Impulse (Billionaire Secrets Series, #5) Page 6

  “You’ve had it out for me ever since I showed up.” Onslow stared down at his cup. “I know I’m just a scruffy old man—”

  “Dad, don’t listen to her,” Simon said. “Heather has been going through a tough time with her own family.”

  “Don’t you dare try to use my family against me.” Her eyes narrowed as she glared at him.

  “Isn’t that the reason you’re behaving like this?” Simon asked. “Don’t try to pretend like your relationship with Gary hasn’t altered your judgment of people. You think because Finn’s father was terrible, then my dad must be terrible as well.”

  “I don’t think your dad is terrible,” she hissed. “Stop putting words in my mouth and try to listen.”

  “I am listening,” Simon said through gritted teeth. “You’ve done nothing but give my father a hard time. All he’s trying to do is reconnect with me, and you can’t seem to handle that for some reason. It’s like you’re jealous or something.”

  She laughed humorlessly. “Jealous? Simon, that’s nonsense and you know it.”

  “Is it? Because during our trip over the weekend you were very understanding. It’s like when you have me all to yourself you’re fine, but the minute my father shows up you start lashing out at him.”

  “That’s what you think of me?” Anger was making her blood boil. Obviously, Simon was going to insist on acting like a stubborn ass, and she had put up with just about enough of it. “You think I’m some jealous harpy who has to compete for your affections? I’m not a child, Simon, so I have no idea where you’d get a ridiculous notion like that.”

  “So, if you’re not jealous, give him a chance like you promised,” Simon shot back.

  “You don’t get to tell me what to do,” she retorted. “You’re my boss at work, not anywhere else.”

  “Stop. Stop this,” Onslow interrupted.

  She froze, suddenly remembering that this argument had an audience. More regret flooded her, and she grimaced. “Onslow, I didn’t mean to fight in front of you. That was unprofessional.”

  Onslow sighed heavily. “I think my presence here is causing you two to argue.”

  “No, it’s not you, Dad,” Simon said. “Heather and I have our own issues. None of this is your fault.”

  That stung. Mostly because she didn’t agree that she and Simon had any issues that would lead to such an argument. They’d had their arguments in the past, but it was almost like his father had instigated it. Some of the things Simon’s father had said were downright cruel, but his contrite manner had her reeling. Confusion settled over her as she grasped at her memories of the argument. Surely Simon could see that things had started to get out of hand when his father had interjected.

  A knock on Simon’s door dragged her attention away from the argument. “Come in,” she said warily, hoping that whoever was on the other side hadn’t heard them fighting.

  The door swung open and Agnes Morton stepped inside with a strange man in tow. “Oh, good. You’re both here. Look who dropped by early. This is Theo Nowak, one of the potential producers of your documentary.”

  Heather got to her feet and forced a smile. Even if Agnes and the producer had heard the argument, she still had a responsibility to be professional. “It’s so nice to meet you. I’m Simon’s media relations assistant and spokeswoman,” she said as she headed over to the producer.

  “Great to meet you.” Theo reached out his hand to her. “It’s Heather Hall, right? I recognize your voice from our phone call last week.”

  She took his hand and shook it briefly. “Yes, it’s Heather.”

  “Sorry about showing up so early,” Theo said. “I was scheduled to meet some of Dover’s board members before our meeting later today, Heather.”

  “But I wanted you to meet as early as possible.” Agnes grinned, seemingly oblivious to the tension in the office.

  Simon headed over to them and introduced himself to the producer. “Good to meet you, Theo.”

  “Likewise.” Theo’s curious gaze suddenly fell on Simon’s father and he smiled. “Is that your father, Simon? I recognize him from some of my earlier research. It would be great to meet the man who made you who you are. The man who helped you achieve all this success.”

  Heather swallowed her bitterness. There was no point in telling Theo the truth. The truth would just get her head bitten off all over again. But she wasn’t going to lie to herself, because she knew that deep down Simon knew the truth, even if he was pretending otherwise. His father wasn’t the least bit responsible for all the success he had managed to achieve on his own.

  Chapter 7

  This was exactly why he hadn’t wanted the documentary producer bumping into his father. In the aftermath of his argument with his girlfriend, Simon now had to deal with a nosy producer recognizing his dad.

  “Yes, this is my father,” Simon finally said.

  His father stood up from his seat and headed over to them. “You actually recognize me?”

  “Absolutely,” Theo replied with a grin. “I’d love to get to know more about you if we get the chance to do the documentary.”

  “Documentary?” His father’s eyes lit up. “Am I going to be a part of it?”

  Simon groaned inwardly. This was his worst nightmare. His personal life colliding with the media. And a man who didn’t deserve to be recognized—yet. “We haven’t finalized anything yet, Dad.”

  Agnes smiled. “Well, we’re in luck. Earlier today the board signed off on your request, Simon. The board has agreed to support Blue Naught in whatever way you would like.”

  He fought the urge to swear. Truth be told, he had only come up with using Blue Naught as part of his ultimatum because he didn’t actually think the board would go for it. Their willingness to give in to his demand showed just how determined they were to get this documentary project off the ground.

