Giving Up the Boss

by Victoria Davies

  He knew immediately what path her thoughts would take after that revelation.

  “I opened my eyes and you were there,” he said. “There was no choice. No hiding. This is not a reflection on you.”

  “I know,” she said.

  Except she wouldn’t meet his gaze.

  “You matter more,” he said, his voice rough. “More than an absent brother. More than the board members. You are the most important person to me, sweetheart.”

  Her eyes met his briefly, a small smile on her lips. “I believe you,” she said but he knew that the soft words were a lie.

  She doesn’t trust that I’d ever care about her in a way that means something.

  In a way that was permanent.

  His hands fisted at his sides. He couldn’t make her promises he didn’t know the other him would keep.

  But if he could. If it was only him for the rest of his life…

  All I’d want is you.

  “He wants to see you,” she said, talking to his chin. “Marc’s in the living room.”

  “One more game of pretend.”

  “No.” Her dark gaze met his. “No, this is your brother. Be honest.”

  His throat tightened.

  How?

  He wanted to ask but the question caught in his throat. How did he be the man his brother was waiting to see when that person was a stranger?

  No matter what I do, I’ll be a disappointment.

  As if she could hear him, Lori cupped his face in her hands.

  “He’s your family,” she told him. “The most important person in the world to you.”

  No, he’s not.

  “He has no expectations. There are no agendas here. All he wants is to see you and know you’re safe.” She drew her fingers along his jaw in the way that he loved. “The same way you protected him all your life. He just wants to return the favor now. That’s what family is, Jackson. They don’t judge. They just love.”

  His body jerked. Maybe that was her memory of family, but he had nothing to draw from.

  “Please,” she whispered. “Please come see him. If you don’t…” She looked away. “This will break something between you. Believe me. I wouldn’t ever steer you wrong.”

  He caught her hand and brought it to his mouth. “No,” he said. “You wouldn’t.”

  She was his moral compass. His guide through the world. There was nothing he could refuse her.

  Not even this.

  Drawing a deep breath, he nodded his acceptance.

  Her smile was almost worth it. “It will be fine,” she promised him, rising to kiss him.

  He accepted the caress, welcoming every kiss she chose to give him. “Let’s get this over with,” he said.

  “Do you want me to go with you?” she asked.

  He nodded before he could think twice. A stronger man might have faced this trial alone, but he wanted her there. He didn’t want any more secrets between them.

  Together they walked down the short hall to the living room.

  A man stood staring out the big bay windows.

  With his back to them, he studied his brother.

  They shared their height, obviously. And the other man had dark hair like his own.

  Marc carried himself a certain way, his back ramrod straight, his shoulders broad and even.

  Just like me.

  “Marc,” Lori said at his side. “Jackson’s here.”

  His brother didn’t turn for a moment. The pause was long enough for him to wonder if his concern was shared by his nearest relation.

  Finally, his younger brother pivoted on his heel to face them.

  It was like staring into a mirror.

  Marc was a copy of him only altered in ways he couldn’t quite describe. The other man was younger, but it wasn’t just that. They had the same chin, the same eyes, and nose. But Marc’s hair was a little longer and wavier. His eyes were more haunted and his mouth tighter.

  I know him.

  Not the way he needed to. But just like Lori, there was an underlying sense of rightness.

  “Lori,” Marc said. “Would you excuse us?”

  “No,” she replied, rolling her shoulders back.

  His brother’s gaze left him to focus on the woman by his side. He could see the disbelief stamped on Marc’s face.

  “Go. Now,” he tried again.

  A shake went through her, but she lifted her chin. “I’ll stay as long as Jackson wants me, too.”

  His heart broke.

  Mine.

  It was a Neanderthal instinct. Something left from ages past. But in that moment, he was sure of that one thought more than he was sure of anything else.

  Lori was his. And if he was smart, he’d never let her go.

  For the rest of his life.

  Leaning into her, he ran a hand down her arm. When she turned to him, he caught her lips in the sweetest kiss they’d ever shared.

  Feel it. Even if I can’t say the words. Feel what I can’t tell you.

  Words that would be cruel to speak when he didn’t know what his future self would do.

  She inhaled as he drew back, an emotion churning in her gaze he couldn’t name.

  “Thank you,” he whispered to her.

  “You want me to go?”

  He nodded. “I think I need to do this on my own.”

  She hesitated, her gaze flicking to Marc. No doubt deciding the damage was already done, she kissed him again, running her hand down his face. “If you need me…”

  “I’ll call,” he promised.

  With a nod, she stepped back and left the room.

  Leaving him alone with his only family.

  “I take it you two overcame your differences,” Marc said.

  “You don’t get to comment on her.”

  Marc held out his hands. “For the record, I’ve always liked Lori.”

  “Says you.”

  He nodded. “Right. I could be a stranger for all you know. There’s no reason to trust me.”

  No, there’s not.

  Except something buried deep was telling him to.

  Marc put his hands in his pockets. “I came straight from the airport.”

  He said nothing.

