Handle With Care (Shacking Up 5)

“I wonder if you could do that.”

“Do what?”

“Connect your outreach projects to Moorehead. I know you don’t want to give that up, but it seems like maybe you’re starting to settle into your role, and you’re so good at leading people. It’s something to consider.” Her smile is soft and almost hopeful.

As much as I dislike the city, I might be able to get used to it if Wren was a constant and I could find some kind of happy medium.CHAPTER 17PERSPECTIVELINCOLNGriffin and I sit on camping chairs in the sand while the girls do flips on the floating trampoline. Wren is quite agile, and it’s entertaining watching the two of them out there, spotting each other for roundoffs. A group of guys in their late teens, possibly early twenties, loiter close by. They’re like a bunch of peacocks, squawking and preening as they check out Wren and Cosy.

“Please tell me we didn’t act like assholes around girls when we were their age.” I nod at the guys as one of them crushes an empty beer can on his forehead.

“I don’t remember doing anything that stupid, but you never know.” He sips his beer. “I’m on the fence as to whether or not I want one of those guys to hit on Cosy, so I can see her shoot the SOB down.”

“Same.” I clink my bottle against his.

“So, you saying this isn’t serious is bullshit, eh?” Griffin asks, pulling my attention away from Wren in her sexy red bikini. I may not like it when she wears lipstick that color, but those little scraps of fabric are a whole different story.

“As serious as it can be for something that can’t be public.”

“Well, her contract doesn’t last forever, does it? Once it’s done, you’re free to make out with her on every street corner in New York.”

“Yeah, but I have that project in Costa Rica, and I’ve already had to push back the start date because I’m here. Besides, she has her own plans, and I don’t know that Costa Rica is going to fit into them.”

“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Plans can change.” He side-eyes me. “And who says you have to go to Costa Rica and stay there? Your project in Guatemala is going pretty damn smooth despite you being here.”

“Yeah, but that’s the thing I miss. Being part of the project. I don’t want to manage them remotely all the time.”

“I get that, and I’m not saying you have to step back completely, but what if you had everything in place so that you could set the project up, get it rolling, and then come back to New York and manage Moorehead?”

“I don’t know if I want to manage Moorehead permanently. Dealing with Armstrong for six months is one thing, but to commit to every damn day?” The thought alone makes me both nauseous and irritable.

Griffin makes a sound in the back of his throat. “Do you really think you can walk away, though? Armstrong is never going to be able to handle running that place. It’ll sink if you don’t stay.”

“Me and G-mom are going to find a replacement.”

He gives me a look. “Come on, Linc, do you really think that’s her plan? It’ll take a good year or more to train anyone new. I know you want to believe you’re here for a few months, but I think you might need to reframe your future plans. I’m pretty sure your grandmother’s idea was to groom you for the role and keep you around long enough that you’d get settled.” He motions to Wren, who’s in the middle of doing some kind of walkover thing.

She’s damn bendy. And Griffin is 100 percent accurate. G-mom probably had no intention of finding someone to take over for me, because without me keeping Armstrong in line, the company will likely go under or we’d have to sell it. “Dammit. G-mom played me.”

Griffin grins. “As a good business woman does.”

I’m going to give her shit the next time we video chat. “I don’t want to give up the work I’m doing. I can’t run Moorehead and organize projects in South America.”

“Why can’t you, though? You have this huge media company and all these resources at your fingertips. Why not shift the Moorehead focus and diversify? You could have an entire magazine dedicated to your outreach projects.”

Wren mentioned something like that on the way here. I’ve been so wrapped up in learning the ropes, I haven’t had a chance to look at what Moorehead Media is missing, and this could be it. “That actually might work.”

“Look at what Amalie does for William’s Media with all those makeup tutorials for the pediatric cancer unit. That video she did for the Christmas gala thing they threw kicked up their ratings something like fifteen percent, which is big revenue dollars. You could do something similar with your outreach projects, couldn’t you?”