Chapter 32 Ethan
Ethan
Ikick off my shoes as soon as I walk through the door and drop my keys on the counter. The buzz of the evening is still present in my veins, long after Margot left the party and I got caught by too many chatty distant relatives to escape alongside her.
Seeing her again did something to me. For the first time in weeks, I don’t feel like I’m wading through mud, just trying to get through the daily motions of existing.
It confirmed what I already knew: I won’t let her go without a fight.
I’ll give her the space she needs for now, but whenever she’s ready, so am I.
I can only hope that day comes eventually.
After I pour myself a glass of scotch, I drift through the dark house.
On nights like this, I don’t know what to do with myself.
The house is too empty, too quiet. It’s hard to remember what my nights were like before her.
Filled with meaningless one-night stands, I guess, which have long since lost their appeal.
My phone buzzes in my pocket as I’m making my way to the balcony. I fish it out and glance down at the screen. My pulse kicks up a notch when I see her name there.
It’s a text message containing a photo of two cats curled up in her green velvet chair with the caption: Harriet and Ramona, world’s best cats.
The corners of my mouth quirk into a smile.
Agreed, I reply.
Because any cat that warrants a text message—the first in months—from Margot, is obviously the best cat in the world.
Tucking my phone back into my pocket, I smile against the glass as I down the last sip of scotch and head back inside. Whenever Margot’s ready, I will be too.
Which means I have some work to do…
***
A week later, there’s another board meeting, but this one goes entirely in my favor. Now that the acquisition of Ridgeway is finalized, True North is seeing record profits in the Midwestern market.
Thrilled by the success, the board is eager to see what other markets might benefit from an acquisition. But while they were busy looking for mom and pop shops here in the US that might consider selling, I was thinking bigger. I was thinking internationally.
When I floated the idea of acquiring Steinman’s Sporting Goods, the biggest outdoor recreation chain in Canada whose recent annual reports have shown signs of financial strain and overextension, most of the board members were shocked.
But there’s only one board member who really matters: my brother.
Garrett founded this company. He spent the better part of a decade leading it into the type of financial success that isn’t easily replicated.
Of the two of us, he always says that I have a better mind for business, but he’s wrong.
I may be good at numbers and analytical to a fault, but Garrett has something special.
Something that also can’t be easily replicated: an innate, uncanny sense of what’s going to propel the company forward and the balls to see it through, even when everyone around him questions it. We all know it.
So, when I was done with my presentation to the Board, it was no surprise that all eyes shifted to Garrett, who pondered then nodded then announced, “Fuck yeah, let’s do it.”
The general sentiment of the board followed suit, and there was an energy in the air that none of us had felt in a while.
But I had one condition. Unsurprisingly, it had to do with Margot.
“I need her back upstairs working with me on this,” I told them.
Garrett, of course, argued. “She turned down the last promotion.”
Thankfully, he left out the part where she also asked to be transferred to a whole different department.
“She won’t turn this one down,” I said with more confidence than I actually had.
“What’d you have in mind?” Garrett asked.
“Director of International Expansion.”
Our relationship is old news, so is our breakup. I’m back in the board’s good graces, a fact cemented by floating the idea of an international expansion. In their eagerness to see where this could go, Margot’s promotion was met with very little reluctance from the board.
And now, I’m sitting here in my office with the head of HR, waiting on the one person who I still need to convince: Margot.
A familiar knock on my office door makes my heart skip a beat.
I’m not sure when I became the type of person who gets sentimental over the sound of a particular knock, but here I am.
The door creaks open a second later, and Margot steps into my office for the first time in months.
Her smile wavers when she notices Helen from HR sitting across from me.
“Hi, Margot. Have a seat.” I motion to the chair next to Helen.
Margot crosses the room, looking slightly wary as she lowers herself into the chair and offers Helen a polite smile. Her expression transforms when she turns her attention to me, silently questioning what’s going on.
It occurs to me at this moment that there’s a distinct possibility that Margot is about to be very annoyed with me.
Maybe I’m pressing my luck by offering her yet another promotion—one that would force her to work in close proximity to me, no less.
This job means long days and lots of work, most of which will require collaboration between the two of us.
She might not be ready for that. She might say no.
And while I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t looking forward to all of those long days of work with her on a personal level, this is truly about the company.
An expansion like this is a huge undertaking. I can’t do it without her.
“I’ll get right to it,” I say, as if I haven’t spent the last few moments playing out best- and worst-case scenarios in my head while everyone else in the room waited with bated breath.
“I’ve found an opportunity for True North to potentially expand into the international market, starting with Canada.
The board is excited to examine the opportunity more closely, which will mean a lot of financial assessments, risk analysis, and some travelling.
It’s a lot of work. And while True North certainly has the staff to do all of this, the board and I both believe that it would be beneficial to have one employee dedicated to leading this expansion. ”
“Okay…”
“And we all agree it should be you.”
