The Blame Game_A Brook Brothers Novel Read online

  “I’m so glad you’re back.” She placed her notebook on Calum’s desk as he stood to embrace her. “You look well. Is everything okay with your brother?”

  Calum nodded. “He’s getting there, thanks for asking.” He pointed at the chair opposite his. “How’ve things been?”

  Jules rolled her eyes. “Crazy. I’ve been pulling sixteen-hour days. Hence my relief you’re back.”

  Calum waggled his eyebrows. “And you’ve missed my charm and repartee of course.”

  Her lips twitched. “That goes without saying,” she said, her tone heavy on the sarcasm, making him laugh. Jules was an absolute godsend and Calum adored her. They acted like brother and sister, and she was one of only a few people unafraid to call him out on his shit. And he’d take it from her, and dish out plenty in return.

  She picked up her notebook. “So, want the debrief?”

  He nodded, and for the next thirty minutes, Jules gave him the rundown on sales, forecasts, and the latest client who was trying to pull a fast one and renege on a pricing deal. “I think I’ve sorted it,” she said, “But it’d be good if you could swing by their offices sometime this week.”

  Calum made a note in his calendar. “Consider it done.” He leaned back in his chair and rolled a pen between his fingers. “What do you think of the new Marketing Director?” He kept his voice calm and steady, even as his annoyance meter spiked at the mere mention of her title.

  “Laurella? She’s settling in well. Seems to know her stuff, although I can’t profess to being a marketing expert. She has an… interesting perspective on sales.”

  Calum narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean?”

  “Well, when she started, she met with each of us in your department. She laid out her strategy and said that from what she’d observed, we took a short-term view. Said she’d reviewed our recent sales and that we’d been too focused on closing the deal at any price rather than working to connect with the client and building a long-term relationship.”

  Calum shot to his feet. “She fucking what?”

  Jules made a calming motion with her hands. “Take it easy. She’s entitled to her opinion and, who knows, we might be able to learn a thing or two.”

  “She’ll learn a thing or two all right. Starting with keeping her nose out of my goddamn department.”

  Jules chuckled. “I see the break hasn’t done anything for your temper.”

  Calum glowered as he retook his seat, but Jules had known him too long to be bothered by his outbursts. “What else did she say?” he asked through gritted teeth.

  Jules shrugged. “Not much.” As Calum continued to scowl, Jules patted his arm. “Go easy, Calum. Zane thinks she’s fucking amazing. I know he’s your friend, but at the end of the day, this is his business. You’re a minority shareholder so you’d do well to remember that. Don’t say anything you might later regret.”

  Calum gave her a tight smile. “What, me?”

  “Yes, you.” Jules got to her feet. She made her way across his office but paused with one hand on the door handle. She glanced over her shoulder. “She’s smart, Calum. Don’t toss her ideas in the trash before listening to them.”

  After Jules left him alone, Calum mused over what she’d said. He was pissed off by Zane’s decision, but it had been made. Laurella Ricci was right there, on his turf, which meant he had two choices: make it work—or don’t.

  His decision? Don’t.

  ***

  Preorder Against All Odds here and the delicious, combative, and sexy-as-all-hell Calum Brook will magically appear on your Kindle device or app on October 10th 2018.

  FROM MY HEART

  Thank you so much for reading The Blame Game. I first began toying with the idea of a series about a family of strong-willed brothers a year or so ago, and during that time (and lots of talking to myself in the car!) Jax, Calum, Cole, and Nate were born. They’re all so different, and I adore them all, although Calum has a very special place in my heart.

  I can’t wait to share their individual stories with you.

  I’ve had a couple of readers ask me what happened between Jax’s and Indie’s fathers. Don’t worry. The answers will be revealed later in the series.

  I’d love to hear what you thought of Jax and Indie’s story. Please feel free to get in touch via email, Facebook, Twitter or by signing up to my reader group

  Would you consider helping other readers decide if this is the right book for them by leaving a short rating on Amazon? They really help readers discover new books.

  Books by Tracie Delaney

  The Winning Ace Series

  Winning Ace

  Losing Game

  Grand Slam

  Mismatch (can be read as a stand-alone)

  Break Point - A Winning Ace Novella

  (Releasing December 2018)

  Stand-alone

  My Gift To You

  The Brook Brothers Series

  The Blame Game

  Against All Odds (Releasing October 2018)

  His To Protect (Releasing January 2019)

  Web of Lies (Releasing March 2019)

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  Acknowledgments

  Oh hell, I have so many people to thank - and I just know I’m going to miss someone out. If it’s you….I’m so so sorry. Please know that I appreciate every single one of my team.

  To my critique partner, Incy—thank you, thank you, thank you, from the bottom of my heart. Your generosity never fails to amaze me, and your straight talking is exactly what I need. I don’t know what I’d do without you. Good thing I’m missing the offence gene!

  To Louise. My Rock. You’ve been there since the very beginning (I still have the blow-by-blow account emails as you read Winning Ace!) and I appreciate you more than you’ll ever know. Thank you for everything you do. I don’t have the words to express my gratitude.

  To Lexi - thanks for reading an early copy and sharing your thoughts. And for all the laughs—and hot guys, aka “inspiration”.

  To my alpha reader, Allison. You are THE BOMB, lady. You make every single thing I write better. And I love the knowledge exchange!

  To my ARC readers. You guys are amazing! You’re my final eyes and ears before my baby is released into the world and I appreciate each and every one of you for giving up your time to read—and point out the odd errors that slip through the net!

  And last but most certainly not least, to you, the readers. Thank you for being on this journey with me. It still humbles me to think that my words are being read all over the world.

  If you have a couple of minutes, would you consider leaving a short review on Amazon? Reviews really help readers discover new books, and they’re particularly important for up and coming authors. You’d be helping more than you know

  About the Author

  Tracie Delaney writes contemporary romance novels that centre around strong characters and real life problem with, of course, a perfect Happy Ever After ending (even if she does sometimes make her characters wait a little while!)

  When she isn’t writing or sitting around with her head stuck in a book, she can often be found watching The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones or any tennis match involving Roger Federer. Her greatest fear is running out of coffee.

/>   You can chat with Tracie on Facebook (www.facebook.com/traciedelaneyauthor) or Twitter (twitter.com/tracie_delaney), or, for the latest news, exclusive excerpts and competitions, why not join her reader group (smarturl.it/lvtnjm) and those things will be automatically delivered right to your inbox, along with a special gift just for signing up.

  Tracie lives in the North West of England with her amazingly supportive husband and her two crazy Westie puppies, Cooper and Murphy who make her laugh every day.

  Tracie loves to hear from readers. She can be contacted through the following platforms

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