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“Is that what you’re going to call me now that you know my full name?” I asked sedately.
“Maybe,” he said, equally as sedate, which made me smile.
“Maybe you’ll be looking for me because you’ll need more art.”
“So soon after today?” he asked.
“I have a feeling three Leland Meadows pieces won’t be enough,” I answered, folding my arms over my chest and nearly taking out an eye with my umbrella in the process.
“Oh really,” he said, fully facing me now.
“Really,” I confirmed with feigned gravity. His lips didn’t flutter with amusement, but his eyes danced for a split second. I took it as a win.
“And what act of bravery will you be performing,Leland?”
The way he stressed my name made it sound important. Was it wrong that I wanted to ask him to make me feel important again? “The state fair kicks off down by the pier tomorrow,” I said. “I’ll be tackling the Ferris wheel.”
He was silent for a few heartbeats, his expression blank.Here’s our second chance to be brave!I wanted to shout, but I fell back on flirtation instead.
“I mean, don’t let my charm and good looks persuade you. You need to want to do this for you.”
“Your charm and good looks?” he asked, and I pointed at him when he grinned, my own smile nearly breaking my face.Gotcha.
“Goodbye, Leland.”
“Goodbye,” I said to his retreating back, but I privately hoped this was somehow the first of many hellos.
Chapter 3
Franklin
“Mr. Kincaid?” my assistant called, poking her head into my office as I glanced up from the paperwork on my desk. “Sorry, I tried your phone, but it’s on do not disturb.”
“That’s usually what I do when not wanting to be disturbed, Patricia.” I instantly regretted taking my bad mood out on her. “I apologize. It’s been a trying morning. Did you need something?”
She smiled sympathetically. “Robert’s here insisting he speak with you.”
“Send him in,” I said, shuffling the papers together and sticking them in their folder. Patricia nodded, stepping back so Robert—Nexcom’s leading attorney, and my late father’s friend—could storm into my office. I pushed to my feet, preparing to meet his anger with a reality check.
“Tell me you aren’t serious,” he said, by way of greeting. “Tell me I heard you wrong in there.” He jutted a thumb over his shoulder to where the conference room resided beyond my door. “And why did I have to find out about this in a meeting with everyone else?”
“I’m very serious, and this is exactly why you found out the way you did,” I said, tone hard. Robert watched me create Nexcom with my bare hands, guided me— not so willingly—through the merging and liquidation of my father’s business after his untimely passing, then he came to work for me. He was the closest thing to family I had left, and he tended to stick his nose into areas of the business that didn’t pertain to his role within it. Our shared history often left me having to remind him who was in charge.
“You can’t just take a summer off, Franklin. You don’t get to do that. Not without advanced notice and proper planning. With much of our cash flow tied up in the new acquisition, Nexcom is vulnerable right now.” Robert stopped on the other side of my desk. “We hit our lowest profit margins this past quarter, and we’re preparing to negotiate our second-biggest deal yet. Until those contracts are signed and the new partnerships made, you need to be as visible as possible. You can’t expect the company to stand if it’s missing one of its legs—”
“Then let it fall,” I cut in chillingly, not even sure I didn’t mean it. “I’ll be available for anything urgent, but short of our headquarters crumbling to the ground—”
“The building is shaking as we speak—”
“I expect you and Chris to handle things,” I continued over him.
“But—”
“Are you telling me that my lead attorney and CFO are incapable of tackling things while I’m away, Robert?” I asked, leaning my palms on the desk. The move drew his gaze to my left hand and the absence of my wedding ring.
“What’s going on, Franklin?” he asked, temper cooling.
“I’m fine,” I said, sliding my hands into my trouser pockets.
