Envy(75)

“This isn’t a scene, Noah. This is a private conversation between husband and wife, between business partners. Two relationships that should come with an implied trust.”

“Exactly,” he said, raising his voice to match the level of hers. “Which is why I’m amazed, both as your husband and your business partner, by your apparent lack of trust in me.”

“Chalk it up to my reacting emotionally, flying off the handle, and going into orbit!”

“Which are fair analogies, Maris. You came barging in here and practically accused me of treason against Matherly Press.”

“At the very least you consorted with the enemy!”

A knock on the door brought them around. Daniel was standing on the threshold, leaning heavily on his cane. “I’m exercising one privilege of old age, which is to intrude when uninvited.”

Noah shot his cuffs. “Of course you’re welcome, Daniel. Maris has just returned from lunch. We were having a discussion about—”

“I heard. From all the way down the hall.” Daniel came in and closed the door. “Maris is upset about the meeting you had with WorldView.”

She reacted with a start. “You knew about it?”

“Noah told me of his decision to meet with them. I thought it was a sound idea and was glad he was going instead of me. I don’t think I could have stomached it.”

“Why wasn’t I informed?”

She addressed the question to both of them, but Noah answered. “You were leaving for Georgia. Daniel and I could see how excited you were about this project and were afraid that if you knew about WorldView you’d change your plans. There was no reason to bother you with it.”

“I’m not a child.” She glowered at him, then at Daniel.

“We made a mistake in judgment,” Daniel conceded. “It wasn’t our intention to slight you.”

“I don’t feel slighted, I feel babied. I don’t need protection, Dad. Or coddling. Or special favors. When it comes to business, I’m not a daughter or a wife, I’m an officer of this corporation.

“I should have been consulted on something this major, I don’t care how busy I was or what my travel plans were. You were remiss and just plain wrong to exclude me from those discussions. I’m also mad as hell at both of you for letting me be made a fool of in front of Morris Blume and Nadia Schuller.”

“I apologize,” Daniel said.

“So do I,” Noah echoed. “I’m terribly sorry that you were embarrassed today at lunch. I take full responsibility for that.”

She didn’t verbally accept their apologies, but Daniel took her silence as a tacit pardon. “Are we still on for dinner tonight? Maxine’s making pot roast.”

“We’ll see you at seven,” Noah confirmed. Daniel split an uneasy glance between them and then left them alone.

Maris went to the window and turned her back to the room. Noah remained where he was, still perched on the corner of his desk. Several minutes passed before she spoke. “I’m sorry I lost my temper.”

“It hasn’t been that long ago that I told you how beautiful you are when you’re angry.”

She came around quickly and angrily. “Don’t patronize me, Noah.”

“Don’t be so goddamn sensitive,” he snapped.

“I resent belittling, sexist remarks like that.”

“That’s a sexist remark? Can’t I pay you a compliment without your reading something into it?”

“Not when we’re fighting.”

It was upsetting, and a little alarming, that his charm seemed to have lost some of its effectiveness. “What’s with you, Maris? Since you got back yesterday, you’ve been as prickly as a porcupine. If working on this project,” he said, slinging out his hand as though to shake off a contagion, “is going to cause a chronic case of PMS—”

“And that’s not sexist?”

“—then I recommend you—”

“This has nothing to do with that!”

“Then what?”

“Nadia.”

“Nadia?”

“Did she know about your meeting with Blume?”

He covered his discomfiture with a short laugh. “What? You think I called up our local gossip columnist and leaked the story?”

Folding her arms across her middle, Maris turned back to the window. “You’re lying.”

He came off the desk. “I beg your pardon?”

“She knew, Noah. Nadia’s the most conniving woman I’ve ever met, and ordinarily she makes no secret of it. In fact, she takes pride in it. But when Blume mentioned his meeting with you, she blanched, looking as though she’d just been exposed. Then she couldn’t hustle me away from him and out of there fast enough. As we said good-bye, she oozed goodwill, but nervously.” She came around slowly. “She knew.”

The look she gave him was so damned superior, it enraged him. He felt blood rushing to his head. He imagined capillaries bursting behind his eyeballs. Fury pulsated through him. Only by an act of will could he keep his voice from revealing it.

“Why would I tell Nadia, Maris? There was nothing to tell. If Nadia knew, she heard it from Blume. I’ve seen them with their heads together on more than one occasion. They probably stroke each other for inside information.”