Perfect Fit - Brenda Jackson [47]
“Well, deliberate or not, you will be keeping them from going home when they anticipated, and I guess Blackwell, being the considerate, compassionate and trustworthy employer that he is, felt he had a right to speak out about it.”
Sage lifted a brow. “And what makes you think he’s a considerate, compassionate and trustworthy employer?”
Malcolm shrugged. “Just repeating what I’ve heard. His men like and respect him. They also trust that he and Chandler will make the right decisions about anything involving them.”
“Well, I don’t like being accused of being devious for my personal gain.”
Malcolm nodded. “Don’t lose any sleep over it. And with that last bit of advice, I’m out of here. Leanne and I have made plans to go out for dinner since the weather is nice for a change. There’s no telling how it might be tomorrow. Don’t hang around here too late. And try not to take Blackwell’s attitude personally. It’s all about business.” He picked up his briefcase and said, “I’ll see you in the morning.”
“All right. I plan to leave as soon as I finish coming up with some more ideas for this brochure. Drive carefully.”
After Malcolm had left, she thought about his suggestion of not taking Gabe’s words personally. The thing about it was she had. She hadn’t told Malcolm everything he’d said, especially his reference to Erol. It bothered her that Gabe would question her motives, and to tie Erol to it was unthinkable. He had crossed the boundaries of business etiquette when he’d attacked her personal life. In essence, he didn’t trust her to be fair in her dealings with his company, and for a person who put a lot of stock in an individual’s trustworthiness, the mere fact that he questioned hers didn’t sit too well.
A few moments later Sage was studying the design of a brochure she was working on for Eden when she heard the door open and close. Thinking it was Malcolm returning, she didn’t bother looking up. “Back already? Did you forget something?”
“No, I didn’t forget to bring my manners this time.”
Sage snatched her head up at the sound of the deep, masculine voice. Her eyes met those of Gabe Blackwell and visibly bristled when she remembered all the things he had said to her earlier that day. “What are you doing here, Gabe?”
“I came by to apologize for my behavior at lunch. I was completely out of line.”
Sage was surprised by his apology. “You had no right to say those things,” she said curtly, remembering his words.
“Yes, you’re right. But when it comes to my men, I tend to get somewhat protective. I know the sacrifices a lot of them made coming here, and I want to make sure they spend as little time away from their families as possible. But I do think that what you’re proposing is a good idea, and I would like to take a closer look at it to see how much time we’ll have to extend our stay here if any.”
Sage lifted a brow. Why was he being so cooperative all of a sudden? A part of her also wondered if she could trust his motives. What if he had gone to John Landmark asking that she be replaced? She sighed deeply, knowing that she had to stop questioning and dissecting everything. She was beginning to let her personal hang-ups flow into the business aspect of her life, and that wasn’t healthy. Nor did it make good business sense to be one of those people who brought their personal problems to work. It was in her best interest to try and get along with Gabe Blackwell on a business level. She didn’t have to deal with him at all on a personal one.
“Could you at least explain to me why you questioned my work ethics and my trustworthiness as one of your business associates?” she asked.
He met the glare in her eyes. “Maybe for the same reason that you distrusted me because I’m a man, Sage. I think the best thing for us to do is to put aside whatever hang-ups and differences we have. And the only excuse I can present for my earlier behavior is that I woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning,” he said as a wry smile touched his lips. Especially when I opened my eyes and discovered it had all been a dream