Emmett’s offer caught Christopher so off guard, he couldn’t even answer for a moment. He was truly stunned.
New York City? They wanted him to move out there and open the office?
But what about Kinsley?
“Would anyone else be in the office with me?” he asked. “Would I have a staff?”
Emmett steepled his fingers. “Not right off the bat. We would have to make sure that the new office was up and running and self-sustaining, of course—there’s no mission without margin—before we could fully staff the office. But don’t worry. We would pay to relocate you and give you a salary increase and housing allowance that would allow you to live comfortably in the city.”
Of course, it would mean leaving behind everybody he had come to care so much about.
Kinsley’s face was the first to flash in his mind again. Even before his newfound relatives and all the friends he had made since moving to Red Rock.
It was a tempting offer. It meant that they trusted him. It meant that they respected him and appreciated his vision. Uncle James, Lily and Emmett were the first people who had truly believed in him.
That inappropriate voice piped up inside him and reminded him that Kinsley had once believed in him too.
“I realize that this is a lot to think about,” said Emmett. “I will have Clara draw up the specifics and get them to you by the end of the day. Why don’t you take a few days to think about it before you let me know your answer? The sooner we can get you there, the better.”
Christopher cleared his throat. “I want you to know how much I appreciate your confidence in me. I am greatly honored and humbled that you would entrust me with this position. I’ll look forward to reviewing the details.”
Emmett stood and offered Christopher his hand. Christopher stood and accepted it. What would Deke and Jeanne Marie think of this? His father had had a conniption when Christopher had accepted the job in Red Rock. If his father had thought this place was highfalutin, what in the world would he think of his son moving to New York City?
But Christopher reminded himself not to get too far ahead. He hadn’t seen the offer yet. He had no idea what they intended in terms of dollars and cents.
Even though he wasn’t anywhere close to making up his mind, he knew one of the biggest sacrifices he would be making would be leaving Kinsley behind.
Suddenly everything that had been so muddled and tentative seemed to snap into sharp focus. This job was everything he had ever wanted, except it didn’t include Kinsley. But maybe time away from her in a place where he could focus on his job and not be distracted by her full lips and the way their bodies fit so perfectly together that it drove him nuts to even catch a glimpse of her in the office hallway was a good thing.
Maybe putting some distance between them was exactly what he needed. Then again, maybe this opportunity would cost him the one woman he had ever loved. But maybe that was case in point why he should go and not look back.
* * *
That evening Christopher sat at his desk reading—for the fifth time—the details of the generous New York City relocation offer that Clara had delivered to him just before five o’clock.
Among other perks, they were offering him nearly twice his current salary and a housing allowance that would afford him a comfortable apartment in Manhattan.
It was a far cry from Horseback Hollow and the life sentence on his family’s ranch. This offer was a dream come true. And more than that, it was validation that he was good at his job. The board could’ve chosen anyone to head up this project, but they’d put their faith in him.
Christopher closed the file and leaned back in his leather chair, stretching his feet out in front of him and looking around his office. When he’d first gotten here, he’d thought this place was the be-all and end-all with its paneled walls, living room furniture and that view.
Now, he’d been handed the chance of a lifetime to write his own ticket.
So why was he hesitating?
The numbers checked out. It would be a long time before a chance like this would come along again, much less be dropped into his lap.
He needed to think about it. Sleep on it. Even if Emmett was pushing for a fast answer, Christopher needed a few hours to process everything. Then maybe this uncertainty would sort itself out.
In his head it was a no-brainer: only idiots passed up the chance of a lifetime for a woman. Especially when he’d had trepidations about their relationship before the deal was on the table.
However, now that the deal was on the table, his head and his heart were at odds.
He’d have to sort that out, and fast.
He put the file in his briefcase and clicked off his desk lamp.
It was after 6:30 p.m. The sun was painting the Western landscape outside his window in shades of gold and amber. Everything looked a little different in the light of this offer. As Christopher headed toward the elevator, the light that was still on in Kinsley’s office drew him like a moth.
She was completely engaged in whatever it was she was reading on her computer screen. He stood there watching her, wanting to memorize the way she looked right now with her guard down and her hair hanging in soft curls around her shoulders. He owed it to her to tell her about the offer before she heard it from someone else.
“Don’t you ever go home?” he said.
She startled and looked up at him. “Oh, Christopher. I didn’t realize anyone else was still here.”
“Just you and me,” he said, his heart compressing at the words. “Do you have a minute?”
She pushed her mouse away and angled her body toward him. “Sure, come in.”
He settled himself in the chair across from her.
“Everything okay?” she asked. Her hand fluttered to her blouse collar and she fidgeted with the top button, which, as always, was buttoned up tight.
