by Sara Desai
“I was about to clean it up,” Priya said. “It had just happened.”
“And that’s when I knew,” he said. “Life is short. One moment you are pulling out your wallet to buy a pastry, and the next maybe you are lying with your head cracked open on the bakery floor, blood and brains oozing out everywhere. I knew then that I had to ask her out.”
“He did it when I bent down to pick up the cup.” Priya pressed a kiss to his forehead.
Her father smiled. “I didn’t stand a chance when I saw that luscious—”
“Dad!” Daisy stood so quickly the chair wobbled. “No. Please. Just. No.”
“My point is,” he said, “if you want something, go after it. Don’t let fear hold you back. Take your chance. Live a life of no regrets. And don’t blame yourself if it goes wrong. People have their own journey and it has nothing to do with you. If he comes back to you, then maybe I will talk to him and hear his story. If he doesn’t, then the world will not end. You have survived this before, and you will survive it again because you are my beautiful, clever, brave, strong, sweet Daisy and you have the strongest heart of anyone I know.”
• 29 •
“THIS invention is going to revolutionize the world.” Barely out of his teens, and dressed not to impress in a pink T-shirt and a pair of oversize board shorts, the blond surfer-dude inventor flashed a megawatt smile. “I introduce you to . . . Pot-ee. The first edible cannabis underwear.”
“Could you bring us a couple of samples?” Liam called out. “Any flavor will do.” Turning to James he lowered his voice. “First impressions?”
“He’d be a good face for the company,” James offered.
Liam was back in San Francisco tidying up loose ends while the partners searched for a new branch manager. James had good instincts, but he needed more experience to handle the pressure of running an office. In the week Liam had been away, the work had piled up, and the dude still couldn’t distinguish a good pitch from a dud. Today’s pitch session at a small tech con was Liam’s last chance to guide him in the right direction.
“We can hire actors if we want a pretty face,” Liam said. “What about his personality? Can you work with him? What do his clothes tell you about his attitude toward business? Would he take direction well? Would he work hard? Is he committed?”
“He seems relaxed,” James whispered. “Do you think he’s stoned?”
“I would hope so, since he’s selling edible cannabis underwear.”
“Seriously?” James gave him a questioning look.
“No, James. Not seriously. Do you want to work with someone who’s always stoned? How much work is he going to get done? Is he going to be out pounding the pavement looking for distributors or is he going to be chilling in his office chewing on his Y-fronts?”
“That’s kinda disgusting.”
“And that’s the conclusion you should have come to when he told us they came in banana.”
Twenty minutes and twelve flavors later, he gave the inventor the usual send-off. “Thanks. We’ll be in touch.”
“Cool! Keep the samples.”
“Will do.” Liam had no idea what he was going to do with avocado-flavored cannabis Y-fronts, but maybe one day . . . “What’s next?”
James looked down at the schedule. “The Heash. A human leash so dogs can walk their owners.”
“This should be good. Bring him in.” Liam already knew the invention wouldn’t sell, but after a difficult week sitting at a desk staring at screens of financial reports and pressing Daisy’s number only to hang up before the call went through, he needed something to smile about. When the dude walked in with a giant dog collar around his neck, Liam almost felt like himself again. This was what he loved to do. Meet new people. Share their enthusiasm. Help them succeed. And, in the case of unfortunate inventions like the Heash, have a laugh. He just wished Daisy were there to share the moment. James was a nice guy but he didn’t have her biting wit or her sense of humor, or maybe it was just that nothing seemed as funny without her.
“We walk dogs. Why shouldn’t they walk us?” Heash-dude whistled and an immaculately groomed toy poodle walked in holding a leash in her mouth. She dropped it as his feet and barked.
“Beast loves to walk me.” He clipped one end of the leash to his leather collar, and the tiny dog took the other end in her mouth and bounded across the room to where James and Liam were seated, dragging the inventor behind her.
“I’ve met tons of dog owners who thought this was a great idea, so I thought I’d start my own business. I’m looking for fifty thousand dollars for a twenty-five percent interest in my company.” He handed sample Heashes to Liam and James.
Liam took care to give the invention a thorough inspection while Beast walked the inventor back and forth across the room. It was basically a human-size studded leather collar, complete with a D-ring closure. James put his on and snapped it closed just above his shirt collar.
“How do I look?”
“Fifty shades of ridiculous.”
James tugged on the Heash, but it wouldn’t open. His face reddened and sweat trickled down his temple. Liam dropped his head to his hand to stifle a laugh. “Never try a product that is going to get stuck, humiliate you, choke you, or make you gag,” he muttered under his breath. “You may think you’re doing them a favor, but really, they want to look up to you and they can’t do that when you’ve got a human collar fastened around your neck.”
“Get it off.”
“Are you sure? The Texan bartender I introduced you to at the Rose & Thorn would be absolutely delighted if you showed up in a collar and leash.”
“It’s a Heash,” James said, struggling with the clasp.
Liam fought hard to repress his laughter. “I don’t think she’d care what it was called if it meant she could walk you down the street.”
