A Bargain with the Boss

by Barbara Dunlop

  Twelve

  Amber missed Tuck, and the hurt was beyond anything she could have imagined. Each day she arrived at the office and promised herself it would be better. She’d think about him less, stop imagining his voice, stop thinking every set of footsteps in the hallway might be his. She was going to get past it.

  Jade was home from the hospital and Crystal was adorable. Though the baby wasn’t the best sleeper in the world. Amber told herself that living in a state of mild sleep deprivation had to be contributing to her depression. Surely, one man couldn’t be the cause of all this.

  Dixon had slipped right into the familiarity of his old job. He was definitely in a more upbeat mood, but he was just as efficient as always, no matter what the crisis.

  It was coming up on eleven and the phone had been ringing almost constantly. There was a storm in the Atlantic and a major rock slide across one of the main rail lines between Denver and Salt Lake City. Everybody was rerouting and rescheduling.

  “The Blue Space file?” Dixon called through the open door of his office.

  Amber knew the Blue Space file was in Tuck’s office. She’d been avoiding going in there, worried about triggering memories. Not that anything specific had ever happened in his office. They hadn’t kissed and they certainly hadn’t made love there. Thank goodness, at least, for that.

  “I’ll get it,” she called back.

  “They’re phoning right after lunch,” said Dixon.

  “On my way.”

  She took a bracing breath and stood. She was going to do this. In fact, she wanted to do this. Maybe it would be a turning point. Maybe she’d built it up to be something it wasn’t. She could probably walk in there, get the file, walk back out and realize it was just another room.

  She headed down the hall.

  Tuck’s office door was closed. But she refused to slow down. She reached out, turned the knob, thrust the door open and walked inside.

  There, she stopped, gasping a breath, picking up his scent, her brain assailed by memories. Tuck laughing. Tuck scowling. His brows knitted together in concentration.

  She could hear his voice, feel his touch and imagine his kiss.

  “Amber?” Dixon’s voice startled her.

  “I’m sure it was on the desk,” she said, pushing herself forward.

  There was a stack of files on the corner of the desktop and she began looking through them.

  “I’m meeting Zachary for lunch,” said Dixon.

  “Zachary who?” She tried to remember if there was a Zachary connected with Blue Space.

  “Zachary Ingles.”

  She looked up. “Why?”

  Dixon moved closer. “I’m trying to get him to come back.”

  “Why would you do that?”

  “Because he’s good. And he took a bunch of accounts with him when he left.”

  “There’s nothing good about that.”

  She’d never liked Zachary. She didn’t trust him and she’d been glad to see him leave. The new guy, Samuel Leeds, was much more professional. He was young, but he seemed to be learning fast.

  Dixon chuckled. “I know Zachary’s not the warmest guy in the world.”

  Amber continued sorting. It wasn’t her place to criticize, and she didn’t want to insult Dixon.

  “Samuel’s a bit too laid-back,” said Dixon. “He’s inexperienced. A director position isn’t the place to learn the ropes.”

  “He’s enthusiastic,” said Amber.

  “A little too enthusiastic.”

  Dixon had said the same thing about Gena, the new finance director. He hadn’t replaced her yet, but Amber knew he’d been in contact with Harvey.

  “Are you going to undo everything Tuck did?” As soon as she asked, Amber immediately regretted the question.

  “You mean, am I going to undo the damage?”

  She practically had to bite her tongue.

  “It must have been bedlam around here.” Dixon crossed his arms over his chest.

  “Who says that?”

  “Harvey, for one.”

  “Consider the source.”

  Dixon didn’t respond and Amber realized she’d gone too far.

  “What did that mean?” asked Dixon, a clear rebuke in his tone.

  Amber straightened and squared her shoulders. She was loyal to Tucker Transportation and she’d been appropriately loyal to Dixon. She now found herself feeling some of that loyalty toward Tuck.

  “Tuck worked hard,” she said.

  “I’ve no doubt that he did.”

  “He not only worked hard—he succeeded. Yes, Harvey and Zachary bailed. But you should ask yourself what that says about them.”

  “They couldn’t work with Tuck.”

  “Or they wouldn’t work with Tuck. Zachary stole your clients. He stole them. He was disrespectful to Tuck. He was disloyal to you. He was downright dishonest. And, by the way, he hits on your female employees. Tuck, on the other hand, came in here without the first idea of what to do. He could have bailed. He could have turned and run the other way. But he didn’t. He dug in. Even knowing what your father thought of him, and how he’d been treated in the past, and how overwhelming the learning curve turned out to be, he stuck it out. Did you thank him? Did your dad thank him? Did anyone thank him?”

  “We paid him.”

  “He didn’t do it for the money. And he didn’t do it to save the company. He has pride, Dixon. He had purpose. We won back half the clients and we signed up some more. He worked eighteen-hour days, threw his heart and soul into making sure the company didn’t fail while you were off sailing. He hunted far and wide to get Gena and Samuel. Yes, they’re both young. But they’re well educated. They have some experience. And they’re bringing new energy to the company. And that’s thanks to Tuck, who was thrown in here without a lifeline.”

