Page 47

She circled the space, taking everything in, as she had in his bedroom at home.
“These are amazing.” Merritt pointed to three black and white beach photographs, hanging on the wall.
“Skylar took those at our beach house in Holland.” One was a view of the beach along Lake Michigan looking northward from the bottom of the steps to their place. Another was a shot of a log that had washed up onto the beach. The last was a wave rolling over onto the smooth sand, flattened by the water.
“Wow! She is really talented.”
“Just a side hobby that she enjoys.”
“She has an amazing eye.”
He came to stand beside her, seeing them with fresh eyes. “She really does.”
Merritt shifted her stance, and her arm pressed against his.
He couldn’t help the way his skin tingled at their point of contact, even from the connection of her sweater against his.
She seemed to sense his reaction and moved to sit behind his desk, laying her hands flat on the surface. “Tell me, Mr. Schultz, what was a typical workday like for you here?”
He sat in the chair across from her and grinned. “Well, Mrs. Schultz …”
She smirked.
“I would roll into the office late, defer all of my tasks to Sebastian or Skylar, go to the bar for lunch, and come back hours later. Sometimes I’d nap at my desk. Sometimes I’d play games or scroll Facebook. Then I’d go home and do it all over again the next day.”
This didn’t seem to amuse her. “I don’t believe that’s all you ever did.”
“Why not?”
“Because the guy you’re describing wouldn’t go to the lengths you’ve gone to just to come back here and play Candy Crush all day. Am I right?”
He shrugged.
“Don’t do that. Don’t blow this off. I know you care. I know you want back in and you want it bad. Otherwise, what are we doing?” She motioned between the two of them.
“Yes, I want it.” He stood with gusto and moved in a circle around the desk. “I want to be taken seriously for once. I want them all to know that, yeah, I did goof off for a while, but I’ve struggled and worked hard to change.”
“You have. I can see that.”
“They think I haven’t been paying attention, but I have. I know this job inside and out. I’ve kept up to date on everything to do with this company. I’m a Schultz, for goodness sake. Who better to run this company than me?”
“No one! Why do you want this so bad?” She urged him on.
“I want to carry on the family legacy. I want to help grow the company and start new companies.” He gestured enthusiastically as he spoke.
“Awesome! I know you can do that. What else?”
“I want to make a difference and impact people’s lives.”
“Yes.” Her head bobbed up and down in agreement. “What else?”
“I want my dad to look at me with pride like he does Sebastian and Skylar.” He stopped walking and stared over at Merritt.
Her eyes glistened with unshed tears.
He shook his head in surprise. What just happened? How did she get him to admit that? His gaze narrowed at her. “Do you have some kind of secret powers I should be aware of?”
“I don’t know what you mean. I simply asked you questions.” She brushed at a rogue tear. “Why don’t you believe your dad’s proud of you?”