Falling For You Read online

  “You built a new inn?”

  “No, I’m building a house for myself with the same footprint.”

  “I thought you lived in New York.”

  “I do live there. I have an apartment in Tribeca, but it’s my intention to move to Ireland once my house is finished. I’m planning on making it my primary residence. I can conduct business remotely.”

  At that moment, Chris returned with their starters.

  To Gabriel’s surprise, Leiliana asked if she could say grace. He happily assented.

  He bowed his head.

  “Father, we come before you thanking you for this meal you’ve provided for us. We ask that you will bless it and bless the hands that prepared it, for Christ's sake, amen.”

  As he listened to her simple yet sincere, prayer Gabriel felt a warm glow. This was the first time he had been on a date with a woman who chose to say grace before their meal. Each minute in this woman’s company, he found new reasons to be drawn to her.

  He dipped his spoon in the soup and tasted it. It was creamy and flavorful. He took a few more spoonsful, then dabbed his mouth with his napkin and leaned back in his chair. “So, Fortune Magazine Businesswoman of the year, huh?”

  She had been busy cutting her salad into bite-sized bits when he said this, so her head came up in surprise. “You saw that?”

  “I subscribe to Fortune, so I was quite thrilled when I realized you were on this month’s cover. That was an exceptional cover photo, by the way. You look incredible. Red definitely is your color,” he said with a smirk.

  She laughed. “I didn’t choose that jacket. In fact, I posed in a variety of outfits. As to the photo, that had less to do with me than the skill of the photographer. I didn’t even recognize myself. He made me look so good.”

  He was impressed that someone like her could be so modest. Other women in her position would be preening right now.

  “So, how does it feel to be called the most fearless female of your generation?”

  She frowned. “I don’t agree with that. I wish they would have consulted me before they applied that title to me. I don’t consider myself fearless.”

  This intrigued him. He sat back and watched her with interest. “Most women these days would consider that a compliment.”

  “I have courage, which is action in the face of fear. But it doesn’t mean I don’t feel fear. The danger of titles like that is that people then view me as this hard woman. Someone who can’t empathize with others or bear with their weaknesses. I’m not that person. In business, I may sometimes need to play hardball. Sometimes I need to be tough in situations. But when I’m not working I want to be vulnerable, I want to hear that it’s okay to have fears. To have doubts and not feel like I need to have it together all the time. I don’t want people to feel that I don’t need their understanding and patience. That I’m an unfeeling thing made of stone.”

  This was so unexpected he didn’t know how to respond, and for a while, he sat in silence, contemplating an appropriate response as she finished her salad.

  Then, his thoughts ran to what Patrick had told him about Leiliana about how tough she was. He also thought back to the way she had responded to him when they had first met as though she was deliberately trying to push him away.

  “Perhaps people think this way because this is the image you project.”

  She flicked her hair over one shoulder and leveled her brown eyes at him. “What are you talking about?”

  He bit back a smirk and leaned towards her. “Word on the street is that you enjoy serving men their testicles on a silver platter.” He sat back with his drink and watched her with mild amusement.

  Chris appeared at that moment and whisked away their used utensils, indicating he would be back shortly with their entrees.

  “We all have our areas of weakness,” she said with a sweet smile. The comment was so unexpected it took Gabriel a while to register what she’d just said. When it did, he couldn’t help the laughter that burst from his lips.

  “So you don’t deny it?”

  She shrugged. “If a man is intimidated by me, that’s his own fault. I wouldn’t be attracted to a man who’s intimidated by me anyway,” she said this staring at him as she slowly drained her glass of Manhattan. Was she throwing out a challenge to him? “What’s yours?”

  “Huh?” he asked.

  He caught a whiff of something incredibly delicious, and then Chris was setting their entrees before them.

  “Bon appétit,” Leiliana said, picking up her knife and fork.

  “Say that in Irish, and you’ll set my toes curling,” he said as he cut into his chicken breast smothered in a creamy sauce. The bite of tender chicken in its flavorful sauce melted in his mouth and he almost moaned in ecstasy. He looked over at Leiliana as she chewed on a forkful of her vegetarian mushroom risotto. As far as he could see, it was really rice and mushrooms. He wondered if she knew what she was missing.

  He gestured to his plate. “This is amazing!”

  She smiled. “I told you it was good.”

  “How’s your meal?”

  “Quite scrumptious. I’m still waiting for you to answer my question, though.”

  He was going to give her a flippant response, but he caught her shrewd expression. She fully expected him to do just that. It challenged him to be honest with her.

  He put another piece of chicken in his mouth and chewed it as he thought. After a short while, he said, “I have a tendency to sometimes bite off more than I can chew. I get these great ideas, and I want to see them implemented now. I sometimes don’t fully consider the risks attached. I’m not one who’s likely to err on the side of caution.”

  He stopped there because anything else would have made him too vulnerable. Still, he had already confessed so much. This woman was known for being a shrewd businesswoman, what would she think of someone who lived life on the edge and who didn’t carefully weigh the cost. She might consider embarking on a relationship with him a liability rather than an asset.

