Reid: Vested Interest #4 Page 15

  She was laughing as she left.

  I adjusted myself and returned to my desk. I hadn’t lied—I had a ton of work to do for all three partners, and I needed to concentrate.

  Still, the words swirled and the dark thoughts kept pricking at the edges of my mind. I tossed my glasses onto my desk and hung my head as the thoughts became too loud to ignore.

  No passport meant no travel. Becca wanted to travel. Even if I was able to get one, there could still be places that would restrict my entry. I wouldn’t be able to be part of that aspect of her life.

  Bad credit and a prison record meant trouble getting a mortgage. It had taken me a long time to find a place willing to rent to me. The thought of having to go through that process for a different apartment was daunting, never mind the almost certainty of being turned down for a mortgage.

  Unless . . .

  I dismissed the thought before I had even finished it. Using my skills to beat the system and push through an approval would only prove that Becca’s father was right and convicts never changed. I couldn’t allow myself to do that. If Becca ever found out, if the guys ever found out, I would lose the trust of the people I cared about the most.

  Owning my own place might not be something I could hope to do for a long time.

  And as for love . . .

  The more my past blocked me from moving forward, the fewer the chances of Becca and me working out. I wouldn’t allow her to give up her dreams because of me. In the end, she would hate me for it, and I couldn’t stand the idea of that happening. Travel, a home, kids, and marriage—I knew those were all part of her hopes and dreams.

  The bottom line was I wasn’t good enough for her.

  A small part of my heart broke as I realized that perhaps I wasn’t the one who was going to share in those dreams.

  Locking my feelings and thoughts aside, I turned back to my computer. At least there, I was in control and could do exactly what they expected of me.

  It was the only place I knew well and wasn’t a failure.

  We didn’t get dinner out or to see each other privately that night, or any other night that week. The office was chaos, all geared toward the campaign kick-off and the reveal of Ridge Towers.

  In another stroke of genius, Bentley went with an unconventional real estate company for the Ridge Towers project. He opted for a family-oriented business rather than one of the larger, well-known groups. The older parents brought a wealth of knowledge of the city and the real estate market, while their two adult children expounded on the technical merits and unique design, which appealed to the younger buyers, both single and family-driven. They covered the bases of all generations, making them the right choice for the project. They had impressed him with their enthusiasm and the family aspect. Families selling to families.

  I worked late every night, often deep into the morning hours. The office hummed all day and night, and I wasn’t the only one crashing on the sofa to grab a few hours of sleep before starting over again. Becca and I spoke about business, passed in the hall, smiled blearily at each other at meetings, but aside from the occasional brush of our hands, fast text, or meaningful glance, that was our meager interaction. Richard was with her almost constantly, and they worked with the partners directly. My office felt as if it had a revolving door with the number of people in and out of it all day.

  Thursday, they launched the campaign. The market was flooded with print, radio, TV, and social media spots. Ridge Towers was everywhere. Bentley was interviewed on-site, where he talked about the venture and his vision. Both Aiden and Maddox accompanied him, but preferred to stay in the background. He was eloquent and passionate; using all the keywords Richard and Becca provided him, hitting all the right notes between the features of the concept and the family angle.

  They nailed it.

  When the expansive sales office opened on the weekend, complete with 3D videos, computer-generated models, and a full complement of staff to answer questions, the line-ups were out the door. By the end of the weekend, over half the units had sold, with no sign of sales slowing down. Interest was already buzzing for phase two of the project.

  Later Sunday night, I brought up the report I had created that linked all sales to the inventory of the building. I was alone in the office. My job was behind the scenes, making sure everything technical ran without a glitch in the sales office, our online presence, and website. Everyone in the IT department had been on hand all weekend, and it had gone well. Any small errors were controlled, fixed, and not seen by the end user to any significant degree. The people at the sales office had nothing but praise for everything we had put in for their use. Overall, I’d done my job well, and because I was grateful to my staff, I had sent them all home for a well-deserved rest.

