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“Yep. And after your head-pounding poker weekend.”
Gerard clamped his mouth shut. Why did he always let her get the last word? Sisters. They were awesome and terrifying at the same time.
With a wave and a “ta-ta”, Emersyn headed into her office, chuckling again. “Wait.” She turned back to him, chewing on her lower lip. “Did Brody sign that pledge too?”
Finally, Gerard had a reason to smile. “Sure did.”
Emersyn—always expert at hiding her emotions—let a hint of her disappointment show in lips that pursed, then quickly unpursed. He walked down the hall to his office, grinning until his headache took front and center again. Gerard stopped by the desk of his administrative assistant.
“Good morning, Mr. Barrett,” Sandra said. “Coffee?”
“And two ibuprofen, please.”
In his office, he glanced toward Emersyn’s, seeing her and the prospective new director both laughing over something like long-time friends. Emersyn liked this woman, even though Gerard knew she’d be too green for the job. They needed someone with a proven drive to succeed. He shook his head, wondering how, when the week had only begun, Emersyn had already managed to sucker punch him.
Sandra walked in and set coffee and a bottle of ibuprofen on his desk.
“Thank you.”
“Anytime.”
After she left, Gerard sat down, took a couple pills, and tried to forget the girl party happening two offices over. He had a meeting to prepare for.
Rowan McCarthy swiped gently beneath her eyes as the laughter died away. This was the most fun she’d had at an interview in, well, ever. Emersyn Barrett was a hoot and exactly the kind of person Rowan wanted to work for.
“You look fine,” Emersyn said. “Not a single smudge.”
“Thank you. Did he really bury his teddy bear in the yard so you couldn’t find it?”
“He did,” Emersyn said with a wide grin on her face. “Couldn’t stand for me to, umm, borrow his bear one more time. When I finally promised I’d leave his beloved bear alone and he dug it up, it was filthy, and our parents wouldn’t let him bring it in the house.”
“What happened to it?”
“Sadly, it did not make it through the wash cycle. He was inconsolable for some time.”
Rowan glanced toward Gerard Barrett’s office, a touch of sadness for that little boy tugging at her heartstrings.
“No need to shed a single tear for my brother. He managed to pay me back in spades.”
Rowan turned back to Emersyn. “How?”
“He waited. He’s the most patient man I’ve ever met, and it’s infuriating sometimes. Months later, I begged my parents for the Barbie McMansion and got it for Christmas. Within two days, I found it painted all in black. Even the furniture had been painted. He must have stayed up all night, but never once let on that he was tired. He just smiled, and I knew then that we were even.”
The wistful smile on Emersyn’s face made Rowan wish she’d had a brother like that growing up. Her own brother, eight years older, had mostly ignored her. When he hadn’t, his pranks had been mean and always out of sight of their parents’ eyes. She didn’t know this kind of sibling love.
“I’m glad you two settled your differences.”
“Oh, we still go at each other,” Emersyn said. “But he’s worth the effort.” She picked up Rowan’s resume. “I’m sorry, we’ve gone completely off the interview, haven’t we?” She opened the folder in front of her, presumably Rowan’s application and vetting.
Rowan liked Emersyn Barrett. What wasn’t to like? The woman oozed warmth, yet there was a keen intelligence behind those gray eyes, giving the impression she saw and knew more than she let on.
“I heard you were being considered for a director position over at Murdoch.”
Just like that, the tough questions began. Rowan schooled her features and dug up the responses she’d crafted in her mind. She needed this job. Not because she needed the money. She could live on her grandmother’s trust for several years. As much as she hated to say it, she took after her father and brother with respect to finances and investments. They fascinated her. Rowan was passionate about this type of work. She was also very good at it, not that her male counterparts saw that.
“There was a position available. However, I decided I wanted to go in a different direction.”
“Different how?”
