Mine Would Be You_A Bad Boy Rancher Love Story

by Ali Parker

  “Wow,” I said, looking over his shoulder. “That looks amazing.

  “It sure does.” Elon shook his head. “You are damn talented, brother. I wouldn’t change a thing. How about you, Amanda?”

  I looked down at the work and put my hand to my chin, scanning every inch of it. I had to admit, this man was more talented than anyone on the staff. His work was impeccable. I shook my head, not seeing anything that needed tweaking.

  “No,” I said, shrugging my shoulders. “This is absolutely perfect. You have a serious talent for this. We could really use a guy like you on our team.”

  “It’s no use.” Elon chuckled. “I’ve been trying for years to recruit his ass, but he’s stubborn as hell.”

  “Well, if you’re even half as talented at your current job as you are with technical graphics, then you’ll have no problem moving up,” I said.

  “That’s not even the technical part.” Elon laughed.

  “It’s not.” Marcus chuckled. “This is.”

  He pulled out the second board and showed us the measurement sizes of everything on there. It was right down to the decimal, so the client would know how to change it up to fit whatever project he was initiating. I was definitely blown away.

  “And I appreciate the praise,” he said. “But I was just doing a favor for Elon. He’s a good guy, and he’s been my best friend for a long time.”

  “Thank you,” Elon said, patting his shoulder.

  I stood back and smiled, watching the two of them going over the details of what he did. Elon was a good guy. I knew that even before I wanted to admit it to myself. It was nice, though, hearing it from someone else. It cemented that fact in my mind, reminding me I shouldn’t feel guilty for having a good time with him the night before. Everything in my life was starting to look up, and though I knew that going out on a date with the owner of the company might not be the wisest decision, I wasn’t in the mood that day to second-guess myself. I deserved to be around a good guy for once, it had been a really long time since anyone like that had been interested in me.

  “So, we need to get this to the team,” Elon said. “They’re going to lose their minds.”

  “I agree.” I laughed.

  “Well, that is my cue,” Marcus said, standing up. “Let me know if you need anything else.”

  “Thank you, man,” Elon said, hugging him again.

  “Yes,” I said, shaking his hand. “Thank you so much for this. You really saved the day.”

  “It was my pleasure, and good luck. Let me know how it all turns out,” he said, glancing back at Elon.

  “You know I will,” he said with a smile before looking over at me. “Why don’t you call everyone in here?”

  “Perfect,” I said, smiling.

  I walked out into the pit area and took in a deep breath, watching everyone hard at work. In that moment right there, I loved my job for the first time in a very long time. It was all coming together, and I couldn’t imagine anything getting in the way.

  “Attention, everyone. If you could put a hold on what you’re doing for just a sec and meet us in the conference room, that would be great,” I said, waving everyone in that direction.

  I stood there at the door watching as the team filed into the room. They all took their seats, and Elon walked over to the center. Just as he started to talk, my phone went off in my pocket. I pulled it out and didn’t recognize the number. I held it up to him and snuck out the door, closing it behind me. Every time a random number popped up on my phone, my stomach dropped, worrying that something had happened to my mother.

  “Hello?” I said.

  “Is this Miss Taylor?”

  “Yes, it is,” I replied.

  “Miss Taylor, this is recruiting over at Diamond Marketing,” he said.

  “Yes,” I replied, knowing they were one of the top in the city. “How can I help you?”

  “We have been doing some intensive research on you for weeks now, and we really like what you’ve shown as strengths,” he said. “We have heard of some possible turmoil inside Truitt, and we thought this would be a good time to reach out to you. We have an ads manager position opening up soon and void any unforeseen complications with your resumé, we would like to offer you the position here with us.”

  “Without an interview?”

  “We would hold one for technical purposes, but in reality, we have heard and seen what you can do,” he said.

  “Wow,” I replied, glancing through the glass at Elon.

  “You know, I’m happy here at Truitt,” I said.

  “We could double your salary,” he replied.

  “Wow,” I said. “Uhm, I don’t know what to say. This is all kind of out of the blue.”

  “I apologize for that,” he said. “We had you on our list for recruitment and were going to take our time bringing you in, but the position is going to be needed as soon as the current manager leaves. It became a time crunch. Unfortunately, these things happen a lot in this business.”

  “That I know all too well,” I chuckled. “Listen, I am in the middle of a meeting, but I want to take a bit and think about it. Can I call you back with an answer?”

  “Of course,” he said. “But we will need an answer by tomorrow. We need to move on this, and you were our first point of contact.”

  “I understand,” I said. “Can I call you back on this number?”

  “Yes, my name is Eric,” he said.

  “Thank you, Eric. I’ll talk with you tomorrow,” I said, hanging up the phone.

  I stood there for a second with the phone in my palm, completely at a loss for what to say or think about this. I liked working for Truitt Marketing, but doubling my salary could mean a whole new life for all of us. I shoved the phone back in my pocket and shook the haze away. I just needed to get through the rest of the day and then take time and think about it.

