Unbreak My Heart (46 page)

“Holy fuck.”

“Not a bad thing to have on your resume at age twenty-three.”

All of a sudden I felt like I was suffocating. This was too much. This was the big leagues. The big, big leagues.

“Sierra,” Phyllis said sharply, “look at me.”

I raised my gaze to hers.

“You can do this. I never would’ve agreed to mentor you or offered you the directorship if I didn’t believe that you’re more than capable.”

“Can I be brutally honest?”

She nodded.

“I don’t feel like I’ve earned your confidence. I don’t have that confidence in myself.” I briefly closed my eyes. “I poured everything I’d become into PCE because of my early success. I wanted to make sure it’d been more than just a fluke. Or luck.”

“Sierra McKay. Flipping six pieces of real estate and netting over a million dollars in profit is not a fluke. You invested in your friend’s business and put her innovation into production. Yet you understood the finite timespan for ROI and adjusted accordingly. You still personally netted a quarter of a million dollars—which was thirty percent of the gross receipts—and then you turned around and leased the patent. That wasn’t luck. You created a business model that worked.”

“It worked from inherited capital,” I reminded her.

Phyllis narrowed her eyes at me. “Because you inherited the money that somehow lessens the success you had increasing the principle? Because you didn’t earn that cash waiting tables you’re not allowed to put the money your family earned…to work for you?”

“God. I hate that you’re so fucking logical.”

She laughed. “Never discount your successes. Trust me; there are plenty of other people who are more than happy to do it for you.”

“True. I’m just a little…torn.”

“I suspected that. Can you be specific?”

“How can I hope to foster a productive work environment at PCE when I can’t manage it here?” My cheeks burned with embarrassment. “If I can’t achieve results here at DPM, why do you have faith that it’d be different for me at PCE?”

“Maybe you’re stymied here by a number of factors that you aren’t even aware of.”

I’d heard that before. From Rory.

“But the reason I’ll put all of my faith in you, Sierra McKay?
You
fostered the work environment at PCE. You didn’t inherit it and all its problems from other managers. You built it, you nurtured it, you created it from the ground up. Maybe that’s easier to do than stepping into someone else’s vision, figuring out what’s wrong and having to right it. I truly feel you cannot compare the two entities. That means you’ll have different levels of success—one for each of them by default.”

I burst into tears.

Phyllis let me cry. She tracked me down a tissue. She gave me the
there-there
pats I needed.

After I wiped my eyes and blew my nose, I looked at her. “It’s overwhelming. In a good way. I’ve been beating myself up about this for a month and now I feel like a weight has been lifted. Thank you. You have influenced me more than any person besides my father. If I’m ever half as good of a mentor as you, I’ll consider myself blessed.”

She reached for a tissue. “Silver-tongued little thing. Thank you.”

“So now what?”

“You’re officially agreeing to take the directorship of PCE?”

“Yes.”

That felt…good. Damn good.

“We’ll announce it at next week’s meeting. They’ll put it to a vote, but you won’t get any opposition because everyone admires you and sees you as the future.”

“They do?”

“Yes. Last piece of business, and this is a biggie. WEI requires the director of the charter to go through an orientation process. To learn all aspects of WEI from the ground up. To network with every chapter. That is key. That global network is the glue that holds the organization together.”

“Okay. That won’t compromise my responsibilities running PCE?”

Phyllis smiled. “I love that you asked that first thing. No, it won’t. You’ll have a liaison while you’re traveling and I’ve volunteered to do it for the year you’re in orientation.”

Everything inside me stilled. “Maybe you’d better go into a little more detail about this year-long orientation.”

“Your schedule for the first year will be networking focused. That means a considerable amount of travel. I’ve been told not to expect you to be in the PCE offices more than five days a month.”

“Only five days a month?”

“But just think where you’ll be the other twenty-five days. Anywhere from India to Pasadena. Doing everything from listening to tips on securing international financing to giving seminars on finding your niche in the marketplace.”

I heard what Phyllis said, but above it in a high-pitched panic tone, I heard
Only five days a month? Only five days a month? Only five days a month?

What the hell had I agreed to?

My brain immediately started a war.

This is the opportunity of a lifetime. One year is nothing.

No. She withheld crucial information about the travel schedule because she knows no sane person would agree to that.

No sane person with a life or a family or in a serious relationship.

