One Love (5 page)

A wave of guilt washed over her. Here
she was being vague instead of straight up about all she’d done to
hurt him. She could no longer tell herself avoiding Alex was the
right choice. Just as she had faced others, she owed it to him to
do the same.

“
Alex, I’d like to get
together with you sometime. There are some things I need to say.”
Lanessa’s heart pounded as he continued to gaze at her. Those eyes
were the deepest brown, like rich Dutch chocolate. After more
silence, she looked away.” But I’ll understand if you’d prefer not
to.”

“
Let’s have lunch
Friday.”

Lanessa let out a long breath.” What
about the City Cafe on Third Street?”

“
I look forward to it,” he
said.” I better get back to the office. I’ve got a three o’clock
meeting. See you Friday.”

“
Yeah, Friday,” she
replied.

Lanessa felt as though the
room had tilted and spun around. Had it really happened so fast? A
few words and she would be with Alex in two days.
Whoa!
She wandered around
the room not really seeing anyone. When Clarice approached, she was
standing at the window staring out at the busy downtown
traffic.

“
Wasn’t that Alex you were
talking to?”Clarice beamed at her.” That young man gets more
handsome every day.”

“
Don’t get any ideas,”
Lanessa said. She was speaking to herself as much as her mother.”
He’s happily involved.”

“
Um-hum.” Clarice’s tone
dismissed his relationship.” You two were so right together.” She
sighed with nostalgia.

“
Oh we were the perfect
couple. Except for the times I lied to him and used him,” Lanessa
quipped.

“
There you go with that flip
mouth,” Clarice said in a low voice. She glanced around to make
sure not else had heard.” Don’t throw away this chance,
Lanessa.”

Lanessa’s eyes narrowed.” Wait a
minute; you knew Alex would be here. That’s the real reason you
were so anxious to get me here.”

”
I didn’t know for certain
that he’d come.” Clarice was unapologetic.” His mother mentioned he
might.”

“
Mother--”

“
I didn’t steer him to you,
did I? I had nothing to do with it.” Clarice wore a look of
innocence.

“
You’re something else,” was
all Lanessa could manage to say.

“
So, tell me, what were you
talking about so intently? He seemed genuinely pleased to see you,
baby.” Clarice eyes gleamed with pleasure.

“
It wasn’t what you think,
Mother. We talked computer software.”

“
But you will be seeing him
again? I hope you let him go without suggesting dinner at least.”
Clarice’s eyes widened with disapproval.

“
We’re having lunch
Friday.”

“
Excellent! That’s my girl.”
Clarice gave her arm a squeeze.

“
But only so I can apologize
and clear the books between us. Nothing more.” Lanessa shook her
head.” Nothing more.”

“
Of course, baby. If you say
so.” Clarice wore a knowing smile.” I’ll call you later.” She left
with one last backward glance of triumph.

“
Yes, I do say so,” Lanessa
called out to her in exasperation. She had to keep telling herself
exactly that for the next two days.

***

“
This is great,
Lanessa!”Robyn was almost jumping up and down with
enthusiasm.

“
Yeah, right.” Lanessa
scanned the outline of her notes.” A pretty big project. It could
take weeks.”

“
I really laid it on think
thanking Mr. Blanchard for referring him.” Robyn peered over her
shoulder for a few seconds before sitting down at the small table
near Lanessa’s desk.” I did some checking. Caine Dawson is very
influential.”

“
So I understand. But why
me? The man must have A-list contacts.” Lanessa put the paper
down.

”
Oh come on. Most
consultants are still in the ice age.” Robyn dismissed them with
all the confidence of youth.” You’re on the cutting edge of
think-outside-the box information age professionals.”

“
Keep it up and you’ll have
that Christmas bonus by July.” Lanessa grinned at her.

“
I mean it,” Robyn said with
passion.” No one else in Baton Rouge makes a specialty of finding
information for people. Just the kind of thing Caine Dawson
needs.”

