Sweet Fortune (8 page)

“I don't see that it matters,” Hatch said flatly. “Either way, you don't have any business getting involved.”

“But that's just it.” Jessie's smile was radiant. “This is business. I'm working for a living. I should think everyone would be pleased. Just think, I'm actually holding down a job for longer than one month.”

“Save me,” Vincent growled.

Jessie turned to Elizabeth. “I'll tell you something, kid, you definitely deserve first place, and if for some reason Eric Jerkface actually wins, we'll all know it was because he was the teacher's pet and got by on his looks and charm alone.”

Hatch reached for the last slice of pizza. “You haven't even seen Jerkface's project.”

“Doesn't matter. Elizabeth's is tons better.”

Hatch smiled slightly. “I get the impression that once you choose a side, you stick to it, come hell or high water. Is that right, Jessie?”

“Jessie is nothing if not loyal.” Vincent eyed his eldest daughter with a severe glare. “Sometimes to a fault.”

“I don't see it as a fault,” Hatch said. “I've always considered loyalty an extremely valuable commodity.”

“Just another business commodity you can buy or sell, right, Hatch?” Jessie inquired coolly.

Hatch deliberately wrapped his fingers around his glass of water. It was better than wrapping them around Jessie's throat, he told himself philosophically.

Half an hour later Vincent stalked back into his office and threw himself down into the big leather chair behind the desk. He leveled a blunt finger at Hatch.

“This problem with Jessie,” Vincent announced, “is all your fault.”

“My fault?”

“Damn right. If you hadn't fired her when you first came on board, she'd still be working here at Benedict Fasteners instead of running around investigating weirdo cults.”

“Come off it, Vincent. You were so grateful to me the day I fired her that you bought me a drink, remember? She was a loose cannon here at Benedict. Hell, she was wreaking havoc downstairs in personnel. If she'd stayed, your whole organization would have been in a shambles by now.”

“It wasn't that bad.”

“Oh, yes it was,” Hatch shot back. “The department heads were up in arms. The word was out. Want a few extra days of sick leave? See Jessie in personnel and give her a good sob story. She'll arrange things. Want a long weekend? See Jessie in personnel and tell her your grandmother died again. Jessie will fix things up for you. Think you got overlooked for promotion because your boss secretly hates your guts? See Jessie in personnel. She'll be on your side.”

Vincent winced. “Damn. It
was
getting out of hand, wasn't it?”

“Yeah. And nobody dared call her to heel because she was the boss's daughter. How long do you think that could have gone on before every last shred of corporate discipline disintegrated, Benedict?”

Vincent held up his hand. “You're right. She was a loose cannon around here. But that doesn't change the fact that if she were still working here at Benedict she wouldn't be dealing with cults.”

Hatch went to the window and stood thinking quietly for a few minutes. “Maybe you're panicking over nothing.”

“I am not panicking. I am seriously concerned. And what's this ‘me’ business? You're just as panicked as I am. I saw the way your jaw dropped when she exploded her little bombshell about starting an investigation. First time I've ever seen you looking like you'd been caught off-guard, Hatch. I'd have gotten a good laugh out of it if we'd been talking about anything else except Jessie's damn-fool cult-busting project.”

“All right, maybe you…maybe
we
are seriously concerned over nothing.” Hatch swung around to face him. “Look, the worst that can happen is that Jessie manages to locate the headquarters of this DEL crowd and asks to see Susan Attwood. Or maybe she'll try to talk to the leader, the one they call Bright.”

“So?”

“So, think about it logically, Vincent. How would you react? More than likely Jessie will be politely told to mind her own business and that will be the end of things. She's not a threat to anyone, and whoever's running the show at Dawn's Early Light will know that. They'll treat her like an annoying reporter and just stonewall her.”

Vincent gave that some thought. “You're probably right. But, hell, I wish she'd stay out of it. Why can't she find a regular job like everybody else?”

“Jessie's not like everyone else.” Hatch walked over to the desk and stood looking down at the huge basket of bright flowers. “Does she always bring you flowers on your birthday?”

