Page 98 of Someone to Tempt
“So what’s next?” Jodi asks.
“Gloria has a friend who runs a think tank in Seattle. She’s offered to put in a good word for me.”
“You’re leaving Skylark? But you have plans for your initiatives. You can’t manage them from Seattle.”
“I have friends—and now family—here, so I’ll be back to visit.”
“What about Jake?” Daniel asks. “Will you be back to visit him? Because I’m almost certain he’ll be named the next president of the Byrne Family Foundation.”
“Jake won’t be—” I stop myself.
“Jake won’t be what?” Jodi asks me, then turns to Daniel. “If he’s running the foundation, he’s going to be here, right?”
“I assume so.” He pauses, then says, “There’s a satellite office in Austin, but his grandpa has always been committed to keeping the foundation headquartered in Colorado.”
“What about when Gilbert isn’t running it anymore? Is there anything that would force Jake to keep it here?” Jodi asks, concern lacing her tone.
“Jake’s going to do what’s best for everyone,” I say brightly, regretting what I almost let slip. That isn’t my secret to share, and I have no right to reveal it.
Sloane chooses that moment to burst through the door, skidding to a stop and taking in the scene in front of her. Jodi is sitting in my chair with her lunch on my desk while I stand in front of her like I’ve been called to the principal’s office, and Daniel, who’s back on his knees, is scooping chip dust into his hand.
“I have a lot of questions,” she says slowly, “but right now, I need to talk to Iris in private.”
She raises a hand to adjust the knit cap covering her bald head, blinking rapidly like whatever she has to say is serious.
“Of course,” Jodi says as she pops out of the chair.
“Right,” Daniel agrees as he shoves his hand into the front pocket of his beige slacks to deposit the crumbled chips.
I study Sloane, trying to gauge her emotions. She doesn’t seem upset, but it must be serious if she’s barging into my office and demanding to talk to me in private. Has something happened with her treatments? Or maybe she’s received a new cancer update?
“You’re sure this is what you want?” Jodi asks me as she comes around the desk. “Because I truly believe you can be?—”
“We’ll talk later,” I interrupt, flicking my eyes to Sloane. I don’t want to bother her with my piddly problems if she’s facing some new hurdle on her health journey.
I reach out and place a hand on Daniel’s arm as he starts to move past me. “You’re good for this town, too, Daniel.”
“I appreciate that, Iris. You have the right kind of vision.” He nods and then follows Jodi out of the office.
Once the door clicks shut behind them, Sloane grabs my arms and squeezes tight. “That was weird, right? Like I said, I have questions. But first, I have news.”
“Is everything okay?” I squeeze her hand in return.
“Not even a little.” Her eyes flash with obvious excitement. “My news is amazing, mind-blowing, and you can’t tell a soul.”
My grin is genuine. “I’m up for having my mind blown.”
“Spencer Charles is coming to book club tonight.”
My mouth drops open. “Shut the front door.”
“Oh, girl. I’m opening the door ofmybookstore toyourfavorite author. His agent called today, and she sounded as surprised as I feel. He’s in Colorado and willing to attend. No pictures, no social media, and nobody outside of the book club can know.” She whisper-shouts, “But he’s coming. Spencer Charles iscoming, Iris.”
“How did you manage it?”
She shrugs. “I might have used the cancer angle, but only because I love you.”
“You manipulated a best-selling author to come to book club? For me?” Cue the tears.
