Boardroom Battle Read online

  “What do you think, Darcy?” Caroline whined, looping her arm through his.

  “I don’t care,” he realized. The only think he cared about was apologizing to Liz. He couldn’t look out of his window any longer. He had to try and find Liz. He walked out of the office. His strides were long.

  “Where are you going?” Caroline asked as the door shut behind him. He didn’t answer. He ran to the stairwell, down the stairs, and to the entrance of the park that Liz had disappeared into.

  28.

  Liz had to get out of Dee’s house and away from Coney. It had only been two hours since he got into town, and he already broke one of Dee’s tea cups and called her “Lizzy the Piggy.”

  “Can I get a sandwich? Need some fuel before I wax your car,” he said to Dee, lumbering through her apartment.

  “You really don’t have to do that, Coney.”

  “If I’m going to get it fully serviced before I leave, I’ve got to get it buffed today.” He pointed his chubby finger down to the floor.

  Dee fixed a sandwich and put it in front of Coney. He sat at the table and started to devour it. Liz sat at the table as long as she could, watching ham fall out of his open mouth.

  Liz scooted back from the table. “I’m going to take a walk.”

  She didn’t even bother to change into her running shoes. Instead, she threw on a gray hoodie, grabbed her purse, and was out the door in less time than it took for Coney to clean his plate.

  After about twenty minutes of reading on a bench in the middle of the park, she felt better. So much better that she decided to go back to Dee’s and try again to be nice to Coney.

  As she turned around, heading back toward the entrance of the park, she saw Darcy. She knew immediately it was him. He looked like he belonged in a boardroom, not in the park.

  Her neck stiffened as she tucked a wayward curl behind her ear. Over the past few weeks, as she replayed their last conversation, she was deeply embarrassed. She couldn’t believe she called him a rich jerk when he was offering her a job. Even though he did it poorly.

  Liz thought through her options. Run in the opposite direction? Crazy. Pretend she didn’t see Darcy as she passed? Crazier. Jump in the bushes that lined her path and hope he left? Craziest. Her feet stuck to the sidewalk as she realized the only way not to look completely insane was to walk forward.

  A second later, her eyes met his. She took a deep breath and shook out her arms. The only thing she wanted was to get out of this conversation with her dignity and sanity.

  They were twenty feet apart. Then ten. Then five. He spoke first. “Liz.” He nodded at her.

  “Darcy.” She looked up at him; not one strand of his dark brown hair was out of place. The sun glinted off his shoulder, and she didn’t know whether it was embarrassment or attraction but she couldn’t help but intertwine her fingers behind her back, squeezing until her hands ached.

  “How are you?”

  “I’m good. Just staying with Dee, Mr. Chambers’s daughter. She lives here.” Liz pointed toward the east side of the park, feeling the need to explain her presence.

  “Okay.” His jaw clenched.

  She rubbed her still stiff neck. Did he think she was pitiful? Clearly, she didn’t have a job. She was wandering around Denver in the middle of the day.

  “Well.” Liz glanced around Darcy’s tall body, trying to think of an excuse to leave. She was more desperate to get out of this conversation than she’d been to get out of anything in her life. Even going to back to Dee’s and watching Coney eat was a welcome option.

  Darcy stood firm and pointed toward a tall, metal building across the street from the park. “We just bought an office building.”

  “Nice. Expenses look good this time?” she asked. She smiled at him, hoping to convey that she was offering an olive branch and not a dig.

  “Yes.” He nodded and smiled.

  “Great,” she said, realizing she wasn’t going to figure out a smooth way out of the conversation. So she said the only thing she could think of: “Goodbye, Darcy.”

  He paused for a few seconds and cocked his head to the side. “Goodbye, Liz.”

  She smiled one more time, and then she walked out of the park. She glanced back, sneaking a peek after she was a few steps away, and he was still standing in the same spot.

  29.

  Darcy sat down near the entrance of the park for way too long. Bikers zoomed past him. Moms with strollers went around him. Dogs sniffed his shoes. He couldn’t move.

