Chapter 42 Desmond
DESMOND
The afternoon sunlight streamed into my office, the light dancing off the bare wood windowsill.
“Anyway,” Juniper said, settling back in the chair opposite my desk, “we’ve done the best we could, and I think the fallout from that old scandal isn’t going to affect us as much as we feared.” She exhaled and looked at me with a gentle smile. “You always take risks, and some of them are worth it.”
I did. But this time, I’d done one too many. Today, an hour from now, I had a meeting with the board of directors. A meeting where I would come clean with them about the nature of my relationship with Ava Hale. A meeting where I would offer my resignation and move on from Luxe Hotels.
I stood up. “Thank you, Juniper.”
I extended a hand to her, looking at her kindly. She had worked with me for three years, and I would miss her wise judgment and the patient ear she had for me.
But I needed to leave. I needed to do a lot more to be the man Ava needed me to be.
But first, I needed to stop hiding in the shadows whenever I wanted to be with her.
And to do that, I couldn’t be Luxe Hotels’ CEO anymore.
She would have to work here for the next six months until The Galley was up and running, and I didn’t want to lose another single minute with her.
Juniper took my hand and looked at me with some surprise. “Is everything okay?” she asked as she stood up from her chair.
I exhaled. “There might be some changes from here on out. I just need you to know that I really appreciate everything you’ve done for Luxe Hotels and everything you will continue to do.”
The expression on her face changed to one of dismay. “No,” she muttered just as Zach knocked on the door.
“We’re ready for your ten a.m. meeting,” he said when I opened the door.
“Goodbye, Juniper,” I said, walking out of my office with Zach at my heels, keeping up a constant stream of updates that he presumed I needed to know for my meeting.
“Dave Keith has had a recent change of heart about clean power investments, so I’d keep your dislike of the offshore drilling rig scandal out of this. Chad Morrison has lost a lot of money on cryptocurrency, so he’s not—”
I turned to him with a smile, and that stopped him. “Zach, I want you to know that you’ve been very invaluable during my time here,” I said.
His face fell.
“Your time here?” he echoed just as one of the notebooks in his hand fell down. He didn’t rush to pick it up. “Are you—” He looked past me, at the glass walls of the meeting room, where some older men and one woman were seated, looking grim. “Oh my God,” he said, turning away, his jaw dropping.
“Zach,” I said, putting my hand on his shoulder and looking at him calmly, “it’s okay. It’s for the best. I just wanted to say thank you. That’s all.”
I turned around and reached for the brass doorknob of the meeting room and yanked the glass door open. I walked in, head high.
“Good afternoon,” I said, letting the door fall shut.
Ten minutes later, I walked out of the same room, feeling the weight fall off my shoulders.
I found the hallway empty and went straight to my office. Zach was nowhere to be found, and his desk seemed strangely bereft of his snowman globe paperweight.
I walked into my office and looked around at my things, trying to decide what I wanted to take home with me—the personalized football jersey that had been gifted to me by my uncle, a photo of my mother hugging me after a football win, and a personalized key chain with the initials A and D on it.
It had been a gift from Ava right after I gave her that heart-shaped locket.
I knew I would never be able to forget a woman like Ava. But having this physical reminder of her love for me had helped me, even in the darkest days after Mom’s death when I had foolishly pushed her away.
I wouldn’t bring scandal to Luxe Hotels again, and I wouldn’t be the man who had to hide his love for Ava Hale again.
As the leader of the company that invested in Ava’s restaurant, I was still tied to her professionally.
A professional relationship that meant our private life had to be kept under the wraps.
But I was finally done with rules that held us back.
Which meant my job had to go if I wanted to take our relationship public.
I slipped the key chain into my pocket. Someone would come by and pick up the rest for me.
When I walked out, I saw two people in the corridor to the elevator.
Zach and Juniper.
