But the man hadn't stopped there. He'd integrated several programs, made sense of scheduling, set reminders and generally made Connor's work life much more streamlined. Though Thompson didn't have the usual skills Connor looked for in an executive a.s.sistant, when an opening had occurred, he'd asked Thompson to apply for the position. What he hadn't known, he'd figured out, even putting himself through school in the evenings to earn a business degree.

Connor considered the hire one of his best decisions.

With a nod, he accepted the mug. He took a slug of the strong brew then shook his head to clear it. "d.a.m.n. This could dissolve a spoon."

"As I always say-"

"I know. I know. Only p.u.s.s.ies and ladies add cream or sugar."

"And you are neither, Mr. Donovan."

"So I'm told." He choked down a second swallow.

"Fort.i.tude, sir. You'll be wide awake after finishing it."

"Or trembling badly enough that I'll measure on the Richter scale." Ignoring the man's big grin, Connor nodded his thanks then continued through to his office, hoping to find a packet of sugar stashed somewhere.

His schedule lay neatly in the middle of the polished desk, and several pieces of paper were stacked next to it. When advertising campaigns required his signature for approval, he preferred to look at a printout rather than a computer image. There was something tactile about handling paper that appealed to him.

He placed his briefcase on the credenza and set down the cup of coffee, absently hoping the brew didn't chew through the ceramic and into the wood beneath.

Thompson had already opened the blinds, and all that was left for Connor to do was to add a splash of fresh water to the bamboo plant that had been a gift from his Aunt Kathryn. She was on a kick about the impurity of the building's air, and office by office, she was adding greenery. He had to admit he liked the potted plant, and he spent an inordinate amount of time relocating it so it had the best indirect sunlight and proper water. Over the past three months, it had grown four inches.

He grabbed the coffee then slid behind his desk to power up his computer and its screens. While he was waiting, he opened a drawer and riffled through pens and paper clips to finally find buried treasure, in the form of a sugar packet.

He ripped it open, poured in every granule then tried another sip.

It didn't help.

Giving up, he wadded the packet into a tiny ball so that Thompson wouldn't find it in the trash. Some knowledge was sacred.

He scanned the pages on his desk. He scribbled notes on a few, signed off on others. By the time the computer monitors were displaying the company's logo, he was ready to tackle the onslaught of weekly reports.

At noon, he joined his attorney for lunch then arrived back at Donovan Worldwide in time for the family meeting.

He entered the smallest of the conference rooms to find Aunt Kathryn, Erin and Nathan already there. No one noticed him. Kathryn was gazing out of the window, no doubt ignoring her niece and nephew while daydreaming about her upcoming Panama Ca.n.a.l cruise. Erin and Nathan were seated at the table. If their body posture was anything to go by, they'd been there for a while. Erin was speaking animatedly, waving her hands, while Nathan was leaning forward, a frown on his face.

"A corset store is a fad," Nathan said when Erin took a breath. "It won't last."

"I disagree. Corsets and bustiers are enjoying a renaissance. There's huge demand for them. And there's not a better location than Kemah."

The town wasn't far from Houston, close enough to be considered part of the metropolitan area. Situated on Galveston Bay, Kemah's boardwalk area had an amus.e.m.e.nt park, restaurants, specialty shops and boutiques that attracted tens of thousands of visitors annually. The right stores did well, Connor had no doubt.

"I'm not arguing that point," Nathan replied. "But correspondingly, rents are high. How many corsets would she need to sell per month to pay the bills and keep the lights on, not to mention the inventory and advertising?"

"Women go crazy for them," she said. With a wicked glint in her eyes, she added, "And some men, too."

"It's too specialized. Even a boutique concept needs something more. Accessories. I don't know..."

"Toys? Vibrators and such?"

To his credit, Nathan didn't pick up that gauntlet. Instead he responded as a businessman. "Bring me a projected profit and loss, show me the cost of goods sold and make sure the numbers work. Or go ahead and invest your own money. Even if you do that, I recommend you take a hard look at the realities of the business. Don't let your enthusiasm get in the way of a sound decision."

"By that, you mean emotions."

Before Nathan could respond, Connor cleared his throat. "Hate to break up this argument..." Not that it was anything unusual. His family had a diverse range of interests, thoughts, opinions, pet projects. Including, seemingly, more plants. "What's that?" He pointed at the oversized pot in the corner.

"Hibiscus," Aunt Kathryn responded, turning around. "I thought the peach blossoms would brighten up the s.p.a.ce. Needed something."

Besides the bold, red painting on the back wall? "Aren't they supposed to be outside?"

"Many people grow them indoors and they do well in pots as long as they're fertilized properly and kept out of direct sunlight. You can make a tea out of the blossoms. Calms the nerves."

"You can muddle them into a mojito, too," Erin supplied.

"I'm thinking of replacing this one with a peace lily." She moved to a counter that held refreshments and a single-cup beverage maker. She brewed a cup of green tea, which she slid in front of Erin.

His sister wrinkled her nose.

"Drink it," Kathryn said. "And I mean it."

Erin drew the cup closer.

"For you, Connor?" Kathryn asked. "Coffee?"

"Ah, no. As it is, I'll be awake until well into the next century."

"Thompson must have shared his coffee with you," Erin surmised.

He nodded.

"I think he makes it strong to prove something about masculinity," she said.