Despite everything, he had to resist the urge to reach out and undo it and all the others and pull her into him so that he could lose himself in the Nirvana that was her.
And that was exactly why he needed to distance himself. He couldn’t even think straight when he was with her. It was his own fault. Yep, it was all on him, and he needed to do something to regain his equilibrium.
“Everything is fine. More than fine, actually. I got a job offer today.”
Her expression remained neutral. “Really? Where?”
“New York.”
He told her how Emmett had called him into his office earlier.
“It’s great money, and such an opportunity I can’t see how I can refuse.”
For a split second he thought he saw a flicker of regret flash in her blue eyes, and in that same split second he knew that if she said, “Don’t go,” he wouldn’t. He’d turn down the offer and he’d take her home and make love to her until they’d finally figured out that this complicated thing between them didn’t have to be so—
“How wonderful for you,” she said, verbally slapping the sense back into him. “When do you leave for New York?”
* * *
Kinsley was happy for Christopher. Truly, she was.
And she had told him that yesterday when he stopped by her office. She said it with her most genuine a smile.
She wanted him to be happy.
Really, she did. And if she kept telling herself how happy she was that he was leaving, maybe she would start to believe it.
Even though she hadn’t seen the specifics of the offer yet, Kinsley knew he would take it. The Fortunes were generous with their compensation. There was no way he would turn it down.
His leaving was probably the very best thing that could happen to both of them. He would relocate to a place where he could steep himself in big city, sophistication. She could keep her job here and maybe regain her concentration...a
nd her heart.
Of course it would end up this way. Of course it would. This proved that it really was best that they hadn’t committed to each other.
It was hard enough to know that he didn’t want a relationship with her. The only thing that might’ve been harder was knowing that he did want a relationship and then him having to choose between her and his dream job.
She laughed to herself as she realized she had gotten it wrong. Women weren’t Christopher’s mistress; his work was.
* * *
She sat there trying to convince herself that this really was the best thing for both of them. If she said the words enough, surely she would begin to believe it. If not now, maybe by the time he made the move. Just then an email popped up in her computer inbox. Kinsley sat up a little straighter when she realized it was from Lily Cassidy Fortune.
The subject line read Surprise party for Christopher.
Kinsley clicked on the email.
Hello, Kinsley, I am calling on you for a rather large favor. Since you seem to be the colleague closest to Christopher, would you please take on the task of organizing a surprise going-away party for him? I was hoping we could do something nice for him—something a touch sentimental? I will leave it in your capable hands as I’m sure you will know exactly what to do to make Christopher realize how much he means to us and how grateful we are that he has accepted this challenge. We were hoping to have the party tomorrow, as he will be making the move this weekend. I know this is all terribly fast, but I’m sure Beverly will be happy to assist you with anything you need.
Kinsley fell back against her chair and her breath rushed from her lungs.
So it was official.
And he was leaving this weekend?
Christopher was leaving this weekend?
Her heart cracked open and filled with a leaden dread.
She wasn’t surprised that he had accepted it. He’d all but made up his mind when they’d talked last night. She just hadn’t realized he would leave so soon.
She fought the sudden urge to cry, blinking back the unwelcome tears that clouded her vision. There was no use getting emotional. It was for the best.
Really, it was.
She needed to treat this the same way one would rip off a bandage—the faster the better. The sooner Christopher got on with his new life, the sooner she could get on with her life here in Red Rock without him.
She sat there for several minutes in her quiet office, listening to the whir of the air conditioner and the hum of her computer. Now that the tears were at bay, a strange numbness had overtaken her.
She picked up the phone and called Bev.
They had less than twenty-four hours. They would have to get this party planning rolling as soon as possible if they were going to pull it off.
The sooner they started planning, the sooner it would be over.
Chapter Fourteen
“SURPRISE!”
The chorus of voices rang out when Emmett opened the conference room door and ushered Christopher inside.
Christopher blinked once, twice, three times as he looked around at all of his coworkers who had crowded into the conference room, surrounded by streamers and helium balloons.
“What the heck is this?”
His uncle James stepped forward and clapped him on the back. “This is your party, son. We wanted to give you a good sendoff on your last day here in the Red Rock office.”
A surprise party?
He glanced at Emmett and murmured something unintelligible. Emmett grinned back at him, obviously proud that his paper-signing ruse had worked to get him to the conference room.
Christopher was surprised. Surprised and genuinely touched that everyone would gather on a Friday afternoon—just for him.
There were steaming covered chafing dishes in the middle of the conference room table being tended to by catering staff in uniforms with the Red logo. His stomach growled as he inhaled the delicious aroma of Red’s Mexican food—a mélange of savory dishes blending with the aroma of fresh corn tortillas, chilies and spices. There were platters of Red’s famous corn roasted in the husk stacked on platters which were next to the biggest cake he had ever seen in his life. And there was champagne.
