by Alexa Davis
“We’ll see. You have fun with Nancy, though, don’t you?”
“Of course, but I like meeting all the people. I especially like Justin.”
Justin… However much I tried my best to forget him, everything reminded me constantly. Now that we’ve slept together, now that we’ve caved to that temptation – for which I am most certainly to blame – it was difficult to consider him in only a business sense…
Business…shit!
I had almost forgotten about Justin coming over to actually discuss business with me tonight. I’d told him to come to my home, thinking that we would be better in a less-tempting environment, one with much less alcohol. I’d assumed that if I was at home, surrounded by my reality, I wouldn’t give in quite so easily. What I hadn’t considered was how messy my house was. It wasn’t a pig sty or anything, but for someone who probably lived in a massive mansion complete with cleaners in Portland, I wanted to give off the best impression I could.
“Hey, Rae,” I said slowly, hoping that I could get her on board. “How do you feel about helping me today?”
“Ooh, I like to help!” she insisted quickly. “What do you want to do?”
“Well, Justin is actually coming over later to go over some business details with me, and I think we should get the place straightened up a bit. Would you like to help me with that?”
“Yes, yes, yes!”
Not many children would be jumping up and down on the couch at the idea of cleaning, but I was lucky. “Great, let’s get started.”
***
“That was so much fun!” Rae cooed happily. “And, the place looks great.”
“I couldn’t have done it without you,” I told her honestly, kissing her on the top of the head. “And you look lovely, too, darling.”
Once we had the house cleaned, Rae insisted on bathing, having her hair brushed and styled, and wearing her favorite blue, sparkly dress. In a weird way, as I helped her to get dolled up, it made me think of what it would be like to one day help her dress up for her very first date, and the thought brought tears to my eyes. I just wasn’t ready for her to be growing up as quickly as she was.
“Thank you; you look nice, too.”
I hadn’t intended to make any kind of effort, but Rae had insisted that I should. But I wouldn’t wear anything too date-like. I was doing my best to keep the lines as clear as possible. So instead I’d decided to wear my nicest red top, which looked pretty nice with my black skinny jeans. I looked as nice as I could while keeping a causal air around me.
“What time is Justin going to be here?” Rae’s question was punctuated by a knock on the door.
“Oops, that sounds like him now. I’m just going to answer the door.”
Of course, I wasn’t going to be allowed to go alone – my little shadow followed me to the door. As I swung it open, and I spotted him there in a very causal jeans and tee shirt combo, my heart did a very unwelcome dance in my chest.
Stop it, I thought angrily to myself. This is just business.
Luckily, I could get away with a weak smile because Rae immediately took over the conversation. “Do you like my pretty dress?”
I followed behind them into the living room, happiness bubbling in my stomach. It was really nice to see Justin and my daughter getting along so well. In a weird way, it was a shame that this was only business because if it had been different, if we were dating, then at least I would know that Rae would be all right with him. The way that she looked at him…it was as if he was the best guy on the planet.
For a moment, I wondered what it’d be like if things were different and her dad was still here. Would she have looked at him in the same way? Would he have been so good with her? And where would my life be…
No, this wasn’t the time for that.
“Would you like a tea or coffee?” I stammered, needing to get my head back in the game here. This was where things went wrong last time, I allowed myself to get distracted. I wouldn’t do that again!
“Coffee, please,” he grinned at me, causing me to gulp down a ball of unwanted emotion.
After a little while of allowing Rae to play with Justin, I sent her upstairs to play in her room, just to give us some quiet time to really get this done. We needed to focus, and her chatter wouldn’t help us with that. She wasn’t too happy about it, but after only a couple of moments arguing, she did as she was told.
“Right,” he sat down and grinned at me. “I have the proposal here for you.”
I nodded silently and took the papers from him, my heart thumping loudly in my chest the entire time. This was a good sign; it meant that Justin was taking my “no funny business” rule very seriously, which I wasn’t disappointed about at all…honestly.
“Wait,” I eventually glanced back up at him, confusion plastered across my expression. “Are these numbers right?”
His proposal was asking for a much higher stake in my company than I was willing to give, especially for the investment amount he was willing to put forward, and I wasn’t comfortable with it at all.
“Yeah, well, my advisors helped me write the majority of it,” he admitted, making my heart sink. “They crunched the numbers and they believe this is the only way I can make any money from Boffees.”
“I don’t know,” I told him, shaking my head in despair. This piece of paper dashed all of my dreams, and it made my heart shatter in my chest. “This all seems a little…much.”
“I know it might seem like that on the surface,” he replied, sitting up straighter in his seat, really getting into this now. “But it isn’t just the money that you’ll be getting from me. It’s the experience, too. I’ve taken many businesses to the next level. I know that I’m talking about, and my advisors know what they’re talking about. You will be getting a good deal.”
That all sounded okay, but I still wasn’t convinced. Boffees was mine – my dream, my vision, my creation. I’d built it up from nothing during one of the worst times in my life. I just wasn’t ready to give over that much control. Sure, I knew that I would have to make some sacrifices to make my dream come true, but this? This seemed like a step too far.
