Synergy: New Adult Romantic Suspense (U-District, #1) (4 page)

“Shh, it’s coming back on.”

Bryce rolled onto his side. Although everyone at the company respected Jade as a Buchanan and as Gloria’s granddaughter, she’d have to start at ground zero to earn their respect as the head of the company.

He wasn’t exactly sure how the management team would react to him becoming COO, considering he was a newbie manager and had been at the company for only six years. Still, he’d be forever grateful that Gloria had given him this opportunity. He doubted anyone would reject him too harshly. After all, he’d brought in a significant amount of new business.

One thing he knew for sure, Gloria Buchanan had been a woman to take seriously, and she’d liked being in control. He understood why she’d want the company to stay in the family. Hell, he’d expected it.

But why make Jade CEO?

Perhaps Gloria had reasons he couldn’t yet see. At least he could be grateful for the promotion. It had been the last thing he’d expected when summoned to the lawyer’s office, but there was no way he would turn it down.

This fits into my long-term plans perfectly.

Whatever her reasoning, Gloria was still fully in charge of determining the destiny of Synergy Technologies, at least for the next year.

“Where are you going?” Kenzie asked when he got up.

“I’ve got some calls to make.”

“Okay, hurry back.”

Bryce went into the kitchen, grabbed the portable, and dialed.

He’d watch over Jade, make sure she didn’t make any fatal mistakes, ones that would destroy the reputation of the company. Once running it proved too much for her, he’d be more than willing to take control.

THE VERDICT WAS IN.
Jade wouldn’t call it a decision so much as giving in to her grandmother’s wishes. She resented Gran for the “choice” forced upon her—as if selling the company was even an option.

Between studying for finals and moving back to Seattle from Stanford, Jade had spent the past two weeks in a blur. Now that she was home for good, and today was her first day as CEO, the memories of her grandmother came flooding back. She wanted to be angry with Gran. Instead, her chest was heavy with loss.

Driving fast down the empty streets at five a.m. and listening to the throaty hum of the BMW’s V8 engine didn’t provide Jade the gratification she’d normally have felt. Even the sunrise casting a golden glow on the Seattle skyline and highlighting the classically designed granite-and-emerald-glass building didn’t brighten her day when she arrived at Synergy headquarters. Jade parked Gran’s Beemer in the VIP slot of the parking garage and continued to grip the steering wheel.

What if I fail? What if I don’t live up to her expectations, again?

A deep breath filled her lungs.

I have to try.

The buzz of her cell phone startled her. “Mr. Greenberg?”

“Good morning, Jade.”

No it isn’t.

“I was hoping you might reconsider my generous offer.”

“The company is not for sale. If I decide differently, you’ll be the first to know. Please stop calling me.” She hung up and threw the phone back in her purse.

You can take your fancy suit and yellow tie and shove it.

Ugh. There was no point in delaying any longer. She walked to the elevator, her heels creating an eerie echo against the concrete floor of the parking garage. She’d been here so many times with Gran. The building was always full of people going in every direction with a definite purpose on their faces. They had something to do, someone to see, somewhere to be. When she was young, she couldn’t wait to be one of those important people.

This isn’t the way it was supposed to be. I was going to work my way up the organization and learn from you, Gran.

Fate apparently had other plans.

She paused at the elevator. Jade’s reflection showed a younger version of her grandmother, wearing a black pantsuit with her hair pulled into a tight bun and single pearl earrings. She sighed. The lip gloss and eyeliner didn’t mask her swollen eyes and pale skin.

All she wanted to do was get back in her car and drive home.

But if she didn’t push the button to the elevator and take the seat behind her grandmother’s desk, the company Jade dearly loved would be sold. Her hand trembled when she stepped into the elevator and reached for the button. She was no longer the eager child who watched the numbers speed past until the elevator reached the forty-second level.

When the doors opened, Jade’s stomach dropped to the floor below. Hesitating, she walked into the dark empty hallway and flinched when motion sensors automatically turned on the lights.

Jeez, get a grip already.

She took a deep breath to steady her nerves, then turned the corner to the executive hallway and stopped at Marge’s desk right outside Gran’s office.

