Page 32 of Never the Best

A few people from Savannah Lace and my company attended the conference, which focused on the architecture and construction business.

Our small contingent from Savannah met for dinner after a long day of lectures and workshops. After our meal atone of the resort's restaurants, we gathered around a fire pit, the flames crackling against the cool evening air. Overhead, strings of lights hung in lazy loops, casting a golden glow over the patio. Beyond us, the ocean stretched into the horizon, dark and endless, with the occasional glimmer of moonlight reflecting off the waves.

I sipped my bourbon, letting the warmth of it settle in my chest as I listened to the conversation flow around me. Layla Warren, Savannah Lace’s CFO, was deep in discussion with one of Pearl’s colleagues about supply chain strategies. A few of my team members were chatting about an upcoming client pitch, their voices low and serious despite the relaxed setting.

I had managed to sit next to Pearl—I had not been able to help myself. I felt drawn to her—I probably always had been. When I looked back at our teenage years, I remembered her as this elusive and charming person people made fun of.

I had approached her because of the bet, but I stayed because ofher. She was the only authentic person I knew in my young life. She was open and honest—naïve and affectionate. There was no calculation.Thatyoung girl was no more. The woman sitting next to me had her walls up. She wasn't the innocent girl any longer. She had lived her life—and from what I could see, what happenedthenhad not changed just me but also her. The consequences of that one thoughtless, heartless act had forced me to look at myself and strive to become a better person—but what had it done to Pearl?

She looked relaxed, one leg crossed over the other, a sparkling drink in her hand that she barely drank. She wasn't particularly seeking out conversation; she was comfortable in herself and the silence. She didn't seek attention, but she didn't fade into the background, either—she never had. She had an effortless presence. Why had this made so many of us insecure when we were young?

“…and that’s when I told him, ‘If you’re going to try to micromanage a spreadsheet, at least learn how to use Excel first,’” Layla was telling a story about a previous consultant, her tone half exasperated, half amused. Everyone burst into laughter.

“You actually said that?” someone asked.

“Of course, she did,” Pearl interjected, her grin mischievous. “I mean, he was color-coding cells like it was an art project. Someone had to stop him before he hurt himself.”

I couldn’t help but smile. Pearl had a way of being sharp without being unkind, confident without being mean.

As the conversation shifted to market trends, I found myself watching her more than listening. I noticed how expressive her hands were as she spoke, how she leaned forward slightly when making a point, and how her clear and steady voice got respect without her ever demanding it.

She wasn’t gossiping, wasn’t talking about who was dating who, or what scandal was brewing in Savannah’s social circles. She was talking about ideas, challenges, and solutions, and she did it with a kind of ease that made everyone at the table want to hear what she had to say.

And I realized, with a suddenness that made my chesttighten, that I was falling for her. I wasn't just physically attracted to her—though God knew I was that, too—but actuallyfallingfor her for the way she thought, the way she carried herself, her easy charm—everything.

I was sucker punched.

I recognized that this wasn’t just some passing interest, wasn’t some fleeting curiosity about a woman I’d once wronged. This was deeper, messier, and far more dangerous. Because as much as I wanted her, I couldn’t have her. Not the way I wanted, not while Josie was still wearing my ring, and my life was tied up in knots I hadn’t figured out how to untangle.

“Rhett, you with us?” Layla’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts.

“Sorry.” I set my glass down. “I was a million miles away.”

Pearl watched me with curiosity. “Layla asked if you thought the industry was ready for more aggressive fin-tech integration,” she supplied, tilting her head slightly. “Or do you think we’re all still a little too afraid of change?”

I cleared my throat, shifting in my seat. “I think there’s always resistance to change.” I forced myself to focus and be social like I'd been taught and trained. “But the ones who embrace the right kind of change early tend to be the ones who come out ahead. It’s just a matter of convincing people that the short-term disruption is worth the long-term gains.”

"Spoken like a true consultant,” Pearl remarked, her tone teasing but not unkind.

“Guilty as charged," I said graciously, thrilled that she was talking to me.

Since our conversation by her pond, the antagonism between us had diminished. We couldtalkto one another without constantly bringing up the past, without me apologizing, and her telling me to go fuck myself.

The conversation moved on, but my attention stayed with Pearl.

"How has the conference been for you?" I wanted to talk to her and get to know her better. I respected and admired her. All things I was fully aware I didn't feel for my fiancée.

"Good." She let out a deep breath. "As exhilarating as these conferences are, they leave me exhausted. The time zone shiftandconstantly beingon, it takes a lot out of you."

Thestaying-onpart was a problem for me as well, and it was probably a bigger one for Pearl, who was an introvert.

"Do you feel like going for a walk?" I asked impulsively.

She stared at me, and I waited to hear her verdict of how she saw the man I'd become because I wanted to be the kind of man Pearl respected.

"Yes," she agreed.

We left the others and went to the beach. Pearl walked barefoot, her sandals dangling from one hand. The hem of her ankle-length dress swayed in the breeze, and her ponytail had loosened into soft strands that framed her face. She looked beautiful. She was so damned gorgeous and it broke my heart to think I’d ever made her feellessover something as trivial as her body weight.

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