  I scanned the sales, trying not to gape at the substantial dollar figures. They were staggering, and while BAM was used to dealing in large sums, I wasn’t sure I would ever get used to them. The penthouses and end units—all the most expensive—were spoken for, including the one I had secretly wanted. Maddox’s huge condo, which took up the entire top floor of the third tower, aptly named “M,” was the largest of them all. He would live there with Dee and, I assumed, their family. I felt an odd swell of jealousy toward him, but it wasn’t for the expensive condo, or his ability to afford it. It was the fact that he was able to do so without his past interfering. He had been able to move on from his mistakes, whereas mine kept haunting me.

  I had been grateful to be so busy the past week. It distracted me from the dark thoughts in my head. The trip I might not be able to take. The condo I might not be able to purchase. The life I might not be able to have with Becca. Normally not one to dwell on the negative, I couldn’t seem to get past the defeat I was feeling.

  Footsteps in the hall distracted my dark thoughts. Aiden sauntered in, sitting down heavily in the chair.

  “Hey.” Despite his smile, his voice was deep with weariness.

  “Hi.”

  “I was looking for you earlier. We all were.”

  I frowned. “I was here, working in the server room.”

  “I sent you a message. Two in fact.”

  “Sorry.” I glanced at my phone. “Shit. I put it on silent somehow. I missed a few messages. Was it important?”

  He was fast to reassure me. “No. I wanted to invite you for dinner. When you didn’t respond, I was checking to make sure you were okay since it was out of character for you. I saw the lights as I was heading home and came in to see if you were still really working or had crashed on the sofa again. I was going to drive you home if that were the case.”

  “I’ll be crashing soon enough. I wanted to make sure everything was good with the reports and systems before I left. I think I’m more tired than I thought, and I missed the fact that I had the phone off and that there were messages. Sorry about that. Once I’m done, I’ll head out and get some sleep.”

  He waved off my apologies. “You did a great job this week. I know it’s been crazy, and I appreciate the effort you put in to make sure everything went smoothly. You’ve clocked a lot of long hours.”

  I shrugged. “It’s what you pay me for. I’m glad the launch was successful.”

  He snorted. “Successful? We blew past Maddox’s projected numbers. We sold more units in a day than we estimated to sell in a week. Even Richard was blown away. If we keep going, phase one will be sold out in a matter of weeks, not months.”

  “When will you open phase two?” Although still amazing, the second building wasn’t as unique as the first one, and the price would reflect that. Given it wouldn’t be available for a few years, I might be able to get a place in that building.

  “We’re going to hash that out this week. The plans are complete, and the interest is already there. The building will go up fast since the units are more standard, aside from a few on the top floor.” He rubbed his face. “To be honest, we didn’t think we’d move ahead with phase two so fast. Richard and Becca are on it, though. She c
ame up with some great concepts. Have you seen them?”

  “No.”

  He frowned. “I would have thought she’d have shown you.”

  “We’ve been so crazy this week, Aiden, I’ve barely seen her. I haven’t had a real conversation with her since Monday.”

  “It has been wild, hasn’t it?” He grinned. “Things will settle down this week. The sales team will handle it now, Becca will do her thing, and we’ll get back to planning.”

  He stood, studying me. “Are you okay, Reid? You’ve been . . . withdrawn all week.”

  “I’m fine. I’ve been concentrating on making sure everything went off without a hitch.”

  “It did. You should be proud.”

  I shrugged. “I simply did my job.”

  He frowned, narrowing his eyes. “No. You did more than your job. Your program and the features were a huge part of our success. The cool factor of what you and your team did in the sales office put us ahead of everyone else out there.” He paused. “I’m proud of you, Reid.” He held out his hand. “On behalf of BAM, and personally, thank you.”

  I stared at his large palm, then accepted his firm handshake.

  “We’re going to talk later this week once things are back to normal around here. Bentley, Maddox, and I have some ideas we want to look into with you.”

  My neck prickled, a sense of worry settling in my mind. “All right.”

