Hers to Love: Sisters of Springfield 3

by Ellis, Eliza

  Kori’s lungs constricted. “What?” she managed to squeeze out. What was he saying? They’d both be out of jobs? Sabrina never mentioned her father was leaving the company.

  Marshall’s lips twisted into a lopsided grin. “You might as well know now that my company is trying to get rid of me.”

  Kori’s jaw slacked.

  “Yeah, I know. It’s a surprise to me too but, actually, not really. This last year has been…” He trailed off, his gaze looking distant.

  Was he thinking about his recent divorce? The drinking he did at lunch yesterday had set off a red flag.

  Marshall cleared his throat. “It’s been tough, to say the least.”

  “Your year of freedom?” Kori hesitantly asked. “Personal and professional growth?”

  Marshall chuckled. “Yeah. Too much freedom, apparently. I guess I’d grown to know that professionally I needed some time to myself. And I’ve also grown to know that too much idle time really is the devil’s playground. I’m the type that thrives off work. What should’ve been a year of record growth was merely average. Instead of throwing myself into work, I…took a lot of time off.”

  Kori kept her lips together. She was having difficulty processing the information. If the company’s growth had been average, why would the board be trying to push him out? Every year wouldn’t be exponential growth. There had to be something else. Kori felt too new to ask. She’d have to pick up her information from the job.

  “Anyway,” Marshall continued, “we’ll at least have the summer. How does that sound?”

  She offered him a closed-mouth smile. As a beggar, she really couldn’t be choosey. She’d take whatever money she could for her legal fund and then figure it out later.

  “We’ll enjoy Italy, and I’ll try to pay you as much as possible to help out with…you know.”

  “Thank you,” Kori said softly.

  “Good. No more talk about work. Take in the view. It’s really one of a kind.”

  Kori did as she was told and kept her eyes in front, soaking in the sights of Florence in the early morning hours. She could smell bread and pastries from the shops along the river and could hear people’s radios playing music. Everything was truly idyllic.

  Perfect.

  An illusion.

  And one that wouldn’t last.

  Chapter 6

  Kori caught on quick. That was one thing going for her.

  After Marshall introduced her to some of the staff, he showed her to her office, and they spent about an hour going over essentials. He’d been called into an impromptu meeting for something he couldn’t remember, and now he was at his desk going through papers that had been waiting for his signature.

  Feeling a hand cramp coming on, he opened his email and found that Kori had nearly cleaned it out. Did he need to answer anything? What had he missed?

  Marshall inhaled and slowly exhaled. He was too young to have a heart attack. Then men in his family—other than his father—lived to ripe old ages of eighty and beyond. If I didn’t need to see it, it wasn’t important. He would trust Kori to do her job and keep him in the loop on the crucial stuff.

  He checked his voicemail.

  Marshall Buchanan? This is Brigham Noland. Heard you hired my ex-assistant. Let me clue you in on something—

  Marshall skipped the message. He wasn’t at all interested in what Brigham had to say about Kori. Marshall would come to his own conclusions. How did Brigham get his number anyway? He was a tech guy; probably hacked into their system somehow.

  After he finished listening to the last message, someone knocked on his door. It was going to be one of those days where he wasn’t going to catch a break. He’d really lost his endurance during his year of goofing off. Marshall called out for the person to enter.

  “Marshall!” Perry entered quickly and shut the door behind him. He rubbed his bald head with a handkerchief. His egg-shaped face drooped with disappointment. “It’s about time.”

  “Perry. Yeah, sorry about that. I thought I’d be in sooner, but I was…um, going over some things with Ms. Kaye. I’ll have to introduce you. She’s already jumped in with both feet. I think this relationship is going to work.”

  “You should probably pick a different word,” Perry said with a frown.

  Marshall leaned back and laced his fingers together. He waited for Perry, a member of the board and a good friend, to settle his lanky frame into a seat across from him. Perry’s expression looked strained, and his frown persisted.

  “Perry, what are you talking about? What word? She’s a fast learner. Hasn’t asked me a question in over an hour. My email is practically scrubbed. I’m feeling confident about this—”

  “Don’t say relationship.”

  “Explain.”

  “That’s why she was fired from her last position.”

  “Fired?” Sabrina had told him Kori had left the company. Interesting. Sabrina and Kori were best friends, so he understood the loyalty but felt slightly betrayed. He should’ve been told she had been fired. Now he believed the rumors he had heard to be true. She was fired.

  “You didn’t know?”

  “I…I had heard from a reliable source that the rumors of her firing were false.”

  Perry stuttered. “Well, your source sucks. It’s all over the place. She’s suing Brigham for wrongful termination.”

  “Cause?”

  “Sexual assault!”

  Marshall sat very still. Sexual assault. Well, the rumors got that one wrong. Kori hadn’t been the instigator of the relationship—Brigham had. And an unwanted one at that. Kori had been harmed? Marshall’s hands fisted. He hadn’t known her long and already he felt a desire to protect her.

  “Perry, are you sure?”

  “Positive.”

  “How positive?” Marshall pushed the words through thick teeth.

