Summer Secrets - Barbara Freethy [173]
Malcolm Davis tossed the newspaper down on the desk with a flourish. His round face beamed with excitement at his success in placing such a delicious tidbit in the San Francisco Review.
"Nice job, Malcolm." Luke raised his bottle of Perrier in a silent toast.
"What can I say? The press loves your long list of degrees and your success at McAuley. The tie-in with your brilliant father makes this story impossible to resist."
Luke leaned back in the oversized, leather chair behind the desk. The chair had been his father's, like everything else in Luke's office and home. It was too big, too stiff, too unforgiving in texture. He made a silent vow to get rid of it come Monday.
Luke changed positions as he looked at Malcolm. "How long have you worked for my father?" he asked.
"Almost eight years. Why?"
"Do you think you're going to like working for me?"
Malcolm sent him a funny look. "I certainly hope so."
"I'm not my father."
"I never thought you were."
"Really? You're probably the only one."
Malcolm gathered his papers together, and Luke swiveled his chair around so he could look out the window. The Sheri-Tech building complex sat on the edge of the San Francisco Bay at Oyster Point, a few minutes south of San Francisco. From his vantage point he could see the Bay Bridge in the distance and the lights coming on in Oakland across the bay, reminding him that it was time to go home and celebrate his wedding anniversary.
Still, he hesitated. In the past few years, he'd begun to feel more comfortable at work than at home. It was easier to focus on concrete business problems than deal with the inescapable feeling of restlessness that pervaded his family life.
Happiness was found in the black figures on the profit and loss statement, not in his wife's arms, not in the huge house that his parents had passed on to him. Something was missing. Something important, vital. Damned if he knew what it was. Everything he had planned for was now his. He should be ecstatic. Instead, he felt -- lonely.
Malcolm walked around in front of him and leaned against the wall. He was a short, balding man, filled with energy. Even now he tapped his fingers against the wall in a restless beat as he studied Luke through sharp, perceptive eyes.
"Okay, what's wrong?" Malcolm asked.
"Nothing." Luke shrugged.
"Try again."
"All my life I've been cursed with the desire to want more than I have. I want to be content."
"Content? That sounds like old socks and game shows on television. You're living the good life, Luke. You're running the game. The world is at your feet."
"Right." Luke pulled at the tie around his neck.
"I'm bringing Stan Polleck from Genesys to your party tonight. He's very interested in selling his company to us. I hope Denise doesn't mind mixing business with pleasure."
"Not at all. She's more ambitious than I am. In fact, Denise would like to see Sheri-Tech acquire Genesys. It would certainly make us a major player in the area of gene research. Of course, she'd also like the company to go public." Luke smiled cynically. "She thinks a public offering would enhance our bank account."
"It would certainly do that. But you'd lose some control."
"Exactly."
The phone on the credenza buzzed. Malcolm picked it up. He held out the receiver to Luke. "Scott Danielson."
Luke took the phone. "Scott. How are you?"
"Fine. I got worried when Denise missed her appointment today. I hope she's not feeling any side effects."
The muscles in Luke's body tightened as he tried to decipher the words he was hearing from Denise's gynecologist. "I didn't know Denise had an appointment with you today."
"Follow-up appointment for tubal ligation is standard procedure, old buddy, or have you been out of the practice of medicine so long you've forgotten?"