Chapter 19
CHAPTER 19
LIAM
A few minutes before midnight, I fall into bed with a contented smile on my face, and I make a mental note to text Larson and Nell in the morning and thank them for the tip about watching documentaries. Turns out the one I selected was just over three hours in length. Thank you National Geographic!
Oh, and by the way, it had nothing to do with the mating rituals of manatees.
Folding my arms behind my head, my grin widens as I recall the feel of Andie’s lips on mine, the softness of her skin, the silkiness of her hair. After years relegated to the friend zone, I’m buzzing in the euphoria of knowing she and I have kicked the safe zone to the curb and are no longer denying we are more than friends. It lights me up in a way I haven’t experienced since we got together in high school. How did we get so lucky?
I’m moments from drifting into blissful slumber when my eyes snap open and I spring upright in my bed.
That little vixen!
Reaching for my phone, I shoot my sweet little Andie a text.
Me: You are going to pay for that, you little minx.
Her answering dots appear instantly, confirming that she’s been waiting for my text and knows exactly what I’m talking about.
Andie: Looking forward to it, Graham.
Then she sends me a sleeping emoji.
Shaking my head, I don’t even try to wipe the smile from my face.
I wake in the morning wearing that same stupid grin. Halfway through my workout, I realize the smile is still there. Next thing I know, I’ll be the guy who walks around whistling.
Oh, wait. I’m already that guy.
That is until I receive a group text from my father calling an emergency meeting of upper management VPs: Chief Business Development Officer (that would be me), CFO (Layton), and our CLO (my brother, Lenny).
That last one surprises me.
Emergency meetings involving VPs and the CEO usually mean someone’s head is about to roll. That’s never a fun way to begin your work day.
“I appreciate you all responding so quickly to my text, and I assure you I won’t keep you longer than necessary.
I received a call from Landmark’s CEO yesterday afternoon pushing for the go-ahead on our joint venture. He was very persistent in reminding me of the potential profits to both our companies, with numbers in the tens of millions. In light of recent developments, I’m of the mindset that we cannot move forward with the deal without serious concessions on Landmark’s part. There are just too many risks. Nevertheless, I’ve called you here so we might make an informed decision.”
My dad then asks us to open an attachment he sent earlier in a group email. While we take a moment to review the recommendations, he asks his assistant to call Andie and ask her to join us.
When Andie enters the room, I see the panic on her face. It’s probably not obvious to anyone else, but I know her expressions. She’s worried.
“Andie,” my dad says by way of greeting, “thank you for joining us. We won’t keep you long. We’re here to decide if the Landmark venture is in the best interests of our company, as well as the community. I see where you’ve submitted the preliminary data. Have you had a chance to complete your research?”
Andie nods. “Yes, sir, I have.”
“Would you please run us through the results?”
“Of course. We surveyed all the land owners within a three mile radius. The city requires two-thirds of the landowners approve the proposed plan. The county requires a three quarter majority, which is where our numbers come up short. Landmark believes they can sway those results in their favor.”
“How do they propose to do that?” I ask.
“Peter Rockwell didn’t provide that detail. He just said they would take care of it.”
“I see,” my father nods. “Are the objections of the landowners valid?”
Andie scans the room. “I believe they are. Landmark plans to construct a bridge over the river. Historically, the county and the state have opposed any plans involving bridge construction without compact reports and reinforcements. Peter’s team argues that because the bridge would be limited to golf cart crossing and pedestrians, no compact reports and reinforcements are necessary. The city council sides with Landmark, but the county and state are another story.”
My father considers Andie’s explanation for a moment. “If Landmark is successful in securing county and state approval for the engineering, they still face the issue of not having enough votes from the landowners. Is that correct?”
Andie nods. “Yes, sir.”
“Thank you, Andie. We appreciate your input.” It’s my father’s way of telling Andie to leave, but she hesitates, looking at me imploringly.
“Is there something else?” my father asks.
