Total pages in book: 60
Estimated words: 61939 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 310(@200wpm)___ 248(@250wpm)___ 206(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61939 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 310(@200wpm)___ 248(@250wpm)___ 206(@300wpm)
His voice trailed off as security guards dragged him away.
“Like I was saying, Andrea.” Mr. Lewis lifted his coffee from my hand. “This big news is that as of today, Sweet Seasons belongs to someone else, and you have a new wonderful leader at the helm. And, well, here he is.”
He gestured to the suit, and I froze.
“Mr. Cross, this is Miss Andrea Stone,” he said. “The best right hand I’ve ever had.”
I was still frozen, processing his words.
“I wrote you a personal letter about this, with all the things I should’ve said earlier.” He pushed a small envelope under my arm. “Best-of-luck, love-you, gotta-go, bye!”
He rushed past me before I could say a single word.
The only thing I heard was the echo of his cane striking marble.
He sold the company without telling ME? Of all people…
I wracked my mind for clues, little moments I could’ve seen this coming, but there was nothing.
Just endless promises about making me an executive “before the end of the year.”
“It’s good to finally have a name.” The suit extended his hand to me, snapping me out of my thoughts. “I’m Harrison Cross.”
I didn’t want to shake his hand at all, but professionalism made me do it.
A jolt of heat rushed through my body, and I dropped his hand. The way he was looking at me told me he’d felt it, too.
“Since I’m your new boss, Miss Stone, would you like to tell me what makes you a ‘secret weapon,’ or will I have to figure that out myself?”
I didn’t answer him.
“Miss Stone?”
“It’s my off day.” I couldn’t think of anything serious to say. “I don’t talk to work people on my off days…”
“Your what day?”
“You’re a work person, and you don’t exist right now,” I said. “Stay there and don’t follow me.”
Without explaining myself any further, I moved past him and hit the down button. As if it was waiting on me, its doors immediately slid open and welcomed me aboard.
Mr. Cross crossed his arms, a slight smirk on his lips, while I stabbed the door close button.
They took forever to begin shutting, as if they wanted to give me a slow-mo glimpse of this man’s face.
As the car carried me down, I shut my eyes and hoped this entire morning was just a cruel nightmare I’d wake from at any moment.
FOUR (B)
ANDREA
An hour later
Ipaced the break room at Hudson Nursing School with a hand over my chest.
My heart wouldn’t slow down, no matter how hard I tried to breathe through it.
No promotion for another month meant another low paycheck barely covering the basics. No bonus to help. And a new freakin’ boss without warning?
“You need to sit down and take some deep breaths.” Everly pressed a stethoscope against my chest. “Or else I’ll call someone to mark you for a hostile transport to the emergency room.”
The worried look in her eyes convinced me that she wasn’t kidding.
I plopped down on a bench and tried to breathe slowly as she cuffed a blood pressure monitor around my arm.
“While we wait,” she said, buckling it, “allow me to take a few guesses for why you called me out of class in a panic.”
“Go ahead.” I winced as the cuff suffocated my arm.
“Mr. Lewis offered you such a huge raise and job title that you’re worried you’ll let him down.”
“I wish…”
“Okay, okay. New direction.” She tapped her lip. “He’s dying and wants you to run the place in his shoes, but he’ll pay you really well for it?”
“No, Everly.” I shook my head, hating that her guesses stung more than reality. “It wasn’t a promotion or anything positive.”
“Well, on the plus side, your blood pressure is fine.” She uncuffed me. “You still need to rest, though. No matter what happened today, it’s no reason for you to—”
“He sold the company,” I interrupted her. “He sold it without telling a soul, and without offering exit packages or bonuses for anyone who was loyal. We get nothing.”
“Oh…” Her face paled. “Who did he sell it to? A firm or something?”
“Some guy named Hudson Cross,” I said. “No, wait—Harrison Cross.”
“Well, this isn’t the end of the world. Maybe the new guy will be a good boss.”
“Not if he treats his employees like he treats customer lines.”
“Huh?”
“Harrison Cross, Harrison Cross.” I tapped my lip, mentally replaying the way he’d said it to me. “I feel like I’ve heard that name somewhere. Have you?”
“No.” She shrugged and signaled to Lisa. “Thanks for coming to take her home. Can you make her lie down the moment y’all make it?”
“Harrison Cross,” I muttered again, looking up at her. “Have you ever heard that name?”
“Seems familiar, but…” She shook her head.
“See?” Everly clapped. “Nothing to worry about, Drea. The guy who bought your company is probably a coffee fanatic who might finally make you an executive. You never know.”