Page 54 of Easy Reunion
Chapter 22
Rierson
Aweek later, I’m feeling a rush flow through my veins. It’s different than the one I feel when I’m with Kelsey; it’s just as powerful but in a completely different way. “If you’ll initial here, here, and sign here, Mr. Larruscain,” I ask politely, while inside, I’m running around the boardroom table with my hands raised above my head in sheer ecstasy. The hawklike features of the chairman and CEO of the company we’ve been brokering the deal with over the last several years breaks into a smile before he picks up the pen next to him. Murmuring in Spanish, he scratches his initials where I had my paralegal flag and scrawls his name with a flourish.
It’s done.
I wait for the small stack of final contracts to be passed to me and lay them facedown in the folder marked TO BE FILED. Standing, I hold out a hand. “Congratulations, sir. This is an exciting time for you.”
“Yes. It will leave me much more time for family.” He clasps my hand, laying a wrinkled but still firm one on top of it. This is a man who stood at the helm of a superior company for over forty years. He made the best decision for the company’s immediate future while setting them up for long-term success. I accept his unspoken thanks for the work I did to help this deal to close.
I turn and shake Beau, Van, and Eli’s hands as well. “Congratulations to all of you as well. I see extraordinary things for the future.”
“An excellent job, Ry,” Beau compliments.
I shake my head. “It was a team effort, as always, Beau. It always is.” Eli’s moved to shake the hands of the Larruscain team and quietly speaking to them on one side of the room.
“And that’s why the entire team is being invited to a party to celebrate tonight,” Van slips in smoothly. “Spouses and significant others are welcome.” Her eyes are shadowed even though there’s a bright smile on her face.
God, whatever happened to put that look in Van’s pretty eyes makes me want to join the brothers in their daily Krav Maga classes. “I’ll be sure to pass that along,” I assure her.
Eli, having just finished talking with the members of the Larruscain team, joins us. “Did we reserve the entire courtyard at Cafe Amelie?”
Van nods. Eli says, “Excellent. I invited Bastien and his team to join us as well.”
Van agrees, “Of course. I had planned on inviting them when you were finished speaking with them.”
Then Eli turns an innocent smile at me. “You should invite Kelsey, Ry. I’m sure she’d love to get to know your coworkers.”
“You’re an ass,” I retort immediately. It’s not that I don’t want Kelsey by my side, but the party tonight might be taking a step she’s not ready for. Even though we’ve had breakfast or lunch every day since we were at the center last week, we’re slowly getting to know one another. We’ve caught up on big things and little things that have had no importance. I talked to her about how I met Eli in college, thereby starting a friendship that led to a job opportunity I couldn’t pass up. I had her howling when she found out I not only short-sheeted Cade’s bed in college, I replaced his can of shaving cream with spray hair dye right before a formal ring ceremony.
“How did he retaliate?” she asked, as if there was no question. Which there wasn’t.
“Let’s just say my head was never quite so smooth for our next swim meet,” I admit on a laugh.
Kelsey laughed as she sipped her iced coffee.
As for me, I’ve learned Kelsey still has a passion for Hemingway, and she loves modern poets. “They have a perspective of humanity that is unparalleled and isn’t biased by anything.” She also has “an unhealthy obsession for shoes, Ry. Really. I could live in sweats, but Ineedshoes like some people need food. Or water.” Frowning thoughtfully, she tacked on, “Maybe air.”
“No wonder why you and Charly hit it off.” I grinned, taking a drink of my club soda.
She scooped up a small bite of food before shrugging. But there was a light in her eye I hadn’t seen since we used to argue about the merits of whether or not there was such a thing as too many adjectives to describe a noun in a sentence.
It was just dumb luck Eli and Kate showed up while we were enjoying jambalaya during lunch yesterday. Kelsey happened to be shoving her bowl under my chin to catch my lunch from landing on my shirt. “You tend to wear too much food, Counselor,” she teased me right before her beautiful gray eyes got enormous in her face. “Um, hello,” she said, her voice uncertain.
And there was Eli. Kate, I didn’t mind so much. Shoving us over, they ordered a couple of bowls of jambalaya for themselves. I kept giving Eli killer looks for crashing my date. Unfortunately, I couldn’t do the same to Kate, who got along with Kelsey like they were long-lost best friends.
“Hold on—” Beau lifts his hand. “Ry’s dating someone and you didn’t say anything?” He immediately punches his brother in the shoulder. I feel infinitesimally better until Van snaps, “Can the two of you behave? We’re in the middle of a business meeting.”
Chastised, we all look at her, abashed. “You really should invite her, Ry. She’ll enjoy seeing Kate again,” Eli encourages.
Suddenly, I’m the one who’s rubbing my arm. I glare at Van. “What was that for?”
“That’s for Kate getting to meet someone you’re dating and I haven’t.”
“Charly’s met her too,” Eli adds helpfully.
Van bares her teeth. I’d be pissed as hell at Eli except it’s such a better look than the broken one she had on her face a few moments ago. “Has Gabby met her too? Mama? Jesus,cher, the answer to that better be a quick no.”