Zach looked closed to tears while Juniper had her mouth set in a firm line. The elevator dinged, and I turned in surprise as Thomas walked up, arms by his sides, an expression of shock on him.
My footsteps halted as the three of them stood together by the elevator.
“This isn’t the end,” I told them as I approached them.
“It seems like it for us,” Juniper added.
“You can’t be serious,” Thomas said, gesturing around the atrium with his hands.
I looked over my shoulder. Three years of work was a sizable venture, I guessed. Three years as CEO of Luxe Hotels. There would always be another leader who could take it ahead. It was time I moved on.
“Each of you was the best employee any leader could’ve asked for,” I said, clapping Zach on the shoulder and shaking Juniper’s hand.
Thomas turned away as I walked up to him to shake his hand and then grudgingly took it.
“We can’t be Luxe Hotels without you, Desmond,” he said in a low voice.
“There’s a health tech company that I’ve been following lately. They develop wearable medical devices but have been struggling in the past year. If things work out, they could be the Lead Capital Group’s next investment. And the focus of my attention for the next few years.”
“Well then, I’m coming with you,” Juniper said, her voice fierce.
Zach nodded. “Me too. I’m going to be there.”
“Count me in,” Thomas added.
My heart swelled with emotion at their loyalty. Truth be told, I couldn’t do without them.
I grinned. “In that case, Zach, you just got a two-week break. Plan your vacation now because it’s going to be busy after.”
He grinned and nodded.
Letting my gaze fall on the trio, I smiled. “Thank you.”
“You’ll let us know when you finalize your plans, won’t you?” Juniper asked.
“You can count on it,” I called back. “In two weeks.”
I’ve got a much overdue confession of love coming up, and I need all the time I can get.
I walked into the elevator and pressed the button for the seventh floor. When the elevator stopped and the doors opened, Ellie stood right outside.
She put her hands on either side of the elevator to prevent it from closing. “Tell me what I just heard isn’t true.”
I didn’t respond.
“You … you’re leaving everything you built here, just to be able to date an employee?” Ellie asked. “The woman who works at the café?”
“Ava Hale.” My voice was firm. “I’m going to date her, and it’s time you remembered her name, Ellie. I won’t tolerate you speaking of her in any other terms. Not after you leaked information to Bianca about our plans for The Galley.”
Ellie hesitated, and for a second, I saw a vulnerability to her while she stared back at me. “I’m sorry about that, Desmond. Truly, I am.”
When she refocused on me, her voice was like steel. “Do you know why I tried to leave this company twice already?”
I raised my eyebrows.
“Because I always hoped I could persuade you that what Nick and I had wasn’t serious. And I hoped you and I could be something. Every time I tried to leave, you convinced me to stay on, and we became closer as friends, but it never led to anything.”
She looked away, and I felt troubled.
“I’m sorry, Ellie. I suspected it, but until a few months ago, I didn’t think I was the kind of guy who could commit to anyone. I didn’t want to string you along when I knew I had nothing serious to offer.”
“But Ava changed that for you?” she asked.
I hesitated. I still wasn’t sure why, but being with Ava made me love the idea of commitment because it meant I was committed to her.
“She’s my childhood sweetheart, Ellie. I loved her and lost her once before, and I can’t lose her again. Not when I know how deeply I still love her. Not when I know that she is as amazing as my fantasies have built her up to be. That she is the only thing in this world that lights me up.”
Ellie heard me out and then nodded. “Well …” she said, swallowing and trying to look more composed. She stepped in and held a newspaper clipping out to me. “Perhaps this will help you two celebrate better.”
“If it’s good news, then Ava deserves to see it first,” I said simply while Ellie’s eyes widened, looking impressed.
“All right, I’ll send it to her then.”
She stepped back and evaluated me. Finally, she gave me a nod just as the elevator doors tried to close. “You two lovebirds behave now,” she said, waggling a finger at me.
“Behave?” I asked, pressing the button for the lobby. “Not a chance.”