My Best Friend's Father (A Best Friend's Series Book 3)

by Eliza Ellis

  “Sir, I’m here because I need the money, yes. Just like a lot of people in the departments that are listed on the sheet in front of you. Now, you said we only have the summer. Am I right to assume you’d like to leave this place better than it is now? If so, then you’ll allow me to set up appointments with those departments. That way, the board won’t be looking for a reason to fire other people for incompetence. People who probably need a paycheck, too.”

  She stood and left the room as she came in, back straight, head held high, marching to her own commanding cadence.

  And she slammed the door for effect.

  Marshall’s heart was hammering. He couldn’t determine why. Fear? Excitement? Attraction? An impending anxiety attack?

  He would be fuming if her challenge didn’t make her even more alluring.

  He reined in his attraction. He had to tread lightly. He was on thin ice with the board of directors. Kori was right—he’d be a complete idiot to give them even more ammunition to toss him out before the end of the summer. He could kiss whatever compensation package they were willing to offer goodbye. And he wasn’t about to leave his company with just stock options.

  Kori admitted she wanted a paycheck. She was suing her former boss, whom everyone believed to be right. Sabrina hadn’t mentioned the real reason behind Kori’s dismissal. Did she think he wouldn’t believe her? That he’d be susceptible to gossip? From what he could tell, Kori wasn’t at all interested in sleeping her way to the top. She was here to do a job, and not even the CEO was going to stand in her way. Marshall shook his head, remembering her boldness. Brigham owed some of his success to the strength of his former executive assistant.

  A notification came on his screen of a file being imported into their shared Dropbox, and then the screens disconnected. Marshall pulled up the document again.

  Kori was one hundred percent correct to challenge his work ethic and point out areas of neglect. And she was also right about the board. Those members would likely be all too willing to place the blame on lower-level employees or even middle management. Heads would roll, and the one who’d be spared—at least for another few months—would be the king.

  Marshall.

  It wasn’t fair to his employees. They looked to him for leadership, and he had even let that slide in the last year.

  Another popup.

  A meeting with the company counselor was set for this evening, an hour before he was scheduled to leave the office.

  Marshall immediately rang Kori’s office. “Ms. Kaye, explain this meeting.”

  “The company has an extensive wellness program, including counselors that are on staff to meet with employees. Since you are facing several challenges, I thought it would be a good idea for you to have an appointment and talk through priorities. That will help you focus the rest of us.”

  And then she hung up.

  Hung up the phone on the CEO.

  Marshall was so stunned he couldn’t form a cohesive thought for a solid minute. Who did she think she was? Did Brigham have to put up with this? He doubted she would’ve lasted longer than a week if this were how she had conducted herself.

  At the top of his email came a forwarded message. He opened it, needing something else to focus on before he shoved his monitor off his desk.

  A message from Kori. Great. She’d done a lot of talking in different ways today, and none of them he liked. She had forwarded a message from the board recommending Marshall see a counselor. It was dated ten months ago. Two months after his divorce was official, and right in the middle of the darkest period of his grief. Full on denial and self-condemnation.

  So the appointment with the shrink wasn’t something she had come up with on her own. She hadn’t been completely out of line suggesting it, although he couldn’t exactly blame her if she did. Marshall continued reading the message and saw Kori had strung together a number of requests from the board for him to seek professional help.

  Well, he had three months left. And Kori did pose the question: how did he want to go out? Kicking and screaming? Or like a boss?

  Marshall accepted the invitation and saw it immediately change colors in his digital appointment book. He then noticed a lot of meetings had been scheduled—with the departments he oversaw—and they were all awaiting his approval. He smirked. She had only asked his permission to schedule these appointments out of respect for his position. No way she had confirmed these—over a dozen—with the appointment heads in the few minutes she had left his office.

  One by one, Marshall checked yes to all.

  And just like that, he was back at work.

  Chapter 8

  This was how it started.

  Kori nervously bounced her right leg and tapped her fingers on her armrests. She let her eyes roam around the small restaurant on the bank of the river she and Marshall had sailed down a couple of weeks earlier. The sun was setting, and the streets were full of people walking about, enjoying the cooler evening air. Patrons sat around her conversing in Italian, and Kori pretended like she didn’t feel completely out of place by ordering a water…in Italian.

  That ought to do it.

  She had wanted to be more fluent by now—and conversing with the hotel staff had helped—but she spent most of her hours in the office, or in her hotel room doing her job, that the only time she had to venture out was to the hotel gym. The daily itineraries she had designed for Marshall had kept them both crazy busy. Outside of office meetings, they rarely spoke.

  She blew out a breath and tapped her phone’s home button. Marshall was a half an hour late. Her waiter had been eyeing her for well over fifteen minutes. He would probably ask her to leave in a minute if she didn’t order something, so she raised her hand for him to come over. She managed to get out bread in Italian, and he briefly smiled before snapping his book shut. No, she wasn’t going to order one thing an hour. She just worked for a guy who came and went as he pleased without regard to people or the time.

