CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Never in Kat’slife had she felt so on edge.
She’d planned on going to New York in about a week to update her father on the project and make sure Chaz hadn’t messed up any of the projects she had been overseeing before she left. One week. She was supposed to have at least one week to come up with the speech she’d planned on telling her father—the one where she put her foot down and told him she wanted something a little different than what they’d both planned.
The plan of moving out to Montana.
She stared at her hands and urged them to stop shaking. Her father was currently in a meeting. It had gone long. Normally she wouldn’t have batted an eye before stepping inside and quietly observing the meeting from the sidelines. She’d earned that right.
But the Kat who had been strong-armed into choosing an arranged marriage or moving out to Montana temporarily wasn’t the same Kat who currently couldn’t stop bouncing her knees while seated in the waiting area outside her father’s office.
This Kat was borderline terrified to find out how her father would react to her ideas. The plan had always been that she’d work here, with him. Even if he gave Chaz the promotion, she’d still be on site as support.
Her lip curled at that thought. Even with her interest in moving to Montana and starting up another location, she didn’t like the idea that her father would give her anything but the top leadership role.
The buzzing in her purse drew her attention from her father’s office door. Leo had called several times since she’d left. He’d messaged, too.
She hadn’t planned on leaving without notifying him, but she couldn’t bring herself to speak to him until after she’d met with her father. The last thing she needed was to be rattled by Leo. Clearly, her father wanted to meet with her about something important. She needed to be in the right headspace to handle whatever it was so she could push forward with the bigger plan.
Kat closed her eyes briefly as the buzzing stopped. Leo wasn’t going to be happy about her ignoring him. Heck, he probably thought she was ghosting him. Maybe she should message him that she’d see him when she got back from New York. Her visit here would only be a couple of days unless she was needed.
Regardless, she’d be back by the start of the new year.
The sound of deep voices and the click of a door had her eyes flying open and her head snapping up. She rose, straightened her shoulders and plastered on a smile that was as professional as they came.
Men filed out of her father’s office. A couple looked surprised to see her and offered her smiles as well. The last two to exit the office were her father and Chaz.
“Kat! I didn’t know you were coming back today.” Chaz crossed the distance between them with arms outstretched. It was like he hadn’t seen her just a few days ago. His visit had been short and while things had been strained when they’d parted ways, no one could tell.
She stood stiffly as Chaz pulled her close. Her eyes met with her father’s. Why wasn’t she surprised that she couldn’t read him? He didn’t look pleased to see her, but he also didn’t look angry. He was just as stiff as she was—and studying her just as closely.
Her eyes narrowed on him as Chaz stepped away. “Hey, dad.”
He gestured toward his office. “Let’s talk.”
Kat shot a look at Chaz whose expression didn’t give anything away. He was smiling but that didn’t mean anything. He could be upset and still wear that fake smile. The hairs on the back of her neck lifted as she forced herself to meet her father’s gaze. Something was up. That much was clear.
Clenching and flexing her hands, she strode past her father into his office. When the door shut, she turned, surprised to find that Chaz hadn’t joined them. Her gaze lingered on the door as her father moved toward his desk. Before she could ask him to be straight with her, his words sliced through the quiet room.
“You’re going to marry Chaz.”
“I—what?” Her mouth fell open, eyes whipping around to glare at him. “Dad, you said?—”
Suddenly, her father looked more tired than she’d ever seen him.
Haggard.
“If you want to guarantee the position.” He dragged a hand down his face and sighed as he pulled back his chair and slumped into it. “I’ve thought about this long and hard, Kat. I know I told you that you could oversee the project in Montana to show your capabilities and you have. But I have to be honest with you. The plan has always been that you would run this company with Chaz by your side. The two of you are a good team. You work well together.”
“Yeah, but so do half the people on your payroll.” Kat hated how her voice shook. She despised the way her heart stuttered and felt like it was going to stop beating all together. Immediately she thought of Leo and the feelings she’d started to develop for him.
This couldn’t be happening to her. Why now? Why after she’d spent so many months in Montana letting her guard down was her father going to rip the rug out from under her feet?
“No.”
He slowly rose from his seat at her sharp tone. “No?”
Speaking through clenched teeth, Kat lifted her chin. “You can’t hold a promotion over my head like this. You can’t force me to marry someone I don’t love.”