Vincent's eyes softened as he followed Hatch's gaze. “Started a couple of years after Elizabeth was born. Connie and I were already having problems and she and Lilian were talking about going into the interior-design business together. They were spending a lot of time on the project and somehow Jessie wound up taking care of Elizabeth a lot. One day Jessie showed up here at the office with a bunch of flowers in one arm and her little sister in the other. Said she was taking me to lunch. Been the same every year since. I've sort of gotten used to it.”

Hatch cautiously touched the petal of a flame-colored lily. It was as soft as gossamer silk, as brilliant as a sunrise. “Kind of strange. Giving a man flowers, I mean.”

“Like I said, you get used to it.”

“Nobody's ever brought me flowers.”

“Don't whine about it,” Vincent said with a grin. “Marry the woman and you'll probably get flowers for your birthday too. How did things go last night?”

“The Galloway deal is closed.”

“Well, hell, I know that. I mean how did things go between you and my daughter?”

“I'm not going to tell you every detail of my personal life, Benedict. But I will tell you this: I found out I'm working under a serious handicap.”

“What handicap?”

“She thinks I'm too much like you in some ways.”

“Bullshit. That's just an excuse. Besides, she
likes
me.”

Hatch remembered Jessie's quivering mouth crushed beneath his own and the feel of her arms wrapped around his neck. “She likes me too. But she doesn't think I'll make her a good husband. Says she doesn't want to marry a man who's more concerned about his work than his family.”

“
Women
. They don't understand the demands of the business world. Always want to come first in a man's life. You'd think they'd figure out that companies like Benedict Fasteners don't just run themselves. I thought Jessie would have more common sense.”

“Something tells me common sense is not one of Jessie's biggest virtues,” Hatch said.

Vincent scowled. “Jessie's all right. Hell, what you said at lunch hit the nail on the head. She's real loyal. In the end she always does what's best for the family. You know what the real problem is here? You're still making her nervous. That's what the real problem is. You want some advice, Hatch? Stop making her nervous, goddammit.”

“Advice? From a man with two ex-wives? Forget it. I'd rather muddle through this on my own.” Hatch ceased stroking the scarlet lily and headed toward the door.

But on the way back down the hall to his office, Vincent's words rang in his ears.
She always does what's best for the family
. Hatch nodded in cool satisfaction. He was counting on it.

“So how did the big date go last night?” Elizabeth asked as Jessie drove her back toward her Bellevue school.

“I told you, it wasn't a date, it was a business dinner.” Jessie guided her little red Toyota onto the bridge that crossed Lake Washington via Mercer Island. She kept her expression serious, trying to look as if she was having to concentrate very hard on the sparse afternoon traffic. Elizabeth knew better.

“Hey, Jessie, this is me, your very smart kid sister, remember?”

“You mean my smartass kid sister.”

Elizabeth shrugged. “Everything I know, I learned from you.”

“Don't blame your bad manners on me. Bad manners are usually the result of hanging out with a bad crowd. Remind me to check out your current peer group.”

“You can spot them right away when we get to school. They're the ones wearing black leather jackets and safety pins in their ears. So how'd it go, Jess?”

“What do you care?”

“Are you kidding? Everybody in the family cares. Mom says the situation is very delicate.” Elizabeth studied the expensive landscape of Mercer Island with a thoughtful expression. “She says the best thing that could happen for everyone is for you to marry Hatch.”

“This may come as a shock, Elizabeth, but that's not really a good enough reason for me to marry him. Not that he's asked me.”

Elizabeth shot her a shrewd glance. “The moms are going to want to know how last night went too.”

“I'm aware of that,” Jessie said through set teeth.

“What are you going to tell 'em?”

“As little as possible. It's none of their business.”

Elizabeth frowned. “I don't think they see it that way. I heard Lilian talking to Glenna on the phone yesterday. She was saying they all had a ‘vested interest’ in this relationship. I think that was the phrase she used.”

“You know what ‘vested interest’ means, Elizabeth?”

“There's money involved?” Elizabeth hazarded.

“You've got it.” Jessie smiled without any humor. “If I marry Hatch, Benedict Fasteners stays in the family and has a good chance of going big-time. Which appears to be everyone's fondest dream.”
Including Hatch's
.

“The moms say Hatch is a real corporate shark and that he'll know how to turn Benedict into a giant in the industry.”

