Despite what had happened, she was one of the key members of his marketing team. To lose her would leave a tremendous hole—one he didn’t want to fill with someone else.
She hadn’t looked good lately, though. Dark circles under her eyes, moving a little slow. He wondered if she felt overworked.
“Hunter?” Alex’s voice broke through his mental fog. “Why does she want a temporary leave? Do you think she wants to leave Worth permanently?”
“I—I don’t know.” He glowered at the screen of his laptop. “If she was having a pro
blem, she should’ve come to me first.”
“See, that’s the funny thing.” Alex sat forward in his chair, his expression grim. “She informed Becky that she has come to you, and that you continually ignore the problem.”
“That’s completely untrue. And what goddamn problem is she talking about?” Anger stiffened his spine. Could her earlier request to leave Worth be considered coming to him about the problem and he never taking care of it? He’d taken everything so personal. Not allowing work to play a part in it, he figured she wanted to leave because of him and not some professional issue.
He’d gone about it all wrong, clearly. Now she treated everything between them like a work transaction and went through the proper channels in reporting him to Becky for the love of God.
And she ended up making him look like a complete asshole.
“She has never, not once, complained about anything to me since she’s come to work for Worth, and that was over a year ago.” It felt like a lie. And he hated that.
Alex shrugged. “I don’t know what to tell you. According to Becky, that’s what Gracie said.”
“I should talk to her.”
“I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”
Hunter stood. “I can’t afford to lose her, Alex. Not now. Not with our new marketing campaign barely out of the planning stages. Hell, the spring launch for Worthwhile is next week, and she’s overseen the entire event.” Besides the all-important launch, the overhaul of the Worth Luxury image had been in continual effect for the past two years.
The marketing team—with Hunter at the helm—had given Worth Luxury a younger, more vibrant edge. Considering today’s competitive market and fine goods culture, it was a constant, evolving project.
One slip, one wrong move, and the company could settle back into near obscurity, like it had been when Alex took over as CEO all those years ago. Hunter didn’t want to disappoint his brother. He didn’t want to let down the family business.
And he needed every single member on his in-house marketing team—including Gracie. Especially Gracie. She was extremely talented and her finger was on the pulse of what was current, both now and with future trends.
Okay, and she was fantastic in bed and sweet as hell and quite possibly the woman for him, but that was something he refused to focus on. He wasn’t allowed.
He couldn’t allow it.
“Let me talk to her.” Alex stood as well. “I don’t want you barging into her cubicle and making her feel uncomfortable.”
“Why would you think I’d do that?” Alex made him sound like an uncouth jack off who had no idea how to approach an employee. His employees loved him, couldn’t get enough of him.
Well, with the exception of Gracie. And didn’t that just burn like a son of a bitch?
“Remember how you treated Tessa when you and Becky questioned her? She came to me in tears afterward. She still thinks you don’t like her very much. That you merely tolerate her.”
“That’s not true. I love Tessa. She’s good for you. She’s good for our entire family.” Damn, had he lost his touch with women or what? His sister-in-law thought he hated her and the woman he cared for, but was forbidden to touch, wanted to run as far away from him as her little feet could take her.
“Well, it wouldn’t hurt if you told her that every once in a while.” Alex rubbed a hand along his jaw. “We’re getting off track. Let me handle Gracie. She doesn’t want to leave Worth permanently, so let me see what her explanation is.”
He knew his brother’s suggestion made sense. There were too many emotions involved when it came to Gracie and thankfully, Alex didn’t question him about any of it, either. “You’ll tell me what she says as soon as you find out, right?”
“Of course, I will. Though you might not like what she has to say.” Alex studied him, his eyes narrowing. “There’s really nothing going on between you two?”
“No. I’d tell you if there was.” Another lie. He was racking them up this morning. He felt like an ass for deceiving his brother, but he did it to protect Gracie. He didn’t want Alex to think less of her because they’d fooled around.
More than once.
Nights that still lingered in his mind and he couldn’t forget them—or the woman he spent them with—no matter how hard he tried.