Chapter 19

The café was emptier than usual for a Wednesday at lunch.

Great. No witnesses when she either pulls a gun, a knife, or just starts throwing shit and then calls the cops to throw me in jail instead of her. Swallowing hard, Joanna wound her way around the several unoccupied tables and headed for the small two-seat table closest to the windows. If all else fails, I’ll do a superhero dive out the window and run like hell.

She jumped when a slight movement registered in her peripheral vision. Shit. I’ve got to calm down. She waved away the waitress heading toward her. “Not yet, Mary. I’m meeting someone. I’ll just wait until they get here to get a drink or look at a menu, okay?”

“You sure?” Mary gave her a dubious look and paused with a menu in one hand and a glass of ice water in the other. “You kind of look a little pale.”

You should see me from the inside. “I’m positive. Thanks.” If she ate or drank anything right now, she knew for certain her nervous stomach would reverse gears.

The tarnished bundle of old Christmas bells wired above the café door jingled out a cheery warning that made Joanna’s blood run cold. She didn’t have to look to know that Lilian Tasker had arrived. She felt it—kind of like the feeling she got right before she puked. A throbbing, about-to-be-turned-inside-out sort of feeling. Joanna swallowed hard, then sucked in a deep breath through her nose and softly blew it out her mouth. Must. Calm. Down.

The firm click of high heels against the linoleum-tiled concrete grew louder, like the ticking of a doomsday bomb. A subtle scent of perfume that probably cost more per ounce than the price of the tour bus wafted through the air as the elegantly foreboding woman slid into the seat across from Joanna.

She barely smiled and graced Joanna with an imperious nod as she laced her long, slender fingers together and rested her clasped hands on the edge of the table. “Good day, Ms. Martin. I’m glad you agreed to a meeting.”

Stay calm. Joanna kept the mantra at the forefront of her thoughts, trying to blot out the disturbing comparison of Lilian Tasker to a platinum-blond cat toying with its prey before it snapped its neck and ripped its guts out. Remembering Mrs. Tasker’s no-nonsense-and-don’t-waste-my-time attitude from the rare times they’d crossed paths at Asclepius Pharmaceuticals, Joanna sat taller in the chair and forced a smile.

Might as well cut to the chase. I know this isn’t a social visit. “Whether my day is good or not might depend a great deal on our conversation.” Joanna folded her hands on the table in front of her, attempting to mimic the woman’s aloof air. “What can I do for you, Mrs. Tasker? I think we both know that you didn’t ask me to lunch because we’re ‘besties.’ ” Damn. I actually sound brave. All she had to do now was keep up the act.

“No bullshitting and straight to the point. Good. I like that.” Mrs. Tasker smiled and leaned back in her seat. “And do call me Lilian.”

Joanna nodded, relaxing a bit—a very small bit. The woman’s smile seemed genuinely friendly rather than territorial. Strange. “And I’m ‘Joanna.’ Now—what can I do for you, Lilian?”

“Work for me.”

“Beg pardon?” Joanna leaned forward and cocked her head. Surely, she’d misunderstood what Lilian Tasker had just said. She swallowed hard, suddenly wishing that it was late enough in the day for alcohol. I could so use a drink right now.

Lilian gracefully lifted one hand, motioning to Mary, who was doing her level best to inconspicuously hover close enough to overhear the conversation. “Miss—coffee, please. No cream. No sugar. Joanna?”

Joanna blinked. “Uhm…yes. Please.”

“Two coffees, please.” Nodding at Mary like royalty dismissing a servant, Lilian turned back to Joanna. “Much has changed in the three years since you left AP. Your former boss, Mason Tasker, has left my father’s company without a CEO at the helm and while the man was a drug addict and a total ass as well as an embezzling thief, he was quite the savvy businessman—except, of course, where his brother, my illustrious husband, was concerned. I need a new CEO, Joanna. I’m here to offer the job to you. Are you interested?”

“You can’t be serious.” Joanna gratefully accepted the cup of coffee Mary deposited in front of her and took a sip. This had to be some sort of trap. Some elaborate plan for Lilian Tasker to get revenge for all the chaos that Joanna had unintentionally caused in her life.

“Why in the world can’t I be?” Lilian delicately sipped at her own coffee, studying Joanna as though she couldn’t fathom why Joanna didn’t understand. “Before the debacle of my imbecilic husband, you were quite the rep. I’ve seen the numbers. Read your reports. Father and I were very impressed and realized what an asset our company lost when you left.”

“In case you’ve forgotten, I left because you fired me.” Joanna sat straighter, tensing against what had to be some sort of forthcoming attack. “And what about all the rumors? The smear campaign that blacklisted me with any decent company in the United States or Canada?”

