Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9

SPENCER

I t was back to the daily grind. Getting ready for work was less exciting than it used to be these days. Or maybe I just had a little black raincloud following me around, casting a shadow over everything. Things could use a little shaking up.

I walked into my closet, surveyed the many suits organized by color, and quickly picked a gray one. Gray matched my mood. I quickly put on my tie and made my way to the kitchen to mix up a protein shake.

As I sipped on the thick drink, I checked my phone for any urgent messages. Nothing too pressing, just the usual notifications. It could all wait until I got to the office. My people had handled everything well in my absence. Maybe I could think about taking a little more time off here and there.

I left home and started the drive to the office. It wasn't far, but in traffic, it took too long. I drummed my fingers on the steering wheel, thinking about what I had going on for the day.

When I got to work, the office was bustling as usual. I made my way to my office, my assistant, Janet, hot on my heels.

"Do you want coffee?" she asked.

"You know I do," I said, grinning. "I haven't been away that long."

"Sure. Check out the giant stack of messages on your desk and tell me that."

I laughed. "I missed you too."

I sat down at my desk and started going through my emails. There was still no response to my offer to Marlow. That wasn't necessarily a bad thing. If she wasn't considering it, she would have already turned me down like she had at her parents' house.

I would give her a couple of days, but I wasn't giving up. I was sure I could convince her, even if we had to tweak the terms of the deal. I really wanted her on board. She seemed exactly what I needed to add some life to our advertising campaigns. Things were getting a little stale. I needed to spice things up or I was going to lose my shit. I was going to hop in my car and drive west until I reached the ocean.

Once I had my coffee in hand, I got to work properly, sifting through emails and fielding phone calls from clients. Now that I was back, there were a few things I needed to sign off on. I couldn't shake the feeling of anticipation, waiting for Marlow's response to my job offer.

Her talent was undeniable, and her need for independence was refreshing. So many new hires expected me to hold their hand on everything, but she was the opposite. That kind of self-starter was exactly what I looked for in new talent.

I couldn't help but admire her spirit, even if she did drive me crazy. I knew I made a good offer, but if she needed me to sweeten the pot, I was more than happy to do so. In business, everything was negotiable. Speaking of, I needed to talk with the guys and let them know I was making such a big offer. It wasn't really only my hiring decision.

I quickly sent out an email to my partners with a copy of the offer I sent Marlow. I didn't get into the details about who she was. They could find any info on her with a quick Google search. Besides, they only needed to know she was a qualified marketing agent, which she absolutely was.

Toward the end of the day, Max popped into my office. "Let's go get a drink," he said.

"Don't you have plans with your soulmate?" I asked dryly.

"Don't pout. Come on. Jax is up for it. I'll go see if Seb can come along. Derrick and Graham are in. And you've been gone a few days."

I grinned. "What, did you miss me?"

"Yes, asshole, you're my friend," he said, chuckling. "And I'm tired of covering for you."

"Fine," I said. "I need to finish up here first, though."

"Same place," he said.

After I wrote one last client email, I closed my laptop and took a deep breath before heading out to join the others at the usual spot. It felt good to leave work behind, even though I had just gotten back.

The bar was dimly lit, the clinking of glasses and murmur of voices a sound that was very familiar. I found our group already settled in at a high table, laughing and catching up on each other's lives. This was where we had spent a lot of time over the years. We had cooked up a lot of plans here. Talked about women. Parents. Everything. These men were my brothers from other mothers.

I took a seat, feeling the weight of the day slowly lifting off my shoulders. Conversation flowed easily among us like it always did. I listened to the guys talk about their women. It was hard not to be a bit jealous. It was cool when we were all bachelors chasing women and then we talked about them but now I was the only single one.

I didn't dislike the fact they were happy. I was excited for them. They all found good ladies, lifelong partners they clicked with. I just didn't know if it would ever happen for me.

A few years ago, the idea of settling down with one woman would have been ridiculous to me, but as I got a little older, I wanted different things in life. Something real, something with meaning, and something that would last.

I took a sip of my beer, the familiar bitterness washing over my tongue. The guys were sharing stories that made me smile despite myself. Derrick was going on about Brianna's son. Graham was nodding along. He had inherited a child recently as well.

Seb arrived a little late, looking slightly disheveled as usual. He slid into the seat next to me, flashing a sheepish grin before ordering a round of shots for the table.

"So how's your buddy doing?" Graham asked.

"Rhett," I said, nodding. "He's in one piece, just pissed about being stuck on his parents' sofa for the next few weeks while he recovers. The wreck banged him up pretty good."

"What happened?" Max asked.

"Swerved to not hit a deer and wrapped his car around a tree doing sixty," I answered.

