Page 60 of Rival Desires

I flashed her a grin, probably exactly what she hoped for with her little pep talk. Then I took a big old breath and got down to business. I had my own groove when it came to work and was determined to find it again. So, I dove headfirst into my email, tackling each one like a boss.

But as the minutes turned into hours, my self-assurance faded. When Mallory popped by to see if I needed anything else before she left, all I could muster was a weak smile and a mumbled, “I’m good.”

The truth was, I wasn’t good. Not even close.

And things only went downhill from there. Every time I looked at one of my accounts, all I could see were the mistakes and opportunities I’d missed. Any success I’d had felt like a fluke, a lucky break in a game where luck played a big part. The only thing I could acknowledge was how someone else - Cory - would’ve done a better job.

The weight that had lifted from my shoulders earlier came crashing back down, sapping me of all my energy and willpower until I felt utterly exhausted. I lost track of time as I trudged through endless pages of data and read through my employees’ notes and suggestions.

I couldn’t do this.

I slumped back in my chair, feeling completely defeated. I was going to fail, and it wouldn’t just be me who went down. I’d drag everyone else with me, everyone who’d put their faith in me. They all believed I knew what I was doing, and here I was, questioning everything.

My arrogance was going to screw us all six ways from Sunday.

Who did I think I was, thinking I had what it took to run my own business? And then, I had the nerve to rope in other folks, convincing them to trust me and my big, bold vision. Sure, I never bought into what my old company was doing, but maybe Dad was right about my inability to pull this off. Not because I was a woman but just because I wasn’t cut out for it.

I rubbed my hands over my eyes as tears streamed down my cheeks.

I was clueless about what to do next and couldn’t ask anyone for help. I’d started this venture alone and had to face the music alone. My brilliant plan to move to a new city where I barely knew anyone was coming back to haunt me.

But let’s be real, I didn’t have much support back in Sacramento either. Dad would just tell me I’d made my bed, and now I had to sleep in it. Mom wasn’t around anymore. And I’d never made the time to make close friends, a habit I’d tried hard not to carry over into my new life.

But, if Palmer Money Management tanked, even the people who liked me now would jump ship, and I couldn’t blame them. I’d understand if Mallory didn’t want to be around me anymore.

I’d be jobless, friendless, and completely hopeless. Not the brightest future, that’s for sure.

I didn’t know?—

“Rylee?”

A man’s voice made me look up, and for a second, I thought I was losing it because there was no way Cory McCrae was standing in my office doorway after how I’d treated him.

But there he was, walking towards me, concern etched on his face. And that was his voice asking if I was okay.

The genuine care I heard in his question was what finally shattered my fragile façade. Unable to hold it together any longer, I buried my face in my hands and let the tears flow.

THIRTY-THREE

Cory

After finally shaking off Becky for what I hoped was the last time, I zombie-drove back to the office, barely noticing the world whizzing by. This day had been a wild ride, a jumble of emotions that hit me faster than I could process them. The current one? Complete bafflement.

Could I have predicted Becky’s latest attempt to cozy up to me? In hindsight, maybe. But let’s face it; I’ve never quite grasped the female mind, their motivations, and games.

This also clarified why I’d been so clueless about Rylee.

Sure, I got that she was ticked off, and I understood why. But why follow me back to the office and unleash that anger on me? I’d merely done what I was supposed to do, no funny business involved. I wanted the account, yeah, but I hadn’t pulled any dirty tricks or used underhanded tactics, no matter what she accused me of.

Those were all the things I told myself as I made my way back to my office. Once there, the only person I saw was Warner, whoraised an eyebrow to silently ask if I needed anything. When I shook my head, he simply nodded and went back to what he’d been doing.

It took me a hot second to collect my thoughts enough to dive into the Seaworth account, but those pesky thoughts just wouldn’t scram. The more time ticked by and the more files I sifted through, the louder one nagging thought grew.

Rylee should’ve scored this gig.

It wasn’t because she’d knocked her presentation out of the park—although let’s be real, she totally had. No, it was more about her nailing what Nadine was after in a money manager. I hated to admit it, but Palmer Money Management was the better fit for Nadine, and I knew she was savvy enough to have clued in.

This meant that she had only given us the account because of what Rylee’s employee had done, which wasn’t fair to Rylee. If Rylee had condoned it or hadn’t fired him, I could see holding it against the entire company – or even Rylee personally – but Rylee hadn’t done anything unethical. She deserved to be the one handling this account.

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