Chapter 21 Kat #2
“I understand,” he says. “Kat, I—”
“No,” I say, shaking my head. “Can I go first? There’s…I need to start with an apology.”
“Oh…yeah…go ahead.”
I take in a breath, but reach for his hand to help give me the strength I need to put all of this out into the world.
To take the biggest risk I ever have.
“I’m sorry if I forced your hand today. That I dismissed that you didn’t want the job because of me, and if I felt like I made you to accept it, I apologize.
It was…just everything was so sudden. And while I still think you should take the job—you don’t throw away dreams—I’m wondering if…
maybe…there’s a way I can be a part of that dream? That is, if you still want me to be.”
He doesn’t say a word as his mouth dives into mine, kissing me in a way that is not suitable for the Timberline lobby. I pull away—not that I want to—but I can’t get lost in his kiss when there’s still so much more to say.
“I take that as a yes?”
He laughs, holding me close from behind my neck. “That’s a yes. Always a yes.”
I match his hold, each of us sitting close, as we take in this moment. “I don’t know how this is going to work. But I can work remotely. I can go back and forth to Nashville and New York.”
“You might not have to,” he says. “I talked to Melinda today. She said that nothing is set in stone. That I can take some time to figure this out. We can take some time and figure this out.”
I smile at his words. “I like the sound of ‘we.’”
“I don’t just like it. I love it.”
We come back in, joining in another kiss that screams of promise and what’s to come.
“So, you don’t have to go to New York?”
He shakes his head. “Not yet. Not until I talk to Melinda.”
“So where are you heading to today?”
“Not sure. Have any place in mind?”
“Maybe,” I say with a shrug. “I hear St. Lucia is lovely this time of year.”
He laughs, but the mischief is back in his eyes. “I didn’t bring swim trunks.”
“I’m sure we can figure something out.”
“Oh, I’m sure we can.”
This. This feels right. Sure, there’s a ton of uncertainty, and a million and a half things to figure out. But there’s one big one that’s already crossed off the list: Us.
We want to try this. We want to see where this goes. And whatever is thrown at us, we’re going to figure it out. Together.
“Oh good! There you are!”
Howard’s voice cuts through our moment, and when we look over, we see Declan behind him.
“I’m sorry, did I miss our meeting?” I say, checking the time. “I didn’t think it was for another hour.”
“It’s not. We were looking for him.”
Grayson seems confused. “Me? Why did you need me?”
“We sent you an email asking to meet us today. You hadn’t responded, and the service has been in and out all day with our phones.”
“Oh, yeah, I saw, but I didn’t read it,” he says. “It’s okay if you’re going with Kat for the campaign. I understand your decision and know you’ll be in great hands.”
Declan looks confused. Howard looks panicked. “Oh, that’s not…Oh, dear.”
“Dad…what did you do?”
Howard takes a seat in a chair opposite of Grayson and I, Declan next to him. “I saw Kat in the restaurant this morning. And…well…maybe I eluded to the fact that she was going to be getting good news today.”
“And Grayson and I…let’s just say a lot of things happened today, and during that, I let it slip that I was getting the account.”
“Dammit, Dad,” Declan says, running a hand over his jaw. “One time I want you to keep a secret.”
“I didn’t tell her everything,” he defends. “Just a hint.”
Okay, now I’m even more confused. “Is there more?”
Declan smiles. “Yes, that’s why we wanted to meet with you this afternoon. And why we also wanted Grayson here.”
The two of us make eye contact, clearly both lost.
“Both of you made excellent presentations,” Howard begins. “Katherine, you had a way of opening our minds to things we had never even thought of before.”
“And Grayson, you had such a specific plan of attack,” Declan says. “Your ideas of how we could get the Timberline into national conversations really left us hopeful.”
“And while I know that if we went to either of you with the other’s ideas, and asked you to implement something like that, you would do it for us. But it felt wrong. We want both of you to bring your own visions to life with us.”
“What are you saying?” I ask, because I think I know, but until he says it, I don’t want to assume.
“We’re saying, and that is, if this can be arranged with Sterling Strategies, we want to work with both of you.”
Grayson starts rapidly blinking. I tilt my head back and forth. Because what?
“That’s…I mean…thank you,” I say. “But that’s a lot of money to put forth to hire us both. Are you sure?”
Declan nods. “Dad and I agree, if you both bring to the table what we want you each to focus on, the money will make itself back almost instantly.”
“We can work out the finer details after the holiday, but for now, what do you both think?”
Grayson and I share hopeful, and slightly confused, looks. Sure, this has happened before. People have different needs and different strengths; therefore they need multiple people to handle different situations. But never in my wildest dreams did I think that this could be an outcome.
“What do you think?” I whisper.
“I think it could be great,” he says. “I’m not sure what this means if I take the promotion, but either way, you have the final say. Are you okay with this? You say the word and I back out. No questions asked.”
My heart warms, knowing he’d do that for me. “I think it could be great too.”
Grayson squeezes my hand before turning back to Declan and Howard. “Thank you both. Verbally, we accept. However, I’ve been offered a promotion with Sterling, as well. Therefore, there’s a lot to think about.”
“Congratulations!” Howard exclaims. “And yes, take your time and let us know. We’ll talk after the New Year.”
The four of us stand up, each shaking hands before Declan and Howard say their goodbyes, leaving Grayson and I standing in the lobby with a whole lot of information to process.
“That was…a lot.”
He laughs as he wraps his arm around my shoulder. “I feel like I need a debrief just to write out everything that’s happened in the last four hours.”
I laugh and turn to him. “Yes, but can we not debrief here? While this place has come to feel like home, I’d really, and I mean really, like to leave.”
“Say less. Where would you like to do this at?”
Even though I’m ready to leave, the room does sound good for one more round. However, I get a better idea.
“I don’t know if I told you, but I’m going to St. Lucia on a private jet. A jet that happens to have desks to work at. And beds to lay down in. Perfect for debriefing.”
Grayson smiles as he pulls me into his arms. “Is that all it’s perfect for?”
I pull him into me, our lips inches apart. “You’ll just have to find out for yourself.”