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She giggled and trailed her fingers along my chest. “They have ice cream and a candy store.”
“I’m in.”
She laughed again and rolled to her stomach. “Or we could be lazy, go for a ride, go to town, cool off with ice cream, and then go to the musical.”
I didn’t give a shit about musicals. I wanted to get back to us alone in the tent with me inside her, but if she wanted to go, I’d be right next to her. “I like the sound of that.”
A buzzing made me frown until I realized it was my phone. By the time I dug it out of my pants, I had a missed call from Mr. Truitt. “Shit. I’ll be right back.”
I stepped into my pants and stooped out of the tent. I zipped it shut so Delaney could dress as I called my boss back.
“Archer.” Disapproval rang through his greeting.
“Sorry I didn’t get to the phone in time.”
“Listen, I talked to Vonda last night, and she hadn’t seen the crop rotation reports yet.”
“I emailed them, Mr. Truitt.” I had stayed up after leaving Holden’s and worked until after two in the morning to get it done before we left town. I know I hadn’t been too tired to forget. “Maybe they landed in her spam folder.”
“You’d have been able to discuss them personally if you’d been able to meet us at the Gallery last night.”
“I’m sorry. I sent all the information she needs.” Vonda had a life. She probably hadn’t literally seen the emails yet, but they were in her inbox.
“They like hearing it, Archer. Our clients aren’t coughing up millions of dollars to read reports all night. Give her a damn call. If Wilson has to do another thing for Vonda’s account, he might as well collect the commission.”
I tipped my head back and quietly inhaled a steadying breath. If Wilson was more ambitious, I might worry about him swooping in on my payday. As it was, Mr. Truitt had a point. He always did. Vonda Montgomery was an investment adviser, taking a cryptocurrency windfall and sinking it into something more evergreen and tangible. She was excited and knew nothing about agriculture life, but she was about to become the proud owner of cotton, corn, and sorghum fields. Born and raised in Chicago, she had big dreams of giving back to the world in a way she’d never thought possible. Having space to live and work, where before she’d only had an eight-hundred-square-foot apartment in the city.
She’d also done a shitload of research and didn’t need me mansplaining the reports to her. But Mr. Truitt was from a different generation. If nothing else, I should call and make sure he hadn’t alienated her.
“I’ll give her a call.”
“You do that.” There was a pregnant pause. Tension crawled up my gut and across my shoulders. “I took a chance on you, Archer.”
“I know you did, sir.” Whenever he said this, it was to stress that I wasn’t performing as expected. The last time I’d heard it was after the client dinner when Delaney left me.
“You’re like a son to me.”
But I wasn’t a son. Wilson was probably sleeping in and wouldn’t face any repercussions from unanswered calls. “I understand.”
His tone softened. “I know you do. You’ve come so far. You can do whatever you want in the world, Archer. I don’t want to see it all vanish.”
“Thank you for that, Mr. Truitt.” Usually when he said he believed in me, I hung on to every word. I had needed the confidence. When he said it this time, it was like he knew where my wound was and prodded it to keep me going in the direction he wanted.
When he hung up, I didn’t call Vonda. It was fucking Saturday. But I’d send her a message and ask if she wanted to discuss any questions over the weekend.
Delaney ducked out of the tent to put her boots on. I hated to let reality intrude on our vacation. “As long as we’re staying in, mind if I dig my laptop out?”
She didn’t look up at me. “You might have to drive somewhere to get a better signal for your hotspot.”
“You mind?” She wouldn’t have offered if she did. Right? And if she did mind, what would I do? The answer should be clear, but it wasn’t.
“No,” she said in a neutral tone. “I’ll take care of the horses while you do that.”
I wasn’t leaving her with the work. “I’ll help, and then I’ll see what I have for a signal.”
She straightened, then tapped her boots against the ground to get her pant legs to sit around them. “You don’t have to. Norville’s still pissy. His golden boy is defying him for a woman.”
The urge to disagree with her wasn’t as strong as before either. “He’s worried I’m leaving a client hanging.”