  She shouldn’t even be here. When she wasn’t discussing business with Brigham over a meal, she ate alone. Already she had had lunch with Marshall, and now he wanted dinner. If he asked for breakfast the next morning, she would have to firmly refuse. Meals would become parties with too much booze and then end in limos—or gondolas—with indecent proposals and Kori back in a sleazy extended stay hotel.

  And she had already made Marshall angry by pointing out what an incompetent boss he’d become over the last year. His demeanor since had been coldly professional. It had suited Kori fine, except she did miss his easy smile—the one that made the corners of his eyes crinkle.

  It wasn’t her fault she had to call him out, but bosses always blamed their subordinates for their mistakes. She’d witnessed that behavior often from Brigham. She hadn’t been at work for more than a couple of weeks and would probably soon hear it from Marshall for however long this job lasted.

  It wouldn’t last long. Kori was sure of it. Once Brigham started asking to see her not to discuss business but to “brainstorm,” she should’ve seen the giant red flag waving in her face. He never wanted to hear her ideas about anything he was working on. Narcissistic to the core, Brigham didn’t appreciate any ideas other than his own. He’d built the company from scratch—much like Marshall had—and that meant he was the brainchild. The brain. The only one whose opinions mattered.

  She was just an assistant. Emails and appointments. Not too much thought behind that. And it shouldn’t have taken much thought to say yes to the boss. But Kori had a brain and wanted to be respected for it. Saying no was the easiest response she’d ever given him. Brigham had the gall to tell her she should be grateful for his advances. And as often as she was away from home and the position she had, when was she ever going to find a man who respected her? Marry her?

  Never.

  Brigham would’ve never kept her home long enough, and he would’ve never let her have enough time off to explore the possibility of a relationship let alone marriage.

  And
here she was again. Only this time it was a bribe. Marshall had hated the idea of going to see the company’s therapist—she’d heard it in his voice when he’d asked her about the appointment. Every time she mentioned it, he would groan. He had stormed into Kori’s office right before today’s appointment to declare he wasn’t going unless…

  Unless she had dinner with him after.

  Dinner.

  Dinner?

  Kori had been so stunned she didn’t respond. He wanted to have dinner. Why? She was his daughter’s age. He couldn’t think… No. Kori had laughed it off after he’d left, all the while fear invaded every part of her being. She hadn’t stopped shaking since.

  She figured the dinner was to discuss her future with the company. A future that wasn’t meant to be. After all, she did give him a long list of tasks to do before he too would be fired. Who wanted to finish strong when they had already left?

  Or maybe the board had finally made a decision and now it was time to face the music. Well, she had enjoyed her hotel—and this street. It was really all of Italy she had seen.

  She saw Marshall enter the restaurant. If she didn’t know he was close to fifty, she’d swear he wasn’t even forty. His sandy hair barely had a touch of gray, and she only saw wrinkles around the corners of his eyes when he smiled or laughed. Even now, he looked amazing with dark shades on, light linen pants, and a comfortable light green top, his suit jacket slung over his shoulder like he’d stepped out of some ’80s television show. Funny, Sabrina didn’t look a thing like him. Different colored eyes and hair. Even their smiles weren’t the same.

  Marshall took a seat across from Kori. “Thanks for meeting me here,” he said. Then he ordered a glass of water.

  “You didn’t give me much choice.”

  He smiled easily. “I wondered if you were all talk or not.”

  “Sir, before we start, I’d just like to say how uncomfortable I am right now.”

  Marshall frowned. “I know, and that’s my fault. I thought if I didn’t make this dinner a condition of my going to see the therapist today, then you wouldn’t accept the invitation. I didn’t know how else to thank you.”

  Kori blinked. “Thank me, sir?”

  Marshall’s easy smile appeared. “Yes. Thank you for what you’ve been doing these last couple of weeks. I know we haven’t interacted much.” He shot her that easy grin she loved. “I blame you for that, by the way. My schedule has been packed. But, in all honesty, I owe you”—he looked around the table—“more than dinner.” He had a devilish look in his eyes. “I’m going to give you an increase in salary.”

  “Uh…” Kori didn’t know what to say. Already? After two weeks? She’d only be here three months anyway.

  “You can’t say no, or I’ll fire you.” He laughed, seeing her shocked expression. “I’m sorry. I won’t fire you. You can refuse, but since you can’t cut your own check, you have no way of giving it back.” He winked.

  “Sir, that’s too much. I’m only doing my job.”

  “No, no. I appreciate initiative. You’ve shown that since day one.” His look turned serious. “We’re going to have a lot of work ahead of us because of me. Because I put this company behind. We’ve made progress, but it’s the tip of the iceberg. That’s going to mean you’ll be working even more than what’s required—and I know you have already. That’s my fault. I’ve put you in this position.”

  “Sir, I don’t mind,” Kori said swiftly. “I just want to work.”

  “And you should be appropriately compensated. That means a bump in salary. I’ve already had it approved. That’s what took me so long in getting here. I practically had to threaten a board member that I’d shut down the whole company tomorrow.”

  Her eyes widened on him. He had to be joking. “You didn’t!”

  He chuckled. “I did. Dramatic, I know. But they’ve come to expect that of me. And I know I could’ve told you this at the office, but that’s so impersonal—handing you an official document and saying ‘congrats, you’re doing better than everyone else.’ You’re my assistant. I can pay for a well-deserved meal.”

