Chapter Twelve

CAYDEN

God she’s beautiful.

Seven days have done nothing to diminish my feelings. I’ve tried—and failed. Hadley is under my skin and I am either going to win her or I have to leave this city. I can’t live in this limbo and the fact that I am this fucked in the head over her seems insane.

But it’s how I feel.

For seven days I have done nothing other than think of her. I lay on the pillow she slept on, clinging to the disappearing scent.

She walked out and while it fucking killed me to let her go, I’m aware the only way to win her over, is to show her. I have poured myself into doing anything that doesn’t remind me of her.

Except, somehow, I have found a way to conjure her into that moment. Not even going to Logan’s game got me out of it and I love baseball.

It didn’t help that they were playing the Red Sox so I wondered the entire time if Hadley was happy when they scored a run or if she was sad at the end when they lost.

This is the pathetic man I have become.

“Do your clients agree, Mr. Hennington?” Hadley asks, her eyes fixed on mine.

“I’m sorry, what was it you proposed?” Great. Now I look like a damn idiot in front of my colleague and hers.

She sighs. “I offered that you would increase the money by sixteen million dollars and my clients are willing to remove one of the requested seats. It would allow them to still have a voice in the plans as well as compensate them for the removal of the majority seat holdings. ”

It’s absolutely more money than it’s worth. That seat is not worth sixteen million dollars. I laugh once. “I see you are working on some interesting valuations. Where exactly did that number come from? It’s more than double the purchase price of the property.”

She raises one shoulder. “Yes, but as the contract is written now, my clients get the six million dollars as well as two seats. So, in order to make up for the loss of the seat, they need to be compensated fairly.”

“I’m not denying that, but this isn’t a charity either, Ms. Arrowood. This is a piece of land—that is in decay, I might add. It’s not worth twenty-two million dollars.”

“We never implied it is. We are stating the land’s value remains at the agreed purchase price. We’re discussing the seat on the board so they don’t turn it into a strip mall.”

That’s exactly what Mike is going to do. “My client would be well within his rights to do whatever he wants as he’ll hold the deed.”

Hadley grins. “But at this time, he doesn’t. In fact, we can walk out of here right now and sue you for breach of contract because as it’s written, they get six million dollars and two seats on the board, which is what you’re here trying to rectify, are you not?”

I’d like to rectify the fact that I want to strip you down and make you come on my tongue.

I shake my head, forcing that particular vision away. “Then they can have the two seats.”

I’m not sure if this is going to work, but I need to push her.

“I see. You no longer wish to negotiate?” Hadley asks.

I stand, grabbing the papers, putting them in a neat pile, and, using the oldest negotiation tactic known to man, decide to walk out. “I would, if that’s what we were doing here, but you’re asking for more than double the cost of the land, which is not within my client’s best interests to pay. This was a simple transaction and now it’s extortion.”

Hadley laughs softly. “Sit down, Cayden.”

I lift my gaze to hers and she’s sitting back, legs crossed, swaying back and forth in her seat. And I want to fall to my knees in front of her.

“We’re done here.”

“We’re not. Sit down. You’re not going to walk away. You could at least counteroffer, but you’re too stubborn to lose so you’re bluffing to walk out.”

I stop moving, watching her in complete ease. “No, I’m walking out. There’s no bluff. ”

It’s a bluff, but I’m committed now.

“Fine.” She smiles at me and gets to her feet. “Thank you for coming. I’ll let my clients know that the contract stands as it was written.”

Fuck. She played me.

I have no goddamn upper hand. Mike was crystal clear, he wants that seat back. He definitely didn’t say pay another sixteen million though. And Hadley knows me well enough that I wouldn’t agree to it. She also knows that my competitive nature wouldn’t let her push this meeting, which is why she began out of the gate aggressively.

I was blinded and now I have to fix it. Because the bottom line is that my clients want that seat.

I turn to her, hands resting on the table. “You need to do better if you want more money.”

She rises like a warrior, mimicking my stance. “You need that seat back and you’re going to have to pay for it.” Then she pushes upright, standing tall. “I’ll await your call with a counter offer. Oh, and Cayden?”

“Yes?”

“It better knock their socks off.”

* * * *

A week later we are sitting in the board room, our clients as well, since I am not willing to do this back-and-forth thing. I am on a ticking time bomb and need to fix this stupid case today.

“Do you have an offer for my client?” Hadley asks. Her long brown hair is down today. She normally has it pulled back in a tight bun when she’s at work. When I saw her, I was momentarily rendered speechless.

Although that seems to be a norm with us.

“Yes, we have a counter offer that we believe you’ll all be happy with.”

Our last meeting was seven days ago. I went to my clients, who were really unhappy about having to shell out more money, and Mike’s counteroffer was a joke. There was not a chance in hell Hadley’s clients would ever take it, but my job is to at least bring it to the table and see. When I called Hadley, she laughed and hung up, not even saying a word.

I explained, once again, to Mike that he was going to have to bend a lot more, to which we went back and forth on an offer that I think she’ll actually entertain.

“Please, let’s hear it.”

“My client is prepared to allow you to keep the one seat on the board, but also provide you with two things.” I slide the contract addendum to them. “First, is the lump sum of six million dollars, which is clearly much lower than the twenty you asked for, but please allow me to give you the second portion of the deal.” Hadley’s eyes narrow and then widen as she reads it. “As much as it seems this is about money, land, and seats on the board, I believe it’s about much more to you—legacy. It’s about the land your grandfather had, and his grandfather before that. You don’t actually want the seats on the board, or maybe you do, but my client is a developer. However, his desires for this land are not what you assume and he is willing to contractually agree that he will not build or tear anything down without your approval.”

Her client gasps and then looks to Mike. “I don’t understand. Why would you do that? Why would you buy it if your entire goal wasn’t to develop on it?”

Mike looks to me and I nod. I was very clear he wasn’t allowed to talk because he’s a freaking hothead and we needed to keep it calm, but I actually think it’s important he says this part. “When we bought the property, it wasn’t because we wanted to put a parking lot there. I bought it because the land that butts the property was my grandfather’s. I have been waiting to buy something close to where he grew up for years. Yes, I plan to build a smaller sized resort, but not right away. I may never do it.”

“You don’t want to put up a mall or something else?” Her clients ask in confusion.

“No. If we did build on there, to start it would be a house so my father can live there, where my grandfather is buried.”

Which is why he wanted this done so quickly that he agreed to terms he never should’ve.

Hadley’s eyes meet mine and understanding swims there. She leans in to her clients, whispering in their ears. They nod and say something back so I do the same to Mike.

“I think they’ll take it.”

“I hope so. My father doesn’t have much time.”

It took a two-hour conversation to finally get to the heart of why he wanted the deed so fast, but also was hesitant on just telling me the truth. He needed to say the land was a business investment so that he could buy it through his company. The board could’ve vetoed the sale if they thought it was never going to be developed.

So, this is the compromise we came up with that hopefully helps everyone.

Hadley clears her throat. “My clients accept these terms.”

The paperwork is signed, everyone is happy—except for me. Because I don’t know when I’ll see her again, and I can’t handle that thought.