Liam tried to imagine Daisy’s face if she saw James with a collar around his neck. Likely no one would be able to tell what she was thinking, but he would know from the quirk of her left eyebrow, or the tiniest lift of the corner of her mouth. She also would think it wouldn’t sell, and he had to agree. Why not let the inventor know that up front so he could pursue other options?
“It’s an interesting product, but I think you’re looking at a very niche market,” he said at the end of the presentation. “Unfortunately, it’s not one that would fit our portfolio.”
Beast led the inventor out of the room, as if she understood the dismissal.
As soon as they were gone, Liam unfastened James’s collar and placed it on the table between them. “What the hell were you thinking?”
“I met him at a club.” James rubbed his neck. “He said he’d had ten thousand dollars’ worth of online sales in the first month alone.”
“Did you check his financial statements and sales records? If he did move that much product, I’m pretty sure it wasn’t to the dog-loving community.”
When James didn’t answer, Liam sighed. “What’s next?”
“Liquefied ocelot poop for gardens. They call it ‘O Crap.’”
“Why ocelots?”
James shrugged. “Their poop is special?”
“Is that a question? Are you asking me if ocelot poop is special? Pass. Anything else or did I fly here from New York just to kill time?”
“Cougar Catcher. A drink that makes men irresistible to women of a certain age.”
James seemed to have an uncanny ability to find the worst inventions on the planet. He was worth keeping around just to know where not to invest. “What’s in it?”
“A secret blend of known aphrodisiacs including asparagus, oysters, chocolate, baked beans, figs, and sparkling apple juice.”
A smiled tugged at his lips. It sounded like one of Taara’s concoctions. He’d disposed of the Shark Stew in a biohazard bin at the hospital, but he still had the container at home, remindin
g him that even though the smell had almost knocked him unconscious, it had been made with love.
“I don’t think even a real cougar would want to be near you if you drank that.” He waved a dismissive hand. “What the hell have you been doing while I was gone? You’ve spent twenty thousand dollars wining and dining these entrepreneurs and you don’t have one solid lead.”
James shifted in his chair. “They all seem so convincing. It’s only when you’re sitting here that I realize they aren’t as good as I thought they were. I just find it hard to say no.”
“We can’t say yes to everyone,” Liam said. “And sometimes that ‘no’ can make the difference between success and failure. Some of my most successful clients pitched hundreds of times, learning from each rejection until they got it right. Sometimes it meant just tweaking the product or the marketing strategy, but sometimes it meant going in a totally different direction, maybe even starting over, or getting focused on a plan.”
It was the same advice Tom had given him at the start of his career, and yet he wasn’t following it himself—personally or professionally. Did he really want to sit behind a desk, pushing paper, reading financials, and running a company with people who didn’t think of him as an equal? Was his self-worth so intrinsically tied to his job that he couldn’t walk away without feeling less of a man? Was he really going to give up the woman he loved because he couldn’t accept that she wanted him just the way he was?
The bottom line was that he loved Daisy. It hit him suddenly and painfully, that he wanted, no needed, Daisy in his life, with her plans and lists and charts, her trivia facts, her kind heart, her big family, and her dry sense of humor. Not just as a girlfriend, or a fake fiancée. He wanted her in his bed and in his home and in his heart forever. And if that meant giving up a partnership to be with her, then that’s what he would do. Besides, James wasn’t going to make it on his own. Unicorns weren’t found in ocelot poop or Heashes. Just as love wasn’t found when you were hiding in New York.
He needed a plan to get her back. Or maybe he already had one. He pulled out his phone to check Daisy’s spreadsheet. Dates #7 “Family” and #8 “Wedding” were still outstanding.
After all they’d been through, it would be a shame to leave things undone.
* * *
• • •
“I think I might have a way to save Organicare.” Daisy pushed Tanya’s card across Tyler’s desk, trying to ignore the butterflies in her stomach. It had taken her a full hour to work up the nerve to leave her cozy workspace and meet with Tyler, and that was after the sweat-fest that had been the telephone call to Tanya that preceded it. But she believed in Organicare, and more than that she believed in herself and her ability to make a change. Her father had told her to go after what she wanted. She wanted Organicare to survive, and she had the tools to make that happen.
“Empower VC.” He studied the card. “Never heard of them.”
“They’re an all-female venture capital company that invests in diverse female-run businesses. I met Tanya on a motorcycle trip. I called her this morning and asked if she would be interested in hearing our pitch.”
“It may have escaped your notice that I am neither diverse nor do I identify as a woman.” Tyler leaned back in his chair, making no move to take the card. “How do you get over that hurdle?”
“Restructure and bring on some female executives. Convince Kristina to come back.” She had spent the night on a group chat with Mia, Zoe, and Josh, talking things through. Mia and Josh were still interested in helping the company, especially if it meant they might be able to come back.
Tyler shook his head, apparently not convinced. “I don’t think—”
“You’ve run yourself ragged trying to do everything,” she continued, cutting him off. “I read Evolution’s report. They recommended hiring an executive team so you could step into a chief development officer role and focus on product development, which is what you love to do. Over ninety-eight percent of Organicare’s employees are women. You have a good pool to choose from.” She handed him a document folder. “I made a plan for a revised pitch. I also e-mailed you a spreadsheet with . . .” She trailed off when Tyler leaned his elbows on the desk and dropped his head into his hands.
