‘You sure you want to be here for this?’
The minute he ended the banter, wariness glimmered in her eyes and she placed the coffees on her desk, hesitating briefly as she caught sight of his laptop bag and her brows drew together in a frown.
‘Of course. This agency is as much a part of me as it is Pop, even though he owns it.’ She picked up a coffee and handed it to him. ‘Here. You better take this before I upend it all over you.’
‘Thanks. Jem said to call him once you got here.’
‘I need to ask you something.’ Her glance flicked to the door leading to the back room and her frown deepened. ‘Why us? Why this agency?’
The uncertainty and fear in her eyes slayed him. He wished he could tell her the truth, how important this acquisition was to him and why, but he couldn’t. He didn’t want to jinx his youth housing project before the deal was done. Not when it meant so much to so many. As for his expansion plans for emergency housing into regions like this one, he didn’t want a leak to get the locals’ hopes up before everything was properly funded.
‘This is business, Karly, and once you hear my pitch I’m sure you’ll be impressed.’
She rolled her eyes and muttered, ‘Not bloody likely,’ as she crossed the room and called out, ‘Hey, Pop, we’re ready.’
It gave him a moment to study her. She’d gone all out for this meeting, wearing a skirt suit the colour of ripe plums, with sheer black stockings and patent pumps with a three-inch heel. She’d fastened her hair in a low bun skimming the nape of her neck, and her makeup was flawless, her eyes dramatically smoky. He wondered if her appearance had been to ram home the professionalism of the agency, because he doubted in a town this size she dressed up like this every day. Then again, he’d learned early on in his career to never make assumptions. He preferred taking people at face value before delving deeper. Like his attraction to the headstrong woman before him.
‘Be right there,’ Jeremiah called out, and Hudson averted his gaze when she turned back to glare at him.
‘How long will this take? I have a client meeting in Serenity in an hour.’
‘Thirty minutes max,’ he said, sliding his laptop out of his bag and opening it. ‘I like to keep my presentations concise.’
‘I remember,’ she muttered, taking a seat at her desk, picking up his laptop case and deliberately letting it fall to the ground.
He snapped his fingers. ‘That’s right, I’ve already dazzled you with my presentation skills once before. You were so impressed at that conference you sought me out afterwards.’
Her eyes narrowed at his blatant lie. ‘As I recall, you sought me out because you’re the kind of guy who needs validation from his minions.’
‘Karly, you’re so far from a minion it’s not funny,’ he said, setting up his laptop on the small conference table in the corner of the office reserved for sealing deals with clients.
‘Stop teasing me, I’m not in the mood,’ she muttered, her grumbling as adorable as the rest of her as she folded her arms and slouched in her ergonomic chair. ‘And that’s on you, by the way.’
‘As if there was any doubt.’ He sat at the conference table and opened up his slide presentation. ‘So what do I need to do to get you in the mood?’
Her surprised gaze flew to his and he smirked, earning a flipped middle finger that had him chuckling. ‘You’re such a jerk.’
‘But you like me anyway.’
She didn’t have time to refute his claim because Jeremiah reentered the office, picked up his coffee and sat at the table on Hudson’s left. ‘Come on, Karly, join us,’ Jem said. ‘Let’s get this show on the road.’
Only a few metres separated Karly’s desk and the conference table, but the way she traversed them reminded him of a kid being dragged to the dentist for an extraction. There was nothing remotely funny about this situation because he didn’t like it when not all parties were in agreement with a deal, but for an inane moment he felt like laughing.
When Karly sat on his right, making sure she was half-swivelled away from him, he nudged the laptop away so they could all see the screen. ‘I’ve put sales graphs on a few slides, but for the most part of today I’d like to keep this informal and let you ask as many questions as you like.’
Jem nodded his encouragement. ‘Sounds good to me.’
Predictably, Karly remained tight-lipped.
Hudson started his pitch and for the next thirty minutes he outlined his plans for the agency, how proptech could benefit it, and what that would mean for the region. He was very careful not to disparage a business that had been open for decades; instead, he highlighted the agency’s good points and praised them for it. Their sales figures over the last eighteen months had been solid despite a shifting market. The proliferation of a virus that affected the world meant buyers from the city had flocked to regional areas and their steady growth meant he’d be taking on a profitable business.
Jem asked a few questions and when he’d answered them he saw the look that passed between Karly and her grandfather. Jem wanted to sell; Karly didn’t want anything to do with it. He needed to give them time to discuss and while he’d usually push for a decision on the spot, he knew enough about an agency this size, a family business, to know that wouldn’t work here.
‘Karly, I don’t know what your plans are, but you could stay on to oversee the new agency if you like.’ She glared at him like he’d be the last person she’d ever work for. ‘Anyway, I’ll leave you two to chat, but I need a decision by the end of the week at the latest.’ Hudson closed his laptop and stood, offering his hand to Jem. ‘Thanks for taking the time to listen to my pitch.’
‘It was excellent, young man.’ Jem shook his hand, eyeing him with respect. ‘With verbal skills like that, I reckon you must sell houses in Melbourne like Nev sells out of those quiches every day.’
Hudson smiled and held out his hand to Karly. She eyed it like a snake ready to strike before reluctantly giving it the briefest shake, and when her gaze met his, the depth of her sadness hit him like a kick in the guts.