It also felt unexpectedly normal.
Olivia asked:
“Did you really fire twelve executives in one day?”
Katherine glanced toward James.
He was very obviously listening.
“Seven.”
Olivia looked disappointed.
“The article said twelve.”
“Five resigned before I could fire them.”
Olivia brightened.
“That still counts.”
James shook his head.
“What kind of twelve-year-old reads corporate restructuring articles?”
“One with goals.”
Katherine smiled.
“What do you want to do?”
Olivia answered without hesitation.
“Build spacecraft.”
Katherine looked at James.
He shrugged.
“I suggested accounting.”
“No, you didn't.”
“No, I didn't.”
Katherine looked back at Olivia.
“Then build spacecraft.”
Olivia smiled.
Simple.
Certain.
For reasons Katherine could not explain, that tiny exchange stayed with her.
At seven ten, James finally closed the Ferrari's hood halfway.
“I'm keeping it.”
Katherine looked up.
“Excuse me?”
“Overnight.”
“That was not part of the agreement.”
“You don't have an agreement.”
“I have a trailer outside.”
“And I have a car I haven't finished diagnosing.”
Katherine crossed her arms.
“You expect me to leave a multimillion-dollar Ferrari in a garage with a broken sign?”
James looked toward the front.
“The sign works.”
“It says ‘ooper Automotive.’”
“C fell during a storm.”
“Three years ago, according to the rust.”
Olivia covered her mouth to hide a laugh.
James ignored her.
“The car stays.”
Katherine stared.
James stared back.
Olivia looked between them with intense interest.
Katherine finally said:
“I'll hire overnight security.”
“No.”
“What?”
“No armed strangers wandering around my garage.”
“They'll stay outside.”
“No.”
“James.”
“Katherine.”
Something about hearing her first name from him irritated and pleased her simultaneously.
She lowered her voice.
“That car belonged to my father.”
James’s expression changed.
The sarcasm disappeared.
“I know.”
“No.”
“You know it belonged to someone.”
“You don't know what it means.”
He studied her.
Then nodded.
“Fair.”
James walked to a cabinet.
Opened it.
Removed an old key.
He handed it to her.
“What's this?”
“Side office.”
Katherine frowned.
He continued.
“There's a couch.”
“If you're that worried, stay.”
Olivia’s eyes widened.
James realized what he had said.
“No.”
He corrected quickly.
“I mean the office.”
Katherine smiled slowly.
“Getting nervous, mechanic?”
“No.”
“You are.”
“I regret everything.”
Olivia whispered:
“This is the best day of my life.”
James looked at his daughter.
“Homework.”
“I finished.”
“Start more.”
Katherine laughed again.
She did not stay.
But she did leave the Ferrari.
That was the first trust she gave him.
It would not be the last.
At 8:07 the next morning, Katherine sat inside the thirty-sixth floor conference room of Vaughn Mobility headquarters while Adrian Cross explained why the company needed to close two regional manufacturing facilities.
Adrian was fifty-four, silver-haired, elegant, and so controlled that Katherine had once joked he could announce a building fire without raising his voice.