Page 27 of The Enemies With Benefits Deal

Friday morning the sun is shining, fat white clouds are drifting across the sky as I stand outside the building where the newspaper is printed.

I thought calling a meeting with the board here would be a way to play with Leo’s heartstrings.

He might be more willing to open his pockets to a potential app if he’s staring at the building that houses his dream and not just an office space filled with workers.

Although, Grayson is going to be pissed when he finds out that there was a meeting without him.

I can’t risk him undermining this more than he already has.

Right now, I’m running against a clock to get the rebrand done. I don’t have time to try and make him see things my way, especially when he is so dead set on not seeing them that way.

This is the only way I can handle the situation.

I take a deep breath and head into the warehouse, the whirring of machines softening as I take the stairs that lead to theoffices upstairs. I continue down the gray carpeted hall to the conference room, opening the door and looking at the fine layer of dust that sits on the chair rail that circles the room.

As I spread out the booklets I had prepared, the door opens and Victoria enters the room. She takes a seat at the head of the table — a tactic to annoy Leo — then smiles as she looks at the booklet in front of her. “Are these app people really this good?”

“Yes. Pelletier Design houses some of the top talents in the industry, and they’re known for being able to turn out exemplary work quickly.” I smile at the rest of the board members as they filter into the room, Leo trailing behind them all.

His gaze sweeps the room before he lands on me. “Grayson isn’t here?”

“He had a meeting this morning with a couple of the people who were applying to write the advice columns. We thought that it would be better to divide and conquer.”

It’s not a complete lie, but it’s not the truth either.

Grayson is spending his morning interviewing people and talking about the advice column, but he has no idea this meeting is happening.

I have to get it done and over with before he notices I’m gone. If I do, we shouldn’t have a problem when I get back and tell him that the board approved the app.

If he didn’t want me to go behind his back, he should have been more open to listening to a point of view other than his own.

Leo stares at me for what seems like an eternity. Sweat beads on the back of my neck, but I stand tall.

This is my meeting, and he’s not going to intimidate me with stares.

Grayson got himself into this mess, and this time his daddy isn’t going to be able to come along and save him.

I pull up the presentation I have that goes along with the booklets, projecting it on the wall. “These days, people are connected to their phones, but most mobile sites take forever to load. What I want to do is create an app. One that encompasses everything the newspaper is and will be, allowing our readers to connect with us as easily as possible.”

Leo hums and flips through the book. “Won’t an app take too much time to build?”

“Not if we use Pelletier Design. I have an insider connection that tells me they have an opening this month. I’ve had her send in the initial designs of the website and asked if they would be able to create an app within our timeline that matches the branding of the website.”

Leo frowns slightly. “Sounds expensive.”

One of the other board members turns to me. “What kind of price tag is going to be on this project if we decide to go ahead with it?”

“We’re looking at the high end of five figures,” I say. “However, they are offering a slight discount due to the work they’ve already done for my businesses. It would take fifteen percent off the total cost, which you’ll see a breakdown of if you flip to page four.”

They flip to the fourth page, eyes widening and nostrils flaring as they look at the numbers written there.

I know the board is already running the calculations in their head, wondering if this is going to be a good decision when the business is already descending into the red.

As I stride across the front of the room, I take my time making eye contact with all of them. “I know this seems like a lot of money. It is. I’m not going to sugarcoat it.”

Victoria leans back in the chair, crossing her arms. The wrinkles around her eyes deepen, her bun looking more severe than it normally does. “Would we be able to find someone cheaper?”

“Yes.” I flip to the next slide in my presentation, showing off the list of designers who could work for cheaper before showing another slide with those designers’ work examples beside their pricing.

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