11. An Olympic Golda Can of Worms
11
AN OLYMPIC GOLD OR A CAN OF WORMS
CHARLES
“So what did she say?” Ray leans forward on the kitchen counter as my housekeeper, Mrs. Kowalski, exits the room after placing two cups of coffee on the table.
I let out a long, exasperated sigh, the sound heavy with annoyance. “Is there any other reason for your early morning presence here, or are you just that worried about me, brother?”
“I’m not worried about you at all.” He grins. “I’m sure you’ve decimated that asshole ex of Daisy’s and spat him out within five minutes of the video going viral.”
“Your confidence in me is scary, Ray. But I’m surprised you have nothing better to do than watch gossip news.”
That only makes him smile wider. “I always have time to keep tabs on my brothers.” Picking up his coffee mug, he asks again, “Are you going to tell me how Daisy replied to your great proposal?”
“She’s not going to do it,” I state flatly, hiding away the tightening of my chest. The more I think about it, the clearer it becomes that there’s no one more perfect than her for this job. If only I could prove it to her that this will work beautifully.
“So there’s someone in Cherrywood who’s not falling for your charms?”
“It seems so.”
“Didn’t you make a tempting enough offer? I don’t think there’s anything in this world you can’t offer.”
His playful joke hits the mark, because there’s something I can’t offer.
She wants to marry for love, and I’ve sworn off that feeble emotion from my life. Love only makes us weak, and weakness isn’t something I can afford in my world.
“It appears there is,” I drawl, losing interest in the verbal spar.
“And what’s that?” Ray’s smile drops immediately, as if he can read my locked emotions.
“Why don’t I worry about that, and you can focus on the latest deal for Elixir Hotels?”
He pauses for a second, then rises from his chair. “I’m driving to St. Peppers to meet Mom and Dad today. Should I bring you something?”
I shake my head. “Not specifically, but I’m sure Aunt Hope will pack some of her baked treats anyway.” Ray’s parents, Zach and Hope, live in St. Peppers, which, until a few years back, was the headquarters of Elixir Inc.
“You bet she will.” Ray chuckles, but instead of walking away, he saunters in my direction, and I lean back in my chair. “Remember the golden rule of business, Charlie. It’s not about what you’re offering. It’s about what the other party wants.”
“And what if I can’t give her what she wants?”
“Then offer what she needs.” He looks me right in the eye. “Those aren’t always the same thing.”
I reach the office to find Daisy already seated behind her desk, staring at her black computer screen. Even when there are a few worry lines etched on her forehead, she looks her usual beautiful self. My knuckles tap against the mahogany table, and she jerks in her seat.
“Charles!” Her hands clutch her chest. “You’re here?”
I raise an eyebrow. “It’s my office. You should be surprised when I’m not here.”
This is the first time I’m seeing her since she left through my office doors yesterday in a bewildered state. Despite her rejecting my offer, I got a sliver of enjoyment in making her speechless for a moment.
“It’s not funny. I thought, given everything, you might be working from home,” she rasps. Her gaze swiftly drifts away, and her fingers with purple nail polish play with the long sleeves of her matching silk blouse. Lightly squaring her shoulders, she looks up. “I mean, after Jax’s interview.”
I hate hearing that jerk’s name from her mouth. How did she end up with that piece of shit?
“I can’t run this company if I’m scared of assholes like him.”
“I…I’m sorry, Charles. It’s all my fault. I should have been more careful. If I hadn’t hit the cake—” She stops abruptly. “Oh my God! The cake. I had planned to call the baker, apologize, and even offer to pay.”
Yes, no surprise there. I’m fully aware of my little assistant’s need to make things right with anyone she inconveniences.
“Don’t worry. I took care of it.”
“You mean you paid?”
When I nod lightly, she makes a grab for her purse, but before she can open it, I place my hand above hers. A spark shoots down my spine at the contact, but years of practice comes in, and I don’t let any emotion show on my face.
“I don’t want your money, Daisy.” I want something bigger.
A curl of hair falls in front of her eyes, and she tucks it behind her ear, as if hearing but choosing to ignore my unsaid words.
“Jax’s interview is no longer available. Did you do something?”
I nod.
“But the other is still there?” She doesn’t need to say which one explicitly—it’s the one where she declared she loves me the most.
“It was up for a while and had already worked in my benefit with the shareholders. Temporarily, at least.” Desperation furls inside me like a tightening coil. “What do you want, Daisy? Just tell me.”
“I told you, Charles. I want to marry for love, and that’s not a part of this proposal.”
I run a hand through my hair. There’s no hiding my disappointment as I’m reminded again that our wants are completely opposites.
“Then there must be something you need. Something that will fix every problem in your life in this current moment.”
She sucks in a breath. I’m finally fucking saying the right thing. The most important thing this business world has taught me is to read the person sitting on the opposite side of the table. And right now, I know there’s something she needs that she believes I can give, even if it’s not love.