  That was not how their conversation was supposed to go. It wasn’t supposed to be a hit-and-run conversation. He was supposed to ask her to sit down on the bench, and she was supposed to stay. She wasn’t supposed to leave before he got a chance to apologize to her and tell her the truth about Hamilton.

  But she left. Should he run after her? No. That was insane.

  He knew what he needed to do. He needed to leave the park, and he needed to forget about Liz, forever. Who cared if a random woman who lived in Georgia thought he ruined her life? He’d been accused of worse. He’d been guilty of worse, too.

  But, despite knowing he should forget Liz, he couldn’t stop thinking about how she tucked a stray curl behind her ear. His feet wouldn’t move. Darcy looked at his shoes. They were perfectly shined with tight, black strings that were laced perfectly. He willed himself to walk.

  “Darcy, what are you doing?” A woman’s voice cut through his thoughts.

  When he looked up slowly, his eyes focused on the woman in front of him, and his heart hoped it was Liz. It was Caroline.

  Her hair was golden, stripped completely of the reddish hue by the bright sunlight. To anyone else, she looked like a model, but to him, she looked like disappointment.

  “What’s wrong? Why are you in a park?” she asked, walking closer.

  “I’m fine.” He jumped off the bench and forced his right foot to go in front of his left.

  “Then take me to dinner.” She turned around and marched out of the park.

  Darcy suffered through a romantic dinner with Caroline. He spent most of the first course twisting his wine glass stem between his finger and thumb, thinking about Liz. It wound back and forth like a clock speeding up and slowing down, making him wish he could control time and rewind to his conversation with her.

  Caroline spent most of dinner talking about her latest handbag purchase. He didn’t know why she was so obsessed with carrying around alligator skin.

  After the waiter cleared their plates and refilled their wine glasses one last time, Darcy’s phone buzzed and lit up in the dim restaurant. It was a text from his sister, Georgia.

  “Still on for strawberry beer tomorrow?” Georgia texted.

  “Who’s that from?” Caroline interrupted. She peered over to his side of the table before she carefully lifted her glass and took a sip of her wine.

  “Georgia.” Darcy picked up his phone.

  “I adore your sister.” Caroline raved about Darcy’s younger sister as Darcy debated his response to Georgia.

  Darcy was supposed to take his sister to the new brewery near their house tomorrow, but something made him want to stay in Denver a little longer.

  Darcy picked up his phone and typed out a response. “Staying a few more days. Next week?”

  30.

  The next day, spurred by her abrupt conversation with Darcy, Liz woke up determined to land a new job, an even better job. She was ready to call every company in Savannah, even the ones who had already rejected her. Liz made a list of all her past clients and started calling them one by one. Maybe they would know of a potential job opening, or even better, maybe someone would just offer her a position on the spot.

  It only took Liz a few calls to realize her plan wasn’t going to work. No one took her calls. People were out of the office, on vacation, or in meetings. The clients she could get on the phone just wanted to gossip about Mr. Chambers. Some had some entry-level positions open, but no one had anything comparable to wha
t she needed or deserved after a decade of work.

  After twenty-two phone calls, Liz laced up her running shoes. She hated running, but the frantic energy she felt buzzing through her veins made her want to hit the payment as hard and as long as possible.

  Liz ran deep into the park. Her heart pounded out of control, but somehow each step soothed her nerves and every tree she passed acted as balm for her worn soul.

  After twenty minutes, when her body and mind were too tired to think about her lack of employment prospects, she spotted him. It was Darcy. Again. She froze and assessed the situation. She was sweaty, smelly, and wearing spandex. Meanwhile, he looked amazing in a polished suit. Did he own any other type of clothing?

  She took deep breaths, wiped the beads of sweat from her forehead, and realized her legs felt wobbly after her run. She desperately didn’t want to faint in front of Darcy, so she collapsed on a nearby bench.

  Darcy sat down next to her. “I want to tell you something.”

