“And we’ve expanded into three states.” Emilia looked at each person lining the table. “Now you have marketing departments. HR. IT. Accounting.”

Calvin’s pen tapped. I rolled my eyes. Kendall caught the move and her agreeing sigh was silent, but I saw it.

“Why don’t we take some time to study your data, Aiden,” Calvin said. “It’s a lot of information for us to make such a major decision.”

Except that was what the board did when they never wanted to make a decision. They kept putting us off until we quit asking. It’d been annoying before. It was enraging now.

“How much time?” I asked.

Grams lifted a manicured brow. “There’s no need to rush on a matter like this.”

Before Christmas, I’d used the same stalling tactic on Kendall. I needed to tell her that she ought to key my pickup for how I’d acted. I wanted a decision now. I didn’t want to work eighty-hour weeks while they ignored all the data I’d compiled. Like the chart I had designed that showed how we could promote from within and recruit from outside, incorporating a new leadership style without disrupting the daily work of the rest of the staff.

That chart had taken me two full weekends to organize, and that had been done assuming the people we hoped would accept a promotion would actually want the job. Two full weekends I could’ve watched my niece and nephews wrestle, taken Kate to visit her brothers or mine, or just spent time talking to my wife.

The patience I usually armed myself with when dealing with the board and Grams wavered. “How about we set a deadline for when we want to make the final decision?”

Calvin’s pen tapped and I envisioned throwing it on the floor and stomping on it. “We can’t be hasty.”

“Calvin’s right,” Grams agreed. “But we can use the next month to review your presentation, Aiden. Send us a link.” She scanned the room. “Do I have a motion to adjourn the meeting?”

I glowered at my tablet. The last slide showed on my screen. My work was impeccable. Kendall’s was as well. I’d combined her plans to expand our staff with my leadership overhaul. If this worked, we’d have room to breathe. We’d be able to have a life outside of work. And for once in my life, that was becoming more and more important. I went from being afraid of having to manage someone again and failing, to wishing I had at least a vice president and an executive assistant working under me.