9. Nick #2
“Are you sure? I kinda feel like a tool just sitting here while you do the work.”
“It’s fine.” He smiled sheepishly. “I’m a bit particular when it comes to cooking and how my kitchen is kept.”
“You mean you’re anal and a clean freak?”
“Maybe a little bit.” He chuckled.
“I haven’t seen much of you the past few days. It’s weird to be in your house when you’re not here.”
“I’ve been putting in more hours than usual at the office.” He gathered up the jars and containers to put back in the fridge. “How’re you finding the house? Is there anything you need?”
“A map would be useful. Do you have any idea how weird it is to be in a house big enough to get lost in?”
“I’ve gotten turned around a few times, if that makes you feel better.”
“You get lost in your own house? And you don’t think that’s a sign that maybe you don’t need all this space?”
“This isn’t my house.”
“What?” I yelped. “We’re trespassing?!”
“It’s a rental.”
“The fuck is going on with the housing market if you can’t afford to buy a house in this economy?”
“I can afford to buy a house. In fact, I have three houses.” He closed the door to the fridge.
“I know you didn’t mean that to sound like a nana nana boo boo , I’m rich you’re poor type thing, but it totally did. Anyway, if you have so many houses, why did you rent this monstrosity?”
“For security reasons.”
“That’s not a normal-people answer.”
“Unfortunately it’s all I can say right now.”
“What about that issue you were dealing with, is it better?”
“Mostly.”
“What’s going on? You don’t have to tell me, but sometimes it’s nice to vent to someone who’s completely removed from the situation.”
“I’m having some issues with Malcolm.”
“Your future bro-in-law?”
He nodded and put the cutting board and knife in the sink. “Malcolm has been with the company for a long time, and his engagement to my sister has given him a sense of entitlement that’s made him difficult to work with.”
“How long is a long time? He doesn’t look that old.”
“Ten years. He started working for my dad when he was twenty-five.”
“And how long have he and Emily been together?”
“Two years. They’ve been engaged for almost eighteen months now.”
“That feels quick.”
“It was, but Emily is happy and our parents are thrilled.” He finished washing the cutting board and laid it in the drying rack.
“The issue I’m having is that Malcolm is the COO of my father’s company and he’s not happy that I’ll be inheriting the majority share when Dad retires.
He’s been increasingly vocal about his doubts that I can run two companies. ”
“That’s a lot for anyone. You already work too much. You can’t add another full-time job on top of that.”
“I don’t plan to.” He finished wiping down the counter and draped the cloth over a small hook on the side of the trough sink. “I’m appointing a new CEO who’ll take over when my father retires. I’ll oversee things, but my focus will be on my position within my company.”
“And I’m guessing you’re not promoting lemon face?”
He smirked. “I almost called him that today.”
“Really?” I grinned. “One day you should do it on purpose and record it. I will need to see that footage, please and thank you.”
“I’ll see what I can do.” He chuckled. “But no, I’m not promoting him.
My father has built an incredibly successful company, but his practices and policies are outdated and unsustainable.
Massive changes need to be made so it can stay relevant in the changing market, but that costs money and takes time.
Malcolm is convinced I’m going to fail and destroy everything my father built.
He’s trying to get the board of directors on his side so they’ll refuse to work with the new CEO I’ve already hired, and fight any of my proposed changes. ”
“Maybe the new boss will be able to put him in his place?”
“I’m sure she will, but—”
“She’s a she, and your boomer dad and sucky mclemon face are too misogynistic to wrap their brains around a woman being able to do the job? And I’m guessing the board of directors is made up of a bunch of dinosaurs who also suffer from fragile masculinity?”
The corners of his mouth tilted up in a smile. “Exactly.”
“That’s annoying.”
“It is. I’ve managed to keep the board on my side, but every time Malcolm hears something he doesn’t agree with, he goes running to my father to tell him.
Then I have to deal with my father’s micromanaging and waste my time explaining everything to him, while also juggling the egos on the board and trying to keep everyone appeased. ”
“He’s tattling on you? Is he five?”
“Apparently.”
“And I’m guessing you can’t say anything to him or talk to Emily about this?”
He shook his head. “Malcolm is good at what he does, but he’s not the future I want for the company.
He’s in a unique position because of his engagement to my sister and his close relationship with my father.
He has no respect for my authority and there’s nothing I can do about it until the paperwork has been signed and the company is officially mine.
