Chapter 22
Chapter Twenty-Two
R enic sat behind his desk at Self Evident records and read through the contract one more time while Nate Edwards and three lawyers waited on the other side of the door. The document was filled with lawyer gibberish and lots of caveats, but the gist of it was everything he’d said he wanted.
Morgan spun her chair by kicking her foot against the desk. Every turn of the chair was accompanied by a thump and clank that rattled his mood and concentration.
He flashed her an exasperated look. “Will you stop that?”
She put her foot against the desk to stop the spin. “What the hell is going on with you? We’ve been going over this damn contract for three days, and for three days you’ve been walking around like you have a thundercloud shoved up your ass.”
He put the paperwork down and leaned back, letting out a long-suffering sigh for emphasis. He was tired and cranky, and he wasn’t in the mood for another argument. “It’s a huge decision, Morgan. It affects all of us. I just want to make sure it’s the right thing before I sign away our future, okay?”
Morgan huffed at him. “You know, when you first brought this up I was against the idea, but between me and the lawyers, we’ve worked this deal from every angle, and it’s all in our favor. Even I can see what a big step this would be for Self Evident. And if I can see it, I know you can. You’re stalling, and I want to know why.”
He gave her the same look he gave the lawyers when they pestered him with questions he wasn’t willing to answer. “I’m not stalling.”
“You never take this long to make a decision. Ever.” She leaned forward and tapped the desk. “You wanted this deal, but now you’re waffling like an Eggo and it’s not like you. What changed? Is it Della? Because if she really wants to get the group back together, this deal is the way to get it done. It’ll let her void her prior contract and issue a new one to the three of them.”
“It’s not Della.” Sometimes he really resented how well Morgan knew him. “And don’t even think about drawing up a new contract with her until she talks to her sisters. I’m not at all sure that Piper will ever be on board. Once burned, twice pissed off.”
“It’s her , isn’t it. You said you wanted more time to spend with Lizzie. You were all hyped up about it, but now you’re as cold as a fish.” Morgan narrowed her eyes at him. “Why? Is she against the merge?”
“She doesn’t even know about it.” He avoided Morgan’s gaze by checking his phone. For once there wasn’t a single text waiting for a response. It figured.
Morgan looked stunned. “Oh, wow. You finally danced the nasty with her but you didn’t tell her your plans? Why the hell not? ”
“It wasn’t relevant.” He fanned the papers out across his desk and avoided her gaze.
She stared at him as if he were a particularly challenging puzzle. “You love her. I know you do. It’s all over your five o’clock shadow.”
He piled the papers up again.
Morgan’s frown deepened. “Did you tell her that?”
“Yes.” He sighed. There was no way out of this conversation. Morgan would gnaw on him like a bone until he gave her more of the story. “She thinks our lives aren’t in sync. She actually said, ‘You’re music, and I can’t sing. We don’t mesh.’”
“Oh. That’s, um, eloquent.” Morgan looked thoughtful. “Was that before or after you said I love you?”
He grimaced. “Before. I tried to convince her that we could make it work, but it was like arguing with a fence post. She said she’d built a new life that didn’t include stages and cheating husbands. I said, ‘I love you doesn’t that mean anything,’ and she said, ‘Not enough.’”
“Ouch.” Morgan sat back in her chair and hooked a leg over one of the arms. “Damn. That’s cold.”
Renic nodded. “So it’s a nonfactor as far as this deal is concerned.”
“Wait. That’s it?” Morgan asked. “You’re just going to walk away?”
He busied himself with another stack of papers. “It’s what she wants, Morgan. She said she doesn’t need me, and I don’t need her. And she’s right.”
Morgan kicked the desk hard enough that the stapler leapt off the edge and skidded across the floor. “What a load of crap. It’s not about need.”
He looked down at the contract. A few days ago, it was exactly what he wanted. It was an absolute victory for Self Evident records. He should be thrilled to sign it, but instead of calling the lawyers in and reaching for the pen, he kept his hands firmly on the arms of the chair. “This is a business decision.”
“Oh, if it were that easy, sweetie, you’d have signed already.”
