Brother to the Boss: Billionaire Romance (Managing the Bosses Series Book 8) by Lexy Timms Page B
Authors: Lexy Timms
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there when Alex showed up looking all kinds of less than happy. And secondly, I know you well enough to see when you're unhappy.” She glanced away. “Just because I ignored it before doesn't mean that I don't know.”
Jamie sighed. She hadn't heard the full story of what happened between Mark and Alex yet, only knew that Alex had come home last night in a mood and had hardly spoken to her before storming up the stairs to bed. When she'd crawled in with him later, he'd either been asleep or pretending to be, and she hadn't really been in the mood to check. If he wanted to act like the entire world was against him, that was his prerogative, but she wasn't going to indulge him in it. “Well, I'm sure you know that things haven't been the greatest lately. I mean, with Alex.”
“I know that Mark hasn't been happy lately, and that the argument with Alex seemed to really upset him, but I don't know what caused it. I also know that you've been unhappy lately, but you haven't really talked about it either, except to say that Alex was dealing with things at work.”
“Well,” Jamie said slowly, “there’s this man named Nicholas. He used to have a thing for me, actually. Kept trying to get me to go out to dinner with him when Alex and I were first dating. I went once, but I was too in love with Alex to be really into him. At the time, I thought he was a nice guy.”
Christine nodded.
“To make a long story short, he tried to help Alex by convincing the secretary who had been with him since Reid Enterprises started to authorize herself a new company card and start buying totally unapproved things with it. To show how overworked and distracted Alex was or something. Of course it ended up with Gina getting fired, and I think Nicholas is lucky he didn't end up in jail. Alex settled with him and we thought that was the end of it. Only now he's come back, and he's secretly been buying stock out from under Alex. Which means that Alex has been spending almost all of his time at work trying to deal with it, because he won't give any of the problem over to the people he hired to help him with problems.”
She couldn't keep the frustration out of her voice, and Christine's expression shifted, becoming sympathetic.
“And you're upset that he's been spending so much time at work instead of at home with you and the babies?”
That wasn't what Jamie had said, but it wasn't exactly hard to guess. She nodded. “Yeah. I guess I’m a little upset about that. I mean, he was supposed to cut back on the overtime and the crazy hours once the twins were born, and I don't know if he would have or not, but it feels like he's using the thing with Nicholas as an excuse not to do it. I get that he cares about the company, but he owns enough of the stock himself now that Nicholas can't buy it from him, and so there's no reason for him to be so worried. And I don't see why he can't give some of the workload to Zander, if there really is a reason to still be concerned, and actually spend some time at home with us.” Jamie looked down at her hand, twisting her wedding ring slowly around her finger. “It just feels like we're not as important to him as his business, and I don't like feeling that way.”
Christine reached out and laid a hand over hers, stopping Jamie's nervous motion. “I know that it really sucks to think that your husband's first priority is his job. I mean, I don't know from experience. I'm not sure Stephen had any priorities that weren't 'Do whatever I want regardless of the consequences,' and working wasn't really something he wanted to do much of, but what I'm saying is, maybe you're being a little too harsh. Alex cares about his business, yes. He built it. That's something to be proud of. But he also cares about you and Benton and Lilli. It's obvious every time anyone is in the room with you guys.”
For a moment, Jamie just stared at her sister in silence. “Okay,” she said finally, “who are you, and what have you
Jamie sighed. She hadn't heard the full story of what happened between Mark and Alex yet, only knew that Alex had come home last night in a mood and had hardly spoken to her before storming up the stairs to bed. When she'd crawled in with him later, he'd either been asleep or pretending to be, and she hadn't really been in the mood to check. If he wanted to act like the entire world was against him, that was his prerogative, but she wasn't going to indulge him in it. “Well, I'm sure you know that things haven't been the greatest lately. I mean, with Alex.”
“I know that Mark hasn't been happy lately, and that the argument with Alex seemed to really upset him, but I don't know what caused it. I also know that you've been unhappy lately, but you haven't really talked about it either, except to say that Alex was dealing with things at work.”
“Well,” Jamie said slowly, “there’s this man named Nicholas. He used to have a thing for me, actually. Kept trying to get me to go out to dinner with him when Alex and I were first dating. I went once, but I was too in love with Alex to be really into him. At the time, I thought he was a nice guy.”
Christine nodded.
“To make a long story short, he tried to help Alex by convincing the secretary who had been with him since Reid Enterprises started to authorize herself a new company card and start buying totally unapproved things with it. To show how overworked and distracted Alex was or something. Of course it ended up with Gina getting fired, and I think Nicholas is lucky he didn't end up in jail. Alex settled with him and we thought that was the end of it. Only now he's come back, and he's secretly been buying stock out from under Alex. Which means that Alex has been spending almost all of his time at work trying to deal with it, because he won't give any of the problem over to the people he hired to help him with problems.”
She couldn't keep the frustration out of her voice, and Christine's expression shifted, becoming sympathetic.
“And you're upset that he's been spending so much time at work instead of at home with you and the babies?”
That wasn't what Jamie had said, but it wasn't exactly hard to guess. She nodded. “Yeah. I guess I’m a little upset about that. I mean, he was supposed to cut back on the overtime and the crazy hours once the twins were born, and I don't know if he would have or not, but it feels like he's using the thing with Nicholas as an excuse not to do it. I get that he cares about the company, but he owns enough of the stock himself now that Nicholas can't buy it from him, and so there's no reason for him to be so worried. And I don't see why he can't give some of the workload to Zander, if there really is a reason to still be concerned, and actually spend some time at home with us.” Jamie looked down at her hand, twisting her wedding ring slowly around her finger. “It just feels like we're not as important to him as his business, and I don't like feeling that way.”
Christine reached out and laid a hand over hers, stopping Jamie's nervous motion. “I know that it really sucks to think that your husband's first priority is his job. I mean, I don't know from experience. I'm not sure Stephen had any priorities that weren't 'Do whatever I want regardless of the consequences,' and working wasn't really something he wanted to do much of, but what I'm saying is, maybe you're being a little too harsh. Alex cares about his business, yes. He built it. That's something to be proud of. But he also cares about you and Benton and Lilli. It's obvious every time anyone is in the room with you guys.”
For a moment, Jamie just stared at her sister in silence. “Okay,” she said finally, “who are you, and what have you
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