AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"Is this a job interview?"
She scoffs, rolling her eyes. "No. I already know you're qualified. And if you weren't, I wouldn't hesitate to say so. So, just answer the question. I want to know what made you decide to say yes."
"Sasha," I answer, saying the first thing that pops into my head, which happens to be the complete and total truth. "I finally figured out that I was doing her a disservice in New York. She's an anxious kid, and the city's not good for her. She likes fresh air and open spaces. She didn't have either there, and I didn't know how to fix it. Then when you called and asked me to come back home, to take this on, I saw it as an opportunity."
Mom nods, seeming satisfied with my answer. "It's going to take more than a change of scenery to soothe that little girl's soul, you know. Being abandoned by your mother is no small thing."
Ouch, Mom. Always hitting right where it hurts. But she isn't often wrong. "The only thing I know for certain in life is that I would do anything and everything for Sasha. So if that means leaving the job I love to make her happy, I knew I had to do it. I've come to realize after so many years of being a single dad how important family is and she deserves to be around hers."
Mom smiles brightly. "So," she waggles her eyebrows, and now I want to hide under the sofa because I know what's coming. "I have a lady friend I would love to set you up with. She's a young pediatrician from Connecticut. Very sweet girl."
I grit my teeth. No. "Mom, one major life change at a time, all right? My priority right now is seeing to my daughter's happiness, making her feel safe and at home. Once I have that down, we'll see about what other changes are needed."
Mom sighs. "I just want you to be happy, darling."
"I know, thank you." I've been with women throughout the years, sure, but nothing serious. Not once have I brought a woman home to meet my daughter. The last thing she needs is to get attached to someone who will only end up disappearing like her mother did.
My own happiness takes a back seat now, as far as I'm concerned. Which is why over the last few years my focus has been solely on Sasha and work. But instead of spouting all this off to my mother, who already knows how complicated the situation is, I wrap my arm around her shoulder and pull her close. I kiss the top of her head.
"Love you. Let me know how your talk goes with our head of marketing, okay? I have to go to the school and get Sasha signed up for class."
Walking back to my office, I have to pass by Harper’s. Part of me wants to go knock on her door. Maybe I should stop and apologize, talk things out with her. I took a couple of cookies from Mom's office just in case I got the nerve. No one can be mad at a man who comes bearing cookies, right?
I know she's good at her job, but I have experience she could never dream of getting in this small town.
Leaving provided me with the opportunity to practice business on the larger playing field in a cutting edge environment. It's not her fault that she hasn't been afforded the same luxury. But she should use this chance to learn from me, not to antagonize me. We could be good together. The problem is we've never worked as a team before, but we need to find a way to do that now.
I'm not sure she'll ever see it that way, though, so I keep walking. More cookies for me, I guess. Harper Clark has always been consistent in one aspect: she's a challenge. But deep down, I love a good challenge, especially when it comes in such an appealing package.
Chapter five
HARPER
Deacon has been here for two weeks now, and I still can't stand him. He's so frustrating and hot at the same time, the combination is driving me nuts. He acts like he knows more than everyone else in the room, even without the experience, but looks so good doing it I sometimes get too caught up to even argue with him.
Mrs. Reynolds asked me to give him a chance and show him my worth. But it's difficult to do when I can't think straight. He's like a ridiculously attractive leech sucking out any cohesive ideas I have.
Well that's a weird thought, but you get the idea.
Plus, I'm used to working with Mr. Reynolds, who values my ideas and trusts my skills, even if I am the youngest member of his team. But Deacon? He looks at me like I'm an insolent child most days, and his obvious disapproval of anything I do or say makes it even worse. He’s also a workaholic and a grumpy one at that. But as with any good competition, I’ve put in longer hoursthan I ever have since he got here with a smile plastered on my face.
And Mrs. Reynolds... I love her but she thinks the sun shines out of Deacon’s backside. She finally told me she asked Deacon here—with his precious MBA and all his corporate experience—to run this place starting next year. The resort is in his name, but she wants the transition to be slow because he’s never done anything like this before.
In the meantime, she wants me to work closely with him. “Learn from each other,” she put it, but that's laughable. Deacon has no interest in learning from me. My experience means nothing to him since I didn't get the same fancy education he did.
I try to stop him before he gives his two cents on things, to inform him I've already done my research and have already implemented the best solution. But he brushes it off, acts like my opinion isn’t needed. So now that we're sitting in his mother's office as she goes over the new advertising campaign she wants to run, I have almost no hope that we're going to come to an agreement here.
"I'd like to see some billboards put up along I-75, to show off our renovations," she tells us. "Deacon? I'd like you to work with Harper on this one. I want something that'll catch people's eye and make them take notice."
"Excuse me, ma'am?" Deacon speaks up, and I roll my eyes, already dreading whatever it is he's about to spew. My face is starting to hurt from all this fake smiling, but I keep it up. I’m not interested in making this any more difficult for Mrs. Reynolds than it already is. "Marketing is Harper's department. She can handle-"
"You need to shuffle through each department," she informs him. "It's important that you get a grasp of every facet of running this place."
While I appreciate his rare vote of confidence and have zero desire to work with him, I do see where she's coming from. The grumbles about nepotism are going to start the minute he claims leadership of this place. Making sure he actually understands what's going on will ease some of that. If nothing else, it'll be harder to accuse him of being out of his league if he can actually recite our yearly profit margin.
"We can start this afternoon," I offer with a sweet-honey tone, just to shut Deacon up. "After we're done here."
"Lovely!" Mrs. Reynolds claps her hands together and gives us both a smile. "This is going to be a real game-changer for the resort. Harper? You'll show Deacon the ropes, won't you?"
