“So what happens next?” Sadie asks. “You’ve asked us to have a lot of faith in this project, invest a lot of resources, time and money.”
I push my shoulders back and lean in. Sadie and I don’t see eye to eye, and I know she’d like nothing more than to see me fail. Being five years older, she was my father’s protégé before I decided to join the company. Being sidelined has made her more of a foe than a friend.
“Give Kathryn a chance,” Lewis says.
His fatherly nature shines through, but I don’t need him fighting my battles.
“Highcliffe and Partners are available. They were our second choice.”
“But,” she says, her eyes never leaving my face.
I set my jaw, my muscles tightening.
Breathe Kat.
“There will be a delay of six months.”
Conversations erupt around the table.
“May I say something?”
My eyes dart to my brother.
He takes that as his,go.
“I missed updating you this morning,” he says, his eyes telling me to go with whatever bomb he’s about to drop.
I clench my jaw.
Oh no, he wouldn’t!
“Kat and I have spoken to Jaxson Lockwood.”
My stomach hardens, and I bite the inside of my cheek as I work on schooling my features.
What the bloody hell?
I shoot him a look, but he ignores me and continues on, addressing the table.
“We spoke to Jaxson yesterday, but he needed to check his schedule and speak to his New York office.” Caleb’s eyes meetmine. “He got back to me this morning to say he’s been able to move a few things around, and would love to come on board.”
I swallow sharply, almost choking on my saliva.
What the fuck, baby brother?
“Really?” Douglas says excitedly, his eyes flashing back and forth between Caleb and me. “Kat, why on earth didn’t you say anything?”
Doug is always raving about Lockwood’s designs, and has begged me to get him involved in one project or another. At nearly sixty, you’d think he was too old for a boy-crush!
I clench my jaw before turning and smiling.
“As Caleb said, there were no guarantees. When I hadn’t heard anything, I assumed it was a no.”
I shoot my snake of a baby brother a smile, and watch him swallow. His own slipping ever so slightly.
“I was under the impression Mr Lockwood’s company wasn’t available,” Sadie says, shooting me a look of disbelief.
“You’re correct,” I say. “But like with most things, schedules can change.”
