Counting the Kisses (Counting the Billions 3)

“He might be,” I said. “But I’ve decided that it’s really important for me not to hire in someone from the outside. I want someone who really understands this company’s heart and soul. Someone who everyone around the office can respect.”

“Oh,” Erin said, looking puzzled. “But if you’re gone and Abby’s gone, who did you have in mind?” I could see her wracking her brains and knew that she probably expected I’d hire one of the guys who had once worked for my father.

But instead, I smiled at her. “Actually, Erin, I was wondering if you’d be willing to step up while I’m out.”

Erin looked shocked. “Me?” she squeaked in surprise. “But I’m just your assistant. I’m about as far removed from CEO as it’s possible to get and still be in the same building.”

“Not really, when you think about it,” I said, shaking my head. “There was a reason I asked you to help Abby while I was gone. You’re smart. And because you’re my assistant, you know more about this business than most people do. You’ve scheduled meetings with everyone I work with, and you know what any given team is working on at any given time.”

“I guess so,” Erin said doubtfully.

“Besides, I’m not asking you to step up and be a CEO while we’re gone,” I assured Erin. “Not that I think that you couldn’t handle it, but I know it wouldn’t be fair for me to put that pressure on you. Really, I’m just looking for you to keep things running smoothly. To handle whatever anyone throws at the business while we’re gone, and to keep me in the loop about things that you think I need to know about. I trust you to know which things are important and which ones can wait until we’re back.”

Erin nodded slowly. “I guess so,” she said.

“And I’m not asking you to be perfect either,” I added. “Just like I wasn’t asking for Abby to be perfect when she stepped up for me. Things like the Duncan situation, those may happen. They could happen even if I was here, because fuck knows that I’m not perfect either. In fact, you should talk to some of the older guys sometime about all the mistakes I made when I first took over for my father.” I shook my head. “I’m really just asking you to keep the wheels turning. I know it’s a lot, but I wouldn’t be asking if I didn’t believe you could do this.”

Erin smiled tentatively at me. “All right,” she finally said. “But on one condition.”

“What’s that?” I asked, expecting that she would ask for a raise. One which I would gladly give her. In fact, I had already drawn up the paperwork to send over to HR as early as that afternoon if she agreed to handle things while I was gone. To be honest, she deserved it for everything she did for me.

But she didn’t ask for a raise. Instead, she gave me a cheeky grin. “Just promise me you’re not going to leave me as many notes as you left for Abby,” she said. “Or I swear, I’m going to run screaming for the hills.”

I snorted but nodded at her. “It’s a deal,” I told her. “But seriously, you don’t have to agree to all of this right now. We don’t even know when we’ll be able to go just yet. If you want more time to think it over, that’s all right.”

Erin shook her head as she got to her feet. “Nah,” she said. “I’ll do it. After everything you and Abby have been through with the press and this trial and everything else, you deserve some time away, just the two of you. Especially since dragging you away from this office is usually a chore in and of itself. I’m glad you’ve found someone who can get you to even think about taking a holiday.”

I snorted and rolled my eyes, but Erin was smirking teasingly at me again. “Yeah, yeah, get out of here,” I said, flapping my hands at her. But when she was almost to the door, I added, “Thanks, Erin.”

“Don’t mention it, boss,” she said, flashing a grin over her shoulder at me. She left, shutting the door behind her, and I let out a breath I hadn’t even realized I was holding.

Chapter 22

Abby

I WALKED INTO THE BAR on Tuesday night and smiled when I saw that Leanne was already there, sitting by herself in a booth in the back and sipping at her drink while she scrolled through something on her phone. I dropped into the seat across from her. “Hey, you,” I said to her. It was so rare that we got these girls’ nights like this, and I didn’t want to waste a moment of it.

Leanne grinned over at me. “Hey, yourself,” she said. “You’re late.”

“I know, I know.” I sighed, holding up my hands apologetically. “Daniel and I were working on a game plan for the meeting we have tomorrow, and the next thing I knew, it was past time for me to leave.”

“Oh really?” Leanne asked, raising an eyebrow at me, and I could tell from the way she was smirking that she didn’t believe me for a moment.

I snorted and shook my head. “It’s not like that,” I told her. “We’re strictly hands off from one another while we’re at the office. Even in private.”

“Even after everyone else has gone home?” Leanne asked. “Where’s the fun in that?”

I shrugged. “Easier to draw the lines and stick to them,” I pointed out. “Besides, you know how the media would be if they even so much as heard from someone who heard from someone that Daniel and I were behaving inappropriately around the office. They’d have a field day.”

Leanne sighed. “Yeah. And the columns about your suitability as Daniel’s advisor have only just finally started being nice.”

“To be honest, I haven’t been reading them,” I admitted. “I know that’s probably bad, that I should keep on top of at least everything they’re saying about me. There’s no way of knowing how that could all affect my future, after all. But I just can’t find it

in me to care about it. At the moment, I’m happy with where I am, so there’s no point in worrying how it’ll affect my future job searches.”

“Fair enough,” Leanne said. “I think that’s a good way to look at things. And I’d let you know if there was anything in there that you really needed to know about.”

“I know you would,” I said, smiling at her.