Worthy Opponents(47)

“I hear you want to talk to me,” he said, laughing. “You can call me yourself, you know, whenever you want,” he reminded her. “You have an in with me.”

“Thanks, Mike,” she said gratefully. “How’s Zack doing?”

“He’s doing great. He’s tired of his casts and being stuck at home a lot of the time, but he’s living with me, and I love it. And he seems happy too.” What Mike said confirmed what Spencer had suspected the last time they talked, that he and his wife had split up, but she still felt awkward asking him, and what he had just said sounded pretty clear. “Do you want to have a drink? We don’t have to do this over the phone.” And it was an excuse to see her.

“Sure. I’d love it.”

“The Plaza? Five o’clock today, or six if you prefer.”

“Six would be great.” It meant she would miss putting the boys to bed again. It took time to get uptown, and their conversation would take a while. But this was an important meeting. She’d make it up to the boys when she got home or the next day.

“See you then,” he said, and they both hung up. She was wearing a plain black summer dress and a blazer, and she wished she had worn something more exciting, but maybe it was better to be businesslike with him, for this purpose anyway.

Traffic was heavy and she was ten minutes late when she arrived. He was wearing a suit and tie, sitting at a quiet corner table, and he smiled and stood up as soon as he saw her. She tried not to be impressed by how handsome he was with his thick dark hair and strong blue eyes as she walked across the room to him. He was a striking man and everything about him exuded power in the most distinguished way. He didn’t flaunt it, he wore it well. You could also tell that neither his power nor his success was new. They were part of his persona and his charm.

She sat down at the table with him, and he ordered a glass of wine for each of them.

“I was happy to hear that the deal wasn’t completely dead in your mind. The last time we talked, I didn’t think I’d be hearing from you on that subject again. You sounded very definite.” He looked at her warmly.

“I was. I am,” she said honestly. “But we need an investor. Paul says we can’t stay abreast of the times without one, and he’s probably right. And if we have to have an investor, I’d rather it be you than anyone else. If we can come to decent terms for both of us.” That was the key issue here. And the last time they spoke of it, they were as far apart as anyone could get. “We’re working on the online shopping feature. Paul thinks we have to move uptown eventually. The neighborhood scares some people, although it’s not dangerous. I’m not ready to move yet.”

“He’s right. Being where you are is hurting your sales.”

“The homeless people wandering around are harmless. They don’t look great, but they’ve never hurt anyone.”

“There’s talk of drug gangs on the borders there, and that is dangerous.” She nodded. If it was true, he was right. “How are your kids?” he asked, breaking away from business for a minute, and happy to see her.

“They’re fine,” she said, sighing, “except I got a call from their school a few days ago. Apparently, the school counselor thinks I’m never home, and I don’t spend enough time with the boys. They’re not complaining and I’m with them on the weekends, well, after work on Saturday until Sunday night. In retail, you have to work on Saturdays.”

“That’s familiar turf for me. Zack and I are catching up now, and we’re getting to know each other. I missed a lot of time with my kids, and it’s hard to catch up later, but I get the feeling you do spend time with yours,” he said generously.

“I try to. What do other women do who work? It’s a juggling act at best.”

“My wife was lucky. She didn’t work, but she wasn’t with them all the time either. No one is, unless you can’t afford a babysitter, then you have no choice. They don’t see their father?” She shook her head.

“Very seldom. We got divorced when they were toddlers, and fatherhood isn’t his strong suit. He sees them every once in a while and brings them back two hours later. They’re a handful. He’ll probably get married again and have another family and be ready for it. But he’s missed the boat on the twins so far.” Mike realized again that she had a lot to cope with, especially compared to someone like Maureen, who had nothing to do except play tennis and complain. Spencer was a much more exciting woman, and he was sure that what she did wasn’t easy. And she was busy with her work and all the problems and demands, not just her kids.

“I’m getting divorced,” he said out of the blue, bringing her up on his own news.

“I sort of suspected that when you said Zack was living with you. Is it going okay?”

“More or less. Our marriage has been dead for years. We never had the guts to bury it. I finally did. I couldn’t take the punishment anymore for everything I didn’t do and hadn’t done all the times I worked late or traveled. She’s been wearing her anger and bitterness like a shroud for years. It was killing both of us. All of a sudden, I couldn’t see the point of being punished for the rest of my life. The practical stuff is a little complicated, but she’s fairly reasonable. I feel like I just got out of prison. I’m sorry to say that. It sounds disrespectful and ungrateful, but it’s true.” She smiled as he said it. He looked so earnest. “I should have done it years ago. She was never going to forgive me, so what’s the point?” He looked peaceful as he said it.