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“I’m sorry,” I told Phil. At the very least, I owed it to him to hear him out. “I’m afraid I’m a little out of sorts.”
“Yeah, we noticed,” Stephanie interjected.
Pursing his lips, Phil shot his wife a sharp look. He probably wasn’t used to having her speak up in business meetings, which it seemed this was turning into, but the lines of business and family were more than blurred in this instance. That brought up another point—I’d already screwed up by combining my professional and personal lives. The ache in my heart every time I caught sight of a flannel shirt was proof of that. I considered myself lucky that I’d escaped the Markham arrangement with my relationship with Phil and Stephanie still intact.
Stephanie shrugged. “She’s been miserable ever since we left the Carolina Banks, and even though she won’t admit it, we all know why, and it rhymes withsenate.”
I glared at her.Real subtle, sis. Way to make me look good in front of my former and potential future boss.Yup—it was best not to mix business and family, but I’d pretend to play along to keep the peace.
“Anyway.” I turned back to Phil. “What does this position entail?”
He stroked his chin. “I’m still not able to clearly define what I’m looking for.”
My lips thinned. This wasn’t a very enticing offer.
My brother-in-law chuckled. “I wasn’t quite ready to put it on the table since I’m still figuring out what the position will entail, but my calendar recently filled, and I’m unable to meet some obligations. My hand has been forced. I need someone who can be a chameleon—able to take on whatever position I need them to. The person needs to be smart, obviously, and have wonderful people skills. A basic understanding of legal matters and contracts is a must.”
His description didn’t help. “I still don’t understand what I’d be doing.”
He chuckled again. “That’s the conundrum of it. I find myself taking on responsibilities I simply don’t have time for but are not appropriate for my admin.”
I wrinkled my nose. “So I’d be like a glorified assistant?”
He shook his head. “More like my right-hand executive in the field.”
I took a moment to consider and decided either he was crazy, or my sister had been very convincing. I knew how office politics worked. Even if the job was a good fit for me, the other execs and managers would resent the hell out of me for coming in and taking a position that put me in the CEO’s inner circle, especially considering the nepotism factor.
“I’m not sure I’m the right candidate for this job.”
He tapped his finger on the table. “You are.” His tone suggested he wasn’t open to discussing what he considered fact.
I rolled my shoulders. “With all due respect, you aren’t seeing things clearly.”
He leaned forward. “And that, right there, is why I want you.”
I looked back and forth between Stephanie and Phil. He’d lost me.
“Most people in my office are so busy kissing my ass that they forget to be honest. But you are not afraid to tell it like it is.” He glanced at his wife. “It seems to run in the family. You bring an unbiased and uncompromising perspective to the table.”
Stephanie smiled smugly. “He likes that you don’t take his bullshit and are willing to give it back to him.”
Despite myself, I smiled too. “I’ll add that line to my résumé—flings bullshit when necessary.”
“I was impressed with your work in the Carolina Banks. No matter how many conference calls my team had with them, they weren’t able to get anything done. Hell, I even got on the call once, and it did little good. But you go down there and, in a matter of weeks, accomplish what we hadn’t been able to do in the past year. Sometimes negotiations need a personal touch and finesse that I’m unable to provide.”
“It helped that I had a history there,” I explained. “I already knew about the area and what the people were like.”
“Yes, but something tells me that only shortened the length of the job. In other circumstances, the results would have been the same but required more time.”
Anywhere else, the results wouldn’t have been the same because I wouldn’t have had my heart stolen and thrown back at me.Not exactly.I’d fallen for Bennett—maybe even fallen in love with him—but I would have had to tell him that for him to throw it in my face. Instead, I’d left with my tail between my legs. But what choice had I had? He’d told me to go, and I wouldn’t stay where I wasn’t wanted.
Yet sitting across from me was a successful CEO saying exactly how much he wanted me professionally. I’d chosen to make my career my life’s focus, and even though the position with Markham wasn’t what I’d envisioned, it was a damn good opportunity.Why am I resisting?
“You mentioned you already had some obligations in mind for this position…?” I prompted.
“I’m going to be unable to make it to the groundbreaking ceremony for the Carolina Banks resort. I need someone to go in my place, and you are the obvious choice.”
And that was exactly why I was resisting. I’d let my feelings for Bennett interfere with the job, which was unforgivable. Sure, it had worked out in the end, but it easily could have gone the other way.
