Page 79 of The Mad Marchams

“Then send him in.” Colin looked at Sam and Mabel. “Might as well get everything cleared up once and for all.”

Sam hurriedly dried her eyes while Mabel forced her expression in what she hoped was a welcoming smile.

After a few moments, Joss appeared in the kitchen doorway, looking slightly bewildered.

Colin walked over, his hand extended. “Hello, you must be Joss. I’m Colin. Such a pleasure to meet you at last.”

Joss, dressed in his usual black, complete with a Raider’s cap and Oakley sunglasses, shook Colin’s hand. “Hey.” Joss’s startled gaze slid past Colin and settled on Sam. “What are you doing here?”

Sam shot to her feet. “What do you think I’m doing?” She advanced toward Joss. “What anyone would do when another woman is trying to steal her man?”

Mabel rubbed her temple where a headache threatened.

“Look, babe.” Joss held up his hands. “If Mabel wants me back—and why wouldn’t she—then that’s her problem not mine. I can’t help it if I’m a chick magnet.”

Mabel made the mistake of looking at Colin who was desperately trying not to laugh as Joss continued.

“The only reason I need to see Mabel is to make her see sense about her silly idea about quitting my company.”

“Our company,” Mabel said.

Joss looked at her. “Babe…”

“We founded it together.” She held his gaze. “Don’t make me have to call my lawyers to verify that fact.”

“Fine, sure, whatever. ‘Our company,’ if that makes you feel better about what you’ve done to all of us.” Joss waved off her concerns. “Everyone’s devastated.”

“Really?” Mabel looked at him. “Weird, because both Iko and Deepak texted me this morning to say they side with me and that if anyone is getting too big for their boots it’s you.” She paused to see if any of her words were penetrating his thick skull and saw nothing. “In fact, the three of us were talking about buying you out and letting you go.”

He smiled. “Wow, Mabes, so feisty for someone who’s a quitter.”

“Well, you can’t have it both ways, Joss,” Mabel pointed out. “Either you refuse my resignation, and I’m onboard, or I’m out. If I’m still in, the rest of us will be asking you to leave. It was always supposed to be a partnership, not a dictatorship.”

Not that she had any intention of staying at this point, but she needed to get Joss to think about what he was doing

Joss raised his chin. “It’s not my fault that you guys can’t keep up with my visionary thinking.”

“True. So maybe you’d be better off finding people who do?”

Sam stepped in front of Joss. “I don’t want you working with her.”

“Sweetheart, can you keep out of this?” Joss patted her arm. “It’s way over your head.”

Sam went rigid. “What the hell, Joss?”

He blinked at her. “What did I say?”

“Basically, that I’m an airhead.”

“I didn’t mean it like that,” Joss protested.

“Yes, you did,” Mabel and Colin said in unison.

“Look.” Joss turned to Mabel. “Can we just talk? I don’t know what this has to do with anyone else but us.”

“Sam might have an opinion about that,” Mabel said. “Why didn’t you tell her that you were coming to see me?”

“Because I didn’t want her to know, okay? She’s jealous enough of you already without making things worse.”