to everything she has to say regarding the party of the century, intently at that. I know for a fact that if Emilia was still alive these are things she would be sharing with her, and I’m doing my best to fill the void. My mother and Teagan have a rough sordid relationship—and that about explains every relationship my mother has ever had with anyone.
“Let me comb through a few things and we’ll get out of here.” I head for my office just as my father strides my way, that signature grin of his expanding at the sight of me.
My mother has always referred to my father as a silver fox, a devil incarnate among other far more nefarious titles. They’ve been divorced for over ten years. My mother has remarried and divorced again twice since then. But my father has remained faithful to his work. His career was the mistress that stole his heart, my mother once said. I’ve ventured to guess she was right. But my father’s mistress is no soul mate if you ask me. He’s lonely, tired, overworked, but he plods on, chasing after his next million. He’s never been content in that respect. A part of me is terrified I’ll end up just like dear old Dad, tired and alone, chasing empty dollars to fill up bank accounts that I don’t really care about. Who the hell cares if I’m wearing a designer suit or how my penthouse compares to the rich idiot next door if I don’t have Lex in my life? The thought stops me cold for a moment. I don’t have Lex in my life.
Dad slaps his oversized mitt onto my back. “I’ve given Mortgage Makers over to Shep. We’ll let him clown around and see if he can get that up and running again. I think it’s a great addition to the portfolio, and it’s something solid he can really cut his teeth on. Once he gets that off the ground, we’ll ply him with some real work.” He leans in, that intense gaze of his has always had the power to make me feel as if I’m about to have my ass handed to me. His heavy cologne clots up the air between us, and my entire childhood flashes before my eyes. My father has always been a Polo man, and I’ve always appreciated the warm scent on him. I can’t walk by a bottle without thinking of my dad. “But for you, sport—I’ve got a surprise waiting on your desk. Why don’t we take a look?”
We head into my office together, the view of downtown Jepson wafts under the duress of heat as the hot air radiates over the city like a bad dream. A file marked Flynn Oil sits prominent on my desk, and I can’t seem to catch my next breath.
“You’re giving me Flynn?” I stab my fingers over the cushioned file in disbelief.
“That’s right. There will be no time for you to mingle with any of the new mergers we’re incorporating. I’ve got the rest of the team to subdivide those. Chip has agreed to take on the remainder of Meredith’s load, which isn’t much considering she’ll be back in a few short weeks. But you”—he slaps me hard over the shoulder and it feels like a punishment—“you’ll be too busy for outings at that silly bar, forget about heading out for lunch. I’ll make sure Teagan sends in whatever you want. You’ll want to get on that case right away. There’s a conference call in the morning and you’ll need to be up on the history. Let me know if you need anything.” He takes off, nothing but his cologne trailing behind to mock me.
A knot builds in my throat as big as an oil derrick. Flynn Oil has notoriously vowed to expand its hundred-acre facility, which will bleed parts of the plant close to low-income housing and underperforming schools on the outskirts of east Jepson. It’s been a long running feud between neighbors and big oil, and I’m the lucky fish that will be publicly gutted when and if this goes awry. And by awry, I mean if and when I win. There is not a single way out of this but through the thorny gates of infamy.
I pick up that paperweight of the world Shep gifted me last Christmas and pitch it to the floor exploding it into glassy blue bits all over the hardwood floors.
“Crap.” I take a seat in that big