  I opened the door and walked in as Elon was revealing the work Marcus had done. The entire staff was completely speechless, and then the excitement took over. Elon explained every change, every markup, and every detail of the technical sheet.

  “That is amazing,” Dalton said. “You need to hire this man.”

  “I wish.” Elon laughed. “It was a favor by a good friend. He’s actually in the technology business, not the marketing business.”

  I quietly closed the door behind me and stared at Elon smiling at laughing with the team. I knew immediately that I couldn’t put this off until the next day. I needed to talk to Elon about it because he deserved to know. I needed him to tell me what I should do, but I knew it wasn’t going to go that way.

  Chapter 21

  Elon

  “As long as the editors and artists don’t find anything wrong with the work, we’ll be presenting these to the client on Friday,” Elon said. “Of course, after you guys put your magical finishing touches on it. I will get the disk copied and sent out to everyone with the hard version for you to put on your computers.”

  “Do you like it?” One of the employees asked.

  “I love it,” I said. “You guys have gone above and beyond, and I couldn’t be prouder to be part of your team.”

  “You’re not too bad yourself,” someone shouted out, making everyone laugh.

  “That means a lot to me.” I laughed. “This has been a project that’s very near and dear to me. We’ve worked for years to get Cartier on board, and I have no doubt in my mind that he won’t be incredibly impressed with everything you’ve done here. I’m sure everyone involved will quickly see that we’re more than just a marketing company. We are the marketing company.”

  I glanced over at the door as Amanda came back into the room. I couldn’t let this meeting go by without giving her due credit. None of it would be possible without her, and I was more than lucky to be working alongside her. I reached out and pulled her up to the front, ignoring her attempt to brush me off.

  “I want to say something about Amanda, though,” I said. “When I walked into this de
partment and told her we would be working on this project together, she did more than retort. She didn’t do it for her or for her job, but she did it to protect her team. She does everything thinking about not just the client but you guys as well. She was the one who knocked me down a peg, who showed me what it took to be a real leader. Without her, I know this project would never even have gotten off the ground. You guys have a truly amazing leader in Amanda, and I have to say she is the base for everything we’ve accomplished.”

  “Oh.” She chuckled as everyone cheered. “Thank you, but it’s really not necessary. You guys are the best team I’ve ever worked with. I gave you direction, but you took it from there and you rocked it. I’m not sure I deserve any of the credit.”

  “She’s modest too,” Dalton hollered out, making everyone laugh.

  “That, she is,” I said with a smile, looking down at Amanda.

  I could tell she was forcing a smile, trying to hide whatever was wrong with her. I could see right through it, though, and I tilted my head, wondering what could have possibly happened since she walked out of the conference room. I patted her on the back and smiled suspiciously at her before turning back to the team.

  “All right,” I said, clapping my hands together. “Why don’t you guys look over these boards, and Dalton, would you start cranking out copies of the template?”

  “Sure will, boss,” he said.

  “I’ll be back, but feel free to go back to work whenever you’re ready,” I said. “And great job, people. We are in the home stretch.”

  Everyone started talking excitedly to one another, and I turned my back to them, facing Amanda. She looked up at me and then down to the floor, and I could tell she was holding something back. I wasn’t sure what it was, but I was instantly worried about her.

  “Are you all right?” I whispered.

  “Not really,” she said, shaking her head.

  “Come on,” I said, taking her by the arm. “Let’s go to my office and talk.”

  “Okay,” she said, walking with me.

  We crossed through the empty pit and up into my office. She walked ahead of me, and I shut the door behind us, nervous as to what she might be telling me. I couldn’t think of anything that could have gone wrong with this project, not after the boards that Marcus brought to us. She surely wouldn’t have known anything coming from the board before I did.

  “Sit down,” I said kindly. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

  “I feel like it,” she said, shaking her head.

  “Okay, so what’s going on?” I asked.

  “I got a call at the beginning of the meeting,” she said. “It was from Diamond Marketing. They are the number one firm in the city.”

  “I know who they are,” I said. “Their CEO and I, we don’t get along very well.”

  “Well, then you are going to be even more upset than I originally anticipated,” she said, rubbing her hands together. “It was a member of their recruitment team. He said they’ve been watching me for months. They said they planned on pulling me in to talk to me about a future with their company, but now they’ve lost their ads manager. They offered me the position over the phone, and they’re telling me they’ll double my salary, no questions asked. They said there’s health insurance for all dependents and everything I would need.”

  “What?” I said, sitting up in my chair. “And you didn’t apply to their company?”

  “No,” she said, sitting forward. “I had no interest in leave Truitt Marketing. I never put out any applications. I guess they heard of my work and have seen the ads we’ve been putting out.”

  “This is unbelievable,” I said, shaking my head.

  “I don’t think it is. I’m pretty good at my job,” she said with a bit of irritation in her voice.

