by Jean Oram
Connor nodded, his heart sinking. They had truly believed he wouldn’t take time to come to the wedding. He thought back to who he’d been two and a half weeks ago. Chances were he would have missed the flight, cramming one more thing into his day. Then he would have come on a red-eye and barely made it to everything on time, his mind still stuck behind his desk in Toronto.
“Have you been working out?” Roberta asked.
He nodded. “A bit. I took some time off.”
“Well, it’s good for you. You look less like death warmed up and served on dry toast. I was starting to worry about you.” She gave him an affectionate tap on the arm and turned her attention to one of her bridesmaids, who was whispering something in Roberta’s ear, assessing Connor. They were talking about him.
He fidgeted with the flute of champagne in front of him. Roberta wasn’t the only one who’d been worried about him. He’d met with his doctor yesterday before catching his flight, and while he had permission to go back part-time, Connor knew he wasn’t out of the woods. If he returned to CME he’d get sucked back into it all, and in a matter of weeks he’d be back in that ER. But without CM Enterprises, who was he? What would he do with his days? What could he do so he didn’t keel over?
Curtis swept his new wife onto the dance floor and Connor watched as they smiled and kissed, wrapped up in each other’s world. That’s what was missing from his life. That was what he needed. Someone like Maya to be his other half and lighten his life. She gave him heck all the time and was pushy, but he liked it. She knew what she wanted, and wasn’t going to turn into some vapid trophy wife just because of who he was. She’d do things that mattered and keep him on his toes, forcing him continually to be a better man.
The bridesmaid moved to sit beside him, her eyelids doing some strange batting thing that he figured was supposed to turn him on. He gave her a tight smile and focused on the dancers.
She walked her fingers up his arm. “Wanna dance?” She gave him an expectant look and he knew he’d be rude not to accept. But if he did it would lead to her being all over him for the rest of the night, and he really wasn’t in the right headspace for that kind of company. Unless it was Maya.
How had she gotten to him so easily?
“I’m sorry, I don’t think my girlfriend would appreciate that.”
The woman glanced over Connor’s shoulder. “She’s not here, though, is she?”
“She is not.”
The bridesmaid pulled on his hand. “Then what she doesn’t know won’t hurt her.”
“No, but it might hurt me.” He offered her his untouched glass of champagne, and she accepted it with disappointment. Connor scanned the room and finally pointed to a man near the back who was watching them. “I think there’s someone over there hoping you will notice him.”
“Who?” She turned, her eyes round with curiosity.
“He’s been eyeing you.”
She spun abruptly, putting her back to the man. “Really? Do you know his name?”
“Drink up and go find out for yourself.”
She did as he suggested, her dress flouncing in a way that reminded Connor of Maya’s niece. Saving her from the falling tree felt like forever ago. His mind drifted to the cottage bathroom, where he’d helped Maya doctor herself. He’d been such a broken husk. But was he any different now? Had he changed enough that he could finally be the man she deserved?
Sighing, he realized she probably wouldn’t see it that way, and that woman saw everything.
He laughed as his brother swept Roberta into a deep dip, pretending to drop her. Connor missed this―being able to be present at an event without feeling as though he was about to lose his company if he didn’t go check his email or texts. He missed people. Not everything needed to be about work all the time. But he still needed something the business world could give him. Something only James could deliver.
Connor sat at the large conference table and clasped his hands together. As long as James played his right cards, Connor was going to walk away a free and happy man.
Em, her moves edgy, offered the two men coffee. Connor waved her away, but James, bags under his eyes, accepted.
“Do you want me to stay and take notes?” Em asked Connor.
“No, that’s fine. I just wanted to chat with James and get up to speed.”
James and Em frowned. The conference room was considered neutral turf, and the only time Connor met with an employee for a “chat” in here, it led to either a pink slip or a severe reprimand. The fact that Connor’s second advisor, Bill, was not present made it more clear something was about to go down.
“How’s…” Connor snapped his fingers as though he was still burned out, and unable to pull up his other assistant’s name. “Stella?”
“Fine,” Em replied. “She can come back to work on Wednesday.”
“I had Accounting send her a bonus this morning. Can you be sure she gets it?”
“Yes, sir.”
“You’ll get one, too. I appreciate all you do around here.”
Em blushed as she nodded, whispering a “thanks” as she exited the room.
Connor, making sure his shoulders seemed weighted by fatigue, returned his attention to James, who was sitting at the other end of the table looking unsure, but also expectant.
“I want to thank you for taking care of the place while I was gone, James. I know it couldn’t have been easy, with me pulling the plug on myself in the middle of a deal.”
James cleared his throat and shook his head with vigor. “It was no problem, really.”
“Well, I want you to know that I appreciate it. And this latest deal with the lumberyard, which you managed to close yesterday, was a good idea. I was looking at the papers and how much it increased the valuation of CM Enterprises.”
James smiled, pleased.
“You’ve done a lot for me over the past year, in particular.” When his advisor nodded, his chest expanding, Connor added, “And so I would like to make you an offer.”
