Hello, Again (Book 2)

CEO

MATTHEW

The first weird thing about my meeting with Harry was how he called me at 4 o'clock in the morning. I'd wiped the sleep from my eyes and said a gravelly "Hello?"

"Come to the office at 5."

"Can't. It'll be 6 by the time I pick up Kat—"

"Just you."

The sudden edge to his tone, the strain of worry, jolted me awake. "Bring coffee," I said, and hung up to get ready.

That was the second weird thing.

The third, when I got to the office, his four children—between elementary and high school aged—were all laid out in the lobby couches. The youngest one was being fed oatmeal by a nanny, while the oldest was distributing coffee to the other two. None of them even seemed to notice me come in.

Something was definitely up. And my defenses were high since he said no Kat. Now it was just a matter of what he told me that would determine how I would relay it back to Kat. No way was I leaving her out of the loop with this one.

I found Harry in his office with his tie undone and his hair out of place. "I see you rolled out of bed, too," I joked, trying to ease the tension on his face.

It didn't help. The lines that usually creased his forehead in thought were now carved with worry. "Sit down, Matthew. I need your help."

Warily, I dropped into the seat across from his desk. He still hadn't sat down. "No doubt you saw my children downstairs," he started. "It's been rather rough with the family these past few months, and I can't keep the charade up anymore."

I tensed. "Harry, I'd love to help you, but I'm not a family lawyer. I don't do divorce—besides that I don't believe in—"

"She has cancer, Matthew." Then Harry looked at me and I saw the anguish in his eyes, now bright with tears. "She got it removed, but there's still treatments and the toll is so much on her..."

"What can we do to help, Harry?" I folded my hands together, leaning forward so my elbows rested on my knees.

"That's the thing, Matthew. I need time. Time I don't have, not with the way Wayward Publishing is going now. You need someone to step up in my place."

I forced my voice to keep steady, despite the anxiety that reared up in my chest at the thought of how I was going to communicate this to Kat. "How soon?"

"A few months, maybe," he said, running a hand through his graying hair.

"But you wish it to be sooner." I sighed. "I understand, Harry."

"I don't want to get in the way of your plans," he said, looking earnestly at me. "I know your wedding is coming up. You have so much to do."

"We'll have to see what we can do." I couldn't see it quite yet, but I still had an hour or so to see Kat. Maybe I could make a few calls, a few inquiries to find an interim CEO. "But don't worry, Harry. Your wife needs you. Can you give us a few weeks to get organized? I'll talk to Kat to see if you can work remotely in the meantime."

The relief on Harry's face told me I made the right decision. I knew Kat would be on board.

"I will tell her," I said, "but we will all meet together to discuss the details later. And pray for your wife, too."

"Thank you, Matthew." He finally sank into his seat.

I stood. "If you don't mind," I said, "I will get going to see Kat. She has a few things to arrange for the wedding today."