  The waiter came back and took their orders. Marshall placed a napkin in his lap and gestured toward the bread that was placed on the table. Kori wordlessly nodded her permission, and Marshall took a piece and dumped it into the oil and vinegar mix he had swirled on his bread plate.

  Kori couldn’t believe what he’d said. She wasn’t here because he wanted to make a pass at her. She was getting a pay raise. That meant extra money for her legal team. How often had Brigham offered her a raise? Once or twice in five years? And he had worked her like a dog.

  She didn’t want to appear rude and ask how much. Instead, she calmly ate her bread while excitement brewed in her. Perhaps she had misjudged her boss.

  “How did the therapy session go today?” Kori asked, curious about what was discussed.

  Marshall only smiled.

  “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked. It’s none of my business.”

  Marshall’s smile faded into a pensive look. He shrugged. “You’re my assistant. You should know me better than most, even if it’s only been two sessions. The therapy session went fine, thank you. Still doing preliminary work. Takes me a while to open up. Haven’t been able to get too deep into the weeds.”

  “Of course, of course. Right.” Why hadn’t she thought about that? Her expectations were unrealistically high after her experience with Brigham. She couldn’t expect Marshall to have a revelation and immediately know what to do to fix his life in a couple one-hour sessions.

  “But don’t worry. I will be going back. Every week until I think I’m okay to move forward without it. I’ve realized that I haven’t really had someone to talk to since the divorce. It’ll be good for me to get a few things I’ve bottled up out in the open. Not sure why I hadn’t gone sooner. Sabrina’s always saying I should. I have a life coach for a daughter and don’t even listen to her.” He laughed.

  Kori could take a guess why he hadn’t gone. A powerful man having to admit he had issues and needed help? Brigham refused to acknowledge his own faults. Someone like that could wield their influence for evil, which Brigham did. Kori felt bad for the person Brigham had found to replace her and hoped that person had a strong sense of self-worth and could walk away if needed.

  “I’m glad you’ve found it helpful,” Kori said with an encouraging nod. “These next three months are probably going to be incredibly stressful, especially when it comes out that…” She couldn’t say it out loud. If she did, then it would be true.

  Marshall nodded slowly. “Yes…when it comes out. Hopefully, the board will keep it a secret until the day I walk out. Guess I better learn how to handle the embarrassment now.” He gave her a wry smile.

  “I’m sorry, sir.”

  He shrugged. “Don’t be. You said I’ve been an incompetent boss—”

  “I never said—”

  He laughed. “I’m kidding, but you know you implied it.”

  Sheepish, Kori bit her lip and stared at her food. It was delicious. She took a large bite to keep herself from saying anything else stupid.

  “Look who’s embarrassed now?” Kori continued to stare at her plate, and Marshall laughed. “You have guts, Kori. I admire that. Hey, look at me.”

  Kori lifted her eyes to his. Her belly warmed, and it wasn’t because of the food. The intensity in his eyes took her breath away.

  “Don’t ever think you can’t tell it to me straight. I want you to be honest with me. And I’ll be honest with you. Deal?”

  She smiled. “Deal. I’m sorry—”

  “No apologies. I deserved it.”

  “You mean you enjoyed it?”

  His head went back, and he laughed. She enjoyed the deep, genuine sound. She let her guard down, and it felt good to trust again. Marshall had is own issues with trust—who could blame him—and perhaps their faith in people could be restored by trusting each other.

  Marshall settled, and his
brow furrowed. He looked down at his plate. Kori wanted to reach across the table and take his hand, an overwhelming urge to comfort him going against her good reason. She kept her hands firmly in her lap. A clear boundary had to be maintained, no matter how much she was beginning to trust her boss. They were losing their jobs. Making their relationship a gray area wouldn’t help at all.

  Chapter 9

  The food was delicious as always, which made the walk back to the hotel slow and leisurely. Marshall was glad for it. He enjoyed Kori’s company. She was a calming influence on his anxieties, and he felt more centered now than he had in a year. She was steady and a natural planner, where he could be a little more free-spirited as a visionary. He had to hand it to Sabrina: she was full of good ideas. If only he took them when he first heard them.

  Kori had been silent throughout the rest of the meal, but Marshall hadn’t felt uncomfortable. He had offered her a temporary job and made sure she would get paid as much for it as possible. It was all he could do. She didn’t ask how much, to her credit, but he had secured her a twenty-five percent bump in pay. He pushed it through Perry, who agreed that it would probably be money well spent for nothing to happen between the two of them. Marshall had only nodded, thinking the board’s fears unfounded.

  Yes, he found Kori charming, and as enticing as mouth-watering as the filetto di manzo he had for dinner, but he had no indication from her that she felt the same. He was old enough to be her father—if he had her when he was a teenager. Society would allow a handsome, well-educated, and highly successful man such as himself a partner who was nearly two decades his junior, but they would see her as a gold digger, a trophy, and someone trying to up her stock. Kori wasn’t that type of woman. Marshall would never understand why society would accept his pursuit of a younger woman but not the reverse.