falling for their three best publications. A train derailment had destroyed nearly a hundred thousand magazines heading to the West Coast markets and he’d just seen the layout for the launch of their new home-decorating magazine and even he could tell it sucked the big one.
There was too much to deal with, he thought. How the hell had his father done all this and run several departments?
Jack leaned back in his chair and rubbed his temples. He already had the answer to that one—George Hanson hadn’t done it well. Things had slipped and there’d been no time to fix them before the next crisis had appeared. Despite hiring department heads, Jack was still overwhelmed by the sheer volume of work.
As far as he could tell, there was only one way for Hanson Media Group to survive—he had to get more help.
He buzzed for his assistant. When Mrs. Wycliff entered his office, he motioned for her to take a seat.
“I need to get in touch with my brothers,” he said. “Do you know where Evan and Andrew are these days?”
If the older woman was surprised that Jack didn’t know where to find his brothers himself, she didn’t show it.
“I’m sorry, I don’t,” she said. “Would you like me to try to find them?”
“Please. I suggest you follow the credit-card charges. That’s generally the easiest way.” Evan favored Europe and Andrew tended to follow the seasons—summering in exclusive beach resorts and wintering in places like Whistler and Gstaad.
Jack knew all the psychobabble about siblings. In every family each tried to get his parents’ attention in a different way. For Jack, it had been about being the best at whatever he did. He’d learned early that he was expected to take over the family business and for a long time he’d worked toward that. But in the end, he’d walked away from Hanson Media Group, just like his brothers.
None of them had made the old man proud.
Did Evan and Andrew ever feel guilty? Jack had tried to make peace with his father more than once, but the old man had never seemed interested. All he’d talked about was how Jack should be at Hanson Media Group instead of practicing law.
Jack regretted losing touch with his brothers a lot more than he regretted disappointing his father.
“I’ll get right on that,” Mrs. Wycliff told him. “Have you spoken with your uncle?”
“Not about this,” Jack told her. “But that’s a great idea. Thank you.”
She rose. “I’ll let you know as soon as I locate them,” she said, then left.
Jack buzzed David’s office. “Hi. Are you available?”
“Absolutely.”
The public relations department was the next floor down, on the main level of Hanson Media Group. Here the bright overhead lights contrasted with the rich blues and purples in the carpet and on the sofas and chairs.
Jack took the stairs and made his way to David’s office. His uncle couldn’t have been more different from Jack’s father. Where George had lived and breathed business, David always had time for his nephews.
David’s secretary waved him in. Jack pushed open the door and walked into David’s large office.
The space had been designed to impress and put people at ease. It did both. David walked around his desk and shook hands with Jack, then pulled him close for a quick hug.
“How’s it going?” David asked as he led the way to the sofas in the corner. “Still finding things wrong?”
“Every day. I’m hoping for some good news soon. I figure we’re all due.”
“Toward the end, George wasn’t himself,” David said. “I think the work became too much for him. I’m guessing. He didn’t confide in me.”
“Did he confide in anyone?” Jack asked.
“Probably not. You hanging in there?”
“Do I have a choice?”
Jack looked at his uncle. Like all the Hanson men, he was tall, with brown hair. His eyes were lighter and he was nearly twenty years younger than his brother. Maybe that was why David had always been closer to his nephews. Maybe that was why David had been able to be there for them, Jack thought. George had been more like a father than a brother to David.
“You always have a choice,” David told him. “You could walk.”
“I gave my word to the board. I’m here for three months to clear things up and then I’m gone. I’m trying to get ahold of Evan and Andrew.”
David frowned. “Good luck with that.”
“Mrs. Wycliff is going to follow the money. That always works.” Jack shook his head. “They should be here. We should do this together.”
“You’ve never been close. Why expect it now?”
“Good point.” Jack didn’t have an answer. “Who am I kidding? If I had the chance to bolt, I’d take it.”
“No, you wouldn’t,” David said. “You could have told the board no and you didn’t. You have a strong sense of responsibility.”
“Great. Look where it got me—here.”
“Is that so bad?”
“It’s keeping me from my real job.” Jack leaned forward. “Why don’t you take over? You know more about Hanson Media Group than any of us. You could run the company.”
“Not my thing,” David said. “Even if it was, I would respect my brother’s wishes. He wanted one of his sons to be in charge.”
“We don’t know that,” Jack said. “And we won’t until the will is read.” He swore. “What was my father thinking? Why on earth would he want us to wait three months to read the will? It’s crazy. Nothing can be settled until then. For all we know, he’s giving his majority shares to the cat.”
David grinned. “He didn’t have a cat.”
Someone knocked on the door. “Come in,” David called.
His secretary walked in with a tray and set it on the coffee table. “Anything else?”
David smiled at her. “Thanks, Nina. You didn’t have to do this.”
“No problem. Oh, you had a call from the printers.”
David groaned. “I don’t want to know, do I?”
“Not really,” Nina said cheerfully. “Don’t worry. I’ve already fixed the problem.”
With that she left.
Jack reached for one of the cups of coffee. “Tell me Andrew and Evan will at least come back for the reading of the will.”
David looked at him. “Are you hoping to cut and run the second their plane touches down?”
“It crossed my mind. I have a law practice to get back to.”
“Maybe you’ll appreciate your career more if you have to suffer a little here,” his uncle told him.
Jack narrowed his gaze. “If you start talking about Zen centering, I’m going to have to punch you.”
David laughed. “You know what I mean. You shouldn’t take things for granted.”
“I don’t. I’m not here to learn a life lesson. My father convinced the board that I was the only possible heir and now they’re pressuring me to take over. It’s all about self-interest. His, theirs, mine. My father didn’t give a damn about what I wanted. He’s doing his best to control me from the grave.”
“George loved you,” David said. “In his own way.”
“That’s