He nods tightly, throat working. “I hear you. I’ll stay out of it. Promise.” He reaches out, gently tapping the Yoda bobblehead on the edge of my desk, then turns and leaves. I feel a little bit like I’ve just kicked a puppy, but I’m not gonna call him back. I’m not going to apologize for standing my ground. I’m right on this.
I spin back to my screens, answering a few emails and messaging my techs to check in. I never wanted this job. I honestly didn’t think I could do it. Sure, I know computers, and I fucking rock when it comes to digging for information, but I didn’t think I could manage people. But that’s the thing with Ransom. If he sees something in you that you don’t see yourself, he will push you and push you to step up. So often, it’s easier to just give in, and so far, I’ve ended up realizing that he was right. The only thing that makes him somewhat bearable is that he’s never smug about it. He just pats you on the back and goes on about running our empire.
I get a solid hour of work done before my next interruption. I don’t mind. This is how it always works in the daytime here. Brothers popping in, staff with questions, it’s all good. If I have shit I really need to get done, I stay late. I’ve slept on my office couch more than once. I raise my head to see Zach at my door. His face is a weird mix of wired and confused as he drops into the chair next to my desk, staring down at his clasped hands.
“She emailed me back.”
I don’t need to ask him who. She’s been pretty much all he’s come to me about over the last couple of months. Maya is a mystery, and it’s pissing him off. I’ve seen the woman’s work. She’s a brilliant marketer. But so is Zach. So are a lot of people who work here. There are probably a dozen people capable of doing what she does, but he’s fixating now. Women don’t ignore him, ever.
“That’s what you’ve wanted. You’ve been trying to get her to work in your department for months. What did she say?”
“She wants to do a video interview.”
“Okay...and that’s a problem?”
“No,” he murmurs, frowning. “I guess not. I just don’t get it. Why now? She’s been completely ignoring me for months, and suddenly she wants a video interview? You didn’t find anything?”
“No, I didn’t. There’s no family to speak of. She doesn’t seem to have any attachments to the city. She grew up in Cali and moved to New York for University. From what I can tell, she lives a quiet, dull life.”
He taps his fingers on the arm of his chair, staring out the window at the winter sun, low in the sky. “Okay. Well, maybe she came to her senses. I’ll talk to her and see where we want to go with it.”
“Set it up soon, yeah? Before she changes her mind?”
He scowls harder like the possibility never crossed his mind. He slaps the arms of the chair and stands. “Maybe we should do it now?” He pulls his phone out and starts tapping.
“We? It’s not really my department, man. I’m not sure what you want my help for?”
“I don’t fucking know. I just can’t get a read on this woman. I think having more people in the interview is a good idea.”
“Okay, but maybe Janey would be a better choice? Or Colt? I’m not exactly a people person.”
He grunts, and taps some more on his phone, then wanders over to the couch and drops down. All of our offices have couches. They’re all laid out the same, so I’m not really sure why he’s camping out here, but it doesn’t really bother me. I focus back on my screens, getting lost in what I’m doing. A throat clearing pulls me back to the room.
Janey, standing in the doorway, smiles at me. I smile back automatically because who wouldn’t? Then I startle when I see Jonas sitting calmly on the couch next to Zach. I didn’t hear or see him come in. I get like that sometimes, so in the zone, a bomb could go off, and I wouldn’t notice. Course, all Cara has to do is sneeze down the hallway, and I’m focused on her, ready to fetch her tea or a tissue. I’m totally whipped.
“What’s happening?” I ask dumbly, looking between them.
“Maya. Video call. Now.” Zach says shortly, the toe of his shiny black shoe tapping on the carpet.
“Ah, okay. Send me the de—“
“In your inbox,” he says shortly. What the fuck? This is not like him at all. He’s usually cool and unruffled. If this woman sets him off this badly, then maybe we shouldn’t do this. But judging by the stubborn look on his face, he’s not interested in hearing that right now.
I skim the email, then get the video call set up. They all shuffle around, dragging chairs to settle around me. I let Zach move to the center of the screen, sliding sideways and behind Jonas, who’s fussing with Janey’s chair, adjusting the lumbar or something.
Suddenly, the screen in front of us is filled with a woman’s face. It’s a striking face, an odd mix of features that don’t seem to go together but somehow make you want to keep looking at her. Her dark hair is pulled loosely back from her face, leaving the focus on the dark slash of her eyebrows over deep brown eyes. Her mouth is a little too wide, a little too lush.
We’re all staring at each other until Janey, thank fuck, clears her throat. “Ms. Miller. Thank you so much for taking the time to speak with us. I’m Janey. I work in HR here at Brash. Mr. Lee thought it might be good if we all spoke with you.”
Maya’s dark eyes shift slightly, her face softening slightly. “That’s fine. It’s better to be judged by everyone at once.”
Zach straightens in his chair, frowning again. Fucker usually avoids frowning, not wanting to get wrinkles, probably. “Ah, we hadn’t planned on judging you, we j—“
“Of course you were,” she says with a snort. “You’re trying to decide if I’m a good fit for your company. I’m doing the same thing. Trying to figure out if I could be happy there. I’m not convinced I will be.”
“Then why did you agree to this meeting?” Zach’s words come out clipped and harsh. “I’ve been trying to contact you for months. Why now?”
“Because my circumstances have changed, Mr. Lee. Why else?”
