The Bachelor's Cinderella: The Frenchman's Plain-Jane Project

CHAPTER FOUR

ETIENNE filed past the row of people at their desks. He had opened the doors to the employees today, and they were all waiting for him to say something. The expressions on their faces were a mixture of fervent hope and something less than pleasant. Suspicion. Well, that was to be expected. They didn’t know him. Their fates were in his hands.

But when Meg strolled in a few minutes behind him, there were no conflicting emotions flickering across people’s faces. Everyone was smiling. Tiny, wiry little Edie went to Meg and hugged her. “Welcome home,” the older woman said.

And then there was a round of applause as others joined in, calling out greetings. Meg waved to her friends and the room went unexpectedly quiet. In the second immediately afterward, Etienne heard a man in the back of the room mutter something about how he hoped the new owner wouldn’t lie to Meg like Alan had, followed by someone else’s quick shushing sound.

Meg looked momentarily nonplussed, and Edie, with a wide, obviously hastily pasted on and slightly nervous smile, turned to Etienne. “We’re very glad you bought the place, Mr. Gavard. I’m sure you’ll be a good employer and treat all of us well.” She looked toward the corner where the comment had come from and where an older man was looking decidedly uncomfortable and trying to pretend that he was fiddling with the copy machine. Etienne would have wanted to laugh except for the fact that the word “lie” had been used. He’d been told that Alan had fired Meg. Lying was something else entirely.

“I’m going to do my best by all of you,” Etienne told the group. “And…um…no lying.”

Meg rolled her eyes.

“Don’t let them push you around,” she told him.

Now everyone looked shocked. Etienne couldn’t help it. One corner of his mouth lifted, even though he fought the urge.

“She’s giving him orders,” someone whispered.

“I’m just…Oh, never mind,” Meg said and she headed back toward the inner office where she and Etienne had been working yesterday. Etienne noticed that she was wearing a navyblue suit that fit her body, emphasizing the gentle sway of her hips as she moved.

Heat—and admiration for what she’d tried to do for him—filtered into his consciousness. He remembered how soft her lips had been and how her eyes had widened in shock when he’d kissed her. She had said nothing then, but today she’d found her voice again. Good.

“Meg’s quite a sassy one, isn’t she?” Etienne remarked half to himself. It seemed he liked sass.

“But very nice,” the old man in the corner said.

“I’ve noticed,” Etienne agreed.

The man looked mollified.

“Do you need anything special of us, Mr. Gavard?” Edie asked. “We know the company is in very bad shape. Mr. Fieldman wouldn’t have run if that weren’t the case, because he wanted this place badly enough to do whatever it took to get his mother to leave it to him.”

She frowned, and Etienne began to suspect just how deep the problem with Alan had gone. Besides the man’s general ignorance of good business, his blindness to his employees’ talents and his lack of common sense, Alan Fieldman must have done something to Meg beyond firing her. No wonder the man in the corner was concerned.

Etienne looked at Edie’s aging face and the fervent, anxious expression in her eyes. “I want you all to trust me. I know that’s asking a lot. This is your work, your identity, your livelihood. But I want you to know that I don’t take that lightly. My sole aim in coming here is to turn this place around.”

“To make it profitable,” Edie said.

“Yes.” Even though he had little interest in his own profit in this case. He didn’t really need the money. He needed the sanity and the peace of mind.

“If I don’t do that, I will have failed, and I don’t like failure. So, for now, what I want is for you to have faith, to keep doing your jobs as well as you can, to follow whatever instructions Meg and I give you and above all to squelch any rumors that Fieldman’s is failing. That can be disastrous in the business world. From this moment on, we’re on the path to success, and we want the world to know that.”

“So…we’re not failing?” an older woman asked. She was standing next to a desk that had a nameplate that read Marie. The nearly worshipful naked hope on Marie’s expression almost buckled Etienne’s knees. His life had nearly been ruined by people expecting too much of him, he had unwittingly but callously sacrificed his wife to the expectations of his family, his name and position, and here he was intentionally seeking out those who had no choice but to put their lives in his hands. So why did he choose to do this in his work?

Because I have to, he reminded himself. He had to be able to live with himself. A little, at least.

“From now on we’re a team, and this team is going to survive,” he told them. “I’ll need all of your help. I may be asking you to do things that haven’t been asked of you before. Legal things,” he said at the look of alarm in one man’s eyes. “But we’re cutting corners to make things profitable and we may all have to pitch in and do double duty at times when people are sick or have emergencies. No temporary workers to step in, no outsiders handling maintenance. This is all going to be…us. Our methods may be a bit unconventional, but from here on out you have a vested interest in making sure this company succeeds. If it does, it’s going to be yours someday. This will become an employee-owned company.”

