“Grant, I was wondering when I might hear from you.” Teresa’s cheery voice soothes me. She’s been a constant for me over the years—a dear friend and a surrogate aunt of sorts. She didn’t make the move with me to Nashville. Her entire family is settled in New York, and I couldn’t take her away from them. Instead, she still sits in our offices in Manhattan, running the office in my absence, and working with me remotely.
“Am I that predictable?” I chuckle lightly, dropping into my executive chair.
“Only to me. How’s it going down there? Get the rookie situation under control?”
“I think so. Taylor is actually helping.”
“Is she?” Teresa’s voice pitches and she’s silent for a beatbefore clearing her throat to cover her surprised satisfaction at this development. “How do you feel about that?”
“I think it’s just what we need.” Deep in my bones, I know this could be the breakthrough chance I’ve been searching for. A chance to rebuild some of what broke. It’s one thing to lay the foundation to bring her back into my life, but it’s another thing entirely to have a conversation with her like we just did.
Knowingly, Teresa says, “A reason to be close to you. Are you finally going to fight for your wife?”
“I’ve been ready.”
Teresa’s tsks. “If you were ready, you would’ve made your move already. I’m going to be retired and gray before you actually do anything about it.”
“We both know you’ll never retire willingly.”
“I just might if you don’t get your shit together.” Teresa has the means to retire. Her husband, who is ten years her senior, retired a few years ago and has been begging her to stop working but she refuses. She likes her independence. Some days, I wonder if I’m the reason she hasn’t retired, since she’s constantly saying if she retired my business would fold within the year.
“Yeah, yeah. Keep telling yourself that.”
“So what’s the plan then?”
Huffing out a breath, I swipe a hand through my hair. “Hell if I know. She wants to help Mary’s team with the crisis control and I’d be stupid to turn down that offer. We need her expertise.”
Teresa hums. “Agreed.”
“From there, I think I just see how it goes. Watching her work today was something else. She’s brilliant. Everything I always knew she could be.”
“Grant, you can only be the sacrifice for so long. You’ve put her needs and wants above yours for a decade. It’s time to prioritize yourself. That doesn’t mean she’s not a priority, but you can’t stay in this limbo forever. It’s not good for you.”
Our interactions today play in my mind as I consider whatTeresa’s saying. My heart skips a beat at the thought of Taylor, my fingers itch to brush across hers again like they did when I took the bourbon bottle from her. Having her so close did a number on my body and my psyche, but one thing has never changed. Sighing, I give her my truth. “I love her, Teresa.”
Teresa’s voice softens, and I know if she were here she would reach for my hand but since she’s not I let her voice comfort me. “I know you do, honey, but you can’t let that love ruin you.”
Hasn’t it already?
“That’s all I’m going to say on the matter,” Teresa says. “I’ve said my piece and that’s that. Now, what were you calling for?” This is why Teresa’s been with me from the very beginning. She’s not afraid to speak her mind when it matters to her, but she also doesn’t push to get her way. Once she’s said what she wants to say, that’s that.
“We need to terminate Mark and Ricardo. Their behavior in our meeting earlier was despicable. I can’t believe I’ve had two misogynistic assholes hiding right under my nose.”
“I can pull their contracts. Do we need someone from legal to get involved?”
“Think we might. Mark is the general counsel for the team, so we can’t handle this in-house at the Troubadour level. Stella Corporate would be better, and if they think we should go to an outside firm, let me know and we can arrange it.”
“No problem. I can walk down and talk to them. Do you want me to ask about a suspension pending termination as well?”
“Yes. Better yet, why don’t you conference them in and we can chat right now.”
“You got it, boss.” I hang on the line while she connects with Stella’s chief legal officer. Leah has been with the company for a few years, and I trust her judgment implicitly.
“Leah, Grant is on the line now,” Teresa says before muting herself to take notes.
“Grant, how are you?” Leah asks when she joins the call.
“Doing well. We’ve run into a situation down here that I could use your help with.”