The knowing lilt in her voice was really irritating. He had a feeling she did it on purpose just to get a rise out of him. “Look, you royal pain in my ass, I started out wanting this deal because it would give me time to spend with Lizzie, but she doesn’t want that. So there’s no point in having that kind of time, which means I’m not sure this is the right move anymore, and I’m not signing this deal until I’m a hundred percent sure that it works for all of us. This is about responsibilities and standards.”
Morgan kicked the desk to set her chair spinning again. “No, it’s not. What a load of donkey turds. This whole thing started out being some kind of grand gesture but now…”
She stopped the chair spin and leaned onto the desk. “I see what this is. It’s two people lucky enough to find each other in the sea of shit out there, and neither one is willing to do the work it takes to be together. That’s just sad. That’s so epically sad I might vomit.”
Renic picked up the contract and waved it at her. “I did the work. I had you draft this thing, and I came back to sign it. I was willing. She wasn’t. End of story.”
Morgan took the papers out of his hand and slapped them down on the desk. “You know what, pretty boy? Saying you’re willing to do something is just empty words. It means nothing. Love is a verb, and if you want it you have to act on it.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“It means it doesn’t matter what grand gesture you plan if the other person doesn’t know anything about it. ”
He raised an eyebrow at her. “What do you want me to do? Buy out the inn for a year so she has to put up with me?”
“That’s not a horrible idea, but first things first.” Morgan tapped the contract papers. “Sign this deal, then go back up to the Belhurst and show her exactly how your lives will work out together.”
“What good would that do? She’s made up her mind.”
“You don’t know that.”
“She was pretty damn clear.”
She growled at him. “You know, for a smart man you can be so…so…blind.”
“That’s enough, Morgan.” He turned his back on her.
“Did you ever think that maybe she was scared of what it might mean? She spent years getting her shit together and you came waltzing in and disrupted her well-ordered existence. Did it ever occur to you she might need a few minutes to catch her breath?”
He spun around to face her. “She doesn’t want me.”
“Yes, she does.” Morgan met his gaze with a hot one of her own. “If she didn’t, she wouldn’t have argued with you. She wouldn’t have been so scared that she pushed you away. If you’d stuck around the next morning you’d have seen that, you…you… man .”
He blinked at her. “That makes no sense.”
“Oh, Renic. I swear, it’s a miracle any couple gets together these days.” Morgan let out the long, drawn out sigh she used when dealing with someone she thought was purposefully dense. “Look, I’ll make it really easy for you. She pushed you away because she expects every man to act like the lying, cheating dirtbag she was with before. And instead of sticking around to prove that you’re nothing like him, you did exactly what he did. You ran out in the middle of the night. So now you need to get off your ass and prove to her that not only are you not that guy, you are exactly what she needs and wants.”
She tapped the papers on his desk. “Love life aside, this is a fantastic deal for us, and for the business. I’ve talked with everybody in the office. We’re with you, either way. Ball’s in your court, and you need to decide if you’re taking the shot or not. It’s not fair to keep everyone hanging like this, including yourself.”
Morgan crossed over to the door then glanced back at him. “The Renic I know would take that shot.”
She left, closing the door softly behind her.
Renic stared at the closed door. It felt like his entire future waited on the other side of it. He tried to think it through with cold detachment, but he couldn’t. Self Evident was more than a business to him. It was a family. He had an instinctive need to keep complete control of it.
But he also missed the hunt. Scouting for new talent made him feel alive, especially when he found a diamond in the rough like Jacob. He would never have been in the right place at the right time if it hadn’t been for Lizzie. That afternoon in the bar had been fun, and the night after had blown his mind. He could picture a future with her so clearly. They’d spend a lot of time at the inn. He’d set up an office in the Carriage House so he could work remotely some of the time.
Other times, they’d travel to small clubs and bars, hunting the next Big Thing together. They’d laugh, they’d eat greasy food, and hopefully they’d have a lot more hot car sex.
He didn’t want to take her away from her life. He wanted to build a life with her.
Morgan was right. He couldn’t just walk away. Not yet. Not without taking one more shot at showing Lizzie what the future could be. If she turned him away again, so be it .
But first, he had to do the right thing with the business. His gut told him this deal was solid, and he’d learned not to argue with that kind of instinct.
He sent a quick text to Morgan. Ready. Send them in.