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“It looks to me like you’re in here pointing fingers when I’m the only one looking for solutions and puttingmyneck on the line to rescue this. What do you bring to the table, Sandra? Style? Your excellent lunching and shopping skills?”
She straightens and folds her arms across her chest, narrowing her eyes. “I went to business school too.”
“Then get in here. Run this place with me. Fight for the family company instead of coming in here bitching when your check isn’t big enough.”
“If you don’t have a viable plan to fix this by tomorrow morning,” she says, jabbing her finger on the last line of the bank ledger. “I’ll get mom to use her two percent to vote you out entirely.”
“Soyoucan run things?”
She laughs. “No, dear brother. SoGarycan run things.”
“Your husband isn’t a Maverick. He doesn’t belong here.”
“Well,”—she releases a sigh and smiles—“I was born a Maverick, and when I have control, I can put whoever I like behind that desk.”
“He doesn’t even know the business.”
She shrugs. “I guess he’ll learn. If not, I’m sure some big company will come and swallow us right up.” Her eyes widen and there’s a spark of excitement in there that tells me that’sexactlywhat she wants.
“You want to sell the company?” I can’t believe my ears.
“I enjoy being rich, Lincoln. And if saying goodbye to this publishing fossil is how I do that, so be it. I won’t let you run it into the ground until it’s barely worth the paper we print on.”
“But it’s our family name, ourlegacy.”
She picks up her purse and slings it over her shoulder. “Tomorrow. Breakfast. Come with a plan or kiss this place goodbye.”
I swear the steam pours out of my ears as I watch her leave. “Fuck,” I grunt, sweeping my hand across the desk and sending it all crashing to the floor. Fuck.
EMMA
Ihear the crash seconds after his sister leaves his office. She hears it too.
“You might want to check on your boss.” She smirks then pouts dramatically. “Bad news.”
Watching after her as she cackles her way out of the office, I’m struck with a pang of empathy toward Lincoln. Sure, he’s a beast to work for. And sure, he’s robbed me of any sort of social life this past four months. But to have a family member take such delight in upsetting you onChristmas Eveis just cruel.
My feet carry me before my mind catches up, and I find Lincoln knelt on the floor, scooping up papers.
“It was a gust of wind,” he grunts when I drop to my knees to help him.
“Yeah. That breeze up here is a bitch,” I say, offering a small smile as I hand him the paperwork I gathered.
A small twitch curves the left corner of his mouth and I find myself hoping for a full-blown smile. This is probably the nicest moment we’ve ever shared, and it’s compounded by the jolt of something electric that shoots up my arm when our fingers brush.What was that?
I let out a gasp and snatch my hand back, the papers falling to the floor yet again. “I’m so sorry.” I scramble to pick them up again, apologizing profusely while I stammer like I don’t even know any words.
“Leave it.” He snatches the paper in my hands while I move my mouth like a goldfish. “I need you to cancel the car service and find me a rental instead.”
My eyes go wide as I lean back on my heels. “But…it’s Christmas Eve.”
He doesn’t even acknowledge my protest. “I also want every unopened query sitting on my desk in the next hour. We’re not leaving here until I find a bestseller.”
“But…but it’sChristmas Eve.”
“And if you keep sitting there gawking at me, Miss. Rose, it’ll be Christmasday. Get moving.”
Scrambling to my feet, I hurry from his office before I burst into tears. I’m going to miss my family dinner because my boss is a nasty workaholic who only cares about money. No wonder his sister was so mean. I regret feeling even an ounce of empathy toward the man. “You really are a grinch, Lincoln Maverick,” I mutter as I make my way to the mailroom.