But she’s stressed about the wedding, and she hates business, so putting any of this on her isn’t an option. ”
“What about your mom?”
“She’s on Dad’s side. No matter what, she’ll always pick his side.”
“That sounded a bit bitter.”
He crossed his arms. “My mother is a product of her environment. She was raised to put her husband first and her children second. Her entire focus has always been on him and his career. She’s not a bad person, but there were plenty of times when Emily and I have needed our mom to protect us, and she didn’t. ”
“I’m sorry. That sucks. My parents were the opposite. They always told us that their first job is being parents, and their second job is being a partner. I was lucky I grew up knowing they’d always have my back. It sounds like you didn’t have that.”
He shook his head. “It’s always been me and Emily against them. And they’ve already proven their support is conditional.”
“What do you mean?”
“One of the reasons my parents are thrilled Emily is marrying lemon face is because he’s an appropriate choice.” He grinned, his bad mood breaking.
I grinned back, trying like hell to ignore the warmth that snaked through my chest at the soft look in his eyes. “You mean he’s rich and boring and will do whatever your dad says?”
“Precisely. He also comes from a respectable family with good connections, so that makes him an even more attractive choice.
“Emily was always the wild child of the family. Our parents forbade her from pursuing modeling; she did it anyway. They threatened to cut her off if she didn’t quit working in fashion and focus on finding a suitable husband, so she went no-contact and supported herself until they gave in.
Now that she’s made a proper match and is taking on a more traditional role, our parents are frothing at the mouth for them to get married. ”
“Which makes it extra hard to deal with lemon face’s attitude because no one wants to upset him before the big day,” I guessed out loud.
Evan nodded at the same moment his phone rang. He pulled it out of his sweatpants and looked at the screen warily.
“Dude, it’s almost eleven at night. Don’t answer it.”
He made a face. “I have to.”
“Do you?” I gave him a pointed look. “Or do you just think you do because you’ve been trained to always be available to people?”
He shrugged and swiped to answer it. “Yes?”
“Doesn’t even say hello like a normal person,” I muttered.
“I understand your concerns,” he said in a robotic voice. “But there’s nothing we can do right now. Put everything in an email and I’ll handle it in the morning.” He pulled the phone away from his ear and ended the call.
“Look at you setting a boundary. And you didn’t die!”
He went to tuck his phone away. It rang again.
“Oh hell no.” I held out my hand. “Lemme answer it.”
He checked the screen.
“I’m serious. Give me the phone and I’ll deal with it.”
The corner of his lips twitched. “This is either the best, or the worst idea I’ve ever had.” He handed me the phone.
“Is it the same person?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“Hello, Evan’s phone.”
“ Evan ?” A booming male voice came blasting over the speaker.
“I’m sorry, Evan is busy right now. Can I take a message?”
“ Who’s this? Why do you have Evan’s phone? ”
“This is his boyfriend. I have his phone because Evan is busy.”
“ Put him on the phone. I don’t have time for this .”
“One moment please.” I held the phone a few inches from my face. “Honey, someone needs to speak to you. Should I get the keys and uncuff you, or do you want me to just hold it while you talk?”
Evan made a grab for the phone. I jumped off the counter and darted away. “Oh, silly me. Better take the gag out so you can answer!”
“Nick!” Evan made another grab for me, but I danced out of his way and pressed the phone to my ear. The line was dead.
“Told you I’d handle it.” I wiggled the phone at him. “They hung up.”
“I’m never going to be able to look Arnold in the face again.” He sighed.
“Why not? You’re a young, healthy man. If he’s all icked out by you getting your bondage on, that’s a him problem for bugging you at hookup o’clock.”
“At least he’s retiring soon. Maybe next time you could just tell whoever calls that I’m occupied and leave it at that?”
“That won’t work because they’ll just keep calling until they annoy you into becoming unoccupied. This way he knows you’re tied up.” I snickered. “Get it? Tied up?”
“I got it.” He smiled affectionately.
“Are you mad? I’m sorry. I didn’t think things through and just—”
“I’m not mad. I knew the risk when I let you answer it. And it was effective, I’ll give you that.”
I handed him back the phone and pulled mine out. “You know what we need, some music.”
“Music?”
“Yeah, you know, that stuff that sounds nice and makes people happy?”
“I’ve never heard anyone describe music that way.”
“My brain is weird.” I scrolled through my current playlist. “We should dance.”
“You’re going to dance for me?”