Page 5 of Thankful for My CEO

“Let me stop you here,” Kit said. “Jeff already sent over the business plan and financial statements. I’m having my team inspect everything thoroughly, but I already looked over them. Everything looks promising as far as finances go, and of course, there’s no reason to doubt your mission. What I always ask for before I invest is to see the face of the company.”

I blinked, trying to process what he was saying.

“I would have preferred to meet with Jeff, but the fact that you are here says a lot about you and the company. You’re the… product manager, correct? That Jeff can inspire his staff to fight for your future, even on the eve of Thanksgiving -that’s all I needed to know. As soon as I’m back in the office, I’ll prepare a term sheet.”

All of my anxiety about the meeting melted away and transformed into anger. A little at Kit, but mostly at my boss. I grit my teeth, trying to hide how hard I was seething inside.

He’d already sent over all of our information to Kit’s team? He must have known this little “quirk” about Kit and known I was driving all the way up here just to put a face to the name of Earthbloom.

“I… Okay.”Then what am I doing here?I wanted to ask.I desperately tried to keep the frustration out of my expression.

He glanced down at his watch. Not a Rolex, but something that looked equally expensive. “I have a few minutes before my next meeting. Tell me, Ms. Moreno, how did you end up at Earthbloom?”

So this was still a pitch, just not the one I had prepared for, apparently.

“I was an intern at another company Jeff worked at while I worked toward my Master’s in environmental science,” I answered with a practiced smile. “He told me he was developing Earthbloom and putting together a team and I didn’t want to pass up the chance to be a part of something so inspiring.”

How much detail did he want to know? That I’d given up my dreams of environmental research to put all my energy into Earthbloom, and now I had nowhere else to go but continue to push for the app’s success? And that was why I was here in front of him today, and not my boss or any of the other chief officers?

“Hm,” Kit acknowledged. He reached forward and started flipping through my slides, tapping my keyboard with a pointer finger.

What the hell?

I wanted to snap at him, but I bit my tongue, staring as he barely glanced through what had taken me hours to prepare.

He just kept coming off more and more as an entitled asshole.

The wind howled audibly outside. The rain had picked up and was no longer a gentle static in the background. It lashed against the glass.

“These are well-designed slides. Did you make these?”

“I did.”

He leaned back in his chair. I had a flashback to that chiseled V at his hips. The memory did nothing to make me less irritated.

“I want to make this trip worth it for you,” he said after a long moment.

And how are you going to do that? Go back in time and cancel it? Schedule a Zoom meeting instead?

I smiled with closed lips.

“I’m assuming you’re leaving the lodge today?”

“Yes, after our meeting.”

“Can I send you with a nice bottle of wine? I’m sure it would be welcome at your Thanksgiving dinner.”

That was it?

I took a deep breath through my nose and calmed my thoughts. I really couldn’t refuse the gift, as small as it seemed after this whole expedition up into the mountains. My mom would be thrilled to help me finish off a bottle from some millionaire’s expensive wine collection. I nodded. “Thank you.”

“I’ll have it sent to your room. Well,” he said authoritatively, standing. “My team will be in touch.”

He reached out a hand.

I stood, too, knowing I had no choice but to shake his hand this time around. I cringed, wondering what he must think of me based on how we’d met yesterday. Trying to compensate, I took his hand a bit too enthusiastically.

He raised a dark eyebrow and shook my hand firmly, almost engulfing mine in his. After a beat, I pulled away. My skin tingled where we’d made contact.

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