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I shook my head and stood, coming around to lean against the edge of my desk. “It’s not. I had a meeting with MLB Monday.”
His eyebrows shot up. “About . . . ?”
“We have a crackerjack analyst working down in sales. She came up with a new application for StrokeStat that is gonna breathe new life into Cody. We pitched it Monday.”
He shook his head, running a hand through his short dark hair. “You pitched it? I didn’t even know this was happening!” His face darkened, the eyebrows knittingtogether. “Look, man, you don’t get to just walk back in and take over. There are things you don’t know . . .”
I waited while Rob ranted. He deserved it. He’d been doing both our jobs for almost a year, it made sense that he felt ownership of the company and wanted to know what was happening. When he’d finished pacing around, he sat back down.
“You’re right. It happened quickly. I won’t take any more meetings without you knowing about them.”
“You think they’re gonna buy?” he asked, finally looking hopeful.
I nodded. “Holland is a genius. She got right to the heart of things. They almost don’t have a choice.”
“Holland . . .” Rob waved his hand absently and shook his head, trying to place the name.
“Holland O’Dell. Our new director of analytic application.”
“Director of . . . what?” Rob frowned. “Oliver. You’ve been back for like a day, you can’t just walk in and start handing out . . .” His voice slowed and then trailed off. “Shit, Oliver. Are you fucking this girl?”
I felt my lips press into a thin line. I wasn’t going to lie. Not to Rob, not to anyone. Adam and Sonja had lied to me my whole life, and as far as I was concerned, discovering the truth about being adopted had cast doubt on everything else they’d ever told me. Lies were poison and I wasn’t spreading any. But I didn’t want to out Holland, either. So I didn’t answer.
“Got it.” Rob stood again. He was full of some kindof nervous energy that made him move like an animated puppet, despite the clear exhaustion on his face.
“Hey,” I said. “It’s fine. Everything is gonna be fine now, man. And when we get things balanced again in a week or two, I want you to get out of here for a while. Take a break.”
“Yeah, I hear eight or nine months is the standard vacation around here now.”
I took the shot and shrugged. He was going to be angry with me for a while. I could handle it. “When’s the next board meeting?”
“Next month.”
“By then we’ll have MLB signed. That should quiet them down.”
“If half of them don’t sell first.” Rob shook his head. “There are investors from SonicCom breathing down their necks, ready to acquire whatever stock they’re willing to part with. We’ve already lost ten percent.”
“Hey. We’ve got fifty-one percent between us—you, me, and Tony,” I reminded him.
“You fired Tony.”
“So we get the shares back?”
Rob shrugged. “Not quite that simple. I’ll figure it out. We’ll get some of them.”
“Let’s get together this afternoon. I’ll lay out the MLB plan for you, get you feeling comfortable with it . . .”
Rob nodded and went to the door. He was halfway out before he turned back and actually smiled. “It’s good to have you back, man.”
It was good to be back. Even without Adam, maybeespecially without Adam, I knew this was where I belonged now. I was still figuring out everything else in my life, but at Cody Technology I knew what needed to be done. Adam’s absence was painful, but maybe it was actually a good thing. I missed something that had never been true, a man who lied to me my entire life and made me feel worthless enough that I’d had to run to the other side of the world to find my own value.
“Pamela.” I buzzed the desk outside through the intercom.
“Yes, sir?” Her voice was professional and brisk, and I couldn’t help the smile that lifted my lips when I heard it. I stood and walked around the desk, opening my office door.
“It feels weird to talk through the intercom when you’re right here,” I said.
Pamela smiled, but Rob’s secretary stared with wide eyes and practically cringed when I walked out of my office.
