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We reach the lodge and I open the door to the restaurant. The tables are meticulously arranged in a U-shape, candles flicker on crisp white tablecloths adorned with subtle Berts. Unsurprisingly, Shay’s event staff have done an impeccable job, down to the smallest details.
Stodge’s jaw drops. “Wow.”
“This place is perfect. So cool.” I eyeball the roaring fireplace. “Don’t worry. I’ll be an adult and talk to her about it at some point. Apologize.”
“Soon.” Miles slaps his hands together and fixes me with a pointed glare. “From this point forward, the personal vendetta shit needs to stay far away from the office. Yeah?”
I’m about to respond when Mona, our CTO, pulls him aside. Rather than retort, I decide to let Miles have the closing words on the matter. He’s not wrong. I’ve been petulant. Unprofessional. He’s shown more patience with me than I would have if the situation were reversed.
I’ll do better.
As I approach the fire to warm my hands, Shay walks up beside me, drop-dead gorgeous in a cream, oversized sweater, black leggings with sexy socks that hit slightly above her knee shoved into designer hiking boots. Her hair is loose around her shoulders and she smells like fresh air and vanilla cookies. She smiles tentatively. “Isn’t this place breathtaking?”
“It is.” I can’t help but gawk at the woman whom I’ve hated for so long. A woman I’ve tried like hell to ignore since she showed up a couple of weeks ago.
The woman who, despite it all, takes my breath away.
Except, every bit of vitriol I still harbored has drained out of my body in the past forty-eight hours. Shay’s won me over on her own merits. Without Miles’s prompting, I might add.
“You impressed me, Shay.” I keep my voice low. “You pulled off an extraordinary retreat. Thank you.”
Her deep-blue eyes widen and lock on to mine, searching for any hint of sarcasm. Finding none, she visibly relaxes and gives me a radiant, genuine smile that sends my heart into overdrive. “Wow. Okay, then. That means a lot coming from you.”
“I give credit where credit is due.” I hold her gaze, debating whether I should formally apologize now or wait until we get back to Seattle.
I don’t get a chance to figure it out because the restaurant manager announces that dinner is ready. As we take our seats, which are preassigned, Miles and I are on opposite ends of the table. I smile to myself. Assuming she was in charge of the seating chart, splitting the two of us up is another brilliant decision.
Miles is my default. The one person I always have by my side at any company function. The team building exercises forced me outside my comfort zone to get to know the rest of our executives on a personal level. It’s something I’ve never bothered to do which, in retrospect, is a definite shortcoming on my part. Tonight, conversation is animated. Rather than discussing business, everyone is laughing and generally having a good time.
“Hey, everyone!” Anne-Marie, our SVP of Development, taps her wine glass with the end of her spoon to garner everyone’s attention. The room grows quiet except for the crackle of the fire. “Before we eat, I’d like to make a toast—to Miles and Austin. This retreat has been truly amazing. I’m proud to work here.”
From across the table, Miles stands and holds up his own glass. “No, thank you. We’re so incredibly humbled by all of you here today and the contributions you bring to the company. Hungry Llama is reaching new heights. Your hard work, your dedication—it’s all appreciated. My toast is to all of you.”
Glasses clink all around me. Surprising even myself, I find myself standing too. “Actually, I’d like to thank Shay for pulling this together in such a short time. You’re a welcome addition to Hungry Llama and none of this would have been possible without you and your team.” I hold my own goblet of wine out in her direction a few seats down from me.
Miles’s jaw drops open, but he recovers quickly.
“Oh! Gosh. Thank you. It was my pleasure.” Shay’s cheeks redden and her voice is shaky, like she’s embarrassed by the attention, which surprises me since my comment is consistent with what I told her in private before dinner.
Dessert arrives, which leads to heightened liveliness as some of our team begin talking about their world travels.
“So, I ordered a traditional dish and ended up with indiscernible raw meat. So. Gross.” Marie, our CFO, recounts an unexpected culinary adventure on her travels in Thailand.
Vince, our SVP of Sales, who is sitting next to me chortles, “When I was in Venice, I accidentally asked a waiter for a kiss instead of the check. My Italian is…questionable.”
Brad, our CRO, replies with a smirk, “Remind me not to let you order if we ever find ourselves in Italy.”
“We’ll be in Rome next year for the Online Casino Summit.” Miles points his fork at Vince. “Maybe we should let Shay take care of the details.”
Everyone shrieks with laughter. Shay grins. The camaraderie at the table is palpable, genuine. It feels like a family gathering, the kind where everyone’s sharing stories and laughing over past misadventures.
Miles grows sentimental, probably in large part because of the wine he’s drinking. “I know I toasted earlier, but I feel compelled to say this. Looking around this table, seeing all of you here. It’s humbling. The talent here is unparalleled.”
Feeling inspired, I raise my glass again. “To the brilliant minds at this table, and to a future of gaming innovation.”
A chorus of clinks follow in a warm and joyful moment followed by pats on the back. Side hugs.
It’s glorious.
