“I barely even mentioned her.”
Marcus snorted. “Yeah, right. Keep telling yourself that, asshole.” He switched his seated position, shooting his legs out straight on the mat. “Look, I get it. Everybody’s got that one person their heart’s obsessed with. You can’t help yourself. Your mind replays key scenes at night and makes you wonder, ‘If I’d done A instead of B, would we still be together now? If I’d said yes, instead of no...or no, instead of yes. If we’d met five years later or five years earlier, would things be different now?’ Cam Delgado’s the one your heart’s obsessed with. And when we were in Houston, that was fine. I helped you use that obsession to make you stronger, to make you work harder. Even when we came back to New York, I didn’t think it would be an issue for you, except to spur you on to get the rehab center going for us. But now, if you’re working for her instead—”
Jordan shot up a hand. “Whoa! Back up. I’m not working for her. I’m working with the foundation on behalf of HRR.”
“Uh-huh.” Marcus leaned closer and used his index finger to pull the skin beneath his eyes. “Those dark rings I’m seeing on you? You gonna tell me they have nothing to do with her? Which company are you losing sleep over? Hers or ours?”
Jordan sighed. “Okay, I admit I’m a little distracted with this project for her, but it’s not changing the deal you and I have. In fact, it’s going to make everything better.”
Marcus’s lips twisted. “Uh-huh. Right.”
“I swear to God, Marcus, the Delgado deal looks pretty much dead in the water. No one over there has called since I faxed the floor plan. I’m betting Cam still wants nothing to do with me, even after all this time. I’m just waiting for Susan to wave the white flag and agree with me. Once that happens, this will all be swept away.”
And that would’ve been great, Jordan thought a few days later, if Susan had cooperated. Unfortunately, late Thursday afternoon, when she called him into her office, he didn’t get the reaction he expected.
Anticipation racing high, he rolled down the hall with glee. In just a few minutes, his life would be back on track. He’d call Marcus and tell him they were a go for the property and they could move forward again. At the doorway to her expansive office with its ocean blue walls, cream-colored carpet, and assortment of succulents in white china pots, he stopped and waited for her to grant him admission. She sat at her desk, her head down, gaze burning into her laptop, and her rimless eyeglasses perched precariously on the edge of the bridge of her nose.
He didn’t mind that she didn’t acknowledge him right away. The pause gave him time to erase delight from showing on his face.
When a full minute passed without any kind of greeting, he rumbled his knuckles on the doorframe. “What’s up, Sue?”
She looked up at last, tossed her glasses onto the desktop, and ushered him inside. While he pushed himself forward, she rose from the desk and strode to the door to close it.
Leaning against the door with her arms folded over her chest as if to bar his exit, she demanded, “Are you deliberately screwing up the Delgado deal?”
He’d prepared for this reaction and gave her his best shocked expression. “What?! No. Of course not.” In a softer tone, he added, “I told you, Susan. Cam and I didn’t part on good terms. So either she still hates me or she’s not wild about the property.”
Her brick wall posture crumpled. “Where do we stand?”
“Nowhere. I faxed the floorplans to her assistant nearly two weeks ago. At the time, Val said if Cam was interested in acquiring the property, she’d be in touch within a week to ten days.”
“Did you follow up with her?”
“Earlier this week, yes.” He didn’t add that Val had confessed her confusion with her boss’s sudden distaste with a property she’d originally thought was ideal.
She pushed away from the door and stalked back to her seat to glare at him at an even level. “And...?”
“And she said they were looking in another direction.”
“What other direction?”
He shrugged. “She didn’t elaborate.”
“And you didn’t ask?” Before he could give any kind of reply, she slammed a palm on her desk. “Susan’s Rule Number One: Never leave an open-ended deal on the table!”
He bit back his retort about the entirely different number one rule she’d espoused two weeks ago. Six months into his employment here, he’d learned the rules always changed. What remained constant was the fact Susan had a rule for every facet of real estate. At last year’s Christmas party, he had joined a bunch of his coworkers in a friendly game of listing off as many of them as they could remember. The game took over an hour.
“Did you try talking to your girlfriend directly?” Susan pressed now. “Did you apologize? Charm her in any way?”
He gave a bitter laugh. “Trust me, Susan. Cam doesn’t charm easily.”
Susan steepled her fingers in front of her lips. “That’s why I assigned this to you. You should know how to get to her. What are you waiting for? I don’t care how you do it or what you promise in return. Just get this deal. Need I remind you how much money we’re talking about here?”
“No,” he muttered. “I’m well aware.”
“Then do something. Go the extra mile. I assigned this account to you because you know her. You, of all people, should know how to reach her. Think back to when you were dating. If you wanted to wow her, what would you do?”
“I don’t—”
She cut him off with an upraised hand. “I’m not asking you. I’m advising you. Whatever that wow thing is, do it, turned up to a hundred. If she likes roses, send her a dozen a day until she says yes. If she
