“As long as you like. I’ll miss you,” Josephine said.
“I’ll miss you, too.” And he meant it more than she knew.
David took the train to Johannesburg and made an appointment to see Edward Broderick, the owner of the largest meatpacking plant in South Africa.
“I want your opinion on something.” David handed him the blueprints. “I need to know if this can work.”
“I don’t know a damned thing about frozen foods or trucks, but I know people who do. If you come back this afternoon, I’ll have a couple of experts here for you, David.”
At four o’clock that afternoon David returned to the packing plant. He found that he was nervous, in a state of uncertainty, because he was not sure how he wanted the meeting to go. Two weeks earlier, he would have laughed if anyone had even suggested he would ever leave Kruger-Brent, Ltd. It was a part of him. He would have laughed even harder if they had told him he would have considered heading a little food company in San Francisco. It was insane, except for one thing: Josephine O’Neil.
There were two men in the room with Edward Broderick. “This is Dr. Crawford and Mr. Kaufman. David Blackwell.”
They exchanged greetings. David asked, “Have you gentlemen had a chance to look at the blueprints?”
Dr. Crawford replied, “We certainly have, Mr. Blackwell. We’ve been over them thoroughly.”
David took a deep breath. “And?”
“I understand that the United States Patent Office has granted a patent on this?”
“That’s right.”
“Well, Mr. Blackwell, whoever got that patent is going to be one very rich man.”
David nodded slowly, filled with conflicting emotions.
“It’s like all great inventions—it’s so simple you wonder why someone didn’t think of it sooner. This one can’t miss.”
David did not know how to react. He had half-hoped that the decision would be taken out of his hands. If Tim O’Neil’s invention was useless, there was a chance of persuading Josephine to stay in South Africa. But what O’Neil had told him was true. It did work. Now David had to make his decision.
He thought of nothing else on the journey back to Klipdrift. If he accepted, it would mean leaving the company, starting up a new, untried business. He was an American, but America was a foreign country to him. He held an important position in one of the most powerful companies in the world. He loved his job. Jamie and Margaret McGregor had been very good to him. And then there was Kate. He had cared for her since she was a baby. He had watched her grow up from a stubborn, dirty-faced tomboy to a lovely young woman. Her life was a photo album in his mind. He turned the pages and there was Kate at four, eight, ten, fourteen, twenty-one—vulnerable, unpredictable…
By the time the train arrived at Klipdrift, David had made up his mind. He was not going to leave Kruger-Brent, Ltd.
He drove directly to the Grand Hotel and went up to the O’Neils’ suite. Josephine opened the door for him.
“David!”
He took her in his arms and kissed her hungrily, feeling her warm body pressing against his.
“Oh, David, I’ve missed you so much. I don’t ever want to be away from you again.”
“You won’t have to,” David said slowly. “I’m going to San Francisco…”
David had waited with growing anxiety for Kate to return from the United States. Now that he had made his decision, he was eager to get started on his new life, impatient to marry Josephine.
And now Kate was back, and he was standing in front of her saying, “I’m getting married.”
Kate heard the words through a roaring in her ears. She felt suddenly faint, and she gripped the edge of the desk for support. I want to die, she thought. Please let me die.
Somehow, from some deep wellspring of will, she managed a smile. “Tell me about her, David.” She was proud of how calm her voice sounded. “Who is she?”
“Her name is Josephine O’Neil. She’s been visiting here with her father. I know you two will be good friends, Kate. She’s a fine woman.”