All He Really Needs by Emily McKay Read Free Book Online Page A

him to supply
a name.
    “Merkins.”
    “Merkins?” She shifted her shoulder as she considered. “Not
DeValera?”
    Joe DeValera was the chief of operations, so he was the more
natural choice.
    “No, Merkins has a better head on her shoulders.”
    “DeValera won’t like that you’re handing over responsibility to
the CFO instead of to him. As COO, he’ll expect to handle things while you get
your feet under you.”
    “All the more reason he doesn’t need more power. Write up a
memo to all the executives explaining the decision. Make sure it sounds like
DeValera’s current responsibilities are too important and that no one else can
do his job.”
    Sydney nodded, quickly taking a few notes for the memo she’d
later write and send to Griffin for approval. As she did so, she couldn’t help
being impressed by his light hand when it came to managing the executive
staff.
    Something of her surprise must have shown in her expression
because Griffin asked, “You disagree with my decision?”
    She finished writing her notes as she shook her head. “No. On
the contrary, I think it’s a brilliant strategy.” Griffin looked at her with his
eyebrows raised, like he wanted her to say more, so she kept talking. “DeValera
is very much your father’s man. He’s a good COO but a bit of a narcissist.” As
soon as the words were out of her mouth, she cringed. “I shouldn’t have said
that.”
    “I agree completely. And I don’t trust him. With Hollister’s
health failing and this stupid quest of his—which, thankfully, no one outside
the family knows about—the company was vulnerable enough before Dalton decided
to step down. I don’t want DeValera getting any ideas.”
    “That’s very smart.” She cringed a little, realizing she
sounded like a yes-man.
    “Then why do you look doubtful?”
    She tilted her head, considering her next words. Just how
honest did she want to be here? She never hesitated to give her opinion when
Dalton asked for it, but he rarely asked.
    “Out with it,” Griffin ordered, his playful grin never slipping
from his face.
    “I just didn’t expect you to have such insight into the inner
workings of the company. That’s all.”
    The smiled that twisted his lips suddenly looked just a little
bitter. “Right.”
    “The strategy is brilliant,” she hastened to reassure him.
    “You just didn’t think I was capable of it.”
    “It’s not—” But she fumbled, unsure how to finish her sentence.
And feeling just a smidge annoyed at him. “Look, you give off an air
of…privileged indolence. I’m not the only one in the company who thinks this.
Anyone would tell you the same thing.” But suddenly she found she couldn’t quite
look him in the eye. Disconcerted by the idea that she didn’t know him at all,
she flipped the cover of her iPad closed, running her finger across the smooth
blue leather. “But clearly you’re not that guy. Obviously you haven’t been
ignoring the daily office politics of the company. Otherwise you wouldn’t have
noticed that Merkins has amassed a really great team or that DeValera is a
power-hungry narcissist.”
    “Hey, narcissist is your word, not mine.”
    Her gaze snapped back to his and she saw that his smile hadn’t
changed at all. But perhaps his eyes were crinkling just a tad around the
edges.
    “All I’m saying—” her voice took on a defensive edge, but she
didn’t try to hide it. It wasn’t her fault he was that good at hiding his true
nature “—is that you can’t spend all that time and energy creating a persona to
fool everyone and then be annoyed when you actually do fool everyone.”
    *
    Griffin knew Sydney was right. He also knew her
annoyance with him was totally justified. He’d kept a lot of things from her.
There were sides of himself he shared with almost no one. Things he hadn’t ever
meant to share, even with her.
    When he’d first started working for Cain Enterprises, he’d been
pegged as the slacker in the family.