  “My source is coming directly from his company’s legal department.”

  Marshall snorted. “Then I don’t know how true that is. Sounds like his legal department has leaks.”

  “You learn to foster relationships where you can.”

  “True.”

  “And what better place to have a source than in another company’s legal department?”

  “Sure, sure. They’ll be essential if we’re considering corporate espionage,” Marshall said dryly.

  “Come off your moral high horse, Marshall. You know that’s how this all works. You think Brigham doesn’t have his minions in every other tech company out there? How do you think he’s been able to acquire so many smaller firms in such a short period of time?”

  “If you’re insinuating that he’s breaking the law, then I’m even more inclined to believe he’s capable of assault.”

  Perry’s head snapped back. “You believe her?”

  Marshall held Perry’s gaze. “She hasn’t told me all the facts. She’s been discreet. Which is how an executive assistant should be. So, yes, I believe her—whatever she decides to say. I don’t have any indication that her character is any different than what she’s displayed. You haven’t even met her!”

  “Is she hot?”

  Marshall pinched the bridge of his nose. “Perry…”

  “Then she is!”

  Yes. Yes! She was more than hot. She was stunning. Truly. “So what if she is? Men have settled for far less—and I’m not trying to be a jerk.”

  “I know, I know, but this bolsters my argument.”

  Marshal laughed. “In what way? She’s attractive so she must be lying? From what I know of Brigham, I’m surprised she stayed with him for five years. The man is a notorious womanizer. With a new model every week. Kori was probably under a lot of pressure for a long time. We’ve both heard the rumors. This was bound to happen.”

  “I’m inclined to believe they were in a relationship and it went south. Maybe she wanted more—like marriage.”

  “Perry, you’re…you’re crazy.” Marshall chuckled. It was insane!

  “It’s not crazy
, Marshall. You know these cute girls graduate college looking for a meal ticket. They’re walking around in tight, short skirts and leaning over desks with amplified breasts.”

  Marshall laughed even harder. Kori’s dress wasn’t tight, but it couldn’t obscure her curves.

  “I’m shocked you let your own assistant get away from you.”

  Marshall’s laughter died. His eyes narrowed on Perry. “Have you forgotten that I was divorced last year?”

  “Exactly my point. When’s a better time than after a divorce to upgrade your spouse? And your assistant was definitely an upgrade. Don’t go pretending to be mad. I know you don’t love your ex anymore. No reason to defend her honor.”

  Marshall had straightened in his chair, but he settled back. No, he didn’t love Sabrina’s mother anymore, but that didn’t mean the pain of losing her went with her in the divorce. He wished it had, but no. His own inadequacies had been brought to the forefront, and now he was a borderline alcoholic. He couldn’t afford to upgrade his spouse. Only a simple woman would want him, and he’d fall asleep on someone who wasn’t intellectually stimulating.

  “A relationship with my assistant would’ve been completely unprofessional. Why give the board another reason to get rid of me?” he asked pointedly.

  Perry’s thin lips tipped downward, and he nodded. “I can’t argue with that. But your decision to hire Ms. Kaye doesn’t sit well with the rest of the board. They think she’ll damage the company’s reputation. Can you guarantee us that she won’t sue?”

  “Well, if all of you leave her alone—”

  “Be serious, Marshall.”

  “Perry, if what you’ve told me is true, she won’t have enough time.”

  Perry rubbed his forehead. “That’s still up for debate.”

  “Is it?” Marshall leaned forward, the first glimpse of hope he’d had since Perry slipped to him that he was getting pushed out. The board wasn’t unanimous in letting him go?

  “I shouldn’t even be telling you this, Marshall.”

  “Perry,” Marshall began firmly, “I started this company from nothing. You know that. You were there when I pitched the idea to you.”

  “I was. This is true.”

  “Then consider my position. My life’s work is about to be taken away from me by ten men who aren’t and haven’t invested as deeply into it as I have.”

  Perry’s expression turned annoyed. “Then consider this, Marshall. In the last year, you have invested in this company hardly at all. Now we know you had the divorce, but this company is much more than just you. There are other employees. People’s livelihoods. The board isn’t doing this out of spite. We’re thinking of everyone else that is investing in this company now,” Perry said sternly, jabbing a finger into the chair’s armrest for emphasis.

  Perry’s strong argument silenced Marshall. His friend was right. Marshall had spent the better part of a year wallowing in his own feelings. Doing so had sapped his drive and altered his focus away from work.

  “And your excuse that it hasn’t been detrimental to the company’s performance doesn’t hold a lot of weight with us.”

  “It should,” Marshall snapped, feeling emboldened by the board’s refusal to see how his absence had been handled. “Clearly, I’ve fostered a company that can survive—”

  “Without you,” Perry said quickly.

  The revelation dropped between them like an anvil that could’ve crushed Marshall’s desk. He said no more.

  His company could survive without him. His entire body went cold. There wouldn’t be any reason for the board to keep him.

  Perry sighed and stood. “Look, Marshall, I’m one of the few holdouts on the vote. I’m breaking confidence in telling you that because I strongly believe—to the depths of my soul—that ousting you is the wrong move. The company would be worse off without you. Maybe not today, but a year from now, sure.”

