Sisters by Choice

by Susan Mallery

  He’d done as she’d asked with frightening speed. Less than twenty-four hours later, Tina had been hired and today, apparently, she was starting.

  “I’m not sure what Bear told you about our current circumstances,” Sophie began, wishing she could remember at least some of the interview. She had no idea what they’d discussed or what she’d said or any of it. Which was more than a little embarrassing. Not to mention dumb on her part.

  “I know about the fire and the move,” Tina told her. “The company continues to grow, you don’t have enough people and instead of focusing on leadership, you’re spending your days putting out fires.”

  Leadership? Sophie knew she was in charge, but she’d never considered herself a leader. Which was part of the problem, she thought, not enjoying the revelation.

  “I can help,” Tina continued as she pushed up her glasses. “Let me get the staff in place and then keep things running smoothly. I have a lot of experience. My job will be to handle everything so you can concentrate on taking CK Industries to the next level. I would imagine your five-year growth plan had to be thrown out, along with everything else the fire destroyed. You’ll need time to get that back in place.”

  Five-year growth plan? Sophie tried not to wince. She’d never been big on plans like that. She trusted her gut, which, to date, had not let her down.

  “As I said, I want to take care of the details,” Tina told her. “I have a lot of project management experience. I’ll put that to good use here.” She paused. “Did you want an assistant?”

  Sophie hesitated. “I’m not sure. I’ve had them before and they never work out.”

  “I thought as much.”

  Sophie waited, but Tina didn’t seem inclined to say anything else. Which meant what? Had she and Bear been talking about her? And if so, what had they said?

  “You do need someone to be in charge of your calendar and handle the small details.” Tina nodded as she spoke. “Why don’t I hire someone but instead of reporting to you, he or she will report to me? I’ll take care of assigning the tasks and you can run any problems you have through me.” Tina smiled. “I’ll be the bad guy.”

  “For both of us?”

  “Very possibly.”

  “It seems we have a plan.” Sophie wasn’t sure she liked the plan, but she didn’t have a better one. She couldn’t help thinking she was being handled—a sensation she did not enjoy in the least.

  She left Tina to get settled and walked out to the warehouse. Maybe she could spend a couple of hours filling orders. That always made her feel better.

  She’d barely stepped foot into the shipping area when Bear appeared at her side.

  “Did you talk to Tina?” he asked. “I like her. She knows her stuff. Try not to micromanage her, at least not the first week.”

  “I don’t micromanage anyone.”

  “Uh-huh. Let’s just let her get settled and start hiring the rest of the staff. That would be a good thing for all of us.” Bear pointed back to the offices. “Don’t you belong over there?”

  “I thought I’d help with shipping for a little while.”

  Bear physically stepped in front of her. “No.”

  She looked at him and narrowed her gaze. “Excuse me?”

  “I said no. My department, my rules. I let you do what you wanted the first couple of weeks because I knew you were still dealing with the fire and everything else, but I’m done with that. It’s my department. Either leave me alone to run it or fire me. There’s no middle ground.”

  But I need this. Words she didn’t say aloud. How on earth was she supposed to say that the repetitive task of placing merchandise into boxes was soothing to her? That she loved touching all the wonderful CK items, knowing they were going to be delivered to a happy cat in Minnesota or Florida.

  Bear turned her around and gave her a little push. “You have a nice office. Use it.”

  “You’re not the boss of me,” she grumbled even as she headed back to the other end of the warehouse.

  “That’s the rumor.”

  She’d barely made it to the hallway when Elliot caught up with her.

  “We have to talk.”

  Ugh. It was turning out to be one of those days.

  “Sure. Let’s go into my office.”

  It was closer and in case Bear checked on her, she would look busy.

  She waited until Elliot was across from her to say, “So what’s up?”

  “It’s Heather.” Elliot scowled at her. “What were you thinking? She can’t do the job you’ve given her. She has no training, no education. She takes days to complete a task that should take a couple of hours. She works hard, I’ll give you that. She’s determined and smart and one day she’s going to take the world by storm, but she does not belong in marketing.”

  “But she had such great ideas about our products.”

  “My aunt Ida has lots of great ideas about everything. That doesn’t mean I’m going to hire her. Sophie, I have no idea what’s going on with you, but this is no way to run a company. You were impulsive, giving Heather the job. You dumped her on me without talking to me first and now there’s a problem. The part I don’t understand is I think you care about Heather.”

  “What? Of course I do. I’ve known her all my life. She’s family. I love her.”

  “Then why did you do this to her?”

  “I was helping. I wanted something better for her.” She didn’t like how the conversation was going. “I did a good thing. This job pays more than the one in shipping and you said she’s capable. Can’t you teach her what she needs to know?”

  “This isn’t a continuing education center. I am trying to get a handle on the marketing plan you had for CK.”

  Elliot leaned back in his chair and studied her. “You’re a mess, aren’t you? You spend your day doing every job but your own and God help us if you see something shiny because you’ll be racing after it with no thought to whether or not it makes sense for the business.”

