Crazy Ever After (22 page)

Hank came in and took a seat, followed by Simon Fast, Vice President of Merchandising and Production, and Daniel McInnis, Vice President of Wholesale Logistics and Operations. Samara greeted them all with a smile. Then Paulette took a seat at the end of the table where a laptop had been set up to take minutes.

Travis took the lead. Damn him.

“We’re meeting today to discuss our management structure going forward,” he began. “With Parker gone we need to have at least a temporary plan in place se we can reassure our partners and stakeholders that the company is still being effectively managed.”

Everyone nodded and murmured their agreement.

“Samara is here because Parker left her his shares in the company,” Travis explained, looking from person to person as he spoke, including everyone. “She believes she can contribute to running the company.”

Travis put his fingertips together, hands resting on the table. “We didn’t have a formal succession plan in place,” he noted. “Unfortunately. Certainly we never expected anything to happen to Parker, but in hindsight, it should have been done in any case.” He paused. “We don’t have to make any long term decisions today, but I do think we need to have an interim plan in place. Already we’ve heard from one stakeholder who expressed concern about moving forward with Parker gone.”

“Who was that?” Hank asked with a frown.

“Duane Scanlon.” Travis paused. “Samara spoke to him last week.”

They all looked at her, and she tightened her quivering stomach and again related the conversation she’d had with Scanlon. “I’d like to say that, in my father’s absence, I think I could step in and smooth things over with some of the stakeholders who are concerned about where the business is going.”

She glanced at Travis, expecting to see his scowl, but his face was clear and neutral. The others, however, did look concerned.

“The only problem with that,” Travis said, “is that they’re concerned about more than just Parker being gone. Word is out that Cedar Mill is struggling financially.”

Now the faces around the table creased deeper with concern.

“I’ve heard rumblings about that,” Hank admitted. “I’m not sure how that word got out, but I guess it’s not surprising given the challenges we’ve been facing lately.”

“It doesn’t take long for talk to spread in the business community,” Simon said. “We definitely need to put a plan in place to deal with that. Once people get the idea that we’re in trouble, no one will want to do business with us.” He glanced around the table. “This is very bad news.”

Travis nodded, and Samara’s stomach knotted up even more. “I agree, which makes it even more imperative that we have solid leadership at a time like this. We also want to reassure our employees that their jobs are safe, that the company is strong.”

He’d been talking about layoffs last week. How could they reassure staff their jobs were safe when they clearly weren’t? She nibbled her bottom lip.

“There are a number of ways we can do this,” Travis continued, and Samara observed with reluctant admiration how everyone else listened to him and seemed to respect what he said. “One of us could step into Parker’s position and take over his duties. That leaves a hole and other duties to be assumed.”

“Travis, the rest of us can cover your work until we find someone to replace you.”

Samara turned to Hank in amazement. He was just giving him the job? Just like that? Without even discussing options?

“Just a moment,” she interjected, trying to keep her voice steady. “You seem to be assuming that Travis will step in as CEO.”

All eyes turned to her, including Travis’s, which were not shining with triumph as she would have expected, but rather were shadowed and solemn.

“Who else would it be?” Hank asked.

Samara licked her lips. “Me.”

Eyes widened. Jaws dropped. She swallowed.

Silence thickened in the room for a stretched-out moment. Then everyone looked at Travis.

Heat flooded into her cheeks at their reaction to her proposal. Nobody was jumping up and saying, “Hell yeah, Samara, you should take over.” Nobody. She pressed her lips together but kept her chin lifted.

“Actually, I do believe Samara can have a place here,” Travis said.

Now her jaw slackened. She stared at him.

“Perhaps not as CEO. But I think we could restructure some of the duties we all have, to take advantage of her presence.”

Silence still hung heavy in the room, the only noise the tap of Paulette’s fingers on the computer keys.

