Page 101 of Taming the CEO

"Blech," Miriam exclaimed. "Cranberry juice it is, next time."

We both started laughing, which quickly turned into snorting and boisterous shrieks.

I loved cozy evenings with my best friend. I was glad I didn't have to give them up.

We spoke about Maddox and my idea until she started yawning.

"Right, that’s my cue to go,” she said, standing up. “I fall asleep everywhere."

"All right, drive safe. Thanks for stopping by."

I followed her to the door, and we hugged before she headed out with a wave.

After she left, I opened my laptop. I was so fired up about my idea that I wanted to start working on a plan. First, I needed to look at rental properties. I'd seen a few closed store locations off Main Street, but I couldn't just assume they were available.

I got into a frenzy, probably filled with all that sugar and the fake mulled wine. I stayed up late, but after a few hours, I had a semblance of a plan.

I’d found a rental property that looked to be just what I needed. There used to be a bookstore there that I’d absolutely loved, but it’d closed down about three years ago when Ms. Hilly retired. The downside was that it belonged to Bill. I’d prefer to deal with someone else as a landlord, but I’d just have to suck it up.

If I stayed in Essex, I couldn't avoid him. He was part of the county management, for crying out loud.

***

The next morning, I woke up with a lot of energy despite going to bed late. I headed straight to the park because we had some bookings today. They must have signed up late last night, because the calendar had been blank when I’d looked at it earlier in the day. We even had bookings for the next week. I was keeping my fingers crossed for the weather to hold.

On my lunch break, I decided to text Bill even though it was Sunday.

Cami: Hi Bill, I'm interested in your rental off Main Street. When could I see it?

He finally responded a few hours later.

Bill: Cami, it's good to hear from you. I’m not in Essex right now. I’ll be back in two weeks. I can show it to you that Thursday. Does five o'clock work?

I beamed. I had a really good feeling about this. Things were falling into place.

Cami: Sure, see you then.

This was the first time since Mom passed away that I was concentrating my effort on something other than the park. And it felt absolutely exhilarating.

I had another group today, and I focused on them the whole afternoon. My phone kept buzzing in my pocket, but I didn’t even have time to check it.

The group was small and kept complaining about the wet conditions. "We're really sorry, but after storms, it takes a while for everything to dry," I explained at least a dozen times to the various participants.

After they left, I stayed behind in the main building. My phone buzzed again, and this time I took it out of my pocket. Maddox was calling. I wanted to dance with joy.

I immediately answered. “Hey.”

"Hey, how was your day?"

"It was great. I just finished with a group."

“So, your dad told Gabe to start preparing the documents."

"Holy shit," I said, covering my mouth. "I totally forgot to warn you."

"About what?" he asked with a chuckle.

"Listen. Last night at dinner, I told Dad about us.”

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