Page 89 of Easy Reunion

I mutter, “Good to know. What’s the address?”

Callie rattles it off, and I begin typing. A blessed quiet descends on my office other than the clicking of my keyboard. A few minutes later, my printer’s whirling as I lean back in my chair. “Truthfully, there’s no real reason we can’t do it here in the office. Neither you nor Adam are employees of Bayou, and therefore the company holds no vested interest if your partnership fails…”

“Hey, I do!” Declan objects.

Both Eli and Callie hit him simultaneously in the arm.

“A legal vested interest, Declan. Callie isn’t married into the family yet, so therefore unless she and Adam want to spend a fortune on legal representation”—I shrug—“they can come down here, have the papers notarized in front of Vince and Carol, and be done in a few hours. All that has to be done is they mail them in.”

Eli smiles, wickedly. “I’ll pay for the stamp.”

We all start to laugh. “That’s generous of you, Ry. That wasn’t what I expected when we came in to ask. Truly, Adam and I were hoping for the name of someone you trusted,” Callie says.

“I trust me.” Pushing out of my chair, I extend my hand to shake hers. “Drop by tomorrow around lunch and we can get this settled.”

“Great. We’ll see you tomorrow, then.” Callie smiles at me brilliantly. It makes my heart ache; I haven’t seen Kelsey smile at me in days. It doesn’t help I haven’t been home, and when I have, I’ve been doing my damnedest trying to avoid her since the nightmare the other night.

Declan comes around to clap me on the shoulder. “Thanks, man. It is a huge lift knowing someone we all trust can help.”

I wave him off. “It’s nothing,” I start, but Eli interrupts. “It’s not nothing, Ry. It’s family. And once again, you’ve come through for us. We appreciate it.”

My lips quirk. “Good. Now get out of my office. My boss has been a jackass calling and asking when I’m going to give him reports.”

Eli growls. “When is marketing going to get their head out of their ass and get their reports to you on time?”

“Who said it was marketing?” I ask mildly just as Beau bursts through the door.

“Jesus Ry, thanks for covering. Here they are. Don’t tell…” He stops in his tracks as he sees his brothers standing there. He shrugs. “Shit, caught.” Strolling over, he hands me the hard copies of the reports I know are now waiting in my email.

I shake my head. “Thanks, Beau.”

“No problem. I hope you don’t have to stay too late.” He turns as if he didn’t just get visually skinned alive by his younger brother.

Declan says to Callie, “Now you know one of the many reasons I don’t work in the family business?” He wraps an arm around her shoulders.

“That and you’re a musical genius,” she agrees, snuggling close. The light catches off the edge of her ring.

“There’s that. Thanks again, Ry.” The two of them wave as they depart, leaving Eli fuming.

“A man puts down rules so employees aren’t struggling at the eleventh hour…”

“And something always goes wrong.” I drop back in my chair with the inch-thick folder Beau handed me. “Don’t worry about it.”

“Except you have your own life you need to go home to. You should send Kelsey flowers; this is her first time going through the quarterlies with us.”

“That idea holds merit. Look at you being all romantic.”

He strolls to the door. “Open or closed?”

“Closed. Otherwise, I won’t get a thing done.”

Just before he shuts it, Eli grins. “Ask Kate how I wooed her if you don’t believe I can be romantic.”

“Don’t think I won’t!” I yell through the door before I focus on the billions of dollars of contracts in front of me. Losing all track of time, I forget to send Kelsey flowers. I forget to call her to tell her I won’t be home for dinner.

In fact, the next time I see her, she’s curled into a ball on her side of the bed looking so small and defeated, my whole heart shrivels in my chest.

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