Chapter Ten
JAKE
I checked in at the Four Seasons Hotel into one of their best suites until I figured out what my steps would be.
I didn't want to commit to an apartment, not even to one of the condos we owned.
Bottom line, I was not planning on staying in Boston that long.
I was going to tell Danielle to continue the search for a CEO.
The next morning, I went to the office at seven o’clock on the dot.
I needed to catch up with everything right away.
My team back in New York didn't appear surprised by my decision. In fact, Ben seemed to be very excited about the prospect of leading the company for a couple months. This was his chance to prove himself. I’d have daily calls with them, and I’d talk to our biggest customers myself, even though that meant even longer work hours than I was used to.
It didn't matter. I was in Boston to work and make sure Grandfather was healthy and got back on his feet as soon as possible, nothing else.
And to keep Natalie safe, a voice chimed in my mind.
Jesus, I had to stop obsessing over her.
She'd repeatedly insisted she was fine, but all my instincts told me she'd only done so to appease me.
I knew the signs. She'd tried to smile, but it faltered, she couldn't even muster the energy to tease me, and she'd turned completely pale when she saw the letter at her home.
Recognizing the handwriting had been enough to throw her off.
Whatever it was between her and that jackass, it wasn't fine.
My driver stopped in front of the building’s big entrance. Betty was in charge of hiring drivers for me wherever I went. So far, I had no complaints about Cal and tipped him well.
Stepping out of the car, I took in the structure. It had been years since I’d stepped inside Whitley Advertising. It was in downtown Boston, near City Hall. I recognized the steakhouse next to the entrance; it had been here thirteen years ago too.
Gabe and Cade were meeting me here. Gabe was the most up-to-date with everything that went on at Whitley Advertising, and Cade had advised my grandfather and the team as well a couple times.
Whitley Advertising was a force in its industry, but the bigger you were, the faster you failed, and the more dire the cash flow problems could get even from a minor miscalculation.
I hadn't had the chance to review the company's books, but I already had an inkling of what I'd find there.
I always started with the books. Numbers didn't lie.
Sometimes people tried to cover up their mistakes, but I knew how to dig deep and uncover everything.
My brothers were already waiting for me at the entrance.
"Ha, told you we'd manage to get here before him," Gabe said.
"Yeah, but you woke me up at the crack of dawn," Cade said, sipping his coffee. He'd always had an unhealthy addiction to it, even before taking over The Boston Coffee Expert.
“When do you usually start your day? Is it nine?”
“Yes,” Cade exclaimed proudly. “It’s my golden rule. No one’s allowed to bother me earlier. Present company excluded.”
How the hell did he get anything done if he only started work at nine?
“We’re honored,” Gabe said dryly before clapping my shoulder. "Welcome to Whitley Advertising, brother. Would you like a tour first, or do you remember where things are?"
"I want to take a look at the books," I said.
Cade jerked his head back. "Dude, you can't come storming in. You need to meet and greet the team, introduce yourself, stuff like that."
"I’m here to save the company, not make idle chitchat, and time is of the essence."
Cade rolled his eyes. "Yes, but it's not that limited that you can’t say hi to your team. Don't be an asshole."
"I'm efficient. Once I get a handle on things, there’ll be time for a meet and greet later."
"How does anyone hire you to do anything?" Gabe asked.
"Because I'm very good at my job. No one cares about interpersonal skills as long as I save their company, which I do."
"Well, you’re a Whitley, and this is Whitley Advertising. People are going to expect a bit of a familiarity in your approach, not you storming in here, cutting everyone's heads off."
They both stared at me. They weren't going to let it go.
"Fine."
"How very gracious of you," Cade said under his breath. "Come on, let's go."
For the next twenty minutes, I was introduced to everyone on the management team.
Many of them were part of the old guard, as I liked to call it.
They'd been here for two decades and probably knew the company inside out.
In my experience, those loyal employees were a wealth of information.
Despite what I'd told my brothers, I knew I had to find out what made everyone tick—who was indispensable and who was not.
Who made the right decisions and who didn't. I could only do that by knowing the team.
I wondered which of them had worked for my father and if any of them knew he'd been cheating on my mother. Not that it mattered; bygones were bygones.