“You’re not a woman to run from a few backbiters, are you?” Lilian leaned forward, cold blue eyes narrowing as she lowered her voice. “You, Joanna, were not my husband’s first indiscretion. Actually, I didn’t mind Matthew’s many dalliances and distractions. They kept him occupied and out of my way. But in your case, Matthew and Mason went too far. When they openly slandered you, they sent some very unbecoming ripples into both my social and business circles.” She straightened in the chair, her face hardening and her look growing dangerously colder. “I will not tolerate being humiliated. By anyone. Ever.”

Wow. Joanna mouthed it in her head but didn’t say it out loud. She made a mental note to never intentionally piss off Lilian Tasker. She finally nodded when she realized Lilian was waiting for her to respond. “I understand how that time had to be unbearably difficult and embarrassing.” Joanna paused, took a deep breath, then mentally said, aw, the hell with it. “And I truly apologize for my part in it. I hope you believe me when I say that I had no idea that you and Matthew hadn’t divorced like he’d said.” She blew out a heavy breath and frowned down at her reflection in her coffee. “And I swear that I had no idea about your son and daughter. I was stupid enough to believe Matthew when he said the two of you never had any children to make the divorce more complicated.”

“Matthew didn’t consider them his children because they were adopted.” Lilian shrugged and lifted her cup, cool and calm as though discussing the weather. “But I assure you, I’ve always made certain my children felt loved and cherished even though their nonbiological father was a poor excuse for a human.”

“Was?”

“Yes.” Lilian took a drink and lowered her cup back to the table. “Was. You see, Joanna, there really is such a thing as karma. During our actual divorce proceedings, Matthew suffered a very debilitating stroke just six months after you left Chicago. He’s institutionalized now and I’ve signed him up for several of AP’s experimental drug programs. He might as well serve some purpose for what he’s cost me.” She looked at Joanna with a wicked smile that chilled her to the bone. “I thought for certain you would’ve heard that he’d become little more than a lab rat.”

Joanna shifted uncomfortably in her chair. “You’ll have to forgive me, but I don’t know about anything that happened in Chicago after I left. Due to the multiple restraining orders and threats of lawsuits, I’m sure you’ll understand why I didn’t exactly keep in touch with AP, your husband, or Mason.”

“Well, let’s see if I can catch you up.” Lilian’s eyes narrowed as she methodically tapped a perfectly manicured fingernail against the rim of her cup. “AP is finally recovering from Mason Tasker’s embezzling and the other unorthodox business practices he employed such as tax evasion, money laundering, and drug running. If I have my way—and with my money, let me assure you, I always have my way—the man will never leave prison alive. As I already stated, Matthew is now institutionalized and is Asclepius Pharmaceutical’s favorite lab rat.” She made a face and tapped her chin as if searching her memory. “I believe that pretty much sums up the past three years and gets you back up to speed on all things Chicago.”

“Okay then.” Oh holy shit. Karma, as Lilian had put it, had swept across Chicago with righteous vengeance. “I’m sorry. It sounds like you’ve had a hellacious three years. I had no idea.” Joanna leaned forward and tapped the table beside her cup. “And you’re really willing to bring me back? Won’t that stir everything up all over again and make things…uncomfortable for you?”

“Yes. Well.” Mouth still tensed, Lilian slowly raised her coffee cup again as though to take a sip, but then she paused. “Let’s just say AP needs someone we can trust, and from what I’ve seen of the audit of all your records—your legitimate records, which were found on one of Mason Tasker’s dump drives—you can be trusted. Contrary to what the Tasker brothers led everyone to believe. As of yet, we’ve been unable to fill the position of CEO. I’m offering you the job. Let’s leave it at that, shall we?” She lowered her cup to the table without taking a drink, scowling down into its contents. “I see no need to drag up undesirable details about the past and relive them.”

“No,” Joanna agreed. “I’d rather not dig up the past either.”

After an uncomfortably long moment, Lilian shifted her gaze back to Joanna. “I’ll have my assistant email all the details regarding the position—clearly listing responsibilities, perks, and benefits. Since you’ve no experience as a CEO, your starting salary would only be six figures to begin with, but I feel certain we’d be able to bump you up to a healthy seven-figure base within the first year.” Once again, she brightened with a genuine smile like the sun coming out from behind the clouds. “Well? What do you say, Joanna? Will you at least consider the offer once you’ve had a chance to look everything over?”

A great-paying job. Enough money to pay off all her debts as well as help Lucia and T. Maybe even acquire all the respect she’d always craved. But she’d have to go back to Chicago—and Grant was here and she’d promised to marry him in August. She already knew what he was going to say. But the money—and to be debt free. What a weight off that would be!

She finally nodded. “Send me the details and I’ll get back to you.”