Margot’s eyebrows lift and her mouth pops open. “Me?”
I nod.
She hesitates for a beat. “What would the position be?”
“Director of International Expansion.”
“And I would report… to you?” she asks.
I nod again, sitting forward in my chair to subtly emphasize what I’m about to say. Margot needs to understand what she’d be getting herself into. It would be miserable for both of us if she accepted the position only to be caught off guard by its requirements.
“Yes, you’ll report directly to me and eventually oversee a staff of your own. We would need to work closely together, especially as we get this whole idea off the ground. We’ll also need to travel together at some point to meet with the Canadian company. Are you up for all that?”
Margot pauses, letting everything sink in.
This would mean a lot of time alone together.
Potentially traveling together. These are all things we’ve done before, but everything is different now.
She needs to decide if she’s ready for all of this.
Professionally, I know she is. Personally… well, that’s another story.
The air in the room feels tense. That’s not great.
Despite her best attempts to remain neutral and professional, Helen watches both of us like we’re starring in a daytime soap opera.
After the whole debacle with the board of directors, I made damn sure that HR was aware of my relationship with Margot, even if it was over by then.
Hopefully, that won’t be the case forever.
“You don’t need to decide right now,” I finally add. “Take a week and think about it if you’d like. If this isn’t the right fit, there are plenty of other growth options here for you. As you already know, Chris has floated the idea of promoting you to manager of the accounts payable department.”
Margot makes zero attempts to disguise her contempt. She must really hate accounting.
Still, I don’t want this decision to be made out of a lack of options or a hatred for her current position. If this doesn’t work out, we’ll find her something else. She’s valuable to this company, and we don’t want to lose her.
I can’t lose her.
There’s a long, pregnant pause then Margot nods her head, slowly, contemplatively. Her throat bobs before she finally speaks. “I don’t need a week. I’d like to accept the position.”
My heart fucking soars.
We’ve made some progress since Garrett and Emma’s party, but only tentative little steps. But this—this feels like a giant leap in the right direction. I try and fail to tamp down my smile. Margot smiles back, a little wobbly at first then bright and full as her eyes meet mine.
The urge to hug her nearly overwhelms me, but that would be really weird with Helen sitting there watching us, so I clasp my hands on my desk and let the moment pass.
“That’s great,’ I nod. “Happy to hear it.”
Helen shifts in her seat and starts pulling out paperwork for Margot to sign. Once that’s done, she collects the pages in her folder and stands. “Alright, I’ll get this submitted today. The promotion should start showing up in the system next week.”
Margot and I both nod and thank her. Before leaving my office, Helen gives us one last, meaningful look. “And just so we’re all on the same page, your prior relationship is on record with HR, but any changes to the status should be reported as soon as possible.”
Great. Way to end things on an awkward note, Helen.
“Noted. Thanks, Helen,” I say instead.
This time, I take no chances, standing abruptly and walking Helen out of my office before she makes another uncomfortable comment. Closing the office door behind her, I walk back to my desk and take a seat. Margot is still sitting there, a faint blush coloring her cheeks.
“So, looks like we’ll be working together again,” I say.
“Looks that way,” she says with a smile that lands somewhere between coy and nervous.
“You’re sure you’re okay with this?”
She nods immediately.
“Because I meant what I said—we’ll find something else for you if this isn’t a good fit. This isn’t just me trying to force my way back into your good graces or—”
“Ethan,” she interrupts. “I know. I’m ready for this.”
I study her expression for a moment. “Okay.”
“Okay.”
This time, when Margot smiles at me, it’s genuine, relaxed. A quiet but tentative moment of silence washes over us. The start of something entirely new but also entirely familiar. The idea of a future where we work and smile and laugh together. And maybe eventually, it will become something more.
But the moment is cut short when Adrianna throws open the door to my office. It ricochets loudly off the stopper on the wall, making Margot jump and turn her attention to the human tornado that is quickly approaching my desk.
“Joan from the apparel department is on the phone,” Adrianna announces, ignoring Margot completely. “It’s an emergency. Something about another shipment of capri pants.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose and sigh. Across the desk, Margot’s shoulders rise and fall in quiet laughter. She peels her eyes away from Adrianna and glances at me, her expression a mix of commiseration and amusement.
“Well, I’ll let you deal with that,” Margot says, standing to leave.
Adrianna seems truly surprised by the presence of another person in the room, as if Margot just teleported and appeared right in front of her out of thin air.
I’m not sure if Adrianna is willfully ignorant or just completely clueless, but her contract is up at the end of this week and that cannot come soon enough.
“I’ll see you next week,” I say to Margot as she turns to leave.
She looks back, flashing me a smile as unrestrained as my heart feels right now, and says, “Looking forward to it.”