Stranded with the Hidden Billionaire
Page 9
Her phone chimed, and she glanced at a message from Anna. You’re off all of next week? You can’t take any groups?
In the weeks since her stranded experience, Eden had been right about her friends. Cotton and Anna had reached out to her over and over, and a rush of gratitude filled her. She looked up at Cotton, who still wore concern in his expression.
“I gotta go.” She hugged him, a surprising move for Eden, who maybe wasn’t as touchy-feely as other people.
On the way out of the building, she texted Anna back. What day is the group? I have a few things to get ready for, but I’m sure I can squeeze them in.
Thursday came as if Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday had been removed from the calendar. She’d gotten no further instructions from Holden, but she knew enough about board meetings to show up in a cute skirt and blouse, along with a folder in one hand and a small box in the other. People didn’t go to meetings without folders and boxes, right?
She asked how to get to the board meeting, and the man at the desk in the lobby put her on a private elevator that went straight to the top floor. Once there, a woman in a red dress and heels greeted her, offered her water, and had her sit on the couch.
Everywhere Eden looked, she saw glass. All the rooms off the hallway had windows looking into them, and she didn’t think she could ever work in an environment like this. She did enjoy the air conditioning, and everyone who walked by wore dress clothes and smiles.
So maybe she could work here.
You’re not going to work here, she told herself. What would she do? Run out and get coffee for the more important people? No, thanks.
Nine o’clock came and went, and no one came to get her. She finally stood up and approached the desk where the woman in the red dress worked. “Should I…?”
“They know you’re here,” she said, her plastic smile in place. “Mister Holstein said he’d come get you when they were ready for you.”
“Oh, okay.” Eden wandered back to the couch, taking her time as she glanced down the hallway. She was hoping to catch a glimpse of anyone in any sort of meeting, but she couldn’t. And now with the woman in the red dress watching her, she didn’t dare go exploring.
Another fifteen minutes passed, and she wondered why Holden had told her to be early. Finally, movement appeared in her peripheral vision, and she turned that way.
She stood, her breath catching somewhere behind her lungs. Holden stood there, buttoning his suit coat, and he looked mighty fine. The jacket had to be tailor-made just for him, as his shoulders seemed impossibly wide.
“Eden,” he said, his voice reaching right down into her stomach and pulling. “We’re ready for you.” He gestured down a completely different hallway than where she’d been looking. She held her head high and drew in a deep breath. After smoothing her skirt and collecting her box, she walked toward him, her fingers tight on that useless folder.
In any other building, she’d have been able to duck around the corner and get some privacy. She couldn’t believe she was thinking of kissing him.
The clean, fresh scent of him met her nose as she slipped past him and into the next hall, further muddling her thoughts. “Straight ahead,” he said.
She walked, feeling very much like she might not survive her experience in the courtroom. Pausing, she turned back to Holden. Their eyes met, and so many things were said in that moment.
Some things had to be said out loud, though. “Thank you,” she said in a voice hardly loud enough for her own ears to hear.
Then she turned again and marched forward, wishing she’d worn heels instead of the sensible sandals on her feet.
Chapter Fourteen
Holden’s mouth felt like he’d swallowed a strange mixture of sand paper and cotton balls. He needed a drink—again—and every swallow scratched.
Thank you.
Eden looked brilliant and powerful as she entered the room and went straight to the head of the table, the screen behind her already illuminated from the presentation he’d just finished.
If the board didn’t approve his acquisition of Eden’s products, he’d buy them himself. His belief in her had only strengthened in the last month, even though she’d never responded to any of his texts.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” he said, his smooth business meeting voice back in place. Thankfully. “This is Eden McLaughlin. I’ve asked her to come show you a few things.” He nodded at her to begin and took a seat beside her.
She tucked her hair behind her ear, and he remembered doing such a thing too. His heart hurt to see her, breathe her in, and not be able to touch her. She took her time opening the box, and then she proceeded to speak in a clear, concise way that had pride flowing through him.
Her products got passed around, and a few people took notes. Eden only spoke for about ten minutes, and then she looked at him again.
“Any questions?” he asked, realizing he’d just opened the door to the lion’s den, and it was feeding time. He probably should’ve warned Eden what the board could be like.
“You already work for Explore Getaway Bay,” Thomas said. “Is that right?”
“Yes, sir.” Eden didn’t look at Holden for his approval, and that only made him admire her more. He had to get her back into his life, and his stomach pinched at what was still to come.
“Can this be easily manufactured?” Lilianna asked, lifting up the can cooker.
“I don’t see why not,” Eden said. “It’s a can with a shelf under it. I made it in my shed with a little bit of welding magic.”
“How much does welding magic cost?” someone asked, and several people chuckled—including Eden.
“I didn’t put together pricing,” she said. “I’m afraid I don’t really know how much it would take to reproduce products like these.” She swallowed, the first sign of her nerves, and looked at Holden.
