Chapter 63 #2
He looked at each of us in turn. “I’ve decided to remove myself from the running for the account. Fit Guy is the complete opposite of me and I know I can’t provide Fit Gal with what it will need in the future. It’s been an honor to work with you all, but I think it’s best if I bow out gracefully.”
Surprise rendered me speechless for a moment and Abi’s hands flew up to her mouth. I saw the shock on her face and even Ashley seemed blindsided. Blake, however, nodded a few times, then got up and extended his hand toward Jeffrey.
“Thank you for being honest with us,” he said kindly. “We really appreciate that you came forward if that’s how you feel. You’re a hell of a guy, Jeff. We’ve enjoyed having you here and thank you for all the hard work you’ve put in. Good luck.”
Jeffrey shook with him, then with a mute Ashley, and then accepted a hug from Abi when she got up and pulled him into her arms. She spoke quietly to him for a moment and he smiled before he nodded and pulled away. Then he turned to me.
“See you around, Simon. Karen was wrong, you know. You’re not so bad after all.”
I chuckled as I gripped his hand firmly in my own. “Neither are you. Good luck, Jeff.”
“Same to you.” He nodded and gave us all a wave, and once he was gone, it was officially Simon vs. Abigail for the account.
Astor vs. Walker.
I’d suspected it would come down to this eventually, but I hadn’t been prepared for it to happen today. What the hell do I do now? I feel like the little dog who’s finally caught the damn car.
Blake and Ashley said their goodbyes, wishing us both luck before they left us alone in the conference room.
Abi smiled as she looked over at me. “Well, that was unexpected.”
“Yeah, I didn’t see it coming at all. Did you?”
She shrugged, her eyes glazed over with thought before she refocused on me. “You know, I can’t say that I saw it coming, but I knew that he felt like he was out of his depth here. Jeffrey’s too smart not to have realized that he may not be suited to this account.”
“Because he doesn’t like fitness regimes?” I asked. “He seemed to like Zumba just fine.”
She rolled her eyes at me and chuckled. “No, not only because of that. What this company is looking for is full-service representation. Someone who can do it all. Jeffrey’s firm focuses very much on market analytics and technology.
They’re the best at what they do, but he was worried about all the other stuff he might have to do if he won. ”
We walked back to our office together and I was surprised that his office was already empty when we passed. “Did he pack up while I was meeting with them?”
She shook her head. “I don’t think he ever unpacked. Every morning when I ran into him, he only had his laptop. He travels light.”
Not unlike the two of us, I thought, but I didn’t say it out loud. The truth was that this was temporary at least for one of us, and the other would probably be given a much nicer office to work out of if the winner was expected to occasionally work from Fit Gal HQ at all.
After shutting our door behind us, we got back to it, making the most of our time before packing up to head home. As we reached our cars, she smiled at me. “We’ve got an early flight out. Don’t be late and remember to pack all your best country outfits.”
I laughed. “I’m a city boy through and through, baby. I don’t have any country outfits.”
Those blue eyes shimmered with barely restrained laughter. “Well, do your best. You’ll stick out like a sore thumb if you take your fancy suits down there. Those people live in jeans.”
I frowned. “All of them?”
“Most of the ones I’ve met.” She winked. “Charlie’s brothers will never let you live it down if you show up wearing shiny shoes and designer suits.”
“Point taken.” But I had no idea what to pack if not that.
She walked around her car and came up to me. Smiling, she looped her arms around my shoulders and pulled me close. “See you bright and early, City Boy.”
“Sleep tight.” I pressed a kiss to her cheek, holding her soft body against my own for a few beats longer than necessary before I sighed and let go. “The guys are coming over for burgers and to hang out before we leave. Any chance I can convince you to join us?”
“I haven’t packed so much as a pair of panties just yet, so I’m going to have to say no. Tell them I said hi?”
“Or you could just not take any panties,” I suggested. “I can buy you some jeans at the airport. Problem solved.”
She laughed. “Thanks, but I like my own jeans. And my panties.”
Pouting and pretending to be disappointed, I waved and got in my car. She chuckled and climbed into hers. Then I waited for her to back out ahead of me. When I got to my place, Benny was already there and he grinned, handing over a beer.
“Now that’s service,” I joked.
“Where’s mine?” David asked, arriving right after me.
Benny laughed and passed him one too, and all three of us sat down at the bar, shooting the breeze until Josh got there. He caught us up on what had been happening between him and Eden, and when he was done, David turned to me.
“Are things getting serious with you and Abi again, then?” he asked. “You’re going to Texas to help out with something for Walker Marketing, so it’s got to be getting pretty damn serious.”
“I’m going to Texas to help my girlfriend’s sister with something.
Not Walker Marketing, but yeah. I’d like it if things did get serious.
” After a brief pause, I finally grinned and shook my head.
“She’s my person, gentlemen. Everybody probably already knew that, but if it’s going to get serious with anyone, it’ll be with her. ”
The guys laughed and high-fived, cheering and hyping me up. Benny eventually shushed them. “Sure, we already knew that, but have you told her yet?”
“I’m going to wait until after presentation day,” I said. “I don’t want her to feel like it’s calculated.”
But as soon as those presentations were done, I was getting my girl—and there was absolutely nothing and no one that was going to stop me.