Page 88 of Easy Reunion
Chapter 35
Rierson
The end of a quarter drains me. Between each department head sending summaries of their open contracts, procurements, and pending awards as well as trying to put my seal of approval on the ones that pass through the C-suite, it’s usually a week where I practically eat, sleep, and breathe Bayou Enterprises. But this one is made even worse because every time I close my eyes, all I feel is despair.
The last three nights, I’ve crawled into bed well after eleven only to find Kelsey wrapped around my pillow. On my end table was a plate of cookies and a Yeti filled with sweet tea. But what burned through me the most as I stared down at her sleeping form was the simple note she left with them.
I love you. ~K
What the hell is wrong with me?I wonder. Shoving away from my desk, I wander over to the windows overlooking the bold city I’ve lived in for years—a city whose dark side is so eloquently depicted by the Mardi Gras masks you can find by any street vendor. Play, hide, but never entirely reveal your true self. Sounds familiar. My fist clenches at my side.
The soft sound of my intercom interrupts my introspection. “Yes?” I call out.
“Mr. Boudreaux to see you, sir,” Vince, who’s covering for my assistant while she’s at lunch, announces.
“Send him in.”
A tinge of amusement laces his voice when he asks, “Do you want to know which one it is?”
I bark out a laugh. “It’s not going to stop me from telling you to send them in.”
Seconds later, Declan Boudreaux and his fiancée, Callie, come through my door. “True, but at least you know it’s more of a social call than dealing with one of my pain-in-the-ass brothers.”
I come out from around my desk to greet them. “Now, this is a pleasant surprise. I was thinking it was going to be Eli asking if…”
My intercom beeps again. Vince’s voice is much more anxious. “I hate to interrupt, Ry, but Mr. Boudreaux—Eli—just called to ask when he can expect the combined quarterly contract summary.”
“Well, I see my punching him during our workout didn’t knock some polite into him,” Declan grumbles good-naturedly.
I shrug. “It’s always like this at the end of the quarter.”
“Then we won’t take up much of your time,” Callie says.
“What can I help you with?” I lean against my desk.
“Well, you know my best friend, Adam?” Callie asks.
I nod. Anyone who’s ever been to The Odyssey has seen the hijinks between the two of them behind the bar. It offers a whole different version of entertainment other than when Declan’s performing on stage.
Callie shoots me a smile that likely broke more than a few hearts before Declan slid his ring on her finger. “Well, we’re expanding. And he’s becoming my partner. Actually, unofficially, that’s already occurred.”
“That’s great news.” I truly mean it. The Odyssey’s made a hell of a reputation for itself.
“We’re excited by it. What we came by to ask is, who would you recommend to draw up the formal paperwork?” Callie’s thoughtful. “I don’t want some yahoo playing in my business.”
Declan picks up her hand and kisses the back of it. “I thought you wanted Adam as a partner, baby.”
Callie turns and slugs him in the arm just as Eli comes through the door. “You both realize this is a place of business.”
“And we’re trying to ask Ry for some legal advice,” Declan tells him smoothly. “It won’t be a minute, and then we’ll let you get back to sacrificing your employees for sport.”
Eli narrows his eyes at his brother for the dig. “Is something wrong?” he demands.
“Okay, boys, can we let this nice man answer the question so we can let him have his office back?” Callie says sweetly to the two grown brothers, but her tone implies she’s merely tolerating their behavior.
While the byplay’s going on, I’ve walked around my desk and dropped into the chair. Pulling up a standard partnership agreement template we keep on file, I scan the clauses to see if there’s anything I’d remove. “Callie, can you let me know if you plan on expanding to Europe or Asia in the next twelve to eighteen months?” I call out amid the brotherly bickering.
There’s a dead pause before Callie asks confused, “Excuse me? We’re just buying the building next door.”
