Normally, I had an assistant to schedule all of my events, both in and out of the office, even though my social calendar had been sorely lacking as of late. But, if it was a part of my life, then Bethany knew about it.

This new girl though, I didn’t trust her.

I couldn’t even remember her name. Had she told me? I thought I’d blocked the whole event out of my memory. Blowing through the reception area of my office, like a man on a mission, I didn’t even bother with saying good-bye to the woman.

I just left.

Let her figure out what to do for the rest of the day. Consider it her on-the-job training.

As the glass elevator whisked me away from my worries, I sighed, knowing sooner or later, I’d have to train her. It wasn’t like I could pull Bethany and her ever-growing belly from bed rest and demand that she work. I’d probably be sued.

And then I’d really deserve all those nicknames I was known for.

What was really bothering me was, I hated change. And I’d been knee-deep in it for years now—first, with my brother leaving and then with my father getting sick and eventually passing away.

When Jude had returned, everything had seemed to level out, but I had known it wouldn’t last. It never did. Ultimately, something or someone would come in and mess everything up, and my life would be uprooted again.

Training a new assistant was a minor change in the grand scheme of things, but it was one I didn’t have time for. With the board of trustees meeting quickly approaching in a matter of months, I needed all the time I could find to make sure we would be ready.

Because I knew they would all be looking for a reason to replace me.

Hell, I would.

I didn’t exactly have the best track record, and God knew they had a mile-long list of those who could do a far better job—with one hand tied behind their back, no less. But I wouldn’t allow this company to fall into the hands of someone other than me. It said Cavenaugh on the side of this building for a reason. My family had built this company from the ground up. We would always be in control.

But, to do this, I would need a clear mind. I’d been banging my head against a brick wall for far too long, working endless hours on a half-empty tank.

I was in desperate need of a refill.

And there was only one kind of pick-me-up that worked on my engine.