  “I guess that means we’re making a documentary,” he said, still in disbelief.

  “That’s absolutely terrific.” Theo reached for his hand to shake it enthusiastically. “This project is going to be incredible.”

  When he pulled his hand away, a sinking feeling of dread settled into his stomach. Despite the dread, he had made a promise. Besides, Blue Naught was finally going to get the attention it deserved and that was great news. If only he and Heather hadn’t argued earlier. He’d be more confident that he could share his concerns and his ideas with her, but from the frown on her face she was obviously still upset with him.

  And she had a good reason to be. Even though she had been harsh with his father, he knew that he shouldn’t have let things get so heated. Especially not at work and in front of his father. He might have been stunned at the way she had come at his dad, but there was a better way to deal with their differences.

  “I’m going to make sure we all sign off on the contract and send the paperwork to you, Simon, ASAP. Plus, the board is going to be thrilled,” Agnes said. “And speaking of the board, we’re going to be holding that get-together for you and Heather. I know you don’t like long, drawn-out affairs, so we’ve decided to turn next week’s annual board dinner into a celebration of you and Heather.”

  “Wow, that’s amazing,” his father said. “I’d love to go to a fancy party like that.”

  Simon cringed. Events of that nature were almost always for staff members, and not friends or family. Somehow he was going to have to let his father down gently in front of all these people. “Dad, I don’t think—”

  “Simon, you could get me a snazzy suit and everything,” his father continued.

  Agnes paused. “Well... we don’t usually have outside guests, but if your father joins us maybe that means the dinner could be a good opportunity for Theo and his crew to get some documentary footage.”

  Every fiber of his being was already rebelling against the idea, but they were all staring at him expectantly. It was like the worst aspects of his personal life and professional life were about to collide, and he had no way of stopping the i
nevitable crash. If Heather and his father argued at the upcoming dinner, it was going to end up being taped. That kind of footage could sink Dover, now when it was only starting to get good press.

  He glanced at Heather, her eyes wide with anticipation. There were risks involved with having the event recorded, but how could he deny her this shot at advancing her career? The board was finally beginning to warm up to her. They were trusting her with this huge documentary project. Even if he was still angry with her, there was no way he could deny her this opportunity. She was an amazing worker and she deserved to have this chance. “Yes, my father can join us, and the documentary crew can also join us for the dinner. It sounds like this is going to be a good opportunity for all of us,” he conceded.

  “This documentary is going to be big. I can just feel it,” Agnes said. “Now that everything has been decided, Theo and I will leave you all to your plans.”

  “I’ll be seeing you and Heather later today,” Theo said to Simon before he followed Agnes out of the office.

  “Wow, things sure do happen fast around here,” his father said.

  “Too fast,” he said with a heavy sigh. He was starting to miss the days when he could lock himself in his college dorm and just code in peace.

  Heather walked over to his side. “It must have been tough to agree to invite the documentary crew to the dinner.”

  “It was,” he said tersely.

  “Thank you for that,” she said softly. “That means a lot to me.”

  She was clearly trying to make amends, and he would be a fool not to accept her olive branch.

  “You’re welcome,” he said. “As tough as it was to agree, it was a no-brainer. You deserve this project, Heather, and I’m damn proud of you.”

  A slow smile played on her lips, and the fierceness that had been in her eyes since their argument seemed to fade. “Thanks. That means a lot coming from you.”

  “Really?”

  “Of course. You’re one of the most accomplished CEOs in the world. Any kind of praise from you is going to mean something,” she said. “I mean, we’re in a relationship and everything, but I really do admire you in a professional capacity. I always have.”

  He returned her smile and then leaned closer to plant a quick kiss on her lips. “I appreciate that, Heather.”

  The sound of his father loudly clearing his throat dragged his attention away from her.

  “Now that we’re alone again, how about we pick up the conversation where we left off?” his father said.

  “I don’t think that’s such a great idea, Dad,” Simon answered. “We shouldn’t have been arguing like that in front of you.”

  His father’s eyes narrowed. “What you mean is that you’ll argue about me when I’m not around. Talk about me behind my back.”

  “No, that’s not what I mean,” Simon said firmly. “As much as I disagreed with Heather’s approach, I think she might have had a point. We can’t move forward if we don’t accept certain truths about the past.”

  “Why would you want to rehash all that again?” he said, his voice rising.

  “I don’t want to rehash the past,” Simon said. “It’s just...” His stomach knotted up so much he actually felt a twinge of pain. The truth was so painful to deal with that he hadn’t wanted to face it. Hadn’t wanted to admit that Heather had a point. “Some of the things you said to me as a kid were...” There wasn’t an easy way to dredge this up, but right now it felt damn near impossible.

  “Horrible? Unkind?” Heather finished for him.

  He shot her a warning glance. “That’s not helping.”

  “Fine. Forget I said anything.” She walked away from him, heading over to the table to grab her bag. “Our drinks are probably cold, so we might as well start the tour.”