“I can’t handle any more.”
She stared at him, aghast. “What are you talking about?”
“Hope.” He sighed. “Every pitch, every meeting, every day I kept hoping things would work out. And just when I had given up, Liam walked in the door. When even that didn’t work out, I resigned myself to the fact that this was the end. Now you’re asking me to hope again, and I just can’t do it. I can’t stand up and give the pitch again because I’ll be wondering how I’ll make it through when it fails.”
“You won’t have to do it,” Daisy said, thinking quickly. “Get your new executive team in place and they’ll handle it for you. It doesn’t have to be a one-person show.”
“I thought you were a one-person show.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Come in. Do your work. Slip out the back. Don’t socialize with your colleagues . . . I was surprised you weren’t the first one out the door when things started to go wrong. When I hired you, I knew you never stayed in one place for long. It worked for me because things here were so uncertain, but now . . . What’s changed?”
“I’ve changed,” she said. “I was afraid to commit to anything, afraid to open myself up to making friends or become involved in the companies I worked for. I was afraid of getting hurt if things didn’t work out. But over the last few months, I’ve been forced to step outside my bubble. I met people who invited me into their lives and their hearts, who believe in me and like me for who I am. They made me realize that I have a lot to give besides being a coding genius.” She grinned, and Tyler responded with a halfhearted chuckle.
“I’ve realized that being ‘weirdly smart’ doesn’t make me less; it makes me more. I want to help Organicare be all it can be, and I’m willing to take risks to make that happen. And if it doesn’t work out, I know I’m strong enough to move on and keep taking chances. Because that’s how I’m going to live my best life, and that’s how you can live your best life, too.”
This wasn’t just about work, she realized. It was about acceptance and forgiveness. It was about love.
“That’s quite the speech.” Tyler pulled the folder toward him and flipped through the pages. “And this is quite the proposal. But there’s one big problem.” He sucked in his lips, ran a hand through the tangle of his hair. “Kristina won’t come back. She’s totally committed to the work she’s doing to raise awareness in third-world countries.”
“You could hire a new CEO.”
He stared at her for so long, she shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Had she gotten this wrong? Overstepped? Or maybe he’d already sold the company and . . .
“Why would I do that when the perfect person is sitting right in front of me?” He leaned back in his chair, his eyes warm with approval. “You pitched with me at the tech con. You brought Liam to help save us. You pushed for Mia and Zoe’s proposal. And now . . .” He tapped the folder. “You’ve done this, when it would have been easy for you to walk away. Those are leadership qualities, and right now the company needs a young, dynamic female leader, someone with the passion, drive, and commitment to see this through. That’s you.”
If anyone had told her two months ago that one day she’d be asked to lead a pitch to save Organicare as the company’s CEO, she would have laughed. But two months ago, she’d been stuck in the past, nursing old wounds, afraid to embrace her life and move on.
She wasn’t that woman anymore.
• 30 •
LIAM parked his motorcycle in the distillery parking lot. He wasn’t surprised to see gleaming yellow backhoes, dump trucks, and wrecking balls lined up side by side. He’d met with Ed McBain and explained that since he wouldn’t be able to meet the terms of t
he trust, there was no point wasting time. Ed had authorized the demolition, and today the distillery was coming down.
“Thought you ran away to New York to become a big shot partner at your firm.” Joe blew out a puff of smoke from his favorite seat at the top of the front steps. He was smoking again, but at seventy-five years old he’d earned the right not to quit.
“I did, but I had to come back to deal with some loose ends.” Liam joined him on the step and they looked out over the parking lot and the green fields beyond.
“Was this one of them?”
“Brendan invited me to come and take one last look around.”
“You still have a week left before your birthday.” Joe gave him a hopeful look. “What about that girl you brought to meet the family?”
Liam sighed, feeling empty inside. “Didn’t work out.”
“I’ve got a niece . . .”
“Thanks, Joe, but there’s only one woman for me.”
After a few quiet moments with Joe, he headed into the visitor center, where Brendan was talking to the contractor. Jaxon saw him walk in and jumped up to greet him.
“Uncle Liam!” He ran over to give him a hug. “Can we go see the distillery again? Can we see my name and fly a plane in the stills?”
His throat tightened. “I don’t think so, bud.”
“Joe’s outside,” Brendan told Jaxon. “He’ll take you around if you want to have a last look.”
Jaxon pushed open the door and ran outside calling Joe’s name.
“Lauren’s working today and I couldn’t leave him at home,” Brendan said, watching Jaxon go. “I thought he’d like to see the heavy equipment at work, but’s he’s more interested in flying his plane in the field.”
“I would be, too, if I had this much wide open space.” Liam looked around at the polished wood bar that their great-great-grandfather had shipped over from Ireland intact. “Should we have a last drink?”
“Sounds good.” Brendan turned to the contractor. “You can get started. The paperwork is in order and we’re ready to go.”