  Amber stopped talking. As she did, the magnitude of her outburst hit her.

  “Amber?” Dixon began, clearly baffled by her behavior.

  She was instantly overcome with regret. She knew she was about to get fired by the third Tucker Transportation owner. It was going to be a clean sweep.

  “Yes,” she said in a small voice.

  “Did something happen between you and Tuck?”

  She ignored the personal implication of the question. “I got to know him.” It was an honest answer.

  “You got to know him well?” Dixon was watching her carefully.

  “Better than before. When he first showed up, I thought the same thing you obviously do—that he was a lazy playboy who was going to fall flat on his face and wouldn’t even know it when he did. I wouldn’t even help him. I mean, I helped him, of course. But I wasn’t going the extra mile like I might have been. But then I saw how hard he worked. He truly was dedicated. And I started to understand that he hadn’t chosen to stay away—your father had barred him entry.”

  “He has an office,” said Dixon.

  “That’s what I said. And he does. But nobody wants him. He understands that full well.”

  “Amber?”

  “What?”

  Her fear was gone. Whatever was going to happen was going to happen. But she wasn’t about to turn her back on Tuck. He’d worked hard and she wouldn’t pretend that he hadn’t, even to please Dixon.

  “That wasn’t my question.”

  She hesitated. “I know.”

  “What happened between the two of you?”

  “Nothing.”

  Dixon waited, looking unconvinced.

  “Okay, something,” she said. “But it’s over and done.”

  Silence settled thick in the air, but she refused to break it. She’d already said too much.

  Dixon went first. “Are you in love with Tuck?” />
  She felt the world shift beneath her feet. “No.”

  She couldn’t be. She wouldn’t be. She’d made mistakes with Tuck, but she wouldn’t make that one.

  “I’m sorry,” said Dixon.

  “For what?” Was she about to be fired after all?

  “That Tuck hurt you.”

  “He didn’t hurt me.”

  And if he had, she’d get over it. She’d seen what falling for the wrong man could do, would do. She wasn’t going to do that to herself.

  Dixon gave a considered nod. “Okay. Tell me what else you know about Samuel.”

  “Why?”

  “Because you just made an impassioned plea on his behalf. Do you want to drop the ball now?”

  She didn’t. “He works well with Hope. And I respect Hope. She has her finger on the pulse of social media.”

  “You think we need social media?”

  “That’s like asking if you need telephones or computers. Yes, you need social media. Your father might not have seen it, but you need to think about the next twenty years, not the past twenty years.”

  “I’ll give it some thought,” he said.

  She couldn’t quite let it go. “It meaning social media, or keeping Samuel?”

  Dixon coughed out a chuckle. “You know, Tuck went to great lengths to impress upon me how loyal you were to me. But what I’m seeing right now is how loyal you are to him.”

  “I’m not loyal to Tuck.”

  “Okay.”

  “I’m only being fair to him.”

  “Then, I’ll be fair to you.”

  She swallowed. “You won’t fire me?”

  Dixon looked puzzled. “Fire you for what?”

  “Insubordination.”

  “Is that a euphemism for offering your opinion?”

  “In this case, it means offering my opinion forcefully and without provocation.”

  “That’s not what I meant, but you’re not fired, Amber. I’d hire fifty of you if I could.”

  She handed him the Blue Space file. “That was a nice thing to say.”

  “I’m hoping to win back your loyalty.”

  “You never lost it.”

  He glanced around the office. “Then, I can’t help but wonder what exactly it was that Tuck gained.”

  She was about to say nothing, but Dixon turned and left her alone.

  She stood for a moment, holding the atmosphere, remembering every little thing about Tuck until her heart throbbed and her chest ached, and she felt silent and alone and empty.

  * * *

  Tuck stared at his silent cell phone for a full minute before he slid it back inside his pocket. He was dressed to the nines, had a reservation at the Seaside, followed by tickets to a popular live comedy show, and he planned to end the evening at the Hollingsworth Lounge.

  MaryAnn was a great date—bright, bubbly, lots of fun. But Tuck simply didn’t have it in him right now. He didn’t want to romance MaryAnn or anyone else. He didn’t want to dine with them, dance with them or even sleep with them.

  He was on the rebound from Amber. He got that, even though they’d barely dated. But the rebound had never hit him like this before.

  The front door of the mansion opened and Dixon entered the foyer, doing a double take at the sight of Tuck.

  “Hot date?” Dixon asked.

  “Just got canceled.”

  “She get a better offer?”

  “Something like that.” Tuck wasn’t about to tell Dixon that he was the one who’d canceled the date. He’d used a lame excuse of having a headache. As if a normal guy would give up a night with MaryAnn over a headache.

  Trouble was, most normal guys hadn’t fallen for Amber.

  “Are you staying in?” asked Dixon.

  “Might as well.” Tuck loosened his tie.

  “Drink?”

  “Sure.” Tuck followed his brother into the library.

