Page 64 of The More the Merrier

Gregor was genuinely confused. “We just set you up in Massachusetts. Don’t tell me you want to come home already?”

Gregor had invested a fortune in creating a second empire for his former CEO, Blaze MacLeod.

“Not me,” Blaze assured him. “Do you remember my secretary, Claire?”

“Mm, vaguely. But as you are running your own internal hiring, I no longer see the applicants. But I recall you saying she was pretty good. Did something happen?”

Gregor heard the man practically growl from the other end, which was more telling than words. Something was up and clearly Blaze wasn’t happy about it.

“She walked in with a resignation letter this morning. No explanation. I told her I wouldn’t accept without a reason.”

Maybe Gregor should have tried that with Susan.

“She said she wanted to leave the state, not the job, but as she couldn’t see a way to do her job from a different location, handed me a notice for immediate termination. I thought maybe someone back there may need her skill set. She’s damn good and could easily turn into an amazing PA. Too bad you have Susan because I think Claire, with a little time, could rival her.”

Someone up there must like me, Gregor mused. “As it so happens, Susan called this morning to share she was quitting immediately. She’s pregnant with twins and took early leave for mandatory bed rest but now, well, let’s just say that William and Kent want their Little girl home and safe so they can dote on her.”

Blaze chuckled. “I bet they do. I’ve never met more doting Daddies than those two.”

“Bring Claire with you for the Christmas retreat. She can meet the entire team and see what she thinks of us and Colorado as a new home.”

“You mean you can watch her and decide if she’s good enough to replace Susan?”

A grudging smile lifted the corners of Gregor’s lips. “That’s exactly what I mean. But it gets her out of the state immediately and it offers her the opportunity to do a similar job that she claims to love. Anything else I should know about her?”

Gregor felt Blaze’s hesitation before answering. “Other than reliable? I think I’ll let you be the judge of that. See you in a few days.”

What the heck did that mean? Gregor hung up the receiver and sank back, once again lost in the snow that had drastically shifted from a light dusting to a heavy fall. Gazing up to the source, he could tell by the shape of the cumulonimbus clouds and the point of the anvil at their center that a storm was blowing in. He’d need to make sure maintenance was clearing the roads for the business and get emergency measures ready to go in case of a power outage. Leaving his office, Gregor moved to put his plans in place.

Claire

After finishing her coffee, she got busy writing out everything she could about her position, not the black and white description of the responsibilities, as that was already in a document. This list was Blaze specific and based solely on her experience with the man.

She was so engrossed in her work she missed the knock, yelping when her door suddenly swung open.

“Sorry,” an apologetic Blaze uttered. “I knocked, but I guess you were too deep in thought to have heard. I have good news; you fly to Colorado tomorrow. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get you on my flight later that night, as it was full. Yours leaves at 5:00 pm tomorrow. When you come in for your last day, give me your keys and I’ll have your boxes sent. It will take longer than usual, because we are in the Christmas season, but they said a week tops. They did guarantee by January 6th, I hope that’s okay?”

Claire was at a loss. “Um, uh, thank you. Are you sending me to the head office for a transfer?”

Blaze folded his arms across his chest, a smirk lifting the corners of his mouth. “You could say that. The man you’re meeting knows all the ins and outs of the company, and he assures me of a place for you in the upper echelons. You’ll be arriving in time for a party, the first night of six nights of festivities. Grab an Uber at the airport and have them take you to Aegir in the village of Twin Peaks. Leave your bag at reception and they will get it sent to your room. Wait for me at Aegir, and I will make the introductions with the placement facilitator.”

Blaze smirked again, and Claire had a feeling that there was something he wasn’t saying.

Claire dug for an excuse to not get on the flight, but try as she might, the only resistance was her fear of change. Despite wanting to change her life, she knew perfectly that the act was a very different thing. This is when she wished for her ready-made family of three most of all. Someones she could navigate the treacherous terrain of change with. Maybe Colorado Springs held the answer to her prayers.

Gregor

Hours later, an exhausted Gregor stripped off his business attire and climbed into the hot tub. The storm had hit with a vengeance, but thankfully, they’d instituted a backup generator that could power the entirety of his small kingdom in Colorado Springs.

One thing that he loved about his business, turned empire, turned city, is those he shared it with. Gregor knew he lived up to his reputation as a bosshole. But that’s who he was: a leader, a Dominant, and yeah, a bit of a bosshole. But he took care of everything and everyone, and that required a particular brand of man.

His thoughts drifted like the eddying of the flakes when Atticus appeared and handed him a bottle of beer.

“Hell of a day,” he commented.

“That it was,” Gregor answered, and took a deep pull on the lager. Smooth and crisp, with hints of honey and lemon. Cold and thirst quenching, yet also soothing like tea. Gregor looked at the label, but it only contained one word, “Bacchus”. “What’s this?”

“Do you like it? I’ve been working on a beer that reminds me of home but also fits in with the winter climate here.”

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