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“This is my office. Of course, I’m here.”
“Not here, in this room. Here at the company.”
She merely quirked an eyebrow. A gesture that seemed to add a haughty quality to her features. Her almond-shaped eyes were a deep chocolate brown. Several tendrils of hair escaped her tight bun and framed an olive-shaped face.
Not classically beautiful, but she was striking in an unusual and rare way.
And her figure—he didn’t even want to go there.
“Never mind,” she declared, and stepped around her desk. “My name is Carli Tynan. I’m regional project manager for Hammond Retail. James hired me, but I work more closely with Jackson.”
He reached his hand out to shake hers just as she said, “You, of course, need no introduction.”
Her tone suggested she didn’t mean that in a complimentary way. “Nice to meet you.”
She pointed to the file he still held. “Is there anything you’d like to go over?” This woman was all business. Regardless of what she’d been doing at the mansion earlier, he had no doubt she was an efficient employee who clearly had things under control.
“I made a few notes, things that I wouldn’t mind some further clarification on.”
She indicated the chair in front of her desk. “Have a seat. We have some time before the meeting.”
Justin hesitated. He wasn’t used to being ordered around; the feeling made him uncomfortable. As did the incessant echo of Christmas music playing in the lobby.
“Would you mind if we closed the door?” he asked her, already walking to it.
“Any particular reason?”
“I can’t focus with the cursed Christmas tunes playing in the background.”
He shut the door and turned back to find her studying him with curious eyes. “You have something against Christmas music?”
“Christmas is one day. But for some reason the whole world is burdened with listening to those blasted tunes for weeks on end. That doesn’t happen with any other holiday, now does it?”
“Christmas is hardly like any other holiday.”
“Only because the whole world insists on dragging it out. It’s one day, yet we insist on calling it the holiday season.”
“Some would argue it’s at least twelve days,” she countered.
Clever, she’d referenced another Christmas carol. “Don’t tell me you’re one of those types. The ones who make their shopping list in October. You pull out the tree and decorations as soon as the Thanksgiving turkey is consumed. Am I close?”
“And what would be so wrong about it if I was?”
He shrugged. He wasn’t going to try to explain it. Christmastime around his house as a young boy had usually meant the start of weeks of arguments followed by loud, drunken fights. With his father working long hours and his mother growing more and more resentful at his absence. Of course, there were problems throughout the year, but the holiday season seemed to bring out the worst in his parents. An excuse to purge their anger and throw everything in the open. By the time Christmas morning rolled around, he and his brother were more than ready to have it all over with. Even the toys weren’t enough to make up for the turmoil and chaos.
How had they even gotten into this conversation anyway? Justin wondered. All he’d asked was to shut the door so he didn’t have to hear the music from the lobby. He didn’t need to explain himself to a woman he’d just met.
Carli was still staring at him expectedly. She’d asked him a question that he’d left hanging. “Nothing. Never mind. Forget I said anything.”
“Okay. But I feel I have to say just one more thing.”
Why was he not surprised? “Go ahead.”
“That you have to realize how—” she paused and glanced at the ceiling, as if scrambling for the correct word “—curious your perspective about Christmas is. Given who you are.”
Of course he realized that. He was heir to one of the most successful retail toy operations in the Northern Hemisphere. A business that earned most of its profits in the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve. Sure, it was true that as an adult he’d made his own way and had become a successful businessman in his own right. But he’d been granted worldly advantages at birth that most people could only dream of. He should be thanking his lucky stars for the gift of Christmas and the commercialism that surrounded it.
And to anyone on the outside, he probably sounded like an ungrateful, cranky Scrooge who didn’t appreciate all the blessings he’d been granted.
Judging by Carli’s expression, that’s exactly what she was thinking.
* * *
Carli watched as Justin walked out of her office half an hour later, relieved to finally have some time to herself. What a strange morning it had been. It had taken all she had to remain cool and professional once he’d walked in here. She’d pulled it off, but barely. The whole while she was speaking with Justin regarding the business, her insides had felt like jelly. Thank heavens she hadn’t eaten anything this morning. It probably wouldn’t have stayed down.