  Here Leiliana surprised him once more. “I heard it once said that if a car only had brakes, it would go nowhere. We need risk-takers in this world. God created everyone with particular characteristics to carry out the work he wants them to do. I think the key is to recognize your area of weakness and mitigate against it.”

  He was pleased she saw it that way. In fact, he felt warmth radiate through him that Leiliana sought to understand him rather than dismiss or criticize him. That prompted him to lean towards her and say, “And for the record, I don’t really believe that you’re this hard woman people may think you are. I just think you’re discerning.”

  “What makes you say that?”

  He dabbed his mouth with his napkin and leaned back in his chair. “Well, you’re dining with me tonight, aren’t you?”

  Gabriel knew he was pushing his luck with that comment. Still, when Leiliana slowly smiled, then outright laughed, he felt a pang of victory as though he had got past the first round relatively unscathed.

  “Leiliana,” he said softly after she settled down, watching him with a smile and shaking her head. “Leiliana,” he repeated.

  She raised a brow.

  “Your name is lovely. What does it mean?”

  “Child of Heaven.”

  “That seems fitting somehow,” he said, nodding, still holding her gaze.

  “And why is it fitting, may I ask?” she asked with a teasing smile on her lips.

  “Because, Child of Heaven, my name means God is my strength. Now, isn’t it fitting that a man who acknowledges that God is his strength should find himself intensely attracted to a child of heaven.”

  Her cheeks colored, and she shook her head. “Do these lines actually work with women.”

  He smiled. “These are not lines.” The truth was that while he had used lines like this on women before, for the first time, he truly meant what he was saying. She was such a heavenly woman. Not to say she couldn’t be caustic and haughty when she wa
s offended, but she was also sweet and considerate. He sensed there were many more admirable aspects to her character, and he desperately wanted to get to discover them. “I’m being sincere.”

  She tapped a well-manicured nail against her chin. “Hmm.”

  “So I gathered from that Fortune article that you are responsible for a building in Brussels. That’s quite an undertaking.”

  She nodded. “The goal is for Brussels to become one of Europe’s top destination cities and one of the premier cities in which to live. It’s also intended to give much needed green spaces to a city often described as one of the most polluted spots in Europe.”

  “I know. Walsh Enterprises bid to do that project.”

  Her eyes widened. “Really?” she drew out the word slowly, and Gabriel didn’t know how to interpret it. Didn’t she believe him, or was she surprised that he would bid on such a big job? “It’s a development for 1600 homes.”

  “I am aware. I didn’t get that job, but I was awarded a similar project in Belfast. I’m aiming to make it an energy-efficient project. The first of its kind.”

  “Sounds ambitious.”

  “I have a plan.” He grinned.

  “We’ve also got plans for our Brussels project that will seek to incorporate green efficiency as far as possible.”

  Gabriel nodded. He was quite sure that Lamport Holdings would not be incorporating most of the energy-saving techniques he planned to use in his own project. He wasn’t about to share those techniques with Leiliana though.

  “I’m curious,” she said. “What got you interested in sustainable energy. It seems at variance with the original focus of your company.”

  “When you say my company, do you mean Barry Walsh and Company?”

  She nodded.

  He shifted in his seat. “That wasn’t my company, just so we’re clear. Barry Walsh was my father’s company. My brother and I bought out his shares a few years ago, so now it’s ours.”

  “Still, most people associate Walsh with commodities particularly trade in coal and crude oil. How did you make the switch?”

  “When I went to work for JJ Inc. I got a different perspective. I saw what alternative energy could do.”

  Her eyes seemed to light up with interest when he mentioned JJ Inc.

  “In what area of JJ Inc. did you work?”

  “Design and development.”

  “What job did you do?”

  “I started as an entry-level electrical engineer then I moved up to a managerial position later.”

  “What did that entry-level job entail?” she asked, watching him intently.

  “I provided support to the more experienced engineering staff.”

  “What kinds of projects did you work on?”

  Gabriel rubbed his chin and looked off into a corner of the room. Why this intense interest in his job at JJ Inc. all of a sudden? Was Leiliana simply trying to get to know him better, or was there more to it than that?

  “Why do you ask?”

  She smiled sweetly. “I have to confess I’m fascinated with how things work. Lamport Holdings has a subsidiary, Lamport Electronics, that intersects the same products that JJ Inc. does. I guess I’m just curious about the differences in company culture…but if you don’t want to talk about it, that’s okay.”

  He felt a bit of relief at her explanation. It felt good to know she was so upfront with him. Some women would hide the true reason for their questioning. Instead, she laid all her cards on the table. It made it easy to give into her.

  Chris materialized beside them and offered them the dessert menu.

  Leiliana took it and quickly decided to have a brownie and a cup of tea.

  Gabriel wasn’t hungry, but he was reluctant to draw their evening to a close, so he ordered a cup of coffee and a brownie as well.

  “No. I don’t mind talking about my experience at JJ Inc. Ask whatever you like.”

  She leaned towards him eagerly. “Jonas Judd seemed to have invested heavily in research and development. Do you think that was key to the success of the company?”

