27
PARKER
Isabella marched into my office at the exact minute she said she’d be here. Her hair was back in a tight bun and she was in a white pant suit with a black turtleneck underneath it. All she needed was a string of pearls around her neck so she could clutch them when I inevitably said something she would admonish me for.
“Good morning,” she said stiffly. “Are you ready for today? The buyers will be here in twenty minutes.”
“Good morning, and I know.” I didn’t get up from behind my desk, waving her into the chair across from it that had become hers whenever we met in here. “Is there anything you want to go over again before they get here?”
She dipped her head into a firm, quick nod. “You’ve got the pitch down to an art, but today will be different since they’ll be here, observing the gym while you give it. It’s going to be a delicate balancing act. You’ll have to be aware of where their attention is focused at any given time, and you’re going to have to be able to adapt the pitch to make provision for questions that might arise as they walk through.”
“I can do that,” I said. “Adapting on the fly is much more my speed than reciting while standing still in front of the boardroom table, anyway.”
“Well, then I think the only thing left is to wait for them to get here. Do you have any questions for me before they do?”
I had questions alright, but I doubted they were the kind she was referring to since they were completely unrelated to the meeting. They were all about what the fuck had been going on with her since the wedding in Hawaii.
We’d been back from Maui for a week, and things had been so painfully awkward between us that even having her in here was like having a fingernail slowly drag down a chalkboard.Fucking excruciating.
On the surface, everything would seem fine to an outsider. The cool professionalism and brisk efficiency of our interactions would even seem normal. In a way, I suppose this was the relationship she’d wanted with me all along. I just didn’t know what had brought it on.
Once again, she was confusing the shit out of me and I had no idea what to do about it. While we’d continued to refine the pitch, she was spending the least possible amount of time with me. I didn’t even know why she was giving me the cold shoulder this time.
We’d been enjoying Hawaii and then, suddenly, she hadn’t been. Immediately after dinner at the wedding, she’d begged off, claiming that she had a pounding headache and rushing off back to our room.
Since I hadn’t been able to follow, considering that my duties for the night hadn’t been over yet, I’d spent the rest of the night worried about her and had taken the first chance I got to head back to the suite to check on her. When I’d arrived, her bedroom door had been closed and she hadn’t responded when I’d knocked softly.
Light had still been streaming from underneath her door, so I was pretty sure she’d been awake, but she’d ignored my pleas for her to answer me and she definitely hadn’t given me permission to enter when I’d asked if I could come in. Eventually, I’d given up and gone back to the reception.
When I’d woken up the next morning, there had been a text from her on my phone saying that she’d headed to the airport to catch an earlier flight home. On that Monday morning when I’d come in, she’d already been in her office but her door was closed and I could see her speaking on her phone through the windows.
I’d assumed we would talk about it once she was done with her call, but she never came to find me. Ever since, I only saw her when it was absolutely necessary, and when I did, she was frigid toward me.
In the days that had followed, I’d kept waiting for her to thaw, and when she didn’t, I’d decided it was time to put everything that had happened behind me. I was still annoyed at how things had ended in Maui, especially because I really didn’t know what I possibly could’ve done to deserve her treatment of me this time.
My mother had raised me to be a gentleman, but she’d also taught me to stand up for myself. To know my worth and that being a gentleman didn’t mean I had to lie down and let people walk all over me.
It felt like that was what Isabella was trying to do, to stomp all over me while she made up stupid random rules and expected me to stick to them while she got to pick and choose which ones she’d adhere to and when. I was sick of it. At this point, I just wanted to sell the damn business and move on.
It was crystal fucking clear to me that the only thing she cared about was work. Sure, she was obviously attracted to me, but as much as it pained me to even think it, I wasn’t up for sex on tap. Not with her.
All of which meant that today had to go well. If I could get these buyers to bite, Isabella’s job would be done and I could work on getting my head straight again without her around all the time to keep messing it back up.
Seven minutes before the buyers were set to arrive, I got up. “It would make a better impression if we were down there waiting when they arrive. You can make the introductions, but I’ll be fine on my own from there.”
Her eyes widened for a fraction of a second. Then she stood and followed me to the door. “They’ll expect me to be around since I’m the one who’s been in contact with them. I won’t say a word.”
I rolled my eyes, but my back was to her, so it was a safe bet that she didn’t see it. She didn’t need to say a word to throw me off my game, but she had a point about them possibly expecting her to be around. Deciding to play it by ear, I did up the button on my jacket and hoped like hell that this would be the last time we’d need to spend a day together.
Two minutes before the appointed time, a black limousine pulled into the parking lot.Huh? I thought people only used those for proms and weddings. Maybe for celebrities to be driven around while they got their freak on in the back.
Since I doubted the occupants were here to workout at the gym, they had to be the buyers we were waiting for. I stepped forward, feeling rather than seeing Isabella move with me. It was like I was somehow tethered to her, instinctively knowing whether she was there or not and, if she was, what she was doing.
Dismissing the ridiculous thought as soon as it hit, I scoffed quietly and focused on the vehicle making its final approach. A driver climbed out first, striding around the fancy car and opening the door for his bosses to climb out.
Regardless of whatever else I could say about Isabella, she truly was good at her job. She’d been vetting a whole different class of buyers from what I’d been looking at before, and she managed to get them to the table when I was pretty sure they’d have ignored any attempts by me to make contact.
Maybe that’s why she’s so focused on her career. She’s great at what she does, but not so good with people.