The problem was, she wasn’t sure what was causing all the turmoil. Sure, it had been upsetting when he’d so casually dismissed her as she was trying to introduce herself. And she’d known he was judging her by her appearance. But none of that was anything new for her.
People always underestimated her at first. She just made sure to prove herself, had been doing so her whole life. Not to mention, she’d had to find ways to somehow differentiate herself from her four siblings. Right smack in the middle, she was oh-so-easy to overlook. Tammy was the wise oldest sister, happily married with a lovely little boy. Janie, the beautiful one. People in their town actually called her JB, short for Janie Beautiful. Janie had the sort of looks that made men stammer when they spoke to her. While Carli was curvy and voluptuous, her next older sister was gorgeous in an angelic and soft way that Carli could never compete with. She certainly hadn’t been able to last year...
Don’t even start with that.
And the twins...well, they were twins. That fact alone made them stand out.
Carli was just the middle sister. Nothing special there. Barely noticeable in the crowd. So she made sure to work harder than any of them. Years of study and long hours, first at business school and then at the office, she hadn’t taken anything for granted.
And now the arrival of the other Hammond son might be threatening all of that. No wonder she felt so out of sorts when Justin was near. She had to do something to fix that, but what exactly?
Jocelyn tapped lightly on her door before she could answer her own question.
“Come in.”
“Hey, how did it go? Were you even able to focus?”
Carli shrugged as she opened her email inbox. “Of course,” she said, though it was a fib. “Why in the world wouldn’t I?”
“I’m sure I wouldn’t have been able to. Not with those deep dreamy eyes focused on me.”
Carli resisted the urge to grunt. “Not this again.” No way was she going to admit, not even to herself, that there might be a kernel of truth to Jocelyn’s words, that in fact it had been pretty distracting every time she’d looked up and found herself under the intense focus of Justin’s gaze.
“Jocelyn, you need a date.”
Her assistant groaned with frustration. “Don’t I know it.”
“Are you bringing anyone to the party tonight?”
She answered with a sad shake of her head. “I’m really looking forward to it, still. You’re very sweet to host one every year.”
Being sweet really had nothing to do with it. Carli loved throwing that regular yearly party. She’d been planning and shopping for it since October.
“Well, in any case, you need to stop focusing on Justin Hammond’s looks or his appeal,” she admonished the younger woman, though part of her was addressing herself. “For all intents and purposes, the man is our boss.”
Jocelyn pulled out the chair across from Carli’s desk and plopped into it. “I know, I know. I’m just admiring him from afar. I wouldn’t dream of going after the man who owns part of the company I work for.”
“Good, I’m glad to hear it.”
A mischievous smile formed on Jocelyn’s lips. “Besides, he hardly glanced in my direction when he was here. He was much more focused on someone else.”
Carli didn’t like where she was going with this. “I want no part in where you’re trying to take this conversation.”
Jocelyn leaned forward in the chair, gave her a smile that could only be described as wicked. “Oh, come on! You had to notice.”
“Notice what?”
“The way he was looking at you. Or more accurately, how he couldn’t look away.”
“All I noticed was how to make sure I gave him all the information he needed to get himself situated. He just needed more info about how the company operates.”
Jocelyn looked skeptical. “Right. Just admit it.”
“I don’t see the point.” The last thing she wanted to talk about, in her office no less, was the way men looked at her. The way Justin had looked at her. Recalling the way his eyes had roamed over her sent a shiver down her spine even now.
“Does there have to be a point to everything?”
Carli couldn’t help but smile. Had she ever been that lighthearted? She couldn’t remember a time. Not even as a child. There was always too much to do. Always a mess to clean up or a sibling to look after.
“I’d just like to figure out why he’s really here. After all these years,” she said, trying to change the subject back to business.
Jocelyn shrugged slightly. “I thought it was just because James is going to be away for a while. And that Mr. Hammond, as both their father and CEO, decided it would be a good time to bring him on board with his older brother otherwise occupied.”
