Chapter 7
CHAPTER SEVEN
Berk
“You’re late,” my assistant, Dinah Hosek, says as she drops her purse on her desk.
I hold back a smile. “It looks like you just beat me here.”
She shrugs that off. “I was up late reading a manuscript that my boss demanded that I finish this week.”
I point a finger at my chest. “This boss?”
She nods. “The boss who just so happens to be my favorite former student.”
Mrs. Hosek was my fourth-grade teacher. She left the classroom two years ago, right before her sixty-third birthday, to pursue her other passion.
She’s a burgeoning romance novelist. This job gives her insight into the publishing world, and it affords her three days a week to hone her craft.
Fridays and weekends belong to her.
Monday through Thursday, she’s at her desk in this office doing an excellent job for me.
I hired Mrs. Hosek the same month I signed my sister to an exclusive contract. Sinclair has ghostwritten several memoirs for me, including one about a teenage tech entrepreneur from Spain and another on a third-generation philanthropist living in France.
It’s fed her love of travel, and it’s gifted me with two books that have sold well in Europe. My sister has a natural talent for understanding what makes people tick and then translating that into mesmerizing life stories.
“I loved the book, Berk.” Mrs. Hosek sighs. “You need to sign that author today.”
“You think?” I rub my chin. “Tell me what stood out in the book to you.”
She sets off in a rambling speech about the depth of emotion and the layers of intrigue before getting to her favorite part of any love story.
“The happy-ever-after in this one was…” Her voice trails as she kisses the tips of her index finger and thumb. “Chef’s kiss.”
Nodding, I smile because I agree with everything she just said. I read the manuscript last week. “Reach out to the agent of the author today. Tell them I’d like a face-to-face later this week.”
“You’re old school.” She laughs as she rounds her desk to take a seat in her chair. “We can make an offer on the phone. You’ve heard of those, right?”
To punctuate that, she digs her phone out of her purse and waves it at me.
“Set up the meeting, Mrs. Hosek.” I pat my hand on the top of her desk. “I like this new hair color.”
Her hand rakes a path through her now strawberry blonde hair. Last week it was brown. A month ago, she had black streaks running through her naturally gray hair.
“I think I’ve settled on this color.” She bats her eyelashes. “It complements my eyes.”
“I agree,” I say before I turn to enter my office.
“Before we officially launch into work mode, I have a question.”
I glance over my shoulder at her. “Shoot.”
“Why were you late?” She tilts her head to the left. “Was Stevie dragging her heels this morning?”
“I went to visit my cousin,” I tell her the truth, leaving out the part about my search for Astrid. I also don’t mention that Gaines wasn’t home.
He lives two blocks from the subway stop where I’ve spotted Astrid twice now. The first time I saw her, I was on my way to have a morning coffee with Gaines. Today, he wasn’t answering my calls. That’s not uncommon, given that he’s a doctor.
I wasn’t craving coffee or his company today.
The desire to see Astrid again is what made me step off the train at that stop.
“Gaines?” she questions since he’s the only one of my cousins she taught.
Nodding, I laugh. “Gaines.”
“I’m only asking because of that smile on your face. I haven’t seen it in a long time, and I like it.”
“Call the agent.” I point at her phone. “On that device you have there.”
“I’ll get right on it, old-timer.” She winks. “If you can keep that smile on your face until this meeting happens, we’ll sign the author for sure.”
“I’ll do my best.” I leave it at that as I head into my office.
Two hours later, I glance up when I hear my sister greet Mrs. Hosek. I can’t hold in a grin when I notice my assistant get up from her desk to take Sinclair into her arms.
“He has a new job for me,” Sinclair says loud enough for me to hear. “I hope he’s sending me to Scotland. It’s on my must-visit list.”
Mrs. Hosek lets out an audible sigh. “I’m afraid not. I don’t want to ruin the surprise, but you won’t be meeting any lads in kilts in the next few weeks.”
“Have you been to Times Square on a Saturday night?” Sinclair laughs. “I saw a shirtless lad in a kilt there the night of my friend’s bachelorette party.”
“Was he a stripper?” Mrs. Hosek asks.
My sister shrugs. “I didn’t stick around long enough to find out.”
As entertaining as their conversation is, I need to hand Sinclair her latest assignment before I head out to a meeting.
“Sin,” I call out to her with a wave of my hand in the air.
She glances my way. “Duty calls.”
Mrs. Hosek nods. “It’s time for my coffee break. You two have a nice chat.”
I watch my assistant gather up her purse and coat before she shoots me a smile. “I’ll be back soon, Berk.”
“Take your time,” I say.
I always tell her that, but she’s always back behind her desk in exactly ten minutes, even though her coffee break is scheduled for fifteen.
I stand as my sister approaches me.
She rounds my desk for an embrace. I take her in my arms, pressing a kiss to her head. “How are you?”
She steps back to look up at me. “Curious. Where am I off to this time? Please say it’s somewhere I’ve never been. I’m craving a new adventure.”
I’ve kept her in Manhattan for months working on the memoir of one of the wealthiest women in this city. I know she wants to step foot on a plane and fly away to somewhere new to her, but that’s not what I have planned.
“You’re staying in New York.”
The smile on her lips falls into an instant frown, but she keeps her composure. We work hard to respect the line between our professional and sibling relationships.
Sinclair has always treated her job as her priority. When I first offered her a contract to ghostwrite for Morgan Press, I had my doubts, but she’s proven that I had nothing to worry about.
Her gaze travels over my face. “Who is the client?”
I’ve been waiting to say this name to her for months. It’s taken countless discussions and a lot of negotiation on my part, but I wanted to make this particular project a reality for various reasons. The main one was so my sister could meet and work with someone she has idolized for years.
Writing earns her a living, but she once called painting her true love. She’s set it aside for a few years now to focus on her career.
For her birthday, I bought her all the supplies she needs to get back to it, so I’m hoping her latest client will help spark that creative desire in her again.
I lock eyes with her because I want to witness her reaction in all its force. “Brighton Beck.”
Silence greets me as she studies me with a shocked expression on her face. “Who?”
I say the name of the world-renowned watercolor artist again, “Brighton Beck.”
“Really?” The word is barely audible as her voice cracks.
I rest both of my hands on her shoulders. “Really.”
“I can’t believe this.”
“This isn’t your typical assignment,” I explain. “This is going to be a coffee table book of photographs of some of his work along with his thoughts about art, life, and how they intersect to enrich the world. He needs you to help him sort through everything.”
“Me?” Her right hand jumps to the center of her chest. “I’m going to help Brighton Beck do that?”
I point at a stack of papers on my desk. “If you agree to my standard terms and sign that contract, you’re not only going to help him, Sin. He wants your name on the cover of the book alongside his.”
Tears stream down her cheeks. “Give me a pen. I’m more than ready to sign.”