Barton White invited Spencer out to dinner in the course of discussing their stock portfolio. And needing someone knowledgeable, objective, intelligent, and sane to talk to, she gratefully accepted. Without her grandfather, she had no one to talk to anymore, or advise her, or whom she trusted, other than Marcy, who understood fashion, not finance.
Bart was extremely conservative in all things, which was reassuring from an investment standpoint, and made him less interesting as a date. Until then, she had mostly dated men she’d met in college and graduate school. Bart was more of an adult, although only six years older than she was. He was solid and stable though not exciting.
Spencer had had a disappointing romance in college that had soured her on long-term commitments. Her greatest commitment was to the store. She felt so lost without her grandfather’s good advice that she got more deeply involved with Bart faster than she might have otherwise. She felt vulnerable and alone. She was constantly at odds with her father, and her wonderful grandfather was gone. He was so much to lose and left a terrible void in her life.
Spencer felt wide open and even scared some of the time, which was unlike her. It speeded up her relationship with Bart dramatically, and she clung to him and relied on him.
Spencer got close to Bart at a moment of fear, need, and isolation in her life. Her father took full advantage of his new position as CEO with no one to control him, and every conversation Spencer had with him led to an argument. He finally had the freedom he wanted, although he hated his job and resented the store. He refused to listen to reason, and Bart assured Spencer that her theories and concerns were sound. He validated what she thought.
Bart was startled and impressed by how bright she was, and how mature for her age. She was cautious in her decisions, and the knowledge she’d acquired from her grandfather served her well. Bart wasn’t used to dealing with women as capable as Spencer, particularly not at her age.
She’d been groomed to run a business with expert skill. It attracted him to her, and was a new experience for him. His own mother had never worked, was on numerous charity committees, and had no interest in the business world. None of the girls he had dated had serious jobs, or even worked. They were debutantes and went to parties and didn’t challenge him mentally. Pretty and fun to be with had always been enough for him. Spencer was so much more. She had a great head for business, and was still feminine at the same time. He could talk to her about his own job, and hers as well, and he liked advising her about her father’s constant mistakes, which she spotted every time.
Bart advised her to find someone to hire that she could groom to be CEO eventually. Sooner or later, her father would retire, and she’d need someone to run the store for her, so she could lead a life of her own. She laughed at that idea.
“That someone is me, Bart. The store is my life.” He never realized to what degree she meant it and didn’t believe her at the time.
“You say that now. You won’t want to do this forever. One day you’ll want to be married and have kids.” She never shared with him her profound belief that you could do both, have a family and run a business. She was sure that she could do it, but was afraid to say it to Bart, for fear he’d think her unfeminine or tough. But one day she hoped to have a husband and children, and still run the store.
After watching her father mismanage it, she had no desire to turn it over to someone else one day when her father finally did retire. She did everything she could to learn all she’d need to know later on. She was quiet and methodical, and Bart had no idea how serious she was. He thought that running the store was just a time-passer for her before marriage and that she never considered it a long-term career.
Spencer was startled when six months after they started dating, Bart proposed. She enjoyed being with him, had come to love him for all the support and advice he gave her. She had been relying on him, and he seemed like the ideal husband because he was so solid and knew so much about her business. He wasn’t as fun-loving as some of the men she’d dated, but he seemed like the right long-term partner for life. It was a decision she made seriously, and they got engaged.
They married after a six-month engagement, a year after they’d started dating. It was long enough to plan a wedding, and she found a beautiful wedding dress and Marcy ordered it through the store. They wanted children, but Spencer planned to wait for several years. She felt too young and didn’t want children until the store was solid again, until after the damage her father had done could be corrected. She assumed that Bart agreed, although they never discussed it in detail.