Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 97151 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 486(@200wpm)___ 389(@250wpm)___ 324(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97151 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 486(@200wpm)___ 389(@250wpm)___ 324(@300wpm)
“Good morning, Avril,” Dina on reception says.
I smile and wave. Despite being distracted by Ben for the last thirty-six hours, I need to do my best to keep focused. Worth is due any moment, and he, Poppy, and I are sitting down to figure out how we can get the Boston project back on track.
I step into the office I share with Poppy and Aurora, and Worth is already sitting at the table under the window.
“Good morning,” he says. “Poppy has gone to get us coffee.”
I bite back a grin. Cappuccinos, maybe? I can’t believe I booted Ben out of his own bed yesterday morning.
“You seem happy this morning,” Worth says.
“Do I? Let’s go to the boardroom.”
“How was the engagement party?” he asks as he stands.
“Good. Very beautiful. Understated but lovely.” We head out across the lobby and I tell Dina to send Poppy into the boardroom. It doesn’t get booked very often, and I make a mental note to raise whether we should be repurposing the room or at least renaming it.
Just as we’re sitting down, Poppy comes in with coffees and pastries.
“I got cappuccinos for everyone,” Poppy says.
I can’t hold back my grin.
“You okay?” she asks. “You look very smiley.”
I frown and take a coffee out of the tray. “I do not.”
“Let’s get down to business,” Worth says.
“Yes, what happened?” I ask. “Did you speak directly to the seller?”
My brother shakes his head. “He won’t take my calls. We’ll have to try Ben.”
I wince as my phone conversation with Worth—in Ben’s bed, while Ben made us coffee—slowly comes back to me. I must have blocked it out because the irony was too overwhelming. Worth had told me that the Boston deal was dead, and the only possibility of resurrection was to reach out to a contact of his called Ben East—the man who I’d spent the night with, naked.
But my brother must be wrong. There must be another solution.
My heart starts to race. I can’t bear the thought of asking Ben for help. He can’t be our only option.
“But we have the commercial realtors involved, right?” I ask.
“Right, but they’re out of suggestions. They’ve advised us to walk away. When I mentioned it to Jack, he was the one who suggested Ben East. I’ve met him a few times, but I don’t know him well.
I can’t make the same claim. I’m pretty confident that I know Ben better than everyone in this room right now.
“I’m sure there’s another solution,” I say.
“He was there on Saturday night, wasn’t he?” Poppy asks. “Wasn’t he the guy sitting next to you and opposite me?”
“I didn’t get his last name,” I lie.
“I’m sure that’s what Aurora said. He’s Aurora’s fiancé’s best friend,” she says to Worth.
Worth pulls his eyebrows together, like he’s not following. But he doesn’t need to. No one here is asking Ben for help.
Not ever.
“I’m going to talk to the realtor,” I say.
“Or we could just abandon the idea of Boston,” Poppy suggests. “I heard murmurs that there’s a building on Fifth Avenue that’s coming up for sale.”
“The building is up for sale alongside the lease?” Worth asks.
“I think so,” Poppy says.
“Yeah, I think looking in Manhattan makes sense,” Worth says. “There will be more options. Boston doesn’t have the same commercial real estate turnover as New York.”
“But you said it yourself, you can get much bigger returns in Boston,” I interject quickly. I thought we’d been through this already, and I’d managed to convince them Boston was a better idea.
“I know, but managing it remotely is much more of a challenge,” Worth says.
“I’ve said that I’ll do all the in-person trips up there. Neither of you two ever need to see the place.”
“There’s no way we’re going to let you do that,” Poppy says.
I sigh. “I don’t mind.” I want them to stay away. I want Boston to be my baby. I know that Poppy and I worked our assess off on Hotel on Ninth Street, and I’m proud of what we’ve achieved and I’m so grateful to them both, particularly Worth. But I did it hip to hip with my sister, and with my brother’s checkbook. In so many ways it was amazing to work together as a family, but I’d like to prove to myself that I can succeed on my own. I want Boston to be the way I prove to Worth and Poppy that I’m capable. I’m not the baby anymore. Yes, I’d be using Worth’s money, but if they sat back a little more and I could run things, they might be able to see what I’m capable of.
“Why don’t you just let me see what I can do?” I say. “I can speak to the realtor, maybe try and get the seller back on board.”
“I don’t want this taking up any more of my time,” Worth says.