Simon

“Wait. What? Rewind what you said.” I had to be missing something.

“I’m withdrawing my application. I’ll do the interview with you to retain my current job, but I’m not traveling to New York.”

“Why on earth would you pass on the CFO job now?” I thought she wanted me interviewing her about as much as I wanted to, which was not at all. Her reaction to the board doing it instead should’ve been relief.

“Because I don’t fly.”

“Come again?”

“I don’t fly, Simon. My parents were killed in a plane crash, and I haven’t been on an airplane since.”

I stood there completely gob smacked. How had I missed this? “I assumed auto crash when you’d mentioned it was an accident.”

She shook her head. “Nope.”

“What if I charter a jet? You can take something to calm your nerves and not deal with people.”

Her sad eyes locked on mine. “It doesn’t matter what kind of plane. Three years ago, I tried to travel to Disney World with my sister and her family. I didn’t get past security before I started to hyperventilate. I’m sorry, but I can’t.”

I raked a hand through my hair. A night I’d thought might hold promise for a new start had gone to shit in moments. “Perhaps I can ring the board and explain the circumstances.”

She was already shaking her head, apparently understanding that would not be feasible. “No. You won’t. It would only highlight a shortcoming. Let’s face it: I knew the promotion would be a long shot anyhow once my phobia came up.”

“You knew the CFO had to travel sometimes. When, exactly, did you intend to tell me about your issue?”

Her face heated with temper at my statement which unfortunately sounded a lot like an accusation.

“How about when we sat down for the actual interview? How about then? Don’t go accusing me of withholding information. It’s not as if I should’ve spilled that info on our date or after we kissed. When I put my application in, I knew George was aware I didn’t fly. I was hoping he could make an exception for me when it came to travel. If possible, I could drive to the location. If driving wasn’t possible, then I could do a video conference. Then you came along last Monday, and my whole world has been upside down ever since. So if you’re implying I would’ve taken the job without informing you that I don’t fly, then you’re wrong.”

“That was a rash thing for me to say.” I felt like shit for having opened my trap.

The fight seemed to leave her. “Doesn’t matter. In a way, this takes the burden off. I’ll let George know tomorrow unless you’d rather tell him.”

I absolutely hated the thought of her giving up. Instead of making things better, I’d made things worse. “But this is your career.”

“My life means more to me than my career. I’m not flying. Period.”

Although I empathized, I simply couldn’t fathom how she could give up like this. Guilt seeped in that I was to blame. If I hadn’t come to town to purchase the company, George probably would’ve made the exception for her. If I hadn’t changed her interview to New York, perhaps she’d still have stood a chance. But telling New York executives who traveled the world that you wanted a high-profile job without flying? It was impossible.

Yet, I wanted to fix it. Needed to. “Don’t tell George or anyone else. Give me tomorrow.”

“What’s the point?”

“I need a day.”

She remained unsure, which brought out a side of me I hadn’t accessed in years. Protective.

I framed her face with my hands. “Peyton. I’m going to fix this.”

She stepped away, looking defeated. “No. It’s better to have this out in the open. I’d been worried about it.”

“Promise me you won’t say anything until I say so.”

She hesitated but agreed. “Fine.”

***

It wasn’t fine. I left her house frazzled. I didn’t do frazzled. I was a man who liked control. But at the moment, I had anything but. Instead, I was reeling with the idea I’d made things worse. Arriving back at the hotel, I called Emma and waited for her to knock on my door.

The moment she came in, I blurted out what had happened at Peyton’s house. Her face showed her astonishment. “She won’t fly at all?”

I shook my head. “Nope.”

“Bloody hell.”

Exactly. I had to tamp down the emotions of this evening else I let them cloud my judgment. I cared. Too much. And it was eating me up inside. I paced back and forth. Thinking out loud. “Technically, she could do the job without flying. But if she tells the board members, it’s doubtful they’d be understanding.”

“Why would it come up? Not a typical interview question. Especially if she’s already traveled to be there.”

“True. But I think she’d offer it up. She’s honest that way.” One of the many qualities I admired about her.

“It’s none of their business. The company is local; what would she need to travel for?”

“The new owner would be in New York.”

“If she has enough notice, she could drive that distance. I don’t know how long it is, though. The US is bigger than I sometimes imagine.”

I was hit with a ray of hope. “That’s it. She can drive.”

Emma was already typing on her phone. “Jesus. It’s over twenty-three hours. And that’s one way without traffic.”

I frowned. If the interview was Friday morning, she would have to leave Thursday morning. Early.

“I have an idea.”

***

By the next afternoon I had a plan. Emma had finalized its logistics this morning. Now all I had to do was convince Peyton.

I found her in her office after lunch, on break from the final audit questions with Russ. At this point, the initial audit was done and the purchase was moving forward. There were only a few loose ends to tie up. Without a doubt, I knew she’d been a big part of the process moving smoothly so far.