Carli knew that’s how things looked on the surface. But it still didn’t explain Justin’s sudden appearance. She was more than capable of holding down the fort while James Hammond was away. That wasn’t self-aggrandizing or conceit. The eldest Mr. Hammond had expressed the notion in countless ways over the years.
“I’m glad he is here!” Jocelyn exclaimed. “Things were getting way too droll around this place. We needed some excitement.”
“You just like looking at him.”
“No doubt!” Jocelyn actually giggled. “I mean, what’s not to like? He’s downright dreamy. I’ve been watching him for years in all the tabloids. With one exotic model after another. Or that actress, what’s her name. She was in that romantic comedy last year. I hear he’s single now though.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Personally, I’m of the opinion that he should try to find someone with more substance. I mean, what are the chances he would ever fall for an everyday, average woman though, right? Men like that never do. He’s way too glamourous and worldly for that. Wouldn’t you agree?”
Carli’s request to finally terminate this conversation died on her lips when she noticed someone had arrived at her open door. The blood left her brain when she realized who it was. Justin.
How long had he been standing there? And how much had he heard?
If the floorboards opened up and swallowed her whole, it wouldn’t be enough to lessen her mortification.
This was just fabulous. On top of everything else, now he was going to see her as nothing but an office gossip.
* * *
His reputation preceded him yet again, Justin thought as he hesitated outside Carli’s office door. He’d caught just enough of the women’s conversation to realize it was absolutely about him. Also that it was mostly one-sided. Carli had barely spoken a word. In fact, she appeared ready to give her assistant a hard shake.
The other woman’s back was turned to where he stood, but Carli had clearly seen him.
Damn.
This was awkward. Unable to come up with anything appropriate to say, he simply cleared his throat. Jocelyn, the assistant, actually jumped in her chair.
Carli didn’t take her disapproving eyes off her when she spoke. “Justin, something else I can do for you? Jocelyn was just leaving.”
“Yes, yes, I was.” Jocelyn bolted up and ran out of the room, making sure not to look Justin in the eye.
Carli motioned to the newly abandoned chair in front of her desk. “Please, have a seat.” She glanced at her watch. “Though we don’t have a lot of time before the staff meeting.”
Her cheeks were flushed, and she wouldn’t meet his eyes either. Still awkward.
“It’s okay,” he began, then sat. “This won’t take long.”
“What can I do for you?”
Justin swore under his breath. This was going to be even more uncomfortable after he’d walked in on the previous conversation. But it was too late to back out now. Besides, he owed her an apology. He took a deep breath. “Listen, I know we got off on the wrong foot. I mean this morning. At my father’s house.”
She quirked an eyebrow in surprise.
“I’m not usually so...”
“Rude?” she supplied as he trailed off.
“That’s probably an accurate description. In my defense, I’d been traveling all night. Not that it’s any kind of excuse.”
“I agree. It’s not any kind of excuse.”
Wow. She was a tough one. He didn’t need this; he was only trying to apologize. Albeit doing a terrible job at it. But instead of being annoyed by her directness, he found it somewhat intriguing. Refreshing in a way. Most people didn’t bother to challenge him under any circumstances. Carli Tynan was clearly not like most people. Her gaze pinned him where he sat. He hadn’t noticed before just how her eyes appeared to go from deep chocolate to hazel when the light hit her face a certain way. Or the fullness of her lips, even as tightly pursed as they were at the moment.
“You’re right. I just wasn’t expecting to see anyone in my father’s house that early. Especially someone like you, coming down the stairs at that hour. My mistake.”
Her eyes grew wide, and the color in her cheeks heightened to a deep shade of red. Her grip on the pen she held grew so tight that her knuckles turned pale. This did not bode well, he thought.
“What are you saying exactly, Mr. Hammond?” she asked through gritted teeth. Uh-oh. He’d just gone from being Justin to Mr. Hammond in the span of a few moments.
“Nothing. I mean, I’m simply trying to clear the air. To explain my reaction upon seeing you.”
“Maybe you should do that. Explain exactly what your reaction was when you first saw me this morning.”
She threw it out like a challenge. One he wasn’t foolish enough to even attempt to accept. He’d begun this apology all wrong. But the conversation he’d overheard between Carli and her assistant had thrown him off. Heck, Carli herself kept throwing him off. It was like he didn’t even know how to behave around her.