“There is,” Andie nods. “I ran a risk assessment for constructing a bridge across the river, and the results are marginal at best. And then there’s the broken priority issue.”
My dad narrows his gaze and rubs his temples. “I only see two inspection reports, both of which look clean. I take it the third parcel is the issue?”
“Yes. The parcel of land on the mountain side of the project has construction vehicles and a portable restroom sitting on it. It appears they have already begun clearing the property. Landmark maintains the work was ordered by the current owners and says the title company is willing to remove the exclusion from their policy based on an indemnity they have in their possession.”
“I see. Are they willing to put up a bond as collateral?”
“I asked Peter the same question. He doesn’t believe it’s necessary since Landmark isn’t responsible for the work.”
“Layton, I take it financing is a no-go?”
Layton nods. “Underwriting won’t approve a loan of this size unless the title is clear and our priority is not compromised. I agree with Andie’s recommendation that we not move forward unless we have proof of payment for work started, and proof that all construction vehicles have been removed from the property.”
“What about the bridge?” I ask, addressing Andie.
She shakes her head. “Based on our surveys, and the amount of state and county red tape, we’re looking at a sixty to ninety day delay at best. That’s assuming we can persuade the surrounding land-owners to approve the project. It also assumes the title company can secure things on their end to ensure first priority on the ALTA policy.”
“What If we extend the radius to five miles?” I ask, knowing it’s a long shot.
“It’s a gamble,” Andie replies.
“A risky one,” Layton interjects.
“Generally, when we extend our radius, the return is favorable because the further out we go, the property owners are less impacted by the project. They tend to focus more on the benefits, but there’s always the risk that they won’t.”
My father scans the faces in the room. “If we deny the loan, we can proceed as a general partner, but Landmark would require alternative funding. Is there a reasonable alternative, Layton?”
“That depends. Our underwriters exercise an abundance of caution in construction financing. The bottom line is Landmark’s assets aren’t as strong as ours. I believe they will need us regardless of who funds the construction loan.”
My dad shakes his head, his gaze focused on the ceiling. This is the look he gets when he is processing information and formulating a plan. He’s ridiculously quick in his ability to calculate and weigh the benefits and risks of a project from conception to completion.
When his gaze shifts back to the group surrounding the conference table, my father says, “I’m not seeing a way forward. At best, we’d be tying up a significant portion of our capital in a project with lengthy delays. And at worst, we could end up owning property we couldn’t develop. Anyone have a different opinion?” After a discussion, everyone in the room reluctantly agrees with his conclusion. I say reluctantly, because if the project were to go through, the potential profits are huge. Nobody wants to see the venture go belly up.
“Mr. Graham,” Andie addresses my father. “I’m not authorized to make this claim, but I think there might be a way to save the project.”
My dad’s eyebrows lift. “How?”
Andie looks nervously around the room and then her eyes land on me. My lips lift in an approving smile because I know exactly what she’s thinking. “I would need Liam’s help, a team willing to put in a lot of overtime, and a few days. And even with that, there are no guarantees, but I think it’s worth a shot.”
“If you’re thinking what I think you're thinking, you’re a freaking genius.” My grin grows when Andie’s cheeks turn rosy.
“I don’t know if we can drag our decision out any longer. Landmark’s legal department can force us to the agreed upon timeline,” Lenny says. “Andie, what are the chances your idea will work?”
Andie takes a deep breath. “Honestly? I have no idea. And Landmark may not agree to it. But if it does work, we will save a lot of money and time in the long run.”
“I like the sound of that,” my father says. “Liam, you take lead on this and we’ll–”
“With all due respect,” I interrupt, “I think Andie should take the lead on this.”
My dad studies me for a long moment, and I can almost see the gears turning in his brain. His gaze doesn’t leave mine as he directs his next question to Andie. “Are you comfortable with that, Andie?”
“Wiley might see it as me overstepping,” Andie replies.
