“You need to be on BookTok.”He frowns, and I step in because the two are a generation apart and never agree on much.
“I’ll organize a separate call, Donna.Perhaps Mary Ellen can share some tips.”
“Of course.”Mary Ellen smiles.“I’ll ring you this afternoon.”
“Thank you,Mary Ellen.”Donna glares to her left where I assume Mark’s face is on her screen.
Knock, knock.
My door opens, and Drew steps in.Immediately my body responds.My tummy clenches, heat flushes through me, and my sex wakes up with a resoundingyes please.
No.
I’m not sleeping with him again.
From here on out, especially if he thinks buying me out is on the table, we must keep things professional.
“All right, thanks everyone.I’ll be sending out the reports tomorrow.You know where to find me if you need me.”We all say goodbye over the top of one another, and I end the video call.
I swivel on my chair.Drew rests his hip against the now closed door, his arms crossed.He’s devastatingly gorgeous.
“Hi.”
“Hi.”He pushes away from the wall and walks over to my desk.“So, you’d rather be here than with your daughter?”
“Ouch.That was unnecessary.”I flinch.
“I’m trying to get you to leave.”
“Ouch, again.”This time I don’t flinch, I simply frown.
Drew sits down in a chair in front of my desk and lifts his ankle onto his knee.Cool, calm and collected.
“We’re done with our due diligence.Please take my offer,” he says, those steel eyes of his boring into me intensely.“Things are going to get uncomfortable.”
“In what way?”
“You care about the people working for Open Leaf.You’re emotionally invested.Unfortunately, some tough financial decisions now need to be implemented.”
The butterflies in my tummy turn into a storm.
I knew this might happen.
“Are you closing the stores?”
“Yes.”
“There are other options, Drew.Hire a good marketer.A general manager.I had no idea what I was doing!”
He watches me with that goddamn unreadable expression, then stands and walks over to a wall with stupid HR posters.His hands slide into his pockets while he keeps his back to me, and then he turns.
“You knew what you were doing, Gemma.”His voice is rough.“You might not have years of experience, and fine, you might have been out of your depth, but the company was unable to be saved.”
My mouth falls open.
“That’s not true,” I say softly.“It was fine when Anthony was alive.”
Drew shakes his head.