“I’ve already presented you with a list of costs,” he said, standing up and buttoning his jacket again. “From what I knew, of course. We can work more closely with Miss McLaughlin to get things more on track if the proposal is approved.”
He saw all the questions run through Eden’s eyes, the biggest being Proposal? What proposal?
“Should we vote?” Dean asked, and Holden shot him a look of appreciation. “We don’t want to take up all of Miss McLaughlin’s time.”
The vote was called for, and Holden tapped on his computer to bring up the proposal again, twisting to make sure the words shone on the screen. He moved out of the way, touching Eden’s elbow lightly to get her to come with him.
She did, and when they were standing on the side, she looked up at the screen. He heard her suck in a breath and hold it. Heard him whisper, “Holden.” But he needed this vote to happen first, so he didn’t turn toward her. Didn’t respond to his name. He simply nodded at Dean.
“On the proposal that we fund, manufacture, and sell Eden McLaughlin’s line of outdoor survival products, exclusively through Explore Getaway Bay online and retail establishments where they currently exist, and where they might exist in the future, who votes yes?”
Holden didn’t dare look around the table. He reached for Eden’s hand and held it, squeezing tight.
The best part? She squeezed back.
“And no?” Dean glanced around the table, a smile forming on his face. “The vote is fourteen to one in favor, sir.”
Holden beamed around at the board seated at the table. “Thank you, ladies and gentlemen.”
“With the stipulation in place,” Thomas reminded him, and Holden nodded.
“Of course.”
“That’s it for today,” Dean said next, and Holden tugged on Eden’s hand to get her to come with him. People started filing out the door and into the hallway, chatter breaking out. He knew several of them would want to talk to Eden, congratulate her, but he had to talk to her first.
Now.
He led her through a door in the back of the room and into the office there. Not his, but he and Dean used the ro
om for a board meeting homebase, and the surface of the desk was covered in paper and empty soda cans.
He didn’t care what Eden thought of the mess. As soon as the door closed behind her and they were alone, Holden swept her into his arms. “You got it,” he whispered, the soft, floral scent of her hair almost overwhelming him. “We even cracked Joan.” He chuckled, feeling like spinning around and laughing.
His enthusiasm and joy dissolved when he realized Eden was crying against his chest. “Hey,” he said, stroking her hair. “What’s wrong?”
She pulled away, sniffling and wiping her face. “You bought my products.”
“Yes,” he said, confused at the accusation in her eyes. “I thought that’s what you wanted. We’ll manufacture them and put them in every gift shop and retail space on the island that we have. Your cut is huge, Eden, I promise. The biggest I’ve ever seen a business grant. And they did it without even questioning it.”
He peered down into her face. “Wasn’t this what you wanted?”
She nodded, still wiping her eyes. “Yes. Thank you, Holden.”
Feeling as if he might not survive the next five minutes of conversation, Holden took a breath. “I’ll admit, this was only a ploy to get you to talk to me.”
Their eyes met, and that same lightning-hot attraction that had always existed between them burst to life.
“I want the products, sure. But what I really want, is you.” He reached for her hand, somewhat surprised she let him take it. “I desperately miss you. I’m in love with you. I’ll do whatever it takes to get you back.”
She softened considerably, but he wasn’t finished yet. “I’m sorry, Eden. I should’ve told you what I really did for a living while we were out on that mountain. There were opportunities. I just….” He blew out his breath. He didn’t want to make excuses. Not to her.
“I just didn’t.” He took a micro-step toward her. “Can you forgive me?”
“Do you even work for The Web Developer?”
“Tuesday through Friday,” he said. “Dean and I meet on Mondays, and of course, I have to attend this horrible board meeting every first Thursday of the month.” He smiled, hoping he could elicit one from her too.
Slowly—oh, so slowly—that smile bloomed to life on her face.
“So you hired yourself to do the app.”
Eden never missed much, and Holden shrugged. “I suppose.”
“What’s the stipulation?” she asked.
Of course she hadn’t missed that. “The board wants you to come to the corporate office and act as a consultant and training coach on wilderness survival for the company.”
“A what and a what?”
Holden laughed, drawing her back into his arms. “I have everything for you in a folder here somewhere.”
“I knew people brought folders to meetings,” she said.
She fit so perfectly in his arms, and Holden had to know how she felt about him. “So? What do you think?”
“I think I’m going to need to buy fancier dresses and my first pair of high heels.”
Holden looked down into those ocean-colored eyes, ready to dive all the way in. “I meant about us.” He pressed his lips to her forehead, enjoying the way she leaned into his touch. That told him something, but not enough.
“About my apology. My plea for you to forgive me.” He touched his lips to the corner of her eye. Then her cheek, steadily working his way toward her mouth. “I want to go to dinner with you, like we talked about on the cliffs. I want to lay by you on the beach. I want you to meet my dog. Come see my new house. Oh, that’s another one for the game we were playing. I got a new house.”
