Chapter Twenty-Nine
THERE WAS SO much adrenaline coursing through Lizzie Friday morning when she arrived in New York City that she was surprised she hadn’t bounced out of her seat on the airplane. She’d practiced what she was going to say in the meeting at least a hundred times, and by the time the cab pulled up in front of the Food Channel Network’s building in Manhattan, Lizzie’s stomach was doing somersaults.
How could she have thought she could handle this? The conversation with Duke last night had made her more anxious, even though he’d confirmed that she had all her ducks in a row and the proposal looked perfect. What he’d said about Carly Christianson, the woman heading up the acquisition department for FCN, wasn’t nearly as comforting. She’s a hard negotiator. Be ready to negotiate as if your life depends on it. She’ll try to lowball you, and if she does that, very politely thank her for her time, tell her the meeting is over, and get up and walk out without looking back.
How on earth was she supposed to do that? She had a feeling she’d be fighting to remember how to breathe.
Blue stood protectively between Lizzie and the passersby as she stepped from the cab onto the busy sidewalk. She’d never been to New York, and she was amazed at the sheer number of people on the sidewalks and the constant honking of car horns. When she looked up, the height of the buildings made her dizzy. She clung to Blue with one hand, clutching the strap of her messenger bag with the other.
“You look gorgeous, and your proposal is perfect. You’re going to do great,” Blue reassured her.
“You’re sure I won’t look too out of place? Like a beach girl trying to be a city girl?”
Blue’s eyes heated as he stepped in closer, and that made her stomach quiver in a better way. “You’ll always be my beach girl, but I think you’ve proven that it doesn’t matter what clothes you wear. You have a brain that’s sharper than anyone’s in that building. You’ve created two businesses by yourself. Don’t you forget that, babe. No matter what they say, this is all you. You make the decisions. If they play around, take Duke’s advice and get out with your chin held up high. They need you more than you need them.”
Lizzie wrapped her arms around Blue’s waist, loving the way her heels brought their mouths closer to the same height. Not that she was close enough, but she’d take every inch she could get. “I need you more than I need anything else in this world, Blue. I’m so glad you’re with me.”
“You don’t need me, sweetheart. But I’m glad you want me.” He pressed his lips to her cheek, and she knew he was being careful not to mess up the lipstick she wasn’t used to wearing. “Now get in there and be your amazing self. Are you sure you don’t want me to go with you?”
Her nerves nearly silenced her voice, but she managed, “I’m sure.”
“Okay. Text me when you’re done and I’ll meet you right here. Good luck.”
She felt Blue’s eyes on her long after she walked through the glass doors of the intimidating building. His strength stayed with her as she rode the elevator up to the tenth floor, where she followed a prim-looking woman into an empty conference room that was bigger than her flower shop and overlooked the city. His supportive gaze and comforting words carried her through as her heart slammed so hard against her ribs she feared she might pop a button on her blouse.
The conference room door opened, and a dark-haired woman with almond-shaped eyes entered the room wearing a fitted white suit that did nothing to hide her curvaceous body. Her pin-straight posture and cool, professional gaze made Lizzie’s skin prickle. She had perfectly styled brown hair and a mole on her left cheek. The woman could win an Eva Mendes look-alike contest hands-down.
“Lizzie, such a pleasure to meet you.” She extended a lithe arm and—thank goodness—a genuine smile that softened her perfection just enough to take away the prickliness. “I’m Carly Christianson, and I’m so glad you could make it out to meet with us.”
Carly moved with the grace of a feline and an air of precision as she swept into her seat at the head of the table.
“Thank you. It’s a pleasure meeting you as well.” Thankful that her voice actually worked, Lizzie started to believe that she could do this. Carly didn’t seem as harsh as Duke had said. Maybe he’d been preparing her for the worst.
Lizzie spread her files out on the table and drew her shoulders back, preparing to embark on the spiel she’d practiced on the plane ride from the Cape, when the door behind Carly swung open and three men in suits filed in with serious faces and curious glances. Behind them, two well-put-together women entered the room, bringing with them a whirlwind of anxiety that landed dead center in Lizzie’s chest.
