Page 50 of Overnight Inheritance

You take that back.

He looked at her then, and she was in danger of drowning in his blue, blue eyes. The meeting, the rapid-fire questions that were being asked and answered around the room faded away, and all there was in her entire world was Sebastian.

Someone called his name and he jerked, as if pulled from a trance. He turned to the suits and elaborated on a point that needed clarification, then he wrote on the notepad and slid it over to her.

It’s good to see you, Mae.

He faced the table again and cleared his throat, and the other conversations died down. “That’s the crux of it. Obviously, there’s more that needs to be discussed and worked out, but I wanted to share the overall vision with you now. I realize it’s very different to the company’s past, but I’m committed to this new direction. I’ll understand if you don’t want to be part of it—profits will obviously go down. If you’re not on board, I’d be happy to talk about buying you out, or we could split the company in two and I’ll take my smaller company in this direction.”

Mae looked at Heath beside her, then at the others on her team. Freya gave a subtle nod, meaning that the numbers at this early stage had passed her assessment. Sarah’s eyes were wide and sparkling, and the corner of her mouth was hitched up, so she clearly approved. The lawyer gave a noncommittal head tilt, which she took to mean that there were no red flags. Finally, her gaze landed on her brother. They were literally half a world away from where they’d been less than a year ago, in an Australian beachside town, living as a bar owner and a teacher. They’d gone from just the two of them against the world, to Heath planning a life with Freya, having their aunt Sarah in their corner, and joining the large O’Donohue family. The enormity of the changes in such a short time made her head spin. But in this moment, it was just the two of them again, brother and sister, deciding their path forward. Did they focus on building more money that they didn’t need, or did they join Sebastian in making the world a better place? There was no doubt in Mae’s mind what the right path was, but Heath owned the shares with her and had a say about it.

Her brother’s dark gaze softened, and he leaned over to whisper in her ear, “Your call.”

Mae straightened her shoulders and turned back to the man she loved, bursting with pride for him. “The Rutherford-Dunstan side of the company would be thrilled to work with you in transforming Bellavista Holdings into your vision of what it could be.”

A slow smile crept over Sebastian’s face and her heart lurched in her chest.

“Thank you,” he said, and she knew that was for her alone, for believing in him, the way he’d just shown he believed in her. Then he looked down the line at the others on her side of the table. “Just to be clear, the profits are going to slump to a trickle. We can still take on projects that will make us money if they also fit our new company vision, but I can’t guarantee that stream of income.”

Heath shrugged. “We have enough to live on already. This is what we want to do.”

Sarah leaned forward. “My involvement as the executor of my brother’s estate is all but over, but if you’re looking for another investor in this new Bellavista Holdings, then I’m very open to that discussion.”

The meeting wound up and, as her group was leaving, she tried to catch Sebastian’s eye, but he was busy with the suits tightly crowded around him. Sarah linked her elbow through Mae’s, and with a last look over her shoulder, Mae left the building, her head spinning.

Lauren was waiting on the curb with Sarah’s black town car and the others started to pile in. “I think I’ll walk,” Mae said.

“You sure?” Heath asked beside her.

She nodded. “I need a moment to clear my head.”

“Okay.” He grabbed the door to lower himself in, then turned back and gave her a lopsided smile. “I like him,” he said, then he was gone.

She filled her lungs with the New York air, the sounds and the pollution, the buzzing energy, and the sparkle, and started to walk.

Her cell vibrated in her pocket. She took it out and saw Sebastian’s name.

Where are you?

She glanced around.

About two buildings north of yours. I’m walking.

The reply was immediate.

Wait there.

With trembling fingers, she slipped the cell back into her pocket.

In an impossibly short time, she heard her name being called, and she turned to find him approaching, slowing from a jog to a walk, breathing heavily. He’d left his suit jacket somewhere behind, and his face was flushed from exertion.

“Did you run all that way?” she asked, confused.

“I might have.” He rested his hands on his hips as he caught his breath. “Including the stairs, when the elevator was taking too long.”

She smothered a smile. “You told me to wait, so there was no need to rush. I was right here. Waiting.”

“There was a need,” he said. He speared his fingers through his hair, leaving the dark waves rumpled. “I’d hoped to talk to you at the end of the meeting, but I turned around and you were gone.”

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