A buzzing began through the room. One person stepped forward. “Does that mean we can fire you if we don’t like what you’re doing?”

Etienne did laugh then. “Not yet. Besides, you won’t have to fire me. When things are back in shape here, I’ll be gone. Until then, you’re going to be my prime concern, and I’ll expect complete cooperation. This isn’t going to be easy.”

“What about Meg?” someone asked. “Where will she be when we’re going full tilt again?”

Etienne didn’t know. For some reason that bothered him even though it shouldn’t. Meg was charming, but she was temporary, as was everyone in his life. Holding people at a distance was how he had maintained his sanity these past few years. “Meg will be wherever she wishes,” he said. But he couldn’t help wondering where that would be.

Meg bent over the desk beside Etienne. They were discussing changes to the line, how positions in the firm would have to be altered to accommodate the current financial situation and all the details of what they needed to do to bring life back to the business.

“I especially like this one,” he said, pointing to one of her ideas for a new line of sofas. “I’ve contacted a textile firm in the east that’s willing to cut their price if we give their firm prominent billing in our presentations and ads. As soon as we have some mockups and photos, we’re going to schedule you with the photographer and visit some trade fairs. We’ll speak to the local press.”

Meg froze. Her heart began to thud wildly. She looked directly into his eyes. He gazed back at her, reached out and tilted her chin up gently.

“I once knew a woman who was totally dependent on a man for her identity and for her…everything. That won’t be you. You’ll have no need of a man if you don’t want one, because you’ll have you. You’ll have this,” he said, gesturing toward the room. “I can help you get from here to there. I want to. Let me.”

His voice was like a caress. Meg almost felt herself sway toward him, but that would be a mistake, one neither of them wanted.

She nodded. “Thank you,” she said softly. “I made the rounds and have started to draft some revised job descriptions so we can take up the slack in areas where we’ve been lacking due to letting our outside services go.”

“Good. But I want everyone to know that they’ll be paid extra,” Etienne said. “I’m not a poor man and I’ve set aside funds for the restructuring of Fieldman’s.”

“Thank you. Some of them have been here most of their careers. This is a second home for them.” And for some like me, she thought, it was more than a home. It was a haven. Or at least it had been, before the incident with Alan.

“They love you,” he said simply, and she glanced up into his eyes.

“They know me.”

“It’s more than that.”

Meg shrugged. “I tend to get a little territorial and protective about people I care about. They know that.”

“Sounds like they reciprocate. Some of them are very concerned about how I’m going to treat you.”

She took a deep breath and reached for a jar that held pencils. Cupping her hands around it she pondered how much she wanted to divulge.

“I’ll talk to them about that,” she said. “They shouldn’t be speaking to you that way.”

He reached out and placed his hand on her arm. Sensation shot through her, awareness of the man beside her nearly overwhelmed her, warmth and something more made her feel flushed and awkward and needy and…

She lost her grip on the cup, and pens and pencils tumbled out, rolling off the desk.

She lurched to grab them, but Etienne’s grip was gentle but firm. “Leave them, Meg. And…don’t speak to the others about how you want them to treat me. I have to form my own relationship with them. I’m capable of doing that. What I’m not capable of is reading minds. I think I need to know more of what happened here before you left. As it is, I seem to be the only one in the dark.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“It does. It affects how everyone thinks of you and me. It affects how you approach your work.”

“I wouldn’t cheat you of my time or effort, not after we made a deal!”

“I know that, but you might be too careful, too controlled.”

“That’s not such a bad thing. I’ve been meaning to work on that self-control all my life.”

He smiled then. “Self-control has its time and place. Not yelling at your employer is a good example of self-control.”

“I haven’t yelled at you.”

“You’ve lectured me,” he teased. “You told me not to let the employees talk to me in a disrespectful manner, and right in front of them, too.”

“That was bad,” she agreed, but she couldn’t seem to keep from smiling.

“It was,” he said, but he chuckled when he said it.

“Okay, reminding myself not to try to protect you from Raymond, the man at the copier, is a good example of self-control. What’s a bad example of self-control?” she asked.

“Not voicing your opinions or offering your ideas because you think they might be seen as too wild and crazy or that others might criticize you or make fun of you.”

She grew solemn then. “That’s a tough one. I’ll have to think about it.”

