Page 87 of The Rebel

I felt eyes on me. Eyes that I knew belonged to Rowan.

But I couldn’t look.

Not now.

Not … ever.

Jenner flipped folders, taking one from the bottom of his pile to move it on top, and said, “A great segue into our next order of business.” He lifted the top of the folder and took out several pieces of paper. “The offer to your new corporate headquarters was accepted.”

“Of course it was,” Brady said. “Had the Spades made the offer, the seller would have suddenly gone MIA or asked for our best and highest because we’d be in a bidding war with the Coles.”

“Are you done?” Walter glared at him.

“Are you done?” Brady said to Jenner. “Or is there more business to discuss? Because I’d like to get the hell out of here.”

“Same,” I offered.

“I think we all feel that way,” Ridge countered.

“I’m not done,” Jenner said professionally, but I could tell he’d had enough of everyone’s shit today. “The building is going to take approximately sixty days to close. After the merger is announced to both of your teams of employees, I need you to discuss with them the plans for the new office space. As soonas the building is yours, the contractor will go in and complete the changes you want, assuming within thirty days, and as long as the build-out isn’t extensive, you’ll be moving into the new space.”

This wasn’t just a property merger; this was a corporate merger.

Two HR departments, two accounting departments, two extremely large customer service departments and IT departments. Processes that would change at each of the hotels to combine both of our requirements.

Moving office spaces was the easiest part of all.

The rest was going to be a fucking nightmare.

“Whose contractor will we use?” Jo asked. “We have one we’ve employed for years. I assume the Coles do as well.”

“That’s a good question,” Jenner said. He looked at Walter and Ray. “Do either of you have a preference?”

“Shouldn’t that question be directed at us?” Rhett shot back with. “As of today, they’re not the ones making the decisions anymore.” He smoothed down the whiskers of his black beard. “Am I right?”

Jenner nodded. “I stand corrected. You are right.”

The seven of us looked at each other and said nothing.

Except, in my eyes, there were only six of us at the table.

Still, we had to make a decision, and the first time we’d attempted to make one together—regarding purchasing the building—it hadn’t gone well at all.

“You have time to decide,” Jenner added. “The important part, for now, is that the merger is handled well from a PR standpoint, that guests from both of your brands see the benefit, and that bookings continue to rise, and you start the long, daunting process of changing everything into the new name. That should be your main focus at the moment, along with the Lake Louise property.”

My hand was rising toward my head, but stopped midair. “What about that property?”

“Since this will be the first hotel constructed under the new name, it’s an extremely important kickoff. That’s something Ray and Walter emphasized to me before they signed the merger contract. They want this new hotel to incorporate the style and taste of both brands—not just one.” Jenner’s cuff links hit the table. “It’s going to set the precedent going forward, showing guests and travel critics, along with what’s left of your competition, that this new brand is not one to be fucked with.”

Jenner’s words had been carefully crafted.

But I sensed there was something he hadn’t said.

Something that was going to make my anger fucking boil.

“What does that mean?” I inquired.

Jenner’s eyes locked with mine, and then he slowly looked toward the opposite end of the table, where the Coles were sitting.

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