The crowd laughed and cheered at his comment, raising glasses to toast the night.
“While I have your attention, I have a special announcement. Wright Construction has recently opened a new division of the company where a percentage of all proceeds will go to our partnership with Lubbock Children’s Hospital. We’ll be opening Wright Golf Club, a PGA-style golf course focused on teaching the beginner to bringing the professionals in town.”
My heart stopped beating. My jaw dropped open. Time itself stopped.
“And here to run this new division, I give you my brother Landon Wright.”
Thirty-Nine
Heidi
Landon’s shock oozed out of every pore.
His family was grinning at him. They had all been in on it. Even Sutton, who was the only Wright not working for the company. And my heart went out to them all. They had seen his depression and the toll that losing golf had pressed on him. And then they had done something about it. I didn’t know how long this had been in the works, but I couldn’t be happier for him.
Landon went up onto the stage and shook hands with Jensen and Morgan. After they said a few words to each other, Landon turned on the charm as he thanked the crowd for this incredible opportunity and then said he hoped to see them all out there on the course.
Emery nudged me. “How about that?”
“Did you know?” I asked her.
“I had an idea about it, but I think it was a glimmer of an idea. I wasn’t sure, and I didn’t want to say anything if you didn’t know. Especially if Landon didn’t know.”
“I’m so happy for him. This is where his heart is. I think he eventually would have died from working in an office every day.”
“You’re probably right,” Emery agreed. “So…aren’t you glad you came?”
“Is this why you lied to me?”
“Jensen told me I had to get you here, no matter what. So, I did. And I’m so glad that I did, too.” Emery nodded her head behind me. “Speaking of.”
I turned around and came face-to-face with Jensen Wright.
“Heidi,” he said with a dimpled smile.
“Hey,” I said. “Um…sorry about that text the other day.”
“Forgiven. I probably deserved it.”
“That was a really nice thing you did for Landon.”
“He’s my brother. I love him, and I want to see him happy. I knew he’d never really be happy at Wright. He might have the business degree, but he belongs on the course. And I wanted to give him something that would actually keep him occupied until he could get back out.”
“That’s really amazing.”
“That is why I wish you had answered your phone,” he continued.
“Yeah. I…this wasn’t a good week.”
He nodded. “I imagine not. Had you answered your phone though, I would have told you about what I had in the works for Landon. I wanted it to be a surprise for him. When he told me he was dating someone, I never guessed it was you, so I ignored the problem. I deeply apologize for that error and how it resulted in you losing your job.”
“Oh, yeah…getting fired. Pretty much one of the worst days of my life.”
“I know that I can’t make up for the emotional strain that the company has caused you, but with Landon in a different position in the company, I would be happy to offer you your job back.”
I froze in place. My mouth popped open. My eyes were wide.
He laughed. “Is that a yes?”
“I…I don’t know. I mean, yes, I want to come back,” I admitted quickly, “but I don’t want to return to an environment where people believe that the only reason I got my promotion is because I slept with my boss. There’s enough sexism in the engineering department without that bullshit, too.”
“I understand,” he said with a nod. “We’ve had your boss and Julia sign an NDA where they would be liable if they disclosed the information they had found in that email. That means that the only people left who know about the videos are you and my family. I would never want to place you in a position where you would be uncomfortable.”
“And I would…keep my promotion?” I whispered, thinking this all sounded too good to be true.
“I don’t see why not.”
“What’s the catch?” I asked with a laugh.
“No catch. What happened was a mistake. Losing you would be a huge loss to the company. We really want you back, Heidi.”
My heart stuttered, and I felt faint. “Okay.”
“Okay?”
“Yeah,” I said with a nod. “I’ll take a ten percent pay raise for my emotional discomfort, and I’d like a real office.”
Jensen laughed boisterously. “Oh, man. I see why Landon loves you.”
I shrugged. “Didn’t hurt to try.”
He nodded and extended his hand. I put mine in his, and we shook.
“Done.”
“Oh my God,” I whispered. Then, I saw Landon striding toward us, and I couldn’t help it. I dashed toward him, throwing myself into his arms. “Oh my God!”
“What?” he asked, his voice half between concern and excitement.
“Jensen just gave me my job back.”
“Heidi, that’s amazing.”
“With a raise and an office!”
Landon laughed. “You outmaneuvered Jensen Wright. Bask in the glory of that feeling, love. Happens only once in a lifetime.”
“God, Landon,” I said. I pulled back and sighed heavily. “I am really so sorry for this week.”
He held up his hand. “You don’t have to apologize to me. I can understand exactly how you felt. I’m sure I was not nice to anyone the week after I injured my back.”
“Yeah, I know. It’s a reason but not an excuse. I should have believed in you and trusted you. Blowing up like that was just…reactionary. I hurt, so I was blind. It didn’t matter how much I loved you or any other thought. Just the pain. I don’t ever want to feel that again. I don’t want to lose you over something like that.”
He pulled me closer and planted a kiss on my lips. “The truth is, you never lost me. I’ve been right here all along, and I always will be.”
I knew that now.
The fog that I had been walking through all week cleared, and I could finally see what was in front of me. Landon Wright was the best damn thing that had happened to me. We might have had our ups and downs, but there were no longer any barriers between us.
“Do you want to get out of here?” I asked.
He grinned. “I’d like nothing more.”
He held out his arm, and I placed my hand in the crook of his sleeve. Without a backward glance, we left behind our friends and family and the entire party. With the week we’d had, I wanted to get away from the crowd and fall back in love with him.
He had valeted the Mercedes, and we waited until the valet returned it to us. Then, he drove me across town. He didn’t even ask, Your place or mine? He just drove to my apartment and helped me inside.