A Bargain with the Boss by Barbara Dunlop Page B

side... Well, this was definitely the time for her to move on.
    * * *
    Tuck’s workload had gotten completely out of control. Without Amber as the gatekeeper, he was inundated with problems, big and small. He had a temporary assistant, Sandy Heath, borrowed from the finance department, but she mostly just asked him a lot of questions, slowing him down instead of speeding him up.
    Jackson had followed a new dead-end lead to Cancún, and another manager had resigned this morning. They were bleeding employees. His father’s recovery was going more slowly than expected. Jamison might not return to work at all.
    â€œSandy?” Tuck called through the open door.
    â€œYes?”
    He could hear her stand and move to the door.
    â€œIs Lucas Steele on his way up?”
    Sandy paused in the doorway. “I don’t know.”
    Tuck took a beat. “Could you find out?”
    â€œSure.”
    Tuck glanced at his watch to confirm the time. “Did you tell him ten?”
    â€œI believe so. I mean, I called when you asked me to. But I got his voice mail.”
    â€œDid you try his assistant?”
    Sandy paused. “I’ll do that now.”
    â€œGreat.” Just great. Tuck couldn’t even get his operations director into his office when they only worked three floors apart.
    He came to his feet. “Never mind.”
    She looked puzzled. “You don’t want Lucas?”
    â€œI’ll go down.”
    â€œI can—”
    â€œI’ll find him.”
    â€œI’m sorry.”
    Tuck relaxed his expression. “Don’t worry about it.”
    There was no point in being annoyed with Sandy because she wasn’t Amber. Only Amber was Amber, and she was ridiculously good at her job.
    He went to the elevator and rode down to twenty-nine. The hallway on that floor was linoleum rather than carpet. The offices were smaller than on the executive floor, and there was far more activity. It was the nerve center of the company, where every company conveyance was tracked on a series of wall-mounted screens, with information on every single shipment available with a few keystrokes. Tuck had come to like it here.
    Lucas’s office was at the far end of the hallway. It was large but utilitarian, its numerous tables cluttered with maps and reports, keyboards and screens. Tuck knew Lucas had a desk in there somewhere, but he wasn’t sure the man ever sat down.
    â€œHey, boss,” Lucas greeted from behind a table.
    One of his female staff members was working beside him, clicking keys and watching a set of three monitors.
    â€œThe Red Earth is back on schedule,” the woman said without looking up. “They’ll make their 6:00 a.m. port time.”
    â€œGood,” said Lucas. “Need me?” he asked Tuck.
    â€œYou didn’t get Sandy’s voice mail?”
    Lucas glanced guiltily at his desk phone. “We’ve been slammed this morning.”
    â€œNot a problem,” said Tuck. “Got a minute?”
    â€œAbsolutely. Gwen, can you make sure we get the fuel agreement signatures sent? We have until close of business in Berlin.”
    â€œWill do,” said Gwen, again without looking up.
    Lucas led the way out of his office, turning immediately into a small meeting room along the hall.
    â€œWhat’s up?” he asked Tuck, closing the door behind them.
    â€œI feel as if we should sit down for this,” said Tuck.
    â€œBad news?” Lucas crossed his arms over his chest. “Are you firing me?”
    Tuck scoffed out a laugh at the absurdity of the statement. “I’m promoting you.”
    â€œYeah, right.” Lucas waited, alert.
    â€œI’m serious,” said Tuck.
    â€œSerious about what?”
    â€œI’m promoting you.”
    It took Lucas a beat to answer. “Why? To what? There’s nothing above director.”
    â€œNothing in operations,” said Tuck.
    â€œRight,” said Lucas, as if