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“Will you still be able to run the agency?” my father asked, looking worried.
I understood what Elliot’s meant to him, and despite the pressure heaped on me to deliver quick results, I wasn’t about to abandon my responsibilities.
“My plan is to do both. I’m working on campaigns as we speak. Some of the old accounts are coming back. As you must be aware. Like the one I just showed you about the dog food.”
He nodded thoughtfully. “You’ve surprised me, to be honest.”
My jaw clenched as I anticipated an insult—a compliment followed by an even bigger put down. That had been a common practice around my father.
He’d changed, however. I’d noticed a softer side to him since working full time at the agency.
My father had learned more about me and vice versa.
His tenacious and down-to-earth approach to business were the big takeaway lessons for me. I also admired his drive and conviction.
I gulped down the last of my wine.
“You’re not eating?” My mother pointed at my steak, which I’d hardly touched.
“I’m not hungry,” I said glumly.
“Look, Chase,” my father said. “If you want to wait a little longer to marry, then…” He glanced at my mom. “Then take your time to find the right girl. You’ve shown yourself to be an asset these past months. I just had to force your hand. You were heading down my self-destructive brother’s path. I couldn’t just sit back and watch a son of mine throwing his life away on drinking and endless parties.”
He had a point. I probably would have still been getting up at noon with a hangover and sending flirty texts to Ivy. The latter, I still did, even though Ivy had blocked me. As if seeing her with Jack Whitman weren’t bad enough, she’d blocked my text of a donkey singing and tap dancing to “I’ve Got You Under My Skin.”
Yep, I’d managed to make a mess of everything. I should have just told her from the start that I was being pressured into marriage. Ivy might have understood and gone along with it. For someone who’d been with a lot of women, I sure as hell didn’t understand them that well.
In response to being granted a reprieve, I nodded slowly and muttered, “Okay. Good.”
It was cold comfort, however, because I missed Ivy. The weird thing was, I really did want to marry her.
Taking a deep breath, I rose. “I need to get back home. There’s that dog food campaign I need to finish.”
My father smiled sympathetically. “Good.” He nodded. “Send me the details of this new hotel project. Perhaps we can work on it together.”
I studied his face. Was that his way of making reparations?
My mouth lifted at one end. “Thanks, Dad.”
In the coming weeks, I finally got the wheels moving. I bought the building, with Hunter’s help. He’d been playing the money market, and with that astute head of his, he’d managed to make a few billion. He’d even offered to jump on as project manager. I could’ve done worse. My brother was a stickler for detail. And at least I could focus on the creative side of the project while working for the agency.
I had a meeting with Cassandra Smith, who’d partnered with Elysium and needed a campaign for the New Age cruise. On the strength of my campaign for the spa, Mitch threw the contract my way.
“I saw your nemesis the other night. He was all over a pretty blonde,” she said.
My coffee burned a hole in my stomach at the mention of Jack dating Ivy.
“You look like the sky’s fallen,” she said.
“She’s the love of my life.” I’d gone soft, confessing my feelings to the world.
What next? An interview with Dr. Phil?
“She didn’t look too loved up,” she said.
I sat up. “Really?”
“Jack’s behind some pretty shady deals.”