“Let me introduce our team,” Carly said. “Kerry Michaels, head of marketing, Bradley Manion, chief financial officer…”
She spoke fast, each word meticulously pronounced, and Lizzie tried to concentrate on the names and positions that went with each face. But the blood was rushing through her ears so loudly that she found it difficult to process. How would she make it through her sales pitch if she couldn’t even concentrate through the introductions?
“We’re very impressed with your program, and we’d like to hear about how it came to be. There is very little about it online, and you’ve done an excellent job of masking your identity. We scoured the Internet and have not been able to find a single connection between Lizzie Barber and the Naked Baker.”
“Yes, that’s done by design.” Lizzie was shocked that the answer came so easily. She went on to explain how she’d learned about proxy servers in college from a friend, and from there she took them on a tour of her journey from Cooking with Coeds to the Naked Baker. She was surprised at how confident she sounded and was even more pleased to realize she’d been able to make eye contact with each of the members of the FCN team without faltering in her explanation.
One of the intimidating bunch, a blond female with angular features and a sharp gaze, said, “We’d like to see your tax returns to verify the figures you’ve provided.”
“Yes, of course.” Holy cow, tax returns? They must be serious. “I can have them to you by Monday.”
One of the handsome men sitting across the table asked, “Have you at any time had a business partner?”
“No. From the inception of the program I have been the only person working on the show.”
They fired off questions from all sides for the next forty-five minutes, and Lizzie hoped she was handling her answers well. She was being honest, and she couldn’t do much more than that.
Carly cleared her throat and lifted her chin. All eyes shifted to her, and she looked even more regal than she had when she’d come in. With respect shining in the eyes of the others, the intimidation Lizzie had sought to avoid suddenly settled in.
“Lizzie, you’ve proposed a sale of the rights to the program, but you do realize that you are the program, don’t you?”
Lizzie’s mouth opened, and her brain scrambled to find an answer. She and Blue had talked about this. Duke had given her tips on what to say, but her brain had gone completely blank. Her pulse sped up, and she felt her cheeks flush. She was in for a full-on panic attack if she didn’t get a grip on herself soon.
She dug deep, remembering what Duke and Blue had told her. She’s a hard negotiator. Be ready to negotiate as if your life depends on it. Blue’s words came next. You make the decisions. They need you more than you need them.
In their advice, she found her voice—and her answer. “Yes, up until this point the show has been all my doing, from planning to taping, editing, and analyzing. But I wear a blond wig and thick dark glasses, and as you pointed out, my identity has been kept secret. If you hire the right actress to play the part, so the sensual side of the program remains essentially the same, viewers will never connect the dots. Furthermore, I only have the ability to tape the shows twice a week, because I do have another business to run, but another person might be able to film seven days a week, generating even more income.”
“Seven days a week is the plan,” Carly said with a sophisticated tone and a wry smile.
“I’m also willing to consult on a limited basis, with meetings handled at such times that they will not negatively impact my other business.” She had no idea where that came from, but it sounded well thought out and that was a feather in her cap. They began ping-ponging questions at her again, and as she volleyed answers, surprising herself with her abilities, she realized that if she had the confidence to do the Naked Baker program, she could sit at this table with sophisticated city people and handle herself just fine.
NIGHTCAPS BAR WAS a favorite gathering spot among Blue’s brothers and their friends. It was owned by Dylan Bad, a guy who knew how to make anyone feel welcome, and because of that, the place was always jammed. This afternoon was no different. Blue had been sitting at a booth with his brothers Cash and Duke since he’d dropped off Lizzie, and there hadn’t been a quiet moment since they’d arrived.
Normally crowds and noise wouldn’t bother Blue, but his attention was already stretched thin, as he was worried about how Lizzie’s meeting was going with the FCN executives.
“B, your leg has been jumping up and down a mile a minute since you got here. Would you relax? She’ll do great.” Duke sipped his beer and checked out a brunette at the bar. He’d come from the office, still dressed in his suit and tie. Duke was the sharpest dresser of the Ryder men, and Blue had come to realize that it didn’t matter if Duke was working or not. He was always dressed nicely, preferring polo shirts to T-shirts and slacks to jeans.
“I’m not worried about how she’ll do,” Blue said honestly, knowing she’d do just fine. “I’m nervous because I know she’s nervous about how she’ll do.”