“Okay, I can see that you’re struggling with this,” he told me. “So I have a proposal for you. Why don’t you come up to Portland for a few days? Maybe next weekend so you don’t miss too many days of business yourself. Come and see the company? See what I can do for you. See if I can change your mind?”
“But what about Rae?” I wasn’t sure that I could leave Rae alone with Nancy for a few days; that didn’t feel fair.
“She can come, too. Bring her babysitter as well, if you like?”
He was going too far with this, offering me too much. This was far beyond what was expected from an investor. That was probably because of what had happened the other night, but at the same time, could I turn down this…just in case?
“Okay,” I eventually nodded, unable to think of any decent reasons not to. “Yeah, okay, we’ll come.”
“Great,” he smiled, standing up and moving to go. “Well, I better get going.” I could tell that he wasn’t really wanting to leave, but he was doing what I’d asked of him. “I’ll send you the details of the hotel later on in the week.”
“Thank you.”
We said a very quick goodbye before he went on his way, leaving me totally blindsided and more than a little confused. I wanted to call Nancy, to check that she was okay with being away all the following weekend and to get her advice, but I didn’t want to disturb her evening, so instead I went into Rae’s room to get her into bed.
“Has Justin gone?” she sounded disappointed to see me alone, which made me feel bad. I’d been so wrapped up in my own conflicting emotions that I hadn’t thought about her feelings.
“He got called away and he had to leave really quickly,” I gave her a small lie, just to protect her feelings. “But he did invite us to go and see him next weekend, for a little vacation. What do you say to that one?”
“Are
you serious?” she exclaimed excitedly, jumping up to give me a big hug. “I would love that. Will Nancy be coming, too?”
“I hope so. I’ll call her tomorrow and ask her. Now, we really better get into bed…” But from the way that she was running around the room like a lunatic, I knew it would be a long time before I could calm her down enough to get her to sleep. “Okay, hot about some hot coco instead? We can curl up on the couch and watch a movie?”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah!”
I had a long night ahead of me!
Chapter Seventeen
Justin – Monday
I didn’t even bother going home when I arrived back in Portland, choosing to go right into the office instead. I wanted to trust Garrett enough to assume that he was there working, rather than passed out on the couch at home. Plus if the house was a shit hole again, I wouldn’t be able to focus, and I really didn’t want that…not again.
Luckily, my trust paid off, and I quickly found him standing at a desk with a serious expression on his face. “Hey,” I patted him proudly on the back. “It’s good to see you there. How are you getting on?”
“Oh, Justin, glad to see you. I have so many questions for you.” He looked so somber that I was actually stunned. He was here, still, and actually taking his job seriously. I’d never thought that I would see this side of him; it really was a huge change. “Can I go over some of the accounts with you in your office?”
“Sure, sure,” I told him happily, indicating towards my office door. “Come on, catch me up. Let me know what I’ve missed out on while I’ve been away.”
As we walked, he slipped into another conversation entirely, talking about one of the women that he found attractive in the office. As soon as he insisted that he wasn’t interested in screwing up his job for her, I half turned him out. I didn’t need to listen to any of this. I needed to get my head back in the game. His attraction to some chick wouldn’t help me do that.
“So,” he said the moment the door shut behind him. “How was the trip? What were you going to see, a coffee shop or something?”
This was the first time he’d ever asked me anything about what I was doing, so I couldn’t help myself from wanting to tell him everything…maybe a little too much. “It’s Boffees, books and coffee. I know it sounds pretty small, and it might not make me a huge return, but I really want to invest.”
“Yeah? How come?” he asked curiously.
“Honestly, I think the owner, Annie, has the determination to drive it forwards—”
“You like her,” he jumped in, hitting the nail right on the head. “I thought this whole thing sounded a little weird. You’re a shrewd businessman with his head firmly in the game. That’s how you make so much money. I knew there had to be some deep reason for your interest in some small shop in Florence…a small town in the middle of nowhere.”
“It isn’t just that…” I tried, but it was written across my face. Garrett’s raised eyebrows proved that he could see right through me. “Okay, okay, I admit it. I do have feelings for Annie that maybe I shouldn’t, but I do want to invest in her for other reasons, too.”
“So, what does she look like?” I couldn’t help myself as he asked this. This was the closest thing that we’d had to a brotherly conversation in years. Over time, as Garrett’s behavior deteriorated, I had felt like I was more of a parent to a reckless teen than anything else, so this was a really welcome change. “Is she mega hot?”
“She’s gorgeous,” I admitted, smiling to myself. “A natural beauty.”
“So, the sort you’d want for a wife rather than a screw?” he said callously, turning my feelings into something a lot more distasteful.
“Sure,” I shrugged, not wanting to rock the boat. “She’s lovely.”
“You need to be careful,” he told me seriously. “You don’t want to start falling for clients – that can lead to trouble.”
I wanted to scold him for acting like he knew something about business when he’d only just started working for me, but I didn’t because there really wasn’t any point. “Okay, so ask me all these questions you have for me?”