  The other man shifted. “I wouldn’t have left you at the hospital if it hadn’t been necessary. I was trying to protect Dad’s legacy. Your legacy.”

  Silence stretched.

  “Should I have stayed?” The words were rough, as if his brother dreaded saying them. “Will you hold it against me forever that I didn’t?”

  He cleared his throat. “Of course not. You won us Uni Industries.”

  “Yet you won’t take my calls.”

  “No.”

  “Why?”

  He looked away. There was so much pain in that one word. Pain that stabbed directly into his heart.

  All this time he’d been afraid of meeting his brother and seeing the blank stare in his gaze. Of having a sibling who didn’t recognize him.

  Wasn’t that Marc’s curse as well?

  All his brother could do was help a man who didn’t know him. Their past had been wiped away without either of their consent. How much worse would it be to be the one left behind? The one with all the knowledge but no one to share it with?

  He’d been fighting everyday but his brother had been doing no less.

  “I couldn’t face you,” he said, the honesty scraping at his throat.

  Marc nodded, swallowing hard. “Because I left you.”

  “No.” He drew in a deep breath. “Because I was, am, someone else. I didn’t think it was fair to make you deal with a stranger wearing your brother’s skin.”

  Marc took a single step closer. “I was at the hospital. I know what you’re going through.”

  “You never saw the aftermath,” he said. “I’m not the man you knew. I’m not your brother.”

  Marc stiffened.

  “I didn’t mean it like that.” Gritting his teeth, he ran a hand through his hair. “I
’m a different person, Marc.”

  “You’re healing.”

  “And leaving all the work to you.”

  Marc shrugged. “You pulled off a miracle here when I needed to be in Australia. We needed both of us playing our roles.”

  “And Lori.”

  “And Lori,” Marc agreed. “How much do you know?”

  “About my accident, you mean? She told me the truth.”

  His brother nodded. “She said as much. Damn woman has a moral streak that comes before everything else.”

  His eyes narrowed. “You wanted her to lie?”

  “I told her to. Neither of us thought you’d forgive her,” his brother replied without a drop of shame.

  The breath left him in a rush. “What sort of monster was I before?”

  Marc shook his head. “You were tough, but fair,” he said. “An icon of what CEOs should be. Everyone envied you.” His smile grew lopsided. “Me included.”

  “But I was alone.”

  “I never heard you complain about that.”

  “Maybe I didn’t know any better.”

  “Brother…”

  “Let’s focus on why you’re here,” he said, changing the subject. “I take it all is going well with Uni Industries.”

  “They need to do their due diligence but, yes, I think we can get this deal.”

  “So long as I don’t screw it up.”

  “Pretty much.”

  He ran a hand down his face. “I’ll prep everything I can. Just give us the details.”

  “I already sent Lori everything I have.”

  “Good.”

  Silence hung between them.

  “I’m sorry,” Marc said, the words sounded like they were being pulled from him. “I’m sorry I didn’t wait till you woke up.”

  He shook his head. “You made the right call.”

  “For the company, maybe. But for us…” Marc ran his fingers through his hair he same way he did. “I should have stayed.”

  “You did what had to be done.”

  “So did you.”

  “So did Lori,” he said. “None of this is your fault. It’s all on me. I brought us here.”

  Marc’s gaze flickered to the door Lori had exited by. “Well, actually…”

  “Don’t say it,” he warned. “This wasn’t her fault. She hit me because she was upset. And she was upset because she’d quit. Working for me had become more than she could bear, even doing a job she obviously loved.”

  “What were you doing down in the parking garage?” Marc demanded. “Why were you there for her to hit?”

  “I don’t know.” And wouldn’t, until he got his memory back. “Let’s just get through this week, okay? We’ll sort out the rest later.”

  Marc nodded. “Save the company first. I’m onboard.” He smoothed an invisible line of his suit jacket. “I think it’s best for both of us if I head out. I’ll see you in the office Tuesday.”

  “Thank you.”

  Marc shrugged. “You have to carry us across the finish line. Don’t screw it up.”

  “Cross my heart.”

  His brother looked like he wanted to close the distance between them but then he spun on his heel and marched out the door.

  A breath he hadn’t realized he was holding rushed out of him.

  “Are you okay?”

  He turned to see Lori hugging the doorframe, uncertain.

  He opened his arms and it was all the encouragement she needed. In an instant, she was wrapped tight around him.

  Closing his eyes, he inhaled the floral scent of her hair. “I’m okay,” he said.

  “Marc loves you. I know he does.”

  “I believe you.”

  “Everything will be okay.”

  “Yes,” he agreed, stroking her hair. “Everything will be fine.”

  So long as he had her.

  And didn’t screw up the meeting his brother had spent weeks preparing for.

  Chapter Nineteen

  “Are we all set for this?” Will asked.

  Lori glanced around the room. Marc and Jackson stood close to each other but didn’t openly speak. The members of the board and their legal team waited in the main board room. Representatives from Uni Industries were set to arrive at any minute.

