As I sank into my chair, I sighed. It wasn’t even lunchtime, and I was exhausted. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and stared down at the screen, reading Grae’s text for the millionth time.“All good.”They were the same two words that had been there since last night. But they pissed me off. They were a brush-off.
My back teeth ground together. The urge to reply and try to tease more information out of her ate at me. But I knew why she’d put the walls of polite indifference back into place. That one moment of almost giving in to the thing I wanted more than my next breath and then pushing her away.
The pull to take it all back, show up at her door, and lose myself in her mouth and body was so strong. And that was exactly why I resisted. The ferocity of that pull was dangerous. Lethal.
I dropped the phone onto my desk, turning it over so I wasn’t tempted. Instead, I opened my computer and got to work pulling employee applications, adjusting budgets, and sending possible new hires to Juliana.
A knock sounded on my door.
“Come in.”
Jalen hurried in. “We’ve got a problem.”
That familiar headache was gathering behind my eyes again. “What now?”
“Clive Jones is here.”
I stiffened. My father hadn’t said a word about him coming into town today. It made sense that he would want to scope out the facilities for his retreat, but my dad would’ve at least given us a heads-up. Clive and his financial clients were too important to Dad for him to risk anything but complete perfection.
“Is he meeting with Gabe?” I hated to admit it, but if he was, it was a smart move on Gabe’s part. A face-to-face to see what Clive hoped to get out of the retreat.
Jalen looked worried. “Apparently, he’s supposed to meet with both of you. He wants to hear the initial plans for the retreat. He said when he arrived that Gabe had confirmed the meeting via email.”
The stream of curses that flew out of my mouth would’ve made a sailor blush.
Jalen handed me an iPad. “This has all the particulars of how many will be attending and what they need access to while they’re here in terms of technology and meeting rooms. You’re good at thinking on the fly. Read and walk.”
Iwasgood at thinking on the fly, but this was another level. I pushed to my feet, shoved my chair back, and headed for the door. “Where are we meeting?”
“Conference room.”
“Let’s go. I knew Gabe was pissed, but this is getting out of control.”
Jalen sent me a sidelong look. “I would’ve quit a long time ago.”
Unease settled in my gut as Grae’s words about leaving and what Clara would want played in my head. But I didn’t have time to think about that right now. Instead, I scanned the few pages about Clive’s company and those who would be attending the retreat. The focus was on leadership and getting the heads of his various divisions to work together.
My mind spun, trying to come up with a cohesive plan in a matter of minutes. As I strode into the conference room, I found Gabe doing his best to charm Clive. He sent me a smirk. “So nice of you to join us, Caden.”
I strode toward Clive and extended my hand. “Good to see you again. How was the helicopter ride from Portland?”
Clive sent me a warm smile, the deep brown skin around his eyes crinkling. “Smooth as always. How does it feel to be back at The Peaks?”
“These mountains always feel like home.”
“There’s nothing like that.” He tapped the back of a chair. “I’m looking forward to the gala as well. It’s such an important cause.”
I swallowed the burn in my throat. “Thank you. It means a lot to us, as well. Clara brought out the best in us all. It’s only fitting that she keep doing that now.”
Clive’s expression softened. “That’s an incredible way to frame a loss.”
Gabe cleared his throat, breaking the moment. “Let’s have a seat. I’ve had the kitchen prepare a tasting menu so you can decide what you’d like served during the retreat.”
Clive nodded. “Thank you. The food here is always impeccable. But I’ll be honest. I need this event to go above and beyond. We’re having some internal issues at Cornerstone, and I want this retreat to turn us around.”
Gabe grinned. “Well, let’s tell you what we have in mind. Caden, why don’t you start?”
Asshole.I tried to ignore the fact that my brother was determined to throw me under the bus and focused on Clive. “Can you tell me what you think the biggest issue is with your leadership team?”