Cash ran a hand through his dirty-blond hair. His eyes held Blue’s with an assessing gaze. “Holy mackerel.”
“What?” Blue shot a questioning look at Duke, who shrugged.
“You’ve fallen for her.” A knowing smile spread across Cash’s face.
Blue couldn’t hide the grin pushing at his cheeks. “I’m not even going to try to deny that.”
“The first Ryder man to get tied down.” Cash slapped him on the back.
“First you buy the property we were supposed to share, and now you’re in love with the woman I was going to ask out?” The raising of Duke’s brows told Blue his oldest brother was just giving him a hard time.
“You’re too slow, too old, and not quite as handsome as me,” Blue teased as he checked his phone for at least the tenth time since they arrived.
“Please. I am in no way, shape, or form looking for love. You enjoy that monogamy nightmare.” Duke lifted his chin toward the woman he was eyeing at the bar. “Plenty of fish in the sea.”
“You’re missing out, man. There’s nothing like having that one special person to share your life with.” Blue sucked back his beer. “Speaking of which, I can’t sit around here waiting for her to text. I want to be there when she comes out of the building. I’m going to head over now. Meet you at Mom and Dad’s?” He tossed money on the table and waved to Dylan behind the bar.
“Wait up,” Cash said as he and Duke joined him, as he’d known they would. “You’re only here for a few hours. Do you really think we’re going to go our separate ways? Duke’s going to drive us over to Mom’s. Let me just text Jeremy. He and Susan wanted to meet up with us since Mom’s been helping them plan the wedding. Where’s Lizzie’s meeting?”
Blue gave him the address, and Cash texted Jeremy on the way outside. They walked the few blocks to where Lizzie’s meeting was being held, and on the way Blue stopped to pick up a Snickers bar and a bouquet of roses.
“Snickers?” Cash laughed. “What is it with girls and chocolate?”
“The Snickers is in case it didn’t go well. Roses are in case it did.” They passed a jewelry store and Blue stopped to look in the window, which took not only him by surprise, but his brothers, too. As he stared in the glass at the sparkling engagement rings, he had no doubt that a lifetime was exactly what he wanted with Lizzie. But buying one of these glitzy rings was not.
“Seriously, dude?” Duke slung an arm over Blue’s shoulder. “Look at you, all grown up. Wow. I’m impressed.”
Blue slid him a shut-up look.
“Go on in. See how you feel.” Cash nudged him toward the door.
“Nah. I just wanted to look. I’m cool.” Blue began walking again, and his brothers fell into step beside him. Boy, he’d missed being around them, seeing their smart-aleck smiles, and even just feeling their energy as they talked. It had been hard not to tell them about Lizzie’s webcast, but although Duke knew, he was professional enough to keep her business to himself, as he would any proprietary information. Blue knew Lizzie was nervous about the rest of his family finding out, and although she’d never asked him not to tell them what type of show she hosted, he respected her enough not to bring it up—even though he had complete faith in his family not to give her a hard time about it.
Just as they arrived at the building to meet Lizzie, Jeremy stepped out of a cab. He had come from the office, and looked professional in his slacks and tailored shirt as he helped Susan from the cab. She looked as gorgeous as ever in a pair of skinny jeans, high heels, and an oversized knit shirt. She was a top fashion blogger, but she was so down-to-earth and family oriented that she never flaunted it.
“Thanks, babe,” she said to Jeremy as she wrapped her arms around him and they kissed like almost newlyweds should. Then she turned her crystal-blue eyes on Blue and hugged him, too. “I’ve missed you so much! And I’m so happy you’re bringing your girlfriend to the wedding!”
“Thanks, Susan. Me too.”
Susan stepped back and hugged Duke. “You’re looking as dapper as ever.”
“And you’re quite beautiful. Sure you want to marry this guy?” Duke teased, just as Lizzie walked out of the building behind him.
Her head was down, her hair covering her face, as she dug through her purse.
“Lizzie,” Blue called to her as he closed the distance between them. She lifted sad eyes to him, and his chest tightened. He took her in his arms and whispered, “It’s okay. Whatever happened, it’s all okay.”