Chapter 43Annie
Chapter 43
Annie
SEPTEMBER | Balance: $39,763
My hands could have been running under a faucet with how wet they were, taking a page out of Nick’s sweaty hands book. Outside the conference room door, Marcie squeezed my arm. “You ready?”
“Let’s do this.”
Marcie was back from maternity leave. The board had agreed to add The Athena Agency as a spinoff of Athlore, bringing on a unique set of investors to help us get it off the ground.
And I was taking Bill’s board seat. He’d decided to retire, with Dev stepping up as president. I was now going to be a partner at Athlore. It had taken months to work out the legal logistics, and we were headed in to sign off on all the changes: forming The Athena Agency, adding me as partner to Athlore, and bringing in The Athena Agency’s investors.
I was relieved that Bill was retiring, as his values didn’t really match the rest of the firm anymore. The rest of us were of the mindset, as long as the work gets done and money is flowing, who cares how it goes?
However, we were keeping to moving Nick to Marcie’s representation. We didn’t want any of the clients I’d be inheriting from Bill to feel like I was favoring Nick because we were together.
But as Marcie and I walked into the conference room, an extra person was sitting there who I didn’t expect.
There were Tomas, Dev, and Allan, plus Guy and Kitty, and Mikey. I expected the latter three because they were backing The Athena Agency.
But not Nick.
Our attorney on the business transfers, Ali, grinned at my confusion.
“We’ve had someone else request to become an investor,” she said.
“Him?” I asked, pointing to Nick. “Marcie, do you know about this?”
“I think you should hear him out,” Marcie said. “He wanted to make sure you and I had enough financial backing to kick off The Athena Agency.”
“What? No. You can’t do this,” I said to Nick, then turned to Ali. “I’m not diluting my shares.”
“We are,” Mikey said, gesturing to himself, Guy, and Kitty.
“If you decide you don’t want him in, we have two different contracts drafted, one with him and one without,” Ali said, sliding the two contracts across the table to me.
I flipped open to the exhibit that showed each shareholder’s financial contributions. Nick’s almost made my heart stop.
Marcie and I would each receive $40,000 cash, with another $20,000 going to the business.
That was exactly the amount I needed to pay off my mom’s medical debt.
“Nick,” I whispered, tears flooding my eyes. “You can’t.”
He gave me a soft smile. “I can.”
I blew out a breath through tight lips, trying not to cry in front of my friends and colleagues. “Can you step outside with me for a minute?”
“Sure.” Nick patted my back as I stood, ushering me to the door.
“Take your time,” Ali said, then winked and added, “but I am billing by the hour.”
I knew it was a joke, but I was too emotional to respond. Nick and I faced each other in the hallway, his hands a soft grip on my upper arms. I swiped at a tear streaking my cheek.
“What is it, angel?”
My chin wobbled as I suppressed a bigger sob. I sniffed and wiped my cheeks again. “What happens when you decide I’m second best? That I’m not worth it?”
His brow knit. “Is that what you’re afraid is going to happen?”
“Everyone else always has. I’m good enough until I’m not. I’m great on paper and in theory, but I’m not worth it in the long haul.”
“Annie.” His arms surrounded me, my ear in its designated resting place on his shoulder. “That’s not going to happen with me.”
“People change their minds all the time, Nick,” I blubbered. “What if we break up?”
He shrugged. “Then I’ll be invested in the best women’s sports agency.”
“You can’t . . . we’re mixing business and our personal lives. You can’t just give me that money.”
“I’m not giving it to you. I’m investing in someone I love and believe in. I’m investing it so you can have the future you want, whether or not I’m part of it in the long haul. I want you to be free.” He watched me a beat longer as I processed everything. “You don’t have to say yes, Annie. I understand if you don’t want me to be a part of it. But I’d also love it If I could support what you’re doing.”
I scowled while stifling a laugh. “You didn’t tell me you were doing this until now?”
Nick snorted. “If I told you earlier, you wouldn’t have even let me show up.”
I gave a soft laugh. “You’re right about that.”
Everyone was inside, waiting to sign off on my future, on my new start with Marcie. Nick presented a red cloth from his pocket, holding it out to me. “Pull.”
I did, giggling as I revealed each color of his magician’s scarf as predicted. I wiped my nose on the red part, took a big breath, and walked back to the door. “Let’s go.”
“All good?” Marcie asked.
