Page 46 of Marrying Mr. Majestic

I snorted. “That’s rich coming from you, do-gooder.”

“But… sometimes people don’t need you to fix things for them, you know? Sometimes all the help they need is your presence. To know you’re there and that you care.”

I considered this for a moment and shook my head. “But that’s not practical.”

“Of course it is. It’s just hard. It’s far easier to throw money and contacts at a problem.” She yawned again. “I promise, I wasn’t actually in danger, okay? Just… one of those things.”

I blew out a breath. “Just another nightmare dumpster fire train wreck?” I offered.

Camille laughed, just as I’d hoped she would. “A zombie nightmare dumpster fire train wreck,” she corrected. “With extra paperwork on top. So… what have you been up to? I got your message saying you were in Wyoming, but I’ve been pretty much nocturnal this week, so I didn’t have a chance to call. Are you there for a work thing?”

“No. It’s… kind of a long story. I’ll tell you all about it when you’re not trying to sleep.”

“Okay,” she agreed, probably sensing I’d reached my limit for deep conversation. “But at least tell me something about Wyoming. Are cowboys as hot in real life as they are in fiction?”

I laughed helplessly. “Hotter,” I said.

By the time I’d finished filling Camille in on all the wonders of the state—the mountains, the rivers, the wide sky, the men with toned glutes in well-worn Wranglers—and we said our goodbyes, I was back at the Fletcher Ranch and feeling marginally better.

But after sitting down at the kitchen table and working diligently through a string of emails from Kenji about critical projects, Kenji texted me to hop on a Zoom call. As soon as I joined, I saw five small windows appear and knew that I had at least one more hard conversation in store for me, whether I wanted it or not.

Kenji had assembled my four best friends—the entire billionaire brotherhood—for some kind of goddamned intervention.

“What is this?” I asked.

Landry grinned like a fool, Kenji was busy typing, Dev’s forehead crinkled in concern, Bash’s eyes danced while his mouth curved in a knowing grin, and Zane said something to someone out of the frame about “taking five.”

Kenji glanced up from his typing. “The guys wanted to know where you were. They didn’t believe me when I told them you were on a horse ranch in Wyoming. Voluntarily.”

Bash leaned toward the camera. “Bro, apparently, you approved the installation of two hundred grand worth of ETC in a little Podunk town with only six stoplights?”

Dev frowned. “Why would a town that small need ETC?”

Landry tapped his chin like an asshole. “Two hundred grand seems a bit high for even the primest dick, my friend. Your rhinestone cowboy must sparkle everywhere.”

I felt my back teeth clench.

Zane muttered, “Don’t be crass. Silas is getting the dick for free.”

Bash squinted at the screen. “Are you in a… a mobile home? What is that place?”

Kenji spoke before I could tell Bash to fuck off. “I got a message from someone at Patagonia asking for contact info for Lake McNair. Is that a lake near Majestic? If so, do you know why they’d want contact information for it?”

“Lake McNair is a person. He’s the owner of the local outdoor sports store. I’ll send you his contact info. I’m helping him with a sponsorship.”

Kenji continued typing. “Ah… Lake Sports. Got it. Also, Robbie Ryde with AdventureSmash got back to me with sponsorship options for the exhibition. Are you still thinking of making your contribution in the name of a charity? If so, there’s local like Wyoming Equality or national like Trevor. There’s also?—”

Dev perked up. “What’s this for? There are several equine rescue organizations that might be a good fit since your… ah… that guy there is a horse rancher.”

It was nice to see something get Dev’s attention for once, but this wasn’t a good fit for a horse rescue charity. “Since it’s an outdoor adventure race, I was thinking more like an outdoor adventure camp for kids. Scholarships or grants for kids who wouldn’t normally have access to these sports.”

Kenji nodded and made notes. “I’ll look into it.”

I felt Bash’s eyes on me. “Tell me about this guy. Kenji said you’re planning on staying there all summer? That doesn’t sound like you. What about the Browerton deal? What about Daisy Chain?”

“Not the whole summer, only until July.” Which was just a few weeks away, as Way had pointed out. “And I’m still working on all of that. I’m just doing it from here,” I assured him. “I’ve got a handle on the Modern Alliance thing, too. In fact, I’m waiting for that financial report from your accounting people.”

We discussed business for a few minutes before Zane got interrupted again and dropped off the call. Kenji used the moment as an excuse to interrupt. “Silas, I checked your insurance coverage, and you’re good to go on the horse thing.”

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