Page 64 of Untamed
Birdie gives him a smile so wide her chubby cheeks nearly pinch both eyes closed.
Tucker chuckles beside me. “I don’t think she’s going to fight you on that.”
I won’t either. There are so many things I feel guilty about where my daughter is concerned, and her lack of grandparents is absolutely one of them. I might not have had a father in my life, but my mother’s parents were actively involved right up until they passed away when I was in high school. Birdie isn’t going to have a dadorgrandparents. She’s literally only got me. So if Ray wants to spoil her while we’re here, I’m certainly not going to stop him.
Tucker spends a few minutes checking in with the in-house team as well as the group sent here from Alaskan Security, and then we’re finally on our way to his office. We’ve barely reached the edge of the large lobby when Trevor’s voice carries through the space.
It’s loud enough practically everyone within earshot turns to where he stands with his phone pressed against one year. I don’t know who he’s screaming at, but he should probably stop. I’ve never successfully gotten anything I wanted by raising my voice at someone.
“What is he upset about already?” Birdie starts wiggling in my grip, so I set her on the floor at my feet. “The day just started.”
“There’s no telling. He gets upset about everything.” Tucker adjusts the diaper bag hooked over his shoulder so he can hold one hand out for Birdie. “I hope to God he finds a new assistant soon. Before he ends up having a coronary.”
“I can’t imagine it would be hard for him to find an assistant.” Iknow Tucker joked about it not being worth the money, but I bet people are clamoring to get their foot in the door here.
I regularly have lunch with Maren and Brooke, and they weren’t shy about sharing the many perks the brothers offer their employees. Everything from matching 401(k)s to fully paid health benefits and well-stocked break rooms. Everyone even gets three weeks paid vacation from their first day on the job. It’s a fantastic package, and I’m shocked Trevor doesn’t have a line of people fighting for the position.
Even with all the yelling.
Tucker snorts. “Oh he can find an assistant.” He gives me a lopsided grin. “He just can’t keep one.”
I narrow my eyes at Tucker’s older brother as he snarls into his cell phone, giving whoever’s on the other end an earful. And I feel bad for them. I doubt they did anything so wrong to deserve his wrath at eight in the morning.
Spinning on one heel, I march to where Trevor is still ranting. His eyes have barely come my way before I’m snatching his phone away and ending the call.
Trevor stares at me, sputtering. “What the fuck are you doing?”
Keeping my voice calm, I meet his outraged gaze. “Your phone lost service, so why don’t you take this time to compose yourself and collect your thoughts before calling whoever that was back?”
Trevor’s expression is incredulous as he makes a grab for his phone. “You can’t just do that.”
“Someone had to. Because you’re currently acting on emotion, and that isn’t going to get you anywhere.” It’s the number one rule of customer service, and what I always drilled into my team at the hotel. Staying calm but firm, I ask, “Were you yelling at someone with less power than you?”
Trevor freezes, his guilty expression telling me everything I need to know.
“And what was the point of it? Is screaming at a person who's likely making minimum wage going to achieve your goals?” I tip my head, feeling a little bit like I’m talking to a child. “Or is it possible you would be better served staying calm while working on a solution rather than screaming out a list of everything that’s gone wrong?”
Trevor scoffs, rocking back on his heels as he turns his face away from me. “You don’t understand. I’m trying to run a business?—”
“And I have a business management degree.” I lift my brows. “Would you like to tell me again how I don’t understand?”
Trevor’s eyes swing back to where I stand, still holding his cell phone. They narrow as he looks me over assessingly. “Tucker never mentioned you have a degree in business management.”
Why would he? It’s not like we're actually together. But I can’t point that out to Trevor, so I just lift one shoulder and let it drop. “It probably never came up.”
Trevor tucks one hand into his pocket, lips pursing in thought. “You just hang out in his office all day?”
"I'm a single mother, Trevor. I don't get tojustdo anything."
I’ll admit I went into motherhood a little cocky. Thought my career had taught me what multitasking was.
It had not.
"Everything okay?" Tucker joins us, his arrival delayed by my daughter's little legs. He glares at his brother. "You're not being a dick, are you?"
"Not to her." He pauses before conceding, "I may have been slightly dickish to the guy at the company that collects our trash."
My jaw drops. "You were yelling at the trash company?"