  He purposely sat down across from the chair where Amber had sat in her bare feet and sparkling dress. Then he smiled wistfully at the memory. She was so incredibly sexy with those luscious lips, simmering eyes, smooth shoulders and toned legs. He shifted in his chair.

  Dixon handed him a crystal glass with two ice cubes and a shot of single malt. “What?”

  “Nothing,” said Tuck.

  “You’re smiling.”

  “I’m not sorry about the date.” Tuck took a drink.

  “That’s an odd reaction.” Dixon sat down.

  Tuck gave a noncommittal shrug.

  “I was talking to Zachary today,” said Dixon.

  “Why would you do that?” Tuck wouldn’t have given the man the time of day.

  “He’s interested in coming back.”

  Tuck didn’t bother responding. Dixon knew how he felt about Zachary.

  Dixon seemed to give him a moment. “You got any thoughts on that?”

  In response, Tuck scoffed. “You don’t want to hear my thoughts on that.”

  “You don’t think we should take him back?”

  “I think we should drop him off the Michigan Avenue Bridge.”

  Dixon cracked a smile. “Let’s call that plan B.”

  “Let’s.” Tuck drank again, pulling for plan B.

  “Amber doesn’t like him,” said Dixon.

  “Amber’s not stupid.”

  “No, she’s not.”

  Her image appeared once more in the chair across from Tuck.

  “You’re smiling again,” said Dixon.

  “Did she tell you her sister had a baby?”

  “When did that happen?”

  “Two weeks ago. Just before you got back.”

  “Is her sister in Chicago?”

  Tuck nodded. “She is now.” He found himself glancing around the library. “You ever give much thought to the way we grew up?”

  “You mean with a controlling father and a distant mother?”

  “I mean with gold-plated bathroom faucets.”

  “The faucets aren’t gold-plated,” said Dixon. “Though I’m honestly not sure about the dining room chandelier.”

  “We never worried about having enough to eat. Heck, we never worried about running low on gourmet ice cream.”

  “Rich people still have problems.”

  “I know that,” said Tuck. “They never would buy me a pony.”

  He knew Amber’s childhood challenges had been on a whole other level. Whenever he thought about that, it left him feeling petty.

  “How about the fact that your father thought you were illegitimate?”

  Tuck had given that revelation a lot of thought these past few days. It didn’t change anything, but it did boost his confidence. He hadn’t earned his father’s disdain. It had been there all along.

  “You said I knew,” he said to Dixon. “Why did you think I knew?”

  “Because of that night when we overheard.”

  “What night?”

  “In the sitting room, listening at the air vent.”

  “We did that all the time.”

  Many nights, after their nanny had put them to bed, they’d sneak out of their room and listen to conversations going on downstairs. Usually they’d do it during parties, but they’d listened in on plenty of their parents’ conversations, as well.

  “They had a huge shouting match,” said Dixon. “Dad accused her of fooling around. She denied it at first, but then admitted it. He said you had someone named Robert’s hair and eyes.”

  Tuck sifted through his brain, but that particular fight didn’t stand out. “I don’t remember.”

  “You don’t remember learning you might have a different father?”

  “I must not
have understood. How old was I?”

  “Young,” Dixon answered thoughtfully. “I said ‘wow,’ and you said ‘wow’ back. And I thought you got the meaning.”

  “I can only guess it went right over my head.”

  “Wow,” said Dixon.

  “I’m not going back to the way things were,” said Tuck.

  For some reason, the path forward crystalized inside his mind.

  “Our father can like it or not,” he continued. “But it’s my company, too. I’m every bit as much his son as you are. I’m not going to be some token partner afraid of voicing my opinion. I’m going to fight you. I’m going to fight hard for what I know is right. Zachary is gone. He stays gone. Harvey, too. Amber...” He hadn’t thought his way through what to do about Amber.

  “Amber’s great,” said Dixon.

  Tuck looked up sharply. He didn’t like the tone of his brother’s voice, and he didn’t like the expression on Dixon’s face. “You stay away from Amber.”

  “I will not. She’s my assistant.”

  “And that’s all she is.”

  “That’s far from all she is.”

  Tuck found himself coming to his feet. “You better explain that statement.”

  “Explain it how?”

  Tuck’s voice rose. “What else is she? What is Amber to you? She won’t date her boss. She can’t date her boss. She would be supremely stupid to date her boss.”

  “Why?”

  “Because it’ll end badly for her. That sort of thing always does.”

  “So you didn’t date her?”

  “No, I didn’t date her.” Tuck would have dated her. But she’d said no. And she was right to say no.

  “And you didn’t sleep with her.”

  “What?” Tuck glared at his brother.

  “You’re acting pretty jealous for a guy who never dated her.”

  “I care about her, okay? Sure, I care about her. She’s a nice woman. She’s a fantastic woman. She’s been through a lot, and now she’s taking care of her sister. She does that. She takes care of people. She didn’t like me, but she helped me anyway. And the whole time you were gone, she had nothing but your best interests at heart.”

  “She’s loyal,” said Dixon. “You’ve said that before.”

  “She is, to her detriment at times.”