"Well, it's less about the warehouse and more about Jack, really," she said in a tone that sounded saccharine. I raised my eyebrow and said nothing. She continued, "I'm not sure what you know about Jack and all of the things that have happened in his family, but I felt like it was my duty to give you a heads up."
"I see," I said watching her closely. There was something about the way she was setting this up that made me immediately suspicious.
"Jack's had a tough life, and he's had to fight for a lot of what he has," she said spinning her tale carefully. "His father was quite the disciplinarian and rather unforgiving when it came to the boys. As a result, I think Jack has a propensity for being a ladies’ man, but with the right woman I think he could really see himself settling down."
"And you're telling me this about my boss because …?" I asked as my heart beat a little faster.
"I'm trying to save you some heartache," she said, trying to sound like a sympathetic girlfriend sharing an important secret. "Jack is already taken, and I didn't want you to get your heart broken."
"He's taken?" I repeated wondering where this was going.
"Mmm-hmm," she nodded. "We've been keeping things under wraps for a while as we tried to sort out all of the complexities surrounding working together, but Jack and I have been on and off since high school."
"You have?" I said, not doing a very good job of hiding the shock that I was feeling.
"I know. It's kind of surprising isn't it?" she said sympathetically. "He's always had a crush on me, and I've liked him. But it wasn't until he came back and started running the business that I realized I loved him."
I bit my lip to keep from smiling and looked down at the desk. She had no idea Jack and I had witnessed her conversation with Lincoln in the driveway, and to hear her spouting lies like these made me want to laugh in her face. I knew better than to give anything away, though, so I hid my emotions the best I could and pretended to believe her lies.
"That's not what I wanted to hear," I said quietly.
"I know, I know," she nodded. "He's so good at convincing you that you're important and attractive, but then when the curtain is pulled aside, you realize that there's nothing there."
"I'm glad you told me," I replied, finally looking up at her as I mustered a facial expression that conveyed hurt.
"I'm sorry, Leah," she said with her fake sympathy. "But I thought it was better coming from me than for you to find out on your own."
"Yes, I'm sure you did," I nodded solemnly, trying to hide the fact that I wanted nothing more than to expose her for the liar she was. "Well, thank you."
"You're welcome," she said as she grabbed her purse off my desk and headed for the door. Once there, she stopped and turned around to look at me and added, "Don't feel bad, Leah. He's a good man, but he's just not someone who can slum it very well."
The comment hit the intended mark, and I winced. Sloan smiled again and then turned and clicked down the hall in her stilettos. I sat at my desk trying to recover from the low blow. Once the sting had subsided, I knew I had to do something to make sure that Riley and I weren't going to be at the mercy of a group of people who were clearly dysfunctional.
I shut the door and spent the rest of the day holed up in my office making calls, pointedly ignoring Jack.
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
Jack
I tried calling Leah to arrange a meeting, but she didn't pick up the phone. It seemed a little strange, but I figured that she was probably out on the warehouse floor helping the guys rearrange the inventory now that the renovation was almost complete. I wanted to tour the space with her and find out what needed to happen, but I decided that it could wait.
"Hey, Norma, have you heard from Leah today?" I shouted through the open door.
"No, hon, I have not," she called back. "Y’all want me to run down and see what's what?"
"Nah, it's good," I said. "But I do need all of those reports you've been compiling for me on the sales figures and the incoming accounts."
"Darlin', that saleswoman of yours has not given me the paperwork as promised," she said as she came into my office and dropped the stack of papers on my desk. "She's got her nose so high in the air when it comes to me that she'd drown in a rainstorm."
"Norma, where on earth do you get these sayings?" I laughed, thinking about how well that one fit Sloan.
"Darlin', I was raised poor in the South," she said giving me a disapproving look. “Folksy sayings were all we had."
"I see. Well, carry on," I said as she tossed her perfectly coiffed head and marched back to her desk in
a fit of faux fury.
I spent the next several hours making phone calls to everyone on my list, and by the time I was done, I was satisfied that things were going according to plan. I wanted to tell Leah what was going to happen, but since I couldn't find her, I decided it would have to be somewhat of a surprise.