“
I guess.”

Lanessa gazed at the background file
Robyn had put together on him. Dawson was the CEO of Paxton-Waite
Copper & Gold, Inc., a division of Paxton-Waite
International.

“
Gold mines in Indonesia,
copper from Mexico. How exciting.” Robyn was clearly
impressed.

“
Not to mention a steel
factory, the Tasty Food Company and a string of grocery stores.”
Lanessa shook her head.” A mega conglomerate with more divisions
than a centipede has legs. Doesn’t add up.”

“
Didn’t you tell me that
contracting is more cost efficient than hiring staff?”Robyn turned
to the computer on the table and tapped the keyboard.

”
A lot of companies do seek
specialized services from consultants.” Lanessa flipped through
more pages on Paxton-Waite.” And I know where to get information
fast.”

“
Don’t forget your state
government contacts.”

“
Still...” Lanessa shook her
head slowly.

She was anxious. Who was she kidding?
Dealing with Paxton-Waite scared her silly. The opportunity to
score a big contract should have delighted her. One part of her was
proud that her work was getting such good word of mouth. Referrals
were the lifeblood of any consulting business. Yet Lanessa was not
sure she could handle it. Things seemed to be moving so fast.
Self-doubt gnawed at her. Seeing the scope and net worth of
Paxton-Waite did nothing but add to her nervousness. Why indeed did
Caine Dawson not rely on his own research and development
team?

“
Something seems slightly
off center about it.”

“
Ahem, you’ll get to ask him
soon. Your ten thirty appointment at their new Baton Rouge office,
remember?”

With a gasp, Lanessa jumped up.” Thank
heavens for young brain cells.”

“
Here’s the last set of
figures.” Robyn took a page from the laser printer and put it in
Lanessa’s brief case.

“
Where’s the promo folder?
Did I put my typed proposal in my portfolio? My keys are
missing!”

Robyn responded with calm assurance.”
You organized everything yesterday.” She handed her the leather
brief case.” It’s all there. I double checked.”

Lanessa moaned in anguish. “I’ve lost
my car keys. “You’ll have to drive me.”

“
No I won’t.” Robyn reached
out and picked up the keys from under a pile of brochures.” Here
you go.”

“
Did I mention you’re
wonderful?”Lanessa took a deep breath to steady herself.” Say a
prayer.” She gave Robyn the thumbs up sign on her way
out.

By the time she got to the offices
twenty minutes later, Lanessa was reasonably calm. She’d had time
to review all the facts and rehearse her opening presentation. A
glance at the glossy folder made her feel even better. “Info, Inc.”
was imprinted in bright blue with a logo created by a graphic arts
designer. The folder contained a brochure and other facts about
Info, Inc. Soon she was at the twenty story downtown building. It
was steel and glass with windows that mirrored the deep blue May
sky above. When meeting clients at their offices, Lanessa liked to
arrive at least twenty minutes early scout out the place. She would
talk to employees, everyone from the security guards to
administrative assistants. This time she was lucky to find a very
chatty receptionist on the first floor. By the time she stepped off
the elevator on the nineteenth floor, she was armed with insight
into the company’s corporate culture. Such information would help
her establish rapport. A stern looking forty-something woman
glanced up from her desk. Nancy B. Childers was on a nameplate next
to a large multi-line phone. She glanced down at Lanessa’s just
above the knee length skirt then up again. Her thin mouth seemed to
pucker with disapproval.

“
May I help you?” Ms.
Childers said in a frosty tone.

“
I’m here to see Mr.
Dawson,” Lanessa said. She resisted the urge to tug at her
hem.

“
Do you have an
appointment?”Ms. Childers let her expression convey she doubted the
possibility.

“
Yes, Lanessa Thomas of
Info, Inc.” Lanessa swallowed hard.
This
is a mistake, run for it!

Ms. Childers let a few seconds pass.”
I see. Just one moment.” She consulted a calendar on the computer
screen.

