“I sure am.” Lexi nodded. Up. Down. Either. Both. The miracle would be if they made it to the charity event at all.
Clay tucked his phone back into the inside pocket of his jacket and strolled into Dax’s office. “I’m driving her up,” he announced as he plopped into the chair.
Dax raised his hand for Clay to hold off on saying more and ended his call. “Good. Now, can I get back to work?”
Rubbing a hand over his chin, Clay said, “So, I’m interviewing staff today. I was hoping I could get a few tips from you on how to weed out the riffraff.”
“What do you mean you’re interviewing? For what? And why are you doing it here?”
“My office is here,” Clay said with mock outrage. “I don’t have employees, and you won’t share yours. How am I supposed to run a business with no staff?”
“Whoa. Stop right there. You’re starting a business?”
“Don’t sound so fucking shocked. I’ve made a ton of money for you over the years. My networking skills are unparalleled. Everything I touch turns to gold. Why shouldn’t I run a business?”
“Here? In my building?”
“Are you suggesting I relocate? That can be devastating for a young company.”
Dax leaned back in his chair and looked heavenward for strength. “Does this new business have a name?”
Clay held up the notebook and pen he’d used earlier with Dax when they’d brainstormed for places Lexi might want to work. “I thought we could choose one this morning.”
Throwing up his hands, Dax used his intercom to ask Kate to hold his calls. “Is it for profit?”
“Why wouldn’t it be?”
“I thought you were looking into partnering with charities.”
“I am and I’ve already donated to several. This is different. I want to build something of my own. Prove that I can do it.”
“Okay. You could start a foundation.”
Clay spread his hands out in the air as if stretching the word. “The Landon Foundation. I like it. There’s room on the front of this building for an iconic L.”
“No. No there isn’t.”
“Let the idea sink in before you reject it.” He tapped his pen on the still blank page. “What’s the next step?”
“Most foundations are established as nonprofit corporations with the purpose of making grants to various organizations or groups. You should have one you focus on.”
Nodding, Clay wrote: Find interesting cause. “This is good stuff.”
“Sophie is active in many charities. She’d be better at helping you with this than I am.”
Clay made a face. “I want to look like I know what I’m doing before I take this to the Barringtons.”
With a shake of his head, Dax said, “Why?” Then he smiled. “This is about Lexi, isn’t it? You want to impress her.”
Clay shrugged. “She doesn’t think I can commit to anything.”
“Can you?”
“I think so. I hope so. If I thought anyone was listening I’d send up a request for a little guidance, but no amount of Christmas lights will convince me we’re not alone. I have what I need for now, though.” Clay stood. “Oh, and one more thing. I’ll need you to clear out five more offices for me.”
“Really? Why?”
“I told you, I’m hiring staff today.”
Dax groaned then pressed the intercom again. “Kate? Drop what you’re doing. You’re helping Clay this morning. It appears he’s conducting interviews, and he’ll need your expertise with organizing it. He may also need a few offices cleared out. Move Jamison’s team up one floor.”
Clay leaned forward. “I knew you’d share her with me. Congratulations Kate, you just got a huge raise, double your present salary.”
“Really?” Kate exclaimed.
Dax lifted his finger off the intercom. “You’re paying her.”
“No problem.”
“And she’s the only employee of mine you get to talk to. That’s it. Don’t mess with anyone else.”
“I promise.”
Dax pressed the intercom button again. “Really. I’ll send a memo down to HR. You can say no, Kate, even after today. My office is your priority, but if Clay needs it, then I guess you can help him out from time to time.”
Clay propped his feet up on the corner of Dax’s desk and laced his fingers behind his head. “The Landon Foundation.”
Dax leaned forward and knocked Clay’s feet off his desk. “Housed, temporarily, in the Marshall building.”
“Don’t worry, Dax, you won’t even notice I’m here.”
Chapter Eight
Whatever romantic ideas Lexi had had about the drive to Vermont with Clay had taken a backseat about halfway into the trip, when the light snow that had been falling in Boston was replaced by heavier flakes as they drove northward. Lexi’s phone beeped with an incoming message. She read it then said, “Willa is watching the news. She said the storm is intensifying. Ice and snow. They can’t fly out today.”
Clay kept his eyes on the road. “I didn’t expect it to be this bad. How far out are we?”
Lexi looked at the GPS. “We’re halfway there, but I don’t think that means less than two hours. Not with the snow sticking to the road the way it is. I’m sorry. I should have checked the weather more carefully.”
“Hey,” Clay said, taking her hand in his. “Don’t worry about it. The guy I bought this Hummer from said it could drive through anything.”
“Have you had it long?” Lexi asked. It looked new.
“A couple of days.”
Lexi looked down at their laced fingers. “Did you buy it for this trip?”
“I did.”
“You’re crazy.”
“My Jaguar wasn’t built for snow, and I’m driving with precious cargo.”
That made her smile. “Thank you, but you realize you can rent cars, right?”
“Renting is for people who don’t know what they want. I do. I made my choice, and I have no problem committing to it.”
The way he said committing sent Lexi’s heart beating wildly. Don’t read anything into what he says. He’s a flirt. Like me. “I had no idea you were so serious about cars.”
“I’m serious about a lot of things.” The Hummer swerved a bit as it hit a small patch of ice. Clay returned his hands to the steering wheel. “Although, right now, I should focus on getting us there in one piece.”
Lexi turned down the radio. “I hope you can see farther than I can.”
“It’s fine, Lexi,” he said in a tone that made her realize she must have sounded nervous. “A lot safer than trying to fly in this weather.”
Lexi turned to watch his profile. “Most people think I’m crazy for not flying.”
“Most people didn’t lose their parents in a plane crash.”
He said it the same way she would have, a little bit angry with a dash of rebellion. He gets it. “Exactly. Every time I think it shouldn’t bother me anymore, I try to board a plane and panic at the last minute. I’ve even bought plane tickets then driven anyway. Willa says I’ll never see the world if I don’t get over it. I’m not sure I can.”
After a quick glance at her, Clay said, “There is something called a boat. Now, I don’t know too much about it, but I hear it floats instead of flies. People have even been known to use them to get across large bodies of water.”
Lexi smacked his arm, but she smiled as she did it. “Thanks. I’ll look into them.”
“I happen to own a rather large yacht. It’s bigger than most. Not too big. Too big is almost as bad as too small.” He shot her another look and winked.
Lexi was still laughing as she asked, “Is there anything you can’t make into a sexual innuendo?”
With a completely straight face, he said, “Me? I was referring only to my boat. You are completely responsible for where your mind went.”
“I’ll remember that,” she warned. She turned forward just in time to see a pair of headlights coming straight at the
m on their side of the road. “Clay?” She smacked his arm again. “Clay, do you see that?”
“Holy shit,” Clay exclaimed and pulled into the other lane. The car flew past. He looked over his shoulder. “What the hell was that?”
Just then the Hummer hit a patch of ice that sent the vehicle into a spin. Clay fought to correct it, but there was too much ice and too much momentum. They started into a spin that took them back across the road and into a ditch.
