And yet, my role had very, very little to do with nailing the deal.
Charlie lets out a heavy breath, collapsing backwards in his chair. “That was a mess.”
“Are you kidding me?” I ask. “The biggest deal of the year, and you’re the one that just closed it! Is that really all that you have to say on the matter?”
“Yeah,” says Charlie, but he’s grinning at me like a cat that just ate the canary whole. His expression is bright, his eyes crinkled up at the edges. He leans forward finally, bracing one arm against the top of the table. “It looks like my connections ended up paying off after all. Sometimes, not settling down is a good thing.”
“Sure,” I tell him, shuffling my papers together and sliding them into my briefcase. “But you didn’t actually know that Zoey knew Mr. Hanshire when the two of you met. Don’t act like it was planned from the start.”
“You’ve got no idea the kind of plans I’m willing to make,” Charlie says, with a laugh. He stands up, starting to put his papers away too. “But you’re right. I didn’t. That doesn’t matter in the end.”
“It doesn’t.” I agree.
Charlie is good at making connections. He’s a people person. He always has been. And even though his connections aren’t formed in the way that mine and Don’s are, they still end up paying off in the end.
Zoey put a good word in for Charlie. And in the end, Charlie was able to convince Mr. Hanshire that we are the right team to handle his account.
Finally, my father gets up. He clears his throat, stepping around the edge of the table and over to where Charlie is standing. It’s the moment where everything is either going to come to a head or finally fix itself. My father and Charlie stand there, staring each other down. There’s no Cheryl or Ashley to help smooth things over—and I know that me getting involved is just going to make things worse.
Whatever my father is thinking, it needs to be said. They’ll never be able to be around each other otherwise.
And then—Don reaches out, and he claps Charlie on the shoulder. “You did a good job, son. I’m proud of you.”
Four little words, but my brother looks like he’s just won the lottery.
When was the last time Don said something like that to him? Shit, I don’t remember. It’s been a really long time, that’s for sure.
My father is not the most sentimental man in the world, and he doesn’t linger after that. I don’t think he or Charlie know how to carry on from there. Don simply turns and gathers his things, and though my brother is struggling not to look like a little boy at Christmas, he still wears a smile the whole time that we gather our things.
I know that going forward, our company is going to be able to expand even more. With myself at the helm and Charlie forming the connections that we need, I have no doubt that we’re soon going to find Denfied Global exploding in the market.
We move through our closing procedures, passing along the information that we’ve gathered. And then we turn and head out, going our separate ways. I don’t know what Charlie heads off to do, but I’m content to go back to the hotel and find my fiancée, my real fiancée.
She’s done a good job at getting the place cleaned up, our belongings packed together once more. “Your mother already called and said that we were leaving tomorrow. How does it feel to have closed a deal out as the CEO?”
“Charlie’s the one that tied all the loose ends together, actually,” I say. “We wouldn’t have gotten that deal without him.”
“You’re still the new CEO, Mr. Humble” Ashley titters. “I bet you did a great job.”
“We all did,” I say. “But I’m still ready to go home. I don’t know about you, but I could go for a dip in the lake right about now.”
“Yes,” Ashley says, eagerly. She gestures at the bags. “We’re all ready to go. Your mother says that the flight out is going to be early, and she’ll send you the information for it later. I love London, but I’m a little tired of the big city.”
I hum, stepping out onto the balcony. “How do you feel about traveling more? Now that I’m the CEO, I’ll be doing a lot more of these meetings.”
“I’ll happily come along for all of them,” says Ashley.
“Perfect, and once you start your career in fashion journalism, we can combine work trips. And you can write from anywhere just like my mom.” I tell her. She leans in for a hug resting her head on my chest and then she looks up, mesmerizing me with the ocean blues in her eyes. “I love that idea.”
We lean against the railing at the side of the balcony, looking over the city. “What do you think your dad’s going to say about these rings?”
“I think that he’ll be happy,” says Ashley. A brilliant smile settles on her face. I think it’s the best look that she’s got, smiling like that. It’s honest and bright. “And I know that my sister is going to love them. She’s going to spend the next month talking about these rings, I just know it!”
I laugh. “I hope that it works out exactly the way you want. Charlie’s got my parents off his back now. Your sister deserves that, too.”
“Heather’s going to get it,” Ashley says, with a firm nod of her head. “I know that this is going to help things for her. And you and I get to be happy too.”
“You are, then? Happy, I mean.” I ask. Even though she said yes this morning, and even though Ashley is the one who first decided that she wanted this to be more than just a long-con, I still want to make sure of it. I want to hear her say it.