Page 63 of See You Maybe
“No.”
She had been with him long enough to know there was no point in questioning him. Declan would look over their questions, but he had no intention of answering until after Christmas. “Leave them on my desk. What time is your flight?”
“Seven o’clock. I’ll be back on the twenty-eighth, and I’ll be available on my cell if you need me. Todd is leaving soon, too.”
Declan nodded. Working for him was a 365-day kind of job, but he compensated his employees well for their dedication.
“This deal is what I’m focusing on. There won’t be any movement before then. Enjoy your holiday.”
“Do you need me to arrange anything for you?”
He glanced up, and Cecile arched a perfect eyebrow. “Do you need me to send anything to Ms. Carrol?”
Shit. He’d forgotten about Fiona. A weight descended on his shoulders, and a vision of sapphire eyes flashed in front of him. He gripped his pen and mentally shook it off.
“Yes. Something nice. Not jewelry.”
“Her personal shopper mentioned she’s been eyeing the new Hermes bag.”
Declan grunted. He should have known Cecile would be two steps ahead of him.
“Great.” He returned to his work, listening to Cecile’s heels tapping across his office and the shutting of the door.
After a moment, he flipped the file shut and leaned back in the chair, scrubbing a hand across his eyes.
He couldn’t concentrate. No matter how hard he tried to will his mind into submission, it kept returning to the other night. It was as though the seal on the vault of memories he’d shut away years ago for his sanity had broken. Now, he couldn’t think of anything but her.
Declan groaned. He’d called her Petal. Idiot.
He looked around the offices he’d leased for his time in Atlanta. They weren’t nearly as luxurious as his offices above Water Street in New York’s financial district, but they suited his purposes. He hadn’t been lying when he told Fiona that all he needed for work was a phone. Most of what he did these days was put the deals together.
He could move to Atlanta… His siblings were here, and soon there would be nieces and nephews. His mood soured as he looked down at the folder Cecile had left on his desk.
But so was she. Declan couldn’t live in the same city as her and not have her. It was hard enough being on the same planet now that he’d seen her again.
He wasn’t that big of a masochist.
But once the deal was done… and Chris and Courtney dealt with… maybe…
No. He forced himself to ignore his emotions.
If he regained his seat at Bloom Communications, he would need to live in New York, and her job was here.
Not to mention if someone from his past who felt wronged ever came looking.
She was safer away from him.
Declan stood, loosening his tie as he shuffled the files on his desk into a neat stack. He wouldn’t be getting any work done tonight, and the skeleton staff he’d brought to Atlanta had already returned to their families for Christmas.
Declan had always loved the holidays, the time with his family… but everything was different now. When his father died two years ago, and Courtney inherited his father’s fortune, Declan had wanted to challenge the will immediately. He knew her first step would be to remove him from his position as CEO at Bloom Communications, the company he’d given his entire life to.
And of course, that was exactly what she’d done, before cutting them all off. The money hadn’t been a hardship for Declan or his brothers. They each had money they’d either earned or received from their father throughout their lives to build their own fortunes. But losing status and money had devastated Cara, only twenty-four at the time. His jaw clenched again as he remembered everything his sister had gone through.
Cara may have moved past it, happy in her marriage and new career, but Declan wouldn’t rest until he’d gotten revenge.
He punched a number into his phone. “Progress report,” he barked, not bothering with a greeting.
“Merry Christmas to you too,” Brady drawled.