Page 103 of Mad Rivals
But I don’t need the brightness to dim in order to immediately recognize the figure standing there.
My heart pounds in my chest.
“Madden,” I murmur at the same time Grace says, “Madden, welcome.”
He glances at Jason first and then me, and he tilts his head as we each play dumb—like we didn’t wake up in each other’s arms a few hours ago.
Well, this just got a whole lot more complicated.
I should’ve known he would know about this project. As soon as I spotted the connection between the vineyard and his own career, it shouldn’t have come as a surprise.
All I can do is hold out hope that my bid outshines his and that they choose based on which feel they want for their vineyard rather than who they know personally.
“Everyone’s here, and Theo is happy to get you each a glass of wine,” Grace says. “White or red?”
“Merlot,” Jason says first.
Madden follows with, “Whichever is your favorite.”
Theo gets to pouring while she begins.
“Thank you all for meeting us here today. We’ve kept this project largely under wraps, and we were purposely vague about what we’re looking for. For that reason, I can’t wait to see what sort of visions you’ve each come up with. I’d like to hear from Kennedy first.”
I nod, and I take one more fortifying sip of wine before I present my vision. I pull out a tablet that will complement my speech as I launch into it.
“Thank you, Grace. As a woman in your target demographic, I started this project by thinking about a luxury space that I personally would want to visit, and I didn’t limit the possibilitiesfrom there.” I open my tablet and flip through the first few slides to show Grace some of my ideas. “In my plans, I have everything from a resort to unparalleled dining and shopping experiences with wellness, relaxation, and luxury at the core of every experience here while keeping the vineyard at the center of everything.”
She raises her brows in approval as she looks at the preliminary renders of some of my ideas.
“I love that,” she says. “Jason, hit me with it.”
“While luxury is, of course, essential, we want our visitors to be hit with the grandeur of the vineyard. To that end, we’re redefining luxury here with amenities not available in the vicinity. We’re focusing on lavish and exclusive craftsmanship for all buildings to create an icon here in Temecula.”
He shows some of his renderings, too, all of which don’t really seem to fit with what’s currently here. It’s almost as if he just jumped in with his ideas without having done any market research first, or at all, and if I can tell, then surely Grace can, too.
Once he wraps up his presentation, it’s Madden’s turn.
“Thank you for having me.” He glances over at me, and then he draws in a breath. “I, uh…” He clears his throat, and then he seems to pull himself together. “I can understand how important this vineyard is to you and your family, and my plan blends the beauty of what you already have here with an eco-friendly approach to expanding into a luxury resort.” He talks a bit about sustainability, and he keeps the focus on how the vineyard is central to this project and his job will be to add luxury around what they’ve already built.
She asks a series of questions that we each answer, and I’m almost ready to admit defeat by the time we’re nearing the end.
I put too much focus on the luxury of it, and I can see that now. Madden’s plan isn’t just the most well-rounded, but it’s truly the best for this vineyard as they look toward a future. His plans don’t take all the new land and just build on it. Instead, hisplans allow for the expansion of the current vineyards along with options for updating the production facilities to be able to handle additional crops.
It feels like I’m going to lose this project.
“Thank you all for coming today,” Grace says at the end. “You’ve certainly given us a lot to consider, and we’re going to take the next few days to discuss what vision we see for the future of our vineyard.”
We all shake hands and exchange goodbyes, and I follow Madden out to the parking lot.
Jason gets into his Porsche and speeds away, kicking up dust in the parking lot as he’s the first one out.
“You did great in there, tiger,” Madden says.
I turn to look at him, and I tilt my head as realization dawns. “You didn’t seem surprised to see me there.”
He shrugs. “Why would I have been? They’re only interested in working with the best.”
“You got it in the bag, Madden. Your focus on the current land was smart.” I tap my temple. “Plus, you know…you’re teammates with her husband.”
