The Partnership (Callaghan Green Series Book 10) Read online

  The Partnership

  Annie Dyer

  Copyright © 2021 by Annie Dyer

  All rights reserved.

  Apart from any permitted use under UK copyright law, no part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any former by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author.

  The Partnership is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination and are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or establishments is solely coincidental.

  Please note this book contains material aimed at an adult audience.

  Editing by Eliza Ames

  Cover design by Najla Qamber Designs

  Cover image copyright ©2020

  Imprint: Independently published

  Created with Vellum

  Also by Annie Dyer

  The Callaghan Green Series

  In Suggested Reading order (can be read as stand-alones)

  Engagement Rate

  What happens when a hook up leaves you hooked? Jackson Callaghan is the broody workaholic who isn’t looking for love until he meets his new marketing executive? Meet the Callaghans in this first-in-series, steamy office romance.

  White Knight

  If you’re in the mood for a second chance romance with an older brother’s best friend twist, then look no further. Claire Callaghan guards her heart as well as her secrets, but Killian O’Hara may just be the man to take her heart for himself.

  Compromising Agreements

  Grumpy, bossy Maxwell Callaghan meets his match in this steamy enemies-lovers story. Mistaking Victoria Davies as being a quiet secretary is only Max’s first mistake, but can she be the one to make this brooding Callaghan brother smile?

  Between Cases

  Could there be anything better than a book boyfriend who owns a bookstore? Payton Callaghan isn’t sure; although giving up relationships when she might’ve just met The One is a dilemma she’s facing in BETWEEN CASES, a meet-cute that’ll have you swooning over Owen Anders.

  Changing Spaces

  Love a best friend’s younger sister romance? Meet Eli, partner in the Callaghan Green law firm and Ava’s Callaghan’s steamy one-night stand that she just can’t seem to keep as just one night. Independent, strong-willed and intelligent, can Eli be the man Ava wants?

  Heat

  Feeling hungry? Get a taste of this single dad, hot chef romance in HEAT. Simone Wood is a restaurant owner who loves to dance, she’s just never found the right partner until her head chef Jack starts to teach her his rhythm. Problem is, someone’s not happy with Simone, and their dance could be over before they’ve learned the steps.

  Mythical Creatures

  The enigmatic Callum Callaghan heads to Africa with the only woman who came close to taming his heart, in this steamy second-chance romance. Contains a beautifully broken alpha and some divinely gorgeous scenery in this tale that will make you both cry and laugh. HEA guaranteed.

  Melted Hearts

  Hot rock star? Enemies to lovers? Fake engagement? All of these ingredients are in this Callaghan Green novel. Sophie Slater is a businesswoman through and through but makes a pact with the devil – also known as Liam Rossi, newly retired Rockstar – to get the property she wants - one that just happens to be in Iceland. Northern lights, a Callaghan bachelor party, and a quickly picked engagement ring are key notes in this hot springs heated romance.

  Evergreen

  Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without any presents, and that’s what’s going to happen if Seph Callaghan doesn’t get his act together. The Callaghan clan are together for Christmas, along with a positive pregnancy test from someone and several more surprises!

  The Partnership

  Seph Callaghan finally gets his HEA in this office romance. Babies, exes and a whole lot of smoulder!

  Severton Search and Rescue

  Sleighed

  Have a change of scenery and take a trip to a small town. Visit Severton, in Sleighed; this friends-to-lovers romantic suspense will capture your heart as much as Sorrell Slater steals Zack Maynard’s.

  Stirred

  If enemies-to-lovers is your manna, then you’ll want to stay in Severton for Stirred. Keren Leigh and Scott Maynard have been at daggers drawn for years, until their one-night ceasefire changes the course of their lives forever.

  Smoldered

  Want to be saved by a hot firefighter? Rayah Maynard’s lusted over Jonny Graham ever since she came back to town. Jonny’s prioritised his three children over his own love life since his wife died, but now Rayah’s teaching more than just his daughter – she’s teaching him just how hot their flames can burn.

  Shaken

  Abby Walker doesn’t exist. Hiding from a gang she suspects is involved in the disappearance of her sister, Severton is where she’s taken refuge. Along with her secrets, she’s hiding her huge crush on local cop, Alex Maynard. But she isn’t the only one with secrets. Alex can keep her safe, but can he also take care of her heart?

  Sweetened

  Enemies? Friends? Could be lovers? All Jake Maynard knows is that Lainey Green is driving him mad, and he really doesn’t like that she managed to buy the farm he coveted from under his nose. All’s fair in love and war, until events in Severton take a sinister turn.

  Standalone Romance

  Endless Blue Seas

  Two broken souls, one hot summer. Anya returns to her childhood island home after experiencing a painful loss. Gabe escapes to the same place, needing to leave his life behind, drowning in guilt. Neither are planning on meeting the other, but when they do, from their grief, love rises. Only can it be more than a summer long?