“Good morning, Miss Buchanan. How are you today?”

Jade wasn’t surprised Marge was in this early. She’d been her grandmother’s secretary for over twenty years. Short silver hair framed Marge’s round face, and she wore a traditional tweed blazer with a knee-length skirt and low black heels. “I’ve been better.”

Jade stopped at the door to her grandmother’s office, pausing with her hand on the knob.

Marge stopped typing. “Would you like me to bring you anything?”

She shook her head. “No, I’m fine.” Even she heard the tremble in her own voice. “Can you make sure no one interrupts me?”

“Of course. You have nothing on your calendar. The team is going to Bryce for now.”

Jade returned her focus to the door, turned the handle, and stepped inside the office.

Her breath caught in her throat.

The smell of worn business books, mingled with Gran’s gardenia perfume, brought tears to her eyes. She’d never be able to take back her harsh words, to mend their relationship. She’d been too stubborn, thought she’d have more time.

With each step toward the floor-to-ceiling window, she took a shallow breath, afraid the scent of Gran’s favorite fragrance would make her break down completely. The view of Puget Sound did nothing to ease her pain.

Pulling a fragile glass figurine from her purse, she placed the pink cat gently on the solid cherry desk. Gran had bought it for her during their trip to the Chihuly Glass Museum when Jade was nine.

Her purse slipped from her fingers and dropped to the floor as she sat in the executive chair. “Why did you do this to me, Gran?” Jade whispered aloud. “How can you expect me to take your place?”

“You’re perfectly capable of running this business,” she imagined her grandmother saying to her. “Why do you think I’ve been training you all these years?”

She envisioned her grandmother standing next to her, Gran’s white hair pulled into a tight bun that accentuated her high cheekbones, every detail as clear as if Gran were real.

“I’m only twenty-two. No one’s going to take me seriously.”

“What does age have to do with anything? Do you think people didn’t take this four-foot-nine, sixty-eight-year-old woman seriously? You bet your bum they did. And why was that?” Gran pointed a French manicured finger that bore a diamond-and-sapphire ring.

“Because you’d kick their butts if they didn’t listen.” Jade turned to the window. “But where do I start?”

“With the contracts. Always start with your customers. Find out what they want and how you can give it to them.” Gran had said that to her the summer Jade had worked in Finance.

“I still haven’t forgiven you, but I do miss you.”

“I’m always here, just look around.”

Jade scanned the office and stopped on a picture in a gold frame. She was eight years old and holding Gran’s hand. They were wearing matching black dresses to see a performance of
Swan Lake
. That memory, and so many others, were all that was left.

No matter how clearly Jade could summon her up… Gran was gone.

Jade glanced at the desk where her grandmother’s notes still lay. The meticulous, unfailingly neat scroll of her handwriting was beautiful. She flipped the page and leaned back in surprise. A row of numbers precisely lined up was normal, but the underlines and circles evoked a laugh she didn’t expect.

Gran doodled?

That single thought brought Gran down from the perfect pedestal she’d been on for Jade’s entire life.

She reached for the heavy gold pen her grandmother wrote with and remembered Gran saying it would be hers someday. “I’m not ready for this pen to be mine.” Jade spoke to the empty room and placed it back into its holder. “And I know why you did it.”

She sank into the leather chair and closed her eyes. Only one reason made sense as to why Gran would put her in charge instead of someone more seasoned. If she could count on one thing from her grandmother, it was her ability to meddle with Jade’s life. Why would the grave stop her now? Gran knew Jade had strong feelings for Bryce and that he would be a big with-a-capital-B distraction to her.

But as CEO, Jade could no longer develop a relationship with him. Because now she was his boss.

BRYCE NEEDED A BREAK.
He’d been sitting at his desk for the past four hours, working on the quote for the one hundred Airflight Entertainment Systems that JND Enterprises had asked for. The quote was coming along at a turtle’s pace, but it was important he do it right to ensure they continued to win JND’s business. Competition was getting tough. He couldn’t become complacent, especially not now. While he’d been busy bringing in new business and holding down the fort, Jade had locked herself in her grandmother’s office all week.

