“You are also chief operating officer and the majority shareholder, so you have a say in everything that goes on,” Helen reminded him. “Of course, you can always transfer all your shares to me, and then I can relieve you of your position as COO and largest shareholder and you can be just a regular salaried employee—just like you did to me six years ago.”

“C’mon, now—you’re still not mad about that, are you?” Jon asked with a faint smile.

“A guy eight years my junior who had never even owned a car before marches into the company I mortgaged my parents’ house to start and takes over in just a couple years—what do I have to be mad about?” Helen responded. But she smiled at him and said, “Actually, I was impressed by what you did, even though I squawked and hollered every step of the way until I was purple, and I’m proud and pleased with what you’ve done with my company since then. You’re a good guy, Jon. That impish spoiled-brat personality is almost gone, and you’ve turned into a regular guy.” She paused, her smile warm and genuine. “The guy I love.”

Jon looked up and smiled back. “And I love you, Helen.” He sighed, then added, “And you can have the stock and the title. I don’t want it. It’s not worth that much these days anyway.”

“Bull, Dr. Masters,” Helen said. “If you didn’t want it, you would have given it away long ago, or put it into a trust for the child you keep promising to make with me—if you’d ever go home and spend a night in bed with me. And don’t worry about the stock value. Sure, it’s gone down in recent months with the downturn in the NASDAQ, but with the sweetheart stock option deals you finagled, you’re still a rich guy.” She stepped over behind him and gently massaged his shoulders. “Besides, giving up the stock and your position in the company wouldn’t relieve you of worrying about our friends, or mourning Paul McLanahan.”

“No. I guess it wouldn’t.” Jon sighed. “I can’t believe Paul’s gone. We were almost the same age. He was teaching me how to sail. We were buddies. I felt closer to him than I did to Patrick.”

She massaged his shoulders a bit more until he moaned with pleasure, then patted his shoulder, hard, in the direction of his office door. “Let’s go, Doctor. Let’s meet the Duffields.”

“Remind me who they are again?”