The soundof a shrill ringing pulled me from the deepest sleep I’d had in weeks. I looked around, blinking to clear my vision. The living room was still bathed in darkness, telling me it was early morning.
I felt so warm, so safe, lying here, sandwiched between three bodies. Duke wrapped me under his arm, pulling me as close to his body as was appropriate, while Charlie and Harper occupied my other side. We were a tangled mess in all the blankets the girls had piled around us. Even though I was sweating through my pajamas, I was content.
When the noise started up again, I carefully extricated myself from between them. I followed the sound to my bedroom, angrily swiping the device from the dresser and glaring at the screen.
It was barely six in the morning, and my assistant was already calling. My stomach dropped as I swiped to answer. “Hello?”
“I’m so sorry to call this early,” she rushed out. “And I know the timing is horrible given what happened yesterday, but?—”
I rubbed at my temples, already feeling a headache begin to bloom. “It’s fine. What’s wrong?”
Darcy hesitated. “The board is going to call a meeting. Today, if the buzz around the office is to be believed.”
“Today?” I echoed. “Are you fucking kidding me?”
“I tried to put them off. I told them the funeral was only yesterday and you needed more time?—”
“They already knew that,” I muttered. “Most of them were in attendance.” Christ. Couldn’t they give me one fucking day before dragging me back into work? “Do you know what it’s about?”
“Mr. Montgomery called a few of the members yesterday after the funeral. Apparently, he wasn’t happy with the conversation the two of you had.”
“Fuck me,” I muttered. “What is he asking for? My removal?” I laughed because it was such an incredibly vile and petty thing to ask, but I knew if anyone was capable of it, it was him.
Despite how enjoyable it had been to watch Duke hand him his ass on a platter, I knew it would come with consequences. I didn’t, however, think they would come so soon. Leave it to this prick to waste no time in stirring the pot.
“I don’t know exactly,” Darcy said. “Anything is possible with him. He’s used to getting what he wants, and what he wants?—”
“He’s not going to have,” I finished. “He’s been trying to take a bite out of my family’s hard work for years now. John warned me about this. He knew he’d come sniffing around.”
“You’re the executor of his will, aren’t you? So you have control of his assets?”
I teetered my head side-to-side. “Yes and no. I’m in charge of ensuring his final wishes are carried out, and his estate is taken care of, but that doesn’t mean I’ve taken control of everything.” While I’d taken on the role of CEO, John had remained the majority shareholder when we took the companypublic. Despite my position, he remained in control of Hartstrings.
I didn’t know how his shares would be split or who was getting what. Lukas and I had a meeting with the lawyers in three weeks to discuss his wishes. For whatever reason, John had been explicit in his instructions that nothing was to happen until that time had passed.
“What do you want to do?”
I had absolutely no idea. “My hands are tied. Even if the board calls a meeting, no decisions can be made until John’s will is finalized and we know how his shares will be split. As the majority holder, his vote is needed to make any decisions,” I said, chewing on my thumbnail. “Try to hold them off. Tell them the family is in no position to meet at this time.”
Darcy hesitated. “And if they push it?”
“Then conference me in, and I’ll set them straight. I’m not entertaining this bullshit today.”
I could hear the smile in Darcy’s voice as she said, “Yes, ma’am. I’ll take care of it.”
When the line went dead, I threw the phone on my bed and ran my hands over my face. I knew those vultures were bound to come calling sooner rather than later, but to try to call a meeting the day after John’s funeral was diabolical. What was their goal? To hope I was so exhausted and overcome with grief that I did whatever they asked? Or maybe they were simply searching for any sign that John’s stocks would be going up for sale.
There was a point when Hartstrings wasn’t simply about profit. It was about family, connections, and helping artists build something they were proud of. My uncle knew growth could take away from that, but he tried to be intentional about who and what would lead the company into the future.
When he decided to step down as CEO and take thecompany public, he’d already laid the path for me to follow. But those around him weren’t happy with the change. Whether it was my age or my sex, nearly every person on the board had argued against my appointment.
It hadn’t mattered that Hartstrings bore my name, nor the fact that I had been training for this position since I was eighteen years old. They saw a woman who was strong-willed enough to block whatever bullshit they tried to push if I believed it didn’t align with our company’s core values.
“You okay?”
I looked up, noticing Duke leaning in the doorway. He looked like he’d just woken up, his hair mussed, shirt askew, and pants hanging low on his hips. I very intentionally refused to look at the impressive bulge making itself known.
“Yeah, just—” I waved my hand toward my phone “—work shit.”