They all winced.

"Shit," Jax said. "He's lucky he didn't kill himself."

"Rookie mistake," Max said. "It sucks, but in situations like that, you have to kill the deer."

Graham groaned. "Well don't say it like that. But you have to stay on the road."

I laughed. "That's what we told him. He's alright, though. He's a tough dude."

"Was it good to be back?" Seb asked. "Back in your old stomping grounds?"

"It was really good," I said, smiling. "Jodie, Rhett's mom, she's a hell of a cook. Like I had to go up a belt loop. That's how good her food is. If I had stayed five more minutes, I'd be skipping drinks and spending my evening on the treadmill."

When the shots arrived, we raised our glasses and took them down. The burn cascaded down my throat and the tension drained out of me. Just like at Rhett's house, being with my friends was like being back with family.

The conversations around me continued, but my mind kept drifting back to Marlow and the offer I had extended to her. I wondered if she would accept it, if she would be willing to take a chance on our team. I couldn't deny the excitement that bubbled within me at the thought of her joining us, bringing her unique perspective and talent to the table. And she would certainly be easy on the eyes. I wasn't trying to hire her because she was beautiful but it was a nice perk.

"Did you say Rhett's last name is Graylan?" Derrick asked, a curious look on his face.

I nodded again, taking a sip of my drink. "Yes."

"So why is it that we have a job offer pending with Marlow Graylan? Is that his sister?" Derrick pressed.

All the guys turned their attention to me, eyebrows raised.

I sighed. "Yeah, she's his sister."

The guys chuckled knowingly.

"And this offer just happens to come after you spent a few days there?" Jax said.

"Well, yeah, I ran into her there," I said, shrugging. "We'll be lucky if she says yes."

"Wait, Marlow Graylan?" Seb said. "I glanced at the offer but didn't pay attention. You made an offer to Marlow Graylan!"

"What the hell?" Graham asked. "She's our biggest competition."

Of course, they knew who Marlow was. I had too except that I had never made the connection that she was Rhett's sister.

"Why are you trying to hire her?" Max asked, leaning forward. "We don't need a new marketing director. Are you trying to hire your own replacement?"

"I'm trying to breathe new life into the business," I snapped, irritation flaring. "We've all been a bit absent since you guys became domesticated men. And she's the talk of the town."

Jax narrowed his eyes at me. "Don't be a bitter asshole, Spencer."

"I'm not bitter," I retorted, the frustration evident in my voice. "I'm trying to think ahead, to shake things up before we fall behind. Marlow is talented, and we've got lots of big clients looking for new ideas and new campaigns. She could bring a fresh perspective that we desperately need right now."

Graham raised his hands in a placating gesture. "Hey, calm down, Spencer. We hear you. But have you really thought this through? Bringing in someone like Marlow could change the dynamic of our team completely. Are we ready for that?"

"We can figure out how to transition her in without changing things too much," I said. "Whatever. She probably won't even say yes."

"Why would you go after someone with such a generous offer when we don't need it?" Seb asked.

"Why didn't Blockbuster buy Netflix? Why didn't AOL buy Google?" I asked. "Because they fucked up and said no when they had the chance. Bringing her into the fold could be huge for us, and if we don't, eventually, we might start losing some of our big clients to her. It's a smart business decision."

The guys exchanged skeptical glances, but I could see the wheels turning in their heads. They knew as well as I did that our company could use some new blood. Marlow was exactly the kind of talent we should be going after.

"It's a big package," Derrick said.

Jax laughed. "He's talking about me again."

Derrick rolled his eyes. "Seriously, though, we have other marketing execs that have been with us longer and don't make anywhere near that."

I nodded. "And how many of them have best-selling books on marketing? How many of them are giving talks at design colleges and are on magazine covers?"

"Fair enough," Derrick said.

"Besides, she'll appeal to new clientele," I continued.

Sebastian looked unimpressed. "We have a decent client list. Who is she going to appeal to that we don't already?"

I leaned back in my chair and said simply, "Women."

There was a moment of silence as they considered this. Finally, Jax spoke up, a reluctant smile tugging at his lips. "He's got a point."

"Fine," Derrick said, shaking his head. "If you can convince Marlow to get on board, we'll make room for her as the marketing director. I trust you."

I nodded. "Thank you."

The tension in my shoulders eased slightly. At least they were willing to give her a chance. Now all I had to do was get Marlow to agree.

As I left the bar later, thoughts of Marlow consumed my mind. Convincing her to join our team was going to be a challenge, but it was one I was determined to overcome. When I got home, I checked my email, hoping there would be a response from her, but nothing yet. She had no idea how much of a limb I was going out on to get her into the company but I knew it would be worth it.