"Ms. Williams, Mr. Teagan Elliott is here to see you."
Renee Williams took a deep breath, slipped off her reading
glasses and pushed aside the medical report on Karen
Elliott, bracing herself to deal with the woman's son, who
from what Renee had heard was causing problems.
Since learning of his mother's breast cancer, and trying
to assist Karen in dealing with all the paperwork for her
upcoming surgery, Teagan Elliott was going about it the
wrong way by putting unnecessary pressure on the hospital
staff just because his last name was Elliott.
She pressed down the respond button on her phone and
said, "Please send him in, Vicki."
Renee silently prayed that her confrontation with him
would go well. She didn't want to remember the last time
she had taken a stand against a man who thought his last
name was the key to open any and all doors.
Her job as a social worker at Manhattan University
Hospital meant helping everyone and making sure they were
treated fairly, regardless of their economic, educational
and cultural backgrounds.
A knock on the door brought Renee's thoughts back to the
business at hand. "Come in."
She stood and placed a smile on her face when the man she
knew to be Teagan Elliott, of Elliott Publication
Holdings, one of the largest magazine conglomerates in the
world, walked into her office dressed as if he had just
posed for a photo shoot in GQ magazine. Renee had to
concede he was a handsome man with all the sure-sign
characteristics, which included expressive eyes, a
symmetrical face, a straight nose and a chiseled jawline.
Moving from around her desk, she met him halfway and
offered him her hand in a firm handshake. He automatically
took it. "Mr. Elliott?"
"Yes, and you're Ms. Williams, I presume."
His northern accent was polished, refined and spoke of old
money and lots of it. "Yes, I am. Would you like to have a
seat so we can discuss the matter concerning your mother?"
He frowned. "No, I don't want to sit to discuss anything.
I want you to tell me just what will be done for her."
Renee lifted a brow as she stared into the icy blue eyes
that were holding hers. So he wanted to be difficult, did
he? Well, he would soon discover that when it came to
handling difficult people, she could be a force to reckon
with. She crossed her arms over her chest. "Suit yourself
if you prefer standing, but I've had a rather long and
taxing day and I don't intend to stand."
With that, she resumed her seat. The glare he gave her was
priceless, and if it weren't for the seriousness of the
situation at hand, she would have quirked her lips into a
smile. Evidently, not too many people sat down and left
him standing.
"Now, about your mother," Renee said after taking a sip of
her coffee, which had turned cold. "I see that her surgery
is scheduled for —"
"I think I need to apologize."
Renee glanced up, put down her mug and gave him a look.
The eyes staring back at her were no longer icy but were
now a beautiful shade of clear blue. "Do you?"
"Yes." A smile touched his lips. They were lips that Renee
thought were beautifully shaped.
"Normally I'm a likeable guy, but knowing what my mother
is going through right now is a little hard to deal with.
It wasn't my intent to come across as an arrogant ass. I
just want to make sure she's getting the best of
everything," he said, coming to take the seat across from
Renee.
A part of Renee wondered if there was ever a time an
Elliott hadn't gotten the best of everything. "That's what
I'm here for, Mr. Elliott. My job is to make sure that not
only your mother, but anyone faced with emotional concerns
that can impede their recovery is given help to deal with
those issues."
He nodded and his smile widened. "Have you met my mother?"
Renee returned his smile. For some reason she was drawn to
it. "Yes, I had a chance to talk to her a few days ago. I
found her to be a very beautiful person, both inside and
out."
He chuckled. "She is that."
Renee could tell Teagan loved his mother very much. In
talking with Karen Elliott, Renee had discovered the woman
had three sons and a daughter. Teagan, at twenty-nine, was
the third child, youngest of the sons, and a news editor
at one of the family magazines, Pulse. Renee had also
discovered during her talk with Karen that of all her
children, she and Teagan had the closest relationship.
"So tell me, what are we up against, Ms. Williams?"
Teagan's question broke into Renee's thoughts.
"Now that the doctor has given your mother the diagnosis
and a decision has been made for surgery, what Karen needs
from her family more than anything is support. I
understand some of you don't comprehend her reasons for
having a double mastectomy when a tumor was found in only
one breast. She wants to have both removed as a
precaution. Doing so is her choice and should be accepted
as such.
"Karen also will need all of your love and support when
the surgery is over and during her period of recuperation
before she starts her chemotherapy treatments. Again,
although there is no sign the cancer has spread to the
lymph nodes, she has decided to undergo chemo as a
precaution. The outlook at this point is still guarded,
but I truly believe everything will work out in your
mother's favor since the lump was found early."
Renee leaned back in her chair. Now that it was pretty
obvious that Teagan Elliott was just trying to help his
mother, although he had approached it in the wrong way,
her heart went out to him. It was admirable for a son to
care so much for his mother the way he did.