  “That’s not what I meant,” I said. “You are good at your job, and it doesn’t surprise me that you’re being recruited by other companies. It’s just that Diamond is notorious for throwing around their big wallets and stealing the talent from other marketing companies just to keep the competition from having them. There was a point where they had three ad managers just because they wanted to keep all of the solid talent under their roof and loosen any hold any other company might have on the market. They’re assholes, and so is the CEO.”

  “I didn’t tell you this to make you upset,” she said.

  “How could it not make me upset?” he said. “They’re trying to steal you right out from under me because they heard I got the Cartier contract. They’re probably in cahoots with the board too.”

  “I don’t want to go to Diamond,” she said. “I really don’t, but you’ve got to look at things from my point of view. My son is wearing shoes that don’t fully fit his feet because I’m trying to make ends meet with my salary. Chicago is not a cheap place to live, but I do it because I have a good thing here. I told you from the beginning that I wanted to make a better life for my son, a better life for me and everyone involved in my life. Offering me a pay bump would be something I could look past, but doubling my salary would completely change our lives.”

  I sat there staring at her across the room, trying to keep my emotions under control. I knew about her life, about her attempts to make things better, but I really thought that she and I had something real. I thought that I could count on her to be loyal to me and the company. She knew there was no way I could match that offer, not in the economic state that the company was in. There was no way the board was going to okay that kind of salary increase.

  “Elon,” she said, looking over at me. “What would you do in my shoes? I don’t know what to say about all of this. All I know is, my number one priority in this life is to make a better one for Mikey, to give him the opportunities that I never had. This money would change everything for him. I could afford to send him to a better school, to get him nice clothes, to teach him things by taking him places I can’t afford right now to go.”

  “I don’t understand,” I said. “I don’t understand how you could even give this offer a second thought. They’re using you to get to me. I promised you a bonus at the end of this project, even if it comes from my own pocket. I can promise to work on getting you a raise, but you know there’s no way I can match that. You know they’ve taken advantage of you and the things they’ve found out are important to you. Don’t think for two seconds they don’t know about your son. They know how much you make, for God’s sake. I have gone out of my way to change the things in this company that have stood as barriers between you and your team, and this is what I get for it?”

  “Elon, you’re taking it personally, and it’s not personal,” she said. “It’s business, and it means that for the first time in my life, I would be able to live comfortably. I’m not saying I have made up my mind, because I haven’t, but I have to think about this offer. I would be doing an injustice to myself and to my son if I didn’t at least think about it.”

  “How long do you have?” I asked.

  “They need an answer by tomorrow,” she said quietly.

  “I guess you have a lot to think about then,” I said standoffishly.

  “Elon, please, don’t do this,” she said. “Why can’t you stop for just one second and think about someone else’s life over your company? I thought that we had a connection, something that made us more than coworkers.”

  “I thought so too,” I said.

  “Then how could you not stop for two seconds and think about what is best for me on a personal level?” she asked.

  “You have a lot to think over,” I said. “You should take the rest of the day off. I don’t think we need you around the office anymore today.”

  “Elon,” she said.

  “Please, leave my office,” I replied. “I don’t want to argue with you about this anymore. The decision is yours, and there’s nothing I can say to change your mind. Just go.”

  She sat there for a second looking at me, waiting for anything to happen other than what had, but I turned my
face away from her. She got up from the chair and walked sadly out of the office, not saying another word to me. I flinched at the sound of the door shutting behind her. I couldn’t even move from where I was, I was so angry. I knew she was doing what was best for her son. I knew that was a valiant thing, but it didn’t make me any less hurt or any less angry at the situation.

  I had spent my whole career looking for a person like Amanda, and now that I realized I had her, she was being swept out right from under me. I couldn’t believe I had let myself grow attached to this woman, just for her to turn her back on me, on her team, and on the company itself. No matter how much I understood her need for a better life, I couldn’t sit there and be okay with watching her walk away. This was her decision. I had said my piece, but that didn’t mean I had to be happy about it.

  Chapter 22

  Amanda

  It was a big day. We had the client from Cartier coming in to view the presentation for the new ad, and I had Diamond Marketing waiting for my decision. When I got up that morning, I decided to take my time getting to work. I wanted to clear my mind and really think about what choices I was going to have to make. I looked down at the bacon frying in the pan, watching the oil snap and crackle under my spatula. Making breakfast for Mikey before he went to school was something I never got to do. I had called the babysitter and told her I didn’t need her until that afternoon. I thought that maybe if I spent some time with Mikey, spent some time at home, it would lead me to the decision I needed to make. This home and the people in it was the reason I did everything I did, and it should be what led me to make a decision like leaving my job for another company. As I was standing there stirring the eggs, though, I still couldn’t seem to find the answers I was looking for.

  “Good morning,” Mikey said, tumbling out of his room.

  “Good morning, sweetie,” I said going over and kissing his cheek. “You’re all ready for school. Good job.”