“That’s not what I asked,” my dad’s gaze lands fully on Andie. She shifts her weight nervously from one foot to the other. I secretly will her to say yes .
After an uncomfortable pause, Andie’s eyes meet my father’s and she nods. “I am.”
Ah, that’s my girl.
Just as I think my dad will end the meeting and send us on our way, he surprises me by asking Andie to take a seat.
“Before we adjourn, I think Liam and Andie have some news for us.”
Andie’s face turns white and her eyes dart to mine. I let my eyes drop to her left hand, where they land on my grandmother’s ring. Correction, Andie’s ring.
“Andie,” my father begins, “that ring you’re wearing has been blinding us ever since you stepped into the room. Is there something you’d like to share with us?”
Andie swallows, and I swear I can hear it all the way from my side of the table.
“Dad,” the warning tone in my voice has my dad raising an eyebrow. “This isn’t the right time.”
“Come now,” Layton says. We’re all family, aren’t we?”
“Layton,” I warn.
Andie puts her hand up to stop me. “It’s okay, Liam.” She meets Layton’s eyes, then Lenny’s, and finally my dad’s. “I guess the ring sort of speaks for itself, doesn’t it?”
I’m proud of her ability to deflect, but Layton’s apparently not satisfied to leave it at that. “And what, exactly, is the ring saying?”
“We’re not ready for anything to be public knowledge,” I say.
“What’s wrong, little brother? You getting cold feet already?” Layton’s jab rankles and I have a sudden urge to wipe the smug smile from his face.
“It’s none of your business, Layton,” I say icily.
“It’s okay, Liam,” Andie says, then she turns first to Layton and then to my father. “Liam has agreed to propose to me. I’m wearing Gram’s ring to ensure that he does.”
My dad and my brothers all erupt into fits of laughter. When Andie meets my gaze, I see the mirth in her eyes, and I suddenly struck with the realization that I’m the only clueless one in the room. I won’t complain, though, because the way Andie’s looking at me right now warms my insides from my head to my toes, and I realize in this moment, that I want to spend the rest of my life doing whatever it takes to make sure she always looks at me just like that.
But first things first, because Andie and I have a whole lot of work to do if we’re going to save the Landmark deal.
And work we do.
The team Andie put together works late into the evening for the remainder of the week. “Feet to the street” is the way she words it. Nobody stops, except for the few minutes it takes to inhale our meals. And nobody works harder or smarter than Andie’s assistant, Sidni. She has the teams organized into pairs, has created a master spreadsheet for sharing our data, keeps us hydrated and makes sure each team has everything they need before they hit the pavement. Andie has already told me she wants me to make sure Sidni is given a raise regardless of whether or not we’re successful.
My job has been to negotiate the purchase of the adjacent parcel of land–the same one with the building Andie and I waited out the thunderstorm a few weeks ago. As I suspected, the current owners were eager to negotiate a contract of sale. I think they were surprised I didn’t low-ball the offer. Evidently, others have made offers that would have required the current owners to take a substantial loss.
My next task was to meet with our Chief Creative Officer, together with an out-sourced architect, and two of our landscape designers. They reconfigured the layout of the golf course, club house, and driving range to include the new parcel of land, and omitted anything on the opposite side of the river.
By the end of the week, Andie’s team has completed all the preliminary data, my team has negotiated a contract of sale, and the creative team has completed their initial concept designs for the golf course.
On Friday, my dad calls an emergency meeting with upper management, our board of directors, Addison from our legal department, and Elise Maxwell and Peter Rockwell representing Landmark.
Normally, in a meeting of this nature, someone from upper management would address the group; however, since my dad designated Andie as the point person on this endeavor, leading the presentation falls to her.
“How you doing?” I whisper to Andie as we climb into the elevator. I press the button to the top floor and the doors slide closed.
“I think I’m going to throw up,” she says, clutching my arm. “Liam, you should be the one presenting this. You’re the future CEO, you’ll have way more pull than me.”
