There was no greater satisfaction than finding the right candidate for the job, and Allison had a good feeling about Ryan. “Music to my ears. Now, let’s see if Mr. Lowell and Ms. Shaw are ready to get this show on the road.”
Ryan hit it out of the park during his interview, as did Matteo after him. When it was time to say goodbye to Josh and Haley, Allison knew she’d done an amazing job.
“Very impressive, Ms. Randall,” Joshua said, sitting back in his chair. “Thank you for going the extra mile in making today happen.”
“Literally,” Haley added. “She just flew back from the Bahamas last night.”
“I’ll do whatever it takes to make my clients happy.” Allison collected her papers into a neat stack. “Do you have a sense of the timeline for the hire?”
“I’m eager to get the new CEO in as soon as possible. What are your thoughts as far as the timing for second interviews?”
“It’ll depend on the candidates’ schedules and yours, of course, but Haley and I can coordinate. I do recommend you think about it for at least a week. Spend some time with the files and background info I provided. In my experience, it’s best to not rush with a decision like this.”
Joshua nodded, seeming to consider all she said. “I suppose you’re right. I’m just ready to move forward.”
Allison couldn’t help but think of the subtext—he was eager to move on with his life. He had love and happiness ahead, and he didn’t want to wait. “Of course. I understand.”
“Will you be able to stay in Falling Brook for a few weeks? It would be great if I knew I could call on you to walk us through this process. The phone is one thing, but there’s no substitute for having someone on hand.”
Allison knew this was her opening for driving home the deal she wanted to make. “It depends on whether or not I’m on retainer. I have a partner out in Los Angeles and other clients who also expect my time.”
“I’ll pay triple your normal retainer for the next month.” Joshua hadn’t hesitated to up the ante. “That should give us enough time to make a hire for this position.”
Allison swallowed hard. Three times her normal rate was certainly a great starting point. “And beyond that?”
“The new CEO will ultimately make the call as to whether we put you on permanent retainer. But I will certainly have a say in it, and, as far as I’m concerned, you have the job.”
Goose bumps raced over the surface of Allison’s skin. Any sliver of victory in business felt good, and Kianna was going to flip out when she got the good news. Even so, there was a downside. A month in Falling Brook would make it impossible to stay away from Zane. And that meant she had to come clean with him about working with Black Crescent. “Fantastic. I’m staying with my brother here in Falling Brook, working out of his house. I can be on-site anytime you need me. Just call.”
“You can expect to hear from me.”
Allison strode out of the meeting, feeling as though she was walking on a cloud. She’d nailed it, in every sense of the term. She called Kianna and told her everything as soon as she got in the car.
“You are not only a badass, you’re a rock star,” Kianna said.
“It’s only a month. It’s not the long-term retainer we wanted.”
“It’ll come. I know you’ll get it done.”
“I’ll do my best.”
“So, can you tell me about the guy in the Bahamas?”
Allison hesitated, not sure she wanted to dive into the topic. This wasn’t a quick conversation, and there was so much about this situation that she was still trying to mentally unpack. “His name is Zane. I’ve known him for fifteen years. He’s a friend of my brother’s, and we just happened to end up at Rose Cove at the same time.” She decided to skip the heavier part of the story, the details about how she’d been longing for him all those years and that the idea of letting go was a miserable one.
“Did he at least rock your world?”
“Oh, yes. Several times.”
“And now?”
“I don’t know. I think we’re back to just being friends.”
“Are you happy with that arrangement?”
Allison sighed. She wasn’t happy with it, but she also didn’t see a way past it. Maybe it really was easier if she and Zane stayed friends. “I’m not sure, but I’ll figure out at least some of it tonight. He’s coming over to my brother’s for dinner.”
Ten
Zane’s first day back at the office after the Bahamas trip was less than productive. Between a million phone calls from concerned friends and clients, and his pervasive thoughts of Allison, he got very little work done. For some ridiculous reason, he kept seeing flashes of Allison flitting around the island in her sarong. It was so bad that he’d referred to one of his marketing managers as Allison when her name was in fact Maria. He hadn’t even been close. A mistake easily swept aside when he blamed it on the exhaustion from the storm, but it was a sign that he was going to have deal with this. It had been shortsighted to think that he and Allison could sleep together, shrug it off and return to their old dynamic. So where would they land? He had no idea.
By the time he’d hopped in his BMW to head to Scott’s house for dinner, he was still catching up. He’d left a voice mail for his mom, but she was just now calling him back. He pressed the button to put her on speaker.
“Hi, Mom. I take it you got my message?”
“I didn’t even know you’d left the country. Shows you how out of the loop I am.”
“Would it have been better if I’d told you I was down there? Wouldn’t you have worried?
