Chapter 27
MARY
“Thank you both so much for this opportunity,” I say, doing my best to ignore how false the words feel on my tongue. “Excuse me for a minute, I just need to grab one last file.”
The representatives from Luxe Resorts don’t argue as I slip back out of the conference room, and I breathe a sigh of relief. Mr. Jameson is there to keep them engaged in conversation, so I can take a moment to pull myself together.
I got here with minutes to spare and a half-assed presentation written on a few spare notecards I found in my purse.
My heart got left back at the ranch, and I’m only barely keeping my tears at bay.
Everything feels so wrong, foreign and unwelcoming.
I wish I could turn around and go right back to the ranch, but what would that get me?
I already left Everett heartbroken, so there’s no fixing that. And I’d lose my job in the process.
I made my bed, time to lie in it.
Just as I’m getting ready to push off the wall, I hear Mr. Jameson’s secretary talking to one of my coworkers.
“Oh, no, you don’t have to worry about the Black Spruce Ranch assignment,” she says. “I actually just fully closed that file, it should disappear from your task list if you refresh the page.”
I round the corner unsteadily, my eyes wide with panic. Both of them look up at me in surprise, and the secretary flinches back when I plant my palms down on the desk.
“What did you just say about the BSR file?” I ask.
I sound strung out, but I manage to keep myself from shouting, which I’ll count as a victory.
“Um, it got closed?” she answers hesitantly, glancing around like I’m acting crazy. “We’re not re-signing them with another agent.”
I probably am acting crazy, but I don’t give a single shit.
“Why?”
“There were developers or something,” she says. “They got contingent approval from the bank for a buyout since the ranch isn’t making any money.”
Fucking Carter Mallory. He’ll get his hands on the ranch over my dead body.
Her brows are furrowed in confusion, and I realize I’m muttering furiously under my breath.
They can’t just pull out! Without help, Everett and Jenny will flounder.
They’re both dedicated, but neither of them know how to handle a rebrand of this scale.
And after the way I left this morning, I don’t think Everett has the will to try to make it past a roadblock like this.
They’re in a meeting right now that could save everything, one that I’m supposed to be at. If it doesn’t go well, they’re going to lose half the ranch, and they don’t even know it.
It’s all my fault.
The door to the meeting room opens behind me, but I’m frozen in fear and indecision, staring blindly down at the desk I’m leaning against.
“Mary?” Mr. Jameson calls.
The sound of my name breaks me out of my trance, and I snap my head up to meet his eyes. His face is scrunched up in a disapproving frown, and he nods his head sharply toward the meeting room. He raises his brows expectantly when I don’t move immediately.
I manage to force myself to move, and I scramble back to the conference room, muttering an apology to him. He doesn’t say anything in return.
“So sorry about that,” I say as I step in behind him. “I appreciate your patience. Shall we get started?”
Neither of them make a comment about the conspicuous lack of a file in my hand, but they do share a judgmental glance. They’re both the kind of perfectly groomed upper management types that have probably never made a mistake in their entire career.
“Of course, Ms. Bryce,” the one on the left says, smiling blandly at me. “Please, go ahead.”
I can see my own reflection in the pristinely polished wood of the conference table, and I look like I’m on the verge of a mental breakdown. Truthfully, my instability is very real, but I don’t want the reminder right now. Instead, I glance out the window in an attempt to calm my nerves.
It’s an even worse decision than looking at my reflection.
My eyes immediately fall on a building a few streets over. It cleaves up into the skyline, all glistening windows and shiny metal, the logo for a national grocery chain emblazoned proudly down the side of it. It’s the building Everett and Jenny are in right now.
It’s the building I’m supposed to be in.
“Mary?” my boss asks, his tone edging toward truly frustrated. “Let’s start the presentation, yeah?”
I tear my eyes away from the building and meet Mr. Jameson’s annoyed gaze, but I can’t find anything to say. My mouth is partially open, and when I try to force out an apology, all that comes out is a laugh.
It’s so shocking to hear out loud that it knocks the stubborn wall I built around my thoughts free, and I realize that I absolutely cannot do this.