Eden’s eyes were closed, and she felt and looked like an angel to him. “Eden?” he whispered.
“Kiss me already,” she whispered back, and Holden didn’t waste another moment before brushing his mouth against hers.
“I’m sorry,” he murmured against her lips, claiming them in a deeper kiss the second time.
“I’m sorry too,” she said, this in-between game of talking one of his favorites of theirs so far.
“You forgive me?” He kissed her, the feel of her fingernails in his hair absolutely magical.
“Yes,” she said, pressing fully into him now.
“I love you,” he whispered, their lips barely parting.
She kissed him and kissed him and kissed him before she finally said, “I love you, too, Holden.”
Chapter Fifteen
Eden sat under the umbrella while Holden put their tacos on the table and slid next to her. She buried her sandaled feet in the sand, this day turning out so different than she’d planned.
Holden had prepared an entire proposal without telling her. He’d negotiated a position for her higher up in the company, where she could work with a team to develop her products, as well as lead educational training on wilderness survival for the tour guides at Explore Getaway Bay, and the public.
It was her dream job. Tinker with her inventions whenever she wanted. Talk to people about being prepared when they went out hiking. A win-win.
And the gorgeous man beside her, his suit coat discarded somewhere so he was only in his short sleeves and a loose tie? Absolutely sexy, and the best part of her life.
“You’re not hungry?” he asked, nudging the box of tacos closer to her. “I got eight of these. Eat one.”
“I don’t want to eat your food,” she said, and his eyes flew to hers. She giggled, and he shook his head as he smiled.
“You’ll eat it if I have to stuff it in your mouth and move your jaw for you.” He cocked his eyebrow at her. “Not so fun when it’s you, is it?”
She burst out laughing, her blonde hair falling over her shoulders as her head tipped back. Maybe she forgave too easily. But if that was what anyone accused her of, she decided she could live with it.
After all, the man had just bought her ideas and offered her a better job.
And better yet, he’d offered her himself. Eden could admit he was all she wanted, and she didn’t care about the number of zeroes in his bank account or where this new house was.
He leaned over and kissed her, stealing the laughter from her throat at the same time he silenced her.
“Mm,” she said. “Those tacos do taste good.”
He slid the box a little closer to her, and she picked one up. “Does this count as the dinner?”
“No,” he said. “This is lunch.”
“Are you going to take me to dinner tonight?”
“Absolutely.”
“Can I see where you develop apps?”
“Sure.”
“And your house.”
“Before or after dinner?” He looked at her out of the corner of his eyes, and all Eden could think about was going back to his place after dinner and kissing him until her lips bruised.
“Either,” she said, trying to erase the fantasies from her mind.
“Let’s see how the afternoon plays out,” he said, further loosening his tie. “I have to get out of these clothes, so we’ll probably go back to the house before dinner.”
“Out of those clothes?”
He pulled at his tie again, unbuttoning his top button. “I’m choking.”
She laughed and ate her taco, so glad this Thursday had turned out better than she’d been imagining.
She did get to see the app and give him her opinion on it. She got the grand tour of his house and met his dog. She kissed him in the kitchen, the hallway, and her own front porch when he finally dropped her off at home.
The next few weeks became a blur of new things. New experiences of shopping for professional clothes, including the cute shoes she’d thought she’d hate. She didn’t hate them, and now she clicked around the glass corporate building with real folders of information in her hand.
New trainings for her new job. New materials and upgraded designs for her products. New, new, new.
But she kept her old friends, and more important, her old boyfriend.
But she really, really loved doing her wilderness safety classes, both with the public and with Explore Getaway Bay employees. She really loved going down to the engineering department and seeing how they were coming on the product line, which should be ready to launch just after the New Year.
She’d had no idea it would take more than six months to get a few outdoor survival products ready, but she should’ve known Holden wouldn’t do anything halfway.
He asked as many questions as she did about materials and price points, and he insisted they use the best steel, the best cord, the best of everything in the product. “This is Explore Getaway Bay,” he’d said, his eyes hooking hers and refusing to let go. “We only want the best.”
She’d kissed him after that meeting, and he’d asked her how she felt about marriage.
“I feel great about marriage,” she said, still holding onto his shoulders. “Do you…I mean. I didn’t think you wanted to get married.”
“Depends,” he said.
“On what?” she asked.
“On who I’m asking.” He’d kissed her again, on the first floor in the engineering department, and Eden felt sure he’d ask her to marry him soon.
But another month passed. He spent Thanksgiving with her family, which she enjoyed.
And another month passed. No proposal. No ring. Not even another mention of the word marriage.
She cleared space in the retail store on the first floor of the Explore Getaway Bay corporate headquarters, because her products were launching soon.
Next week, in fact.
She stood back and looked at the shelf space where their new products would go. Her new products.
A sense of accomplishment filled her, and she covered her mouth with one hand, awe striking her. She’d done it. She’d really found an investor who believed in her and her products.