Total pages in book: 124
Estimated words: 116455 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 582(@200wpm)___ 466(@250wpm)___ 388(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 116455 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 582(@200wpm)___ 466(@250wpm)___ 388(@300wpm)
She continued speaking, but my brain tuned out the rest as I focused on the heart of what she was saying.
Children. Grandchildren.
Building a life and a family with Flynn.
A family that was Wellbridge and Honeycutt together. Maybe the best parts of both.
The very idea lit me up from the inside out in a way that left not a single doubt about what I wanted or what I’d do to have it.
“Jonathan, do stop gawping, dear. You look rather like a bearded hippopotamus. Ah! The drinks. Finally. Thank you, dear.”
She took her wineglass from the server and knocked back a healthy swig before making a sound of contentment and ordering her salad.
I followed her lead and took a deep gulp of my beer. I knew what I needed to do, but that didn’t make it any less scary. Especially the part where I’d have to convince Flynn that he wanted it, too.
Before I could think too much about it, Alice came racing into the hotel bar, curls bobbing and bright red dress perfectly pressed, waving a stack of papers. “There you are. I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”
“Sorry,” I said, feeling guilty for forgetting she was arriving tonight. “My phone ran out of battery a few hours ago from overuse.”
My mother sniffed. “Really, Jonathan. You should be more responsible.”
“No worries,” Alice assured me with a wink. “No mystery too great or small for your intrepid assistant. I have the draft of the business plan here, as well as your employment contract. I also ‘backed up your files’—ahem—to a portable hard drive.” She pulled a small black device from her handbag and placed it and the stack of papers on the table with a triumphant wink. “And I’ve scheduled seven more meetings here at the event with existing clients and prospects, plus made sure to move the ones already scheduled for tomorrow to the following day.”
I moved over in the booth and gestured for her to join us. “You amaze me. Alice, this is my mother, Patricia Wellbridge. Mother, this is Alice, my—” I hesitated as my mouth was about to form the word assistant and smiled. “My right hand.”
Alice smirked. “And don’t you forget it.”
Mother’s eyes roamed from Alice’s face all the way down to her red shoes. She nodded approvingly. “Nice to meet you, dear. I assume you’re here to help Jonathan at the expo this week?”
“Yes, ma’am. I’ll finally get to meet many of our clients in person instead of on a computer screen. I’m excited to be here.”
I felt a familiar nervous swirling in my stomach. It had been happening on and off all afternoon. “They won’t be our clients for much longer. Not after this week. Are you sure you want to make such a big move, sight unseen? Honeybridge is very small. Not much of a nightlife, especially during the winter.”
Her eyes sparkled. “No, but they have a very active knitting group, a yarn shop, and a salon that does great hair. That’s all I need.”
“You’ve been googling,” I said with a laugh.
“Research is part of my job description, boss.”
The server stopped by to drop off the potato skins and take Alice’s drink order. When he left, I turned to her. “I’m serious, though. If you want to take some more time to think about it—”
“No,” she said, interrupting me before I could give her another out. “It’s like that Jerry Maguire movie, where I’m Renée Zellweger and you’re Tom Cruise, except we don’t end up together because you’re like my big brother, and that would be gross.” She shot my mother an enthusiastic grin, and my mother blinked back uncomprehendingly.
I hid my laugh with another sip of beer.
“Seriously, though, JT, I’m excited. Half the reason I stayed at Fortress so long was because I learned so much from working with you. And we’re gonna kick ass together, I just know it.”
Mother finally put two and two together. “Wait. Wait just a minute.” She held up her slender hand, the giant diamond and sapphire rings flashing in the low lights over the table. “Are you… Jonathan, are you considering opening your own business?”
“More than considering, actually.” I grinned. “I already have a plan in place, and Alice has come on board to help me make it a reality.”
“You’re looking at the CEO of Rainmaker Holdings.” Alice swept a hand toward me proudly. “The newest, most exclusive distributor of consumer products in the northeast.”
I laughed. “The smallest distributor, more like. And none of the paperwork has been submitted yet, so it’s not official.”
“Not yet,” Alice agreed. “But I’m gonna get the ball rolling this week. Harrison Yang already sent Fortress packing, and when I called to set up an appointment with him for this week, he was freaking thrilled.” She wiggled her eyebrows. “Rainmaker is about to sign Archdale Vineyards as their first client.”