“Did Alan criticize your ideas?”

So…they were going to discuss Alan.

“Why do you say that?”

“Your friends…They’re worried about you because of Alan. I can understand that, because you told me that he fired you. But, what I can’t understand is why.”

Oh, no. She so didn’t want to do this.

“He wanted me gone.”

“Obviously.” Etienne waited.

Meg stubbornly decided to dig in her heels. “These things happen.”

“No.” Etienne slowly shook his head. “I’ve run many companies, had thousands of employees, but…look at your work,” he said, gesturing to the mock-ups she’d made in the middle of the night last night. “You told me you would come up with ten good ideas and you did it in a matter of hours. They’re good ideas, and you mapped out the pros and cons of each one. You suggested possible options for changes. You circulated among the employees and thought up new ways to make things run more efficiently. You understand Mary’s obscure accounting procedures. You know this company inside and out. You should be the last person standing if this company should go down, not the one who gets kicked out. What happened here, Meg? I can’t be in the dark.”

“Is that the only reason you need to know?”

“No, it’s not. I don’t like seeing people mistreated. I also don’t like asking this of you, and ordinarily I wouldn’t pry, but you were the brains of this company and Alan was the owner. You were asked to leave. I’m trying to piece this company back together, and if there are secrets or undercurrents that are still in place, then…”

“There aren’t any undercurrents. They ended the day Alan asked me to leave.” Meg closed her eyes. Tightly. “But yes, there were undercurrents prior to that. Alan and his brother had nothing to do with Fieldman’s when they were younger, but three years ago, after they had both been out in the world for a while, they came back and joined the company. Alan was more outgoing, more take charge. He…he paid attention to me and eventually we became involved. He gave me a ring, but we didn’t set a date even though we’d been engaged for a long time. Then Mary died and she left the company to him. His brother left immediately. And soon after that, Alan hired a new woman, promoted her over me and fired me. I had served my purpose.”

“You’re saying he pursued you only because Mary loved you.”

“Yes. Because I was Mary’s favorite employee, marrying me became his ticket to the CEO position. But I hadn’t realized that he was simply using me to beat out his brother for the position. I had no idea there was a contest going on.”

Etienne swore in French and then he swore some more. “No wonder your friends warned me. I’m surprised they didn’t do more. Had I been in their shoes I would have.”

“You’re not to blame for my ignorance.”

Etienne swore again.

“Stop swearing,” she told him.

“I wasn’t.”

“It doesn’t matter. I don’t know French, so you could have been saying ‘Pass the pretzels’ for all I know, but it sounded very much like swearing, so it’s the same difference.”

“Then I apologize, but, Meg…you have to know that you weren’t the one at fault here. The man was and is an ass. He didn’t deserve you.”

“Nonetheless I was going to marry him and now I’m not. End of story. It’s over. It’s ancient history. I’m completely fine now.”

Except of course she wasn’t completely fine. A woman like her, one who had faced rejection and untrustworthy people all her childhood and who had thought she had finally managed to make a place for herself using only her wits, didn’t easily get over the shock of knowing she’d fallen victim to a con man. She had given Alan her heart and her trust and had been made to look like a naive fool.

“I hope when we’re done here that you’ll be able to tell Alan Fieldman that you’ve won. Sometimes men aren’t to be trusted.”

She blinked at that.

“You?”

“I’m no saint, Meg. I may not lie to you the way Alan did or make promises I don’t intend to keep, but don’t fall into the trap of believing that I’m better than I am. The one good thing I can say for myself is that I never make promises I can’t keep to women anymore.”

“Not even about this business?”

He gave her a grim smile. “I have high hopes for this business, but there are no guarantees. Mistakes are sometimes made that can’t be called back.”

Meg was pretty sure that he was thinking of his wife then, but she had no right to ask. She appreciated the gentle warning, however. Maybe he had just been trying to tell her that he wouldn’t be like Alan, but she had needed a reminder that it would be dangerous to get too close to Etienne. And there was no secret about that. She already knew that he was a man who would only be in her life for a short while. His world and hers would not intersect once he returned to France.

“I should get back to work,” she said.

He looked down at her then. “When I made that comment about women and promises, I hope you know that I wasn’t implying anything, Meg. I didn’t mean that you might be thinking of me romantically. I wouldn’t be so arrogant as to presume that.”

He ran one hand back through his hair and Meg couldn’t help laughing.

“What?”

