“A woman stole your clothes?” Elissa looked at him in disbelief.
“Yes, and these kinds of things happen all too often when women want to marry your wallet, and you happen to be attached.”
“Well, you must have been doing something if she got you out of your clothes,” Elissa murmured.
“She tricked me and locked me in a room. I tried to escape. I yelled, but she told the guy I was off my meds, and I couldn’t do anything she was barely five feet. Listen, I wasn’t doing anything wrong!” Liam defended.
Elissa heard the words, everyone heard the words. Colleen looked at her, and the both of them started laughing. Elissa had to step into the house to put the shotgun away before she accidentally shot someone while laughing. When she came back, Liam looked red with embarrassment. He shrugged his shoulders, and the right side of his mouth lifted into a grin. Travers and Colleen looked as though they were still trying to hold in their laughter at the situation. Elissa stepped entirely out of the house and leaned against the door.
What was she going to do? Liam’s grin was like bait to her. It said he wasn’t so bad even though her head was saying he was definitely bad.
Colleen stood up to her full height and looked Travers in the eye.
“It seems as though Mr. Butler has problems that are beyond the present company to fix.”
Travers smiled and wagged his finger in the air.
“No, no, no, we can’t take these things for face value. In this seemingly disjointed telling, I think there can be some middle ground. Liam has a current issue with women throwing themselves at his feet. The women are being referred to him by his grandmother in an attempt to help him.”
Elissa looked at Liam's mouth opening and closing before she could form any speech.
“You’ve got your gran scouting for women for you?” Elissa asked, horrified.
“No,” Liam hissed. “She’s doing it on her own.”
Elissa’s eyebrows went up, and Liam just hung his head muttering. “That’s not what I meant at all.”
Colleen turned a sweet smile on Liam.
“I couldn’t think of a person more deserving.”
“Travers!” Liam prodded.
Travers turned to Colleen. “Like I was saying, we have a solution to these incidents. We understand that Ms. Dane has applied for the position of caterer for the coming out of our new hotel. We are also aware that she has a failing business that needs the revenue and exposure we can offer. We wanted to make an offer.”
“He was making an offer, and I promptly got my shotgun to let him know, I didn’t take kindly to the offer,” Elissa said indignantly.
“You have such a unique spin on things, Mr. Warner. I’m sure it’s a result of you living in the city. You and your boss intrude on her property. You don’t make your intentions clear, and you threaten her by trying to forcibly enter her home, to the point she had to defend herself with a shotgun. You may be a COO in the city, but your negotiation skills need a brush-up, or you need to be taught some,” Colleen replied sweetly. She turned and pulled Elissa into her arms and glared at Liam.
“Mr. Warner can get a pass because he’s not from here, but you, Liam? I’m surprised you’d let Mr. Warner come with his high handed techniques. Were you going to let him bully Elissa into whatever it is you wanted?”
Liam’s jaw tightened, and he held his hands out, effectively admitting to the plan. Elissa shook her head, and her brain told her feelings, ‘I told you so,’ once a snake always a snake.
“You know, you may have a point here, Ms. Bowers. Since this is a business deal having to do with Ms. Dane’s business, maybe Ms. Dane needs an accountant to help her see what we are offering?” Travers said with a sly smile.
Elissa looked up, and Colleen’s smile was just as smooth.
“Oh, I’m not worried, Mr. Warner. My thought is if the both of you high powered chief executives thought it would take two of you to negotiate a deal with a woman who has as you say a failing business, then me being in the picture more than evens the playing field. I mean, at this rate, maybe it puts the two of you at too much of a disadvantage,” she concluded sweetly.
Travers covered his mouth to cough, but Elissa swore she heard him hiding a laugh.
“If you can stop dying in front of her house. Can you tell us what you are offering?”
Travers nodded. “We want Elissa Dane to agree to marry Liam Butler in name only. There is a board meeting coming up. After the board meeting sees he’s married, then they will confer the rest of the business to him. At that point, Ms. Dane and Mr. Butler will divorce. She will get the opportunity to cater to the hotel grand opening. Her reviews will be excellent, and she will also be paid generously for the event enough to address any shortages Green Magic may be having for the next two years.”
Liam shook his head. “We could have gone to the market and hawked me like a piece of meat for all this deal is turning out to be,” he muttered.
Colleen looked them both over and then let out a sigh. “Gentlemen, one go to your car standing here in front of Ms. Dane’s house is causing an undue ruckus on her block. Ms. Dane needs to calm down, and we will be with you shortly –“
Elissa interrupted. “Wait one moment.” She ran in the house and then came back out with two water bottles and handed them out to the men. “Here, while you’re waiting.”
Travers took the plastic bottles from Elissa and gave her and Colleen a nod before walking down the walkway. Liam followed, and Elissa was ushered back into her house.
* * *
“Hey, what are you doing? The way you’re acting, I would think we’re here for match.com face to face,” Liam accused Travers.
Travers gave him a deep sigh.
“Hey, it’s not my fault that my job brings me in contact with hot women like Colleen. I’m trying to foster relations between us is all.”
Liam looked skyward and thought about Elissa. Fostering good relations between him and Elissa is just what he didn’t need.
“If you think that’s best,” Liam conceded.
“If you don’t mind me asking, It seems like there is more than a little tension between you and the women.”
Liam and Travers leaned against the car and waited.
“Colleen and Elissa have been best friends forever. Let’s just say if I did anything to put Elissa’s nose out of joint, then it was taken up like cause by Colleen.”
“Ahh, dedicated to her friends. I tell you I’m liking this woman more and more with everything I find out about her. By tonight I’ll know everything there is to know about her, but first looks she’s looking good.”
“I think it's a great idea that you're looking, but remember we're here to save everything I own. we are not here to get you your one and only love.”
Travers laughed.
“ Tell me, Liam, what do you think those two women are in there doing right now?”
Liam looked toward the house.
“ I think Colleen is in there right now planning with Elissa on how to sell my story to cause the most amount of embarrassment.”
Travers tsked, tsked him.
“That's why I'm the COO, oh, and you're the CEO. You look at the dream and the vision, but I look at what's going on right now. If I had to place a bet. I would bet that Colleen is in there right now trying to make sure that her friend gets the most money from this deal.”