“Fuck,” I quietly say as a tear cascades down my cheek. What Huxley and Kelsey both said was 100% correct. Be prepared for every meeting. Know who you’re meeting with. Know your own presentation inside and out. Go in with confidence, ready to answer every possible question. These are basic meeting requirements, and I didn’t follow any one of them. I made a mockery of years of studies. Why? And of all people to show such lack of professionalism and preparation, it had to be the owners of Cane Enterprises. Fuck.
And Kelsey’s business.
Kelsey and I have had our fair share of fights, but for some reason, this one doesn’t feel as though it can be fixed with a Double-Double and chocolate milkshake from In-n-Out. This feels deeper.
This feels damaging.
And that frightens me more than anything.
Chapter Eleven
HUXLEY
“I have a question,” Breaker says as he takes a seat in my office, JP following close behind him.
“What?” I ask, exhausted from the day I’ve had.
“Are you trying to make sure Lottie absolutely abhors you?”
“She already does. I don’t have to do anything to achieve that,” I say while exiting out of my inbox and turning off my computer for the night.
“Ever thought about getting her to, I don’t know . . . like you?” Breaker asks.
“Why would I want her to like me? This is a business arrangement. There’s nothing more there.”
“He doesn’t mean it like . . . sexually,” JP says. “But don’t you think it would be easier to work with each other if you weren’t at each other’s throats?”
“Probably,” I answer.
“So then why are you pissing her off every chance you get?” Breaker asks. “What you did this afternoon?” He shakes his head. “Brutal, man.”
“Yeah, I actually felt bad for the sister. She looked defeated,” JP adds.
“I didn’t have a choice,” I say. “Bower called. That’s who I’ve been working with since I left the conference room.”
Breaker perks up. “Everything okay in New York?”
I shake my head. Bower is our site manager; he only calls off schedule if something is wrong. “No. He was calling to tell me there was an electrical fire at the Ninety-Fifth Street location. Fire department was called, building evacuated, a few guys had to be evacuated by the FDNY.” I press my hand to my forehead. “It was a goddamn nightmare. I spent the entire afternoon reaching out to all staff affected to ensure they were okay.”
“Shit.” Breaker drags his hand over his mouth. “Any serious injuries?”
“Two men have third-degree burns on their arms but they seem to be in good spirits. Everyone else is fine, thankfully.”
“Christ,” JP says. “Did we send something?”
I nod. “Yes, sent something to the hospital. One of the guys loves a certain type of pizza on Ninth Street and the other guy is obsessed with Gray’s Papaya. I made sure to send them both dinner, along with some cupcakes from Magnolia Bakery. I also sent their families something as well. Karla will be taking care of dinners for the crew for the week. I’ve contacted insurance to let them know what’s going on.” I lean back in my chair. “I’ll have Karla set up another appointment with Kelsey, because I’m quite interested to see what she can do for the company and possibly future offices.”
“Seems as though she has an interesting business,” JP says.
Breaker chuckles. “I think you were more interested in her . . .”
My brow raises as I swivel toward JP. “Is that so?”
He shrugs. “She was hot.”
“He was thinking more than she was just hot. I caught him writing J and K Forever on a Post-it in his office.”
“Fuck off, I was not,” JP says. “I mentioned to Breaker that she was hot and left it at that, and now he’s dreaming up some bullshit in his head.”
“Could you imagine?” Breaker asks. “Brothers getting married to sisters? That’s a fun story.”
“You’ve lost your goddamn mind,” I say as I stand from my desk. “Marriage is not for me, let alone to someone like Lottie.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Breaker asks, standing as well.
I put my phone in an inner pocket of my suit jacket and slip my wallet into my pants pocket. “She’s a mess. Disorderly, a loose cannon, and too erratic for my liking. She’s a total wild card, and I don’t need that in my life.”