“Yes.”
Rosalind’s eyes raked her up and down. “I thought you’d be older, given how extensively your resume reads. Deputy COO of Bartell Corporation and you’re only thirty-six?”
“You’ve looked me up?” Felicity asked.
“Of course. I like to know who’s sniffing around my investments. And my husband.”
Felicity’s eyebrows shot up. “I can assure you I have no interest in your husband.”
“Oh no, I’m well aware of that.” Amusement lit her gray eyes. “I’d say you’re more interested in our head vet. Would that be correct?”
How on earth could she possibly know that? Felicity gaped at her. Not that she’d ever admit her attraction for Cooper, but how could a complete stranger—
“Your astonishment is rather adorable. It might interest you to know that my husband has great recall of detail when he recounts his day over the dinner table. He doesn’t always put the pieces together the way I do, though. I was rather amused at all the clues he dropped.”
Felicity stared at her.
“Apparently you turned down multiple chances to do rounds with our dashing Dr. Mendoza, who is catnip to every straight single woman for miles. Instead, you opted to follow Dr. Cooper around the entire time, even to”—she paused for dramatic effect—“fetch animal crates, I believe it was?” Her eyes crinkled in laughter. “No one could possibly find old cages that interesting. However, I’m well aware our Dr. Cooper attracts her own following from ladies of a certain…inclination.”
“Excuse me? I was being thorough, assessing all of Dr. Cooper’s duties,” Felicity argued, suddenly feeling stripped bare and hating it. “I was being professional! And that’s quite some imagination your husband has.”
“Oh, he doesn’t have a clue, my dear. Even I wasn’t sure until just a moment ago. Your panicked reaction gave you away. Anyway, that’s neither here nor there. I’m not worried about my husband straying, in any case. I should say that from the outset. I have absolutely no doubt as to his loyalty. He is too focused on things that matter to him most.”
“Focused?” Felicity asked.
“When he gets something in his sights, whatever that is, he tends to stick to it loyally, hopefully, tenaciously, and with utter devotion. I’m sure you can appreciate that quality. I mean, your CV says you do. Is it true you’re soon to take over as Bartell Corp’s acting COO as well?”
“Yes.” Felicity regarded Rosalind with interest. The other woman’s sources were clearly impeccable, given Felicity’s next promotion wasn’t yet widely known outside of the company. Rosalind was also exceptionally accomplished, financially brilliant, beautiful, and yet…she’d married slow and steady mediocre bookkeeper Harvey Clifford? “So was that what happened with you and Harvey? He set his sights on you and stayed loyal?”
Rosalind laughed. “Quite the opposite. Oh, it’s a funny story how we met, and I don’t mind sharing. You must understand, when you’re a woman in my position with wealth and influence in charge of my entire family’s considerable resources and businesses, I attract certain approaches quite regularly from men who are fortune hunting. It made it quite hard to work out who was genuinely interested in me.”
“I can imagine.”
“Mm. I am an animal lover, famously so. And one day at my local dog park, I was walking my beautiful Saluki, called Flynn. He’s not with us anymore, poor darling. Have you ever seen a Saluki, Ms. Simmons?”
“I don’t think so.”
“You’d know if you had. They’re a most arresting dog—tall, lean, and elegant with this dignified snout that makes them seem so intelligent. And Flynn certainly was smart. He was also so energetic, I needed to get him to his favorite park twice a day or he climbed the walls. And one day I’m there, and I see this man playing with a fluffy white Maltese. And by playing, I mean literally. He’s down on all fours in the grass having enormous fun.” She smiled. “I watched this grown man, completely indifferent to what anyone thought, giving his little dog the time of her life.”
“Harvey?” Felicity couldn’t quite picture the staid man she’d met doing anything of the sort.
“Harvey.” Rosalind confirmed with a smile. “So I asked him about his dog, and he launched into a great enthusiastic description about her personality and how he’d come by her. He then asked about my dog, and I pointed out Flynn running around. He wanted to know everything. We ran out of time talking, and he asked when I’d next bring Flynn back to the park. He sounded so interested. So I told him when. But later that night, I grew suspicious that maybe he was only trying to get to know me in a roundabout way.”
“Makes sense.”
“I turned up at the appointed time without Flynn. I thought if my dog was just a ruse to get closer to me, Harvey would be just as happy to see me without him.”
“What happened?” Felicity asked, drawn into the tale.
“He saw me, and his whole face lit up. Then he looked all around, behind me, everywhere, and his expression dropped as he asked where Flynn was. When I said my dog couldn’t come, Harvey promptly offered to reschedule our meetup at a time when Flynn could be in attendance.”
Felicity laughed. “Only your dog mattered to him? Ouch!”
“Exactly.” Rosalind gave a soft chuckle. “And at that minute, I think I loved him. There wasn’t anything manipulative or game-playing about him. What you see is what you get with Harvey. He is always open and honest in all things. After that, I set my sights on him romantically, deciding I greatly approved of the idea of a man in my life as in love with animals as I was. It took him at least six weeks before he realized I was actually pursuing him, not just being friendly.”
Felicity laughed. “I don’t suppose humble bookkeepers get chased by wealthy socialites with multimillion-dollar businesses too often.”
“I see I’m not the only one who does her research.” Rosalind tilted her head. “So to get to the point, Harvey is kind, decent, and honest, a loyal husband and an excellent father. He is meticulous in his detailed retelling of his day, even if he can be quite…myopic at working out what it means. I don’t suffer such a blind spot.” Her gaze turned sharp and assessing. “So why are you investigating my husband, Ms. Simmons?”
“What makes you think I am?”
“One doesn’t need to send the second-in-command of a multinational corporation to personally investigate a charity the boss is interested in donating to. What are you really doing at Living Ruff and with Harvey?”
Felicity regarded the woman’s cool gaze. She had no idea if Rosalind was in on whatever Harvey was up to or maybe even behind it—if indeed there was anything up at all. “What do you think is going on?”
“Honestly, I don’t know.” She looked aggrieved. “At first I wondered if you wanted to poach him for a job within your organization. Ms. Bartell is famous for head-hunting, although it’s usually from within organizations she’s just acquired and stripped for resources.”
Felicity folded her arms. “No.”
“No.” Rosalind sighed. “Well, I admit my husband isn’t exactly head-hunting material. What he lacks in business acumen is more than made up for with his passion for my foundation, though.”
“You think he lacks business acumen? Why appoint him director, then?”
“It’s not too taxing to manage a foundation like Living Ruff, and all he wanted to do was work with animals, so it seemed a good fit. It’s not like we don’t get independently reviewed each year, like every other charity, so I’d have heard if he had made any major errors. Clearly, he hasn’t.” She paused for a moment. “Maybe I’m being unfair. Living Ruff isn’t just not making errors. It’s doing well.”
“I heard it brought in a donation of over a million dollars last year. That’s more than doing well.”
“That’s very true. Maybe I’ve undervalued my husband’s efforts.” Rosalind looked thoughtful.
