He sat in what she assumed was stunned silence. Ophelia placed her demitasse cup back on the tray.
“With all due respect, I think it takes more than a good cup of coffee to turn down an offer such as the one Bianca Towers has made you.”
She could tell by the hardening of his jaw that her words had only served to anger him.
“How do you know about the plantation’s financial situation?”
Ophelia held her breath for a second before releasing it. “Like you said, I’ve done my homework.”
He glared at her, and she felt every ounce of the pressure he must be under.
“Let me make you another offer,” she said. “My firm will pay you $10,000 in addition to my reservation at the inn if you’ll be my personal guide for this week. It will give you the opportunity to show off your paradise here, and it will allow me the chance to highlight all the benefits of Ms. Towers’s offer to you.”
The glare dissolved, replaced by wariness. She could tell he hadn’t expected this change in tactics.
“That seems somewhat...desperate.”
Ophelia attempted to keep her expression neutral. “Perhaps we’re both a little desperate, hmm? Why not see if it can work to our advantage?”
She had always known Dane Montgomery would be the toughest recruitment of her career. But she had the feeling that if she could just spend enough time with him, get to know him, find some sort of compromise to their situations...
“Fine.”
She knew that this time, her face revealed her surprise. “Fine? I mean...you’ll do it?”
“For $10,000, I’ll be your personal tour guide...for this week only.” He rose to his feet. “But let me warn you, Ms. Reid, that others with more experience than you have tried many times over the past three years to lure me back.”
“I’m well aware of that.”
He paused, seeming to consider her. “What makes you think you’ll have a better chance than they did?”
She met his gaze with determination. “I don’t know that I do,” she confessed, “but I have to try.”
He straightened at this, and did she imagine it, or was there just the slightest hint of respect in his gaze?
“Then let the games begin.”
* * *
FOLLOWING HER PRELIMINARY negotiations with Dane, Ophelia excused herself, heading to her room so she could check in back home. She stared at her cell phone for a long time before she finally decided to send her mother an email instead. It would be much less stressful than attempting to fill in the details by phone.
She opened up her laptop and typed a short missive.
To: Lillian Reid <[email protected]>
From: Ophelia Reid <[email protected]>
Subject: Dane Montgomery
Ms. Reid,
Things are progressing naturally concerning Dane Montgomery, with the expected resistance to our offer. As we discussed, I have offered him the additional monetary incentive in exchange for his time, and he has agreed to the terms. I will continue to outline the benefits regarding his acceptance of this contract and will keep you apprised of any developments.
Sincerely,
Ophelia
She considered adding something of a more personal nature, even going so far as to type PS The weather is lovely, followed by We should visit here together one day, and then she immediately deleted such trite words, knowing what her mother would think of them.
She sent off the email and closed her laptop, hesitating as she considered calling Cole to see how he was doing. A sense of obligation prompted her to reach for her phone. She took note of the time difference, opened her speed-dial list and tapped Cole’s name. She drew a breath and held it as the line rang once, twice, three and then four times before her ex-boyfriend finally answered.
“Hello, Fee.”
She cringed at Cole’s nickname for her.
“Ophelia,” she corrected.
“Right. Of course. Sorry.”
He sounded truly contrite, and guilt washed over her. She quickly brushed it aside.
“How’s paradise?” he asked.
“It’s lovely,” she said, and realized she was nervously tapping her index finger on her laptop. She cleared her throat and pushed the computer from her lap.
“Have you convinced Montgomery to accept the contract yet?”
She felt a twinge of irritation. “I’ve barely been here twenty-four hours. It’s not the easiest recruitment ever, you know.”
“So I take it that’s a no?”
His voice held a hint of amusement, and she found her irritation rising.
“If you were here—”
“I’m not.” He cut her off.
This sudden interruption gave her pause. She couldn’t fault him for being touchy, not after she’d broken things off between them.
“I’m sure you’ll convince him eventually,” he said. This generous nod to her recruiting abilities sharpened her guilt even further, but she reminded herself of the reason she’d broken up with Cole in the first place.
“I’ll certainly do my best.”
The silence between them was strained.
“Cole—”
“Ophelia—”
They both stopped.
“Are you sure you know what you’re doing, Fee?” She didn’t correct him a second time about the nickname. She already knew to what he referred.
“It’s all I’ve ever wanted, Cole. It’s the only thing I’ve ever asked of you—that you be willing to move to Paris so I could oversee the European branch when the time came. I know that it’s a big commitment, but every time we discussed it, you said you’d be willing to go with me when the time came. Now it’s finally coming to pass, and you’re backing out of your end of the bargain.”
“Don’t forget that the entire deal hinges on you bringing Montgomery out of retirement. You just pointed out that it’s not the easiest recruitment, by far.”
“It changes nothing about you and me, though. I asked you to choose. I told you what it came down to—Paris with me or New York without me. You made it quite clear what you preferred.”
“I asked for some time to think about it—I didn’t know I was writing us off forever by wanting a chance to consider my options.”
“I want to be more than an option for you,” she stated. “Besides, has anything changed since I left? Have you decided I’m worth it, after all?”
The soft static of the line spoke volumes even when Cole said nothing. She scoffed slightly.
“Paris is everything to me. Everything,” she reiterated.
“Everything?” His voice was wounded when he finally spoke.
She sighed with weariness and leaned over to rest her forehead in the palm of her hand. “Cole, please. You have always known how important this is to me.”
“But you’d be leaving everything familiar behind. Including your mother.”
A