They sat in tense silence for a few moments.
“He could be looking for me,” Eva added, trying to make him understand. “From what I can tell, when my mother left California, she never tried to contact him again.” She paused, her voice growing softer. “I’m not like you. I can’t pretend he doesn’t exist.”
Derrick set his knife next to the fork. “My situation was different, but . . .” She saw how he struggled to get the words out. He unclenched and clenched his hand several times. “I understand the need to know him and meet him. Let me know if you need me to get involved.”
“I won’t. I can handle this on my own.”
He looked steadily at her. “You’re my wife. It’s my job to protect you.”
“I don’t need protecting.”
“I’m going to do it anyway.”
She had to admit there was a certain level of comfort in knowing he’d be there if she needed him. He never talked about it, but he still bore the pain of his father’s rejection from years ago. How unfortunate a good support system had not been available to him as a child.
“I don’t want to fight. We’ve been getting along so well. Let’s pretend I never brought up this topic, and if I need you, I’ll let you know.”
He picked up the silverware. “Fair enough.”
Chapter Thirteen
Derrick sat at the head of the conference table at HLC headquarters. It was Thursday night, and he was ready to go home. He’d called Eva earlier to inform her to go ahead with dinner without him, but he now regretted the decision. If he hadn’t insisted on having this meeting, he could be at home now. He’d decided the executive team needed an update on the merger with the Greek shipping company, and the CFO and VP of operations led the after-hours meeting with the details.
So far, so good. There had been a few hiccups, as were expected, but overall, the alliance was proving to be a good idea. With access to such a large fleet of ships, HLC had gobbled up even more market share and sat on the cusp of becoming the dominant force for the international movement of goods in Europe and the Americas. He already had his mind on expansion, having charged his team to research distribution channels and entry into the next target markets—Asia and Africa.
Despite all the success and the excitement of accomplishing the goals laid out before his father’s passing, Derrick acknowledged an equal amount of pleasure came from having Eva in his life. In the role of a wife, he couldn’t imagine anyone else doing a better job. She adapted to any social environment. Initially, he could tell she’d felt out of place among the other wives, but gradually she’d relaxed and become the perfect hostess and the guest others looked forward to seeing.
She took over management of the household, which included overseeing the maintenance on the house, the grounds, and the cars. She also became involved in the charitable organizations the Hoffman estate supported. In addition to attending functions such as award ceremonies and fundraisers, she made sure that any funds dispersed from the estate were spent in accordance with the stipulations in Phineas’s will.
Her experience in event coordination had also come in handy, making her a popular committee member of several organizations. Not only was she sought after for her ability to plan and coordinate large events with skill, but her knowledge of the industry enabled her to negotiate very favorable terms on events contracts that saved the organizations a lot of money.
And him . . . well, marriage had changed him. He looked forward to going home now, and while the thought of having a family used to scare him, it no longer seemed daunting. In fact, he liked the thought of having someone to go home to. He’d had to take a few business trips, but when he did, he seldom went a night without talking to Eva when he was out of town.