“I—I’m so sorry,” I say, shaking my head.
The three men all share a look of confusion, but the smile on my face stretches so wide it almost hurts. My mind is already running a million miles an hour as I grab my purse from the chair in front of me. This doesn’t matter anymore.
I don’t know if it ever really did.
“I’m sorry,” I repeat, already heading toward the door. “I can’t do this. Mr. Jameson will handle this for you. Sorry for wasting your time.”
My words are all tinged with laughter, and it makes me sound hysterical even to my own ears.
The three of them look at me like I’m crazy, which makes sense, considering that I’m running out of a conference room where I’m guaranteed the biggest deal of my life.
But I can’t do it. This isn’t the meeting I need to be in right now.
“Mary!” Mr. Jameson sounds exasperated, and he pushes out of his seat with a mumbled apology to the representatives that are sitting, bewildered, at the conference table. “Excuse me a moment.” He leans in close to me, and he whispers, “Mary, what the hell do you think you’re doing?”
I ignore him, and it feels incredible.
He follows me down the hall, the door to the conference room bouncing shut behind him, and I can feel everyone’s eyes on us as he continues to try to get my attention.
“You’re about to lose your job!” he hisses at me. “What has gotten into you?”
That stops me in my tracks.
I blink in shock, turning to face him again as I rifle in my purse.
God, how could I have forgotten that? There are hardly three feet between us, and I manage the distance in a few strides.
I press my employee ID card into his hand and pat him on the shoulder gratefully before rushing back toward the elevators.
Now I won’t need to stop by to turn that in, at least.
“Good luck with Luxe Resorts!” I shout as I slip into the elevator.
The last glance I get of my now ex-boss is a memorable one, and I laugh to myself at the sight of his face, red in anger and shock.
Once the elevator doors close, everything blurs.
I pay no attention to the people congregating in the lobby, weaving my way through groups and lines until I burst out onto the street.
By some stroke of luck, the crosswalks are all green, but I probably would have disrupted traffic without a care if they weren’t.
I make it to the building just as the clock strikes 1:00, and I decide to forgo the elevator this time.
I move fast, quickly assessing where I need to go.
I skip right past the elevator. The stairs will be quicker since our meeting is only on the third floor.
I’m pretty sure I’d explode into a puddle of nervous energy if I stood still in an elevator, anyway.
After literally running up the stairs in my heels, I stumble out of the stairwell just seconds before the conference room door closes behind Jenny’s back.
The sight of her oaky brown hair is enough to make my heart leap in my chest, an odd mixture of hope and dread that somehow manages to calm me down.
There’s only one thing to think about now, and it’s not Jenny, or even Everett.
Right now, I need to do my job.
I catch the door handle just barely before it clicks shut, and my breath rushes out in a relieved laugh. Stepping over the threshold is both the strangest and easiest thing I’ve ever done.
Jenny is babbling through introductions uncertainly, and Everett looks both nervous and sullen.
They’re halfway to blowing it already. They both whip around at the sound of the door opening again, and their eyes go wide with shock.
A million different emotions flicker over both of their faces, but I tear my gaze away from them.
I don’t deserve to look at them until I make this right.
“Ms. Goldthwait,” I say breathlessly, stepping forward and holding out my hand. “My apologies for being late, I got caught up in traffic.”
She’s an older woman, austere and elegant, with graying hair styled into a fashionable bob.
Her arms are crossed over her chest when I enter the room, a disapproving frown on her face, but the chill in her posture thaws a bit when I smile brightly at her.
Her eyes warm as she shakes my hand, the slightest curl of a smile on her lips.
I pull my portfolio from my bag as soon as she releases my hand and search for the proposal.
I had everything prepared this morning before I left, and there’s no way Everett and Jenny can pull this off without the paperwork.
“Ms. Bryce,” she says. “I was worried you wouldn’t be joining us.”
My smile freezes, and a little laugh slips from between my lips, but I manage to gather myself when she invites the three of us to sit.
She takes the folder and starts leafing through it as Jenny and Everett sit on either side of me.
It feels like they’re offering support, even as confused by the turn of events as they are.