I slid into the seat next to her. “Are you going to be okay if we let him in?”
“Absolutely. I wouldn’t have passed him the financials if I didn’t want him here,” Marcie said. “It’s up to you.”
I signed the papers to become a partner of Athlore, to my colleagues’ applause, receiving a line of hugs from my new business partners.
Then it was decision time for The Athena Agency.
The two versions of the operating agreement sat before me. The one on the left had Nick included. The one on the right was with just Guy, Kitty, and Mikey.
Blowing out a shaky breath, I reached for the left one.
Cheers erupted from our friends as I signed and pushed the papers to Marcie. Then she passed them back to me, so I could get them to Nick. Nick signed, beaming, and sent them across the table to Mikey, Kitty, and Guy.
Mikey started a chant of “Kiss! Kiss!” Kitty and Guy joined in seconds later. With a smile on his lips, Nick turned to me. I blushed, not wanting to be affectionate in front of my colleagues.
“Oh, go on,” Dev heckled.
I caved, giving Nick the tiniest peck to qualify as a kiss. Even if we weren’t super-secret anymore, it still felt weird to kiss him at work. “Thank you.”
After we all signed, Ali opened an oversized bottle of champagne, and we toasted our new business beginning.
* * *
Later that night, the whole Athlore and The Athena Agency crew stood on the beach. We’d rented a spot where we could have a bonfire, inviting some of our current and prospective clients to celebrate our new firm.
Nick helped me host, letting me network alone, and stepping in to check in every now and then. He kept drinks topped up and grilled hot dogs, holding this perfect balance of letting me shine and stepping in to assist. Guy, Kitty, Mikey, and a very pregnant Jessie also mingled with the guests. They all talked shop with the other athletes. Nick started a beach volleyball game, then mysteriously “hurt his arm” so I could take his spot. He made way too much noise cheering for my serve.
Nick was the perfect partner, in business and in life.
The sun went down, and goosebumps crawled up my legs as the sand cooled. Guests started to fade away, and Nick slipped a sweatshirt around my shoulders. “Here you go, angel.”
I turned to him. “You know, you always say I’m the angel, but I think it’s really you. You’ve been such a big help tonight.”
He smirked. “Well, it’s partially my company, too. I’m invested in this party going well so we can get lots of new clients.”
I slapped his chest. “Oh, you’re going to take credit for my company, Mr. 5% Owner?”
“Five is a non-zero number,” he said.
“This is true, but it’s not as high as my number.”
He grinned. “I know. I just like firing you up.”
The firelight danced over his face as Guy and Mikey got to work making another round of s’mores. “Nick, I can’t thank you enough for all this.”
“You’re welcome. I want you to be free. This was the best way I could give that to you. No more phone calls. No more creditors. Just you, living your dream.”
My lower lip pouted. “I want you to feel understood.”
His arms slid tight around my waist and his face lowered to mine. “I do. So I hope you’ll understand why I’m going to ask my next question.”
My eyes widened, my heart taking off. “What?”
“Well, I know someone’s lease is up next month. Greg was thinking you could make him the happiest dog in the world and move in with us.”
I grinned. “Is that what Greg wants?”
“Yeah. He told me,” Nick said with a smarmy smirk. “He gets bored when it's just me taking him for a walk. He likes when Mommy and Daddy are there.”
“And what do you want, Nick?”
“I want to wake up every single day with all your crazy hair on my pillow. I want to not have to drive twenty minutes to see you. I want you to stop stressing about leaving clothes at your place, or whether Greg pooped behind your refrigerator.” I giggled and he went on. “I want to be able to be close to you, supporting you, and loving you every single day.”
I pretended to think with a coy smirk. “Do I still get to borrow your t-shirts?”
“I only want you in my t-shirts,” he said, nuzzling my nose.
“Will you be policing my Diet Coke consumption?”
He snorted. “I will be tempted, but I will keep my mouth shut.” He gazed at me, waiting for an answer. “What do you say? Will you still be a free woman if I smother you with constant attention?”
“I can’t imagine anything freer than being in your glow all the time, magic man.”
His hand slid into my hair as his lips captured mine, the warmth of his love freeing me. Nick was my personal brand of freedom. Someone who believed in me and held me up, surrounding me with an unwavering love. As we pulled from our kiss, he nodded toward the volleyball net. “I think you owe me a volleyball lesson.”
“Game on.”