“This isn’t about pull, Andie. It’s about saving a project that was on its deathbed.”
“But what if Landmark doesn’t see it that way? They want that bridge! They want to develop the parcel on the other side of the river. They’re not going to listen to an assistant director of public relations.”
“Correction. They think you’re the director, remember?”
“Still, I’m low man on the totem pole.”
I rest my hands on her upper arms. “Darlin’, the deal is dead without your presentation. And if Landmark pulls out, I suspect my dad will decide to move forward without the joint venture. We don’t need Landmark to pull this off.”
“See? That’s what I’m saying. You need to be the one addressing the group.”
“You,” I tap Andie’s forehead, “are going to hit a home run in there. Just hold off on the throwing up part until after you present, okay? I’ll even hold your hair back for you while you bend over the toilet. ”
Andie slugs me in the arm.
“Okay, I deserved that,” I say jokingly. “But I’m told humor is supposed to help calm people’s nerves.”
“You’re lucky I love you,” she says. And I know she’s right.
The elevator doors slide open and I gesture for Andie to exit. We walk in silence down the hallway that leads to the executive offices and I give Andie’s hand a squeeze as we turn down the corridor toward the conference room. “You’ve got this,” I whisper, and place a quick kiss on her cheek.
Once inside, Layton stands and offers Andie his chair, which is next to mine, and then he takes a seat near the back. It’s a surprisingly chivalrous thing for Layton to do and a testament to the respect he has for Andie as a professional. I make eye contact with him and lift my chin in a nod, hoping he can sense my gratitude.
Fortunately, my dad and Layton have already performed the difficult task of informing Landmark we wouldn’t be financing the venture or moving forward with the project without making some significant changes. Landmark pushed back, but we wouldn’t be here today had they not agreed to hear us out.
Unfortunately, Andie lost some credibility with Landmark executives when the Derek fiasco flooded social media, which infuriates me given the double-standard. Thankfully, my dad backed Andie and vouched for her reputation as a loyal employee and long-time friend of the family. To my knowledge, he did not mention anything about us being engaged. Interesting, because he’s the one who suggested we use the engagement as leverage.
What’s even more interesting, is I still don’t know if we are engaged. Andie’s wearing my ring–did I mention how good it looks on her finger? But she somehow manages to evade the issue whenever I ask her if wearing Grams’ ring means we’re engaged.
It means whatever you want it to mean .
What am I supposed to do with that?
Andie’s leg bounces nervously under the table, and I reach over to rest my hand on her thigh. She slides her hand into mine and immediately the bouncing ceases. When my dad turns the meeting over to me, I share our presentation with those in attendance, and then hand the reins to Andie. She takes a deep breath, releases my hand, and begins walking everyone through our proposal.
During Andie’s presentation, my gaze flits between my dad, Peter Rockwell, and Elise Maxwell. Their faces give nothing away, but when my eyes land on Layton, I see the slight upturn of his mouth and the approval in his eyes. He’s impressed with what he’s hearing, and rightly so, because Andie is on fire.
Once she made it through her initial jitters, Andie’s presentation seemed to take on a life of its own and she soared. She deferred to me on anything regarding the proposed acquisition of the adjacent property, and she gave full credit to our creative team for the concept designs. She sang the praises of those who worked overtime to conduct the surrounding property owner surveys, and then she pointed to the data, allowing the evidence to speak for itself.
Not once did Andie take credit for any part of our proposal.
At the end of her presentation, Andie fielded questions, deferred to others when appropriate, and didn’t hesitate to say she didn’t know the answers to a couple of the questions that were speculative in nature.
If I wasn’t already in love with this woman, I would have fallen head over heels in love with her right there in the executive board room.
