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closed.
    “I’m leaving now. Be in by eight so we can go over some things before I head out.” I beat on the door to wake him up.
    He groans from the other side , and I smile knowing he’s in as much pain as I am. This is the guy I’m about to entrust my company with while I’m gone. I push away the doubt that starts to seep in.
    What am I thinking? In what world is it a good idea to leave Jett in charge of anything?
    When push comes to shove, I think he’ll get the job done, but to be sure, I need to have a little chat with Hattie and give her a heads up. With that in mind, I head to the office to get everything in line before I go out of town.
    In the three years since I opened my own business, I haven’t left the office for more than an afternoon, but if I want to land this contract, I’m going to have to go to Cave’s Camo and Outdoor headquarters in Chicago. I was told the owner, Mr. Cavette, doesn’t do much in the way of social media and relies on an assistant to handle all email communication. After some serious thought, I decided my best bet is to meet with him in person, which is what he prefers.
    “Good morning, Trey,” Hattie greets me as she sets her purse inside of her desk drawer. “Did you get the email with your itinerary?”
    “ Yes, thank you, Hattie.” My voice is harsher than I intend, but it garners her attention. “I need to speak with you before my brother gets in. We’ll get to everything else when he gets here.” She follows behind me and shuts the door, waiting for me to continue.
    “Is everything okay?” she asks as she walks in to take a seat across from my desk. Her forehead crinkles as she bites her lip, and I realize she must think there is a problem with her work, so I rush to alleviate her concern.
    “I’m so rry, I didn’t mean to scare you, but I wanted to talk to you before I leave. About Jett.” I see her relax when she exhales and rights her shoulders before she settles against the seat back. Once I’m sure she’s ready, I continue. “Let me start by saying my brother is a good guy. He’s tried numerous careers, but he’s always had our dad to fall back on.”
    “O- kay,” she drags out as she frowns with confusion.
    “I know he has it in him to do great things, but until I’m certain he’s in this with me, I need you to keep an eye on things while I’m gone. I’m going over the agenda with Jett when he gets here, but I still need you to make sure things get done.”
    She cocks her head to the side and appears pensive before she responds. “So you want me to babysit your brother?”
    My eyebrows jerk up, I’m surprised with her choice of words. “Well, when you put it that way, I suppose so. Jett is an intelligent guy, his business sense rivals my own, but you know what’s going on around this place - maybe better than me.”
    She smiles and nods, but I can tell she’s still hesitant to play the role I am asking of her. She takes her job serious ly, which I appreciate. I’m trying not to offend her.
    “Trey, I’m happy to help Jett figure the place out, but I’d rather be up front about this. Instead of basically having me spy on him and report to you, why don’t you tell him what you told me. He might surprise you.”
    “You might be on to something there. Do me a favor; grab everything you can on Dr. Jameson’s office, the Rialyn Productions contract, and Palm Industries. We’ll start with those, and I’ll go over as much of it as I can with him. You can fill in any gaps while I’m gone.”
    Her response catches me off guard because this woman knows nothing of my brother, but she seems to be putting faith in him. Hell, maybe I need to do the same and not assume the worst. Hattie appears to be pleased with herself when she exits my office to gather the information.
    Buried in a sea of emails, I peer up from my work when I hear his voice in the distance, but I continue working. He’s talking to Hattie about something when I hear him ask