James leaned forward, hungry for details.
“I know you’ve been interested in having a larger stake in the company for some time.”
“Yes, yes I have. I think I would do an amazing job with more control.”
“How much would you like?”
James’s greed practically turned him green. “As much as you are comfortable giving.”
“I was thinking fifty percent.”
He grinned and leaned back like a fat cat. “That would be fantastic.”
“Or maybe you’d prefer to have majority control here?”
“What do you mean?” James’s voice was breathless.
“Buy the company.” Connor leaned back, hands folded behind his head.
“Buy the company?”
“Outright. You’ve done an amazing job, and your projections show that within five years you’ll be rolling in it. It’s a good time to buy.”
“Why are you selling?” James licked his lips twice, a tell that he was nervous.
Connor laughed. “Have you seen me this past month? I can’t even remember my own name. I’m not the king any longer and it’s burning me out trying to be. I’m done, man. I’m tired. You do a much better job of balancing things. That’s why I thought of you first. You are truly the new, uncrowned, king.”
James swallowed hard, sitting a little straighter with the compliment and the hint that Connor might sell to someone else if he didn’t grab the opportunity. “And what is the offer, exactly?”
“Purchase outright at your recent valuation.”
“My recent…” James cleared his throat. He blinked, licked his lips.
“Yes. I trust your valuation. If the past is any indicator, it’s probably conservative. Since it is your valuation, you know exactly what you are getting and, man…” Connor smiled and shook his head. “I can’t believe I am even thinking of selling this place. It’s been my everything for so long.” He spread his palms flat on the table, rounding his shoulde
rs as though in resignation. “But I can see how I’m in your way. You are the new king and it’s time for me to step aside and let you shine.”
James grew in his chair, shoulders straightening. “Yeah. Yeah, maybe.”
“You in full control? Look out, world. Corner office. Fortune magazine calling you. Man, I must be crazy.” Connor shook his head as though he couldn’t believe it. He gave James a moment to imagine it all, then leaned forward. “So? What do you say? Are you in?”
James nodded hesitantly, his eyes drifting to the large windows along the wall. “I’m not sure about the value…”
“Why? Is something wrong?” Connor made himself tamp his anger under a large weight, knowing one false move and he’d be stuck, not James, the man who needed to pay for his betrayal out of his own wallet.
Connor had checked the paperwork when he got back from Curtis’s wedding, and James had come out ahead on the past three deals, whereas CM Enterprises had not. James was the real reason Connor was so burned out. He’d been paddling a ship his advisor had been poking holes into. Now it was time for James to buy the damaged ship.
Connor grinned internally. Either way, James was caught. He couldn’t turn down the offer without showing how he’d become corrupt, and if he bought it, he was stuck with his own bad deals. Thank goodness for Maya and her threat to take James to court. No matter which way he moved he was screwed. Connor just hoped the man’s pride made him move in Connor’s favor for once.
“No, nothing’s wrong.” His advisor stared at the shiny tabletop.
“Is it a fair price?” Connor asked. “Should we investigate it further? Maybe there’s something that has been overlooked?” He reached for the telephone sitting in the middle of the table.
Anger radiated off James. But he stood and clenched Connor’s hand, shaking it as he practically growled, “We have a deal, Connor.”
“Legal has the contract ready for you to sign. Shall we go over there now?”
Connor made James be the one to break eye contact and pull his hand away first, as well as exit the room.
Oh, yes. Connor was still king.
Maya basked on a rock on the top of the island, the morning sun warming her bones. It had been a cool night in the cottage and now the sun was out to show her it was still summer.
Her phone rang and she answered it. The entrepreneurs.
“Maya, we’ve run into a glitch.”
“Are you freaking kidding me?” How many fires did she have to put out with this stupid project?
“The licensing is fine. It’s all set, thank you. But the distributor we wanted to use experienced a major flood, and now it’s looking like everything is going to be delayed by months. They said they’d let us out of our contract, but time is so short and—”
“I get the picture. I can tell you’re feeling a bit anxious and stressed, but we’ll figure this out, okay?” Connect, connect, connect.
Son of a…
How were they going to sort this out? She was going to have to call in favors from people she didn’t even know. Again. And lately, it felt as though every time she turned around she was asking someone to cover her butt and make it happen, because she’d messed up somewhere. How did she ever think she could get this device out into the real world?
“You know what?” she said. “I might know somebody. It’s a long shot. Really long, but I can ask.”
“Maya. You are a godsend.”
“I’ll call you back, okay?”
She hung up and rang Steve from Roundhouse Distributions, hoping he’d recall who she was.
“Hi, Steve? It’s Maya Summer, the girl with the taxi in Toronto.”
“Wow. How’d you know I needed a ride downtown?”
Maya laughed. “Sorry, I’m unable to take a fare right now, but I actually had a distribution question for you. Do you have a moment?”
“Sure.”
Maya explained what she needed. “So, I’m not certain if you can help, or point me in the right direction? We’ve ended up in a bit of a time crunch.”
