Sisters by Choice (Blackberry Island #4)(49)

“What did I do wrong?” she asked, her voice quiet and more tentative than she would have liked.

“You need to tailor your presentations to the audience. While you need to get the information across, you have to be aware of who you’re speaking to. Sophie wants to know everything that’s happening at CK but her time is limited and she’s always thinking of ten things at once.”

“Too much detail and too many slides in the deck?”

Elliot nodded, then glanced at his watch. “Go get some lunch,” he told her. “Then you can start cataloging the ads scheduled to go out in the next thirty days. I want to review them before we give the final okay. I still think we could be doing better.”

Heather thought about saying she didn’t need lunch—that she could just keep working. Only she was hungry and tired. The late nights were getting to her.

She collected notes on the presentation and her laptop and took both to her office, then headed for the break room. She was halfway to the refrigerator where she’d stored her lunch when she realized her mother was at one of the tables.

Despite living in the same house, they hadn’t seen much of each other lately, which meant Heather had no idea of her mother’s mood.

Fortunately, Amber gave her a pleasant smile. “There you are. I wondered if you’d moved off the island. Did Sophie tell you? I’m in shipping now. It’s really interesting work. People buy the strangest things. There’s a throw that costs seventy-five dollars. Can you believe it? Who would pay that? It’s a throw.”

Heather got her lunch out of the refrigerator. She’d been planning to eat in her office, but wasn’t sure she could figure out how to say that so she took a seat across from her mother.

“It’s oversize and has a special design,” Heather said. “Plus, the CK logo is woven into the pattern.”

“Still. It’s a ridiculous amount if you ask me. A lot of the items are very expensive. It seems to me customers would like to find them somewhere else cheaper.”

At first, the words seemed casual, but as Heather took a bite of her sandwich, they took on a different meaning.

Her mother wouldn’t... Couldn’t...

No, she told herself. There was no way she would steal from Sophie and then sell online. Even she wouldn’t go that far. Amber wasn’t a hard worker, but Heather didn’t think she’d ever been that level of dishonest.

Something not to think about, she told herself.

“I’m glad you’re liking your new job,” she said. “The warehouse is a great place to work. Bear really knows his stuff.”

Amber sighed. “He does not understand the meaning of the word break, but I’m working on teaching him.”

Heather didn’t think that was going to go well. “I’m glad Sophie moved her company here and we both got jobs with her.”

“Of course we have jobs with her. We’re her family. She has a responsibility to give us jobs. She should be paying us more, though, if you ask me.”

“Mom, it doesn’t work that way.”

“Well, it should.”

Heather took another bite of her sandwich. She didn’t want to fight—not again. There were more important things to deal with, like the fact that they were going to have to go look for an apartment.

“At least we’re both working,” she said. “So we can be saving for the apartment. It’s going to be expensive to move.”

“Heather, you’re being ridiculous. We’re not moving. My mother is just having one of her fits. It will pass. Trust me on this. I know what I’m talking about.”

“But, Mom, she said—”

Amber rolled her eyes. “Stop it. We’ll be fine. You’ll see.”



Chapter Fourteen


Tina Castillo looked efficient. She was of average height, with brown hair and eyes, and she exuded confidence and sensibility. Her résumé was impressive and although Sophie didn’t remember much about their interview, there hadn’t been any red flags, which was a plus.

Knowing she really needed an office manager, she’d given Bear a list of the top three candidates and told him to have them come back for a final interview. Then he could pick the one he thought would do best.

He’d done as she’d asked with frightening speed. Less than twenty-four hours later, Tina had been hired and today, apparently, she was starting.

“I’m not sure what Bear told you about our current circumstances,” Sophie began, wishing she could remember at least some of the interview. She had no idea what they’d discussed or what she’d said or any of it. Which was more than a little embarrassing. Not to mention dumb on her part.

“I know about the fire and the move,” Tina told her. “The company continues to grow, you don’t have enough people and instead of focusing on leadership, you’re spending your days putting out fires.”

Leadership? Sophie knew she was in charge, but she’d never considered herself a leader. Which was part of the problem, she thought, not enjoying the revelation.

“I can help,” Tina continued as she pushed up her glasses. “Let me get the staff in place and then keep things running smoothly. I have a lot of experience. My job will be to handle everything so you can concentrate on taking CK Industries to the next level. I would imagine your five-year growth plan had to be thrown out, along with everything else the fire destroyed. You’ll need time to get that back in place.”