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“Walt Peterman? You want to hand a female targeted account to Walt?” Parker snorted because he had to be joking. When he didn’t even crack the slightest smile she couldn’t have been more blown away if he’d punched her in the stomach. “You can’t do that. The Paris account is mine. I’ve worked hard on it for the last few weeks, and I’ve been here longer than Walt. I’m the best marketer on the team.”
“Were, Parker. Youwerethe best, but after the divorce…” his voice trailed off.
“I realize I’ve been a bit scatterbrained, but I’ve dedicated myself to this company for ten years. You don’t understand what I’ve sacrificed to stand neck to neck with all the Walts of the business world.”
Empathy deepened the creases around his eyes, but it didn’t last long. “You don’t think I understand sacrifice? I haven’t been to one of my grandchildren’s birthday parties in years. I was late to my own birthday celebration last month. I even missed my own damn anniversary. My wife has threatened to divorce me at least a dozen times. Do you know how many pieces of jewelry my work has cost me?”
Gritting her teeth, she calmed her nerves. Parker ate, slept, and breathed her work. In the past, she and Gray had talked about starting a family, but every time they decided to start trying, a new account or client took precedence. Their fast-paced careers and social lives had never slowed down. Now here she was divorced at thirty-five, no children, and a boss who was about to fire her.
“Are you firing me?”
He was quiet for a moment and then he sighed. “I have a proposition.”
“If it was anything great you would have come in leading with that point.” She opened the drawer and reached for the stress ball, squeezing it tightly.
His chuckle didn’t reach his eyes. “My wife’s aunt, Bonnie, just recently lost her husband, Bill. Heart attack. Anyway, Bonnie has a little farm and greenhouse business in Montana. From what I understand, Bill left the place in rough shape. Cashed out the insurance. Took out a mortgage. Falsified the books.” He waved a hand through the air as if he were flicking away a fly. “Yolanda told me if I don’t help her aunt I’d find myself in divorce number four. I don’t have the time to pull a floral business from the brink of disaster, or a divorce proceeding where I’ll lose more of my kids’ inheritance. I have too many business dealings in the fire.”
“Are you asking for me to take over some of your work so you can handle things in Montana?”
This time his humor did reach his dull grey eyes. “No. I wantyouto go there. You’re the perfect fit.”
“Me?” The word crackled off her lips. “To Montana?”
“Yes.”
“What do I know about flowers?”
“Probably more than I do.”
“Because I’m a woman?”
“Of course not,” he huffed. “This’ll do you some good. Some time away, taking care of a few details that you can handle with your eyes closed. You can hit the recharge button. I’ve been there once. Beautiful country.”
Dropping the stress ball, she needed pain relief to ward off the migraine creeping into her temples. “What am I supposed to do? Help her come up with a marketing strategy?”
He squinted. “Not exactly. You see…” He steepled his fingers. “Aunt Bonnie doesn’t want to sell. In fact, she’s quite adamant in keeping the money pit. So, you need to convince her that selling is most profitable. I don’t want her to think that I’m pressuring her in any way. Happy wife, happy life.”
The alarm bells were going off. “If you and Yolanda couldn’t convince Aunt Bonnie to sell, how do you think a stranger will?” The problem sounded more like a family issue to Parker.
“I’ve seen you at your best. When you have a fire under you, nothing can stop you. Here’s your chance to revisit the old Parker. The one who couldn’t wait to dig in and find a gem inside of every rock. She loved a challenge.”
“I won’t be working on anything. I’ll be convincing someone to sell her business when she doesn’t want to.”
“Bonnie’s stubborn. It’ll take some work, but trust me, she doesn’t have any other options.” He shrugged. “You do this and we’ll talk after.”
“Are you saying that if I don’t do this I’ll no longer have a job?”
All smile disappeared. “I’ll have no choice but to let you go. Don’t make me do it. Sure, this is humbling, but we’ve all had to do things we didn’t want to do. You think I haven’t mopped floors and scrubbed my fair share of toilets?”
“You’re comparing this to mopping and scrubbing? Sounds like you know it’s going to fail which means I’ll fail.”
He slowly made his way to the door. “I’ll need to know your decision by tonight. Whatever you decide I’ll support you. I’ll leave the information for Bonnie’s business on my desk.” Then he left.
Chapter Four
Parker closed the file to Bonnie’s Bluebonnets and sighed. The numbers were a mess, and tragic. Yet, how could she convince a woman who loved her shop to sell?
Rubbing the tension from her brow, she searched the parking lot outside of the terminal once again. Edgar’s assistant had set up the arrangements for Parker. She was told a driver would be meeting her and taking her to Second Chance. An hour had passed and there was still no sign of her ride. Maybe this was a sign that she should get back on a plane to Chicago.
