Page 54 of Rival Desires

I’m usually an overthinker, but Friday night had been anything but typical.

As if things between Rylee and me weren’t already weird enough.

Approaching the Seaworth residence, my mind was a whirlpool of questions, and none of them had anything to do with work.

Would Rylee be red-faced and mortified about what had happened, so mortified that she’d rather avoid me altogether?

Could I look her in the eye without flashing back to the way her hands had teased and tormented me?

Should I play it cool and pretend like nothing had happened?

Would that make Rylee think I was trying to keep things professional and respectful, or would she think I was horrified by her actions?

“Come on, Cory, get it together,” I muttered, hoping the sound of my voice would somehow yank my brain back to where it needed to be.

I wasn’t entirely sure if my head was back in the game, but by the time I parked my car, I’d managed to wrestle at least eighty percent of my focus back to work stuff. Alright, fine, it mighthave been more like seventy percent, but hey, at least it was the majority.

I was halfway to the door when I heard the crunch of gravel behind me, signaling the arrival of another car. Despite my earlier pep talk, I stopped dead in my tracks and turned around, my heart pounding. Was it Rylee? Of course, it was.

As Rylee climbed out of her car, she smiled at me, but her eyes lacked the usual sparkle. “Morning,” I said, hoping my voice didn’t sound as shaky as it felt. “Are you ready for this?”

Rylee’s gaze flicked briefly in my direction before darting away again. “I should hope so. I’ve been going over my presentation all weekend.” There was a hint of an edge in her voice, and it suddenly dawned on me that she might have taken my question the wrong way. Oh, crap. She thought I was asking if she was ready because of what happened on Friday.

“I sure hope Nadine’s grateful for our blood, sweat, and tears on these proposals,” I said, trying to lighten the mood as we strolled up to the entrance. We’d be lucky if our relationship, or whatever you’d call it, survived this absurd contest. If we were already feeling this awkward, I doubted we’d ever cross paths again after this.

Despite all the questions swirling in my head about us, one thing was crystal clear: I didn’t want us to end.

“You know, if any other client suggests a competition like this in the future, I’m going to have to pass,” I chuckled, pressing the doorbell. “Our reputation should do the talking.”

The moment the words slipped out, I cringed. I’d completely spaced on the dent Palmer Money Management’s reputation hadtaken last week. Before I could muster an apology, the door swung open, and Nadine’s butler ushered us inside.

I let Rylee take the lead and somehow managed to keep my eyes from straying to her backside - no easy feat, let me tell you. Once we were inside, I shuffled up next to her as we trailed behind the butler, who led us to a new room.

“Mrs. Seaworth, your guests have arrived,” he announced, standing guard at the doorway. I peeked over his shoulder, catching a glimpse of the built-in bookshelves in Nadine’s office.

“Thank you, Stevens,” she replied. “Show them in.”

The Nadine Seaworth sitting behind the massive mahogany desk was a far cry from the cheerful and flirtatious woman I’d been chatting with for weeks. Her mouth was pulled tight, and lines around her eyes hadn’t been there before.

As her gaze shifted from me to Rylee, it became clear why her mood had soured. I suddenly questioned if I should have insisted on meeting with Nadine alone. If she was planning to ream Rylee out for that jerk employee’s actions, I wasn’t sure I wanted to stick around - especially since I wasn’t entirely clear on what had exactly gone down.

I’d heard Sergio skipped town after getting the boot last week. Had Nadine liked this guy and was genuinely hurt and humiliated after Sergio left?

Whatever the reason, I didn’t think it was too far-fetched to assume I would get the Seaworth account. I just had to sit through the rest of this charade so Nadine could get whatever she needed out of it.

And I silently begged that it wouldn’t mean embarrassing the woman beside me because I really didn’t know how I’d respond if Nadine started tearing into Rylee. Thankfully, the older woman’s face softened into a neutral expression, and I hoped it meant we’d at least start off on a friendly note.

“Please, take a seat,” Nadine motioned to the chairs before us. “I’ve been eager to see what you’ve got for me.”

As I settled into my seat, I caught Rylee tensing slightly out of the corner of my eye before she sat beside me. I got why she seemed taken aback. Truthfully, I wondered if Nadine planned to go through with the whole thing. Why not just end it now?

“Ms. Palmer, would you like to begin?”

As Rylee dove into her presentation, I was struck by a healthy dose of awe. Sure, I knew she was good - after all, she’d swiped a solid chunk of our clients with her pitches and charming demeanor. But this? This was the next level.

I stole a glance at Nadine, who watched Rylee with rapt attention, her eyebrows knitted together in a look of genuine interest.

Once Rylee wrapped up, she flashed Nadine a grateful smile before settling back into her chair, ready for whatever came next. That’s when Nadine turned to me, and for a moment, I blanked. But then it all came flooding back, and I plastered on my most winning smile, sliding my info packet across the desk towards her.

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