Love

lavish corner office with an incredible view of the Boston skyline in the distance. The view was the only thing impressive about it, however. The large space was thoroughly cluttered. Whatever furniture there was was buried under piles of fabric. Swatches of silk tumbled across the desk in a rainbow of colors. Bolts of wool littered a sofa. Drapes of printed cotton hung over the backs of every chair.
Dana had never seen more beautiful fabrics in her life. Intrigued, she circled the room and impulsively ran her fingers over the material, awed by the various textures. She was more certain than ever that her most innovative logo design was right.
She looked up and realized Brandon Halloran was watching her closely, an expression of approval on his face.
“I can see you appreciate fine quality fabrics,” he said.
“They’re beautiful. I’ve never owned anything like them.”
“Perhaps one day you will,” he said. He swept the bolts of cloth from the sofa and motioned for her to sit down. “What’s your name, young lady? My grandson didn’t take the time to introduce us properly on Saturday. You seemed to be in a bit of a hurry.”
Dana winced. “Actually he didn’t know my name.”
“Really? How fascinating. I could have sworn the two of you were having a pretty heated argument, too heated for a couple of strangers.”
“It was a stupid mistake on my part. I thought he was someone else. When I realized how wrong I was, I came to apologize.”
“Carrying a portfolio?”
Dana tried to evade that penetrating gleam in his eyes, but it was unavoidable. Before she could consider the consequences, she was spilling the whole story.
“So you can see why he’d be furious with me. This is the first time I’ve even come close to getting a job like this. I couldn’t risk having him tell the Lansing Agency people what I’d done. I planned on throwing myself at his mercy.”
“An interesting tactic, but I have a better idea. Let me take a look at those designs. If they’re as innovative as you suggest, Jason will hate them. Then I’ll have to overrule him and he’ll have even more reason to resent you.”
Though this comment echoed what John Lansing and Lesley Bates had suggested earlier, about which man was a risk taker, Dana was puzzled why Brandon Halloran seemed to so eager to help her. “Why would you care if he resents me?”
“Let’s just say I’m concerned with the future of Halloran Industries and leave it at that, shall we?”
Dana didn’t have the vaguest idea what she had to do with the future of this man’s company, but she was more than willing to show him the designs. The expression of delight that spread across his face when he saw the final concept was better than any verbal praise, but he said all the right words, too.
“This is perfect. Perfect! Young lady, you are very talented. Why hasn’t someone snapped you up long before now?”
“I’m just getting started. To be honest, I was a little unorthodox for some of the companies I applied to.”
He grinned. “I can just imagine. Well, you’re not too unorthodox for Halloran Industries. Shall I call John Lansing right now?”
“No!” she said hurriedly. She swallowed hard. “I mean, I wish you wouldn’t. I just interviewed with him. He doesn’t know I’m here with you. It wouldn’t look good.”
“I see,” he said nodding slowly. “You may have a point. Let’s let John and Lesley go ahead and schedule that meeting, then. This conversation will be our secret.”
“What about your grandson?”
“You just leave Jason to me.”
That worrisome twinkle was back in his eyes when he said it, but Dana was far too grateful about having Brandon Halloran in her corner to question his motives. She realized much later that not finding out about his motives was probably the second major mistake she’d made with the Halloran men.
* * *
Jason swiveled his chair around to face the window and stared out at the bleak gray landscape. The snow that had fallen over the weekend had turned to slush, and a new batch of thick clouds kept the Tuesday-morning sky a dull gunmetal shade.
What was wrong with him? Why couldn’t he seem to get his life into focus? He needed a goal, a purpose, but he was damned if he could find one. Despite his talk with his grandfather on Saturday, nothing had really changed. Only the unexpected, volatile encounter with the outrageously feisty woman in the bar had shaken the depressing status quo, and that was hardly an experience he cared to repeat.
In fact, he had tried to dismiss the entire incident, but that was easier said than done. Too many people at the symphony gala on Saturday night had heard about it and wanted to know the fascinating details. To his irritation Jason found himself quelling rumors that he was secretly involved with the outrageous woman and that the scene had been a very public lovers’ quarrel. Unfortunately his own date had been one of those who’d taken that particular rumor as fact. Marcy Wellington had lifted her aristocratic nose in the air, told him in no uncertain terms what she thought of him and had taken a cab home. He’d been astonishingly unmoved by her departure.
He glanced at his calendar and saw that his secretary had noted a meeting in the boardroom for ten o’clock. He buzzed the outer office.
“Harriet, what’s this meeting all about?”
“Your grandfather scheduled it late yesterday afternoon. He said it was essential you be there. He mentioned something about the Lansing Agency and those logo designs you ordered.” As if she’d anticipated his next question, she added, “John Lansing had tried to reach you earlier, but you’d already left for the day. I transferred him to your grandfather.”
Jason pretended not to notice the censure in her voice. Harriet had very rigid ideas about the length of the workday. He rarely met her standards or those set by his workaholic father and his dedicated grandfather. As near