Page 20 of The Marriage Pact
“The Mexican financiers are threatening to pull out of the Jamaica deal. Apparently, they want to back some firm developing golf resorts in Brazil,” she said.
Alex cursed under his breath. The Jamaica deal — an agreement to buy twenty thousand acres of prime development land along a stretch of picture-perfect beach on the island — was meant to be the start of a new project. Alex had spent weeks cultivating his Mexican investors; he’d lost count of how many tacos he’d eaten at Margarita Oasison Christopher Street.
“Then do something about it. Increase their return to fifteen percent. Negotiate,” he said.
There was a pause. “I already offered,” Hilary said, sounding stern.
Alex sighed. “All right… I’m sorry. Look, I’ll put some thoughts together. You know I trust you to make whatever decision you think is best. But there’s something else I need you to do for me, Hilary,” he said as his thoughts turned back to Kaitlyn.
“I have a pen,” Hilary replied.
“I need you to find a studio space for an artist. Somewhere not too far from the apartment. Rent it for me. The cost doesn’t matter. There needs to be exhibition space, perhaps some other artists, too, like a collective. I need it ready for when we get back.”
There was a pause.
“We?” Hilary asked.
She’d been Alex’s EA for the past five years. There wasn’t much she didn’t know about him, but the announcement of a marriage was sure to cause even the unflappable Hilary some surprise.
“That’s right. I’m… getting married. Her name’s Kaitlyn. We know one another from high school. She’ll be moving into the apartment, too. Can you let Brett know? He’ll need to make it… suitable,” Alex said.
He knew explaining his plans in this way made them sound almost incredible. Most people didn’t go away for a week and return engaged. But Alex had to keep reminding himself this was more than just a fling, an infatuation, or a whim. He and Kaitlyn had history, and this was the natural progression.
“All right, I’ll see what I can do,” Hilary said, for she’d never been the sort to question his instructions. “What about the Mexican financiers?”
“I’ll handle the Mexican contingent,” Alex replied.
Hanging up a moment later, he shook his head, knowing he wasn’t going to have an easy time ahead. Having almost closed the Japan deal, the Jamaica investment was meant to be his new project. If the Mexican investors pulled out, it would be a bitter blow.
Don’t think about it right now. Just get back to New York and deal with it then.
He tried to push thoughts of the Mexican investor problem aside. His mom was right; he could so easily be distracted by work. It wasn’t that he didn’t have other interests. He liked personal training, movies, and his collection of comic books.
“How did you get on with your mom?” Kaitlyn asked when Alex returned to her house a short while later.
A delicious smell was coming from the kitchen, and the table had been laid for dinner, with flowers picked from the garden in avase. It was all very homey. Kaitlyn’s mom had been a collector, so there was nothing minimal about the house. It was a far cry from the clean lines and minimalist aesthetic of Alex’s own apartment in New York.
“She’s looking forward to dinner. It smells wonderful,” he said.
“It’s one of my mom’s recipes. Horseshoe sandwiches. Do you remember she used to make them for us? I made a fruit salad because we won’t want anything heavy after that.”
Alex smiled. He hadn’t had a horseshoe sandwich in years.
“Ham and cheese sauce, is that right?” he asked, and Kaitlyn nodded.
“That’s right. Ham steaks, seared and topped with the sauce. I got hoagie rolls. That was all they had in the store.”
“I’m sure it’ll be delicious. Is there anything I can do to help?” Alex asked.
He felt guilty for having inadvertently allowed Kaitlyn to do all the work.
“No, it’s all right. There’s plenty of time for you to learn to cook once we’re back in New York.”
Alex smiled. He didn’t thinkthatwas going to happen. There was never time to cook. Sitting down to a home-cooked meal was something he hadn’t done since… well, he couldn’t remember. He was looking forward to it and was grateful to Kaitlyn for the effort she’d made. She’d even bought a bottle of Californian wine, now chilling in the refrigerator, and just before his mom was due to arrive, Alex opened it and poured himself and Kaitlyn a glass.
“Here’s to the future,” he said as they shared a toast.
“It’s certainly going to be interesting. I called a few friends in San Francisco. I’ll keep the gallery on for now. I’ve got an assistant who can run things for me until I make a decision. I didn’t want to put her out of a job. She’s a good artist, very gifted in ceramics,” Kaitlyn said.
