The sisters had dressed for battle, Kayla in a pink-and-gray tennis dress that hit her thigh while Courtney wore a purple tank top and tennis skirt. Both wore their hair in unsophisticated ponytails.
“Of course,” Kayla returned, stretching her arms behind her. “We have to present a united front to the world. Just because word is out that Adams Cosmetics is in trouble doesn’t mean we are going to slink off into a corner somewhere.”
“I never thought we were,” Courtney responded. “We’re fighters. So when is the limo picking us up?” As spokes-woman for Adams Cosmetics, Courtney attended every public function.
“Six p.m.” Kayla picked up her racket from the ground and headed to her side of the court.
“Oh, I’ll be ready.”
“Are you ready to lose, little sis?” Kayla yelled over the court. “Because I’m about to give you a spanking.”
“Those are big words for someone who’s five years older than me.” Courtney laughed as she removed her jacket and tossed it on the green.
“Oh, I’m going to make you eat those words.” Kayla chuckled. She gave an overhead serve and sent the tennis ball flying in the air.
They played a hearty game before coming to a deuce.
“You realize once I serve, I have the advantage?” Courtney yelled over the net.
“Enough talk, Courtney. Let’s get on with it,” Kayla responded. Courtney served the ball and Kayla hit it with such force that Courtney had to go flying to reach it. But she still missed the point. “Whatcha gotta say about that?” Kayla teased as she did a victory dance.
“Oh, shut up,” Courtney said. “Can we just agree to disagree?” she asked, walking toward the net.
“Sure.” Kayla smiled back at her sister. “If you’ll agree I’m the better player.”
“Like hell I will.”
“Then we’ll have to have a rematch.” Kayla ruffled Courtney’s hair with her hands. “Now come on, I’m starved and it looks like Victor put out a great spread.” As a longtime employee, Victor was like a member of the Adams family and always took care of them. He’d put out a platter of sandwiches, pasta salad, fruit and a pitcher of ice-cold lemonade in the gazebo next to the tennis court.
“And I’m ready for it,” Courtney said as they strolled toward the gazebo.
Once there, they piled up their crystal plates with sandwiches, salad and fruit and sat down to the table.
“You’re very quiet,” Courtney remarked.
“I’m not happy about having to bring outside investors into Adams Cosmetics,” Kayla said, and then put up her hand. “And before you start enumerating the reasons why this is the right thing to do, don’t. I know what’s at stake, but I’m still disappointed that I couldn’t prevent this from happening.”
“You’ve done everything in your power, Kayla, to preserve Daddy’s vision, but even you aren’t Superwoman.”
Kayla gave a halfhearted smile. “Since when? When you were little you believed I could do anything.” She could easily remember Courtney following her around like a puppy dog and being annoyed that her little sister wanted to hang around her teenage friends.
Courtney laid her hands over her hips. “And I still do. There isn’t anything you can’t do when you put your mind to it, Kayla, and that’s why I know you’re going to make this work.”
“Thanks, doll.” Kayla patted her hand and then proceeded to take a big bite of the chicken salad on croissant that Victor had made for them.
“No matter who the investor is?” Courtney asked, and placed a forkful of pasta salad in her mouth.
Kayla wiped her mouth with the nearby napkin. “What do you mean by that?”
“Ethan Graham?” The name landed like a missile in the air.
“What about him?” Kayla looked down.
“Oh, nothing.” Courtney shrugged. “It just seemed like back in the day, you may have had a thing for the man.”
Kayla laughed nervously. “That’s utterly ridiculous.”
“Is it?” Courtney asked, twisting open the cap on her water bottle and taking a generous sip. “The man is handsome as sin. Are you blind?”
Kayla inhaled sharply just thinking about him. Was it obvious even to her sister that she’d once had feelings for Ethan that had gone unrequited?
“No, I’m not blind…” Kayla responded. She remembered every detail about the man, even if it had been a year or so since she’d seen him. Who could forget those smoldering dark eyes of his or that broad expanse of shoulders? She sure couldn’t. She had fantasies about what it would be like to have his arms wrapped around her.
“But I feel there is a ‘but’ coming in there,” Courtney finished her sentence.
“I don’t feel that Graham International is the right fit for us,” Kayla replied. “They have their hands in so many markets—clothing, perfume, leather goods. Their cosmetics division is small.”
“Which is why Ethan will jump at the chance of being part of Adams Cosmetics. Why are you so against this, Kayla?”
“I’m not, but there are tons of investors out there. Why does it have to be Ethan?”
“Because he’ll have not only a monetary investment but a personal stake, as well. I doubt Ethan wants the company to fail.”
“Are you sure about that?” Kayla asked. “Look at the way Dad treats him. He’s always thought that the apple didn’t fall too far from the tree.”
“That’s because of what happened with Dad and Ethan’s father. It doesn’t mean Ethan is as ruthless as his old man.”
“Courtney, you are so naive. Ethan Graham is exactly his father’s son, how else do you think he grew Graham International? He has to be as cutthroat as Carter Graham ever was, if not worse.”
“Everything is coming along nicely,” Daniel told Ethan later that morning after a late lunch and game of racquetball. They were sitting in Ethan’s study and discussing his strategy.
“So you’ve put the word out to potential investors that Adams Cosmetics is mine?” Ethan asked.
“Yes,” Daniel stated. “I got my hands on their short list. I will make some confidential calls and advise you are prepared to match any offer an investor may make for shares in AC.”
“Good.” Ethan nodded. “And the bank?”
“Still on the fence.”
“Then it’s time I place a call to Perry Lee,” Ethan said, rising from the sofa and walking toward his desk.
“You’re
