“He won’t want to be chairman of the board?”
“He wants to be hands-on. He wants to run the company day-to-day. His first plan is to update or replace the entire fleet. He thinks he’ll be able to increase our market share enough to cover the debt.”
“You doubt that?” asked Cole.
“His projections are dangerously optimistic.”
Cole gave a contemplative nod.
Amber forced herself to ask the burning question. “What will you do?”
His gaze was level and honest. “I don’t know.”
“How can I trust you?”
“You can’t. You shouldn’t.”
She scoffed out a laugh at that.
He took a sip of his now-cool cocoa. “All you can do right now is go on what’s certain. Roth’s got the advantage over me, and he cares about Roth, first, last and always.”
“You’re saying you’re the lesser of two evils.”
“I know you can’t bring yourself to trust me yet. But you know for certain you can’t trust Roth.”
“That’s not at all comforting.”
“I know. But it’s all you’ve got.”
Amber knew he was right. She hated it. But it was true.
Nine
As a significant shareholder in Coast Eagle, no matter how things turned out in the long term, Cole knew he needed to understand the company. He and Luca had both been in daily contact with Aviation 58 since arriving in Atlanta, but Luca now offered to take over as much as possible on the Alaska operation.
Luckily, even leading into the busy holiday travel season, things seemed well under control at Aviation 58. There were no unexpected maintenance issues, passenger load was as predicted and the Alaskan weather was cooperating surprisingly well.
Cole entered the Coast Eagle building and was immediately recognized. Security greeted him and called up to the executive floor to announce his arrival.
As he exited the elevator, he was greeted by the receptionist, Sandra, who was exceedingly welcoming and polite this time. She introduced him to Samuel’s personal assistant, a fiftyish man named Bartholomew Green. Bartholomew had a British accent and was dressed in a dark formal suit, a matching vest, crisp white shirt and a gold tie.
Samuel’s office was also ostentatious, with a huge, ornately carved cherrywood desk, and a massive credenza with cut-glass decanters. A sofa and two armchairs had diamond tufted, dark leather upholstery, while expensive oil paintings hung on the walls. Cole couldn’t help wonder how his down-to-earth mother had fallen in love with the man he was learning about.
“Will you be moving into the office today, sir?” asked Bartholomew.
“I will,” said Cole.
The last thing in the world he wanted to do was step into his father’s shoes. But he needed to make a statement. Roth, the judge and everybody else had to see he was taking the reins—even if it was only temporary.