"I think it's more a statement about moral fort.i.tude," Connor corrected, taking a seat.

"Tea for you?" Kathryn asked Nathan. "Something nice and soothing?"

"Not in this lifetime. I'll have water." He grabbed himself a bottle while Kathryn popped another tea pod in the brewer.

Connor joined Erin. One of his first acts as president had been to replace the more formal oblong conference table with a round one to encourage unity along with a less structured meeting hierarchy. Despite that, they all more or less sat in the same places, the Colonel to his right, Nathan to his left.

"Any word on Grandfather?" Erin asked.

Aunt Kathryn sat erect, shoulders pulled back as she allowed steam to waft across her face. Erin ignored her cup of tea. Nathan uncapped his bottle then reached for one of the agendas that had been piled in the middle of the table.

"He said he'd be here," Connor replied. And the Colonel would no doubt keep his word, no matter how difficult the challenge. Since his stroke five months ago, he spoke more deliberately, moved slower and he used a cane. He was too d.a.m.n stubborn to use the walker the doctor had prescribed. He still went to see a physical therapist every day. No matter what the woman suggested, the Colonel did more. "Other than Erin's corset shop, is there any new business?"

"About that," Erin said. "This isn't the first time one of us have had an idea rejected."

"I didn't reject it," Nathan countered.

"Semantics."

Connor shuffled his agenda to the side.

"I think we need another type of investment category." When Nathan started to interrupt, she held up her hand. "We have a great procedure set up to award grants from the foundation."

Nathan nodded.

"And rigorous guidelines we follow when looking to make a major acquisition. But what about doing some smaller loans, for businesses like this one? As long as they're within our community."

Nathan shut his mouth. The youngest Donovan brother might be risk-averse, but their great-grandmother had set a requirement that the company keep the majority of its funds in the area where her family settled five generations earlier. Their Texas roots ran deep and proud.

"Come up with a set of guidelines," Aunt Kathryn suggested.

Connor wondered if she'd always been the peacemaker. He couldn't remember a time she hadn't been.

"Bring it back to us next month. I think we can consider it."

Erin looked to Connor. "Fine with me," he said.

The Colonel entered, slowly, but without a cane. Connor stood to offer a.s.sistance, but was waved off.

"Where's your cane-?" Kathryn started.

"b.u.t.ton it," he interrupted, "otherwise I'll give in to your mother. She's always wanted to see the Panama Ca.n.a.l."

"Panama Ca.n.a.l?"

"Your mother talked to a travel agent. Your cruise isn't sold out."

"Consider it b.u.t.toned."

"She doesn't want her mother and I knowing that she's going to be spending two weeks with Neil Lathrope."

"Grandfather!" Erin scolded.

"Man's thirty years younger than her. Everyone knows they're seeing each other."

"Thirty-one," Kathryn said easily.

"Lathropes only want women for one reason. And it isn't the money."

"Probably true," Kathryn agreed. "And that's not all bad. Should have started dating younger men years ago."

"I can't unhear that," Nathan protested.

Connor wondered if the stroke had removed some of the Colonel's polite-society filters. Either that, or it was the privilege that came with age. Five years ago, he would have never said such a thing.

Once the Colonel was seated, an act that took some time as well as concentrated effort, he asked, "Are we waiting on Cade?"

"He's not coming," Connor replied.

"He missed last month, too. He has obligations, and being part of the family is one of them. That d.a.m.nable mother of his-"

"I'll call him," Kathryn said.

"We talk once a week," Connor added, grateful his aunt had derailed that rant. No matter how much family mattered to the Colonel, his relationship with Stormy, Cade's mother, continued to irritate him.

"That's not good enough."

"Agreed." Connor nodded. Cade did need to interact more. Their conversations were short, and Connor generally initiated them. Connor understood his brother's reluctance-he was protective about his mother, and he carried the burden for their father's death. It didn't matter that no one blamed him.

"I want him at the next meeting."

"I'll see to it," Kathryn promised.

"Let's get through this." The Colonel reached for an agenda. "I have an appointment with my trainer."

"You mean physical therapist?" Kathryn asked.

"No. I hired a personal trainer. She has me lifting weights and building my endurance. Yes, yes, before you become the appointed nagger, the cardiologist, neurologist and a whole host of other names-all ending in ist-said it was okay. I'm going to partic.i.p.ate in a five-k walk later this year."

"Go, Granddad," Erin said.

Connor looked down to hide his grin.

"I'll be raising funds for stroke victims," he added. "I expect you all to sponsor me. The foundation, as well."

It wasn't a question, and they all knew it.

Kathryn nodded. "Name the amount."

"The more people from Donovan Worldwide who partic.i.p.ate, the better."

"On it," Erin replied. "I'll set up a team." She ran the HR department, and she had a particular interest in wellness programs and getting employees involved in special projects.

As always, the Colonel's determination impressed Connor.

"Now, where were we?" the man asked.

Erin updated him on the corset shop idea, ending with her proposal to invest in more small, regional loans.

He nodded. "Of course. Nathan will want to see how it can be profitable, but if Connor doesn't object, neither do I, unless you overextend yourself." He picked up an agenda and scanned it. "I don't see BHI on here."

"BHI?" Erin asked. "What about BHI?"

"Nothing much to report," Connor said. "I had a meeting with Pernell and he threw me out of his office. I didn't get to meet with the board or his daughter."