Page 99 of Matchmaking the Rival

Chapter Twenty-Five

Meredith

The celebratory banquetwas in one of the smaller ballrooms of the Taj Boston. The committee really hadn't spared any expense for this competition.

I walked around, drinking in my surroundings. It was a relief not to be in the running anymore. I’d spent the last three weeks focusing on all our Christmas promos. In theory, I shouldn’t care about the outcome of tonight, but I was keeping my fingers and toes crossed for Cade to win.

We decided to come here separately and to stay professional the whole evening. I wondered if I could stick to that, considering he was going to wear a tuxedo, but I was going to try my best.

I was a bit uneasy tonight. Same as Sonya. She emphasized how important the meeting with Alfred Danvers was, and I wasn't going to screw this up for either of us. I wanted her to sell the company. She seemed to want to retire, and although I really wanted to keep my job, it didn’t appear as though that was possible.

We had a small table for Sonya’s Blends with four seats, which was surprising considering Sonya and I had been the only ones who'd ever gone to these events. But this time, there was a place for Arthur as well as our VP of sales. Sonya had invited them for Alfred’s benefit. Since it was Friday evening, most people were hoping the event would end quickly. I was among them.

"Oh, you're here. That's good," Sonya said, taking me by surprise as I was about to sit at our table.

"Hey, I didn't see you. I looked around for everyone."

"You and I are early, although Alfred is already here. Come on, I want to introduce you to him."

"Of course. Don't be nervous, Sonya."

"Honestly, I can't help it. Being here tonight makes it all the more real. If I don't manage to sell the company, I'm stuck running it for a few more years, and I'm honestly exhausted. I've been working for forty years, and it’s time to retire."

I felt a rush of sympathy for her. Being a business owner was always heralded as one of the best things a person could do. But you could leave a job at any time, whereas you couldn't just up and leave your company.

"It's going to work out. I'm sure of it," I encouraged.

"Alfred, I want to introduce you to Meredith," she said when we approached another round table. There was only one person there for now, even though there were places for six. "This is Meredith, my VP of marketing."

"How do you do?" I said as we shook hands.

He smiled. "It's great to meet you. Sonya told me you worked on the presentation she pitched to me."

"I did. "

"I'm going to leave the two of you to get to know each other a bit and get myself a cocktail," Sonya said.

I'd never seen Sonya so nervous. There were servers circulating with trays of champagne, so clearly she just needed an excuse to get away. I was determined not to ruin this for her.

"So, what do you think?" I asked as soon as she was gone. "Think our customers would be a good fit for your portfolio?"

"Yes, it would be a very promising start in niches I haven't bothered with until now."

"I'm sure your customers will appreciate our special products. And vice versa—our customers will embrace the mainstream products in your portfolio as well. I already have a few ideas of how we can marry the two." I wanted to show him that I was dedicated to my job and that I’d already put thought into this.

"Meredith, right?"

"Yes," I said. Something in his eyes chilled me to the bone.

"Look, I appreciate your enthusiasm, but I'll be honest. If this merger goes ahead, I will bring my own VP of marketing, and I would prefer if you're not part of the team going forward."

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