  His words were a hard slap across the face. Humiliation burned hot inside and out and she had no idea what to say to him.

  “I’m not going to fire Heather,” he told her, apparently unaware that she was seconds away from an emotional meltdown. “The mistake is yours, not hers. I’ll find work for her that she can do. In the meantime, don’t hire anyone else for me. I’m working the problem.”

  He paused. “Sophie, I know you mean well, but you have to think before you act. You’re not doing Heather or anyone else any favors when you give them a job they can’t handle. It’s not going to end well for anyone, and everyone ends up feeling stupid. How’s it going with your hunt for a sales manager?”

  “I’m still looking.”

  “Until you get one hired, I’ll put together some basic sales reports. Then we can talk numbers and targets. Anything else?”

  She shook her head. Elliot rose and walked out of her office.

  She stared after him, doing her best to stay in control. Part of her wanted to go after him and point out that it was her company and she could do what she wanted, only she wasn’t sure that was the smart solution. Elliot hadn’t been mean. He’d been blunt. Even more significant, she had a feeling he wasn’t wrong—about any of it. Or her.

  * * *

  Pillows flew across the bedroom.

  “Na-uh,” JJ yelled. “Take it back.”

  “I won’t,” Grant shouted back. “You were talking to a girl. I saw you. You turned all red. JJ has a girlfriend!”

  The last sentence was delivered in a singsong tone. Kristine, standing in the hallway, unashamedly eavesdropping, knew it was time to intervene. Or at least offer a distraction. Bedtime was only an hour away, and letting emotions get out of hand would mean a difficult night for all of them.

  She walked into the bedroom just as a pillow flew toward the door. She cau
ght it and smiled at her children.

  “I’m happy to know you’re not too old for a pillow fight,” she said as if she didn’t know there was more going on.

  “Mom, JJ was talking to a girl,” Grant began.

  JJ started for his brother. Kristine grabbed him by the back of his collar and brought him to a halt.

  “I believe we all talk to girls,” she said calmly. “And boys. Sometimes I talk to my cookies when I’m baking them. Communication is always a plus. Now, who’s ready for some reading? I believe we were about to start book three and we all know that’s my favorite.”

  She and the boys were reading the Harry Potter series. They’d seen the movies and she’d read the books to them before, but she was trying something new. Starting with the first book, each of her sons read a chapter aloud at bedtime. Grant was finally reading well enough to join in and she wanted to make reading a positive experience for all of them. Jaxsen wasn’t much of a reader, so he never participated.

  Not a huge surprise, she thought, picking up Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Jaxsen rarely did anything he didn’t like.

  She felt herself heading down a familiar mental path and managed to put on the brakes. While the boys scrambled to brush their teeth and put on pj’s, she walked into the master bedroom and got on the bed. She sat up against the headboard, the book in her lap.

  She and Jaxsen were in a better place and she should be happy about that. The fact that she’d let the whole virgin thing go was the main reason, but she’d known she needed her emotional energy to focus on what she wanted to do with the bakery.

  She was working hard on her business plan, figuring out a schedule for when she would work and had even talked to her mother-in-law about whether or not she could help a little more with the boys.

  Every now and then she thought about the brief kiss with Bruno. No doubt it fell firmly in the “things not to do” category, but she couldn’t regret it. The brief contact had given her mental clarity when it came to exactly what she wanted from her life, and a different man wasn’t it. Not even one with a private jet. She wanted her husband and her boys, and she wanted her own cookie dream. Surely that wasn’t too much to ask.

  “I’m ready,” Grant yelled, running into the room and launching himself onto the bed. He scrambled close and snuggled against her.

  Tommy and JJ joined them, Tommy leaning against her other side while JJ stretched across the foot of the bed.

  Contentment filled her. This was right, she thought. This was what made her happy. And it was only going to get better.

  “I think it’s my turn,” she said, opening the book.

  “It is,” Tommy told her and yawned. “I like it best when you read to us.”

  “Me, too,” Grant said. JJ nodded.

  “Thank you. I like listening to all of you, so it’s good we take turns. All right. New adventure for our boy, Harry.” She turned to the first page and began to read.

  * * *

  Spring in the Pacific Northwest could be cold and dreary but every now and then, there was a perfect day. Sunday afternoon Heather sat on the beach down by the park, enjoying the sun and the seventy-degree temperatures. The peninsula across the water stood out in sharp relief against the deep blue sky. Waves lapped at the shore. There were tourists, but not enough to get in the way.

  Gina lay on her side, baby Noah propped up against her. The little boy was moving his bright yellow truck back and forth on the large beach blanket, making spluttering noises and crashing it into a big green rabbit. Daphne, back from the University of Washington for the weekend, was stretched out on a towel. She had on shorts and a bikini top and swore she could feel herself getting a tan.

  “I don’t think you can actually get a tan until like May,” Gina told her. “We’re too far north.”

  “I don’t care what science tells us,” Daphne said with a laugh. “I’m going to will it to happen.”

  “As long as college is opening your mind,” Heather teased.

  She was enjoying an afternoon off from her various jobs and was hanging out with her friends—both were rare and she was determined to enjoy every second.