“You,” she said. “Since we met two days ago, you always seem so self-possessed, so in control and calm and cool. Now you’re flustered because you’re worried I might have thought you were warning me not to fall in love with you.”

“I never thought you might be.”

Which only made her laugh again. “Etienne, have you looked in the mirror lately? Half the women in the office, old and young, are smoothing their hair and reapplying their lipstick when they hear the office door open. I’ll bet they’re all horribly disappointed when it’s me and not you who appears.”

“But you’re their friend.”

“Yes, but I don’t have a Y chromosome, broad male shoulders and a French accent. I don’t think you need to apologize for warning women away if there’s no chance you’re going to fall for them. It’s only fair to let them know you’re not available.”

He shook his head. “Yes, but it still feels arrogant to say so.”

“Better than letting them think you might be interested.”

“Should I wear a sign saying that I’m not available?”

She grinned. “That would be interesting, but I don’t think it’s necessary. In an office this size word gets around quickly.”

“Ah, the rumor mill. Who starts these rumors, I wonder.”

“In this case,” she said, with a mock curtsy, “I will.”

“Meg Leighton, spreading rumors?”

“Spreading the truth,” she corrected. “It’s a tough job but hey, someone has to volunteer to do it.” And she sighed.

“You are a very admirable woman,” he said.

“Ah, more pretty compliments. I love them,” she teased. Where had this man been all her life? And where would he be in two months?

Gone. The answer came in a flash. She’d be wise not to forget it.

CHAPTER FIVE

THE next few days went by in a blur of work, work and more work. The entire company had to be inspected, taken apart and put back together, and Etienne marveled at the enthusiasm with which Meg and her team tackled every task. He might be the planner and the one with the experience, but once he had made a decision, Meg led her troops full steam ahead into whatever he asked them to do.

What’s more, she was a creative genius, so when he suggested that, besides updating their product, they needed to make the building suggest the appearance of a thriving concern, she drew up some ideas.

Now, here she was beside him, looking a bit uncertain. “Problems?” he asked.

“I…It’s the paint for the office.” She fidgeted with the poppy-red scarf at her waist. Meg’s penchant for color wouldn’t quite let her go the monochromatic route, Etienne had noted, and red was her favorite. It was a charming habit.

“There’s a problem with…paint?”

She sighed. “I’m sure that you wouldn’t find it a problem, but…see, I feel perfectly comfortable handling the books or the employees or the orders, but as for choosing paint…I’d really, really appreciate your input. I have this teensy little habit of fixating on colors that are overly bright.”

She did. He adored that, but for this, she was right. The office needed to have the right look for the brochure they were making.

“All right, let’s go buy paint.”

Meg shook her head. “Oh, there’s no need. I stopped by the store and picked up some color cards yesterday. I narrowed it down, picked out a few and got some samples to try on the wall. I just want you to tell me what you think of the results. I found a corner of the room where I painted a few squares. All you have to do is tell me which square is the right one.”

She led him into the main room and over to the spot she had indicated. There were four large colored squares painted on the chalk-white wall. There was a very pale almost invisible blue, a classic colonial-blue, a bold darkish blue and the last, a dazzling electric-blue.

“That last one looked better on the card,” Meg explained, clearly embarrassed. “I just…I need to see things, but even I can tell that one won’t do. It’s a bit shocking, isn’t it?”

Just then, a man stepped up to the water cooler not ten feet away. He stared at the squares, pretending to shield his eyes.

“Whoa, Meg, did you do this? Take it easy, will you? You’re going to blind me with that bright blue.”

Meg smiled self-consciously…and noticed that Etienne had moved to her side.

“What does that man—Jeff?—what job is he involved in?” Etienne asked, his voice low.

“Excuse me?” she said, lowering her voice to match his own.

“What task in particular is he working on?”

“He’s…I believe he’s working on the payroll statements.”

“All right. Good. Ask him when you can expect them on your desk. Say it calmly but firmly,” Etienne instructed.

“Is there a reason you need to know? He’s right there.”

“And you’re right here, too.” Etienne said. “A woman who wants to establish her place in the business world and wants to know how to do it.”

She looked at him for several seconds, then took a visible deep breath and turned with a curt nod despite the concern in her expression. The other man was almost ready to leave the water cooler. “Jeff, excuse me, but could you tell me how far along you are on those payroll statements? I’d like them on my desk sometime today. It’s not something I can wait on.”

The uncertain woman had been replaced by a cool, confident one. The man did a double take. He looked at Etienne with a question in his eyes, but Etienne ignored him, so the man turned back to Meg.