Neither had I.
But a question nagged at my gut the longer the truth had to settle in. A white-hot blend of jealousy and betrayal that sliced right through my chest. “Have you hired Ellie before?”
Grandfather snorted, holding both hands out. “Relax. I’d never met her before. If I had, I hope she would’ve recognized me onThe Valencia.”
Some of the tension in my shoulders eased, but I still wasn’t sure how to feel.
“I understand if you’re upset with me,” he said with a sigh. “I just wanted you to loosen up. That you fell for her was more than I dared to hope for.”
My smile lacked any humor. “Yeah, well, that ship has sailed.”
He frowned. “What makes you say that?”
“You saw Ellie run away as fast as she could.” It was a memory that would haunt me for years. “She wants nothing to do with me.”
“Have you even tried talking to her?” he asked, frown deepening.
“I returned her phone, but she didn’t want to see me.”
Another snort escaped my grandfather, louder than the last. “Huh.”
My eyes narrowed. “You think this is funny?”
“It’s amusing to see you give up so easily,” he admitted. “Where’s the shark who won our board over? And the closer who just landed a deal with Pembroke? I haven’t seen you quit on anything since preschool.”
I considered it before shaking my head. “Ellie isn’t a business deal. I can’t strong-arm her into giving me another chance.”
“Then don’t. Win her over instead. Show her what you bring to the table and why her life would be better with you in it.” He brushed an invisible piece of lint off his sleeve. “She may not be a business deal—well, not anymore—but you know exactly how to win over our clients. Where’s that edge now? Where’s the Cade Westbrook I know who could sell water to a fish?”
I scrubbed a hand over my jaw, knowing exactly what was different this time. “I’ve never made a woman cry before.”
One side of his mouth curved up in sympathy. “It means she cares. Do you know what Ellie told me onThe Valenciawhen she thought I was the captain? She said she was in trouble because she was falling for her fiancé.”
I swallowed, looking away and stifling a scoff. “Sure she did.”
“Swear it on my life.” He tapped a finger to his chest. “So you better show her why you’re a damn good catch who deserves a second chance. You hear me?”
I said what would get him off my back the quickest, because I was done talking about this. “Yeah, I hear you.”
“Good.” He tilted his head, getting to his feet. “I’ll see you back in Westport.”
“You’re not sticking around for the talks?” I asked. “If all goes well, we’ll know if this is a sure thing or DOA after negotiations this afternoon.”
He was already halfway to the door. “I said what I came to say.”
“Wait,” I called, frowning at his back. “One more thing. Why did you tell Ellie I like unicorns?”
Grandfather paused halfway across the room and turned, brow furrowed. “…Unicorns?”
“On the app,” I reminded him. “You said I was obsessed with unicorns. And that I wasshy.”
A slow, shit-eating grin spread across his face, tripling the creases around his eyes. “I let my assistant fill in the profile. Jade’s always been a little sweet on you, so I should’ve expected some sabotage from her.”
A growl rattled my jaw, and my grandfather hurried the last few steps out the door—laughter rippling in his wake.
Negotiations wrapped up a few hours later, and only a handful of points needed to be ironed out by the lawyers before their board would sign off on it. They didn’t need me for that, but I likedto stick around until the ink was dry. Then I’d usually update Grandfather before starting on the next deal.
Something was different this time. I wasn’t thinking about the next merger or acquisition. I wanted to take some time to celebrate first—go out to dinner, get a few drinks. And it wasn’t Grandfather’s number I thought about calling.
