Page 68 of Falling for Raine
You’re a good man, G. The best.
Was I?
No, and I was bloody miserable without him. My bed was too big, too empty. My house was too quiet. The toothbrush I’dgiven him taunted me every morning and every night.Why isn’t he here? What kind of idiot sends someone like that away?A hopeless one.
I’d survived the past week on caffeine and willpower, churning out inspirational speeches to worried employees, assuring them that we were solidly positioned to weather a loss. I liked to think it was working. Everyone was cautiously chipper and I assumed my invitation to Julia’s going-away party at a local pub was a sign that they still believed in me.
I’d never been invited to happy hours or birthday celebrations, and that was more than okay by me. But Julia was my assistant, and under the present circumstances, it seemed wise to show my face. So I did.
And yes, I secretly hoped Raine would be there.
Bernadette told me he’d been invited, which made sense. Julia adored him. Hell, my entire company adored him. I stood awkwardly on the outside of conversations, holding a pint with my eyes fixed on the door. But he hadn’t shown up.
I heard later that he’d started a new job as a research assistant for a respected historian. My heart swelled with pride for him. I thought about texting a quick congratulations. That should have been easy enough, but my fingers felt like sausages on my keyboard and I struggled with words.
Could I congratulate him without adding “I miss you like mad and I can’t fucking cope”? I wasn’t brave enough to test it, so I put my phone down and prayed the hole in my chest would close.
It wasn’t working. And it was just as well. Nothing had changed. I was still me, and nothing about me was good for someone like Raine.
Dealing with the fallout from M and C and planning our next conquest filled space in my diary, but there was a river of vastnothingness in the unaccounted minutes. I wondered if it had always been there and I simply hadn’t noticed until…Raine.
I thanked the reporter for her time, posed for a photo as per their request, and politely retreated to my office, where I commenced staring at the sunlight dancing on the Thames below me.
Buzz buzz.
“I’m so sorry to disturb you, sir. Gilbert Blower is on the line,” Bernadette said. “He’s insisting to speak with you.”
I furrowed my brow. “What does he want?”
“He wouldn’t say. Shall I ask him to leave a message?”
“No, it’s all right.”
“Are you sure?” Bernadette asked worriedly.
“Aye.”
I stared at the blinking red light for a beat before adjusting my ear piece and pushing the button. “What can I do for you, Gil?”
“Absolutely nothing. I was hoping for a chance to gloat. You didn’t get what you wanted and I must say, it feels incredibly satisfying to put you in your place.” He cackled.
“Right.”
“Your stock is still down five percent, but that’s improvement over the bath you took last week, so you have that going for you.” He tsked. “It took a year to convince my board that you weren’t a good option. But your reputation is good and tattered now. It pleases me more than I can say to play the long game you’re so fond of and win.”
“I bet,” I replied calmly.
He barked an evil sounding laugh. “In a chess match, this, my apprentice, would be checkmate. You’re a survivor, I’ll give you that. I’m sure you’ll come out swinging. In fact…if you were smart, you’d consider countering the American offer for say…anadditional five million pounds? The board might approve, and you might save your plummeting stock.”
He really was a complete and utter prick.
I huffed. “Really?”
“Yes, really. The contract hasn’t been signed. You might just wiggle your way in and save the day after all.”
“And erase your thrilling win?”
“Oh, no, I still win. I’m retiring early with more money than I thought I’d rake in from this sale and a few million richer if you renew your offer. I’m going to buy myself a French château and drink Bordeaux all day while you work yourself silly, satisfied in the knowledge you were buggered in a way you wouldn’t quite enjoy.”