Page 50 of Discretion

Don’t talk about Halle. Don’t…

“I, uh—” I tugged on my collar.

Sumner arched one eyebrow. “Jasper?”

“Last summer, I was seeing someone. And she recently came back into my life.”

Sumner smiled. “Ah. I see. Is it serious?”

I lifted a shoulder. “She’s not interested in anything serious.”

Sumner lifted her chin in understanding. “But you are.”

I toyed with one of my cuff links, a gift from Nate for my birthday last year. “I want to be, but there are a lot of obstacles standing in the way. And I’m afraid she doesn’t completely trust me or my intentions.”

“So, prove her wrong. And be the man you want to be—for yourself but also for her.”

If only it were that simple.If only Halle weren’t my employee. But would I honestly stand a chance, even if she didn’t work for me?

“You don’t seem convinced,” Sumner said, observant as ever.

I barked out a laugh, dragging a hand down my face. “I can’t even get my shit together at work. If my work life is a mess, how can I have any hope of getting my personal life in order?”

“Start with what you can control. If you want everyone to see you as the boss, you have to take charge. Stop looking over your shoulder for your brother. Stop second-guessing yourself. You’re the CEO.” She held my gaze. “You’re in charge.”

I nodded, letting myself believe her words. “I’m in charge.”

Sumner passed me a business card. “It’s time to get serious about finding Darla’s replacement.”

I hung my head. I knew Darla wasn’t coming back. I’d known that for a while now. But I’d finally admitted it to myself.

“Call the Hartwell Agency. They’ll be able to help.”

The Hartwell Agency was a reputable staffing agency known for their service and discretion. Knox used them to staff his yacht. We used their services to staff the family jet.My family had hired a number of outstanding employees through them, including Kendall and Emerson.

“Is there a reason why you’re hesitating?” Sumner asked. “Besides the fact that you’ve been dragging your heels about hiring a new chief of staff.”

“Just want to make sure they can help me find the right type of person. Because hiring some young, attractive assistant isnotgoing to help me convince everyone that I’ve changed.”

Sumner rolled her eyes. “Yes, a lot of their staff is attractive. But you can request certain things in your intake form. Ask for someone with twenty-plus years of experience. Hell, ask for a man if you want, if you’re worried about the perception of having a woman working for you.”

I set the card on my desk. I knew I was being unreasonable. The Hartwell Agency had an excellent reputation. I needed to stop making excuses.

“Okay. I’ll reach out to them.”

“Good.” Sumner brightened. “I think once you have a new chief of staff, a lot of things will fall into place. And before you know it, you’ll be well on your way to accomplishing your goals.”

“I want to believe that,” I said. “But to be honest, dating this woman is one of the biggest things that could derail everything.” And I did meaneverything.

I considered leaving it at that, but I knew if I didn’t talk about this, the situation would continue to fester. If I couldn’t talk to Sumner about it, who could I talk to? Not Graham—he’d blow a gasket and regret leaving me in charge. Not Sloan. It would unnecessarily stress her out when she was supposed to be limiting her anxiety. Not to mention create friction with Halle. And Pierce… Well, he might actually kill me.

So I finally said, “The woman in question is important to the company and my sister.”

“Ah. Now I understand.”

“I didn’t mean for this to happen.” I crossed and uncrossed my legs at the ankle, trying to dispel some of my restless energy. “Yes, I knew the risks when we were together last summer. But at the time, I was an SVP with no thought of taking over as CEO. And we both agreed it was just for the summer.”

“I’ve been there.”