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“Okay. I’ve given this a lot of thought. Let’s meet next week and talk about the details.”
“I’d love that.”
When she’d suggested a partnership months ago, I couldn’t even wrap my mind around it, too weary after the fiasco with Eden Designs. Now I was seeing things in a different light. I wanted to take the risk. Landon’s influence, no doubt. The man had changed me in more ways than one.
Despite everything, I smiled to myself.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Landon
Over the next few days, I chose to work from the hotel’s executive lounge. Going into the office would have meant spending half my time fielding questions from the employees about the future of the company, the security of their jobs. Word about the potential buyout had spread like wildfire.
On Thursday, I descended to the hotel’s restaurant, and over breakfast mentally brainstormed the best way to handle this.
Scrolling through my e-mails, I noticed that each board member had sent me an e-mail, stating their case—meaning, why selling was the better option. Regardless of my current beef with them, I had chosen them based on their intelligence and business acumen, so I decided I’d assess their cases fairly, then build my argument.
Grudgingly, I started reading through my board members’ correspondence, jotting down notes. It was clear by the repetitiveness of their wording that they’d discussed this at length. After plowing through them, I took one of the hotel’s notepads and a pen. I always worked better with a pen and paper in hand.
The board was right in one aspect: I had envisioned letting go of DBC Payment Solutions when I drew up the original business plan, but work had been my refuge for the past years. Had I clung to it for all the wrong reasons? Was it time to let it go? I spent the entire day making notes.
On Friday, I began to build a compelling presentation. Aside from the geographical expansion, the company could also grow by moving vertically into other close industries.
Both options were equally complex. Expansion was work so grueling that I still had scars from the years when we were just starting out in Europe.
I ran a frustrated hand through my hair, looking at the ten pages of notes and the presentation slides. It was dark outside already. Between six coffees and zero food, the day had gone by. For the past four years, I’d relished challenges, and the chance to have even more work to throw myself in. But now my heart wasn’t in it anymore.
Hell, I didn’t want to continue living the way I had. Holed up in my office, working every waking moment. There was more to life than that. The time I spent in LA with my family and Maddie had made me realize what I was missing out on.
God, I missed Maddie. Bits and moments of our time together flashed in my mind. There was no way I had imagined our connection. She’d trusted me more every day, given more of herself to me every day. What Maddie and I had was beautiful and real. She meant everything to me. But why had she acted that way before I left?
Sure, my news had caught her by surprise. I replayed our conversation in my mind. I had spoken in detail about the problem here, but not about us. I’d been expecting a signal from her before approaching the subject, but what if she’d been waiting for one from me too? Was I overanalyzing this?
I had no idea, but I did know one thing. If there was a chance that Maddie wanted a future for us, I was going to grab it with both hands. Was I grasping at straws? Maybe, but the ache in my chest eased at the mere possibility that I could still keep Maddie in my life.
My phone buzzed, and I kept my fingers crossed that it wouldn’t be Adam. I had no answers for him. It was Will. I looked around the business lounge before answering. I was alone.
“Hey! How is it going?” he asked.
“Not good.”
I heard the chatter in his background and realized it was the first Friday dinner I wasn’t attending in almost two months. I’d seen everyone at Maddie’s birthday party, but my gut still twisted.
“We’re having beef stroganoff. Adam told Val you’re working from home, so she ordered the same for you from some restaurant near you. But the delivery guy just called her to say you’re not home. Where are you?”
I smiled. Of course Val would try to dote on me even from a distance. I imagined Adam’s chagrin at being questioned by Val about my whereabouts.
“I booked into a hotel. I can concentrate better.”
“That makes no sense,” Val said, which clued me in that Will had me on loudspeaker.
Hailey chimed in next. “By the way, my pep talk about not letting Maddie go was worth jack shit, huh?”
I cleared my throat. “Lori, this would be a good time for you to note all this language is bad for Milo.”
“No, Milo is watching his favorite show on the iPad. With earbuds, so we don’t have to censor the conversation,” Lori said.
The clan was as thorough as always.
