharp. “Is that how you advised your good friend, Nathan Cooper? Because the besotted looks he keeps throwing his wife suggest otherwise.”
“Nathan’s wife is more than capable of holding her own in the boardroom and anywhere else. She proved that to Nathan, and the business community, last fall when he attempted to take over her company.”
“Attempted. Exactly.” The man slapped his leg. “Look how much better off both of them are for joining up instead of staying adversaries.”
Holt shook his head, trying diligently to follow the man’s train of thought. “What does any of that have to do with the real estate proposal I sent you?”
“A man has to have something to work for. To live for.” Teddy leaned forward over the table, his expression so earnest it bordered on evangelical. “You want to know why I haven’t done business with you?”
“Yes, I do. I’ve put several proposals in front of you over the years, one more lucrative than the next. Most executives of your caliber would have jumped on them. Many do, yet you persist in your refusal to do business with me.”
“Every one of those proposals has been flawless.”
“So why haven’t you gone with any of them?”
“It’s you.”
“Me?” A distant ringing started low in his ears and he fought to maintain his composure. He’d come from nothing—worse than nothing—and he’d made something of himself. Something decent and honest. Yes, he was driven. Yes, he was focused on his own goals to the exclusion of most everything else in his life. And yes, he wasn’t known for being the warmest person in the room. But hell, he ran a fucking business, not a daycare.
“What are you suggesting, Teddy?”
“You don’t have any heart, Holt.”
If Teddy had just stood up and done a soft shoe across the room, Holt wouldn’t have been more surprised. “What the hell does that have to do with anything? Last time I checked, liking someone wasn’t a prerequisite for doing business with them.”
“A shame, that.”
Craddick Inc. was a privately held company and didn’t need to publish an annual report. Despite the lack of data, Holt had kept tabs on the real estate deals Teddy had done over the years. It was that incentive—and the promise of getting a piece of it—that kept him from walking straight out the door. “My work stands on its own. The benefits to your company’s bottom line, of that work, stand on their own. I’d have thought someone with your business experience would understand and appreciate that.”
“You’ve got your eye on quite a woman.” Teddy held up his glass and took a sip, his gaze thoughtful. “There aren’t many women as wonderful as the McBride sisters.”
“I don’t have my eye on Mayson.”
Teddy’s eyes narrowed. “I said you didn’t have any heart, not that you were a liar. Don’t make me change my mind about that.”
Holt sighed. “Mayson’s a beautiful woman. She’s spectacular and I enjoy her company.”
“That she is. Always has been.” The older man stopped as he took the fresh glass. “Her grandfather called her his little pixie. He was a good man. One of the best.”
He nodded, curious where Teddy was going with his comments. After years of observing his adversaries, he knew when someone wanted to make a direct hit, or skirt the perimeter of the matter. Teddy’s trip down memory lane indicated he’d better settle in for the long haul. “I never met him, but his reputation as a straight-shooter and a man of integrity is legendary.”
“The fact that she and her