Johnson Family 2: Perfect by Delaney Diamond

bookstore sat crammed full of books. She liked to go there sometimes on her break and browse the shelves. She’d found a gem once—an old edition of Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison. She hadn’t been able to resist adding it to her small collection of rare titles. Purchasing it had been a splurge for sure, back when she had money to spend on such things. Nowadays most of her disposable income went toward fighting Cyrus.
    The gallery was closed today because she and her staff would be welcoming three groups of underprivileged kids at different times during the day to the gallery to learn more about the world of art and to create their own paintings. It was something they did once a year, but she’d love to do it more often.
    All of her employees gladly participated. In addition to the three salespersons, she employed an office manager, a framer, and an in-house portrait painter. If her plans went well, she’d soon have Beaux-Arts Deux, a New York location, which would employ a gallery director, five salespersons, two framers, and an office manager. She had been tweaking her business plan for months but still hadn’t approached the bank. New York could make or break her business, and though she hadn’t admitted it to anyone, she worried about being able to succeed there.
    While she waited for her staff to arrive to help her set up, Daniella looked at the contract from the Manhattan hotel owner who wanted her to provide artwork to complement their new color scheme in the next few months. This was the opportunity she’d been waiting for to expand her business. With this contract in hand, she would be able to go to the bank and show she would have money coming in, which meant she could lease the Manhattan space she’d had her eye on. Last she’d checked, no one had taken over the lease, but it would only be a matter of time. Even in a down market, prime properties there didn’t last long.
    She sat back in the chair. Why didn’t she feel more satisfaction at this accomplishment? There was a time when the idea of having a New York office had made her tingle from head to toe. While getting this contract was a victory for sure, the excitement she expected hadn’t manifested. Maybe because she didn’t have the space yet.
    The front door bell rang, but she ignored it. It wasn’t unusual for prints to be delivered on the weekend, but she wasn’t expecting any today. When the person at the front leaned on the buzzer for a long time, though, she could no longer ignore the sound and left her office to walk up front.
    Roland stood outside. She quickly opened the door to him, taking in the distress on his face. “What’s wrong?” she asked.
    Lines of strain bracketed his mouth. “I lost my position at BoldMine.”
    Her eyes widened. “What? You’re the chief technology officer. Your work is invaluable, and they need you.”
    She repeated what he’d told her in the past. He’d been with the start-up company from the beginning, working closely with the two brothers who made up the other chief officers. The injection of cash from their new private investor would help the company enhance the features of its inventory software and increase its business development partnerships with key players in the manufacturing industry. This was the chance he’d been waiting for.
    “Apparently, they don’t need me,” he said bitterly. “The investor purchased a majority stake in our firm, and the next thing I knew, I was removed as CTO. I received my marching papers last night.” He thrust a dismissal letter at her.
    “Only you?” Daniella took the correspondence, feeling terrible for him. Just a week ago at The Savory Date, she’d warned him about celebrating too soon, but he certainly wouldn’t appreciate hearing “I told you so.” To be honest, this was worse than anything she’d imagined.
    “Just me,” Roland confirmed in the same acidic-sounding voice.
    Daniella scanned the paper and right away recognized the name of