“I’ve heard about you,” he said after clearing his throat. “The Sutton merger last year. That was you, right?”
I nodded, surprised he’d even heard about it. “I wasn’t aware W&S had any interest in the Sutton deal.”
“Oh, we didn’t.” Sterling flashed me a smile that seemed strangely proud. “You had the whole town buzzing when it happened, though. I nearly fell out of my chair when I was told the person who closed it had been a twenty-three-year-old girl. Sutton and Adams were so far apart, none of us thought they’d go through with the merger, and then you walked in.”
“Sutton wasyou?” Harlan blinked hard. A huge grin broke out across his face. “I’m impressed, to say the least. You also worked on the Andrews Airways acquisition, didn’t you? I think your father mentioned it to me some time ago.”
Jameson laughed, sending a teasing grin at Sterling. “Thisis who you lost Andrews to?”
He turned to me and dipped into a joking bow right there at the table. “Aurelia, welcome to the family. I love you already. I can’t believe you swiped that deal right out from underneath our Ice King’s nose. He was so pissed. I want to hear every single detail. Embarrassing ones about him too, if you’ve got them. He’s not living this down anytime soon.”
Harlan, Sterling, and Jameson chatted to me easily, with Jameson cracking jokes and Callum teasing Harrison or Sterling every once in a while. Somewhere between the roast lamb andthe wine being poured, I forgot how intimidated I’d been about coming here, finding myself genuinely enjoying talking shop with them.
No one in my own family had ever spoken to me like this before, like I was a colleague worth a damn who’d actually made an impression in the industry. Harrison finally defrosted too. “You know, Aurelia’s the reason we landed the Kingsley portfolio. I couldn’t have done it without her.”
Harlan’s eyebrows arched, his interest sharpening. “Youwere the silent investor?”
Heat rushed to my cheeks. “Well, yes, I was the investor, but Harrison and I worked on it together.”
“What can I say? I recognize talent when I see it,” Harrison joked smoothly, his hand brushing against mine under the table. “I knew then that I couldn’t let her go. We had such a blast working together and we were a great team, too.”
Harlan let out a booming laugh so genuine that it startled me. “Remarkable. Simply remarkable. Who knew you had such a good eye, Harry?” He cocked his head as his laughter subsided, his gaze returning to mine. “Is it true you’ve left Van Alen & Associates?”
I nodded. “Yes, sir. It felt like it was time for me to move on. Our offices were becoming pretty crowded.”
A glimmer of understanding sparked in his eyes before he smiled. “Well, their loss could be our gain. I don’t know what you’ve moved on to, but if you’re interested, we’d love for you to join us at W&S. Clearly, you’re brilliant and resourceful. None of these deals we’ve spoken about tonight were easy ones to close, but you did it. We’d love to have you on our team.”
From the corner of my eye, I saw CC nearly drop her fork, but she still didn’t speak. I blinked rapidly, certain I’d either misheard or misunderstood. “You’re offering me a job?”
“I’m begging you to take it,” he said without hesitation, like this was the most natural thing in the world. “Start as soon as you’re able to. I’m always on the lookout for sharp minds, and as Harrison just said, he obviously has a real good eye for talent. If I’d known you were available, I would’ve extended this offer before you’d even walked out of Richard’s building.”
He winked at Harrison, pride rolling off him in waves. Harrison seemed surprised but pleased. Relieved, even. I doubted he’d spoken to his family about it before he’d asked me earlier if I would consider moving to W&S.
I glanced at Sterling next, but he nodded his agreement and offered me a polite smile. “Yeah, sure. The best of the best are at W&S. I’m sure you know that. If everything I’ve heard about you the last few years is true, you belong there.”
My chest tightened and I glanced down at my plate, but I was suddenly unable to eat another bite. The table blurred a little with the weight of so many eyes on me. Sterling’s surprised scrutiny, Jameson’s calculating gaze, Callum’s curious grin, the women’s polite interest. Through it all, CC sat with her spine rigid, completely silent, her stare burning into me like she knew every secret even I didn’t know I was hiding.
I forced a small smile when I looked up again. “Thank you. I’ll certainly think about it.”
Harlan leaned back, clearly satisfied, but I could feel my pulse racing in my throat. This was more than I ever could’ve imagined, not only being welcomed in by most of the family, but being offered a job as well. I needed to breathe, but it felt like it was impossible to fill my lungs with CC staring at me as relentlessly as she was.
Laney rose suddenly then, her chair scraping softly against the polished floor. As I looked up, I noticed how pale she’d gotten, her hand braced against the curve of her stomach.She muttered an apology, excusing herself, and padded quietly toward the hall.
The room stilled for a beat, but then brothers carried on as if nothing had happened. I caught the quick exchange of glances between the women, though. Sadie’s lips pressed into a thin line and Maisie’s brow furrowed, her gaze following Laney out of the room.
When Sadie pushed back her chair next, her movement wasn’t nearly as quiet. “Sterling, come on. Let’s go.”
He blinked at her, confused, but she was already tugging at his sleeve. “I said, let’s go.”
He frowned but rose anyway, clearly too well trained or too in love to argue. Maisie stood as well, offering a tight smile and murmuring to her son before slipping after them. “Brody, stay put, okay? Mommy’s just going to check on Aunt Laney.”
The little boy glanced at Callum but nodded. For his part, Callum frowned hard, then shrugged at Brody and mouthed, “No idea.”
As Maisie disappeared, I suddenly felt that same tug in my chest, an almost magnetic pull, as though I should follow, too. Real things were happening out there. I didn’t know what yet, but something about the way they’d all left made me desperate to help if I could.
I stood quietly, figuring this would give CC a minute with her family anyway, and stole out into the softly lit hallway. I hovered near the door just in time to hear Laney’s voice, gruff and strained.
“Go back to dinner,” she ordered, her hand on the small of her back. “All of you. I’m fine. Just uncomfortable.”
