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“Auggie, I’m not sure I’m ready for this.” I was honest with him. A rarity for me.
He pressed his hands against his desk and leaned toward me. “Scarlett, I wouldn’t have recommended you had I not believed you could do this. Don’t let me down.”
Those were always the magic words. My kryptonite. “I won’t.” I stood.
“I’ll see you at home.”
“Oh, about that. I think it would be best if I checked into a hotel.”
His face dropped and he took a second to recover. “I wish you wouldn’t.”
“Why?” I whispered.
He cleared his throat. “I’ve missed you.”
My jaw dropped. I was definitely in the Twilight Zone. “Really?” my voice cracked, full of emotion.
“Do you need to ask?” He sounded hurt.
“Yes.”
He hung his head. “I guess I better work on that. We’ll talk later, at home,” he emphasized.
I was beginning to think my father was a doppelgänger. Or more likely, he was sick. “I’d like that.” I needed to get to the bottom of what was going on.
I walked out of Auggie’s office in a daze. Kane was waiting for me and unceremoniously pulled me into his office next door, which was almost as nice as Auggie’s. I was in such a state of shock, it didn’t register that Kane was manhandling me, albeit gently.
Once he shut the door, he let go of me, smiling his charming smile. “So, did you tell Augustus you were out of the running and finally ready to pursue your dreams?”
I scrunched my face. “Why would I do that? And what do you know about my dreams?”
He stepped closer and ran the back of his hand down my face.
Oh man, did I miss his touch. Snap out of it, Scarlett. He’s your enemy now. I backed up, trying to shake off how good that felt, how I longed to be touched more by him.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t take such liberties with you.”
“You’re right.”
“That said,”—he smiled—“I do know your dreams. They still live in those beautiful eyes of yours. You should be out pursuing them.”
I folded my arms. “I know what you’re trying to do. You’re trying to psych me out because I’m your competition now. Well, it’s not going to work. I intend on presenting the best plan to the board.” I had no idea how, but that wasn’t going to stop me.
He laughed. “Scarlett, you are probably the smartest woman I know, but darlin’, you don’t know business. You never wanted to.”
“Things change,” I scoffed. “I changed.”
“Maybe some, but not like that. What happened to you pursuing your dreams?”
My eyes betrayed me and filled with tears. “You lost the right to know. All you need to know now is that I have every intention of continuing my father’s legacy and becoming the next CEO of Armstrong Labs.”
He reached out to wipe a few errant tears off my cheek, but I turned my head. “I didn’t mean to upset you. And I don’t want to hurt you, but you and I both know you aren’t qualified for that role.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Well, Mr. Hudson, get ready to be proven wrong. From here on out, you and I are at war.”
He smirked his smirkiest smirk. “Bring it on, darlin’.”
“I plan to.”
He grabbed my belt and pulled me toward him, our faces a mere inch apart. “While you’re at it,” he spoke intimately against my lips, lips that ached for his, “plan on me pursuing more than the office next door.” He let me go and walked toward his desk.
I stood there breathless for a moment before I could respond. “Get used to being disappointed.”
He chuckled and waved. “See you later, darlin’.”
Not if I could help it. Maybe he had stolen my heart, but I wasn’t going to let him take my company.
Heart Surgeon, Anyone?
I pulled How to Write a Business Plan for Dummies off the shelf at the local bookstore and added it to my ever-growing stack of books. My arms were getting a workout.
Naomi helped me out and relieved me of a few of them.
“Thank you.”
She browsed the titles she was holding. “Are you sure this is what you want?”
“Yes. Of course. Besides, this is what my father wants. And in my heart, I know something isn’t right with him. He wouldn’t just up and retire like this.” Plus, there was the little matter of beating Kane.
Naomi’s face went ashen, and she dropped the books she was holding. She scrambled to pick them up. “Do you really think he’s sick?” Emotion filled her voice.
I bent down to help her, placing my books on the floor so I could reach for her hand, which I noticed had a few age spots. When did my parents start getting older? I didn’t like it. I gently squeezed her elegant hand. I had always admired how soft and smooth they were. Her nails were always well manicured, even though they were constantly in latex gloves or being meticulously washed.
