Page 22 of Game Change

“Kincaid?” she repeats the word as if it’s foreign. If she’s known my uncle for six years, she knows about the Kincaid family. “Your nephew?”

“Yes. He’s been living in San Diego for way too long. Please, sit,” he says. “We have much to discuss.”

Brynne sits, but she looks from me to my uncle, and I wish I could read her mind right now. I know she must be as confused as I am.

Uncle Milton loudly clears his throat and rubs the back of his neck so hard, I’m afraid he’ll rub his skin off.

“Is everything okay, Milton?” Brynne asks. She still looks from me to him.

“Here’s the thing,” Uncle Milton begins. “Well, actually, let’s talk money,” he says. His pivot doesn’t surprise me. When I was a kid, he told me the only universal language was money and that everyone, even the super-rich, has their price.

He opens a manila folder and slides a piece of paper to Brynne. He slides one to me too, and I see a letter detailing her position at the firm, her current salary, and her new salary once her raise goes through Human Resources.

It’s a substantial amount. Way more than someone in her position would get.

“That’s very generous, but there’s a typo. This still has my old position.” She gives me the side-eye. “And why are you sharing my salary with your nephew?” She looks away and shakes her head. “And I’m sorry, but you never mentioned a nephew named Colin. You’ve always talked about Paddy.” She gives me the side-eye again.

“Well, that’s him. Colin Patrick Kincaid. We called him by his middle name because my brother was a narcissist. He was named Colin, and both his sons were named after him.”

She points at me in total disbelief. “Thisis Paddy Cake?” she asks, referring to my childhood nickname. Even as I grew into a teenager and adult, Uncle Milton never dropped the childish nickname. “I thought you were referring to a child. Like a grandnephew or something.”

“Nope. That’s him, and you should know that I’ve been trying to get him to come here for years. He’s always turned me down, which is why I trained you as my protégé, and I was ready to hand over the reins to you, but then Paddy called and begged me for the job.”

I shake my head at him. I did no such thing. He called me and offered it to me. He stressed that a Kincaid should run Kincaid Architecture, and since my relationship imploded and I was desperate for a change, I agreed—especially when he said the firm would be mine to run as I see fit.

“How come in all our conversations over the years, you never mentioned having an architect nephew? Not even when you talked about him to me.” I can tell she’s doing her best to remain calm, but her voice gets slightly higher with each word. Her left cheek also twitches, and despite the situation, I find that sexy.

Uncle Milton is now red in the face. I stare at him, eager to hear his reason. I already know. He didn’t want her to know a family member could come into the company. In his mind, if she knew that information, she might not work as hard, knowing her limited promotional probabilities.

“I’m sure I mentioned it,” he lies.

She doesn’t believe him, and neither do I. She glares at him with her nostrils flared.

“Does this mean you’ll give him my old job?” she asks. She’s flustered now. Her calm manner is gone, and in its place is a simmering fire.

“See, that’s the thing. I think it’s best if you keep your job, complete with a huge raise, and Paddy will replace me. It’s always been important to me that a Kincaid run this firm.”

I plant my hand on my forehead and shake my head. It’s barely nine o’clock on my first day of work, and it’s already one of the worst days of my life. As soon as I leave this conference room, I plan on pouring myself a drink.

“So, I can’t have the job because I have the wrong last name? I just want to be clear because you’ve never mentioned this little detail before.”

“It’s not that simple,” Uncle Milton says with a throat clearing, but he’s lying. It’s exactly that simple.

“Then why did you promise it to me if you wanted a Kincaid in charge? Why did you lead me to believe this was a done deal only to bring him in?” She points at me but won’t look at me anymore. “Because of nepotism? I’ve been here for six years, and before today, I’ve never heard of Colin Kincaid.”

“Well, you have,” I remind her. “Only as Paddy.” Even to my own ears, I sound like a pompous ass. She finally looks me in the eyes, and I hold her stare, letting her look for whatever she’s searching for. I hope she’ll see the guy she spent those few days with in paradise and not let this impede our plans.

Idiot.

She looks away and waits for my uncle to speak. He’s as red as a tomato.

“I want you to give him a chance. In fact, I want you to help him in this transition. The other employees will follow your lead if you show you’re on board.”

She stands and glares at him. “You want me to train the man who stole my job?” she asks, clearly outraged.

“Whoa,” I interject. “I didn’t steal a damn thing.”

“You let me handle this, Paddy,” Uncle Milton says. He has the nerve to glare at me like he did when I was a little kid acting up. “Hush.”

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