Where was it coming from?
“Never mind. It’s not important,” he said, hoping she would drop the whole matter.
Apparently, that was too much to hope for. He should have known better. She immediately shook her head. “No, please clarify. I’m very interested in what exactly it is you’re trying to say.”
The woman was relentless. “Look, it’s not important. I simply wanted to offer an apology.”
She studied him in a way that made him feel like a lab specimen under a microscope. Perhaps some sort of insect. If he wasn’t so damn uncomfortable, he would have almost laughed at her scorn at him.
“Which you still haven’t done,” she said.
“What?”
“I’ve yet to hear an apology. Or a valid explanation, for that matter.”
His mouth grew dry. Damn it, he was a successful executive, known for his cutthroat business style and ruthless negotiation skills. How was this woman cutting him off at the knees? And why was he almost enjoying it?
“Um? Explanation?”
She gave him a smirk of a smile, like he’d been caught. He supposed he had. “For why you behaved as you did. I was simply delivering a file at your father’s request. And instead of introducing yourself, you dismissed me and practically shooed me out of the house.”
Justin cringed at her description. He couldn’t believe he’d been such a boor to her. Nor could he believe the way he was botching this apology now. Not only had be managed to insult a valuable Hammond employee, he couldn’t even apologize for it in a sufficient manner. True to form, when it came to anything Hammond related, Justin was woefully lacking. He may have started his own wildly successful consulting firm and grown it from a one-man operation to a major international business. But when it came to being a Hammond, all he’d ever managed was failure. More proof that he didn’t belong here back in Boston. Or at Hammond’s Toys for that matter.
He had to pull himself together. Find a way to explain himself. But how? It’s not like he could come out and admit to jumping to the worst conclusion—suspecting Carli to be his father’s mistress. Though it was obvious she’d figured it out. If looks could kill and all that.
Nothing to do now but be completely straight. And hope the damage could be repaired somehow. He and Carli would be working together for the next several days. She was clearly a major asset to this corporation, and he had managed to insult her in a major way. He had to fix this.
“The truth is there is no excuse or explanation for the way I behaved. Please believe that it had nothing to do with you personally and everything to do with my father.”
She remained silent, not ready to give an inch.
“I can only say I’m sorry,” he added. “And that I will somehow find a way to make it up to you.”
She shrugged with derision, and though she didn’t say the words, her response was clear: as if you could.
* * *
Maybe she was being petty, but Carli wasn’t going to give him the benefit of a response. Justin Hammond had made a horribly insulting assumption about her and the older man she worked for. That’s something she would not readily forget.
Still, she couldn’t help but feel more than a little touched at his genuine apology. Even given how badly he’d botched it up. He really did seem to feel remorseful. If the circumstances were different, if he weren’t the boss’s son and instead they were somehow new friends, she might have explained to him that she’d been dealing with such impressions all her life.
But he was a Hammond. And they definitely were not friends.
She would do her best to help him while he was here and hope that his tenure at Hammond’s Toys was a short one. The events of this morning proved that Justin was walking in blind. He’d had no clue who she was or just how much she was in charge of. She didn’t have time to babysit the prodigal son on a long-term basis.
She stood up from her chair and walked around her desk. “Well, I guess the prudent thing to do would be to move on and try our best to work together as productively as possible.”
Justin stood, as well. He looked notably relieved. “I agree. And I appreciate it.”
“We can start with this staff meeting. I asked Jocelyn earlier to forward you a copy of the agenda.”
He nodded. “I got that. Thanks.”
He followed her down the corridor to the meeting room where several employees had already gathered. After a brief round of introductions, Carli began the meeting with the first item on the agenda.
The first time she stammered, she chalked it up to feeling exhausted and due to the mishaps of the morning. By the third mistake, however, she had to admit that she was off her game. She also had to admit that it had everything to do with the new face sitting at the table.
Justin leaned forward, listening attentively and frequently jotting down note after note. He preferred old-fashioned paper and pen, which surprised her. Most of the executives she dealt with couldn’t wait to purchase and show off the latest technology e-tablet or the sleekest new laptop.
