Neve (Silver Skates #3) - Helen Scott Page 0,45

happiness in his voice at the thought of shoving me off into a cubicle somewhere. His failed heir.

“Okay, Daddy. Six months.”

“At the latest, Neve. Ideally, a good businessman could get this turned around in three, but I’m giving you six because this is your first time out. Don’t disappoint me.”

Before I could reply he hung up. Three months? Really? I knew that for what it was—a threat. Yes, he’d technically said six months, but he’d also included the part about good businessmen, which to be honest, was shitty on many levels. But mostly, it was because I knew that if it did take me six months, then I may as well start decorating my cube. I’d never get past this if I wasn’t able to turn a profit in three months.

Ugh. I was so screwed.

“Told you I’d find you,” a voice said in my ear, making me jump out of my skin.

I spun and lashed out, only to find my open palm connecting with Niklaus’ face. “OhmygoshImsosorry,” I said, the words all rushing out as one.

“It’s okay, I shouldn’t have surprised you,” he said, rubbing his cheek.

There was a man I didn’t recognize standing next to him. He had dark hair and bright blue eyes that were watching me with a healthy dose of curiosity.

“I thought you said she was your mate,” the mystery man said.

“She is, but her magic is off, hence the books,” Niklaus said with a groan. Finally, he stopped being dramatic and left his jaw alone. “Neve, this is James O’Malley. He and his sister are co-owners of O’Malley’s Irish Pub and Bar and also happens to be a conjurer. I know it’s not quite the same as the magic your family practices, but it’s the closest I could think of since they use their emotions combined with spells. Though they are usually in Romanian, unlike yours, they do also add in body movements to create magic. And the best part is that James here has offered to loan you a couple books to help get you started with figuring out why your magic is a bit…weird.”

James held out a small grocery bag with books inside. He looked slightly awkward as he said, “I’ve included my name and number in the books so you can call me if you have any questions. These should help you get started though.”

“Thank you,” I replied as I took the offered bag. I knew if my father found out about this, he would be furious, but he didn’t have to know. Plus, this might help me add a little extra oomph to the paper to bring more humans to Silver Springs. After all, I knew now that my father would never consider doing something like that.

I knew now that he’d upped the timeline, it meant he was actively trying to see me fail without alerting any of the board members. He wanted nothing more than to shove me into a corner and forget about me, which he could do once I proved to be inadequate or incapable of turning the paper around.

“You’re welcome. I hope it helps, and feel free to reach out or come visit the pub.”

“Actually, since I have you here, how would you feel about being interviewed by the Gazette? We’re doing a series on business owners in the area and why they decided to move to Silver Springs. I’d love to include O’Malley’s if possible,” I gushed, maybe laying on the charm a little too much, based on the frown that was now decorating Niklaus’ face.

“You can interview me anytime,” James replied with a wink and a sparkling smile.

I had to wipe the grin off my face. Apparently, I was already spoken for, so flirting with James was unfair to everyone. I coughed to clear my throat and straightened my face before I said, “We’re also offering advertising packages that would go along with your interview. I’ll get some information sent over and you can take a look. Oh, and I’ll have Seren email you to set the interview up. Thank you so much for all of this.”

“We’re a small town. We should help each other out if we can. Speaking of, here’s a card for a free drink. Stop by O’Malley’s anytime.” With another dazzling, flirtatious smile, he handed me the card before turning and walking back the way he came.

The move left me alone with Niklaus, and while I knew I should go back inside to help Seren with the interview, I also didn’t