Jessie shrugged. “I wouldn't be surprised. But I can't see being married to a shark, can you? Too many teeth.”

Elizabeth giggled. “Just don't let him bite you.”

“I'll try to avoid it.”

“Jessie?”

“Yeah?

“What happens if you don't marry him?”

Jessie hesitated and then decided to lay it on the line. “Dad might sell the company when he retires. But my guess is that he'll never retire. He'll just continue to run it the way he has been for the past thirty years.”

“Would that be so bad?”

Jessie chewed on her lower lip. “I don't think so, but everyone else seems to.”

“Including Dad. You know, I think it would be kind of sad for him if you don't marry Hatch. Dad really wants Benedict Fasteners to grow, doesn't he? He's real excited about the idea.”

“What is this? Are you going to lay a guilt trip on me too? I don't need anyone else pushing me into this marriage, Elizabeth.”

“Sorry.” Elizabeth was silent for a moment. “Do you think Hatch likes you? I mean, just you?”

“You mean me without the business attached?” Jessie thought about the kiss that had taken place in her kitchen last night. She remembered the sensation of banked fires and relentless self-control. “Maybe, Elizabeth. But with Hatch, business will always come first.”

“He's started asking you out a lot these days, hasn't he? And he didn't have to go to lunch with us today. I think it was because he really wanted to be with you.”

“Right now I'm a priority for Hatch. That means I'm the focus of a great deal of his attention. It wouldn't last five minutes after the wedding. Heck, we'd probably spend our honeymoon with a fax machine and a modem hooked up beside the bed so he could stay in touch with the office. Hey, don't you have soccer practice this afternoon?”

“Yep.”

“I thought so. Don't forget to wear your sun-block cream.”

“Geez, Jessie. I'm not a kid any longer. I won't forget.”

“Sorry. What are you doing after soccer practice?”

“Jennifer and I are going to the mall to hang out with some friends.”

“Alone?” Jessie asked sharply.

“No,” Elizabeth said with elaborate patience. “I just told you, we're going to hang out with some friends. Jennifer's mother is going to drop us off and pick us up later.”

“I don't think it's a good idea for a kid your age to be hanging out at the mall at night without an adult,” Jessie said firmly.

Elizabeth giggled. “Mom and Lilian say you're overprotective.”

Jessie sighed. “Maybe I am.”

There was a slight pause before Elizabeth said, “Hey, Jessie?”

“Uh-huh?”

“You think Dad'll be too disappointed on Saturday if Eric Jerkface gets first place at the science fair?”

“Nope. He might be mad at the judges, because he knows how smart you are and he'll probably figure you got ripped off if you don't get first place. But he would never be disappointed in you, Elizabeth. No matter what happened. You know that, don't you?”

“Yeah, I guess so.” Elizabeth relaxed. “Kind of hard on Dad, I guess, having to go through all this dumb school stuff a second time around. You and me being so far apart in age and all.”

“Don't worry about it, kid,” Jessie said grimly. “This is the
first
time around for him.”

At five o'clock that afternoon Jessie opened the office door labeled “Dr. Glenna Ringstead, Ph.D., Clinical Psychology,” and went into the softly lit waiting room. It was empty. Her aunt's secretary, a sober-looking woman with short graying hair, looked up and smiled in recognition.

“Hello, Jessie. Dr. Ringstead's just finishing up with her last patient of the day. Have a seat.”

“Thanks, Laura.”

The inner door opened at that moment and a woman in her late thirties emerged. She was wiping her tear-reddened eyes with a tissue. Jessie discreetly studied a print on the wall. Her aunt's waiting room always made her uneasy. The people one found in it always appeared so terribly depressed.

The patient went over to Laura and mumbled something about an appointment for the following week, paid her bill, and then left. Glenna Ringstead stepped out of her office a moment later.

Jessie's Aunt Glenna was Lilian Benedict's sister, but it was easy to forget that fact. The two women were as different as night and day. In many ways Lilian was a lot closer to Vincent Benedict's other ex-wife than she was to her own sister.

Glenna had been married once. Lloyd Ringstead had been an accountant at Benedict Fasteners who had walked out on his wife and son years ago and never contacted them again. Jessie barely recalled her Uncle Lloyd. Her aunt had never remarried.