other.
“Well, you can tell Harris that I think you look much younger than your . . . You never told me how old you are,” she reminded him.
“Forty-two.”
“Wow. Now I don’t feel like such a loser because I’ve got some time to ascend to your level,” she joked.
Some of her self-doubt and insecurity must have bled through her levity because Deda gave her an appraising glance. Before he could say anything, she posed a question to him.
“How many people do you manage?”
“Right now, we have fifteen people in the biz-dev group. Under normal circumstances, you would have worked with my team to get the ball rolling with Riley O’Brien, but Teagan spied you first.” He smiled broadly. “That girl is something else. She doesn’t let anything stand in the way of what she wants.”
She laughed. “I’m torn between fearing her and admiring her.”
Deda nodded in agreement. “She runs circles around her brothers, that’s a fact. And if she wanted to run this company, she would. But she doesn’t, and neither does Cal.” He paused. “This company is in their blood, and they want to see it thrive, but it’s not in their hearts.”
Amelia was intrigued by his comments. “And what about Quinn?” She longed to gain a deeper understanding of what motivated him, and Deda seemed like a veritable font of information.
He considered her question for a moment. “A lot of people wondered why Quinn was the heir apparent, but I was never one of them,” he said, putting his hand to his chest as if hewere swearing on a Bible. “Quinn’s heart and soul is tangled up in this company so tightly it’s hard to tell where he ends and it begins. I can guarantee that for every decision he makes, and for every move he makes, he’s thought about the impact on this company.”
“So you’ve never seen him put his own desires above the well-being of Riley O’Brien & Co.?”
Deda drummed his fingers against the table. “No,” he said emphatically. “And frankly, I can’t imagine any circumstance where he would.”
After a moment, he stood up and headed toward the audio-visual controls at the front of the room. “If it’s okay with you, I want to show you the presentation my team gives to all potential partners.”
He put the presentation on the projector screen and turned off the light so she could see it better. It started out with the history of Riley O’Brien & Co., and she was familiar with the major milestones.
During the hardscrabble years of settling and building the nation, Americans had worked in Rileys. The men had fought wars in them when they were shipped to Europe and Japan, and the women had worn them to build bombs and airplanes at home.
When the men had come home, they donned Rileys to do yard work, and the women had made them an essential part of their children’s school wardrobe. Eventually, the jeans had become a staple in every closet, appropriate for all occasions, from first dates to job interviews.
The next section provided an overview of the company’s products. She was shocked to find out there were only four styles for men and two for women.
He moved on to more interesting topics including a flowchart that explained Riley O’Brien & Co.’s executive leadership and the company’s organizational structure. She hadn’t been clear on how Quinn and his siblings worked together, and the charts were very enlightening.
This version of the presentation still had James O’Brien listed as the president and CEO. As chief operating officer, Quinn was listed just below his dad, and Teagan and Cal reported to him. She wondered when Quinn would officiallytake over his dad’s title since it seemed that he’d already assumed most of his dad’s responsibilities.
She interrupted Deda. “How long has Quinn been leading the company?”
“Since Mr. O’Brien got sick, which was more than three years ago.” She couldn’t see Deda’s face very well in the dark, but he sounded
“Well, you can tell Harris that I think you look much younger than your . . . You never told me how old you are,” she reminded him.
“Forty-two.”
“Wow. Now I don’t feel like such a loser because I’ve got some time to ascend to your level,” she joked.
Some of her self-doubt and insecurity must have bled through her levity because Deda gave her an appraising glance. Before he could say anything, she posed a question to him.
“How many people do you manage?”
“Right now, we have fifteen people in the biz-dev group. Under normal circumstances, you would have worked with my team to get the ball rolling with Riley O’Brien, but Teagan spied you first.” He smiled broadly. “That girl is something else. She doesn’t let anything stand in the way of what she wants.”
She laughed. “I’m torn between fearing her and admiring her.”
Deda nodded in agreement. “She runs circles around her brothers, that’s a fact. And if she wanted to run this company, she would. But she doesn’t, and neither does Cal.” He paused. “This company is in their blood, and they want to see it thrive, but it’s not in their hearts.”
Amelia was intrigued by his comments. “And what about Quinn?” She longed to gain a deeper understanding of what motivated him, and Deda seemed like a veritable font of information.
He considered her question for a moment. “A lot of people wondered why Quinn was the heir apparent, but I was never one of them,” he said, putting his hand to his chest as if hewere swearing on a Bible. “Quinn’s heart and soul is tangled up in this company so tightly it’s hard to tell where he ends and it begins. I can guarantee that for every decision he makes, and for every move he makes, he’s thought about the impact on this company.”
“So you’ve never seen him put his own desires above the well-being of Riley O’Brien & Co.?”
Deda drummed his fingers against the table. “No,” he said emphatically. “And frankly, I can’t imagine any circumstance where he would.”
After a moment, he stood up and headed toward the audio-visual controls at the front of the room. “If it’s okay with you, I want to show you the presentation my team gives to all potential partners.”
He put the presentation on the projector screen and turned off the light so she could see it better. It started out with the history of Riley O’Brien & Co., and she was familiar with the major milestones.
During the hardscrabble years of settling and building the nation, Americans had worked in Rileys. The men had fought wars in them when they were shipped to Europe and Japan, and the women had worn them to build bombs and airplanes at home.
When the men had come home, they donned Rileys to do yard work, and the women had made them an essential part of their children’s school wardrobe. Eventually, the jeans had become a staple in every closet, appropriate for all occasions, from first dates to job interviews.
The next section provided an overview of the company’s products. She was shocked to find out there were only four styles for men and two for women.
He moved on to more interesting topics including a flowchart that explained Riley O’Brien & Co.’s executive leadership and the company’s organizational structure. She hadn’t been clear on how Quinn and his siblings worked together, and the charts were very enlightening.
This version of the presentation still had James O’Brien listed as the president and CEO. As chief operating officer, Quinn was listed just below his dad, and Teagan and Cal reported to him. She wondered when Quinn would officiallytake over his dad’s title since it seemed that he’d already assumed most of his dad’s responsibilities.
She interrupted Deda. “How long has Quinn been leading the company?”
“Since Mr. O’Brien got sick, which was more than three years ago.” She couldn’t see Deda’s face very well in the dark, but he sounded
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