But that relief in her gaze starts to fade.
“And what about the future? You don’t think this”—she motions between us—“will create a new set of problems? In resolving what’s broken now, we won’t be opening a new can of worms for the future?”
My hands unclench and my fingers relax from the tense grip I didn’t know I had. We are finally moving forward, even if she might not see it yet.
Time to seal the deal, Hawthorne. Fix the future problems she’s imagining.
“Come with me.”
I walk toward my office door and don’t look back to check if she’s following. As much as I hate waiting, negotiations only work when the other person arrives at the same point on their own.
I can only clear out the mental hurdles blocking her path, and luckily for us, I’m damn great at it.
Once we’re seated on the couch, I turn to fully face her.
“What are you worried about? You won’t have to do anything more than what you already do in the office. After we get married, your life will remain the same, but your bank balance will see significantly more zeroes. I’d say it’s a once-in-a-lifetime deal.”
“If you think a wife’s job is to arrange your calendar, write emails to your clients, and make sure your coffee is exactly the way you like it, I feel sorry for you, Charles A. Hawthorne.”
Despite her widening eyes, there’s a slight twitch at the corner of her lips, a tiny reaction that soothes my own anxiety. She said wife, and she’s still here.
“Don’t for a second think that I’m not aware of why you deliberately use my full name when you’re pissed off, or what the A stands for.”
“I never tried to hide it, boss.”
The grin that spreads across her face is wide, reminding me of how much I look forward to seeing her smile every day. A curl of those full lips and, bam, my day starts to look up.
“Say yes, Daisy. I swear you’re not going to regret it.”
“Charles.” Her smile drops, surging my own anxiety. “Can’t you see that this is never going to work? Despite this being equivalent to an Olympic gold for me, as you just stated”—her eyebrows rise—“I’m not one of the townsfolk who want to see me by your side. In case you missed it last night, I was almost compared to a slut in that interview.”
A tight knot forms in my chest at hearing that word. Once I’ve convinced her, I’m going to hunt down the reporter who dared to compare Daisy with anything less than perfection. I ignore that pulse in my jaw and focus back on her.
“That’s even better. It’d be like a fairy-tale love story.”
“Hey! I was expecting consideration, not for you to agree to that nonsense.” She throws her hands up in the air.
“Asking for sympathy is for the weak, and that’s definitely not you.”
Her lips curl up, and I go in for the final hit.
“Say yes, Daisy. Forget the media. The stakeholders believe it and that’s enough.”
“And what about your family? Your parents, Chloe, GG, and your grandmother? God, your grandmother! Have you thought about how Irene Hawthorne will react? The whole town has heard rumors about how she was upset with your dad and your aunts for not marrying into families of her choosing. And I’m the most imperfect match of all.”
I shrug. “Then I’m keeping up with the family tradition.”
“You’re not even denying that I’m an imperfect match? Way to go in making a girl feel special.”
Her accusing eyes squint, tracing my moves as I walk to my desk. I open the top drawer, and my hand hesitates as I grab the paper.
Do it, Charles.
Being upfront and honest is the only way to convince her that this will work.
“Remember, this is a special situation, and the only reason I’m sharing this with you is because we’ll be able to fool everyone else as long as we’re true to each other.”
Daisy’s eyes gleam with excitement as her gaze swings between me and the paper I slide across the coffee table. A second later, she picks it up and flips it side to side before reading through.
I watch her face, but she gives nothing away, and then finally, she bites her lip. I don’t know if it’s to hide her smile or if she’s just thinking deeply.
“Please don’t tell me this is how you spend your free time, Charles.” Her wide eyes finally meet mine, making me almost squirm in my seat. “Making doodles with hearts and flowers with your crush’s name on it would be better than dreaming about a fictional soulmate.”
“I was at Elixir after the board meeting, pretty pissed that the members were using my single status against me. My cousins joked that I should just hire a bride. They wrote a list of characteristics for the job description and you…fit none.” I trail off as her eyebrows rise and she opens and closes her mouth like a fish.
“Are you listening to yourself?” Daisy is already on her feet.
Dammit! I thought I was getting through to her. How did I screw this up already?
“If I was even considering being a part of this nonsense for a second, I don’t any longer. We’re doomed to fail from the start if you don’t think I’m right for the job. So, Mr. Hawthorne, sorry, but I reject the offer to be your wife.”
I’m stunned, rooted to my seat. But before she can make her escape, taking my dream of becoming the CEO with her, I discreetly lock the door using the safety button under the coffee table.
Daisy tries to force the door open, but it doesn’t budge. When she turns back to me, her eyes blaze with fury, making her look sexier and hotter than ever.
There’s only her and no one else—my perfectly imperfect match.
“What the hell, Charles? Open this door.”
“Not until you say yes.”
“Are you freaking hearing yourself?”