  “Thank you, Perry,” Marshall said, his throat thick with emotion.

  “But you have to tread lightly with Ms. Kaye. Your conduct better be aboveboard.”

  “I understand,” Marshall clipped.

  “I mean it, Marshall.” Perry pointed at him. “Aboveboard. If you can’t make that happen, fire her. I suggest you do that anyway. It’ll look good to the other board members.”

  No way he was doing that to this poor girl. She’d been through enough with Brigham. She only wanted to do a good job. He wouldn’t deny her that chance. Not when the board was still giving him one. “Got it, Perry, thank you.”

  Marshall didn’t like being spoken to like a child unsure of what he was doing. He was a grown man who had thought his conduct wouldn’t have been questioned after all of his time in the business. No employee had ever considered his conduct reprehensible. He was friendly with everyone but always kept the professional line clearly drawn.

  Furthermore, this was his company. He had started it in his living room. Perry knew the story. He had thought it was a wise decision to include a board of directors as a check-and-balance system. It had only strengthened the company by keeping them on target. They hadn’t once questioned Marshall’s leadership in over twenty years. Marshall considered himself very good at policing his own decisions and thought processes. He thrived on deep thinking.

  Marshall watched Perry leave. He should’ve been more accommodating to Perry. At least more empathetic. Perry was probably his greatest advocate on the board and clearly up against a wall with other members who didn’t have the relationship he had with Marshall. Although Perry had said a few others didn’t want to vote Marshall out, how long could Perry count on their resistance? Perry hadn’t given Marshall any indication of when the final vote would take place—or even the first one. There had been talk, enough of it to inform Marshall’s attorney and for documents of transition to be drafted. The words “generous compensation package” had also been tossed around.

  Marshall chuckled. What exactly did that mean? How generous could it possibly be after giving about half of his life to this company? Nothing short of keeping his job would be considered by Marshall as generous.

  Or at least maintaining a controlling stake in the company’s stock. Which he already had.

  The board would be seeking to grab as many shares away from him as possible until his stake was below fifty percent. Marshall’s attorney had suggested he could move to a position on the board and have Perry be elected CEO. Marshall liked Perry, but the man was better suited in his position where he had to handle less of the decisions that didn’t need board approval. Perry thrived in a group and would likely falter as the CEO. He would rely too heavily on the board, and Marshall never liked it when a small collective ruled everything.

  Left little room for dissension and change.

  And freedom, for that matter.

  Marshall sighed. His attorney had opted for him to focus on the transition. Get as much money as he could and try to keep his foot in the door as long as possible. Once the company was out of Marshall’s hands, he would never have another decision-making role again. It was the way of business.

  First, he would have to make good on Perry’s suggestion. Keeping Ms. Kaye at arm’s length.

  Greater than arm’s length.

  That meant not seeing her after hours at the hotel. No more gondola rides. Meals were okay to discuss business, but they had better be witnessed by a lot of people.

  Definitely no more meditating on how beautiful she looked. He’d use the intercom system between their office phones to communicate. He could probably go eleven out of twelve hours without seeing her.

  Out of sight, out of mind.

  Marshall heard a knock at the door. Perry again? “Come in.”

  Ah, the lovely Ms. Kaye. This was going to be more difficult than he’d thought.

  “How can I help you, Ms. Kaye?”

  Something briefly flickered in her eyes, then her face was all stone. “Sir, I think we need to talk about the last year.”

  More criticisms. Gre
at. She was already starting to be less attractive.

  Not so great.

  Chapter 7

  Kori really didn’t want to disparage Marshall’s previous assistant. She had told herself she wouldn’t win this argument if she did. Kori believed the last girl did enough to keep Marshall out of grievous trouble, but pushing him to keep his commitments or going above and beyond wasn’t evidenced. It grated on Kori’s nerves; she took her job seriously and considered an executive assistant as both a shield and mirror to the CEO. They kept bosses out of trouble, and they made sure they were prepared for anything.

  And Kori was about to hang up a mirror.

  It hadn’t taken Kori long to realize that organization was sorely lacking in Marshall’s life. She empathized. The man had a tough divorce. The death of a relationship as deep and profound as marriage was tantamount to the death of an actual family member or friend. Bouncing back from that would be incredibly difficult the deeper the love went. Kori suspected that despite his ex’s behavior, Marshall had loved her dearly. She gave him some credit.

  Only some.

  But to completely let stuff slide? He oversaw several of the company’s internal audits for various divisions and the employee appraisal program—by choice. A few of these had blown right through monthly and quarterly deadlines. Kori was surprised the board of directors gave Marshall this much slack. Maybe it didn’t matter so much because they wanted to get rid of him anyway.

  Well, he wasn’t going to let up any more under her watch.

  At least not for the last few months she and Marshall had jobs. She would make sure he left the company on a high note and her as well. Their performance would be irreproachable, which would definitely help her impending court case and securing another position.

  “Last year?” Marshall asked in response to her statement about them needing to discuss it. He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. “Sit. What about last year?”