AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Day to day shit, eh?“ I flip through the glossy pictures of the resort’s proposed schedule and menu while my business partner spins around in my chair, full of childlike joy that always seems to bubble up no matter what the situation. It kinda reminds me of pink-coat girl on the street from earlier.
He shakes his head slowly like I’m killing his vibe. “Dude, seriously. Loosen the fuck up. We all need a little AFK time.”
“I’m not saying no. I’m reminding you we have bigger issues to solve.” The truth is, Miles and I have a key role to fill at the company. “We need to hire a Marketing and Events executive like…yesterday.”
“Already done.” Stodge comes to a full stop and drums his knuckles on the armrest. Looks me in the eye, then averts his gaze.
Jesus. His impulsiveness. “What. Did. You. Do?”
“You can’t get mad.” He holds up his hands defensively. “Let me explain…”
I bridge my fingers across my nose. “Stodge…”
“Fine. I’ll rip off the bandage. I…I offered the job to Shay.” Miles cowers like I’m about to lob my keyboard at him.
The room grows as cold as the winter storm outside my window. Shay Stojanovic. His twin sister. A she-devil. My chest tightens as memories from my past bubble up like acid. The mere mention of her name gives me hives. Being around her every day? Fuck no.
“Your sister?” I choke out, my voice rising. “VP of Marketing and Events? Has she ever held a job, Stodge?”
Miles shifts uncomfortably, still avoiding my eyes. “She’s got the appropriate experience and gave me the idea for the retreat. More importantly, she’s my family and needs a break.”
“Not at the company you and I have built together. No way. Not a fucking chance,” I snap. This is the ultimate betrayal. “You know how I feel about her, Miles.”
“I do. But I don’t quite understand why something that happened nearly a decade ago needs to define you.” He’s quiet now as he rubs his chin thoughtfully. “I mean, it was high school. Can’t you let it go?”
Easy for him to say. I get up and stare out the window again. The snowstorm is all but over, save one or two straggler flakes. Thinking about that fateful day makes it hard for me to breathe. What Shay did still haunts me.
I don’t see any reason to let it go. “You weren’t there.”
“Thank fucking God I wasn’t or I’d have killed you both. I told you she was going through some, eh…stuff. We were kids. Do you truly still hate her?“ Miles doesn’t understand. He doesn’t have a mean bone in his body. He’s a live-and-let-live kind of guy. Things roll off his back.
For me? Not so much.
I squeeze my eyes shut and try to push the memories away. “Yeah, I do. I can’t explain it except to say, with all due respect, she’s the complete opposite of you and there’s no way I’m entrusting her with such a big role at my company.”
“Uh…our company. And sorry, that’s not good enough.“ There’s a note of stubborn determination in his voice that I recognize. He rarely plays the card, but when he does…yeah. Stodge isn’t letting this go.
I try another tactic. “Marketing isn’t a remote job. We need someone who’s in Seattle—who can come into the office every day.”
“I’m well aware.” He leans so far back in the chair I’m afraid it’s going to fall over. “Trust me on this. I know Shay is my twin but after things ended with Devon, she was forced to move back to Seattle. I promise you, she’s a great fit for the company. She needs this job and I’m asking you to get on board. If it doesn’t work out, I’ll take full responsibility.”
The raw sincerity in his eyes makes me feel trapped. Hires of this magnitude are ordinarily unanimous decisions. We’ve worked too hard to build Hungry Llama into a gaming juggernaut to fuck things up for a favor to his sister. It sucks balls that I don’t have a choice but to see how this plays out.
“Look. Since you already offered her the job without even mentioning it to me, my condition is simple. I can’t—won’t—work with her directly. She’ll report to you.” I cross my arms defiantly.
He runs his fingers through his hair. “Austin, no. I supervise hundreds of remote employees on the development and creative teams. You manage the entire executive team. Besides, having my twin sister report to me? That’s weird.”
“Do you seriously think Shay’s going to respect my position? She’s a spoiled princess. The ultimate mean girl. Someone who chases status not substance. If she weren’t your twin, there’s an excellent chance I’d fire her before she logs into her computer.” I stand and pound my fist on the desk.
Miles leaps from the chair and squares up to me. “For fuck’s sake. We’re grown-ass adults. Shay has never said a bad word about you. Do you think you may have blown things out of proportion? We’ve all changed dramatically since high school. Can’t you give her a chance?”
I shake my head, a cold certainty settles in my stomach. I never told Miles the whole story. “No.”
There’s a long silence where Stodge and I stare at each other with eyes narrowed. Even at our most competitive, the two of us don’t fight. Ever. If he pushes this any further I’m afraid our record won’t remain intact.
Eventually he speaks, his voice heavy with resignation. “Fuck it. If you run into issues, I promise you won’t have to interact with her.”
“Thanks.” I feel a hollow ache in my chest, knowing that I may have won this battle but in all likelihood, I’ll lose the war.