  Tarnished Crowns Trilogy

  Lovers. Liars. Traitors. Thieves. We were all of these. Political intrigue, suspense and seduction mingle together in this intricate and steamy royal romance trilogy.

  Chandelier

  Grenade

  Emeralds

  Crime Fiction

  We Were Never Alone

  How Far Away the Stars (Novella)

  For Jenny Smith & Eliza Ames.

  Thank you.

  Contents

  1. Seph

  2. Seph

  3. Georgia

  4. Seph

  5. Georgia

  6. Georgia

  7. Seph

  8. Georgia

  9. Seph

  10. Seph

  11. Georgia

  12. Seph

  13. Seph

  14. Georgia

  15. Seph

  16. Georgia

  17. Seph

  18. Georgia

  19. Seph

  20. Georgia

  21. Seph

  22. Georgia

  23. Seph

  24. Georgia

  25. Seph

  26. Georgia

  27. Seph

  28. Georgia

  29. Georgia

  Epilogue

  SWEETENED

  STIRRED

  CHANDELIER

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND A NOTE

  About the Author

  Also by Annie Dyer

  Chapter One

  Seph

  “What the faffing heck is wrong with this idiotic machine now?”

  Whatever was wrong with it was added to as my eldest, and supposedly wisest, brother slammed a fist on top of the photocopier. The resulting crunch suggested that we’d be getting our third machine in less than a twelve-month period.

  I leaned against the wall, my well-earned coffe
e in hand, not sure whether to laugh at Maxwell’s attempt to stop cursing every second word or quietly retreat, because at some point, I would inevitably get the blame for the photocopier’s lack of action.

  The sound of heels clicked up behind me. I didn’t need to turn around to know it was my twin sister, three months pregnant, and desperately trying to make her baby bump look more existent than it did.

  “‘Faffing heck’? Did you eat a thesaurus for breakfast this morning?”

  Payton’s hand landed on my shoulder.

  Max looked at us, his expression thunderous. “Vic’s told me I need to quit swearing so the baby’s first word isn’t ‘fuck.’” He tapped the copier with his foot, not hard enough to do any damage.

  I’d seen this episode of Max-goes-batshit-crazy before. He would apply a bit more force next time, hear something break, then decide he was a photocopier engineer and could therefore take it to pieces and rebuild it so it would start working. The last time this had happened, we’d had to call Victoria, his now wife, to do something none of us wanted to think about to get him to go home and keep him there until a new machine was delivered.

  “We need to have a plan for when this happens that doesn’t involve you kicking shit or thumping the crap out of the copier.” I wasn’t going anywhere near him. Me, coffee and photocopiers had a dubious relationship and I was pretty sure that if I got too close, I’d probably trip over my feet and spill my drink over the machine, which would make it all my fault.

  Max glared at it. “It says there’s a jam in entry two. I’ve opened up the lid thing and there’s no jam.”

  Payton inched towards it, braver than I was. She pulled something open and then something else – I had no idea what, I avoided the thing.

  “The jam’s in entry three.” A piece of paper appeared in her hand. “Looks like someone did… what the hell’s this?” She squinted.

  Max looked over. “If the jam wasn’t in entry two, why did it say… fuck. Is that someone’s arse?” He moved away from the copier as if it had bit him.

  I frowned. Photocopying parts of your anatomy was a stage I’d gone through, more than once if I was honest, but I’d moved on from that. The last time I’d thought it was a good idea to take a dick print had been at least two photocopiers ago.

  A pair of dark brown eyes locked with mine. Max’s brow furrowed and his top lip curled as if he was emitting a silent growl.

  I spread my arms wide, as if to underline the fact that this time I was innocent, and my coffee slopped over the sides of my mug, onto the floor.

  “For fuck’s sake.” Max didn’t bother to keep the volume low.

  “I thought you were trying to give up swearing.” I still had half a mug of the good stuff left, which was a bonus.

  “I was, until your backside burned my retinas.” His looked from my face to the mug and back again, desperate to say something about the spilled coffee. I knew my brother well.

  I wasn’t the youngest sibling, although I was the youngest boy. One of seven, one of a set of twins, with only Ava younger than me and Payton, and five of us worked together at our family-owned law firm in London. I knew families that only spoke to each other at weddings or funerals, so we arguably got along. I saw most of my brothers and sisters every day, communicated with them several times a day.

  Argued with them a fuck-ton.

  “That’s not my arse, Max. Can you see the beauty-spot?” I pointed at the print that he now held up.

  “Don’t you mean mole?” Payton chirped in.

  “It’s a beauty-spot.”

  “Marilyn Monroe had a beauty spot; you have a mole on your arse, Joseph. Mole. Moley moley mole.” She gave me a grin that was filled with pure evil.

