Chapters (21)
“Disagree.” Luke blew out a breath and tried to rein in the exasperation nearly choking him. He had always trusted Pop’s judgment. But in this, he was willing to fight the older man because, damn it, the path to the future wasn’t through the past.
“I’ve got studies to back me up.”
“And I’ve got profit and loss statements to prove you’re wrong.”
“Yeah, we’re making plenty of money, but is that all we want?”
Luke’s jaw dropped. “Since that is sort of the whole point of being in business, I’m going to say yes.”
Jamison shook his head in clear disappointment. “You used to have a broader vision.”
“And you used to listen to me.” Irritated, Luke shoved both hands into his slacks pockets and gave a quick glance around his grandfather’s office.
It was familiar and warm and pretty much fit the old man to a T. Jamison’s desk was a hand-carved mahogany behemoth that dominated the huge room. If there was ever a tidal wave that swept this far inland, Pop could float on that thing for days.
On the cream-colored walls were framed posters of their most popular toys over the years, and family photos dotted the shelves that were also lined with leather-bound books that had actually been read. It was a prestigious Victorian office that seemed at war with the present times.
But then, so was Jamison.
“I don’t want to argue with you about this again, Pop,” Luke said, trying to keep the impatience he was feeling out of his tone.
He owed this proud old man everything. Jamison and his wife, Loretta, had raised Luke and his cousin Cole after the boys’ parents were killed in a small plane crash. Luke had been ten and Cole twelve when they went to live with their grandparents as broken, grief-stricken kids. But Jamison and Loretta had picked up the pieces in spite of their own grief at losing both of their sons and daughters-in-law in one horrific accident. They had given their grandsons love and protection and the feeling that their world hadn’t ended.
Luke and Cole had grown up working at Barrett Toys, knowing that one day they would be in charge. The company was more than a hundred years old and had always stayed current by leaping into the future—taking chances. When Luke was in college and convinced his grandfather that tech toys were going to be the next big thing, Jamison hadn’t hesitated.
He’d gathered up the finest tech designers he could find, and the Barrett toy company got even bigger, even more successful. Now they were on the cutting edge. Counted as one of the biggest toy and tech companies in the world. For the last few years, Luke had been running the tech division, and Cole worked on the more traditional outlet.