The quiet in the room is broken only by the turning of pages and the occasional note Ms. Goldthwait takes in the margins, and I know better than to open my mouth right now.
It’s rare that a client actually reads a proposal instead of just expecting me to know it all by heart, and I’m not going to break her concentration.
“Under normal circumstances, I might be inclined to draw this out into further negotiations,” she says, folding her hands on the table in front of her. “But I’ll be frank with you—we’re happy to accept your proposal in full. Black Spruce Ranch is exactly the supplier we’ve been looking for.”
Jenny stiffens in shock beside me, and Everett’s hand finds its way to my knee, squeezing tightly. I do my best not to let my own excitement show, but I feel like I’m flying. Is it really going to be this easy?
“Well, I certainly won’t argue with that,” I say with a chuckle. “Are you amenable to the monetary contributions expected?”
She glances down to the contract in front of her, flipping through the pages again before humming.
“Twenty million in total, yes?”
I nod.
“We’re looking for an investment of half a million up front to handle transport and logistical fees as well,” I add.
We only need about half that, but the ranch is in desperate need of repairs and upgrades, and it’ll be better to get those done as soon as we can.
I expect pushback from her on that demand—in fact, I specifically made it high, just to leave myself a little wiggle room for negotiation—but to my surprise, she nods in agreement.
“That’s doable.” She looks up at me, her smile widening ever so slightly, and holds her hand out to shake mine again. “I look forward to doing business with you, Ms. Bryce. Your clients are lucky to have you.”
My breathing is a little uneven as I shake her hand, and I don’t bother trying to stifle my smile into something more professional. I’m the lucky one here, but I’ll keep those thoughts to myself. “Thank you, Ms. Goldthwait.”
“I’ll have my secretary stop in with the updated paperwork,” she says, releasing my hand and standing from her seat. “The money will be wired before the end of the day today.”
The whole world feels like it’s spinning as we say our goodbyes and watch her leave.
I try to focus on the navy carpet or the bland abstract art on the walls, but I can hear the rush of blood in my ears too loudly to center myself.
Jenny pushes up from her seat and laughs, and the sound manages to cut through the whirlwind of thoughts.
I find myself laughing along with her, so thrilled that it’s all I can do.
“Holy shit!” Jenny says.
She pulls me up into a hug, and I squeak in surprise. She just laughs and squeezes me tighter, and I wrap my arms around her and hug back. Both of us are shaking a bit, and when she steps back, there are tears in her eyes.
“You came,” Everett whispers.
I whirl around at the sound of his voice and wind up stumbling right into his arms. He’s closer than I thought he was, my hands flying up to his chest to catch my balance.
He holds my hips, the look in his eyes a conflicted mess of hope and confusion.
I’m so overwhelmed with relief and joy that I collapse against his chest and listen to the soothing drum of his heartbeat.
“I wanted to be here,” I say.
He tentatively winds his arms around my waist and pulls me closer.
“I thought you didn’t know what you wanted.”
I laugh through joyous tears. I have no idea how to explain the revelations I’ve had in the past few hours, but maybe one day I’ll find the right words.
“I didn’t. And then, suddenly, I did.” I probably sound hysterical when I laugh again, but when I lean back and lift my hands to hold the scruffy sides of his face, he looks at me with so much joy that it hurts.
“I know what I want, Everett. I want this. I want you. We’ll figure out the rest together. ”
It’s not a surprise when Everett kisses me, but the tenderness in the movement steals my breath. His hands slide up my back so he can hold me like I’m the most precious thing in the entire world, and my heart is so full it feels like I might burst.
“I love you,” I whisper.
My lips are still against his when I say it, and I can feel his mouth curve instantly into a smile. I’m almost sad that I don’t get to see it, but the hunger in his kiss drives all thoughts from my mind.
“I love you, too.” His voice shakes when he says it. I’ve never heard him sound this happy. “I love you, Mary.”
“Sorry for making it so difficult,” I whisper, laughing when he shakes his head.
“I’ll forgive you,” he promises.
We spring apart when the door creaks open behind us, both of us flushed and grinning as the secretary comes in with papers under her arm.
Right, back to business. We have a ranch to save.