Aside from an occasional question or request for clarification, he was mostly quiet. Still, his presence was jarring.
She wasn’t the only one who seemed to think so. Several furtive glances were cast in Justin’s direction. One of the younger new recruits from sales smiled at him demurely, not even pretending to pay attention to Carli’s updates. Though annoyed, she could hardly blame the other women. Justin had a presence. Add to that the mystery surrounding his arrival, and people were having trouble feigning indifference.
Herself included.
At the conclusion of the meeting an hour later, she was more than ready to be done and to get out of there. A cup of coffee would be heaven right about now. She hadn’t been able to get her usual cup due to her detour, and a dull ache was beginning to throb behind her eyes. No doubt the caffeine withdrawal had been at least partly responsible for her less than stellar performance.
“Well, if that’s everything, I think we can wrap up.”
Everyone stood except for a few stragglers who stuck around to discuss their next to-do or to make small talk. Eventually, even they slowly filed out of the room.
In fact, when she looked up, Carli found that everyone had left except for one lone holdout. Justin remained seated. He studied her with avid interest. He clearly had something to say.
Carli set her jaw. Looked like her caffeine hit was going to have to wait. “Was there something else, Justin?”
“Yes, as a matter of fact. If you have a few moments, I think there are some things we should probably discuss. Sooner rather than later.”
Something in his tone made her stomach twist. She sat back down.
“Go on.”
“I’ve been going over the numbers, and Hammond’s profit margins are mostly impressive. But there are areas that are lagging.”
“I’m aware of that.”
“Then you also realize that a handful of the retail stores have seen steadily declining sales.”
“I’m aware of that too. There are several ideas in the pipeline to address this. As I just mentioned.”
He glanced down at the notes in his leather-bound notebook. “Yes, I heard. All well-thought-out ideas involving online expansion. The modifications to the website are particularly impressive.”
“But?”
“My concern is that there’s a need to remove some of the more sluggish units, so to speak. Hammond’s should be making some cuts.”
“What sort of cuts?” she asked, though she knew exactly where this was headed. The twist in her stomach turned a bit tighter.
“With your background and experience, I’m sure you’ve concluded which brick-and-mortar stores are just not pulling their weight. In fact, their only real profits register during the holidays.”
“It’s a very seasonal business.”
“Nevertheless. Some of these stores just don’t get enough foot traffic during the year to justify keeping them open.” He glanced down at the file she had handed him just hours ago. “There’s one in particular we need to seriously consider the future of. It hasn’t seen any kind of significant sales for the past half decade.”
Carli bit down on her lip. She knew exactly which store he was referring to. The one she’d started out in as a lowly retail clerk trying to save enough money for college. The same store that currently employed several people she’d grown up knowing and caring for. The one situated at the heart of Westerson, Massachusetts—a quaint, touristy spot along the inland coast of Cape Cod in Massachusetts. The same town she’d grown up in.
And Justin wanted to shut it down.
CHAPTER THREE
HER PARTY GUESTS were going to be here within the hour, and Carli was just now stepping out of the shower. So far, this day had been nothing but one big race against the clock. She should have started prepping as soon as she got home. Instead, she’d taken the time to go over the sales figures.
Not that there was any use, and Carli had known it. But she’d hoped for some small miracle that had somehow been missed. Something, anything she could use as leverage to argue that Justin should nix the idea of closing the doors of the Cape store for good.
Of all the retail stores in the Hammond chain, why did that have to be the one performing the worst? She’d practically grown up in that store. Mr. Freider, the manager going on twenty years, had always welcomed her with open arms. As a child, she’d go into that store by herself, just to pass the time in peace when things were just too noisy at home. During her teenage years, she’d spent countless hours in the Book Nook, the corner of the store dedicated to latest in children’s and young adult books. She’d devoured a world of stories in that small area, Mr. Freider never complaining about her lack of purchases—purchases she couldn’t afford. In fact, he’d been kind enough to bring hot chocolate on cold days and sweet lemon iced tea during summer.