Handle With Care (Shacking Up 5)

His frustration is clear, but he doesn’t snap like I expect him to. “Yes. Understood.”

“I’d like you to take the rest of the day off. You’re not in any state to manage yourself around other people, and no one should be subjected to you when you’re like this.” She turns to me. “Do you have anything you’d like to add?”

I’ve gone from wanting to kiss her to wanting to strip her naked and screw her on the closest surface after that takedown, but considering sexual harassment is the reason she’s chewed out Armstrong, I figure it’s better to keep that to myself. “Uh, nope, I’m good.”

“Okay, well, we’re late for our meeting, so we should be on our way.” Wren slips past me and opens the office door.

Armstrong shoots her the double bird behind her back.

“Real mature there, brother.” I follow her into the hall, leaving him to stew. “How often do you have to do that?”

Wren shrugs. “Depends on the week.”

“You were incredible; you know that, right? Watching you level him verbally like that was sexy as hell.” I hold open the conference room door and brace for the potential headlock, except that’s not what happens.

Instead, surprise crosses her face and she smiles, her eyes meeting mine for the second time today. “Thank you.”

If I thought I liked her before, I’m crushing on her hard now.CHAPTER 9G-MOM OBSERVATIONSLINCOLNAfter the meeting in which I had to fight the entire team on cutting not one but two magazine publications that would result in the loss of twenty Moorehead staff members, I go for lunch with G-mom. I asked for time to come up with an alternative plan that would salvage those jobs. Not just for the sake of my conscience, but also to keep disgruntled employees from defecting to the competition.

My mother was invited to join us for lunch, but thankfully she had a prior engagement and couldn’t reschedule. I’m assuming she has some kind of “procedure.” Also, my mother and G-mom don’t often see eye-to-eye on anything, so I’m happy not to referee them for the next hour.

G-mom waits until we’ve placed our orders before she finally speaks candidly. “You managed that meeting well.”

“I don’t know about that. There still isn’t a solution, so don’t go patting me on the back yet. We might have to let those people go if I can’t figure out a decent alternative.”

“If it comes down to that, I can always do the letting go,” she offers.

I scrub a hand over my face. Armstrong would derive so much joy from telling all these people they no longer have a job. All I can think about is their families and the long road of applications and job interviews ahead. “I hope it doesn’t, but I don’t think it sends the right message if I can’t take that on myself. At least while I’m in this role.”

She gives me a piteous smile. “I’m so sorry, Lincoln. I know this is hard for you. They’ll all have a severance package and a letter of reference if you can’t find a creative way to handle that division.”

It makes me feel marginally better, but not great. “I don’t want to send them to the competition and drag our bottom line down even further. This company is in enough trouble as it is, thanks to Armstrong. I don’t understand why he’s been allowed to get away with this for so long. I get growing up in that house messed him up, but there’s something seriously wrong with him. What would prompt my father to spend all that money covering up his mistakes? This family is a mess. I mean, apart from us.” I motion between us. “Well, apart from you anyway.”

“You’re not a mess, Lincoln. You’re handling this with grace, especially under the circumstances.” She sighs. “I see now that I should’ve paid more attention to what Fredrick was dealing with, and how he was dealing with it where Armstrong was concerned, but I assumed he had it handled.”

“Apparently he handled it with a lot of money.”

G-mom straightens her silverware. “Sometimes I regret not trying harder to get Armstrong out of there like I did with you. Maybe he would’ve turned out differently.”

“Maybe working so closely with Dad was half the problem.”

“Your father wasn’t a bad man, Lincoln.”

I snort my disbelief. “I get that as his mother you’re obligated to wear rose-colored glasses when it comes to him, but he was a shit father and you know it. He was never there, never made an effort to get to know me, didn’t go to any of my sports competitions. He missed my high school graduation because of a damn meeting.”

“He put too much focus on work. And his flight was delayed on your graduation. He tried to be there.”

I give her a look. “Too little too late. And you and I both know it wasn’t all work. He wasn’t faithful to my mother, and maybe I can understand that, since she has the warmth of a corpse, but why not get a divorce, then? Why subject us all to their miserable relationship? Why not move on?”