Courtney & The Case of 2 Lovers

10. Not Courtney Falling In Love

Henry couldn't phase me.

I'm so serious! Like not a thing he did or didn't do bothered me, not a thing! It was like we were two... well, two co-workers! I could've sang and I'm fucking tone deaf, I was so thrilled. I even texted Nae, letting her know after years I was finally free of the curse of Kennedy.

Booty-licker
Wow! Not Courtney falling in love

I rolled my eyes, putting my phone away as Wayne and I approached the hotel conference room. He had been telling me about this dog he's currently trying to adopt, apparently there's some bald lady who also wants the pooch, and I honestly couldn't care less.

I want a dog as much as I want a kid, but good for him.

"Courtney! Wasn't that lake just to die for?" Gabe asked as soon as I entered the room.

I smiled, placing my bag at the head of the table, "It really gives the private lake vibe you specifically asked for." I admitted, taking my seat.

Gabe clapped, turning to Ed, "See, it wasn't too much to ask for."

Ed, who had his fingers steepled as he stared into space, nodded, "You always get what you want." He said plainly, making Gabe grin like the Cheshire Cat.

I wiggled deeper in my seat, checking my watch, "Mr. Kennedy is aware of our meeting, correct?"

"Yes, had to make a quick call." Henry responded, entering the room with Irene right behind him.

He had his head down and was texting as he made his way to the table, something he'd been doing all day. I would've been offended but an operation as big as Kennedy'a requires constant communication. Which had me wondering yet again, why Henry was being so hands on with this project? If I was still the VP, it definitely would've been me handling everything.

But alas, here we are. "So gentleman, what are we thinking?" I asked, right as Irene pulled out a pack of gum.

Gabe started blabbering immediately, talking about feng shui and the vibes and shit. I nodded along even as I watched the girl who was probably like twenty-five, take out two pieces. She then unwrapped a stick and handed the naked gum to Henry.

And he took it.

I felt my lip curling as he popped it into his mouth, I tore my eyes away.

Sometime later, Henry asked Irene for something and she stood, doing a little shimmy that grabbed Henry's attention long enough for him to have to ask Ed to repeat himself. I felt my jaw clenching and immediately forced myself to relax, diving into the conversation because I was leading this project. Not Gabe or Ed or Henry or fucking Irene.

But me.

"The biggest issue for me was the asking price," I let them know, flipping to the last page of the packet they gave us.

"It's a lot higher than it deserves, and considering we aren't looking at an immediate match in terms of profit, if we can't get them down we might want to pass." Henry agreed, looking me directly in the eye for the first time today.

I smiled because in that moment, it felt like we were actually on the same team. And then Irene returned with a glass and a pitcher of water, and the way Henry started beaming at her would've been comical if I hadn't recognized the look.

A look I received quite a lot.

I swallowed and focused back in on what Ed was saying. Which proved to be more difficult because Irene was such a distraction. Or maybe it was Henry, he kept asking her for things and she would do them in such a-a distracting way.