archer
Knowing that Hollie is gone seems to make the rest of my day drag exponentially more than it would otherwise. She’s right, there’s always plenty of work that needs to get done around here, but I wanted her to have some time to get ready for this evening. Besides, I know for a fact that she didn’t get much sleep last night.
Waking up with her beside me this morning filled me with a deep sense of contentment I didn’t know I needed. As the sun was rising in the sky, I watched her sleep next to me, her head on my chest with her fist tucked underneath her chin like a child’s.
I’ve never met a woman like Hollie before. Certainly not one that makes me feel the way she does. I’ve never been particularly interested in other women beyond the time we spent together in the bedroom. With Hollie, I want to know everything about her. I want to know her dreams and make them happen, her fears and vanquish them. I’m ready to go all in with her and I never thought that was possible for me.
I’m getting ready to leave and head home to shower and change when Richard comes bursting into my office without knocking. There’s an air of chaotic energy around him, his face a particularly unappealing shade of scarlet.
“What’s wrong, Richard?” I set the papers I was collecting back onto the surface of my desk, bracing for whatever bad news he’s about to dump on me.
“It’s over. It’s all fucking over,” he huffs out, pacing in front of my desk.
“What’s over?” I ask, my eyes tracking his movements, back and forth, back and forth.
“The goddamn Santa Cruz deal, that’s what!”
“What the fuck are you talking about?”
“Caroline DuPont’s people never got our proposal.”
A quick glance at my wristwatch shows me it’s already almost 4 p.m. Long past the deadline.
“That’s not possible.” I reach down to pick up the receiver of my desk phone, but Richard puts his hand on mine to stop me. It’s not like I would know who to call, anyway. That’s what I have Hollie for.
“I’m sorry, Archer. I’ve already spoken to her people. They never received it. All the copies were delivered on time to their destinations, but not hers. I had my assistant call FedEx and they can’t even find an envelope originating from us going anywhere in California. How did you send them out?”
“I gave them all to Hollie to send out yesterday. All the others made it to where they were supposed to go, so she must have sent them.” I sit back in my chair and cover my face with my hands. What an absolute shit show.
How could something like this happen? If I hadn’t been so caught up with thoughts about Hollie today, I would have remembered to check they were all delivered. Hell, Hollie would have been sitting right out there at her desk checking without me even having to ask. Instead, I sent her home so she can get ready for me to show her off tonight.
“Here’s what you needs to do,” he says, “you’re going to call Caroline DuPont. Explain to her that there was some kind of mail mix-up, see if she’s willing to take the offer from us past the deadline. It might be helpful if we bring a signed copy to her tonight. That’s not a bad idea actually, I can get the plane on standby and—”
“No.”
“Excuse me?” Richard looks up at me incredulously, like I’ve sprouted a second head.
“No,” I say again. This time with a sense of finality. I don’t want to go running down to Santa Cruz tonight for a business deal. I want to take Hollie to the charity dinner and spend the entire night with her. And later I want to make her scream my name.
Yes, I’m upset about the proposal not getting in but… it’s not the end of the world. I can’t believe I ever thought it would be.
I’ll call Caroline DuPont tomorrow and see if there is something we can work out. We’ve developed a mutual respect for one another, and my proposal has to be one of the few that may truly benefit Santa Cruz. There’s a good chance we can still do business together. And if not? My eye catches on the worn key with the teal diamond key chain that’s been sitting tucked under my monitor all day. If not, then that would be alright too.
This project was—no, still is—important to me. But I’m not only looking to the past anymore. I had wonderful times in Santa Cruz and even if I never own a hotel in the entire city, there is nothing that can change that. Nothing can take away the memories of those carefree days I spent as a child with my parents sitting on the bungalow porch.
I pick up the key, feeling the weight in my hand. That’s what Hollie was trying to tell me when she gave me this. Even if I buy the land and put a Clarke Hotel there, it won’t make my time there any more special. It was wonderful, but it’s in the past. I have to concentrate on creating new memories.
Sure, if I can’t get Mrs. DuPont to take the late offer, the board won’t be thrilled, but they’ll get over it. They were never totally sold on the idea of having a Santa Cruz resort, anyway. No matter which way my conversation goes with Caroline DuPont tomorrow, everything will be fine. Plus, I’ll have Hollie by my side.
“Richard,” I sigh, raising out of my chair, gathering my things. “Go home and tell Flora I said hi. There’s nothing else we can do tonight. I’ll call Caroline tomorrow and see what I can work out.”
“Who are you and what have you done with Archer?”
“Funny. I just don’t see it as anything that needs to ruin our Friday night. It’s nothing that can’t be handled later.”
Richard practically chokes on what I can only assume is his own saliva. “Wasn’t it you who told me a few weeks ago that a Friday night was no reason not to work?”
“Things have changed.” I laugh and head out the door, leaving Richard where he’s sitting.