  “Whatever. It’s genetic. Don’t be surprised if your spawn inherits it.” I pointed to her tiny bump that looked more like she’d had a large Sunday lunch.

  Payton frowned and I remembered at the last minute that her fiancé, Owen, had warned me that she was hormonal and more temperamental than usual; pregnancy hormones were not doing any of us any favours.

  “How do you know it’s genetic?”

  “Because Jackson has one on his arse in the same place. Left cheek, just below the dimple. Only his has a hair growing out of it.”

  Max made a noise that sounded like he was about to vomit.

  “How do you know about the hair. In fact, how do you know about the mole?” Payton looked rather green.

  I stepped further back from her. Projectile vomiting was a talent she’d perfected.

  “Showers in rugby. We all know they’ve got matching moles.” Max didn’t look too well himself, but maybe he was realising how expensive the insurance on the photocopier was going to get now he’d damaged another one.

  “Beauty-spots.”

  Max glowered. “You want to explain how you got close enough to Jackson’s backside to know he has a hair growing out of his mole?”

  “Beauty-spot.”

  “Not the current point.”

  I shrugged and took a deep breath. “He asked me to look because he was worried. He thought his beauty-spot had become a little raised and he was thinking of getting it checked by a doctor.” I was seriously breaking my second oldest brother’s confidence, but he was man enough to take a little piss-withdrawing next time we had a poker night.

  “Was it okay?” Now Max was concerned.

  “Fine. He just didn’t want Vanessa to check. Thought it might put her off, you know.” I heard a strange snort and stopped talking. Payton was pretty much creased in two. “You okay?”

  She managed to look up at me. “Just dying of laughter.” Tears had started.

  “Well at least you won’t have to get on your baby’s level with its sense of humour.” Max shook his head and looked back at the print. “You’re right. There’s no mole.”

  “Beauty-spot.”

  He ignored me.

  “So who the fuck printed a picture of their arse? It isn’t you or Jackson. It’s not me…. Eli?”

  Max’s eyes lasered onto the door to Eli’s office that was in direct sight through the reprographics entrance.

  “Yep. Must be Eli’s. For sure.” Even though we had at least three dozen other male members of staff working for us. Eli was the fiancé of our youngest sister, Ava, and worked alongside Payton in the commercial law department. I had no idea what Eli’s naked backside looked like, but I knew I’d enjoy the revenge he’d take on Max when Max started to flash that image about.

  As he would.

  I knew my brother too well.

  “What about the copier?”

  Max looked at the machine as if he’d just realised it was there.

  “I guess I’ll have to try and fix it.”

  I nodded, edging towards the door, my twin scampering out through it already. “Good. Sure, you’ll be able to do that.”

  As soon as I was out of there, I called his wife, hoping she wouldn’t give me any details of what she’d do to get him out of there before he caused any more damage.

  Thursdays had been the new Fridays for as long as I could remember. In Borough Market, where the Callaghan Green law firm was based, the bars and restaurants buzzed on a Thursday night as loudly as they did on a weekend. I didn’t need to go far to find someone I knew who didn’t have a toddler or a baby or a pregnant significant other at home, which accounted for most of my family now.

  This evening, having escaped the office only slightly deafened by Maxwell’s cussing at the copier, I was meeting Shay, my housemate and cousin who was coming off a two-day shift at the hospital where he was an emergency paediatric consultant or something.

  Shay had been God’s apology for marrying off all of my brothers and leaving me without a wingman, only he had easily taken my trophy for biggest manwhore south of the Thames by his second week here.

  “Joseph!” His holler from the other side of the bar was loud and attention-drawing, not that he needed to draw any attention his way. Two women flanke
d him, one that I vaguely recognised as working with him. I glanced to the table near to where he stood and saw another half a dozen women. It looked like I was crashing some form of hospital night out.

  Not something that boded well. I had work in the morning and although it’d been a long time since I’d gone in with a hangover, I didn’t want to get dragged into being the centre of the cesspool of gossip that would inevitably happen if I started talking to one of Shay’s colleagues.

  Even though I hadn’t hooked up with anyone, or even been on a date, for about four months, my reputation of being a party boy hadn’t been diminished. It still burned brighter than the Vegas lights and probably with the same amount of class.

  The fact I’d had a long-term relationship for several years wasn’t considered. It was as if Cassie had never existed, that my family and friends had wiped her from their memories and time had rewound itself to back when I was nineteen and had never had a girlfriend, let alone a serious one.

  That didn’t mean I was innocent though. That innocence had been lost when I was fifteen and visiting Callum – my only non-lawyer brother - when he was at university. The experience wasn't bad, not for me at least, and although I’d been fairly stupid in most things at that age, I’d at least had the sense not to brag about it. My mother kidded herself into thinking that Cassie had been my first everything, and because she’d eradicated her from her memory, I was back to being a teenager.