Christmas Secrets. Barbara Dunlop

Her heart was pounding and her palms were sweating, but she wasn’t about to let anyone know that Roth had rattled her.

      “Ms. Welsley is exercising her right to appoint herself as a board member,” said Max. “As current majority shareholder, she will sit as chair. As chair, she will break any tie over the appointment of an interim president.”

      “So not Roth,” said Clint.

      “Then who are we talking about?” Nelson asked.

      “Are we taking nominations?”

      “I’ve given it a lot of thought,” said Amber. “I’d like to discuss Max Cutter as the interim president.”

      Max drew back in his seat. “I can’t—”

      “Turns out you can,” said Amber. “I spoke to a lawyer this morning.”

      “You’ll have to leave the room for the discussion,” Nelson said to Max.

      Max fixed his shrewd gaze on Amber. She didn’t flinch. If she could sit as chair of the board, then he could sit as president. There was no one else she’d trust.

      “Very well,” said Max. He rose and gathered his briefcase.

      As he passed, he paused behind her and leaned down. “I guess we’ll go down together.”

      She turned her head to whisper. “Then I guess you’d better help me win.”

      “I was always going to help you win.” He gave her a friendly pat on the shoulder as he walked away.

      The door closed behind him and another board member spoke up. He was Milos Mandell, a former commercial pilot and internet entrepreneur.

      “Can we speak freely?” asked Milos.

      “I would think we’d better,” said Amber.

      “You seem like you understand what you just did.”

      She couldn’t help flexing a small, resigned smile. “I believe I know what I just did.”

      “He’s going to come after you,” said Nelson, clearly referring to Roth.

      “He’s right to go after her,” said Clint, glancing around at his fellow board members. “This is a coup.”

      Milos sat forward. “The coup would have been Roth taking over as president without the support of the major shareholder.”

      Clint stared hard at Amber. “You’re jumping the gun, and it’s going to cost you.”

      “While Roth will know you sided with him, so I guess you’re safe.” She let her words sink in for a moment.

      Clint was smart enough to realize the opposite was also true. Amber now knew he was in opposition to her.

      His jaw dropped a fraction of an inch. “I don’t mean… That is, I’m not…”

      “Any discussion on Max?” Amber asked the group.

      She didn’t have time to worry about Clint. She needed to get Max settled in as president, then she needed to focus on the court case, do justice to her day-to-day work and make sure Zachary stayed clean, fed and as happy as possible. The alliances, machinations and power plays at Coast Eagle were going to have to take a backseat.

      On the staircase in front of Coast Eagle headquarters, Cole appeared and fell into step beside Amber. It was six o’clock. She was exhausted, and he was the last person she wanted to see.

      Ironically, he was also the person she most wanted to see. The conflicting reactions were due to the kiss they’d shared in the meeting room.

      “I read the press release,” he opened, turning right along with her as she headed down the crowded sidewalk toward the transit station.

      “I think that was a good move,” he continued. “There’s an element of risk, but there’s nothing about this situation that’s not risky.”

      She stopped to turn on him, forcing the flow of people to part around them. The man had gone behind her back, kissed her senseless, and now he wanted to analyze her business decisions? “Is that really what you want to say to me?”

      Her words seemed to catch him off guard and he hesitated. Horns honked and engines revved on the street as cars breezed past.

      “Yes,” he answered.

      “Well.” She coughed out a chopped laugh. “It’s so very nice of you to approve of my decision.”

      “Are you still upset?”

      “I’m also tired, and I’m busy, and I’m going to miss my train.”

      “Then you should get moving.”

      He was right. She turned abruptly to march toward the station.

      He kept pace. “I have a hard time believing the Hendersons don’t have cars and drivers.”

      “Are you going to pretend it didn’t happen?”

      “That you joined the board of directors?”

      She rolled her eyes.

      “That I kissed you?” he asked.

      “That you betrayed me.”

      “I didn’t betray you. I told you I was after the Pacific routes.”

      “Don’t pretend you’re stupid, Cole. And don’t pretend I’m stupid, either.”

      “You’re not stupid.”

      “I know.”

      “Except when it comes to transportation. Can I offer you a ride home?”

      “You cannot.”

      “Why?”

      Because he had her rattled. The memory of his kiss had taunted her all afternoon long, messing with her concentration. She wanted to know the kiss had rattled him, too.

      “It’ll get you home faster,” Cole offered reasonably. “You’ll be able to spend more time with Zachary.”

      “Go away.” She fixed her sights on the train platform.

      “Not what I was planning.”

      “What were you planning?” The question was automatic, and she instantly regretted asking it.

      She didn’t care about his plans. She wanted him out of her life. At least, a part of her wanted him out of her life. The other part wanted him to kiss her again. She nearly groaned in frustration.

      “You’re having a tough week,” he said. “You need to have some fun.”

      She dodged her way around a group of pedestrians, then skirted a trash can and a stroller. “What? This doesn’t look like fun?”

      “Well, I’m having fun.”

      “What do you want, Cole?”

      “To take you on a date.”

      His words shocked her to a halt.

      He took her arm and drew her under a shop awning, next to a brick wall and out of the flow of pedestrians. “I can only guess at how hard you’re working and how tired you must be. I want to help you take a break. Come out with me tonight. Let’s walk through Atlantic Station, see the lights, drink hot chocolate. Or we can go skating. You said skating was your favorite.”

      “I don’t like you, Cole.”

      “To be fair, you don’t know me.”

      “I know enough.”

      “You only think you know enough.” His gaze captured hers again, and the noise and commotion of the