Page 74 of Sinclair Duet

“She’ll sign an NDA. It’s also why she’ll be working from Sinclair,” I said. “The information she receives will be held as confidential. It won’t be made public or even shared with others at Beta Kappa Phi.”

“I told him.” Van lifted his chin the direction the women went. “This is Julia’s baby, not mine. She has a real handle on the other CEOs, and she’s one hundred percent on board.”

“Speaking of babies,” I said with a grin. “How is it to be the father of two?”

Van’s grin grew. “Other than lack of sleep, I’m a fan. And once school is out in Texas, my niece, Brooklyn, will be staying with us for the summer.” He shook his head. “She’s fourteen now and loves the kids.”

“How does Julia do it?”

“She’s a superwoman without a cape. But I’ll have you know she doesn’t do it alone. If time has taught this old man anything, it’s when and what to delegate. Julia and I are both hands-on with the kids as much as possible. That doesn’t mean we don’thave help, but I’d walk away from Sherman Corporation before walking away from my family.”

Wow. That wasn’t something I expected to hear from a man like Donovan Sherman.

“That’s something,” I said.

“It’s the only thing.” His gaze narrowed. “If you’re serious about Ella, she needs to know that…that she’s the only thing that matters to you.” He shrugged. “I get if that’s not something you can commit to, but if you can’t, don’t expect her to commit for both of you. Think about what happened with Amber.”

Pressing my lips together, I shook my head, wishing Van and I hadn’t become as close as we had. The last two years were grueling in their own way. I probably overshared on occasion. No, with that remark, I definitely overshared. “Ella is different. She always has been. I need to make it through the next five months and then she can and will be my only thing.”

“I don’t know,” he said, “kids give you a different perspective. Five months is a lifetime.”

“This campaign with Beta Kappa Phi will help secure my position at Sinclair.” I exhaled. “My dad is facing some health issues. Darius is poisoning the board. I can only manage so many fires at once.”

“Ella seems like a great woman. I remember your elevator pitch when you found out about the gala.” He lifted his hands. “Listen, I’m not an expert on the relationship thing. I fucked up more than I succeeded.” He tilted his head toward the conference room. “But damn, success makes all those failures worth it, and I guess I’d rather see a friend avoid the failures and enjoy the success, sooner rather than later.”

“Van,” Julia called as she stuck her head out the doorway. “You two can gossip later. Come in here and help me prepare Ella. I’m not sure of your plan, but I want her as ready as possible for this weekend.”

“Gossiping.” Turning to me with a grin, Van said, “We weren’t gossiping.”

“Hell no.”

Soon the four of us were seated around a long glass table.

“I’m not sure if this campaign with Beta Kappa Phi was Damien’s or Van’s idea,” Julia said to Ella, “but when I heard it, I knew this would work.”

“I hope you’re right,” Ella replied.

Julia looked over at Van and me. “Let’s be real, these guys can be pains in the ass, but they know their stuff, and they have made a fortune. A great businessman once told me that the only bad idea is the one you don’t investigate.”

Ella smiled. “Is that businessman in this room?”

“Yeah.” She turned toward Van with a grin. “I liked his advice so much, I married him.”

I decided I should give Van’s advice some serious consideration. If he can get a woman like Julia to look at him the way she does, he could be an expert on relationships.

Over the next three hours, we ate a lunch that Connie delivered to the conference room and discussed the finer details of the coalition and our expectations for the Beta Kappa Phi campaign. At about two thirty, Julia received word that Robert Ayers and Dwain Welsh had recently landed. Robert Ayers was the CEO of McCree Pharmaceutical and Dwain Welsh was my thorn, the CEO of Moon Medical.

I sat back. “They flew in together.”

“Plenty of time to talk,” Van replied.

Gabriella

Afog of tension descended on the conference room with Julia’s announcement followed by the men’s assessments. My mind scrambled with all the new information recalling the two individual CEOs. Knowing names was as important in this new job as it was with the fundraising. Robert Ayers was from McCree Pharmaceutical; their most popular and lucrative formula was an ACE inhibitor that lowers blood pressure. Dwain Welsh was from Moon Medical, and their primary product was an anxiety medication.

I looked from Damien to Van and back. There were too many thoughts fighting for my attention for me to concentrate on the obvious one that was before me. Both Damien and Donovan were incredibly handsome men. Not only were they pleasing to the eye, but over the last few hours, they showed that they were genuinely knowledgeable and willing to help this campaign succeed. “Both men live in Ohio,” I said. “Maybe that’s why they came together.”

Julia turned my direction. “I’ve spoken with all the CEOs. Everyone is onboard and extremely interested in this campaign. Don’t let these men worry you.”

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