Page 1 of Hot For Her Stepbrother

CHAPTER 1

Summer

"That's not what the coupon says. Stick to the sales script." Wyatt leans over my shoulder to whisper his words in my ear while I speak to the customer sitting at my desk.

I offer Mr. Tanner my biggest smile, telling him, "I'm so sorry for this interruption, Mr. Tanner. Can you excuse me?"

"Oh yes, Summer. Take your time. It'll give me a chance to call my wife."

Perfect.

I roll my eyes, knowing that once he calls his other half, this deal is going to crumble. I'm in a tough spot because if I let this moment to correct Wyatt pass, it's going to happen again. I can't have that. Losing another large commission because he's trying tohelpme means coming up short on next month's bills.

For the greater good of fewer interruptions in the future, I push myself away from the desk. My 5' 5 height stretches to 5' 9 in my heels, elongating my legs that can easily sprint a mile in five minutes, which gives me all the confidence in the world that I'm stronger and faster than Wyatt Mackle of Macklemore Motors. Another ego boost comes from knowing that no one elsesells as many of these cars as I do. I can't let him think, because he's older than me or the owner's brother, that he knows better.

"I need to speak to you, Wyatt. Over here, please," I tell him, not giving him room to decline. I'm the best. I don't ask questions. I lead others into making the choices I want them to make.

"You should really call me Mr. Mackle while on the sales floor, Summer," he says to exert control.

I ignore him. "Wyatt, what did you think you were doing?"

"You offered that guy a trade-in for that heap of junk he drove onto the lot to get him into that Yukon truck, telling him that the coupon would take off 5% when it says 20%. We don't lie to customers or trick them into paying more?—"

I hold my hand up to shut him up. "One, you're talking about the coupon that was sent in last week's batch of emails and promotional vouchers we mailed out. Two, Mr. Tanner is not trading in that heap of junk out there, he's trading in that car AND his wife's 2016 Lexus because she's having twins, and they wanted a large SUV. The 5% you're so incorrectly assuming I'm lying about is ON TOP of the 20% advertised in the coupon because he's trading in two vehicles."

"Oh." Wyatt's face sinks as we both turn to see Mr. Tanner talking on the phone.

I gesture toward my customer. "Do you have any idea why I didn't want Mr. Tanner to get on the phone and call his very pregnant wife, who's pregnant with twins?"

"No?"

I shake my head with a huff of exhaustion. "Because she's making a thousand choices a day, and I was giving Mr. Tanner room to decide for his pregnant wife because that's what he said he wanted. He wanted to surprise her, and the only reason he was supposed to call her was to get her down here so we couldgo over her car again. I say again because they were in here three weeks ago looking at that truck that still hasn't sold yet."

"Well, Summer, if you'd said something earlier?—"

"I don't report to you, Wyatt. You're not my supervisor or my manager. You're the owner's brother, and simply because I'm 21 doesn't make me any less competent at my job. I'm good at what I do. Stay out of my way, and stay out of my sales. I don't need your help."

If Wyatt Mackle ever offered a morsel of practical advice to help me sell more cars, I wouldn't be so aggressive.

Of course, when I return to my customer, Mr. Tanner has disappointment all over his face. "Shelly says we should wait on the SUV. She's already comfortable in her car, and I don't want to upset her."

"That's fine, Mr. Tanner. When you're ready to get that push gift for her, you come right back to me. I'll honor everything we spoke about today."

The man blushes a shade of red. Embarrassment pours out of him because it's obvious he feels like he's wasted my time. It's not his fault. It's mine. I shouldn't have left to speak to Wyatt. Now, I have to watch the man leave with nearly $2,000 in commissions walking away with him.

My list of leads is my next best thing to do to get a new customer in Mr. Tanner's seat. Out of the fifty on my call sheet, I can probably get five people on the phone and two to agree to make an appointment, and one that will actually show up. I do this every day religiously. It's not that I'm better at car sales, but I'm consistent. However, the sound of the manager's office door opening draws my attention away from hunting for my next commission.

"Everyone, gather around." Trevor Mackle's voice echoes around the sales floor. Awful white and gray faux marble tiles with dark gray grout cover the entire 10,000-square-foot spacefull of cars, cubicles, and large glass windows that look out onto an even larger lot. Two shiny hatchback SUVs sit in the center, while the rest of Macklemore Motors' inventory sits outside under Atlantic City's blistering hot summer sun. Trevor stands between the two shiny vehicles as everyone stands around him.

There's nervousness in his eyes. I don't know what's coming. Thunder rolls in the distance, even though the sun's still shining. But not for long. Clouds roll in, darkening the afternoon sky as Trevor makes an announcement to his staff of twenty.

"Uh, as you all know, we've had some struggles keeping the dealership afloat. I want to thank all of you for your hard work and dedication. I especially want to thank Summer, Avery, and Edward for working damn hard and excelling where the rest of us fall short."

Wyatt cuts his brother off. "Get to the point, Trevor. What's going on?"

"I've, um, received an offer that would help us all immensely. I want to introduce everyone to the new owner." Trevor glances over his shoulder with worry in his eyes as someone steps out of his office.

The floor drops from under me. Oh God.