Sisters by Choice (Blackberry Island #4)(58)

“You don’t know anything,” she said, moving to the other side of the island and picking up her drink.

“That may be true.” Dugan turned on the stool so he was facing her. “But here’s what I do know. Maggie Heredia spent a few minutes online doing a little research on you and your company. She read a lot of posts from former employees who said you were a nightmare to work for. That your idea of collaboration is being told you’re amazing. Good people need to be challenged. Great people want to change the world. You don’t want anyone but yourself doing either.”

“Oh, please.” She rolled her eyes. “That is total crap.”

“Have you ever looked yourself up online?”

“No. Why would I? And when would I find the time?”

“You should make the time.” He put down his beer and leaned toward her, his expression oddly kind. “I find you totally adorable, but not everyone does. Want to know the real problem?”

No, she did not, thank you very much. There wasn’t a real problem. There was just a stupid salesperson who wouldn’t know a real opportunity if it bit her on the ass. Only somehow Sophie couldn’t seem to say that and even though she didn’t want to, she found herself muttering, “What’s the real problem?”

“You’re a control freak with a God complex. You don’t hire the right people for the job, so you’re constantly having to correct what they do, which feeds the mythology that you’re some kind of genius and the rest of the world can barely get by.”

He raised one shoulder. “You got lucky at the beginning and you ran with it. You’ve made smart decisions, but now the company is just big enough that you can’t control it all. Worse, to grow the way you want, you’re going to have to give up even more control. And the hell of it is, you already know all this. It keeps you up nights. If you’re not in charge, then is CK really yours? It’s the Maggie conundrum. You want her because you know she’s the best, yet being who you are, you can’t possibly get her to work for you. Even if you did get her, you’d screw it up inside of a month. You can’t help yourself.”

She felt her mouth drop open. His words battered her, exposing her greatest fears until she was totally naked before him. She wanted to run, wanted to scream, but she could only stand there waiting for the earth to swallow her whole.

“Bear likes you,” he continued, obviously unwilling to cut her even the slightest of breaks and leave her alone so she could figure out how to counter his attack. “He’ll stick around maybe six months because of that, but then he’ll be gone. Which is too bad. I doubt you’ll ever find anyone better at what he does and sure as hell not on this island.”

He straightened. “If you want more, surround yourself with the best and then get the hell out of their way. That’s my advice. Which is free, by the way.”

“Free?” she shrieked, knowing she was being defensive and not caring. “Free? Who cares if it’s free? What do you know about me or my business or anything else? You’re no one. You know nothing. You live in this big house and you pretend you’re all that, but you’re not. You teach fucking yoga. You are nothing.”

She wasn’t sure when she started crying, but suddenly there were tears and she couldn’t breathe and she hurt all over.

“You don’t get to say what you said to me,” she told him as she picked up her handbag and ran toward the front door. “You don’t get to say anything.”

He caught her before she made it to her car. His strong arms pulled her to a stop. She swung at him, desperate to get away, but he wouldn’t let go.

“I’m not trying to hurt you,” he told her. “I’m trying to get through to you so I can help. Do you know how frustrating it is to see everything you’re doing wrong and have you not listen? Dammit, Sophie, I’m trying to show you how to stop shooting yourself in the foot.”

“Oh, please. You? Help me? Nothing in my life can be healed by downward dog, Dugan. We’re not dealing with the same sort of problems. You have no idea what I do in a day. Help? No, thanks.”

“You need to stop talking before you destroy everything,” he told her.

She looked at him and saw the good humor was long gone. She wasn’t sure what she saw in his eyes, but it was dark and angry. She thought maybe she’d hurt him, but she wasn’t sure she cared. Not now when she was raw to the bone.

“You think you know everything,” he said, his tone grim. “Guess what, Sophie. You don’t know shit. I have one more piece of advice, which I’m sure you won’t take. Next time, before you decide you know who I am, you might want to do a little research of your own.”

Research? “On what?”

He released her and started back toward his house. “Look me up. Dugan Phillips. Then we’ll talk.”

The front door closed, leaving her crying by her car.

He didn’t matter, she told herself as she climbed in and started the engine. She hated Maggie and she hated him and maybe everyone else. The world was stupid. All of them. Especially Dugan. Asshole. He was some slimy asshole and she never wanted to see him again.

  “Sophie!” Heather stepped back to let her in, all the while trying to keep the surprise out of her voice. “Did I know you were coming by?”