“Yeah, so I was looking at this…”
***
“Hi, Harry,” I said to my advisor as he sat opposite me. “So, what do you have for me?”
“I actually really wanted to see you to discuss your trip to Florence.” He didn’t look happy, but I wasn’t about to let that stop me. I’d made my choice, and I wanted to go with it now. I had my reasons, and even if no one else understood it, I did. “Did anything progress with the Boffees deal?”
“Well, Annie didn’t agree to anything yet,” I replied honestly, folding my hands on the table in front of me. This was what I did to make myself look more serious, more businesslike. I’d started it when I was just beginning, in the hope that it would cause people to take me more seriously, and now it was a habit I couldn’t get out of. “But she’s coming up this weekend to see the company.”
I might have had a big, beaming smile on my face, but Harry was definitely not looking impressed. “And, did you explain all of the details to her?”
“She read over the contract,” I nodded slowly. “And, she certainly seemed to understand it all. This isn’t some small town girl we’re dealing with here; she’s an astute businesswoman.” I wanted him to understand that this wasn’t just me being starry-eyed here; Annie knew what she was talking about. Without meeting her, people just couldn’t seem to get that.
“Okay, because she will be losing a lot of the business with this deal. You will effectively have creative control, so you’ll be able to change everything…or the person in charge of her account will, anyway. I just want her to understand that.”
I gulped at that, my head and heart in total conflict with one another. Realistically, this was the only way I could invest in Boffees; I had to make it profitable for me and the business, but it didn’t feel right to take so much of what Annie had worked so hard for.
Then again, any investor would do the same…so better that it was me, right? At least if my company was in control, I could keep an eye on what was going on. I might not have done it for every other investment because I couldn’t be everywhere at once, but with this one, I would have to make sure that I did. Even if it did seem like favoritism…
“Right, okay,” I drawled slowly. “Can you just explain everything to me, so I understand when I see her on Friday?” I had read through all of the information before I handed it to her, but only really briefly because I’d been in a hurry at the time. Now, though, I needed to know it all because a big part of me thought it might be advisable to tell Annie beforehand.
Maybe this whole investment plan was a bad idea. I wanted to help Annie. I wanted to expand her business in a big way. I just wasn’t sure that this was going to achieve that. The last thing I wanted was to make things harder for them both.
While he went through it all, my brain zipped back and forth with indecision. I had no idea what I was going to do on Friday when Annie came up, but I hoped that I would be able to make that choice before she arrived. I didn’t want to screw things up.
God, this would be so much easier if we were just dating. I made a bit of a bad move bringing business into things between us, but then again, we wouldn’t have met at all if that hadn’t been the case. If Roy hadn’t called me, nothing would have taken me down to Florence.
“Anyway,” Harry jumped in before I could get too lost in my thoughts. “How is Garrett getting on? Is he working well?”
“He is, actually,” I smiled at him proudly. “Now that he’s started working here, he’s doing amazingly. Better than I actually expected him to. He’s taken on a very creative role in the marketing department, and he’s taking it very seriously.”
“Well that’s good.” Harry didn’t look convinced, but that didn’t matter. It would take some time for Garrett to prove himself, and now that I’d seen what he could do, I would be behind him all the way. “Let’s just hope it stay
s that way. Anyway, I have to go, just…keep me updated with Garrett and Boffees, too.”
“I will,” I grinned and shook his hand. “Thanks again, Harry. See you later.”
After he left, I glanced down at that family picture on my desk again, wondering if Dad would have been proud of how far I’d come with regards to Garrett. This was what he wanted on his death bed after all, for me to do what he never could.
Garrett didn’t turn into a nightmare until he hit his mid-teens, when his hormones properly kicked in, and he seemed to make it his life’s mission to make Dad’s life hell. He would stay out late, drink too much, vandalize, and generally act out. He was brought home by the cops on more than one occasion, driving my dad to distraction.
I’d expected him to start behaving himself when Dad got sick, which he did a little bit, but not enough. Most of the responsibility of looking after Dad fell on my shoulders, which was okay. More than a little exhausting, but at least he wasn’t throwing his idiotic behavior in Dad’s face anymore. For a long time, I thought he had some sort of grudge against our father, and that it was all about that. But once Dad passed and Garrett carried on acting like an idiot, I had to assume that it was just the way he was.
But not anymore – now things were starting to look up.
Well, Dad, I thought smilingly in my mind. I’ve done it. I’ve got Garrett working. He finally seems to be putting his past behind him and growing up. I hope I’ve done you proud! I hope this is what you wanted for him because he really seems to be blossoming. And Mom… I didn’t want to leave my mom out, but I wasn’t really sure how to communicate with her when I didn’t really know her. I…I hope that you are proud of me, too.
It was horrible to not really remember the woman that gave birth to me, but that was my life. She got sick and died…there wasn’t anything that could be done about it; it was just one of those things.
If my parents were still here, I imagined that I would be talking to Dad about the company, discussing Garrett’s change with him, and Annie with Mom.