"Do you have any idea when the surgery will take place?"
he asked.
"Right now, it's scheduled for next Tuesday." Teagan
sighed as he stood. "I really appreciate you taking the
time to explain what the family needs to do. And again I
apologize for my earlier attitude."
Renee smiled as she also got to her feet. "You are
forgiven. I completely understand how an unexpected
medical condition can cause havoc to even the mildest-
mannered individual."
He laughed. "I said I'm normally a likeable guy. I never
said anything about being mild-mannered."
Renee grinned. Nobody had said anything about him being a
handsome hunk, either, but the proof was standing before
her. With his six-foot athletic build, jet-black hair and
blue eyes, she couldn't help wondering if anyone had ever
told him that he bore a marked resemblance to what she
perceived would be a younger-looking Pierce Brosnan. He
was definitely worth taking a second look at. But she knew
a look was all she'd ever take. Men with the kind of money
the Elliotts had didn't bother dating people out of their
social class. Besides, he was white and she was black.
"Here's my business card, Mr. Elliott. As your mother's
social worker, I'm here whenever you need me. Just give me
a call."
Teagan accepted the card and placed it in the pocket of
his jacket. "I appreciate that. I'll get the family
together tonight and we'll talk about what you and I have
discussed. Right now my mother's health, as well as her
peace of mind, is the most important thing. Thanks for
everything."
Renee watched as he turned and walked out of her office.
Teagan, better known to family and friends as Tag, stepped
into the elevator, glad he was alone. He released a deep
sigh that came all the way from his gut. What the hell had
happened to him while in Renee Williams's office? The
woman was definitely a beauty, and radiated an almost
palpable feminine presence that nearly knocked him to his
knees. Nothing like that had ever happened to him before
while sharing space with a woman.
When she'd spoken, the silkiness of her voice was enough
to stroke everything male inside of him. It had been like
a physical caress on his senses. And when their hands had
touched in that handshake, it had taken everything he had
to control the urge to pull her closer to him. He figured
she was about five feet five inches without the pumps, and
the outfit she'd been wearing, a tangerine-colored
business suit, had definitely defined her curvy figure.
Then there was the coloring of her skin, a creamy color
that reminded him of rich caramel. Combined with long,
black hair that flowed around her shoulders, and dark
brown eyes that had stared at him, she reflected, in
addition to striking good looks, compassion, intelligence
and spunk.
He actually had to chuckle when he thought of what she had
told him when he had initially refused to sit down. Yes,
she had spunk, all right, and he would give anything to
have the opportunity to get to know her better. But he
knew that would be impossible. A romantic involvement with
anyone was the last thing he had time for. Since his
father had decided, and rightly so, that spending time
with Tag's mother was more important than what was going
on at the office, Tag was more involved with the magazine
than ever.And then there was that blasted challenge his
grandfather, Patrick Elliott, had issued that had sparked
a rivalry between EPH's top four magazines.
Each of the four magazines was run by one of Patrick's
children. There was Pulse, the one run by Tag's father,
Michael, which was a world-class news magazine; Snap, a
celebrity magazine run by Tag's uncle Daniel; Buzz, which
focused on showbiz gossip and was headed by Tag's uncle
Shane; and Charisma, a fashion magazine run by Tag's aunt
Finola.
Last month, Patrick had decreed he was ready to retire and
whoever made his or her magazine the biggest success by
the end of the year would be given the position of CEO of
the entire Elliott Publication Holdings.
When the elevator came to a stop on the bottom floor, Tag
couldn't help but look forward to the day his and Renee
Williams' paths would cross again.
"So, there you have it, the gist of what the social worker
said today," Tag said to his siblings at dinner that
evening. The four of them had met at a restaurant in
Manhattan, not far from the building that housed the
Elliott publications. Gannon, at thirty-three, was second
in command to his father at Pulse; Liam, at thirty-one,
was currently working in the corporate financial
department and Bridget, who was twenty-eight, was the
photo editor for Charisma.
"And you're sure this social worker knows what she's
talking about?" Bridget asked, taking a sip of her wine.
There was a worried expression on her face. "The decisions
Mom has made lately are so unlike her. It's as if she's
going to the extreme."
Tag nodded, knowing where his sister was coming from,
especially their mother's decision to have a double
mastectomy. But all he had to do was recall his meeting
earlier that day with Renee Williams to know the woman did
know what she was talking about. She seemed very competent
and professional...as well as beautiful. The latter seemed
to stick out in his mind and he couldn't let go of it.
Even now, he couldn't help but remember the smiles he had
coaxed out of her after apologizing for his behavior.
"Yes, she knows what she's talking about," he finally
said, responding to Bridget's question. "But as I was
reminded today, it was Mom's decision to make and what she
needs from all of us is our love and support."
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