  He thought about this for a moment.

  “I think so. He really believed that R and D was a key component of a company’s growth strategy.”

  “Is that what he taught you?” she asked with a twinkling in her eye. “Is that why you’re this great innovator?”

  He laughed. “I guess I learned a lot from him about doing that. I saw the benefits first hand, so I’ve incorporated it into my own philosophy.”

  “Do you think that anything has changed since his death? What I mean is, do you think that kind of focus will continue?”

  “There’s a great chance it will. All of the technical experts are still there. JJ Inc. has a strong company culture. You’ve got people who have spent their entire career there. I haven’t heard of any exodus since he died.”

  “So, you would say the company culture is strong.”

  “Definitely.”

  “Dot Judd is at the helm now. Do you think she will continue in that direction?”

  Gabriel twisted the water goblet in his hands and observed how the light played on the crystal. He was not about to share with Leiliana that Dot was interested in selling. After all, he had just put in a bid to purchase.

  “Dot is an intelligent woman. She will no doubt do what she thinks is best for the company.”

  Their order was placed before them, and they continued to chat for the next half an hour about JJ Inc. and its potential. As Leiliana talked and laughed with him, Gabriel was glad that he could share this insight into the company with her to help her own management of Lamport Electronics Inc. So what if the two companies were competitors? There was enough market share for them both.

  This easing of his inhibitions led Gabriel to share with Leiliana some of his plans for the housing project in Belfast. He also advised her on the advantage of incorporating them into her Brussels project.

  Chapter 7

  “…A nd that’s why I think we should purchase JJ Inc.,” Leiliana said to her father.

  It was two days after her conversation with Gabriel. After their date, she had spent the next day formalizing her proposal to purchase the company. Thanks to the insight he had provided, she had felt more convinced than ever that the enterprise would be a lucrative acquisition. It could be merged with Lamport Electronics and enable the company to expand its offerings and widen its customer base.

  She had hated hiding from Gabriel the real reason for questioning him about JJ Inc.’s operations. She wanted to know if the company would be a lucrative purchase. Given his history with the business, she considered him a good source of information. She reasoned she had theoretically done nothing wrong. Surely, she couldn't be expected to divulge her strategic plans to the CEO of a competing company.

  “Did you get Evelyn to do profitability forecasting?” asked Lord Lamport.

  Leiliana nodded. Evelyn Richardson was their chief financial officer. Even though Leiliana’s background was in the area of financial management, she knew that her father expected her to seek the advice of their technical expert rather than simply do the analysis herself.

  “Yes, daddy.” She only called him daddy when she was trying to cajole him, and he knew it too. “She also conducted a risk analysis. It’s all in the report I’ll be sending you today.”

  Leiliana glanced up from her tablet and caught her father’s brief smile before he pressed on. “Do you think JJ Inc. is a good fit for Lamport Holdings based on our strategic objectives?”

  “Yes, definitely. Our portfolio is diverse, but our reach in the areas of commodities all depends on electronics.”

  “I formed Lamport Electronics precisely for that reason,” William pointed out.

  “Yes, but even though Lamport Electronics covers some of those areas, JJ Inc.’s reach extends even further. Plus, the company is heavy into research and development. This was confirmed by a former employee recently. So, with our money and their expertise, I anticipat
e new products at least once per year.”

  “Have you also considered the raw materials that are needed for the electronic commodities they produce? Is there enough of them. How easy is it to get them? Will we need to acquire these sources to ensure we have the inputs well into the future or perhaps purchase shares in such businesses to ensure our viability in the future?”

  Leiliana paused. She hadn’t thought about that one. “No, we didn’t. I’ll shoot Harper an email and have the Research department look into it.”

  “You don’t need to do that right now. I just mentioned it because it’s something you’ll need to consider later when negotiations begin. My more immediate concern is price volatility in the area of these raw materials. Get Evelyn to take that into your projected operating costs if you haven’t done that before. That information will also help you determine JJ Inc.’s true worth and the value of our offer price. When you come to do your due diligence, you will be in a better position to determine the percentage costs that have arisen over the life of the company and extrapolate.”

  Leiliana made notes on her tablet.

  “On a related note, are you aware of any other competitors?”

  “I’m not aware, but I wouldn’t be surprised. JJ Inc. winning that Innovation Award put them in the spotlight. With Jonas Judd gone, it makes the company vulnerable for a takeover bid. I’m sure many of the people in the room sat up and took notice. Which is why we need to move fast on this if we’re interested, Dad.”

  He nodded.

  “I’ll get the information from Evelyn and finalize the proposal by this evening. I’d like to send it off to JJ Inc. by tomorrow,” she said

  After Leiliana left her father’s office, she immediately sent Evelyn an email. She asked her to include the analysis her father had requested and recalculate the figures so that she could finalize the proposal that evening. She was thrilled to bits about this project. Thanks to Gabriel, she had the information she needed to proceed with confidence.

  She paused and tapped her stylus on her chin as she reflected on the message she’d received from him that morning.