“Here’s an idea I had, but I’m open to hearing other suggestions,” Travis continued. As if it was up to him. Samara was irritated by the way he led the group but also reluctantly admiring. “Daniel, you’d be capable of taking over the bulk of my duties in L.A.” He turned to look at the man next to him. “I assume you’re willing to relocate to L.A., at least temporarily.”

Daniel nodded, a smile tipping his mouth up. A promotion for him, so, yeah, sure he’d be happy to move.

“There are a few things I’d like to continue to oversee,” Travis said. “You and I can discuss that in more detail if this is what we end up doing. I also propose that Samara could assist with some of the oversight of the retail division. She’s been working in that division for a number of years and has a good background there.”

Was he saying she had to move to L.A.?

“I agree that I should take over most of Parker’s duties,” Travis said. “But I think there are some things there Samara could also help with. A big part of Parker’s role was overseeing new business development from both the roaster and grower sides. I think some of the business development with our partners is something she could handle. We could take advantage of the family relationship to market the company since Parker was such a popular businessman. Also, she has the same passion for the coffee business as Parker did, and I think she’d do an excellent job of representing Cedar Mill when it comes to developing new partnerships. Simon, I’d ask you to work with her on some of those things.”

She stared at him. He wasn’t going to let her step in to the CEO role. He was taking that for himself. And yet, he wasn’t shutting her out. His praise and confidence in her abilities astounded her. She could only blink at him, hoping her expression was suitably professional.

“Who’s going to do the traveling?” Hank asked. “As you noted, Parker develops...er...developed...” He swallowed. “Developed new business on the roaster side as well as grower. We can work on business partnerships here at home, but he developed the grower relationships and coordinated supplier relationships from all the regional offices in Central and South America.”

Travis nodded. “I’m willing to take that on for the short term. Even long term, if need be.”

“I’m actually interested in that,” Simon said. “I traveled with Parker a number of times. I’ve learned at lot about growing, and I’d be willing to learn more. If we’re thinking long term.”

Travis nodded thoughtfully and rubbed his chin with his fingers. “That’s interesting,” he said. “Thanks, Simon. We’ll keep that in mind. At some point, we’ll need to formalize things. Whether we keep the new structure in place or figure out a better way as we go, I’m open to new ideas.” He looked at everyone. “You all know me, and you know how I work. Parker and I made decisions collaboratively, and that’s my preference. I won’t hesitate to make tough decisions, but I always want to ensure you’re all included.”

Samara could just feel the love in the room for Travis. She wanted to stand up and protest that he’d completely taken over, that he’d given himself the job she wanted, but she knew the others would support him. And she couldn’t help but be touched—and shocked—by the fact that he’d included her. He hadn’t shut her out entirely, which was what she’d been prepared for coming into the meeting.

She slowly let out a long breath, trying to relax tight muscles, and loosened her grip on the arms of the chair.

“So let’s talk details,” Travis said, leaning forward. Everyone nodded. And Samara pushed aside her personal feelings, eager to listen and learn and hopefully contribute.

Her chance to contribute came nearly an hour later when they started talking about cost cutting.

“I see an opportunity reduce supply chain costs,” she said. All eyes turned to her. She swallowed. “The traceability system we’re using is all wrong for us. We don’t need a system that’s so broad in what it tracks, but we do need depth and precision.” She paused to draw a breath, sensing that she’d caught their attention. “Traceability is an indispensable part of any market for process credence attributes that are difficult to measure. When so much of our reputation is built on the fact that we sell fair trade coffees, it’s critical that we have a way to prove that.”

Travis leaned back in his chair and regarded her with that steady, intent gaze of his. “What are you suggesting?” he asked, a faint smiling tilting his lips. Was he laughing at her? She straightened her shoulders.

“I think I can design a new system for us that will better meet our needs. These days, traceability is becoming an important area of competition. A firm’s traceability system is key to finding the most efficient ways to produce, assemble, warehouse, and distribute products.” She paused and looked around the table. “The ability to reduce supply chain costs is often the difference between firms that succeed and those that fail. The benefits of traceability translate into larger net revenues for the firm. It could make a big difference for us.”