What the hell is she doing in there, and when is she going to step up and start acting like the CEO?

Bryce reached for his mug, which was empty again. He rolled up his shirtsleeves, grabbed the cup, and headed to the break room. He needed to do something other than think about his irritation with Jade.

“Hey, Bryce,” Jason stepped up to the coffee machine. “How’s the quote request going?”

Bryce lifted the folder in his hand. “Almost finished. I’ll have Jade sign off, and then we should be able to send it out for their review tomorrow.”

“She’s been here a week, and I haven’t seen her leave Gloria’s office once.” Jason filled his cup.

Apparently, Bryce wasn’t the only one who’d noticed Jade’s strange behavior. This wasn’t good. “It’s Jade’s office now, and she’s reading through the contracts, getting herself oriented with the business.” Bryce kept his tone even. The team didn’t need to know his feelings.

“Well, at least Gloria made you COO. You’re running things anyway. She’s just eye candy.”

“Watch it.” Bryce knocked him upside the head with the folder in his hand.

“What?” Jason shot him a sideways glance. “Don’t tell me you don’t think Jade is hot.”

Bryce wasn’t going to comment. He had to focus on when Jade was a nosy teenager with braces and not the beautiful woman she was today. “I don’t appreciate you speaking that way about anyone at this company. And don’t forget, she can fire your ass.”

“Right, sorry.” Jason shrugged his shoulders and offered a fake apologetic smile. “She’s very pretty.”

“And she’s your CEO.” Bryce stepped up to fill his Stanford mug. “When you’re finished gossiping, I’d like you to complete the Bradley proposal and have it on my desk by two p.m., and Jason…” Bryce turned to leave. “Don’t upset the customers.”

“What? Me?”

Although he was kidding, Bryce had spent considerable time mentoring Jason on his professional conduct. Jason was brilliant at marketing and charismatic with the customers, but sometimes his mouth got him in trouble. Bryce headed to Jade’s office and took a detour past Marge’s desk to talk to her. When he saw Marge walking to the elevator, he picked up the pace to catch her.

“Where are you heading?” he asked when he reached her.

Marge held the door open for him. “Forty-one. Just dropping something off. And to what do I owe this pleasure?”

“I’ll go down with you. I need your help with something, but first, how’s Mattie?” Every day he asked about her grandson, who had muscular dystrophy.

“Yesterday was a good day.” Her smile didn’t mask the sadness in her eyes or the ache in her voice. “He was able to go for a short walk.”

“That’s what I want to hear.” Bryce squeezed Marge’s shoulder. “Do you happen to know where the Bradley file is? I looked at it on Tuesday, but it’s not in Contracts today, and Sara doesn’t know who checked it out.”

“I overheard Stan say something about it.”

“You’re a lifesaver, Marge. What would I do without you?”

“Oh, you’d manage.”

“I doubt that.”

Marge’s smile told him loud and clear that his comment had lifted her spirits. He waited for her to leave the elevator, and when he was back on his floor, he headed to Jade’s office and rapped his knuckles on the open door. “Can I come in?”

Jade rose from her chair and gripped her desk as if steadying herself. “I have to go.”

Go?
“Dammit, Jade, I have papers I need you to sign. When are you going to start acting like the CEO?”

“I—” Jade’s eyes rolled into her head and she swayed.

Bryce dropped the file and lunged for her. Unprepared for her to go unconscious, he lowered her to the floor cradled in his arms. “Marge!”
Shit
. Marge couldn’t hear him. He’d forgotten she wasn’t at her desk. He looked down at Jade and gently brushed wisps of hair from her face.

She looked more fragile than the last time he’d seen her at the lawyer’s office. At least back then, her face had been red from crying. Now, she had no color in her lips or cheeks, except for the black circles surrounding her eyes. Her hair, normally full, was limp and straight, falling away from the tight bun she kept it in at work. She’d lost weight, too much weight in a couple of weeks. Her face was sunken and her clothes didn’t fit right.

Why didn’t I see this? Because you were too pissed off to notice, that’s why.