His every word dripped with sarcasm, and he clearly had no interest in meeting me. His face twisted in discomfort the second I stepped off the elevator to greet him. He looked like he was in pain when he shook my hand, and I felt like I was pulling teeth just trying to get him onto the elevator. I tried to talk about our plans, thinking that maybe he would find it all somewhat interesting. I hoped I’d be able to adjust his mood before we met with Ray, but I failed miserably.
When we stepped off the elevator, Sean stuffed his hands in his pockets. His shoulders immediately sunk forward and his forehead creased. I’d never seen someone frown so intensely. I shook my head and led the way toward Ray’s office. Sean walked slowly behind me, his eyes focused on the floor. I glanced back at him and saw that he was still frowning. I tried to feel sorry for him. Maybe he was just nervous. After all, things were tense with his family. He probably didn’t mean to be rude, I thought. He was just worried about facing his family.
I let my frustrations fade as we rounded the corner toward Ray’s office. Sean was keeping pace with me now, but he still wouldn’t look up. I wanted to say something encouraging, but I couldn’t find the words. When I opened my mouth to speak, my throat felt dry and my tongue was like lead. I cleared my throat and gave up on the idea. Sean’s mood wasn’t going to improve before we reached Ray’s office.
“Ray,” I said as I knocked softly on the doorframe. “Sean’s here. You ready for us?”
“Yes. Come in, come in,” Ray said. His voice was laced with excitement. He jumped to his feet and gestured for us to sit down. I glanced around the office and saw that Zach was already there. He sat in his usual chair against the side wall. For the first time, he didn’t look at me when I walked in the room.
Sean walked around me and sunk into the closest chair. Zach watched him with beady eyes as he moved. Sean didn’t spare so much as a glance in his brother’s direction. He simply fell into the chair and stared at his father. Ray looked back at him. They exchanged some sort of silent communication that I didn’t understand. I felt like I’d just walked into an igloo. I shivered involuntarily and sat in the chair beside Sean.
“So,” I said with a forced smile. “I hope we weren’t interrupting anything.”
“Not at all,” Ray said. “Zach and I were just reviewing the plans for Sean joining the team. We have the rest of the week planned out, I think.”
“Perfect,” I said. “That’s exactly what Sean and I were just—”
“I don’t need a babysitter,” Sean said suddenly. He glared at his father. “She doesn’t have to watch my every move.”
“Excuse me?” I asked. I was taken aback by his comment. Here I thought I was being professional and accommodating. I was under the impression that Sean’s foul mood was about his father, but really it was about me.
“She went downstairs to greet you,” Ray said. “In our world, that’s called being nice. It’s a professional courtesy.”
“Your world?” Sean scoffed. “What does that mean?”
“You know exactly what it means,” Zach said. His eyes still hadn’t left his brother. I could see a burning hatred behind them that I didn’t understand. Zach was never pleasant to be around, but I’d never seen him look so venomous. I half expected him to lunge across the room and throw a punch.
“I apologize if I offended you,” I said quickly, turning my attention back to Sean. My insides were burning with anger, but I wanted to avoid a fight. “I just wanted to make sure you felt welcome.”
“No chance of that,” Sean said. He didn’t bother to look at me while he spoke. He had eyes only for his father. I wanted to slap him.
“Why don’t we just go over the plans?” I offered. My voice shook slightly, but I clenched my fists to keep myself in control.
“Sounds great,” Ray said with a grateful smile.
“Swell,” Sean said. He spat the word through his teeth just as he’d done in the elevator. I was beginning to sympathize with Zach’s demeanor. Sean wasn’t making things easy on anyone.
“Well,” Ray began. “Tomorrow there will be a photoshoot. Our goal is release a new round of advertisements by next week. That way, our customers will already be interested when the new models of Yates’ motorcycles launch next month. We’ll set up downstairs first thing in the morning. The show room usually isn’t busy until around lunchtime, so we should have plenty of time. I’ve been told that we may spill out into the parking lot, depending on the heat index. Now, Sean, you’ll get to choose which bike you want to pose with first. We have three new models. If you want to test drive them first, that’s fine. You can take them out later today or…”
“No need,” Sean said shortly. “What time should I be here?”
“First thing,” I said. “Eight o’clock if possible.”
“Will do,” Sean nodded. “Anything else?”
He looked from Ray to me and back again. My patience was wearing thin. Ever since Sean agreed to come in, I’d been vibrating with excitement. Ray, Zach, and I each put a lot of effort into planning Sean’s schedule and all the promotional releases. This was exactly what the company needed. and now, I didn’t know if I’d made the right decision. If Sean was this difficult during a planning session, what would he be like at the photoshoot?
“Now,” Ray said. “We’ll have two photographers here. Each one was hired to capture a different look. There will be a few wardrobe options for you—”
“Wardrobe?” Sean asked. He sat up straighter.
“Yes,” Ray nodded. “Nothing fancy. It’s basically what you usually wear, only—”
“Then why can’t I wear my own clothes?” he snapped.
“Because this isn’t a Walmart advertisement,” Zach said.
“Zach,” Ray warned. “We just want to make sure our brand is represented as much as possible. You’ll be wearing the same style jacket as always. Only this one will have our logo. That sort of thing.”
Ray paused and waited for Sean to argue, but he didn’t say a word. He simply sat back further in his chair and resumed staring at his father.
“Tara will be there to oversee the whole thing,” Ray said. “So, if you have any ques—”
“I don’t need a damn babysitter,” Sean snapped, his voice louder than before. “I already told you that.”
“She’s not a babysitter,” Ray said. “This whole thing was her idea, so…”
“I’m not doing this if I have someone breathing down my neck the entire time,” Sean said. “I don’t need some corporate suit watching me while I—”
“You don’t have a choice,” I said, interrupting him for once. My professionalism was gone. I couldn’t sit there and listen to Sean berate us any longer. Enough was enough.
“What?” Sean asked, finally turning around to face me.
“You heard me,” I said. I glared back at him without flinching. “I have worked for this company for the past five years. This entire rebranding project was my idea. If you don’t want me around, you’re going to have to get over that, because I will be around. But don’t worry. I have better things to do than babysit you.”
Sean opened his mouth to speak, but he quickly closed it. His eyes were locked on mine and he looked livid that I would dare challenge him.
“You’re the one who needs me,” he finally said.
“No,” I shook my head. “We don’t need you. We want you. There is a difference.”
“I’m not your lapdog,” Sean growled.