  Liz’s cringed. She had no idea what he was about to say, and she knew there was no way she was going to be lucky enough to exit two conversations in a row gracefully.

  Darcy cleared his throat.

  She started to make up an excuse for why she needed to leave, but before she could get out more than a grunt, they were interrupted.

  “Liz! We’re going to eat lunch!” a voice yelled.

  Liz and Darcy turned simultaneously to look toward the voice. Andy was waving both arms at them near the entrance of the park with a giant smile on his face. Coney and Dee were following closely behind, holding hands.

  Andy rolled his wheelchair in front of them. He placed his knees squarely between her and Darcy. “This is Darcy,” Liz introduced the man to Dee’s son.

  “Nice to meet you, Darcy. I’m Andy.” Andy stuck out his hand. Darcy smiled at the boy’s wide grin and shook his hand.

  “Nice to meet you, Andy,” Darcy said.

  By that time, Dee and Coney were standing behind Andy. Dee’s eyebrows raised at Liz. Liz answered her silent question with a shrug of her shoulders.

  “Good to see you again, Dee,” Darcy said, standing up.

  “You too,” she said slowly. “This is Coney.” She motioned toward the big-bellied man standing next to her.

  Liz’s stomach cramped. She was so relieved that Andy interrupted her conversation with Darcy that she hadn’t even considered a worse alternative: Coney.

  Luckily, Dee was an amazing friend, who anticipated Liz’s worst fear. “We will leave you two to your conversation,” she said as she dragged Coney toward the street.

  Liz made a mental note to thank Dee later. She couldn’t handle any more embarrassment in front of Darcy, and Coney was a ticking timebomb. Andy didn’t budge. Instead, he looked at Darcy for a few seconds. “Come on, son,” Dee said, motioning for him to follow.

  “We’re going to get burgers. Want to come?” Andy asked.

  Liz looked at the tall man who sat next to her. “I’m sure Darcy is too busy for that.”

  Coney was walking away in a matching Georgia Tech sweatshirt and sweatpants. Then she looked at Darcy in his expensive suit. They couldn’t be more opposite, and if they had to sit across from each other at lunch, the only result would be Liz’s continued embarrassment.

  “It’s okay; you don’t have to come,” Liz told Darcy. He looked at her for a second, and something flashed across his face. This time, it wasn’t a snobbish, judgmental look. Instead, a flicker of a smile lifted the corner of his mouth.

  “I’ll come.” Darcy looked at Andy. “Want a push?”

  “Yep, you steer, and I’ll point, big guy,” Andy said as Darcy grabbed the handles of his wheelchair.

  Liz watched in disbelief as the pair wheeled toward the street and out of the park. Was this happening? Darcy was the most uptight man she’d ever met, and he was about to eat a whole meal with Coney, the most embarrassing man she’d ever known.

  31.

  “Do you know why the South is better?” Coney asked. Liz’s palm slapped her forehead. The waiter just dropped off their food, and Coney had already told Darcy why Georgia was going to be the only state to survive a zombie apocalypse.

  Please chew with your mouth closed, Liz prayed silently. Please.

  Her prayers went unanswered. Coney paused after his question, his mouth hung open with a meat patty rolling around, waiting for Darcy to respond.

  “I don’t,” Darcy said. That same flicker of a smile that she’d seen in the park flashed across his face.

  “Cause a handshake still means something where I’m from.” A drop of ketchup slid out of the corner of his lips.

  He slurped the red drop back into his mouth. “You know, it’s a place where a man’s word means something. And where we still fix things with our hands.” He held up his grease-stained hands for proof.

  “And where we still know how to treat a lady.” Coney smiled at Dee, and she looked down at her plate.

  Liz wanted to crawl under the table and die. The lunch had officially gone as terribly as she predicted. Darcy already thought everyone in Georgia was an idiot; now Coney confirmed it.

  “Ya wanna know what her nickname was growing up?” he said, changing the subject and nodding toward Liz.

