Chapter 31 #2
“She’ll never break a contract,” I whisper. “She’s too upright. Too straight down the line. She believes in keeping her word.” She’s like me. Believes that good things come to good people.
We’ve both been duped.
“Will you try anyway?” Myles asks. “Please?”
I look at him over my shoulder. Despite his perfect grooming he still looks tired. His eyes catch mine and for a moment the car is silent. Emotions course through me, making my fingers shake and my heart speed in my chest.
I was in love with this man only days ago. I would have done anything for him.
Will I still do that?
“I’ll try,” I tell him, even though I know it’s futile. I’ll try anyway because I wasn’t just in love with him, I still am. And I don’t want him or his brother to lose everything. “I just wish you’d told me about this before.”
“I was trying to protect you,” he says. “I know that sounds counterintuitive, especially after the past few days, but it’s true.”
“He tries to protect everybody,” Liam says. “Ask him how that’s going for him.”
“Shut up,” Myles says mildly. Then he looks back at me, his expression soft. “I’m sorry you had to find out the way you did. There’s only one flight a day from Charleston to New York. I had to be on it to try to save things. I wanted to tell you face to face. I just couldn’t.”
“Everyone thought you’d run away to avoid the fall out.”
“I know.” He nods, his face grim. “I can see how it must have looked that way.”
“I thought you did, too,” I confess. “I’m sorry I said all those things to you.”
“You don’t need to be sorry.” There’s a yearning in his voice.
“I’m the one who’s sorry. For not telling you what was going on.
For not realizing that New York had stopped trusting me.
I should have known they were in negotiations with Naomi.
Jean-Baptiste went behind my back when we were otherwise engaged.
” His eyes flash and I realize that he’s annoyed as hell about that.
“Shoulda spoken to her earlier,” Liam says. “I told you that.”
“Yes, you did,” Myles says tightly.
The drive to New York takes just over six hours. We only made one stop – the coffee had gone right through me, and Liam needed to check his phone and make some calls. I’m so aware of Myles’ eyes on me constantly. It’s like he wants to say something and has no idea what.
But I can’t think about that now. I’m too busy thinking about Catherine and Ryan and everybody back at Smith and Carson. If I can’t persuade Naomi to stay they’ll be out of a job.
And so will I.
We arrive in the middle of the afternoon, and Liam drives into the center of Manhattan.
The sound of car engines and horns and pneumatic drills fill the air as we slowly head bumper to bumper through the city.
I’ve been to New York more than a few times, but it still feels like another planet.
People rush here, and don’t smile or spend the time of day with each other.
And everything’s so big. I crane my head to look at the top of the skyscrapers.
Just like in Charleston, the sky is blue, but there’s a haze to it, and I can spot three helicopters hovering like flies.
Eventually, Liam hits his indicator and pulls into a parking garage beneath a huge tower made of reflective glass. I wince as he turns into the smallest space I’ve ever seen, yet he manages to do it without scraping the sides of his beautiful car.
“Okay,” he says, pulling at his door handle. “Let’s do this.”
Myles squeezes out of the backseat and helps me out of my own. The three of us walk toward the bank of elevators at the far end of the garage. Liam swipes a card and hits the call button, and within a few seconds the door opens.
“We’re running a little late,” Liam says, checking his watch. “Naomi and her agent will be here in twenty minutes. Do you want to freshen up?” he asks me.
“Yes please.” I need a minute alone to center myself. Although, after everything that’s happened in the last forty-eight hours, I’m pretty sure I’ll need more than a minute.
The elevator shoots up smoothly to the forty-eighth floor, where Liam walks to the left and Myles puts his hand on my back to steer me to the right. A huge metal sign proclaims this floor belongs to Salinger Industries. Liam’s done well for himself.
Or at least he has until he got involved with Smith and Carson.
“Are you okay?” Myles asks softly once we’re alone in the corridor.
I swallow. “I don’t know. I’m just… confused. And anxious.” On the plus side, I’m pretty sure they’re not going to sell me as a sex slave in this swanky office building.
“The bathroom is there,” he tells me, pointing at a solid wood door to our left. “I’ll get some food sent up. You need to eat.”
“I’m not hungry.”
“You’ve only eaten a banana today. And two cups of decaf. You need food.”
I open my mouth to argue with him, but I know he’s right.
“Okay. Thank you.”
He reaches out to cradle my face and I feel the burn of his touch against my skin. “Thank you,” he says. “For coming here. For trying to help.”
My chest feels tight. I nod silently.