“I’m actually heading to a meeting right now with a distributor who might be able to help you out. I can ask.”
Maya stared at her phone. If this was what everyone was talking about with the whole connections thing, then it was simply the coolest thing ever.
“That would be amazing. Thank you.”
“No problem. Loving the Twitter jokes, by the way.”
“I’m glad.” Maya grinned at the sky. The Twitter jokes. She’d forgotten about the odd joke she’d been tweeting to him here and there. She had been connecting and maintaining their link without even realizing it. “Thanks, Steve. So much, really. I appreciate it.”
He let out a laugh. “I only said I’d ask. I can’t promise what they’ll say.”
“I know, but thank you just the same.”
She happily lowered her phone, feeling more hope than she had in ages. Listen, pause, reflect and connect. She and Connor could write a business book, because Snap was officially back in business. Too bad Connor was more interested in being corrupt, because she had a feeling they could make a lot of money as a team.
15
Connor rolled over, bed sheets tangling around his legs as he scratched himself. Hmm. Something interesting was happening there. He looked under the covers and grinned. He was back. Connor the King MacKenzie was back.
Jumping out of bed, he dressed quickly and shot out the door of his penthouse to finalize the papers with James. Two more hours and he’d be free.
He sent a quick text to Tristen in Muskoka, giving him the go-ahead on a project they’d been working on. Today was the first day of the rest of Connor’s life. A real life.
He strolled into his building—his for only another few hours, as he’d ensured James would take immediate possession. If James was going to have a bit of financial suffering, then the least Connor could do was expedite it.
Dappled light filtered in through the lobby’s dusty side windows, and he couldn’t wait to get out of the city.
A few hours later, he hurried back through the lobby, the few things he wanted to take with him tucked under one arm, Daphne’s sunflower painting in the other.
The security guard glanced up and, recognizing him, shouted a hello. “Hey! Is it true that you’re selling the place?”
“Already did it. I’m a free man.” If he didn’t have full arms, Connor would have spread them out to do a spin in the middle of the lobby. Within hours the money would be in his account and he’d be rich. Dirty, filthy stinkin’ rich. Well, until he completed the projects he had lined up with Tristen. That was going to skim a little off the top of his nest egg, but it would be well worth it.
Climbing into his Lexus, he headed toward Muskoka. He wondered how Maya’s entrepreneur project was going. Had she given up when Nolan hadn’t been able to deliver? Had she carried on by finding another way? Seeing as his name was on the contract, Connor should probably check in with her. Plus it was a very good excuse to see the woman who had been haunting his dreams.
Tapping the steering wheel, he sang along to the radio, knowing he could finally love Maya in all the ways he’d wanted to since the night in the boathouse. Only two steps away from happiness, and the man he was meant to be.
Connor stood on Nymph Island’s dock and stared up at the large green cottage. He turned to the water taxi. “If I don’t come down in ten minutes, assume you are free to go.”
The man nodded, folding the bills Connor had given him.
The cottage was quiet, but that didn’t mean Maya wasn’t there. He climbed the path, marveling at how he had energy and even a bit of pep, and was only slightly winded by the time he stood on the veranda. Not bad. Not bad at all. This place had been good for him. Magical, even.
The cottage was open and he went inside, calling Maya’s name.
No answer. He began checking rooms, including his old one. He still had stuff in there. Maya hadn’t packed it up and chucked it. What did t
hat mean?
Noticing the battery was running low for the cottage’s power system, he rolled up his shirtsleeves and checked the wires from the solar panels. Something was funky with this system, judging how Maya kept fiddling with it. The wires all appeared to be in order, so he checked the battery’s water levels. All good. Probably just old.
Feeling as though he should do something to ensure Maya had what she needed out here, he bent over the generator. It required that adjustment she’d been tinkering with the other week. He headed back into the cottage and grabbed the toolbox from under the sink, then returned to the generator and began fiddling with it until he had the machine running smoothly. He straightened his back and stared straight into the blue eyes that had been haunting him since the night he’d left for Italy. Maya.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“Giving your generator a quick tune-up. It’ll use less gas. I think you probably need a new battery, though.”
She let out a “humph!” and continued past him, into the building, the door slapping behind her. He carried the tool kit over to where the hinge was coming out of the old wood frame and fixed that, too.
Maya appeared on the other side of the screen, hands on her hips. “What are you doing?”
“Fixing the door. Don’t open it for a few hours. The glue needs to dry.”
“When’d you become a handyman?”
“I grew up in an old house.”
“Why are you here?”
“I was wondering how the entrepreneur project was coming along. I thought I should check in, but I got distracted by a few things that had been bugging me during my stay.”
Maya’s shoulders relaxed and she laid a hand on the screen door.
“Other exit!” He placed his own palm on his side of the door, keeping it closed, their flesh separated by nothing more than a thin slice of wood.
She stared at him for a moment, then slowly lowered her hand and turned away as though she’d been rejected. After a moment, he heard the screen door off the kitchen slam shut. There was so much to tell her that he didn’t know where to start. It didn’t help that she was using her poker face with him.