  Daphne’s cell phone rang. Without bothering to open her eyes, she pushed a button, sending the call to voice mail.

  “Trouble with the boy?” Gina asked, her voice teasing.

  “Some. Things are ending and he wants to keep talking about it.”

  “A man who wants to communicate,” Heather said with a laugh. “No wonder you don’t want to be with him. It’s a nightmare.”

  Daphne wrinkled her nose. “It’s not the talking. It’s just we’re too different. I’m into protecting the environment as much as the next person but Donnie wants to start a petition that says students in on-campus housing can only shower once a week.” She opened her eyes and looked at them. “To save water.”

  “Okay, that’s a total deal-breaker,” Gina told her. “But I thought you were dating Russell.”

  “That was last week.” Heather’s voice was a mock whisper. “And before that it was Kanye.”

  Daphne grinned. “You know it. I like to keep my options open.”

  Which sounded like fun, Heather thought, wishing she’d been able to swing UW and being a full-time student. Eventually, she promised herself. She was saving money as fast as she could. Once they got the house/apartment situation settled, she was going to put together a timeline so she could leave Blackberry Island. Moving to Boise still made the most sense. It was a lot cheaper than Seattle and being that far from her mother sounded heavenly.

  “How’s it going working for your aunt?” Daphne asked. “My mom was telling me people are really excited about having CK Industries opening up. The jobs are supposed to be really good.”

  “I’m loving it. I’m working in marketing and I’m learning a ton.” She still wasn’t sure what Elliot thought of her, but so far he’d kept her on and she was working hard to prove herself to him.

  “I wonder if they have any part-time work,” Gina said, her voice tentative. “Not that I know what I’d do with Noah.” She lightly touched her son’s head. “My parents both work and my in-laws live too far away to help on a daily basis.”

  Heather knew better than to suggest Gina hire a babysitter or put Noah in day care. Those costs would be nearly as much as Gina would make.

  Daphne sat up. “Changing the subject. We need to plan a road trip. Summer’s not that far away. If we want to do something, we should decide now.”

  “Road trip?” Gina sounded doubtful. “I don’t think I could do that. Not with Noah.”

  “Sure you could.” Daphne held up a finger. “Call your in-laws and set it up with them. We’ll drop off Noah on our way out of town.” She held up a second finger. “Do not say Quincy can’t survive without you. The man will be totally fine. Even better, he’ll miss you and wouldn’t that be nice?”

  She turned to Heather. “I’m thinking Cannon Beach. We could rent a place, just the three of us. Not on the beach, but close. Come on. Say yes. It will be a blast.”

  It would be, Heather thought wistfully. Getting away, hanging out with her friends, just like back in high school.

  “I have work.” And an apartment to deal with and other dreams that didn’t have room for a getaway.

  “I couldn’t leave Noah overnight,” Gina added. “It would be too hard.”

  “Seriously?” Daphne stared at them. “This is your answer? Do you two even remember you’re only twenty? Come on. We have our whole lives to be mature and do the right thing. Let’s have fun.”

  Gina’s expression tightened. “I’m married, with a child. I have responsibilities.”

  Daphne grabbed her T-shirt and pulled it on. “I don’t get it,” she said as she stood. “When did you both decide to give up on our friendship? I understand you have responsibilities. I understand not ever
yone gets someone to pay for their college, but that doesn’t mean every second has to be a grind.” She stood and picked up her bag. “Call me when you’re ready to be fun again.”

  “Daphne, don’t be like that,” Heather said. “Please. We’re friends. I know things are different, but that doesn’t have to change things. We can still have fun together.”

  “Doing what?”

  “Hanging out like this.” She motioned to the beach. “It’s a beautiful day and we haven’t seen each other in forever. I’m sorry about the trip, but that shouldn’t change things between us.”

  Daphne hesitated, then nodded. “Okay. You’re right. Sorry I overreacted. I’m getting a soda. Anyone want anything?”

  “I’m good,” Gina told her.

  “I’ll take one.”

  Daphne headed for the snack stand in the park. When she was out of earshot, Gina leaned close.

  “She’s really immature.”

  Heather thought about Daphne’s suggestion they go away for a few days. It wasn’t an extraordinary idea. Hanging out in Cannon Beach was actually kind of low-key. They would have had fun, and getting away would be nice. It just wasn’t possible.

  “I’m not sure it’s immature so much as normal,” Heather admitted. “We’re only twenty, Gina. Maybe we’re the ones out of step, not her.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Sophie couldn’t remember ever preparing for an interview before. When she’d first started CK, she’d hired people she knew. When new people were needed, she’d put ads online. Eventually, she’d started using employment agencies and online apps. But this time was different.

  She’d first heard about Maggie Heredia at an industry conference. One of Sophie’s competitors had been bragging about a double-digit increase in sales. At the time, when CK was growing faster than they could keep up, that hadn’t been an impressive number, but in the past couple of years, as the company had conquered all the easy markets, Sophie had remembered the name and had started keeping track of Maggie online.