Page 7 of Heart of Stone
And barely a few hours into the first day, I hated myself for making this decision. I’d only met one person since arriving here, and I didn’t think I could handle anyone else like her.
“I’ll do what I have to do.”
He shot me a knowing look. “You seem distressed about it already. This hatred you have for me cannot carry through to the people who work and visit here.”
And there it was. His attempt to steer the conversation to the feelings I had for him. He wanted that conversation, and I couldn’t think of anything I wanted less. Other than running this place, perhaps.
Ignoring his attempt, I arched a brow. “Either you were prepared to have me run this business for six months or you weren’t. But you knew how I felt about this place from the start. If you didn’t think I could do the job, you shouldn’t have offered it.”
“I don’t have a choice at this point.” My dad sighed. “Look, I think that knowing you’re bound to the terms of the contract is enough. If you really want this place, you’re going to have to put in the effort over the next six months to run it well. I can only hope that when you’re here on your own, you can lose the stony, annoyed expression and be decent to the people here.”
“I am who I am.”
He shook his head slowly and rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s only been two hours since we sat down with the attorney. I don’t think I need to remind you that, as part of the agreement, you’re not to let anyone know what your intentions are for this place moving forward. These are good people, and I don’t need them worried about the reason you’re being so accommodating. When the time comes, when it’s finally yours, you can show them who you really are. Until then, not a word, or the deal is off.”
Sometimes I wondered where he thought I got this callous mindset. Being a ruthless businessman didn’t come naturally. I’d certainly learned it somewhere. “I know exactly what to do to prove I’monlyconcerned about business. And everything I’ve learned has gotten me to where I am today. You have no need to worry. I don’t intend to screw this up for myself.”
My dad mumbled something under his breath before he said, “Then we should get started, because you’ve got a lot to learn before the day is over.”
I wanted to tell him I didn’t think there was anyone better to teach me than him, but I knew it’d just lead to another discussion I wasn’t interested in having. The sooner he went over what I needed to know, the sooner we could be done. And I’d be one day closer to my goal.
THREE
Natalia
I never thought much about my boisterous nature.
Working where I did, being surrounded by those I was, it would’ve been impossible to be sluggish. I enjoyed the work I did, found extra to do when I could, and felt grateful for the opportunity to make a place like this run well.
So, I didn’t think twice when it was late Tuesday morning, and I’d found myself needing to make a trip to Barrett’s office. I knew he wouldn’t be in it, but I suspected Reid had returned today in his father’s place. And while our initial meeting hadn’t been terribly unpleasant yesterday, it certainly left a lot to be desired.
Despite that, I had a job to do.
Reid had a job to do.
We had no choice but to do what was necessary to keep the place running smoothly in Barrett’s absence.
In fact, over the last week or so, I’d been coming in a little earlier and offering a hand wherever I could to other members of the staff—the way I’d seen Barrett do many times before—justto pick up the slack and ease the burden of his absence. While it was possible for everyone to still get their jobs done, there wasn’t a doubt in my mind that nearly all the members of the staff missed Barrett’s presence. The place just felt more alive when he was around.
Being an energetic woman myself, I didn’t hesitate to kick things up a notch. I’d do anything to keep things running with as much care as I always had.
So, I grabbed the stack of papers from the corner of my desk, stood, and made my way to the office where I hoped to find Reid.
I knocked lightly on the closed door, waited until I heard what I assumed was permission to enter—the voice was so muffled—and stepped inside. Finding Reid sitting behind the desk, I smiled brightly at him. “Good morning, Reid. I apologize for interrupting you this morning, but I’ve got a few vendor agreements that need to be signed.”
Reid stared at me, looking a bit bleary-eyed. It was nearly eleven o’clock, and although I was aware it wasn’t the case, he looked as though he’d just rolled out of bed. Given how he’d been yesterday morning, I could only draw one conclusion. Perhaps Reid just wasn’t a morning person.
Without a word, he reached his hand out for the papers.
I crossed the room and explained, “These normally would’ve been taken care of last week, but with Barrett not around and spending nearly every moment at the hospital, it couldn’t be done.” I handed him the papers, and he dropped his gaze to review them. “Fortunately, there’s no need to worry about these being signed later than they usually would have been. All the vendors have been very understanding. It’d probably be okay to wait even a few more days, but I figured it was best to just get them squared away now. I would have brought them in with me yesterday when I came to the office, but I wasn’t sure how much your father would be up to with all that’s been going on.”
“I don’t doubt Barrett would’ve had no issues with getting these signed for you yesterday, regardless of whatever else is going on in his life,” Reid replied.
He still hadn’t lifted his attention from the papers. After carefully reviewing one, he moved to the next. I didn’t know whether he thought I’d try to get him to sign things he shouldn’t be signing or if he genuinely wanted to be sure to inspect everything to be thorough and diligent about the job he was doing.
Either way, I guess it didn’t matter. And that was why I was content waiting. But I didn’t maintain the silence.
“I guess I can’t argue with that,” I returned. “I probably should’ve brought them over after I met you yesterday, but I figured you both had enough on your plate. Not, of course, that I don’t think you have even more to contend with now. How is Sylvia, by the way?”