  “Don’t look so worried. It’s a good thing.” He tilted his head in assurance. “Your life is moving beyond all the bad shit, kid. You’re part of our team, our family. We’ve got your back.”

  My throat felt thick, and I could only nod.

  “Go home and get some rest. It’s still going to be a crazy week.”

  “Yeah, I will,” I managed to get out.

  “Okay, I’m heading home. See you tomorrow.”

  Becca was walking into the building as I was walking out. I stopped in the lobby as she entered, Richard beside her. Despite the smile on her face, she looked exhausted. Richard was talking on his phone and raised his hand in a silent hello, strolling away to continue his conversation. From the tone of his voice, I assumed he was talking to his daughter, Gracie. It was after eleven here, which made it about bedtime for her in BC. Becca told me he hated being away from his family, even for short trips, and he stayed in close touch all the time.

  “Hi.” I smiled at her. “You’re just getting back from the site?”

  “No,” she replied with a frown. “We had dinner with Bentley, Aiden, and Maddox, going over some things. Did you not get my message?”

  “No, I missed one from Aiden too. I had my phone on silent. Sorry.”

  “You were working?’

  “Yeah. Crazy week.”

  She edged closer, her fingers brushing my hand. “Yes, it has been. I’ve-I’ve missed you.”

  I wrapped my fingers around hers and squeezed. “Me too. But it was a great week, right?”

  She nodded enthusiastically. “Amazing. I was going through all the stats with Richard and Bentley. Those cross-channel reports you created for me, Reid, are so useful! I can see the predictive analytics, and I’m able to fine-tune the targeted PII. This is the first time I have reliable touchpoints to prove the effectiveness of our MRM.”

  “Right,” I said with a shake of my head. I knew the data she wanted, but some of her terms were unfamiliar.

  She laughed and tried to explain. “Predictive analytics predicts where the user will click next. PII identifies the consumer, which forms a consumer segment to target, and MRM is Marketing Resource Management, which helps manage content. It can be set up to templatize the look and feel of content, along with appropriate messages to deliver to customers.”

  I blinked. “That was my plan, I think.”

  She shook her head with a smile. “Sorry, I get excited when someone lets me speak marketing geek. The reports tell me we’re on the right track with our ads.” She brushed a kiss to my cheek. “You helped me do all that.”

  The need to have her closer was strong, and I caught her around the waist, pulling her to me. “I have to tell you that listening to your marketing geek is seriously turning me on, BB. It makes me want to interface with your software.”

  Becca giggled, the sound making me smile.

  Behind me, a throat cleared. “Ugh. I really didn’t need to hear that.”

  I didn’t even bother turning around. “Go upstairs, Richard. Give me five minutes with my girl. You’ve had her all week.”

  “We need to talk if all you need is five minutes, Reid.”

  Releasing Becca, I turned and glared at him. “I only wanted to wish her a good night.”

  He laughed, clapping my shoulder. “I know. I wanted to second Becca’s thanks. That report is brilliant. I told Bentley I was stealing it and you.”

  “I see.”

  “He told me to talk to you about the report since you created it, but I was informed by all three partners you were off-limits.” He huffed an exaggerated sigh. “No Becca, no Reid—the least you could do is give me a fair price on getting a licensed copy of that report. I could use that with all of my clients.”

  “It belongs to BAM, not me. If Bentley says okay, I’ll make sure you have it.”

  “He felt it was yours. I’ll talk to him again, because I really want it. Plus any upgrades you add to it later.”

  “Becca told me what she needed. I just wrote it.”

  “Well, you make one hell of a team.” He winked. “I’m going to give you those five minutes. I’ll meet you upstairs, Becca. Then we can call it a night.”

  He left with a wave, and I turned to Becca.

  “He’s right, you know,” she whispered. “We make a good team.”

  “You think so?”

  “Yes.” She stepped closer, linking her arms around my waist. “Why do I feel you’re putting up roadblocks, Reid? I know it’s been crazy for both of us, but I feel as if you’re pulling away. As if there’s something you’re not saying. Something big.”

