Read Online Barefoot Bay: Hold On To Forever (Kindle Worlds Novella) by Maria Geraci - Free Book Online Page B

account was huge. Their bread and butter, so to speak. Without it the firm could only stay above water a few months, tops. And now it was gone.
    “Felicity? Are you still there?”
    “Still here,” she said trying not to sound as dejected as she felt. “What happened? Did they say why they were leaving us?”
    “They’ve decided to take their brand in another direction. Which is total crap, of course.”
    Not so much crap, as code for ‘Another firm can do a better job.’
    “How’s the rest of the firm taking it?” The rest of the firm being just Aubrey.
    “The rest of the firm is okay.”
    Felicity had known her friend for too long to take that answer at face value. “Look, if… I wouldn’t blame you if you want to look for another job.”
    “It would be pretty shitty of me to leave you, especially now. We’ll survive. Besides, Kelly was always taking too many breaks. I can handle her job easily.”
    “On top of all the stuff you already have going on?”
    “There’s really not that much going on,” Aubrey said. “You know, Felicity, I’ve been thinking, in a way, maybe losing Mr. Smiles is good thing.”
    How on earth could losing their last big account be a good thing ? “Aubrey, are you on drugs?”
    “I’m too broke to do drugs. Listen, all the accounts we’ve been servicing belonged to your father. I know we’ve tried to go after other accounts, but I don’t think we’re trying for the right ones.”
    Felicity mulled this over a few seconds. Aubrey could always see the side that Felicity couldn’t. And vice-versa. It’s what made them a good working team. “I’m listening.”
    “You and I are the same. We’re idea people. We’re not salespeople, and most especially we’re not closers. The accounts we’ve been trying to get are just too big for us. We came up with “Small but Smart” but we haven’t really been living up to the spirit of the tagline, you know? I say we go after the small accounts. Stuff your dad wouldn’t have handled. That’s our niche.”
    Felicity sighed. “Maybe you’re right. On the other hand, I do have some good news. Jack is ready to give the firm some business. But I asked to present to all the partners. I want to get this job fair and square, but I have a feeling it will come down to just one decision.”
    “Oh, so you and Jack have been getting along. Fair and square, my ass. You and that man need to bow-chicka-wow-wow.” Aubrey laughed at her own joke.
    “Yeah, not happening.”
    “Okay, so as horrible as it would be, I will sacrifice myself and sleep with him if it means getting the account. Because if we don’t turn things around here fast, we’re basically out of business.”
    “No one’s sleeping with anyone here.”
    “You’re such a kill joy.”
    Maybe. But Aubrey was right. If she didn’t secure the Martinez and Martinez account, they were dead, which meant that besides the demise of her father’s firm, she’d have no way to repay Ellen and Luis for Nicki’s wedding.
    * * *
    The next day Jack picked up the phone and dialed Marcy, his assistant at the Miami office. “Did you get the letter I sent you?”
    She must have been wearing her ear piece because he could hear her moving around the office. The background buzzed with the sounds of a dozen busy paralegals mingled with the constant ringing of the phone. Martinez and Martinez was like a well-oiled machine that practically ran on its own, thanks to him. Every ship needed its captain, and in this case, he was it.
    “You mean the one you sent at seven a.m. about the landlord dispute?” Marcy asked. “Already typed and mailed for next day delivery. I had one of the associates sign it.”
    He didn’t ask what she’d been doing at the office at seven in the morning, a whole two hours before the place even opened. As his assistant, she was expected to keep up with his workload. “Good job.”
    “I couldn’t find a file on the client, so I wasn’t sure what to do about the