“There are legalities, of course,” Evan said, “so you’ll need to file some conflict-of-interest paperwork for tax reasons.”
“I know what I have to do.” Her voice came out in a breathless rush as she perched on the edge of her seat.
“Probably better than I do,” Evan said with one of those patronizing nods that he seemed to reserve for her. As if he were still just humoring her and her silly little law career. But she didn’t care this time. He was finally giving her a chance. The foundation oversaw millions of dollars in annual charitable gifts. Maybe she could finally start to use some of those gifts for the causes that mattered to her and people like her clients.
Gretchen stood. “I’ll fill out all the paperwork and send it to Sarah. Do I need to do anything else?”
“For the board seat? No. But there is something else I’d like to talk to you about.” Evan motioned for her to sit again.
Gretchen hesitated but then slowly returned to her chair.
“I understand you know Colton Wheeler.”
What. The. Fuck.
A foghorn wouldn’t have been as loud or alarming as the inexplicable mention of the man she had spent the better part of a year pretending not to think about. His name caused a wicked splash and drenched her in bewildered panic, as if she were floating in a swimming pool and someone dropped a piano in it. No one was supposed to know about them. No one.
“I—why?” she finally stammered, throat dry.
“We want to sign him as our next brand ambassador.”
She shook her head, mostly to clear it. “I’m not following.”
“He’s not an easy get. He’s notoriously picky about who he works with.”
Understanding began to settle in her chest like a bad case of bronchitis. The sweet thrill of landing a spot on the foundation board became sour disappointment.
Evan continued, oblivious to her growing discomfort. “He’s the perfect face of the new CAW.”
The new CAW? What the hell was he talking about?
“I’ve already had marketing put together an entire promotional concept for him to consider. If we can get him, we will grow this company’s bottom line further than anyone ever imagined.”
She finally found her voice. “You want me to talk to him.”
“We think he might be more open to an official negotiation if the initial offer comes from a friend.”
“We’re not friends.” It was all she could manage to say, and it was at least true. They weren’t friends. They’d had one amazing night of hot passion after Mack and Liv’s wedding, but that was it. She’d ignored all his calls and texts afterward. And, by some miracle, she’d managed to avoid him since then despite their many mutual friends.
“Acquaintances, then,” Evan was saying.
Gretchen sank into the back of the chair. “I can’t believe you.”
“What do you mean?”
“You offered me a spot on the board just to soften me up for this, didn’t you?”
He dismissed her words with a flick of his hand. “The timing is a coincidence.”
“And I fell for it. I actually thought—” No. She wasn’t going to finish that sentence. She wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of knowing that after all these years, he still had the power to reel her in like a fish on a hook. She stood on shaky legs and hated her body for the weakness she still felt around him.
He laughed. “Are you actually suggesting that I somehow masterminded a vacancy on the foundation board just to get you to have a single conversation with someone?”
“I wouldn’t put it past you.”
He shook his head and made a noise of disapproval. She’d been hearing that noise all her life, and it still managed to sting.
“For God’s sake, Gretchen. You’ve been wanting to take a more active role in the family foundation for years. This is your chance to prove you’re ready. If I was wrong, then I’m sorry for wasting your time.”
She pointed at him. “Don’t do that. Don’t act like you’re doing me some big favor for making me earn a place that should be mine by birthright.”
“Gretchen,” he sighed again. “Why does everything with you devolve into hysterics?”
“Stop. Your gaslighting doesn’t work on me anymore, Evan.”
“Gaslighting? That’s a big word.”
“It’s what you’ve always done. You accuse me of being hysterical just to get a rise out of me so you can prove your own false point about how I’m some kind of rebellious teenager.”
“It’s not like you’ve never given me a reason for that impression.”
She swallowed back the sting of self-recrimination. “I’m not that person anymore. I haven’t been for a long time.”
Evan stood, apparently feeling that he’d won this round in their unending boxing match. “Gretchen, you know I have always admired your passion.”
She snorted.
He spread his hands. “Fine. I haven’t always admired your passion. Your little teenage rebellions cost us a lot of money and embarrassment in the past. But I thought you had at least grown out of some of your more radical tendencies. You should be grateful.”
“For what? Being born?”
Something vicious flickered through his eyes. “Yes, dammit. You were born into one of the most prominent families in Tennessee. The whole damn country, for God’s sake. You never wanted for anything.”
Except respect and acceptance.
Evan let out a long, weary sigh. “I don’t have time for this. Are you going to talk to him, or not?”
Gretchen’s pride told her to flip him off and walk out. The starving puppy inside her spoke instead. “When do you need an answer?”
“By the end of the year would be preferable. If at all possible, we’d like to get this squared away in time for the annual gala.”
“That’s less than a month away,” she protested. The family hosted a fundraising gala for the foundation every year just before Christmas.
“Then you’d better work fast,” Evan said, returning to his seat, a dismissal if she’d ever seen one.
Gritting her teeth, Gretchen turned and stomped toward the door. She didn’t know who she was angrier with—Evan for putting her in this position, or herself for going along with it. But she was going to do it. She was going to willingly talk to the man she’d sworn to avoid for the rest of her life just to prove something to her brother.