Best Man with Benefits (Wedding Dare, #4, McCade Brothers, #3)(9)
“The deal team is solid. I’ve already rallied them, reviewed the issue list, and we’re working to resolve as many as we can while you’re out-of-pocket. The problem is all the apparent and actual authority at Defy Gravity resides with you. To investors, analysts, and everybody else, you are Defy Gravity…founder, president, and CEO. You’re the man, and people want to deal with the man. I wholeheartedly agree you need to be able to get away every now and again to recharge. But if you want a life, you’re going to have to officially delegate some of your control. Appoint someone else as CEO. Hire a VP of strategy to spearhead acquisitions. Find a spokesperson to represent the brand.”
Logan pressed his thumb to the bridge of his nose to try to block the pressure building behind his eyes, and silently admitted Peter was right. He’d constructed this prison for himself, and he held the keys—which made him his own worst enemy. But the thought of relinquishing control over something he’d built from the ground up, something his friends and family had sunk their savings into, not to mention an entity that now employed hundreds of people, seemed tantamount to admitting he couldn’t handle the demands. It made him feel like a slacker, or worse, a failure. “I know,” he said quietly. “I’m still thinking about it.”
“Think faster. In the meantime, we’ll continue moving things forward as best we can. Hopefully by the time you’re back, we’ll have whittled the target’s concerns down to a handful, and you can put those to rest in time to get the deal signed before the quarter closes.”
“Great. That sounds great. Thanks.” Some of the stress rolled off his shoulders, though he couldn’t say whether it dissipated because Peter had, for the moment, stopped yanking on the Defy Gravity choke chain he’d been wearing for far too long, or because Sophie had turned away from Brock, and his c’mon-you-know-you-want-to grin, to focus on Reed. Had to be the former, he realized, because she said something to Reed, smiled up at him while batting her long eyelashes, and all the tension came rolling back.
He took another step toward them. “I have to go.”
“Wait! What about the board? Are you going to call the chairman back? If he calls me, what do you want me to tell him?”
Jesus. He closed his eyes, counted to ten, and reminded himself he’d wanted all this, once upon a time. “Tell him…” He glanced back to the corner of the lounge just in time to see Sophie zigzag out the nearest exit. “Shit. I’ve got to go.” He hit disconnect and headed after her, pausing long enough to swipe a bottle of champagne from the host bar on his way out.
Chapter Three
Sophie had a head start, but Logan didn’t have any problem catching her. Partially because her shorter strides couldn’t eat up as much ground as his, but mostly because she meandered the paved path connecting the restaurant and the resort like a butterfly in a breeze. A tipsy butterfly in a stiff breeze. He felt a smile tug his lips. Sophie was a lightweight.
“Hey, wait up.”
She spun around, and weaved a little as the move challenged her balance. He hurried over and put a steadying arm around her waist. The full moon and lamps along the path illuminated her deer-in-headlights expression. “I thought we were partners in crime, Soph. I can’t believe you ditched me.”
Those big doe eyes looked up at him, but instead of contrition, he detected a hint of suspicion in their depths. She straightened to her full height and raised her chin with all the cautious dignity of the mildly inebriated.
“I didn’t ditch you, I liberated you. I appreciate you talking me into coming, and hanging out with me, but I’m sure there are people you’d like to spend time with besides your best friend’s little sister.”
He made a show of looking around the otherwise empty path. “Nope.”
“Come on, Logan.” She slipped out of his hold and faced him down. “The party’s in full swing back at the restaurant. Why are you out here with me?”
“Hey, I’m not the kind of guy who lets his date stumble back to her hotel alone in the dark. I’m funny that way.”
She stared at the bottle of champagne in his hand, and then back at him. Her eyes narrowed. “Did my brother bribe you to babysit me?”
Now would be the time to admit Colt had asked him to keep an eye on her, but, clearly, she’d be pissed if he confirmed her suspicions, and Colt wouldn’t appreciate landing on his sister’s shit list days before his wedding. A good best man knew when to finesse a situation. He didn’t have to lie, exactly, just offer her a different truth than the one she’d asked for.
“I had fun tonight.” True. “But to be perfectly frank, I’m not really in the mood for a big, loud social scene.” Also true. “So when I saw you slip away, I figured maybe we could take our party to go.” He held up the champagne and lifted an eyebrow. “I stole this on my way out, because everyone knows the pilfered stuff tastes better, and I was going to offer to split it with you.”
“Oh. Well, when you put it like that—”
“But now I’m not so sure it’s a good idea.”
She frowned. “Why?”
“You seem a little over-served.”
Her mouth fell open. “I am not. I’m completely sober…mostly.”
“Then you won’t mind submitting to a sobriety test.”