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“Chaos I can handle.” Filling a dead man’s shoes while his brother stood over me like a hawk wasn’t going to end pleasantly.
“I totally understand. I just wanted to introduce myself before I left for the day. I’m Maggie Porter, your assistant.”
She walked closer, holding out her hand. My assistant. Only three weeks ago I’d been treated like an assistant. The irony left a bad taste in my mouth.
“I’m sorry I’ve been absorbed in paperwork all day.”
“That’s okay. Mr. Masters… I mean the former Mr. Masters mentioned that you were fastidious in your attention to detail. Before his death, he wanted me to work with you closely.”
Had he actually said those words? Gulp. Just looking over the financials for half the day had allowed me to grasp a hold of the reason huge companies hired accountants. I was the true creative type, a wanderer, as my mother used to call me. A hippie, my father had said more than once. I’d been the kid to wear mismatched colors to make a statement. I’d merely gleaned over the numbers, overwhelmed by them quickly.
“The work you guys have done is very impressive,” I told her, and it wasn’t a lie. Galen had turned an incredible profit over the last two years.
“Mr. Masters was very capable.” She looked away and I could swear tears were in her eyes. “He brought in most of the business, including some huge accounts the last eighteen months. Things really changed after that. We’ve only been in this building for six months. He was forced to hire almost two dozen new people, we’ve been so busy. I loved working by his side.”
Galen Masters had a very good eye. “What about the production team?”
“Top notch,” she said proudly. “Honestly, I hope to be a part of the team one day. I have a degree in advertising.” She suddenly flushed bright red from embarrassment. “I’m sorry. That was presumptuous.”
“No need to apologize. I understand the need to better yourself. You and I will talk further.” Great. Now I was promising promotions when I had no business being here.
Her face beamed, her smile able to light up a room. “I’ll set up a meeting with the team tomorrow if you’d like.”
“That would be great, but I’d like Mr. Masters, Hunt, to be involved so let me talk with him.” As if the man wanted to talk to me. “What was Galen like?”
“Kind. Supportive. Good to work for. Don’t get me wrong, he was domineering, but he appreciated hard work and made certain you knew it.”
“Do you know anything about Hunt?”
She glanced over her shoulder toward the door and walked closer. “I worked very closely with Galen Masters for three years. During that time, he lost his wife. There was bad blood between him and his brother, but I don’t know the extent. I do know Mr. Masters talked about his brother as if he was a god, as if the man could do no wrong. I wish I could help you more, but Mr. Masters was also very private. What do you think of the new Mr. Masters?”
He’s an asshole.
I stifled the words.
“I don’t know very much about him. I don’t think he’s been in this business before.”
“No, he was in the Army, but that’s all Mr. Masters told me.”
Savage was right. It was better to try to talk to him away from the office. The last thing I wanted to do was cause a scene, but I needed to ensure he wasn’t going to dump me based on what he’d learned. “I need to get him several reports and he seemed in a rush. Any idea where he’s staying?”
She seemed hesitant to tell me. “If I had to guess, I’d say he was spending time at Mr. Masters’ house. That’s what he would have wanted.”
“Do you know the address?”
“No, but I can get it from you from human resources. I don’t think they’d have a problem since you’re the new VP.”
I was certain I was breaking protocol, but there were things that needed to be said in private. “I would appreciate that.”
“I’ll be right back.”
After she left, I moved around my desk, sitting on the edge. My desk. I’d yet to bring anything with me and I’d already claimed it. In truth, I had no right. I’d believed I could snowball my way into the position, dazzling Galen with my skills. I’d been such a fool.
She returned only a few minutes later. “Here you go. It’s on the other side of town. I know the area pretty well. Very nice.”
I glanced at the address. If it was that far, then I’d head to my place to change. “Go home. I’m certain you have another life outside of this place.”
“I do. My fiancé is taking me out to dinner and a show tonight for our one-year anniversary.” The girl was almost giddy with happiness.