  “Might as well,” his father concurred, his tone glum.

  Simon wanted to find the words to fix their issues, but he struggled to find the right ones. When his father had first showed up, he had been angry. That anger had quickly been replaced by a powerful need to bury the hatchet. Start again.

  His father acknowledging that he hadn’t been a great father had made him look at his old man with fresh eyes. No, not fresh eye at all. He was actually starting to see his father the way he had when he was a very young boy. Simon had looked up to his father back then. His father had been his hero and he had been desperate for his approval.

  Somewhere along the way that had all changed, and they had been driven apart. For years. As much as he had tried to pretend that he hadn’t cared about being estranged from his father, deep down Simon had cared. Always had.

  Now his old respect for his father was coming back, and Simon didn’t want to jeopardize anything while they were still trying to bond after all these years. It was clear that his father had learned some hard lessons along the way, and Simon had, too. Bringing up the past was obviously difficult for his dad, and he didn’t want to bring up more unnecessary pain.

  It was true that they were going to have to be honest about the past, but maybe now wasn’t the best time to bring it up. He was under no illusions about his past relationship with his father. But what they needed was a fresh start. Simon couldn’t accomplish that if all he did was pick at old wounds. Once they strengthened their relationship, they could finally face the past head-on. If only he could get Heather to understand that.

  His first instinct was usually to attack issues until he solved them, but they probably all needed time to cool off. Touring Dover would be a good distraction for all of them. Without saying anything, Simon went to open his office door and started showing his father around.

  An hour and a half later, they hadn’t only finished the tour but had also finished eating lunch before saying goodbye to his father. Simon had promised to call his father with more details about the upcoming dinner, and with lunch over he headed back to his office with Heather.

  “I guess before our meeting with the documentary producer, we can go over our plan for the dinner,” she said as she sat down opposite him. Her tone was businesslike, the usual warmth she reserved for him gone.

  “Plan?”

  “Yes,” she said. “We don’t have a lot of time, but if there are going to be cameras at the dinner we have to coordinate everything. What are we going to wear, for example? Obviously we have to make a statement, and with your father coming we’re going to have to coordinate with him as well. We’ll also have to go over protocol with him if we want to make sure this goes off without a hitch.”

  Simon shifted in his seat, already hating the fact that he had to find a way to work around the intrusion of a documentary crew. “I don’t think Dad understood what he was getting in to when he asked to come to this thing.”

  “You mean when he invited himself?” The expression on her face soured.

  “My father isn’t used to this kind of setting,” he said. “He’s a simple guy who says what’s on his mind. He isn’t going to wait to be invited to something he wants to go to.”

  “Sounds pushy to me, but you’re the boss.”

  “Why are you doing this?” he demanded.

  “I’m not doing anything other than pointing out the obvious,” she said. “You didn’t even want your father to bump into the producer. Now he’s coming to this dinner and you’re okay with it. Why are you letting him decide everything?”

  He ran his hand through his hair, frustration seizing him. “I’m not. Let’s just focus on getting organized. Since you want to coordinate what we’re wearing, I guess I can find some suits for my father to choose from.”

  “You’re actually buying the suit for him?” she asked in shock.

  “Yes. And I’m buying you a dress as well,” he said.

  Her mouth fell open. “I don’t expect that.”

  “I know you don’t,” he said. Heather still didn’t expect gifts or extravagance, and he was determined to give her everything she could ever dream of. Even if he was still pissed off at her. “This dinner is as much ab
out you as it is about me. You deserve to be recognized, and I’m going to buy whatever dress you want. Money is no object, so don’t worry about the cost.”

  “I don’t know about all this.” She bit her lip. “We’re fighting on one hand, and then on the other you’re buying me a dress.”

  He gazed at her. “What do you expect me to do when we’re fighting?”

  She shrugged. “Usually when Gary and I argued he was horrible to me. He’d punish me. Stop picking Finn up from school. Conveniently forget my birthday. That kind of thing.”

  His hands balled up into fists. It was a pity he hadn’t been able to kick Gary’s ass at least once before he had fled Seattle like a coward. The man had treated Heather abysmally, and no matter how much they argued Simon vowed to never mistreat her or take things out on her. An argument was one thing, but to punish someone out of spite was something Simon could never abide.

  “I’m not Gary,” he told her gently. “I want to make you happy. Even when you’re driving me insane.”

  “Okay. I appreciate your generosity.” She sucked in a breath. “I just hate that we’re fighting.”

  “Well, you’re going to hate the next few hours even more,” he warned. “Because we have a meeting with the producer, and I’m not going to make it easy for either of you.”

  Chapter 8

  They met up with Theo in Dover’s lobby at his request. Heather had dealt with the media before, but never on a project this important. A documentary had the potential to really put Simon in the public’s consciousness, much like with other tech personalities who had come before him. He could move beyond being a reclusive billionaire to the type of CEO who ended up in history books. This was a career-defining moment, and she was determined to get this right no matter how hard Simon fought it.