Page 122 of Bargain With the Boss

It seemed as if Duchess wasn’t the only one repressed here.

Lynn and Jared seemed to be wearing a uniform of sorts—this part of the company seemed to be a bit more laid back. The room was deceptively large. It felt like a movie set with the tricked out faux rooms, but I could see that it was a testing area.

Pretty remarkable in its scope.

And all Syd’s doing. Her people instantly gathered around her. While they all wanted to know what the hell was going on, they gave her the space to tell them when Sydney was ready.

“What’s going on?” Leah was a little out of breath. “I came down as soon as I could. The whole office is buzzing.”

“Doesn’t take long,” Syd muttered.

“Well, it was a seismic moment.” I brushed a kiss over her forehead.

Leah’s eyebrows shot up. “What did I miss?”

“Everyone, this is Xavier Hastings.”

Everyone waved.

“Xavier, this is my team. Leah is my assistant, Jared is our product tester and designer. That’s Lynn, our head designer and you’ve met Pete. He’s keeps the whole thing running. The second and third floor is marketing, copy writing, and the sales teams. The fourth floor is the executives, financial, and you’ve been on the fifth.”

“Definitely memorable on that floor.” He laced his fingers with mine.

“Okay, before the word gets out I wanted to talk to all of you. There’re been some things happening with my mother. I want you all to know that none of this is your fault. You’ve been invaluable to me in every step of the product line delivery.”

“Oh, God. We’re losing our jobs.” Lynn bent at the waist and started breathing heavily.

I squeezed Sydney’s hand, letting her know I was here.

Jared went to her. “Hey, are you okay?”

“No!”

I barely resisted the urge to laugh. It wasn’t a funny moment, but I always appreciated a dramatic woman. Reminded me of my sister.

Sydney gave me a panicked look.

“There’s been some family strife and unfortunately it has overflowed into Du—uh, Sydney’s direct team.” At their similarly panicked faces I quickly went on. “But, I wanted to let you all know that you’re welcome to come with us.”

“Go with—” Leah spun and grabbed Sydney’s free hand. “Are you quitting?”

She nodded. “I still own part of the company, but my mother and I have come to...an understanding.”

“Understanding? What does that mean?” Leah swung to me, then back to her boss.

Sydney squeezed my hand back. “I’m moving permanently to New York. I’ll be working with my brother and his friends.”

“Oh, God.” Lynn swayed a little.

“But we want you to come with us. If you want to that is. I’ll certainly help you find a job if you’d prefer to stay in Seattle, but I can’t leave you here with my mother. Not in good conscience anyway.”

“You want to take us with you?” Pete grabbed the back of his neck.

I nodded. “We’ll pay for your relocation and help you find a place. I just so happen to have quite a few properties at my disposal.”

“I don’t expect you to come with me.” Syd’s voice was small. “But I want to build the newly-renamed Rooted in Love on my own. And since it would be my own company I’d be willing to give you all stakes in the company for coming on with me.”

Leah straightened. “Say what?”