I bite my lip.I totally misjudged him.I must be more tired than I thought. Usually, whatever men do just rolls off me. Some of my boyfriends got fed up with what they called my aloof and distant attitude and broke up with me. But it’s impossible to keep Sebastian at arm’s length. Everything he does and says elicits a visceral reaction.
“What are you working on?” Sebastian glances at my bag.
“The marketing campaign. And I need to look at some of the Sebastian Peery launch items. Probably sometime next month or the month after, we should be able to sign off on the deal. I want to move fast and aggressively.”
He takes a thoughtful sip of his coffee. “You continuously surprise me.”
“How so?”
“You just seem…so dedicated. Much more so than I imagined. I saw you work hard, but I didn’t expect you to put in this many hours.”
“It’s important. To be honest, I wasn’t super interested in Peery Diamonds when I was younger. It just seemed like something I shouldn’t care too much about, especially when my grandfather was so disappointed that I wasn’t a boy.”
“He was wrong.” Sebastian’s response is quiet and sympathetic, not pitying or judging. If I want to say more and maybe even lean on him, he’ll respect that. If I want to retreat into my shell, he’ll respect that just as much.
His consideration breaks another section of the dam inside me. “Well.” I shrug to hide the old pain—and the embarrassment that my grandfather held archaic, sexist beliefs. “He had a set way of looking at the world. And to him, girls were pretty and vulnerable things who required the protection of men. Too weak-willed and capricious to be in charge. So I wasn’t sure if I’d ever be deemed good enough for Peery Diamonds, and I didn’t want to get attached to it. And I was pretty successful at that.” I take a long swallow of my water.
“So how come you ended up in charge?”
I lower my glass. Is Sebastian going to remember if I tell him? Or is the event in Paris so inconsequential that he doesn’t remember any of it? Watching him closely, I start. “When I was fourteen, my family and I went to Paris. I was so upset, I thought about running away.”
“Did you?”
“For an hour or two, maybe?” It felt like an eternity on that snowy night in the City of Light, but I doubt I was gone for too long. “I don’t know what I was thinking, since I didn’t have money or a phone with me. I hadn’t thought things through. Then I met this guy, who told me I should fight for what was mine.” I turn so I’m facing Sebastian fully.
He’s nodding, but there’s no recognition in his eyes. So. He doesn’t remember.
Figures.I don’t know why it disappoints me. How many rich guys in their twenties would remember a gangly girl without the good sense to dress properly for the weather, who was nonetheless shameless enough to demand that he buy her hot chocolate?
I continue, “And he was right. Peery Diamondsismine. I’m the only Peery left. Roderick and his two kids aren’t Peerys. If I’d walked away, Grandfather would’ve had no choice but to leave his fortune to them. Once I decided it was mine, I wanted not only to keep it, but to make it amazing. I want the company to flourish under my leadership. I want everyone in the world to know what Peery Diamonds is.”
Sebastian merely gives me a steady look. I can’t read his eyes behind the lenses. Suddenly, I wonder if I’ve spoken too grandly, and he’s thinking I’m delusional. Bianca didn’t think so, but she’s always on my side. Darren said the idea was “unrealistic”—another mark against him—and Roderick said I should focus on squeezing out as much profit as possible. Karl doesn’t care.
I start to reach for the water, trying to hide my discomfort. Maybe I’m just doomed to be with men who disappoint me in some way.
“I think that’s fabulous,” Sebastian says finally.
My hand stills in midair. “What?”
“You heard me.” A small smile curves his gorgeous lips. “Your vision’s perfect.”
“You think so?” I search his face, looking for signs that he’s just humoring me.
“Yes. An executive needs to have ambition for the company they’re leading.”
A large chunk of the bitterness dripping inside me dissolves. It’s incredible what this man can do with a few words. I grin, suddenly energized. “Thankyou! I think so too.”
“Want me to take a look at some of the launch plans for Sebastian Peery with you?” he asks.
“I thought you had something to do…”
“I don’t mind. And it’s supposed to be a collaboration between us, anyway.”
I beam at him. “I’d love that.”
* * *
Sebastian
