“What are you up to?” Gone was the amusement in Noah’s voice. Now, there was a tone of distrust. “You’re not going to do something stupid, are you?”
“Define stupid,” Leo hedged. He could practically see Noah raking a hand through his hair when he groaned on the other end of the line.
“Leo—”
“I just want to meet with her father.”
Noah sucked in a sharp breath.
“I’m in love with her, Noah. You know how that is.”
There was a pause, then Noah sighed. “Yeah, I do.”
Leo exhaled with relief. “Then you know why I have to do this.” He didn’t have to tell Noah that he was going to ask for Kat’s hand in marriage. That wasn’t exactly what the meeting would be for, anyway. If Noah wanted to believe it, then that was up to him.
“Yeah, I get it,” Noah murmured. “I can get the jet here and ready for you by tomorrow night. And I’ll talk to Bo, so you’re covered in case anyone asks where you’re at.”
“Thanks,” Leo whispered.
“Of course.” Noah was quiet again to the point that Leo thought he might have hung up. But then his quiet voice broke through. “Leo?”
“Yeah?”
“Good luck.”
“Thanks,” Leo chuckled. He was probably going to need it.
Flyingon Noah’s plane again brought back so many memories of when he’d first visited New York. Back then, he hadn’t known how much his life was about to change. He’d been jaded about his life and the responsibilities that Bo and Jane had put on his shoulders.
Now?
He couldn’t think of anything he wanted more than to work with the beautiful woman who had captured his heart.
Leo’s legs bounced for most of the flight. The skies were dark outside. He’d used Noah’s idea when coming up with an excuse his mother and Kat would accept. There was a horse up for sale in Wyoming that Jane wanted to look at and she was sending him to check it out. It would be a full day of travel, and he wouldn’t likely be back until evening the next day. He’d be gone when they woke up in the morning.
So far, everyone accepted the story. Noah had all the details for the flight out and back arranged. The only thing that could go wrong at this point was for Mr. Jerris to refuse to see Leo at all.
He hadn’t called to set up an appointment out of fear that Mr. Jerris would call his daughter and demand to know why her coworker was requesting a meeting.
Leo let his head fall back against the headrest of his seat as he closed his eyes. In a few hours, he’d be arriving in New York. Then he’d drive into the city to meet with the man who would make or break his future.
Of every decision he’d made in his lifetime, this meeting would be a turning point in his future. The outcome would dictate everything.
He had only a few more hours to get his head on straight so he could show Mr. Jerris just how confident he was in what he’d be asking from the man. Any sign of weakness would ultimately end in his failure and that wasn’t a risk he was willing to take.
His hands were shaking—trembling,even. No matter how many times Leo had clenched and flexed his hands, he couldn’t get them to stop. What was wrong with him? If he spoke, he knew his voice would be the exact same.
The elevator ride would be too short for him to settle his nerves. There was no way to fix his current mental state. This past summer, Leo wouldn’t have batted an eye at speaking to the infamous Mr. Jerris. He’d been in meetings with him a handful of times and the man, while intimidating, wasn’t all that bad.
But back then, he’d merely been Kat’s supervisor. He’d only been a man who bankrolled a project that Jane had wanted to bring to fruition.
Back then, he’d still been Kat’s father, but he hadn’t been worth much more than a passing glance.
Now was different.
Now, Leo was utterly terrified that the man would take one look at him and show him the door.
The elevator doors dinged open and Leo exhaled a hard breath. He could do this. He’d come all this way and he wasn’t going to be ignored. Mr. Jerris deserved to know just how amazing his daughter was and how much she’d changed since he’d sent her away. By the end of today, he’d know that Leo had particular intentions regarding his daughter and there was nothing he’d be able to do to stop it.
