This Time, Forever by Pamela Britton Page A

hadn’t cared. The man could fire him. In fact, he hoped he would. That would make things easier.
    â€œAh, Linc,” the man said when Linc burst into his office without so much as a by-your-leave from Emma-Lee who sat behind a chrome-and-glass desk that matched Gil’s.
    â€œGil,” Linc said, resisting the urge to slam the door closed behind him. He couldn’t have if he wanted to.
    â€œGil, I’m sorry,” Emma-Lee said, the blonde somehow wedging herself between the door and its frame.
    â€œIt’s okay,” Gil said. “He has an appointment.”
    â€œHe does?” Emma-Lee said, blue eyes widening.
    â€œIt’s a private matter,” Gil said. His gaze shifted to Linc’s. “One we’re going to resolve today…one way or the other.”
    Linc straightened, refusing to back down from the man. “Yes, we are,” he said.
    â€œClose the door, please, Emma-Lee.”
    The assistant did as ordered, but not before shooting the two of them a look of keen interest. Linc crossed to the front of Gil’s desk once the door was closed. Theglass top was cold when he placed his hands against it, leaning toward his boss. “I’m going to marry Marley.”
    He could tell they weren’t the words Gil had been expecting because the man’s eyes widened imperceptibly. “Are you, now?”
    â€œI am,” Linc said. “And I don’t care if that means having to pay a small fortune to get out of my contract with you. I’m marrying your sister with or without your permission.”
    Gil leaned back in his chair, the thing squeaking as he did so. Linc straightened up slowly, crossing his arms in front of him as he waited for Gil’s response.
    â€œWhat makes you think you’re good enough for her?” the man asked, blue eyes that were so like Marley’s narrowing.
    â€œI’m not,” Linc said quickly. “She’s the most sensitive, compassionate, intelligent woman I’ve ever met and I refuse to give her up.”
    And if he wasn’t mistaken, he could have sworn the man’s lips twitched a little…almost as if he’d just bit back a smile.
    â€œYou know,” Gil said after a moment of tense silence, “twenty years ago I got into this business on a whim.” He leaned forward slightly to pick up a pen. He fiddled with it absently as Linc stared down at him. “I never expected that my sister would want to follow me, but she did. At the time I promised my parents that I would keep an eye on her. They almost forbade her from ever visiting a race track again after the whole car fire debacle.” He shook his head. “Things settled down once she went to college, and I was glad to see that she seemed to have gotten over her crush on you. But I’ll be honest, Linc. I worried about you coming to work for us because ofthat crush. I was afraid she might embarrass herself all over again. Or that she might have grown to despise you over the years. I never, not once, expected the two of you to fall in love.”
    â€œIt’s the real deal, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
    â€œI guess it is.”
    â€œOh, yeah?” Linc said. “Is that why you told her to find another job? So she could get over me? So she wouldn’t have to deal with the pain of seeing me day in and day out? So that you wouldn’t have to see the pain in her eyes?”
    He’d hit a nerve, Linc could tell. He pressed his advantage in the same way he did out on the race track. “She loves me. I know it, and I’m going to go find her and tell her that now. So if you love your sister, you’ll offer me your congratulations, wish me well and send me on my way.”
    No emotion flickered through Gil’s eyes. Linc felt his pulse beat at the base of his neck as he waited for her brother’s response.
    â€œI’ll expect your resignation on my desk by the end