He reread the message.
No, he wasn’t the asshole owner’s son. Nobody had walked out or quit recently. He would’ve heard about it. His shoulders sagged in relief. If he’d offended anybody by his bloodline, he wanted to know. He wanted to fix it. Zac didn’t want to be that guy, the one who took advantage of his situation, of his heritage.
He smiled at everyone as he headed back to his office. The phone on his desk rang.
“Zac Sparks,” he answered as he plopped into his office chair.
“We need to talk,” his father said before hanging up.
Zac set the receiver down in the cradle and shut down his computer for the day. He read through the message one last time before closing his tablet. It took him less than five minutes before he ended up in his father’s office, and he regretted not getting there sooner.
“We’re too late,” his father said. His pale face and ruddy cheeks contradicted one another. His father sat slouched in his chair, a man defeated. “All the news that trickled down to me. All the information given to me by the board. All of everything about taking this company public had been in the works for longer than I was told. They called a board meeting today, one I found out about after it had started. They voted in favor. We lost the war before we could even fight a battle.”
Zac collapsed into the chair in front of his father’s desk. “What now?”
“Now,” he said, standing to his full height, “we own forty percent of the company that I started. Now I’m on the verge of being tossed out. Now I decide if I stay or if I go. Now I stand tall in front of the others, because if I don’t, I have failed.”
“What about me?” Zac blurted almost without thinking. It had been on his mind since it first came up. “What do I do now?”
His father’s face softened. “You do what you do, son. You’ll be fine. You’re bright and are more capable than most of the other guys here.”
Zac nodded, his gaze dropped to the tablet in his hands. His mind drifted to his mystery girl. She was in a job she took only because she had to. He’d taken his job because it was expected of him. Maybe she wasn’t the only one who needed a change. Zac stood, glancing at his father’s slouched back as he stared out the window of his corner office. He’d lost, and he knew it, but his father would only let Zac see that brief moment of vulnerability. Not that too many people would’ve recognized it. Zac had seen it when his mother died. It wasn’t something Zac thought he’d ever see again, yet here it was.
“It’ll be okay, Dad,” Zac said. He knew his father needed to hear that even if he didn’t believe it. “Sparks men tend to land on their feet.”
His father snorted and turned around. “That we do, son. That we do.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Macie wanted to strangle Alex before nine in the morning on Friday. But by Saturday, she was noting places to hide his body. The dumpster behind the station was too obvious even if it was the most convenient. He made last minute demands and changes on perfectly good graphics. At one point he had the nerve to accuse her of photoshopping his face to make him look less attractive. Unfortunately for him, he’d done it in front of the entire newsroom.
“I didn’t do anything to your face, Alex,” Macie had said. “Blame that on your parents.”
Snickers bounced around the newsroom. Once Alex stormed out, Macie even got a few high fives from the crew. She took great pleasure in knocking him down with well-placed sarcasm mixed with brutal honesty. Probably not the best idea since his father owned the station, but she was past the point of caring. And the stern email from Nancy was sent straight to the trash bin.
She had thirty minutes left before she clocked out at six. Zac would be at her place at seven. She’d put a stew in the slow cooker for dinner before she left. Her small apartment was going to smell like a slice of meaty heaven. Her mouth watered just thinking about it. She worked her tail off the night before making the dough for fresh biscuits. The minute she walked into her place, she’d have to preheat the oven to bake them. Not to mention shower, change, and make herself look presentable without making herself look presentable. It was Zac, after all. He’d seen her throw up in the bushes outside more than one frat house. That was a bonus for her. He’d clearly seen her at her worst. He’d never seen her at her best. It was time she made him see her for who she really was—a compassionate, loyal human being. Not a raving bitch with permanent PMS.
The phone in her office shrilled, shocking her out of thoughts of Zac.
“Macie Regan,” she answered.
“My office. Now.” Nancy slammed the phone down without giving Macie a chance to breath.
This can’t be good. Macie steeled herself before standing. She grabbed her tablet and her cell, knowing she’d need all the insurance she had against whatever tyranny Alex threw at her through her boss. What else could it be? She got along with everyone else, hit impossible deadlines, and did everything asked of her. On the short walk to Nancy’s office, she changed his name back to Alex on her contacts list. She would revert it back to A$$hole later, or just block him all together.
The hallway was empty, and Macie couldn’t stop the rock in her stomach from turning into a boulder. Her feet grew heavy, her steps slowed. The door to Nancy’s office was closed, which was not like Nancy. The frosted window revealed nothing. Macie had no idea what she
