I realized I hadn’t been paying attention. “I’m sorry. What’s that?”
“I said, you’re gonna show all the naysayers that I was right to promote you to head up the Legal Department. You just do everything I tell you and you’re gonna find a lot of success in this company. Just remember, I’m in your corner. Something goes sideways, you see me. Deal?” Nate asked.
I forced another smile. “Deal.” Since he was so generous with his support, I decided to take advantage of his offer right there on the spot and get him on board with my plans to do something more about the protesters. “Nate, did Willow tell you about our upcoming meeting this Friday?” I watched every muscle in her face go slack with disbelief. “Willow and I are going to meet to discuss some hiring initiatives to bring more people of color into the company. I think it could go a long way with making peace with the protesters outside and also ensure Houghton looks like a twenty-first-century organization.”
Nate muffled a soft belch. “Well . . . no . . . this is the first I’ve heard of it.”
“Nate, I was planning to wait until after Ellice and I met, so I’d have something to report out.” She scowled at me. “Ellice, honey, maybe we can discuss things with Nate after we’ve met, so we have something more substantive to share.”
I grinned as I watched her squirm. The idea of bringing more Black and brown people into the company would send her running for the playbook on “quality hiring” and finding “the right fit” for a job. The three of us sat in silence for a moment. I was content to sit and watch them both find some moral high ground for their denial that Houghton’s hiring and promotion practices were antiquated at best and discriminatory at worst. With the exception of hiring the Black figurehead—read: me—they had no plans to change business as usual.
The hostess walked over to our table. “Mr. Ashe, your assistant just called and told me to remind you of your one o’clock meeting.”
“Yes. Thank you.” Nate took a sip from his coffee cup before he quietly folded his napkin and tossed it on the table. “Listen, I’ve got to get back to my office. Remember, we’re family around here and I’ve got your back.” Nate left the table.
“So it’s just us gals again,” Willow said with a tight smile.
I hated the word gal. I spent too much time answering to it in Chillicothe. The waiter brought a salad identical to mine and set it in front of Willow. “Ellice, what was that all about? A repeat performance of yesterday morning in the Executive Committee meeting? These things take time, they take some socialization. We’ll talk to Nate about our little meeting when the time is right.”
Little meeting? Oh God. Getting more folks of color inside the doors of Houghton was going to take some kind of Herculean strength.
“Can I ask you something?”
“Of course.” Willow cut into the lettuce wedges of her salad. “Anything.”
“You seem to spend an awful lot of time with Nate. Everywhere he goes, you go. What’s going on?”
“You noticed.” Willow smiled, ate a forkful of salad, and then lowered her voice. “It’s for his protection.”
I didn’t respond. She needed to keep talking if she wanted me to believe her.
“Well, you’re the lawyer, honey. This is a family-owned business that Nate doesn’t want in the hands of someone who’s not family. The company could become the target of a hostile takeover or acquisition by an equity firm if word got out that Nate is not one hundred percent himself.”
“What does that mean exactly?”
“About two years ago, he got a diagnosis of early-onset Alzheimer’s. I just stay close to make sure Houghton’s interests are protected.”
“And why you?”
“Why not? The guys are so busy with running the company for Nate. I can spare the time to run to a few extra meetings.”
“Who else knows?”
“Now? Everyone on the Executive Committee.”
I pushed my salad away from me. “Wait. The board of directors doesn’t know?”
“No.” She gave me a pained expression. “They might not have Nate’s best interests in mind if they did.”
“And how long do you plan to keep up this charade?”
“As long as necessary.”
I was incredulous. “This is a family-owned business. Is there a succession plan in place?”
Willow shrugged. “Nate doesn’t have any family interested in the business. He lost his only child.” She shook her head sadly.