  “Stick to the notes,” she said to him, straightening his tie. “We practiced this.”

  “Share current and future projections. Make us seem like the only safe bet,” he recited back to her.

  “Exactly.”

  “Do your hair thing if you need help,” Will said. “You’ve got three of us in the know this time. We can all step in.”

  “I’d say this meeting is above Lori’s paygrade but I doubt I’d get anywhere,” Marc pointed out.

  “Try to keep me away,” she snapped.

  Jackson tugged on a lock of her hair to regain her attention. “No matter how this works out,” he said for her ears only, “thank you.”

  The warm glow was back, pulsing through her.

  “Will, maybe we should give them a minute. Let’s go join the meeting,” Marc suggested.

  “What?” Will’s head swung between them and Marc before finally following the other man out of the room.

  When the door closed behind them, she turned back to Jackson.

  “You’ll do great.”

  “Tell me,” he said instead. “Tell me again which man you prefer.”

  Her heart softened.

  “I cared about both of you,” she said, referring to the other him. “But you are the one I kissed. The one I fell into bed with. You’re everything I want, Jackson.” Her smile was bittersweet. “I’ll remember you for the rest of my life.”

  “I’ll be here,” he said. “You don’t need to remember me.”

  But I will. When I leave you for good, all I’ll have are memories.

  “You will do great in there,” she said instead. “I have faith in you.”

  “That makes one of us.”

  “Hey.” She tipped his face toward hers. “You saved this company when your father died. You made billions. This is your world, and you have this. We’re all there to support you.”

  “However this works out, I need to know you’ll be waiting at home no matter what.”

  “For as long as you want me,” she promised. “I don’t care if you’re a billionaire or flat broke. I’ll stand by your side as long as I can.”

  “Forever,” he breathed, pulling her closer.

  “Even longer,” she whispered, reaching up to touch her lips to hers.

  It was a light kiss. They were in the office, after all. But she reveled in the touch as she always did.

  “I—”

  Love you.

  But it wasn’t fair to say. It wasn’t even fair to think.

  I was ready to quit a job I adored because I thought I loved Jackson more.

  But she’d been wrong. So very wrong.

  She’d never known what love was until he’d lost his memory. Before had been infatuation at best. Not a soul-consuming, life-altering love like the one she was in the middle of now.

  You are everything to me.

  Even if it wouldn’t last. None of that mattered. Not as long as he needed her.

  “You’ll do great,” she said, straightening his collar that didn’t need to be straightened.

  “Thanks for the vote of confidence.” He rubbed his forehead, wincing.

  “Is it another headache?” she asked, her body on alert.

  “A bad one,” he agreed. “I took some Tylenol, but I can’t afford to take one of the prescribed meds. I’ll be too fuzzy.”

  “Damn,” she murmured, cupping his face. “Okay, if you need a break, or a pill, speak up. This is going to be a long day and you’re not at your best. Let’s take it a step at a time.”

  “Solid plan.”

  Worried gnawed at her but what else was there to do? Brushing a light kiss across his lips, she stepped back.

  “You can do this. Let�
��s go.”

  Nodding, he turned.

  Together they walked into the lion’s den.

  She just prayed they’d come back out of it.

  …

  His head was pounding.

  They’d first entered the main boardroom at nine in the morning. It was almost three now.

  How long does it take to sign a piece of paper?

  The endless speeches by their respective lawyers were mind-numbing. They’d combed every inch of their financial situation. He’d answered every question, sometimes with the aid of Lori, Will, or Marc, whenever he’d run his fingers through his hair. Trisha and the board were doing their best to paint Sinclair Enterprises as the lead brand to partner with, and still the Uni Industries president was hesitant.

  What more do I need to do?

  His pain was getting hard to ignore. Memories kept popping back into his head at the most inconvenient times. Yes, he wanted his past back, but remembering the first time he went skinny-dipping as the president of Uni Industries went over his accounting questions had been brutal. Though he’d declined the stronger pain meds in the morning, by lunch he’d caved and popped one in hopes of slowing the memories and muting the headache. But the pain was bleeding through the numbness of the drugs.

  “Jackson?”

  He forced his attention to Lori. “Yes?”

  “They wanted to see the projections for the last five fiscal years again.”

  “Of course.” Rifling through the pages before him, he pulled out the appropriate graph and handed it off to the Uni Industries team as the memory of his first Boy Scouts meeting came back to him.

  “Are you okay?” she asked for him alone.

  “Water,” he said.

  She had a glass filled and in his hand in a second. “It’s your head,” she said. “I knew we should have had you checked out by Dr. Warren before this meeting.”

  “I’m fine,” he lied. “But let’s wrap this up if we can.”

  “I don’t know what’s holding them back. Everything is in order. We just need one last push.”

  “Yes. Maybe we should—”

  A pain so sharp he put a hand to his temple to check for blood slashed though his temple.

  “Jackson?” Lori hissed at his sharp inhale.

  He wanted to tell her he was fine. That everything was all right, but the pain stole his breath.

  Fight through it. You cannot fail here.