That’s when he realized that everyone was raising a glass toward him. Lily stepped forward and handed him and Emmett each a flute, too.
Emmett and James, who were flanking Christopher, simultaneously touched their glasses to his.
“I would like to propose a toast,” said James. “To Christopher Fortune, our golden boy. May you shine in the city as brightly as you do here.”
“To Christopher!” someone shouted and everyone raised their glasses a little higher, then took a sip.
Christopher glanced around the room, taking in his family, friends and coworkers: Miguel and Marcos Mendoza were there. So was their cousin Sierra Mendoza Calloway. Standing next to her was Emmett’s wife, Linda Faraday. She was talking to Susan Fortune Eldridge and Julie Osterman Fortune. Nicholas and Jeremy Fortune were there. Then he saw Tanner and Jordana Redmond and Sawyer and his wife, Laurel—had they come all the way from Horseback Hollow to be here just for him?
As people surrounded him, offering handshakes, high fives and fist bumps, he realized how much he truly cared for these people.
It was a bit overwhelming.
Funny, before he got here, when he had first taken on the Fortune name, he had imagined them all to be so different than they had turned out to be. Not in a bad way. In fact, they were better than he could’ve ever imagined. They were all warm, loving, family-oriented people, and he was proud to be one of them.
And when Sawyer came over and shook his hand, Christopher experienced an inexplicable pang of homesickness for his immediate family in Horseback Hollow. Even Deke.
Especially Deke.
As the good wishes continued and people rallied around him—it was a good thing he wasn’t claustrophobic—he found himself craning his neck searching for the one person he was desperate to see.
Finally, he saw Kinsley standing by the table with the champagne, refilling glasses, doing what she was so good at—helping other people.
His gaze was drawn to her like a pin to a magnet. He drank her in, trying to take a mental snapshot of her gorgeous face, her blue-blue eyes that were framed by eyebrows a few shades darker than her sun-streaked blond hair. Her finely chiseled cheekbones. The delicate slope of her neck. Her full lips.
He could still feel those lips on his. He could feel the way their bodies had fit so perfectly, as if they were made for each other. A surge of longing so deep and fraught with desire for her consumed him.
It was as if he were seeing her for the first time. Through new eyes. Now he wanted her even more than he had the first time he’d seen her.
Why was it that he never really appreciated what he had when he had it? Why did he always wonder if something better was around the corner? Standing here in the midst of the crowd, among all these well-wishers, his heart spoke loud and clear: there wasn’t a better woman in the world for him than Kinsley Aaron.
He had to tamp down the urge to fight his way through the crowd and pull her into his arms. His heart ached for her.
As much as he loved the attention and the accolades and the thought that his uncle James and Lily Cassidy Fortune trusted him—him, the guy who never seemed to have the capability to do anything right back in Horseback Hollow—with opening their satellite office in a city like New York, and even though they had been more than generous with the compensation and benefits package that they had given him, moving to New York would mean losing touch with everyone that mattered to him.
And it would mean losing Kinsley.
Suddenly his future flashed before his eyes in a crystal-clear vision: he would have the money and th
e dream job and the prestige and everything he could ever want at his disposal in a big city where the world would be his oyster, but it would never be enough. He would never be satisfied with all of that because it was empty. Well, the work had proved to be fulfilling, but all the money in the world couldn’t replace what he had found in Red Rock.
Being here, he had learned how to go home again.
He had learned the value of everything money couldn’t buy.
Was he really willing to give up everything for...emptiness?
He excused himself from his colleagues and made his way over to Emmett and James, who were standing with Linda and Lily.
“This is a fabulous party,” Christopher said. “I can’t thank you enough.”
Lily set a slender hand on his arm. “Oh, honey, I wish we could all take credit for this party. But this is all Kinsley Aaron. Is there anything that woman can’t do? Didn’t she do a lovely job?”
“There is absolutely nothing she can’t do,” Christopher said. “She’s even taught me a thing or two since I’ve been working with her. So I’m not at all surprised to learn that she is the one responsible for this.”
Christopher watched Kinsley as she cut the cake and put small squares on the colorful party plates. He watched her as she worked while everyone else was enjoying themselves. She was always willing to go the extra mile for somebody else. Always willing to sacrifice even if it meant standing back while somebody else shined.
How could he have been such a damn fool?
How could he have been willing to let go of the only woman in this world he would ever be able to love?
Christopher turned to James and Emmett. “If you don’t mind, I need to speak to the two of you privately.”
Both men did a double-take.
Falling for Fortune Page 16