“Hi.” I knocked and watched her look up with her sexy glasses. I didn’t understand how it was possible I’d already missed someone I’d seen only last night, but I had. Just seeing her made me feel better.

“Hello.”

I shut her door and took a seat, leaning forward so I could level my gaze with hers. “I have a plan for your interview.”

She shook her head. “I thought a lot about it last night, and I think this is a sign. A sign I shouldn’t take the job.”

I didn’t believe in signs. The very notion was contrary to the ideal of working hard to attain something. “I won’t take no for an answer. Hear me out. Please.”

She expelled an exasperated breath but didn’t stop me, so I continued.

“You are the most qualified person. Hands down. Not only is Jeff a complete pompous arse, but he also doesn’t know what he’s doing. You’re smart, you care about your people, and the owner relies on you. Those are all traits you need for this position. As far as the travel, I think you’re right to assume that if the board knew up front you won’t fly, they might make a judgment about that. But in the age of video teleconferencing, there isn’t a reason you should actually need to travel all that often. Maybe once a year. With enough notice, you can take the time to plan out a drive.”

Her expression was incredulous. “Drive to New York from Dallas? It’s gotta be, like, I don’t know—”

“Twenty-three hours and sixteen minutes. Give or take.”

“And you know that how?”

I grinned. “Because we’re driving, starting Thursday morning. I’ll pick you up at four a.m. We’ll drive straight through.”

“What? There’s no way.”

“Sure there is. I have three drivers lined up about eight hours apart to take shifts. We’ll use a town car, which will allow you some sleep in the back if you want. Your interview will be in the afternoon. Theoretically, after we get in around five in the morning on Friday, you take a nap and then interview at three o’clock.”

She simply stared at me in shock.

“You have to do this. If for no other reason than to alleviate my guilt. Which I have to tell you is not an emotion I’m familiar with or loving at the moment.”

“Why in the world would you feel guilty?”

“Because we both know that without my boss buying the company, me taking you out on a date, or me switching this interview so I wouldn’t be the one doing it, you wouldn’t be in this mess.”

“That’s circumstances. Surely not your doing any more than mine.”

“Maybe, but I refuse to accept the circumstances. Or think of it as a sign. Emma has it all lined up. Hopefully, you can get your sister to watch Cooper. We’d be back on Sunday night.”

“We. You’re coming, too?”

“I’d like to.” I wanted to have her in my condo. In my space. Hell, I simply wanted to spend time with her.

“I’ll have to think about it.”

I had to clamp down on my instant argument. Patience had never been my strong suit, and frankly speaking, I wanted an answer now because to me it was a no brainer. I wanted to respect her need for time, but I could already see the self-doubt churning in her mind.

I stood up, walked around her desk, and pulled her up into my embrace. I didn’t think about the fact we were in her office in the middle of the afternoon. I simply needed to reassure her this was the best decision. “What is there to think about?”

Her hands rested on my biceps with her body a mere inch from mine. It took everything in my power not to press her against the desk to mold her curves into me.

“Wouldn’t people wonder where I was on Thursday?”

“I’ll have Wi-Fi in the car. Besides, it’s customary to travel the day before you’re expected to be somewhere. You’ll be fine.”

She licked her lips, the action almost causing me to groan aloud. “I haven’t interviewed in almost a decade. What if, despite all this effort, I fail? I’ll have to tell them I don’t fly, right?”

I could see the sliver of insecurity and instantly wanted to shield her from it. “No, you don’t say a word about not flying. They won’t ask. As for the interview. They’re tough but fair. A hell of a lot easier to impress than I am.”

“And are you. Impressed?”

Now she was back to the sassy girl from the first time I’d met her. I tucked a strand of her hair back behind her ear, loving when she wore it down. “Come to New York with me and find out.”

“You don’t like to take no for an answer, do you?”

“Let’s just say it’s one of my quirks. I don’t have an affinity for the word unless I’m the one saying it.” Yes. I was a man who liked to get my way. But I was doing this for her. Because she deserved it and because I couldn’t stand how easily she’d give up on something for which she’d worked so hard.

“I don’t want you to go to this much trouble.”

“I wouldn’t go to this much trouble if I didn’t believe in you. If I didn’t think you were the most qualified person for the CFO position.” Although the argument could be made I’d never put in this kind of effort for any other person, and there was an indisputably a personal connection involved. But I absolutely stood by my words: she was the most capable candidate.

A knock sounded, breaking us apart as suddenly as a thrown bucket of ice water would have.

A woman sporting a very pregnant belly and unruly red hair peeked inside of the door. “Oh, sorry, you have comp—”

“I was actually just leaving. Ms. Waters, thank you in advance for getting me those answers by the end of the day.”