A broad grin broke out across Daniel’s face. “Beautiful,” he said. “I’ve been saying that for years. Do you really think you can do that?”

She tried not to let her own smile get too big; she tried to be composed and confident. “I’d need some help from our IT department. But yes.”

She looked at Travis. He titled his head to one side, looking at her as if he’d never seen her before. Her insides quivered, but she lifted her chin and met his eyes. And his smile.

When the meeting ended, she retreated to her office, closed the door and lowered herself into the chair behind the desk. She stared blankly out the office windows at the downtown Portland skyline.

Well.

The happiness and satisfaction she’d felt at getting their attention with the traceability system improvements diminished as it struck her that Travis had gotten exactly what he’d wanted. And she hadn’t.

She swallowed and leaned her head back. As she’d expected, he’d aggressively taken control, and everyone else had just gone along with what he’d said.

The soft knock at the door had her head jerking up.

Was it Travis? Her stomach tightened. “Come in.”

It was. He stepped into the office and closed the door. “Hey,” he said.

She straightened and set her clasped hands on the desk. “What can I do for you?” she asked coolly.

He lifted one eyebrow as he crossed the carpet toward her. “You did great in there,” he said.

Heat swelled inside her, and her fingers tightened around each other. “Well, thank you very much,” she said, unable to keep the sarcastic tone out of her voice. “I guess you’re happy now that you got what you wanted.”

His smile faded. “I wouldn’t exactly describe my mood as happy.”

She flipped her hair back over her shoulder. “Whatever. You got what you wanted.”

“I should have known you’d be pissed off.” He shoved his hands into his pants pockets, his shoulders hunched up.

Her stomach tightened, and her hands tightened their grip on each other.

“I included you in decision making,” he continued, his voice a dark rasp. “I acknowledged that you have a role to play in the company. I acknowledged that you have contributions to make. Just because you didn’t get the CEO title, you’re acting like a spoiled brat again.”

Her mouth dropped open. “Spoiled brat!” She almost wanted to spit as she searched for words. “Spoiled brat! Aaargh!”

His eyes narrowed. “Come on, Samara. I did what I had to do.”

Impotent fury welled up inside her, and she fought for control rather than picking up a paperweight and flinging it at his head. “Of course you did,” she said through clenched teeth. “And of course you’re treating me like a child again.”

“I’m not...”

“Just go away,” she snapped, swiveling her chair to face the computer. “I have work to do.”

“Samara...”

She shook her head, jaw clenched, and focused on the screen.

He sighed. “Fine,” he muttered. “We’ll talk later.”

Yeah, right.

When the door closed behind him, she sagged in the chair. She rested her elbows on the desk and held her head. Her eyes burned.

She never should have slept with him. She’d known it was a mistake, and she’d had the crazy faint hope the last few days that maybe something was developing between them that was more than hot sex, like she’d told him. Her own feelings for him were deep and powerful, but she’d tried to not to show that to him, not so soon, and thank Godfrey she hadn’t.

Sure they’d said they’d keep things separate. She’d told him she still intended to try to get the other executives to see that she should be the one to step into her father’s shoes. He hadn’t denied that he was still feeling the same way. So why did it hurt so much that he’d taken control in that meeting and so easily taken that away from her?

Had she been foolishly thinking that because they were sleeping together he’d step aside and let her lead the company?

Surely she wasn’t that stupid.

She lifted her head and shoved her hair back, blinking her stinging eyes. No, she wasn’t stupid, but she was in love, and she’d let herself get all soft and hopeful and...stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

She sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly, willing her heart to slow its frantic beat, trying to relax her tense muscles. Her bottom lip quivered, and she sank her teeth into it.

Okay. It had been an epic fail to get involved with Travis. She should have known no good could come of it when they were locked in a battle for control of the company. Her heart fluttered a little, though, remembering being with him, remembering how much she’d wanted him, how much she cared about him.