  I pressed a kiss to her forehead. We were both exhausted, our plates full, and under stress. I wasn’t going to add to hers by telling her what I was thinking—at least, not right now. Instead, I cupped her face and kissed her. It wasn’t deep and passionate, but it was filled with the words I couldn’t say, the fears I couldn’t express, and the thoughts that haunted my mind. It was soft, gentle, and intimate. It was hard to stop, and even harder to let go.

  When I drew back, I dropped another kiss on her head. “Please don’t stay too long. You look so tired, BB.”

  “You look haunted.”

  I ran my knuckles down her cheek. She already knew me too well.

  “We’ll talk.”

  “Are you breaking up with me?”

  “No.” I didn’t want to lose her, but once I told her everything, she might choose to break it off with me and I wouldn’t stand in her way. She deserved only the best.

  I knew after I laid out the facts that she might realize the best wasn’t Reid Matthews.

  She shook her head. “That feels like a lie,” she said sadly, then walked away and didn’t look back.

  I watched her, wondering if she was right.

  Reid

  DESPITE THE FACT that we had all worked crazy hours and were tired, everyone was at the meeting Monday morning. The room buzzed with electricity and the excitement of success, and cheerful faces filled the room. Becca sat on one side of me, Richard the other. He was staying another few days before heading home. Becca offered me a smile, but she was quiet, staying busy on her phone. I wasn’t sure if it was business or an excuse not to engage, but I let it go. It wasn’t the place to ask her.

  Aiden and Maddox sat in their usual spots, both relaxed and smiling. Bentley walked in, and everyone sat up straighter. He had a presence about him that made you want to pay attention. Sandy followed him, sitting beside Aiden, ready to take notes or aid him in any way needed. He remained standing and set down his coffee, his gaze sweepin
g the room. Aiden and Maddox stood, joining him at the head of the table.

  “Ridge Towers began as a different vision, and we went through a tremendous amount of difficulty, both personally and professionally, to get to this stage.” Bentley paused, clearing his throat. I knew more than anyone what the project had cost him.

  “This past weekend was considered a success by some. To us—Aiden, Maddox, and me—it was more than a success. It was a triumph. Each of you in this room helped to make that happen. And for that, we owe you a tremendous thank you.”

  He began to clap, Maddox and Aiden joining in. Richard rose to his feet, adding to the noise, and soon the entire room rang out with enthusiastic applause.

  When we settled, and Bentley sat, he grinned. “Sales are through the roof—pardon the pun—and we’re ahead of schedule. Thanks to the brilliance of Richard and Becca and their campaign, Ridge Towers, phase one, should be sold out within weeks.” He indicated Richard. “We are thrilled to have joined forces with The Gavin Group and look forward to a long relationship.”

  Richard smiled. “We’re equally as elated with the success and the partnership. If I could, I wanted to add that Becca and I were impressed by the teamwork we saw this past while. We have never worked on a campaign that was handled with so much finesse.”

  I was startled when his hand fell on my shoulder heavily. “Your technical people, Reid especially, are, without a doubt, the best I have ever worked with. Everything he promised, he delivered—and more. Not one person saw an error or glitch. If there were any, your people were on it so fast, it was as if it didn’t happen. You should be very proud of your team.”

  There was another round of applause, the loudest coming from my three bosses. My ears burned at Richard’s words and the clapping. I hated to be the center of attention.

  Becca’s hand slipped into mine under the table, giving it a quick squeeze. Before she could pull back, I grabbed her hand, holding it tight to my leg, needing her touch.

  Bentley spoke more about the project and the future. Aiden and Maddox each had something to say, then Bentley stood for a final address to the table as a whole. “I know you’ve all put in long hours. See Sandy today, and she will assign you paid time off as a thank you. You can choose your days to make long weekends and enjoy some time with your family and friends. Lunch today is being catered and is for everyone as another thank you.”