Free Paper Moon by Linda Windsor Page B

early morning fire in his stomach.
    â€œAnd I can see you’re working anyway, so I’ll just cut out and leave you to the love of your life.”
    â€œ You are the love of my life,” Blaine recovered, wishing he had a mate to carry on this argument so that he could deal with reasonable people. “But that won’t excuse you from everything you do.
    Understand?”
    With a big sigh and roll of her eyes to the ceiling, Karen put her hands on her hips again. “Got it. Open the door, grounded forever.
    Now can I go?”
    Already zeroing back in on his messages, Blaine waved her off.
    â€œDid Mark say where he was going?”
    â€œNo, sir,” Alice replied. “He just said he’d be gone for the remainder of the week and that we’d see him Monday.”
    Tightening his grip on the phone as though it were his younger brother’s neck, Blaine’s mind whirred with contingencies regarding the contract he’d just e-mailed. Mark had assured him that he’d be on hand to go over the details in case Blaine had missed something important during his whirlwind presentation.
    â€œDo you want me to start calling around, sir?” the secretary asked.
    â€œHave you got Mark’s black book?” Blaine asked, then winced. It wasn’t Alice’s fault. “Sorry, Alice, I don’t mean to be cynical, but—”
    â€œI know, sir. It’s Mark.” She paused. “What about Eric Stolzman? He worked on the specs with you. He doesn’t really need Mark to give a blank approval.”
    Which was about all his brother did. If only Blaine hadn’t had to rush through the presentation, no one would really need to approve it. He was a stickler for detail.
    â€œIt’s not protocol,” he said. “I set up the procedures and expect them to be followed.”
    Mark always complains that he doesn’t have enough responsibility.
    So I toss something important his way, and he fumbles. If his brother couldn’t follow through on the inside sales, how could he handle the outside trips he was so eager to take on?
    â€œNever mind,” Blaine decided aloud. “I’ll go over it myself.”
    â€œThat’s not protocol either, sir,” Alice reminded him good-naturedly. She was always on him to delegate. Blaine had to delegate to Mark, who was family. He didn’t have to delegate elsewhere. He wanted, no, needed to have a finger in every pie.
    â€œIf I do it myself, I know it’s done right,” he thought aloud.
    Then, remembering Alice, he added in a more gentle tone, “Unless it’s something you’re handling. You’re the best.”
    â€œThen why don’t you listen to the best and take a few days away? Eric knows exactly how you came up with the numbers.”
    â€œHe doesn’t have the managerial eye that I have. That’s why I want you to tell him to hold the high line on the Haggarty proposal.
    They won’t balk when they hear our guarantee. Knowing they can rely on Madison to deliver the best on time is an intangible asset worth paying for.” Blaine took pride in his company’s reputation.
    Their bids might be high, but they were firm, no mandatory add-ons later.
    â€œEric may not have a managerial eye yet, but he will soon.”
    Alice’s smug assumption caught him off guard. Had Eric been wooed away by a competitor? “What do you mean?” he asked.
    â€œBecause you’ll be stroked out in the hospital, or worse.”
    â€œI’ll take that under advisement.” The tension-pressed line of his lips relaxed. “In the meantime, keep your Tiggertude to yourself.”
    If he couldn’t finish it before the tour left— “Excuse me,” Alice interrupted in a bewildered voice. “Did you say Tiggertude?”
    Did he? The cartoon character on Caroline’s T-shirt laughed at him from the corner of his mind. Heat seeped up his neck.