Page 18 of Never Finished

I couldn’t hide the stunned look on my face. I had to deal with a lot of business tactics over the years, but his question was unsettling for reasons I couldn’t quite put my finger on. It wouldn’t be the first time a business associate tried flirting to get their way, but there was something about his tone that made a chill go up my spine.

I pulled my hand out from beneath his and placed it safely in my lap. “We’re talking about creating a boutique version of your family’s store and putting it right here in the resort.”

“No, no, darlin’, think big picture. A scaled-down version of our store is a great first step, but there’s so much more we can do here… together,” he said expansively, a soft smile curving his lips. He leaned forward across the small table and at that moment, I’d wished to God we’d been seated at a less intimate table. He was way too close—close enough for me to smell whiskey on his breath. “Emma, this is the merging of two families. I’m not just talking about business… I’m talking about our families, our legacies. We have an opportunity to make our mark as one. You just have to open your mind and consider possibilities you haven’t allowed before.”

I scooted back into my chair as far as it would go, feeling uneasy with the turn this conversation was taking. Furrowing my brow at him, I replied, “please spell it out for me, Mr. Travers. What possibilities haven’t I considered?”

Andrew sat back then, deciding his up close and personal tactic wasn’t having the effect he intended. “Well, I suggested last night there is a wide expanse of land that has yet to be explored, but you shut me down.”

“That’s correct, and respectfully it sounds like I need to do it again because you don’t mean explore, do you? You mean expand, develop, tear down and build, right?”

He laughed nervously. “You make it sound so destructive… I think you’re missing out on how exciting something like this could be. We’re not taking away from the land—we’re making it better.”

I held back a laugh. I’d heard that spin on development more times than I care to count from money hungry investors. How Andrew thought he could make the landscape behind the resort better by demolishing it confounded me.

“While I respect your opinion, I ask that you respect mine. The land is non-negotiable. It belonged to my mother, and she made it very clear when she left it to me it not be used for profit. She revered this land and I intend to see that legacy through. There’s nothing you can say that will change my mind.”

Andrew studied me with his mouth open like a dead fish for a moment before he composed himself and said, “well hey, I can respect your convictions. I just think everything doesn’t need to be so black and white. That doesn’t mean we can’t come to a compromise that would make everyone happy. There’s still more than enough to work with here.”

I looked at him speculatively, unsure of how to move forward. My instinct was to make my stance even more clear, but I could practically hear my father in my ear cautioning not to ruin the deal with my temper.

It was then that the server came to refill our glasses, and I excused myself to the restroom. As soon as I was in the bathroom, I texted Caroline:

Me: Hey, I need an SOS call to get out of this dinner. Call me in five minutes?

I breathed a sigh of relief when she answered almost immediately.

Caroline: On it. Five minutes starting now.

Thank God for Caroline. I smoothed a hand over my hair and made my way back to the table. Andrew was busy chatting away on his phone, glancing at me as I sat back down and mouthing “sorry.”

As he wrapped up his conversation, I pushed the food around on my plate with my fork, not bothering to eat any of it.

“I’m sorry about that. Sometimes all this networking can be downright exhausting. Now, where were we? Ah yes, we were talking about merging,” he said, drawing out the last word and I smiled tightly, trying to hide my disgust.

I opened my mouth to speak, but before I could get a word out, my phone rang.

Thank you, Caroline.

“Excuse me… you know how it is. I have to take this,” I said, slipping my phone from my clutch and stepping into the lobby. “Hello?”

“Hello Ms. Carter, an emergency requires your attention. Now before you say anything, I need to know… are you okay getting rid of this guy on your own, or do I need to come down there with a crowbar? Be honest.”

I bit back a laugh. “That won’t be necessary, but I appreciate the concern.”

“Of course. What are friends for? I expect a full report when you get back, though.”

“You got it,” I promised before I hung up the phone. I glanced up and my eyes landed on the bar where Jaime was helping a guest. He looked up at that exact moment, and our eyes caught and held. After all this time, he could still make me feel weak in the knees.

A slow smile stretched across Jaime’s lips, and he winked. I smiled back like a teenager with a crush. He turned his attention back to his customer, and I immediately felt the loss of connection.

I walked back to the table, looking apologetic. “Andrew, I am so sorry, but there’s an emergency and…”

“And you need to go,” he finished.

I nodded, forcing a sheepish expression. Andrew nodded in understanding. “I get it—I always have a lot of fires to put out. I assume I’ll hear from you tomorrow to set up another time to meet?”

“Of course,” I promised, already dreading it. Andrew opened his arms for a hug, but I stuck out my hand. He laughed awkwardly and shook my hand before telling me goodnight and slinking out of the restaurant.

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