  Liz’s fist tightened around her fork. Dee place her hand over Cone’s arm and shook her head.

  “It’s funny!” he told Dee as he kept going. “We called her Lizzy the Piggy.” His mouth opened wide with a great roaring laugh.

  Liz looked at Darcy. She’d never felt so mortified in front of someone in her entire life. When she told Hamilton about her nickname, she knew his response would be kind. But she never knew what Darcy was going to do. She braced herself for a disdainful jab.

  Darcy locked eyes with Liz and smiled. “Looks like she grew out of that.” She smiled back, grateful for the kind response. In that moment, her heart fluttered, and she felt a lifetime’s worth of gratitude for Darcy.

  Coney must have realized he was talking to the wrong audience, so he changed the subject again, telling Darcy how Georgians had been responsible for the greatest innovations in the last 100 years. “We practically invented the internets.”

  Darcy politely nodded as he ate. Liz spent most of lunch looking down at her phone, hoping to speed up time. The few times she looked up, she caught Darcy looking in her direction, like he was studying her.

  Each time, she told herself not to blush, but she would fail and immediately look down again. After what felt like a decade, Darcy paid for everyone’s lunch and left the restaurant. Darcy graciously said goodbye to Coney, Dee, and Andy.

  Dee asked Coney to push Andy, leaving Liz and Darcy alone for a few minutes. “Good to see you,” she told him. She had no idea what to say to this man. So, she stuck out her hand to shake his.

  She expected a firm, short shake, but instead, he leaned in close. As the distance disappeared between them, her hands fell to her sides like wet noodles. Darcy whispered, “Tell Andy thanks for inviting me. Talk to you soon, Liz.” Then he turned to walk away.

  Liz stood stunned in the middle of the sidewalk. Soon? What was he talking about? She finally decided he was just being nice, and she turned to follow Dee’s family home. Even though she tried to get his words out of her mind, she kept hearing his voice.

  32.

  Six days after lunch and two days after Liz finally stopped thinking about Darcy’s last words to her, she received an email from him. She quickly clicked on his email, feeling a flutter in her stomach that she didn’t want to admit existed.

  From: Darcy

  To: Liz

  Subject line: Follow-up to my Proposal.

  Liz,

  Despite my best efforts to forget our conversation in Savannah, I cannot.

  I would like to explain myself in person. However, when I saw you in Denver, the first time, I couldn’t find the words, and the second time, I couldn’t find the right moment. I hope this email will serve as an apology for my out
rageous words and an explanation for some of my actions.

  I never should have said your team was immature or questioned your hiring ability. You were right; I’ve never seen their work. My opinion was solely based on seeing them for a total of twenty minutes at a party. Please forgive my harsh judgement; it is one of my biggest personal flaws.

  Also, please forgive me for exposing the accounting errors within Chambers’s Media after the office party. While I was only trying to warn you of the potential problem, I did not select the best time or setting. I could have sat down with you and Mr. Chambers after the party and given you examples for my hypothesis, and I could have delivered it in a more empathetic way.

  The third offense you accused me of was destroying Hamilton’s financing. Hamilton and I have a long history. I’m sure he did not explain it to you because the story does not paint him in a good light. I will spare you the details at this time. For now, I’d just like you to know that his accusation is false. I am not the reason Hamilton did not receive financing for the purchase of Chambers’s Media. I realize you have no reason to believe my word over his, but I wanted to go on record disputing his story in hopes that, in the future, you will see my character for what it truly is.

  Thank you for taking the time to read this email. I hope you will forgive me for my transgressions.

  I told you that I’d talk to you soon. Tell Coney that Northerners can also be men of their word.

  Darcy

  Liz read the email twice more, letting the words soak into her bones. She sighed and leaned back against the plastic airport chair she was sitting in.

  It was strange timing to hear from Darcy. She was on her way back home, not to her home in Savannah, but back to her mom’s house. She officially decided to give up her lease in Savannah until she found a new job. Since it looked like it might take a while, she decided to save every penny and move back into her childhood bedroom.