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Mikayla’s not impressed. “Why are you in Boulder?”
“Why not?”
“My patience is wearing thin, big brother,” she states. Her right eye practically twitches.
I smile. She can be so dramatic sometimes.
“I just came here to chill for a couple of days. It’s nothing serious,” I inform her.
“And after?” she prompts. “Will you come home so dad will stop looking at me like I’m his last hope of finding a child to inherit his company?”
“About that,” I drawl. “Any interest?”
“Of course not. I hate working here. Maybe when you take over, I can finally quit and find something better to occupy myself.”
“Figured as much. But there’s no guarantee I’ll take over, Kay. He’s not just going to hand over the position. Especially not to me.”
“Which is why you need to come back and show him that you’re ready for it. Show him that you’ve changed and that you’re more than capable of taking care of the company.”
“You think I’ve changed?”
“Well, no,” my sister says bluntly. “You’re not a chameleon or a shapeshifter.”
I roll my eyes at that.
“But I think you’re ready to do better. Xander almost getting killed was a wakeup call for you, even if you won’t admit it. I saw how you were in the hospital. It was the first time I’ve ever seen you look that worried.”
“Of course I was worried. He’s my brother. Well, half-brother. But that feels really inconsequential nowadays,” I mutter.
“It’s always felt inconsequential to me,” Mikayla points out.
“I know. Anyway, I hear you. Everyone’s so far up my ass over this shit,” I state, rolling my eyes. “I’ll return to D.C. once I’m done here in a couple of days. Then I’ll let Father play judge, jury, and executioner and dole out my sentence. What do you think it’s going to be? You think he’ll send me to work at one of the smaller branches for a month or two?”
Mikayla ponders that for a second. “He could always demote you to a janitor or something. So you’ll have to work from like the utmost bottom,” she says, laughing.
“Very funny,” I mutter.
“It was never going to be easy, Gray. But it’ll be worth it,” my sister says soberly. “And if you ask me, I’ve always secretly thought you deserved the position more than Xander.”
“Bullshit,” I mutter.
“No, seriously. You try so hard to hide it, but you actually care. About the company, the employees. I’ve seen you take the time to ask how they’re doing and what could be done to improve their experience in the company. You’re the only one that’s ever thinking of them. You remember during that crisis we had a few years ago? When the board voted to fire a bunch of employees? Who raised hell and made sure the plan was dropped?”
“Me,” I murmur, a little surprised that she remembers all that, that she was even paying attention.
“Xander was always more interested in numbers and results. He’s more driven toward success when it comes to business. I have no doubt that’ll help him as he establishes his own company. But right now, Steele Industries needs a CEO like you, Gray.”
I clear my throat. “Damn, Kay. That might be the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.”
“Don’t get used to it. You’re my ticket out of here, big brother. So get your ass back here and fix your mess.”
I roll my eyes. That’s more like it. “Alright, fine. I’ve got it.”
“Good. And one more thing,” Mikayla adds. Her smile practically dissipates, her face becoming more serious.
“What’s up?”
“Mom said you haven’t been returning her calls.”
