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I'm torturing myself, plain and simple.
The sudden buzzing from the phone makes me jump, so startled I almost drop it on the floor before pulling myself together. For one wild second I expect it to be Sawyer, like he was thinking of me the way I've been thinking about him pretty much every single minute since I left the hotel last night.
No such luck. The call is coming from Somerset Harbor according to the area code, but I don't have the number programmed in my phone. I have no idea who I'm about to speak to when I touch the green button to answer the call before raising the phone to my ear. “Hello?”
* * *
As planned,the luncheon has been set up on the back terrace between the club’s dining room and the harbor beyond it. It's an absolutely superb day, weather wise; clear skies, deep blue, and the fresh breeze coming off the water is strong enough to stir the hair at the nape of my neck without teasing any strands free from the bun pinned securely in place there. All in all, we couldn't ask for anything better.
All that's left is the appearance of the club's CEO, who has yet to show his face.
The former CEO, meanwhile, has made it a point to show his face today. I guess when you’re the patriarch of the Cargill family, you can invite yourself to events like this without pushback. He reminds me so much of Sawyer it's almost scary. Like looking into the future at the man his son will one day be.
Except no, not quite. Sawyer has time to pump the brakes and change course. He doesn't have to become the arrogant, dismissive man I met last night.
The man who now exchanges a look with me. When he arches an eyebrow, I lift my shoulders in a subtle gesture. I'm not sure what he wants from me. If he doesn't want things to look funny between me and his son, he shouldn't expect me to go running after Sawyer and cajole him into coming downstairs. This would all be going much more smoothly if Alistair had stayed in the Virgin Islands and kept his nose out of it.
In the meantime, I busy myself handing out the press release mere hours after Sarah gave it her approval. Normally, I would have let Sawyer pick at it, but we didn't exactly have the time. That's my fault, too. We wasted an entire day yesterday, and for what?
Nope. I’m not asking myself that question now. This isn't the time to indulge in memories that will only break my heart.
“Once Mr. Cargill joins us, he'll answer any questions you might have,” I promise to more than one attendee as I move through the crowd milling around the tables.
“Alistair, I've got to hand it to you.” Rob Myers’ voice rings out an instant before I look up to find him shaking hands with Sawyer's father. “This girl you hired knows her business.”
“Oh, that was none of my doing,” Alistair is quick to clarify. To his credit, he manages to say it without a smirk, but then I think we understand each other a little better than we did before. At least, I understand him better after his phone call earlier.
“No, it was Sawyer who made the right move,” he concludes, his smile widening when he catches something over my shoulder. “Speak of the devil.”
Damn it. I'm sure my smile looks more like a grimace while my stomach does flips. No matter how I thought I was prepared for this, it's clear nothing could prepare me for coming face-to-face with the only man who's ever been able to convince me to forget everything I know is right, professional, and smart.
“Good afternoon, everyone.” Nobody would guess at the nerves I'm sure he must be suffering from as he makes his way through the group, shaking hands, murmuring his appreciation. “I'm very sorry to have kept you waiting.”
Once he reaches me, there's a subtle shift in his expression. It hurts to the point of physical pain to hold myself away from him. To pretend there's nothing between us but a professional relationship, that I didn't effectively quit my job last night. Then again, if everything goes the way it's supposed to this afternoon, he won't need me anymore, anyway.
I have to try to be happy about that. It means I did a good job.
“You're only a few minutes late,” I murmur, falling in step beside him, checking my tablet. “Are you okay with the talking points?”
“I'm just fine.” I can't decide if there's resentment in his clipped response, or if he's playing the part of a busy, distracted executive. There's definitely no warmth, that much is for sure, and I have to accept that. It was always going to be this way. I only fooled myself into thinking otherwise.
He reaches the small podium set up especially for today's event and flashes a winning smile while the guests settle in at their tables. Has a man ever looked better in a dark suit than Sawyer Cargill does at this particular moment? He is the living, breathing definition of success. Beauty. Fitness. All of it and more, rolled up in one exquisite package that tends to make my heart skip a beat. It takes real effort to pry my eyes away from him before anybody notices me ogling him and comes to their own conclusions.
“Good afternoon,” he begins, his voice ringing with calm confidence. “First and foremost, thank you all for taking time out of your busy schedules to be here. Today marks the beginning of a new era in not only the story of the Somerset Harbor Yacht Club, but in the history of the Cargill family, as well. The initiative I'm announcing today is intended as a means of enriching the community and affirming once and for all my family's commitment to bettering the lives of not only members of our club, but of each and every resident of our community.”
For the first time since his appearance, he looks down at me rather than avoiding my gaze. “In large part, this is thanks to the brilliance and patience of Willow Anderson. My girlfriend.”
His girlfriend?
Somebody catch me. I think I'm going to faint.
