The Amendment (The Contract 2)

“Nonsense.” In the entire time I had been at The Gavin Group, Graham had taken one vacation, and it was for a week. He preferred long weekends and the occasional four-day stretch away, but he never took a longer break. Hearing him say he wanted one was a shock.

“Between me, Jenna, Adam, and Adrian, we can handle it for a while. We have nothing huge on the calendar. You should take Laura and go away. Relax.”

“And Brad?”

“You talk to him, and I’ll keep him under my thumb another few weeks. Jenna will help. We’ll keep him in line and encourage him in the design direction. You go and enjoy yourself. Spoil Laura.”

He blew out a long breath. “I think I need it.”

“Then do it. We need you here, healthy and strong, Graham. Take the time and come back better,” I encouraged.

He stood. “I’ll talk to Laura tonight and the kids. We’ll meet as a group tomorrow, and I’ll have my decision.”

“Okay.”

He held out his hand. “Thanks, Richard.”

I shook his hand, his grip strong. “For what?”

“Your support and for not pitching Brad against the wall.” He winked. “His phone is far easier to explain to Laura.”

He was right. I watched him leave, seeing the weariness that surrounded him.

Graham needed the break. It was only a few weeks and would do him a world of good. I knew Jenna and Adam would agree and that Laura would be thrilled.

Brad…well, he would put up a fight, but I had an idea how to sway him.

I simply had to make it happen.5RichardI ran a hand through my hair, tugging on the cowlick. I glanced at my phone, groaning when I saw the time. I was late again. I called Katy immediately, smiling at the sound of her gentle voice when she answered.

“Hey, you.”

“Hi,” I responded. “I’m late.”

“No, you’re not. I didn’t expect you, so that means you’re still on time.”

I sighed, leaning my head back on my chair. “I have no idea what I did to deserve you, Katy, but I am grateful for it every day.”

“With Graham and Laura out of the office, it’s hardly a surprise you’re working all the time. Jenna dropped by earlier and said everyone is burning the candle at both ends with her parents gone,” she assured me.

I hummed in reply. I always knew Graham had a lot on his plate running the company, but without him here, I had discovered exactly how hard he worked. No wonder he needed a vacation. We had divided up his duties, and I left the daily running of the company to Adam and Jenna, and I took care of his clients and overseeing the other reps. Adrian helped out, yet it was enough to keep us working late every day.

And there was Brad. As Graham thought, he hadn’t been happy about working more behind the scenes. He felt his place was in front, “schmoozing,” as he called it. Jenna and I had sat with him, convincing him of the importance of the design aspect and praising his talent. When I mentioned the fact that one day he could head up the entire division and oversee it all, a light had turned on for him. He saw a chance to make his mark. His own stamp.

I had heard his unspoken reservation about working for Graham when we talked in our first meeting. The underlying reason he had chosen to work elsewhere. How could he live up to the greatness that was Graham Gavin? Because of the connection, even by marriage, he would be compared to him constantly. Graham was a legend, and following in his footsteps wouldn’t be easy. Even Jenna and Adam had to fight to have their own identities when they started.

By Brad’s handling the design aspect of the company, his talent would be recognized as his, and his alone. Once he grasped that concept on his own, he was more receptive to the idea. And as Jenna and I expounded on the vision, he seemed to understand it wasn’t a demotion, but rather a chance to grow.

On top of everything else I was handling, I had been spending a lot of time with him. That meant time away from my family. I had missed dinners, bath time, weekends—all of which I hated to do, but Katy had been understanding and supportive.

“Is Gracie in bed already?”

“She’s awake. You want to talk to her?”

“Yeah.” I hit speaker and waited. Gracie’s sweet voice burst through the phone.

“Daddy!”

“Hey, baby girl. Did you have a good day?”

“Aunt Jenna bring me a new baving thuit!”

“Wow, that’s awesome. What color is it?”

“Yeddow an pink an puple.”

“I can’t wait to see it.”

“You tome home, Daddy?”

“Soon.”

“I miss you.”

My chest warmed and ached at the same time. “I miss you, Gracie. I’ll be home more soon, okay?”

“You tiss me when you home?”