Putting Jazz in charge hadnotbeen a smart move.
Alone with his sis, he shut the conference room door. “Jasmine, you’re the boss.”
“Yup, and I’m a damn good one.”
“Dad called because there was a mix-up with cruises. I get that people make mistakes, but you can’t shut the office, not answer your phone, and not give me a heads-up.”
“Whatever. Look, it won’t happen again.”
“This isn’t the first time.”
She glared at him. “Save the lecture.”
Two months ago, Jazz had gone out of town for the weekend—which he knew about—but she didn’t show back up for work until Friday. No one could locate her. Like today, she hadn’t answered her phone.
After what had happened with his late sister, Mara, his family was freaking out. Carrera had been out of town on an undercover assignment and couldn’t get back.
Though his dadhadn’twanted to step up and run the company that week, he had.
“This is the sixth time something like this has happened,” Carrera said.
“Ohmygod, you’re keeping track? Seriously, Carrera! And what is the big deal? It’s not like the company goes under or anything.” She glanced at her finger. “Oh, damn, my polish got messed up. Crap, now I’m gonna have to get that redone.”
“Jasmine, I gotta let you go.”
With a grin, she shot out of the chair. “Thanks! I’ll get my nails redone, but I’ll be back tomorrow.”
“No, I’m firing you.”
Her smile dropped. “For real?”
“Yeah. This isn’t working out. Give me your office key.”
She pulled a keyring out and flung it at him. He snatched it just before it sailed into his eye.
“That woulda hurt,” she sneered. She stormed out, then marched right back in. “You’re a jerk. This was a stupid job anyway.”
Seconds later, the front door slammed shut so hard, he expected the glass to shatter. To his surprise, it didn’t.
At twenty-five, Jazz wasn’t ready to lead his company. He loved his sister, but she wasn’t the best person for the job. After too many chances, he had to let her go. Even so, he hated doing it. She was family, and to a Santini, that waseverything.
Carrera needed to find a replacement. For the next few days, he hoped his existing team would step up. Time to find out.
He left the conference room, stood in the middle of the office. Within seconds, all eyes were on him.
“Jazz doesn’t work here anymore,” he said.
“Oh, boy,” someone muttered.
“If anyone else is unhappy working here, we can talk in her old office.” He didn’t want to put anyone on the spot, so he offered an encouraging smile before walking down the hall to her corner office.
He could hear plenty of whispers, but he wanted to give them time to take in what had just happened. A few minutes later, one of his marketing reps appeared in the doorway.
“I’m sorry about today,” Gracie began. “It won’t happen again. If you need help, I can fill in until you find a replacement.”
“Call me for any reason,” he said, “and let me know if Jazz shows up telling you she has her job back.”
“I will,” Gracie replied.
