mind, too. A young child with severe asthma. The medical insurance she gets through her job at TeaLC is absolutely crucial. Then there’s Suzan. She’s a college student who has to save every penny.”
R.J. stilled as understanding dawned. He refused to be manipulated. “Why are you telling me all this?” he demanded, knowing it was wrong to take his agitation out on her.
Shanna whirled on him. “Because those are the kind of people who are going to be affected if this business doesn’t stay profitable.”
R.J. blinked at her suddenness. This was getting ridiculous. “Shanna, you know me well enough to realize I’d do anything I can to prevent that, but... But this isn’t a plan, it’s a fiasco. I’ll find a way to help. Just not this.”
Shanna actually snorted. “Shame. This deal would have been the perfect way to grow our company and secure our employees’ futures. She sank her whole trust fund into this place. There’s not a penny of it left. And she won’t even consider going to her father.”
R.J. clamped down on the anger that surged through his chest at the mention of the man who’d sired Angeline. Water under the bridge now, but it still stung. As for Shanna, he wasn’t sure what to say to her.
Shanna blew out a breath. “Unlike the rest of her wealthy family, Angeline cares about giving back to the community. It’s one of the major reasons she’s fighting so hard to keep this place going.”
He had no reason to, but he felt a sense of pride nevertheless. “How?”
“We work with the local women’s shelters, try to place those ladies when an opening comes up. Single mothers, ladies trying to figure out how to stand on their own two feet. Sometimes the money we can offer isn’t great, but it’s better than nothing. And it gives them a chance to be productive and useful. But it’s an expensive business strategy. We spend the time and money to train regardless of past experience. And turnover’s higher than standard for the industry. It’s the primary reason we’re not as profitable as we could be. But it’s worth it. Just to be able to give those women a chance to move on.”
A chance to move on. Would his own childhood have turned out differently if his own family had had such a chance? If his mother had found a way to get them away from his abusive, alcoholic mess of a father?
He shook off the memories, focusing on what Shanna had just said. He’d stopped reading about Angeline and TeaLC in the business journals because it had just become too painful. Seeing her beautiful smiling face in print. So confident, so content. Content to be without him.
“I didn’t know. How many TeaLC employees fall into this category?”
“About twenty to thirty percent. A few in every store in the States.”
“It does sound like a costly program.” Another unsettling thought occurred to him. “Have there been threats? Ex-husbands or past boyfriends?” A lot of women in shelters had to be running from abusive partners. Something he had firsthand knowledge of.
Shanna smiled. She looked pretty proud, too. “Sure there have. Angeline won’t let that stop her. There’s a security presence in every store, and each one is alarmed to the hilt. The public knows we won’t take any chances with our employees, so nobody’s tried anything.”
“She’s not one to back down, is she?”
“No, she’s not. And you have no idea how much it took for her to ask you this.”
R.J. bit out another oath. He looked up at the ceiling and exhaled slowly, wearily. So much for not being manipulated. He fished his phone out of his pocket.
“What are you doing?” Shanna asked as the elevator jolted to a stop.
He started dialing. “I have to call my secretary and tell her my schedule has changed for the next couple of days. Where’s the nearest jewelry store?”
Shanna’s dark brows lifted over her piercing blue eyes. “Why?”
“Married people wear rings.”
* * *
“That feels good doesn’t it, sweetie? I know it feels good.” Angeline stroked a loving hand over the warm, eager body nestling closer to her.
“You’ve missed me haven’t you?” Moist, soft eyes looked back at her with enthusiasm. Here was total acceptance, unconditional love. Right now it was exactly what she needed.
“I saw him again today, you know,” she continued.
A knowing grunt responded.
“He came back, Max. He came back and he’s going to do it.” She stopped and took a deep sigh. “I didn’t want him to know about the women. He wasn’t supposed to want to do it because of them. But he knows now, and he’s going to help.”
The brown eyes staring at her started to droop with sleepiness. “Anyway, he did that thing he always does, where he just sort of takes command and handles all the details with efficiency and haste. He studied all the sales projections and started doing some research on Mondolavia. The whole office was eating out of his hand.” She frowned. “Especially my female crew. They couldn’t do enough for him.
“Still, I didn’t realize how much I’d missed that. To be able to rely on someone else without worrying about appearing weak or out of control. I’ve always loved the take-charge quality about him. And, of course, he’s still as handsome as I remember.”
She stopped for a long sigh. “Oh, Max, I think I might be making a huge mistake here.
“Anyway.” Angeline shifted. “He’s on his way over.”
Max lifted his head at the announcement.
“That’s right.” She looked around the plush, Eastern decor of her condo. Would he like it? She was surprised to realize that it mattered to her. A burgundy-and-black patterned Oriental rug adorned the hardwood floor. It matched the draperies that hung from the bay windows on each wall. The full-floor condominium had a large kitchen and two bedrooms positioned on opposite sides. A far cry from the one-bedroom apartment they’d shared off campus for their brief union as man and wife.
“He’s bringing over some of his stuff,” she continued to her captive audience of one. “We have to look like a genuine married couple.”
The chime of the doorbell interrupted them. Max moved himself off the sofa and made a mad dash to the door.
“Traitor,” Angeline mumbled.
On shaky legs, she went to let R.J. in. As soon as she opened the door, Max barreled into him.
R.J. laughed in surprise. Bracing himself, he looked across the threshold at her. “I can’t believe he remembers me.”
She smiled. Max had been the poor soul to hear all about her foolish pining since R.J. had left. She hadn’t given him a chance to forget R.J.’s name.
“Is he still chewing the rugs?” R.J. asked as he picked up the dog.
Angeline nodded. “Yeah, the vet says it’s just something some breeds do.”
She
