Page 12 of It's Never Not Been You

“So, is it going to be a shelter or…?” Ashford prompted.

Caspian spoke up while Troy just sat back, still grinning. “Look, the entire world knows that veterinarian care is expensive as hell. Lots of people still consider pet care a luxury since they’re not humans, and we just don’t feel that way. So, it’ll be a place where people can take their pets for their medical and health needs, free of charge or at a discounted rate.”

“So, a cheap veterinarian clinic, then,” Brooke surmised.

I shook my head. “No, not quite,” I clarified. “While we’ll have a certified veterinarian on site, he will not be performing surgeries or anything invasive like that. If an animal needs that kind of extensive care, then they will be referred out. This will be more like an inexpensive animal pharmacy.”

“For example, if a dog’s primary vet prescribes a certain diet, then they can buy the specialized food from us without the retail price that is pretty insane if you ask me,” Caspian added.

“As a pet owner myself, I think that’s a great idea,” Brooke gushed. “Every time I go to the vet or the pet store, I feel like Corporate America is exploiting the love that I have for my cat.”

Ashford chuckled. “I feel the same way with my wife on Valentine’s Day.”

“Well, I think it’s a brilliant idea,” Brooke went on. “It’s a great way to give back to the community, and House Marketing would be thrilled to help you launch this new endeavor.”

“We were hoping that you’d feel that way,” Caspian replied.

“I think this is a good thing,” Ashford commented to no one in particular.

“What are you guys calling the facility?” Brooke asked.

Looking directly at Madison, I said, “Maddie’s Pet Place.”

Chapter 8

Madison~

When Brooke had informed me that we had a meeting with McKay Engineering, I had silently cursed Caspian McKay all to hell. Our little run-in could be the only reason that McKay Engineering would have scheduled a marketing meeting with us. As much as Brooke and Ashford were clueless, there was no way that these three didn’t already have a marketing rollout prepared for something that was going to be launched in two months. Unless something had changed in the last year, Raddix had always been the meticulous type when it had come to work and building McKay Engineering. I’d been there for the first year of his brainchild, and I’d seen his mind at work like no one else had.

Absolutely ignorant of the situation happening around her, Brooke said, “Oh, look at that.” She let out a sweet laugh. “They’re naming it after an actual pet lover.”

Finally speaking, I said, “There are a million Maddies in the world, Brooke.”

“Not as far as I’m concerned,” Raddix remarked, and I could feel my blood begin to boil with so much anger towards the man.

A year later, it was unfair how gorgeous he still looked. Raddix had broken my heart in the worst way, and what’d he get as karma? A multi-million-dollar engineering empire with no suffering for it. His tall frame was still imposing and fit. His dark brown hair still looked soft, rich, and perfect as it laid haphazardly around his head. His skin still looked smooth and youthful. His lips still looked full and soft, making me remember better times.

Nevertheless, despite all the perfectness covering him, it’d always been Raddix’s eyes that’d held the power to make me do anything that he’d ever asked of me. His right eye was the same shade of blue as his brother’s and father’s; a bright cerulean hue that leapt out at you. However, unlike his brother and father, Raddix’s left eye hadn’t formed enough pigment during Mrs. McKay’s pregnancy. So, Raddix’s left eye was white with a ring of that cerulean color around it. Raddix had admitted to it bothering him when he'd been a little boy, but as he’d grown older, what most people would have thought as an imperfection, most females had felt it sexy as hell, me included.

At six-foot-two, with a shredded muscular physique, the intelligence of Einstein, the looks of a Greek god, and the determination of a general, Raddix McKay was the answer that you gave when someone asked you to name a perfect male specimen. He was also a beast in bed, and had I not run off to Coralship, I would have forgiven him within a day. Looking across the table, seeing him again after no contact for a year, I would have forgiven him, and I knew it like I knew my own name.

Clearing his throat, Ashford said, “Well, I’m certain that we can come up with a few ideas that you will like. We can tackle the sweet angle and serious angle, then something in between.”

“We’ll be sure to give you a few fresh ideas to choose from,” Brooke added, assuring Raddix of our competency.

I eyed Raddix. “How is pay going to be determined?” I asked. “Mr. McKay said that the services will be either free or offered at a discounted rate, so how is that figured out?”

“Madison, I think that’s probably beyond the scope of what they’re asking of us.”

I looked over at Brooke. “Is it?” I posed. “I don’t want to draw up a campaign that boasts of free pet care when that’s not necessarily true. While all advertisement ads come with fine print at the bottom, I don’t want to present something to the public that might get their hopes up, only to dash them, Brooke.” I quickly checked my tone. I was mad at Raddix, no one else. “As Mr. McKay stated earlier, veterinarian care is very expensive, never mind any surgical needs that might come about. Plus, it’s common knowledge that most pet owners are senior citizens that are usually living on a fixed income.” I leaned back in my seat, taking in a steady breath. “I just don’t want to give anyone any false hope with my advertising ideas.”

“Then we’ll make the services free for anyone over the age of sixty-five,” Raddix announced, making me turn his way. “We’ll also make the services free for any pets that are in their final years of life.” His different-colored eyes were piercing me in my seat. “If you want, then we’ll make the entire fucking thing free for everyone, Madison.” You could hear a pin drop in the room. “Is that what you want? Do you want me to spend my millions saving all the animals that need saving?”

Everyone in the room felt the shift in the air as if we’d all been hit in the chest with a two-by-four. Raddix had just announced our personal connection, and I wanted the floor to open up and swallow me whole. I was new to House Marketing, and this was not how I wanted to impress them. There was nothing professional about having Raddix McKay call me out in front of everyone.

Knowing that I was probably going to lose my job after this, I said, “I want you to do what’s in your heart, Mr. McKay.” His jaw ticked as his lip curled in anger. “I want you to have no regrets in life. I want you to be able to lay on your deathbed and feel good about your choices.” Tears threatened to make an appearance, but I forced them back. “So, if helping animals makes you feel like you’ve done some good in this world, then run your facility in a way that will help you sleep at night. Do the right thing for everyone if you’re able. If you’re not, then just do what you can not to make things worse.”

Caspian and Troy wisely kept quiet, and while I knew that Brooke and Ashford had to be as confused as hell, they also weren’t saying anything. While I wasn’t necessarily talking in code, everyone in the room knew that this exchange was about more than just the caring of animals. This was me telling Raddix that I’d rather be left at the altar than live with a guy that regretted marrying me.

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