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A Bet with Benefits
by Karen Booth
One
Mindy Eden was doing far more than burning the candle at both ends—she was melting it from every angle. Her days were divided between her position as chief operating officer of her family’s department store, Eden’s, and her role as founder of her custom greeting card business, By Min-vitation Only, or BMO. Under Mindy’s leadership, Eden’s was rebounding after years of teetering on the edge, while BMO was growing by leaps and bounds. Money was rolling in, her to-do list was a mile long and she was sleeping about four hours a night. She loved every minute of it. This was no time to slow down for anything.
As she settled in the back seat of her car on her way to Eden’s, her cell phone rang. She’d been waiting for this call from Matthew Hawkins, the interim chief executive officer Mindy had hired to run BMO while she helped her sisters get Eden’s back on stable ground. “Matthew. Do you have news for me?”
“I do, and it’s not what we were hoping for.”
“Let me guess. They want more money.” BMO had just made an offer on an amazing old warehouse in New Jersey. The Mercer Building. It was a massive space, and it would be a huge undertaking to move the entire company, but it had to be done. Right now, they had production running out of four different facilities, with the administrative offices at a fifth site and bulging at the seams. The Mercer would make it possible to streamline their entire operation and give them room to grow, and it would be an incredible space to work from.
“I wish it was as simple as that. The building has been sold,” Matthew said flatly.
“What do you mean? I thought you were on top of this. You told me it was a done deal.”
“Unfortunately, I think your personal life interfered on this one. Your romantic personal life.”
Mindy was close to asking Matthew if he had his head screwed on right. There was no romance in her life. There wasn’t much personal in there, either. Aside from the time she spent with her sisters, Sophie and Emma, at Eden’s, she didn’t have a spare minute to socialize. “Is this some sort of cruel joke?”
“Your ex. Sam Blackwell. He bought the building. Right out from under us.”
Mindy was rarely caught off guard. She had a knack for anticipating problems and being a step ahead. But she had not seen this coming. Sam had been out of her life for five full months, since the last time she broke up with him and kicked him out of her apartment.
She’d never forget their last conversation.
You tell me to go and I’m not coming back. Ever.
My sisters need me more than I need you.
Have it your way, Min. Good luck with your dysfunctional family.
Mindy had broken up with Sam several times before that and he always found a way back. This time, he’d not only stayed away, he’d moved on to greener pastures. He’d been photographed with several gorgeous women in the tabloids, most recently with Valerie Cash, a former model turned executive fashion editor. That hadn’t been easy for Mindy to take. She couldn’t figure out what made him stay away this time. Unless, of course, it was because he’d finally believed her when she’d said that he was no good for her.
“Mindy? Are you there?” Matthew asked. “Sam Blackwell. Your ex-boyfriend.”
“He was never my boyfriend.” Sam never would’ve allowed himself such a label. He wasn’t the type—his words, not hers.
“Look, I couldn’t care less what role he played in your life. The bottom line is we have to start looking for something different. Maybe new construction. I can start meeting with architects and looking at commercial sites.”
There was no way Mindy was going to give up on the Mercer this easily. “Are you insane? We’re talking eighteen months on new construction, if we’re lucky. We don’t have that kind of time. And frankly, I’m a little shocked that you’re suggesting it. That kind of delay could destroy everything I’ve built.”
“With all due respect, I’ve built quite a lot since I’ve been here. I have a lot invested in BMO, as well.”
Mindy had to stop herself from biting down on her own tongue. BMO was her company, not Matthew’s. And he needed to stop acting this way. “I’m going to fix this. I don’t want you to do another thing until you hear from me.”