Breath of Scandal(86)

Jade's smile evaporated. Her son's lack of enthusiasm for relocating bothered her tremendously. "You know the answer to that, Graham. Why do you keep asking me?"

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I won't know anybody," he mumbled dejectedly. "I'll have to leave all my friends."

The closer they came to making the move from New York, the more frequently they had this conversation. Graham knew that the project was important to her from a career standpoint. He didn't know its personal implications-no one did.

He had taken their previous moves in stride. Now that he was a teenager, friendships had become more meaningful. He was resistant to the idea of leaving them.

"You'll make new friends, Graham." "There's nothing to do there."

"That's not true. Palmetto's near the ocean. You'll be able to go to the beach whenever you want. We'll go fishing and crabbing. "

"I don't even like crab."

She let that pass. "Palmetto schools have soccer teams now-I've already checked. You'll be able to continue playing. "

"But it won't be the same."

"No. It won't be the same. It's very different from the city. "

"It's hicksville."

Dead end. There was no argument to that. Compared to the Big Apple, Palmetto was definitely hicksville. After an ensuing silence, Jade said with excitement, "Tomorrow I'm interviewing the contractor I came all this way to see. Wish me luck."

"Good luck. I hope you can hire him. And, Mom, be careful. There are some real weirdos in California." "And none in New York?"

"At least here you can easily spot them."

"I'm always careful," she promised. "I hope I can conclude my business in a couple more days and come home. We'll go out together and do something special. Deal?" "Deal. I I



She was consumed by homesickness for him as she hung up the phone. There were days when he was ornery, but generally he was an ideal son. As he grew older, he assumed



Sandra Brown



a proprietary and protective air toward her, which Jade found both amusing and touching.

He was already taller than she. That had taken some getting used to. He was strong, athletic, and boundlessly energetic. Jade took secret pride in his physical attractiveness, but whenever someone remarked on it, she stressed her pride in his intelligence and character. He had a keen sense of humor and a sensitivity that she found personally gratifying.

She didn't lightly dismiss his reluctance to leave his friends and school and move to another state-another world. The move for him was still months away, as he wouldn't leave school until the current semester was over. She hoped that when the time came, he would be psychologically prepared for it, although he had already had more than a year to get accustomed to the idea.

Jade vividly recalled that winter day last year when the project in Palmetto had been approved. Her presentation before GSS's board of directors had been flawless. The topic had been so thoroughly researched that she had stockpiled an arsenal of statistics to support her arguments. The incisive questions put to her by the board members had been answered articulately and with enough elaboration to gain their trust without sounding ingratiating. She hadn't given them the hard sell, but had let the facts and figures speak for themselves.

George Stein, the CEO, was the last surviving founder of GSS. Although he was nearly eighty, he was still at the helm of the conglomerate that had been founded when Charlie Chaplin was the number one box-office star. It had started with one steel mill and had, through the decades, continued to expand. Now GSS provided an umbrella for companies all over the world, encompassing myriad enterprises, both commercial and technical.

It was common for GSS to buy struggling companies and either dissolve them or reorganize their operations to make them profitable. Initially Jade had been hired to analyze three textile plants that GSS had acquired. Her extensive evaluation had resulted in a career-making meeting.

Breath of Scandal



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Her recommendation to the board had been to close the three existing plants and build a new, larger, more technically advanced one. Several board members had muttered assent. Mr. Stein, whose yellowish hands and bald head were speckled with age spots, had stared at Jade for a considerably long time. The rest of his body was ravaged by time, but his eyes were as keen as those of a twenty-yearold.

"You seem uncompromising in your position, Ms. Sperry ., ,

"I am. I'm certain that's the only way GSS will make any money in the textile business. And Palmetto, South Carolina, is the perfect location for a plant like this because of its proximity to the shipping channel. What better way to utilize our own shipping interests and reach the foreign markets?"

"What about the management personnel of these plants? Do we simply unload them, too?"

"Not at all. I suggest we offer to relocate them in Palmetto, or, if they decline the offer, to give them six months severance pay when we shut down."

At the conclusion of the discussion, Stein called for a vote. Jade's plan was unanimously approved. "Very well, Ms. Sperry," Stein had said after counting the show of hands, "the project is yours. Textile, is it?"

"Yes," she had said, trying to camouflage her swelling elation behind a professional demeanor. "I'd like to call it TexTile. "