“
Ten thirty. I’m a bit
early.”

Lanessa hovered between
annoyance and apprehension.
Don’t be a
quivering wimp. These folks can take it or leave it.
She was prepared and qualified. Ms. Childers could
go jump. Lanessa felt better. The old confidence was
back.

A tall, handsome man with black hair
and blue eyes came through a set of carved double doors. He held
out his hand to Lanessa.” Good morning, you must be Ms. Thomas. I’m
Kenneth Hargrove. Executive Vice President of the Research &
Development division.”

“
Good morning.” Lanessa
shook his hand.

“
I was just calling Mr.
Dawson, Mr. Hargrove,” Ms. Childers said. Her tone implied he’d
stepped out of bounds with regard to office procedure.

“
I’ll take Ms. Thomas in,
Nancy.” Hargrove was obviously a man used to being in charge. His
dark eyebrows went up just a bit though he kept smiling.

Ms. Childers blinked and put the
telephone receiver down.” Yes, sir,” she said in a less
authoritative voice.

Lanessa threw her a cool smile before
walking beside him down the hall. She suppressed a giggle at the
sour tight-lipped expression Ms. Childers wore. A second later
Lanessa forgot the woman as she admired the understated elegance of
the office. Down the hallway along the wall were fine prints, some
depicting branches of Paxton-Waite. They emerged into another wide
waiting area with a panoramic view of the Mississippi River.
Hargrove only nodded to a much younger woman seated at a massive
mahogany desk. He opened a set of carved mahogany doors then
stepped aside for her to enter.

“
Ms. Thomas, Caine Dawson.”
Hargrove shut the door behind them.

A tall man with dark brown hair
touched with gray at both temples strode forward. He wore a custom
suit with ease. He held out his hand. Good morning, Ms. Thomas.
Come in, come in.”

Lanessa was startled at the cool,
slick feel of his skin. She shook his hand but let go of it
quickly.” Hello, Mr. Dawson.” Putting all the charm she had into
her voice, she hoped he had not noticed.

“
Have seat.” Dawson led her
to an octagonal table set off in a corner of the huge office.” Ken,
did you...” He tilted his head slightly.

“
Jennifer will bring coffee
shortly,” Ken answered.

“
Very good. Louisiana dark
roast is the grease that gets the wheels of business going, I
understand.” Dawson smiled at her.

“
For sure,” Lanessa replied.
She shivered when he turned those greenish-brown to gaze at her
steadily.
Better stop watching the sci-fi
channel until the wee hours, you’re getting jumpy.

For fifteen minutes the two
men proved themselves charming at small talk. Still Lanessa
recognized precisely what was happening. They skillfully extracted
information about her background. She just as skillfully
demonstrated that she’d done her homework. They did not stop when
Jennifer came in and gracefully served coffee, pouring the dark
liquid from a silver pot into white porcelain cups. Lanessa
discussed stock market performance and the vicissitudes of foreign
economies with confidence. Then she smoothly talked of state and
local politics, relating it to the national scene. The view from
this height was stunning.
Now I could get
used to this.

“
Ms. Thomas, we’ve heard
good things about you from several associates.” Dawson took a final
sip from his cup then set it down on the table.

“
I’m glad to hear it. I
worked very hard to meet their needs.” Lanessa decided to let him
lead.

“
You may be wondering why we
contacted you when we have so many employees.” Dawson tilted his
head to her.

This is another test.” Frankly yes.”
Lanessa returned his gaze with a nod.” Everything I know about
Paxton-Waite leads me to believe you don’t need me. Not that I
discourage business.”

“
Just as frankly, we’re new
to this state. Relatively speaking that is. Nine months.” Dawson
paused.

”
More than that, we want to
establish a broad base of business contacts.” Ken Hargrove sat with
his long legs crossed.

“
Yes, we’re looking to the
future. We have an interest in business diversity. If you see what
I mean,” Dawson added.