Page 11 of Bridesmaid By Chance
“Oh,” I say. “Isyourfather actually okay?”
Archie shakes his head. “Unfortunately, no. I received a text from my sister that he was asking for me. I told her we’d fly out tomorrow. Sheridan and I were already discussing that. But Sheridan’s father, Terrance, has been adamant about not selling to you.”
Fuck.
Why the hell not?
“Now, he owns about 10 percent of the shares in the company and doesn’t have much of a say, but he and Sheridan are very close. I know that Terrance’s approval of me matters a lot, and we have a good relationship, something I don’t want to damage over a business deal.”
“I understand that completely and respect it,” I say. The words feel likegravel coming out of my mouth because—10 percent. You’re going to let a guy who owns 10 percent make a decision about your business?
“So I have a big ask of you.” He presses his hands together and continues. “Would you mind coming to London so my father-in-law could get to know you better? Come to the wedding, show Terrance that you’re a good guy, someone he can trust? I believe you could be the right fit for us, especially with the business practices you’ve been engaging in with the Cane brothers and their business model, but I can’t make the final decision with Terrance harping in my ear.”
“I appreciate your trust in me.” I shift my weight. “Can I ask why he doesn’t entirely trust me?”
Archie nods his head. “Because of, as he put it, what you did to your father.” Christ. “And to be fully transparent, he contacted your father, and well, now he’s trying to work out a deal with him.”
Mother.
Fucker.
I keep my face neutral as I absorb this brand-new information.
“I appreciate you offering up this information. Honestly, you need to choose what’s best for your business, and if that’s keeping your father-in-law happy with you, then I totally understand. If you are granting me the chance to show Terrance that I’m someone he can trust, I’ll take you up on the opportunity.”
“I’m more than happy to. I can have my assistant send you the schedule, but whenever Terrance is in the UK, he spends a lot of his time at the Mayfair Club, where we are having the wedding. It’s one of his favorite places to be, so that would be a good place to start.”
I nod, knowing exactly which club he’s talking about. “Sounds good. I’ll be in touch; looking forward to receiving the schedule. And hey, business aside”—I pat his shoulder—“I’m really sorry to hear about your father.”
“Thank you. That means a lot.”
“Please let us know if there is anything we can do for you. I know Maggie and Everly would be more than happy to help if anything comes up with the wedding. And if there’s anything we can do to ease some of the responsibility, let us know.”
“Thank you, Hudson. I appreciate it.”
He shakes my hand and then we head out of Maggie’s office. The girls are still at the conference table, and when they see us approach, they all stand.
“It was lovely chatting. We’ll be in touch. Thank you, Sloane, for helping us out.”
“Y-yes, of course,” she says, stumbling over her words.
We say our goodbyes, and he takes off, meeting Sheridan at the car out front. Once Archie is gone, I turn toward the girls. “Fuck, I’m sorry.” I let out a deep breath and take a seat at the conference table, feeling the weight of my decision resting like a fucking hippo on my shoulders, the heaviness of it all, tremendous. I scrub my hands over my face. “This account with Archie is a big one, and well, I was trying to be accommodating. I apologize for putting you in a tough spot.”
Maggie looks nervous as she says, “Hudson, we are, uh, kind of full at the moment. We really don’t have any time to take on any extra work and took the meeting just to be courteous.”
“I know.” I drag my hand over my face again. “I’m sorry.”
“Um, just to be clear, since I’m taking notes,” Sloane says from the other end of the table. “Did I hear it correctly that I’m going to be in their wedding? A wedding in London with ballroom dancing?”
“That would be a question for Hudson,” Maggie says. “Care to answer that, Hudson?”
Not wanting to face her at the moment but knowing I need to, I stare down the length of the table and slowly nod. “Yes, you heard that correctly.”
“Okay, great,” she says, almost sarcastically. “Umm, think I can have a moment with you, Mr. Hopper?”
I hate when she calls me that.
Fucking hate it to my bones.