“The boardroom is the third door on the right when you come out. Liam and I will be in there.
“Are you sure I shouldn’t be wearing business clothes?”
He shakes his head. “No, you look perfect.”
He’s still cupping my face. I feel a tight yearning inside me. “I should go…”
Myles nods and releases me. “Take your time. We can wait.”
I take less than five minutes. Most of that is taken by me leaning against the wall and worrying that I’m going to fail. They all think Naomi and I have this close relationship, but really, how close can it be if she didn’t tell me about this new contract?
When I walk into the boardroom the sandwiches are already there, along with those insulated casks of coffee you always see at office meetings, along with a jug of water and another with orange juice.
Myles jumps out of his seat. “Would you like coffee?” he asks. “We have decaf. Or orange juice if you prefer.”
“Orange juice sounds great. Thank you.”
“Take whatever sandwiches you want.” He looks me dead in the eye. “There’s no soft cheese, no cured meats. And the mayonnaise is safe.”
It takes me a moment to work out what he’s talking about. He’s worried about me eating things that pregnant women can’t.
I could be pregnant with his baby right now. The thought sends a shiver down my spine.
“Thank you,” I murmur and load two little triangles onto my plate, along with an apple because I really need to counteract those donuts I ate last night. If I am pregnant, I need to start taking care of myself.
If I don’t, I have a feeling that Myles will. Regardless of if we’re together or apart, I know he wants the best for me.
Liam’s phone shrills and he looks at the message. “They’re here,” he says. “You ready for this?”
“Do I have enough time to eat something?”
“Yes you do,” Myles says firmly. Liam bites down a smile.
Lauren was right last night. I’m not used to being taken care of. I don’t know what to do when it happens.
“Ava,” Naomi calls out as soon as the boardroom door opens. I stand and she envelops me in a bear hug. I hug her back because despite everything, I truly like her.
Who couldn’t like somebody who invented a kind lion?
“I’m so sorry,” she continues. “They told me you knew. That you couldn’t be at the meetings because you were working on something else.” She frowns. “I would never have done this if I’d known you’d be out of a job.”
“It’s okay,” I say, my throat tight. “You didn’t know.” Behind her is her agent. Elizabeth Horton is a bear when it comes to negotiating contracts. And protecting Naomi. As it should be. “Hi Elizabeth,” I say.
“Ava. It’s good to see you.”
Myles and Liam come to shake their hands and Liam suggests we all sit down.
“Can I get you a drink?” he asks Naomi and Elizabeth. “Water? Coffee? Juice?”
“Just water for me,” Naomi says, and Elizabeth asks for the same.
Once everybody is seated – Naomi and Elizabeth on one side of the shiny wooden table, Myles, Liam, and me on the other – Liam leans forward and rests his elbows on the surface. He looks at Myles who nods.
“As you know, my brother and I have agreed on an initial buy out of Smith and Carson, and we’d very much like you to be part of our publishing house.”
Naomi winces.
“I understand that you’ve already agreed to a new contract with Mediatech, but we’re asking you to reconsider.”
“We’ve already signed,” Elizabeth says. “It’s too late.”
“We’re willing to work with you to break the contract,” Myles says. “Ava has some exciting ideas to take Dandy into the future.”
I do? Oh shit. I smile and nod. “Working with you has been the greatest privilege of my career.” That’s no word of a lie. “The thought of losing you from Smith and Carson breaks my heart.”
Naomi sniffs. “I know. It breaks mine, too.”
Elizabeth pats her hand. “But there are a lot of exciting things in Dandy’s future.
The team here in New York is talking about television rights, and possibly a movie.
And all those merchandising rights.” She smiles.
“No need to be so despondent. And Ava, I’m sure if we talk to them they’ll offer you a job here.
That way you can still work with Naomi.”
Myles shifts in his seat. I feel my pulse rise by about a thousand beats per minute. “I can’t move to New York,” I tell Naomi. “I love Charleston too much.”
“I understand,” Naomi says. “I couldn’t spend longer than a few days here either. It’s too scary.”
Naomi doesn’t like being anywhere but at her beautiful sprawling home in the mountains. I can’t say I blame her.
“Is there any way we can change your mind?” I ask, looking first at Naomi and then at Elizabeth.
“I’ve never broken my word in my life,” Naomi says. “And as angry as I am that they lied to me, I still can’t do it.”
My shoulders slump. So that’s it. We’re done for. And yes, I mean we. Because I’m in love with Myles, no matter how stubborn he is.
And I’m not letting him take the fall alone.