are!” Richard roared. “Either you propose to my daughter by the end of the year, or, or—”
“Or what? You’ll scuttle the merger? LTS will be fine without you.”
Richard walked the length of the table to glower at Kyle, up close and personal. “Will you be fine without LTS?”
“What do you mean?”
“Your father needs this deal to close as much as we do. It’s going forward. But we can’t have people on board who aren’t team players. If you don’t propose, I’ll demand Brian kick you out of the company entirely.”
Kyle had brought his swagger to the showdown, but his opponent had brought something better—a loaded gun. And he honestly didn’t know whether or not his father would help Richard pull the trigger.
Chapter Eight
Caitlin hurried up the wide stone steps of the Museum of Science and Industry. Good thing the sun had come out and melted all the dangerous ice. She didn’t have any time to spare nursing a sprained ankle. While she had until after Christmas to officially accept the offer from the Selford, Caitlin had already begun packing. Might as well get it over with so she could start her new life as soon as possible. This text was an unwelcome interruption in her busy day of sorting, stacking and trashing.
From the phone number, she knew the text she’d received was from Kyle. But all it said was this address, and the word emergency . She hoped it was Monica testing her with a false alarm. Caitlin had every intention of keeping her distance from Kyle from now on. So that he could make a fresh start, a new life with Monica. She’d even written him a letter, explaining that her new job would keep her far too busy for them to stay in touch, and wishing him a happy marriage. One of these days she planned to screw up the gumption to actually stick it in the mail.
Despite her best intentions to stay away, the word emergency couldn’t be ignored. To keep panic at bay, she hadn’t allowed herself to even wonder what it meant. Caitlin checked her coat and entered the vast entry hall. All it took was two steps onto the marble floor for memories to lodge in her throat, making it almost impossible to breathe. She and Kyle loved to come here, gawk at the world’s largest pinball machine and explore the WWII German submarine. Then they’d go home and play Risk, divvying up the world with bloodthirsty glee between them.
To clear her mind, she concentrated on the present. For seventy years now, the museum put on a Christmas Around the World exhibit, with fifty decorated trees filling every nook and cranny. With only three days until Christmas, wide-eyed children were everywhere, drinking in the twinkle of more than thirty thousand lights. It was a mob scene, albeit a festive and joy-filled one. Shrieks and laughter layered over the red-robed high school choir in one corner, singing “The First Noel.” If she wasn’t neck deep in misery and heartbreak, Caitlin would’ve enjoyed herself.
Unsure of where to go, she turned into the main rotunda. In the center sat the forty-five-foot tall Great Tree, covered in blue-and-white balls barely visible beneath the strings of lights. The pedestal it sat on came up to the middle of her chest. And there, in front of it, stood Kyle.
Hands in his pockets, dark hair mussed and a day of scruff on his cheeks, he looked wonderful. She’d missed him so much over the past few days. Seeing him again scraped open the raw wound on her heart. He appeared to be in one piece, not to mention dressed to kill in his power suit, so she almost turned to leave. The emergency was probably a final proposal idea for Monica. Right now, she didn’t have the strength to hear it. Not until she’d built up an emotional callous as big as Lake Michigan.
“Caitlin, over here.” Kyle waved, and she had no choice but to go to him. She tugged at the bottom of her forest-green sweater and stopped more than an arm’s length away.
“Hi.” Not hugging him felt weird. They always
“Or what? You’ll scuttle the merger? LTS will be fine without you.”
Richard walked the length of the table to glower at Kyle, up close and personal. “Will you be fine without LTS?”
“What do you mean?”
“Your father needs this deal to close as much as we do. It’s going forward. But we can’t have people on board who aren’t team players. If you don’t propose, I’ll demand Brian kick you out of the company entirely.”
Kyle had brought his swagger to the showdown, but his opponent had brought something better—a loaded gun. And he honestly didn’t know whether or not his father would help Richard pull the trigger.
Chapter Eight
Caitlin hurried up the wide stone steps of the Museum of Science and Industry. Good thing the sun had come out and melted all the dangerous ice. She didn’t have any time to spare nursing a sprained ankle. While she had until after Christmas to officially accept the offer from the Selford, Caitlin had already begun packing. Might as well get it over with so she could start her new life as soon as possible. This text was an unwelcome interruption in her busy day of sorting, stacking and trashing.
From the phone number, she knew the text she’d received was from Kyle. But all it said was this address, and the word emergency . She hoped it was Monica testing her with a false alarm. Caitlin had every intention of keeping her distance from Kyle from now on. So that he could make a fresh start, a new life with Monica. She’d even written him a letter, explaining that her new job would keep her far too busy for them to stay in touch, and wishing him a happy marriage. One of these days she planned to screw up the gumption to actually stick it in the mail.
Despite her best intentions to stay away, the word emergency couldn’t be ignored. To keep panic at bay, she hadn’t allowed herself to even wonder what it meant. Caitlin checked her coat and entered the vast entry hall. All it took was two steps onto the marble floor for memories to lodge in her throat, making it almost impossible to breathe. She and Kyle loved to come here, gawk at the world’s largest pinball machine and explore the WWII German submarine. Then they’d go home and play Risk, divvying up the world with bloodthirsty glee between them.
To clear her mind, she concentrated on the present. For seventy years now, the museum put on a Christmas Around the World exhibit, with fifty decorated trees filling every nook and cranny. With only three days until Christmas, wide-eyed children were everywhere, drinking in the twinkle of more than thirty thousand lights. It was a mob scene, albeit a festive and joy-filled one. Shrieks and laughter layered over the red-robed high school choir in one corner, singing “The First Noel.” If she wasn’t neck deep in misery and heartbreak, Caitlin would’ve enjoyed herself.
Unsure of where to go, she turned into the main rotunda. In the center sat the forty-five-foot tall Great Tree, covered in blue-and-white balls barely visible beneath the strings of lights. The pedestal it sat on came up to the middle of her chest. And there, in front of it, stood Kyle.
Hands in his pockets, dark hair mussed and a day of scruff on his cheeks, he looked wonderful. She’d missed him so much over the past few days. Seeing him again scraped open the raw wound on her heart. He appeared to be in one piece, not to mention dressed to kill in his power suit, so she almost turned to leave. The emergency was probably a final proposal idea for Monica. Right now, she didn’t have the strength to hear it. Not until she’d built up an emotional callous as big as Lake Michigan.
“Caitlin, over here.” Kyle waved, and she had no choice but to go to him. She tugged at the bottom of her forest-green sweater and stopped more than an arm’s length away.
“Hi.” Not hugging him felt weird. They always
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