It’s normal in a meeting of this type for the executives to take time to mull over details before deciding whether or not to move forward on a project of this magnitude, but time is of the essence. Nobody expects Leland Graham to approve a proposal of this nature on the spot, so when he folds his arms and rests them on the table, I’m prepared for the meeting to conclude. He surprises everyone when he turns to Andie and asks her to explain what prompted her to propose an alternate plan in the first place.
“I believe this development will benefit our whole community. It will drive up property values, bring new homeowners to our city, increase the tax base for the area, provide hundreds of jobs, and help fuel our city’s economy.”
“She’s forgetting one very critical benefit,” Peter Rockwell adds.
“What’s that?” My father raises an eyebrow in question.
“Our two companies stand to make a significant amount of profit.”
Andie lifts her shoulder in a shrug. “I’ll take your word for it, Mr. Rockwell. Determining profit margins is beyond my area of expertise.”
“Andie,” my dad says as he tries to hide his smile. “When Mr. Rockwell sends his lynch men to headhunt you, would you do me a favor?”
“Um, sure?” Andie is as shocked by my father’s candor as I am.
“You threaten to send Liam after them, and then come see me.”
Andie laughs nervously, and I don’t miss the knowing look in Addison’s eyes. She promised Andie a promotion if this deal came together, and I have no doubt, regardless of Landmark’s decision, Andie will become our next director of marketing and public relations.
The meeting adjourns, and as people begin to file out of the room, they make a point to stop in front of Andie and shake her hand, thanking her for her presentation. Except for Layton, who pulls Andie in for a hug and says just loud enough to catch the attention of the people standing close by, “If my idiot brother doesn’t marry you, I’ll marry you myself.” He releases her and adds, “Well done, Andie.”
I know Layton’s kidding about the whole I’ll marry you myself threat, but I really want to drag him down a dark alley and pummel him right now. Instead, I take the high road by saying, “Go find your own fiancé, Layton. This one’s mine.”
Layton tosses his head back and laughs, then he claps me on the shoulder with a little more force than necessary. “You finally proposed then?”
My mouth opens and closes a few times, but no words come out.
Andie reaches over and snaps my jaw closed. “Quit gaping like a guppy, Liam. He’s just messing with you.”
Layton leans close to Andie and says, “If he doesn’t drop to one knee and propose properly, you kick his hind quarters to the curb.” Then the jerk has the audacity to stare me down before he finally turns to leave.
Andie rests her hand on my arm and smiles. “Ah, brotherly love. I wish I could have seen the two of you when you were toddlers.”
I huff a laugh. “I’m sure my mom has plenty of footage of us in her family videos.”
“Oooohh, maybe that’s what we should watch for our next movie night?”
I cast my gaze to the ceiling and groan. I’m just about to protest when my dad comes up from behind and wraps an arm around me. “Good work, you two. It’s not easy to pull something of this scale off in such a short amount of time. Andie,” he dips his chin in a nod, “I meant what I said about the head hunters.”
Andie attempts to brush my dad’s words off, but he silences her when he rests his hand on her shoulder. “Take the remainder of the day off and get plenty of rest this weekend. There are a few minor kinks to hammer out, but I predict you’re going to be very busy over the next few months. Let Liam know who you want to include on your team. He’ll make it happen.”
With that my dad saunters from the room leaving Andie and I alone. She waits until the coast is clear, then breathes out an audible sigh.
“Tell me the truth. Was it a home-run?”
I laugh and pull her into a hug. Not a lame Layton hug, a Liam hug. “No, Darlin’, not a home-run. You hit a grand-slam.”
And then I kiss her.
I don’t tell her about the text I receive from my dad letting me know that Wiley is being let go on Monday. He’ll receive a one month severance package and will be asked to surrender his employee card and key.
I also don’t tell her that Monday afternoon, she’ll be asked to sign a new employee contract that includes a promotion and an impressive compensation package.
What I do tell her is to go home and change into something fancy, because tonight she and I are going to celebrate. And then I’m going to make certain she knows exactly how I feel about her.