I was already off to a bad start. If my thoughts spiraled in that direction, it wouldn't do anyone any good—least of all me.
"And here is your office," Gabe said. We stepped inside a huge room.
"It’s very spacious," I said appreciatively. "Thanks, brother."
"I relocated the manager who had this office. It’s the biggest one available, and I know you like your space."
"Thank you. I appreciate this."
"Everything for Jake," Cade said. “In case it’s not obvious, we want to convince you to stay in Boston. We like having you here. And besides, only you can turn the company around. The rest of us can manage businesses, but this one needs an overhaul. That’s your expertise”
“I already said yes.”
Cade nodded. “But we want to keep you here.”
“I’m not going to bail. I promised Grandfather I’ll help.”
Cade smirked. “That was your first mistake. Promising before you saw the financial documents.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’ll see soon enough.”
"What about someplace to stay?" Gabe asked. "How long are you going to camp at the Four Seasons?"
"I'm comfortable there." I walked over to the desk, pulling back the leather chair and sitting in it. My brothers took the two chairs in front of the desk and brought them next to me, one on each side. We could go through reports easier this way.
"Are any of our condos free?" I asked.
"Three of them," Cade said instantly. Our family kept them mostly for business partners. Whenever someone came into town for a longer period, they offered them a place to stay for the duration of their meetings. "You plan to move into one of those?"
I just wanted to know all the options for Natalie.
My thoughts were consumed by her, and I couldn't deny the pull I felt toward her. I’d become aware of it at Martha's Vineyard and couldn’t let go.
I didn’t know if it was her unabashed ability to challenge me, or the fact that she genuinely wanted to make my grandmother happy. It seemed to be more than a job to her.
"Do any of you have contacts with security companies?" I asked.
"You have to be more specific," Cade said. "You mean personal bodyguards or security cameras?"
"Cameras, and possibly also guards. But let's start with cameras."
"Why? You want to install them at the Four Seasons?" Gabe asked.
"It's not for me," I said.
"I'm confused," Gabe said.
"Yeah, I'm not following either," Cade added.
Why did I bring this up? They won't let it go until I explain it.
"When I drove Natalie home yesterday, she received a letter from her ex and seemed worried. I'm just putting out feelers," I told them.
"Wait a second," Gabe said. He pushed his chair farther from the table as if he needed some distance to see me. Cade mirrored his gesture, and now both were at a considerable distance from the desk, staring at me. It was ridiculous.
"Let me see if I have this right," Cade said. "You and Natalie flew to Martha's Vineyard. Possibly, you fucked her."
I growled at him. "Language."
"Okay, you didn't, but judging by how pissed off you are, you would’ve liked to,” Gabe pointed out. "Holy shit. How did this woman get under your skin in two days?"
"I don't know," I admitted.
Cade stood up. "So, she did? You're actually owning it. Damn. Gabe, I think we have a new angle when it comes to keeping our brother in Boston. Ms. Natalie."
"How did we start this conversation?" I said under my breath.
"You brought her up. After you gave us your big speech about efficiency," Gabe said. "Which means you've been obsessing over her for some time."
"Let's start reviewing the reports," I said in a brisk voice.
"And now you're changing the subject, so I'm onto something," Gabe continued. "Perhaps we can get to this later, when we need a break from all this headache."
I tensed at the word. My brother took everything in stride. If he called this a headache, it was a fucking disaster.
"When did you even have this report prepared?" I asked.
"Sunday morning." His tone was clipped. This spelled catastrophe. My brother was also a big believer in weekends.
"Don't panic him before we start. He's going to bolt," Cade said.
I shook my head. "Not my style. When I take a challenge, I see it through."
"This is not a challenge," Gabe said. "It's a dumpster fire. At least that's what it looked like to me and to Grandfather."
"Let's start."
For the next half hour, we reviewed the key performance indicators.
My brother hadn't exaggerated. The situation was dire.
There was no cash flow to speak of, which was problematic in an advertising agency.
You didn't have assets that you could turn into liquidity when needed.
The previous management had made a mess of things.
But there were still plenty of clients, which was good.
It meant we could generate income, but the company was bleeding money.
By the time the income from the clients got to the bank, it could be too late.
"This is just a snapshot, of course," Gabe said. "You can look at the books in your own time."