“See this is why Braithway loves you. You’re always keeping the company’s best interest in mind.” Charles frowned as if he was giving something serious thought. “It’s just surprising. You’re a hot commodity on the dating circuit. A lot of ladies are going to be disappointed you’re off the market.”
I didn’t want to give Charles too much. I didn’t want to tell him that I was madly in love with Kit and that I would abandon Braithway & Randall in a heartbeat for her. I didn’t want to tell Charles that for the first time in my life, I felt safe and loved. I didn’t want someone as crass and shallow as Charles to ruin it for me.
So, I just let a little chuckle out and said, “None of that matters, Charles. I just know I’m happy.”
Charles shook his head. “Hey, this gives me hope. If a dog like you can find happiness, then maybe it can happen for anyone.”
“Thanks, I think,” I said with a forced smile.
Ray appeared with one check, which he handed to me without saying much else. Charles looked up at Ray and said, “This steak salad is fucking amazing.”
When I finally got the confirmation about my job promotion, I couldn’t wait to get back to Creekstone to tell Kit. Istopped and picked up a pizza before I got back to the house. Kit liked a white pizza with buffalo chicken and hot honey drizzle. It was her favorite. When I got there, Kit was curled up on the sofa reading a book. As soon as she saw me, she popped off the sofa and gave me a sweet peck on the cheek. She followed me into the kitchen. I put the pizza on the counter, and she went over to the fridge and pulled out a bowl of salad she’d made.
“I’ve been thinking about this pizza all day!” Kit said, pulling two plates out of the cabinets.
“What about me?” I said. “You haven’t been thinking about me?”
“Well, you are the cutest pizza delivery boy I’ve ever seen,” she said, smiling playfully at me. I was headed across the kitchen to scoop her up for a kiss when she said, “Oh, speaking of deliveries. Something just came for you.”
Kit pointed to a crate sitting on the kitchen counter. It resembled the crate delivered on Christmas Eve. I walked over, popped it open, and pulled out a bottle of whiskey and a bottle of wine. Kit clapped and said, “Is that the same wine from Christmas Eve?”
I walked over to the cabinet, pulled out two wine glasses, and opened the bottle to pour us a glass of wine. “It is.”
Kit started humming the song “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot like Christmas” while spooning salad onto our plates. She stopped to ask, “Did Braithway send that? What’s the occasion?”
I kept my eyes on the glasses as I poured the wine and I said coolly, “The offer’s official. Salary negotiations are complete. I’m the next CEO of Braithway & Randall.”
“CEO?” Kit said, her eyes wide with surprise. “Your promotion was to become the CEO of your company?”
I nodded. “I was too nervous to talk about it, but yes, Braithway is retiring at the end of the year, and I’ll be working alongside him preparing to take over as the CEO.”
Kit dropped the wooden salad spoons with a clatter and ran over to me. She threw her arms around me and gave me a huge hug. “That’s such great news! Congratulations.”
I kissed Kit’s forehead, “Thank you.”
We took our plates into the dining room. Kit looked down at her pizza and salad and said, “I’m still in shock! This is such a big fucking deal. Should we go out and celebrate? You didn’t even pick out the pizza toppings you like!”
“Honestly,” I said, “This feels perfect to me.”
“Why didn’t you call me and tell me the news?” Kit said, swatting at my arm and pretending to be mad, then laying her hand on mine.
I smiled, “Is it too painfully corny to say all I wanted was to see you and tell you in person?”
Kit smiled and straightened up in her chair. “Okay, a toast to you. Congratulations on your promotion. You’re going to do such remarkable things.”
Our glasses clinked, and I took a sip of the wine. Kit smiled as she picked up her fork and started to eat her salad. “Tell me all about it. This is so amazing.”
The moment felt perfect. We chatted about the job and enjoyed the pizza. Kit refilled our glasses of wine. Then we decided to head upstairs to my room. Kit and I sat on the bed together, and I turned on the tv to stream one of our shows, but before I started the show, I said to Kit, “Hey, can I talk to you about something?”
“Sure,” Kit said. She had brought a bag of chocolate candies up with her, and she was happily unwrapping the chocolates and popping them into her mouth.
“I wanted to talk a little about how my new job might impact us,” I said softly. I saw the change in Kit’s expression, and I felt a panic growing inside of me.
She looked down at the candy wrapper in her hand and said, “That’s probably a good idea.”
I took a deep breath and pressed my lips together. “Now that it’s official, I will need to be in Atlanta most of the week, and I’ll have to take work trips pretty regularly.”
Kit was nodding but not looking directly at me. “So, you’ll be in Atlanta permanently?”
