I look over to the edge of the field to see a tall woman with high cheekbones and dirty-blond hair.
“Christian, can we chat?”
It’s my brother’s wife.
29ELISE
My stomach flip-flops, and my hands are cold. I press the elevator button for the sixth floor, wishing I wasn’t so nervous.
But this chance feels so big.
The Luxe isn’t only a potential client. It’s a potential client who could vault me to the next level. This is the goal I’ve been reaching for.
As I wait, my phone dings and a new note from John Thompson pops up on the screen. My nerves twist higher as I open it.
Time to grab that drink? :)
I close it. I don’t want to be thinking of my competition when I walk into Nate Harper’s office at his request. I do my best to sweep John from my mind.
The elevator arrives, and I step inside, shutting off my phone as I head to Nate’s floor. The receptionist escorts me to his office and asks if I want anything.
“Water would be great.” My throat is a desert.
I glance around at his office, a handsome space with a leather couch, a black desk with only a framed photo of what looks to be Nate and his wife, and a manila folder on the wood surface. Pictures of his hotel properties from around the world adorn the walls, as well as another shot of the pretty blond woman with her arms around him under a sunset on the beach. They look happy—100 percent, genuinely happy. I can see it in their eyes.
Nate strides in with a glass of water and hands it to me. “Here you go, Elise,” he says with a smile.
I take a gulp and set down the glass, then shake his hand.
“Please take a seat,” he says, and nerves scale my body again as I sit.
He leans against the desk. “I met with a few agencies, and it came down to you and Thompson Group.”
My shoulders tense. Then, a horrid idea smashes into me. Should I have met with John Thompson after all? Would that have helped? Did I miss a chance again, even though all my instincts told me to stay the course? But meeting with the competition during the pitch phase isn’t wise. It’s not how it’s done.
“We will be outsourcing some of the media work to his shop,” Nate says, and I hold my breath. “He really knows some aspects well. But the bulk of the work is yours, and I’m pleased to offer Durand Media the contract to oversee the advertising campaign for our new European resort rollout.”
I float to the sky, a thousand stars twinkling brightly. “I’m so thrilled. I can’t wait to start.”
“Can you go to New York next week? To meet with some of my executives there?”
“I’d love to.”
This feels like more than winning. It feels like I can trust my gut again. That is the ultimate victory.
30ELISE
I head to the soccer field on a professional cloud nine, ready to root for my husband from the sidelines. I’m going to be the loudest wife there is. Wife. I didn’t think I’d slap that designation on myself ever again.
But being Christian’s wife has been more than fun. It’s been exactly what I needed in some unexpected way. Even though it’s only been a few weeks, I’ve learned that the institution of marriage, in and of itself, isn’t a farce.
Marriage can be a place for honesty, and openness, and communication. I rewind to the way we tease each other, how we talk frankly about nearly everything. I never had that with Eduardo. He was all wine and roses and romantic escapades. He was a master at seduction and he Casanova’d me.
It all felt so thrilling at the time, but as I reach the field and spot the silhouette of a tall, strapping man whose ring matches mine, I’m keenly aware that this marriage of convenience feels infinitely more real. My heart kicks faster when I see Christian, beats harder. Something powerful, something hopeful is brewing inside me. Come to think of it, the brewing is done. It feels more like my heart is brimming. Christian Ellison has done so much more for me than my first husband ever did, and I can’t wait to share my work news, to throw my arms around him, and to holler his name from the sidelines.
When I reach the field, I furrow my brow. He’s talking to a woman, and while that doesn’t bother me, something about her feels eerily familiar.
I don’t know why. Maybe it’s in the way she stands, arms crossed at her chest, jaw tight.
In an instant I know who she is, and I burn. I want to tell that con woman she never deserved Christian’s brother. I want to tell her for him, for me, and for anyone who’s ever been tricked in that sort of nefarious, underhanded way.
Righteous indignation sparks in me as I stride over and wrap an arm around my husband. Possessively. Letting her know we’re together. We’re a team.
She stares at Christian. “Can we please talk?”
“What do you need to say that can’t be discussed in a boardroom?”
Jandy gestures to me. “Is this the new Mrs. Ellison?”
He smacks his forehead. “Oh, wherever are my manners? Jandy, please let me introduce you to Elise Ellison.”
I didn’t take his name when we married, but I don’t mind that he calls me by it now. In fact, I like the sound of it. I wrap my arm tighter around his shoulder as he turns to me.
“Elise, this is Jandy. The woman who broke my brother’s heart.”
Jandy sighs heavily, as if it’s so exhausting to have to hear such a description. She extends her hand to shake. Her skin is cold. “Lovely to meet you,” she says, clearly lying.
“Pleasure to meet you.”
