Chapter 110 110
“Sure thing, Ms. Bennet. Anything else?”
Anything else. Maybe get Adam’s secretary to slip a shot of bourbon into his coffee cup. “No, Carrie. Thank you.”
Twenty minutes later, Sherry got the call. “Mr. Bennet can see you now.”
She strode down the hall, feigning the confidence that wavered inside her. Her relationship with Adam had improved so much since he’d had his revelation about how hard their father’s death had hit him, but she still had no idea how he would react to this news. Would he feel betrayed? Would he be angry? He’d be entitled to either reaction. She only knew that the time had come to finally own up to everything. It was her only chance to have Justin, for real.
“Hey. What’s up?” Adam asked, glancing up from his laptop screen.
His upbeat and affable tone convinced her she’d gotten the timing right. This was the morning for progress. “I was hoping to speak to you for a few minutes about something personal.” She closed his office door behind her and took a seat opposite his desk.
He closed his laptop. “Of course. Is everything okay?”
“For the most part, everything is great, but it could be a lot better if I could just fix one thing.”
“I’m listening.”
“You and Justin. I’d really like to see you two find a way to be civil to each other and stop the fighting. It’s gone on for far too long.”
He shook his head. “I thought you said this was personal. Sunny Side is not personal. And we agreed to table that.”
“I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about me.” Did she have the courage to say what had to come next? She had to do it. Now or never. “Me and Justin. Together. Personally. Very personally.”
His eyebrows drew together. “I don’t understand.”
“Me and Justin. You know...”
“Working together?”
“Do I have to draw you a map, Adam? Justin and I are involved. Romantically. Not business. Personal.”
He reared back his head as if she’d just told him that the world was flat. “How in the hell did that happen? You can’t be serious.”
She took a deep breath to steel herself. She’d worried this might be his reaction. “I don’t want you to be angry, but I went away with him. To his house in Kilbrough. About six weeks ago. That’s where things started.”
“Why in the world would you do that? Did he kidnap you?”
“Will you stop? That’s just mean.”
“Sherry, this is making zero sense.”
It was time to come clean and she knew it. “I went behind your back and met with the founder of Sunny Side.”
“You what?” The fury in his eyes surfaced, just as it had the night they’d first discussed this.
She thrust her finger into the air. “Hold on, Adam. Let me finish. I was certain that I could convince you to come around if I had a better sense of the numbers. We need a strong financial upside these days, don’t we?”
“That’s not the point...”
“Just answer the question. Yes or no.”
“Yes. We do.”
“Okay then. That’s what I was trying to do. And things just sort of happened between Justin and me. And then it continued when we got back to the city. I want to see where it can go. We mesh together really well.”
He twisted his face. “I don’t even want to think about you two, meshing.”
“That’s not what I’m talking about and you know it.” She scooted to the edge of her seat, folding her hands before her and resting her elbows on her knees. It was no coincidence that she looked as if she was praying. “I can’t be with Justin if you two are at odds. Family is too important. I can’t be torn between the two. I understand that there’s bad blood between you, but I need you and Justin to sit down and work it out. Once and for all. It’s been six years, Adam. You were both new in business. You both made mistakes.”
He shook his head so vigorously that his normally perfect hair went astray. “If I made any mistakes, I made them because I was reacting to the things Justin did. He could’ve ruined a multi-million-dollar idea.”
“But he didn’t.”
“It doesn’t matter. Justin was willing to put our business venture at risk to prove a point. That told me that he was unreliable as a business partner.”
“I just feel like this whole thing has gotten blown completely out of proportion. You used to be friends.”
“So what are you hoping for? That I apologize and we start playing golf together? That’s not going to happen.”
“I’m not asking you to be best friends. I’m just asking for enough of a truce that you two can be in the same room without trying to kill each other. That’s it. Although I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t be happy if you rekindled your friendship. That would be nice to see.”
“You’re deluded.” He leaned forward in his chair, his eyes pleading with her. “He’s scum, Sherry. I don’t know what kind of line he fed you to get you into his bed, but I’m sure he was just trying to get back at me. You need to stop acting like a girl and walk away from him now, before you get hurt.”
Sherry was so offended on multiple levels that she wasn’t even sure where to start. “Sometimes I think you just don’t want me to be happy, Adam. You know, you and Nina found a way. I don’t see why you can’t do one thing for me. For your sister.”
“I’m not doing a damn thing to help my sister ruin her life. Believe me, some day you’ll thank me.” He opened up his laptop and stared at the screen.
She sat back, folded her arms across her chest, crossed her legs. She wagged her foot, brainstorming a new approach.
“Is there something else?” he asked.
“Nope.” She shook her head with fierce determination. “I’m not leaving until we talk this out. I don’t care if I have to sit here all day.” She dug her phone out of her pocket. “I can do a remarkable amount of work sitting right here.”
“Mr. Bennet?” Adam’s assistant’s voice broke in over the intercom.
“Yes?”
“I’m so sorry to interrupt, but I have an urgent phone call from Samuel Haskins. He says it can’t wait.”