Twenty
Joanna
As I watched Jenner register the news, my stomach caught on fire. I reached into the pockets of my jacket, putting pressure on my navel just so I wouldn’t throw up.
I didn’t know what I had been thinking. I should have found a way to tell him sooner.
And I’d wanted to. Every time we were together, the guilt had nagged at me.
But it was easier to just keep going, to keep him in the dark, especially since we weren’t in a relationship, and I didn’t know if we would ever be in one. And then my trip to LA happened and things between us started to change. The trip brought us closer together, and the guilt thickened.
I didn’t want to ambush Jenner.
Not like this.
I was going to tell him when I flew to Utah tomorrow, breaking everything down, sharing that my father had finally offered me a position. But Dad had called this morning, saying he needed me to meet him in Utah, and I knew he was going there with Jenner. Once I hung up with him, I tried to find my breath and the courage to call Jenner and do the right thing, warning him so this wouldn’t happen.
When I finally made that call, he didn’t answer.
He had already been flying with my father.
And, now, as we stood here, Jenner’s eyes were boring through me.
His posture stiff, his expression agitated.
His hands clenching, like he was dreaming about the moment he was going to spank me.
Oh God.
“Joanna, I want you to meet Jenner Dalton,” my father said, continuing the introductions. “Jenner’s the best attorney in the country—and I know that for a fact. I’ve gone through plenty of them over the years.”
Jenner’s hand extended through the air, and mine did as well, meeting him in the middle.
He didn’t gentle his grip; he didn’t lower the intensity of his gaze. “It’s nice to meet you, Joanna.”
He emphasized my name, like it was a slap across the face.
I deserved that.
I deserved even more.
“Likewise,” I responded. “But please, call me Jo. My parents are the only ones who call me Joanna.”
“And pumpkin,” my father added.
Trying to make light of the situation, I laughed. “That might be pushing it a little too far, Dad.”
“Jo, then …” Jenner said, releasing me but his stare didn’t.
It stayed on me.
It owned me.
It … punished me.
My father held my shoulders even tighter, shifting me so he could look at my face. “Jenner, this is my pride and joy right here. She just graduated from the University of Miami a few weeks ago with honors, a dual degree in marketing and business.”
“Congratulations,” Jenner said. “That’s quite an accomplishment.”
He was flat as he spoke, a robot moving through the necessary motions.
Meanwhile, my body hummed with anxiety.
“She’s worked her tail off to earn a position at my company,” my father said. “Her first assignment—or first test, I should say—is to assess the potential of our newest property. With all the money millennials are inheriting, kids her age are traveling as much as you and your friends, Jenner; therefore, Joanna’s opinion, in this current market, is as valuable as yours.”
Even though my father was bragging about me, he was drawing a line between our ages.
I felt like a child, sitting at the kids’ table.
As I focused on Jenner, I was sure he was thinking the same thing.
In fact, I was sure he was thinking many things.
Each layer showed in his expression.
And each one made me want to die.
“Joanna, you’ve been to enough of my properties to know what best represents my brand,” my father said. “Why don’t you tell us what you think of this lot?”
I’d spent the entire plane ride studying the three properties my father had chosen along with all the other high-end hotels in the area. I knew the facts. I knew what was right in front of me.
This was the moment where I left the kids’ table and proved my worth.
I looked away from Jenner, his stare not helping my nerves, and I moved out from under my father’s arm, glancing through the dense trees in every direction.
“I’m basing my opinion on the photographs that you sent over since I haven’t seen the other two properties in person, but from the pictures, I have to say, this piece of land is certainly the best.” I walked a little farther toward the road, hearing the men follow behind me.
“For one, the elevation is outstanding. According to the city’s property records, no other hotel in the area is as high as this. People of all ages—millennials, baby boomers—we like height; we like views. We like to feel as though we’re on top of the world.”
I scanned the vast peaks that surrounded us, the way the valleys dipped, the mountain range that extended as far as the eye could see. “Now, if we’re talking structure, your competition leans toward boring, traditional, block-style facades that blend with the landscape of the town. Of course, they’re not built into the side of a mountain, so their base is already bland. Not us. There’s an expected level of luxury and uniqueness with the Spade brand, and having viewed the preliminary specs, I see that in the exterior of the building, and I know I’ll feel that in the interior.”
I took several more steps, standing at the edge now. “All the places to currently stay, the large and boutique-style hotels, are down there, Dad—I’m sorry, Walter.” I pointed over the cliff. “But you’re up here, seven thousand feet above sea level. As for the other two properties you’re interested in, they don’t have that advantage. They’re beautiful in their own way, but they’re average.”
I took a final scan of the area. “Not a single thing about this strip of land is average. It screams wealth and exclusivity. It has the most breathtaking views, and it doesn’t just bring vacationers to the mountains; it puts them directly on one. And that, in my opinion, is why this is the one.”
The men stayed quiet, as though they were processing what I had just voiced.
Eventually, my father looked at Jenner and said, “She’s going to be good, isn’t she?”
“She already is,” Jenner replied.