The girl who left me broken and battered in a hospital room.
The girl that has become a fully grown woman.
“Let’s get the meeting started. We have a lot to cover,” Aaron declares as he moves past me.
I don’t look at him, but I feel his gaze on me. And unlike Jase, my boss is astute at recognizing when something monumental has shifted in the room, even when no words are spoken.
For her part, Jackie hasn’t said anything either. Her mouth fell open as soon as Jase stepped aside. Her attempts to close it and introduce herself were futile.
I cut my gaze at her one final time before spinning my chair to head to the table and take my place toward the front. Aaron stands at the front—his usual position—as the others take their seats.
“Jackie, sit here,” Jase says.
I glance over to see him directing her to the seat closest to me. I shoot her a look that could melt metal, and she pauses, her face flinching, but she glances over at Jase, who’s still expectantly gesturing her over to the chair.
I glare at her as she moves forward and gingerly pulls out the high-back leather chair to take her seat. If I could move my body farther away from her without being so damned obvious, I’d do it.
“Jase, did you bring the reports that we discussed?” Aaron questions, launching right into the meeting.
Jase nods and shows him the reports.
“Fine. Let’s get started.”
That’s my cue to pass around the meeting’s agenda that I created, along with the report that I made with Aaron about Townsend’s expectations if we were to move forward with this deal.
Once the necessary files and folders are given out, Aaron ends the formalities, and we get into the purpose of this meeting. The reason Cypress has brought its attorneys is because there are legal issues I spotted in the company’s files. After discussing it with Aaron, he insisted that we comb through Cypress’ records with a fine-toothed comb before finalizing a decision.
“If Townsend is going to take on the liabilities for Cypress, then we need to know all of them upfront. Depending on my final decision, I plan on announcing this merger at the Townsend New Years’ party that’s just under two months away,” Aaron informs them.
While I’m aware of all of this, I’m distracted by the woman sitting to my left. It’s not her lavender-scented perfume that distracts me so much as her damn breathing. Her mere existence. Here in Williamsport. Not just in my home city, but at my job, no less.
“That will work for us, Aaron,” Jase says. “Also, though Jackie is new to the company, she is highly capable of handling this merger along with us. She will be taking over where Bill left off.”
This announcement must surprise Jackie because her head turns in Jase’s direction.
“Make sure you’re as efficient as Jase says you are. For our end, Mark will be taking over these negotiation meetings.”
It’s my turn to turn my head, surprised. “Why me?” I blurt out the question with little regard that my voice held a tone of demand.
Aaron tilts his head to the side, lifting an eyebrow. “Because there’s going to be a lot of attorneys and accountants working on this thing.” He pauses, glancing over at the attorneys from both Cypress and Townsend. “I hate attorneys. And accountants lack the creativity needed to get this thing off the ground.”
His tone is blunt and uncaring that he just insulted the majority of the people in this room. “I trust you’ll be able to handle the responsibility?”
My jaw clenches tightly. How could I say no? Essentially, I’d be saying no to the very job I’ve worked my ass off for the past two years to get. Success in this role means promotion soon. It’s almost a guarantee, and yet, the woman to my left …
Shifting my gaze over my left shoulder, I can’t help the sneer that comes over my face. But, I quickly rein in my emotions. She’s taken enough from me in one lifetime. I refuse to allow her to take anymore.
“No. It won’t be a problem,” I respond before cutting my gaze back to the front of the room.
The strummingof my heartbeat was so loud during the first hour of the meeting, I barely heard any of what was said. Throughout our working lunch, the sandwiches and salad tasted like cardboard, as I remained keenly aware of the negative energy flowing my way from the man to my right.
Mark O’Brien.
No longer a sixteen-year-old boy. A fully grown man. In a wheelchair.
My heart squeezes so tightly that it feels as if I may blackout for a moment. I tightly grip onto the sides of my chair and will myself to breathe. It takes a few minutes, but the tightness releases slightly, and I’m able to refocus on the meeting at hand. More like the end of the meeting.
We’ve been at Townsend Industries for over four hours, and finally, we’re wrapping things up to head out for the day.
