Page 7 of The CEO's Sweetheart Deal
"It doesn't matter now," I say, deliberately sidestepping his question. "What matters is that the tension between us is going to be a problem. The most logical solution is to offer her a generous severance package and let her go."
He shakes his head. "Bad idea."
"Why? She'd be well compensated. It’s more than fair. She doesn’t want to be around me anyway."
"Oscar. You’re not thinking clearly. She knows that company inside and out. Juan is retiring to Bali, remember? Without Alice, you lose both senior executives — one of them a person whobuiltRooted Pantry. Plus, firing her right after acquisition would spook the rest of the staff. It wouldn’t be a good look, my man."
I know he's right. It's the businessman in me that recognizes the practicality of keeping Alice on board, at least through the transition. The human man in me — the one who still remembers how it felt to have her look at me like I was the enemy — wants her as far away as possible.
Or is it that I want her as close as possible?
I shake away the thought. It doesn’t matter. She’s made her feelings clear, and I have no say in it.
"So, what do you suggest?" I ask.
"Keep her on. Work with her. Be the bigger person." He gathers up our takeout containers. "And maybe actually listen to her ideas. From what I saw today, she's not afraid to challenge you, and that's rare in your world."
I scoff. "Everyone challenges me."
"They challenge your ideas, Oscar. Not you. There's a difference." He tosses the containers into the trash. "Besides, working with her might finally give you some closure."
Closure. Is that what I need? After twelve years, I would have thought time had already done that work. But seeing Alice today, feeling that immediate pull toward her despite everything — maybe Cole has a point.
"Fine," I concede. "I'll keep her on. For now."
"Good." He checks his watch. "Now, there's a much more pleasant way to get your mind off Alice. Briana's friend Kendall is in town this weekend. Smart, pretty, works in art curation. We could do dinner at Alley Nine on Saturday."
I shake my head. "I don't have time for dating right now."
"You never have time for dating," he counters. "That's why your last relationship lasted all of three months."
"I'm focused on my companies."
"You're hiding in your companies.” Damn, he’s full of corrections tonight. "But fine, be a workaholic. Just don't complain to me when you're still single at fifty."
With that, he grabs his jacket and heads for the door. "I'm going home to my girlfriend. You should consider finding a life outside this office someday."
After he leaves, I return to the window, watching the lights of Seattle twinkle below. I should follow Cole's advice — both about Alice and about dating. Moving on is the sensible choice in both scenarios.
But sensible has never been my strong suit when it comes to her.
If we're going to work together, I might as well start making peace with it now. And maybe, just maybe, I can find a way to make her look at me the way she used to, before I ruined everything.
Or at the very least, I can try to make her hate me a little less.
But even as I tidy the office up and head out, a voice in the back of my mind whispers a warning:Be careful, Oscar. You fell for her once. Don't make the same mistake twice.
I silence the voice and head out into the night. Some risks are worth taking, even when you know better.
CHAPTER 4
ALICE
Islam the door of my refrigerator with more force than necessary, a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc clutched in my hand. Sydney jumps at the sound, looking up from where she's dicing tomatoes for our dinner salad.
"Easy there, killer. That fridge never did anything to you."
"Sorry," I mutter, setting the wine on the counter with a gentler touch. "It's been a day."