Then it sort of clicked.

As far as Phyllis knew, I had none of those.

Except…now I did.

How could I tell Boone I was taking off for a year when he’d requested the Phoenix program because I lived here? Would he think I’d taken the job as some kind of revenge?

This is why you should’ve talked to him about it.

“Sierra?”

I refocused on Phyllis. When had she pulled out a contract? I glanced at it, then at her.

“It’s just a statement of intent,” she explained quickly. “Not a big thing.”

“Then you won’t care that I don’t sign it until I’ve had my attorney look at it?” I said coolly.

That surprised her. “If that’s what you prefer. But it is an unnecessary step.”

“I always err on the side of caution. You taught me that.”

“I also taught you to accept things at face value.”

A standoff.

Not what either of us had wanted.

Phyllis gathered her things. “I’m so glad you verbally agreed to take the position, Sierra. I’ll let the folks at WEI know and I’ll be by later in the week for additional discussion.”

I watched her walk out.

I’m so glad you verbally agreed to take the position, Sierra.

If I backed out and pushed my point that a verbal agreement isn’t binding, I’d lose any credibility I’d earned.

If I backed out, I wouldn’t be welcome in PCE—a business I’d poured my blood, sweat, tears, heart and soul into.

But I didn’t want to back out. This was an opportunity any woman in business would kill for. This wouldn’t ever come along again if I didn’t take it now.

And what about Boone? Are you willing to sacrifice what you’re just building with him?

If the situations were reversed
he
wouldn’t worry and fret over taking the next step in career advancement and fulfillment. He’d just do it. He’d do it without asking for your opinion because he’s done it before.

But things were different then.

The more I obsessed about it, the more I…had no freakin’ clue what I should do.

Eventually I decided my only option was to talk to my dad.

In person.

I told myself I wasn’t running from my problem when I booked a flight to Wyoming.

I
hadn’t heard
from Sierra in thirty-six hours and I’d started to get worried. Especially since she’d acted weird and distracted the last time we’d spoken on the phone.

Lu claimed she hadn’t talked to her for two days either.

I didn’t want to worry her dad so I didn’t reach out to him. I just hoped her sister would answer a call at seven a.m. from an unknown number.

She picked up with, “This is Rory McKay.”

“Rory? This is Sergeant Boone West.”

“Ooh, don’t you sound all official and big-time army guy. So why are you calling me, Sergeant Boone West?”

“Have you heard from Sierra?”

A pause. “You haven’t?”

“Not for a solid day and a half and that’s not like her.”

“Well, I saw her last night as a matter of fact. She’s in Wyoming. She’s staying at the cabin.”

Immediately my heart slammed into my throat. “What the hell is she doing… Dammit, did something happen to Gavin?”

“He’s fine. She didn’t tell you she was coming home?”

“No. I’ve been in Fort Hood the last two weeks. She flew down for the weekend and I took her to the airport on Sunday. I talked to her Monday night. Me and my roommate left at fifteen hundred yesterday and we’ve been driving straight through to Phoenix. Sierra hadn’t returned any of my calls, but she didn’t say anything this weekend about going to Sundance.”

Rory sighed. “It wasn’t something she planned. It was last minute.”

“Why?”

“Why should I tell you?”

I’d expected her to protect Sierra; I just hoped I could convince her I only had Sierra’s best interests in mind too. “I appreciate that you look out for her and that you’re her sounding board. But if you’ve talked to her, you know that everything is good between us. I know that she’s not running from me. You know that she’s not running from me. So please tell me what she
is
running from so I can help her, okay?”

A beat of silence passed. Then she sighed. “Fine. You know she’s having some issues at DPM. It’s to the point where she has to make some hard decisions.” She paused. “Did she tell you any of this?”

“Some. But I can tell by the careful way you’re phrasing things I’m missing several pieces.”

“You are. I don’t know whether to be annoyed with her or you.”

“Be annoyed with her. I knew something was on her mind but she wouldn’t talk to me about it no matter how many times I asked her, so tell me what’s going on.”

“Did you know that Sierra was offered the directorship at PCE? Fulltime with pay and everything?”

I grinned. “She was?” Her face lit up whenever she talked about the work she did with the organization she helped found, so it would be a huge coup for her career. “Why would she keep that from me?”

“She’s independent and feels it’s her responsibility to make her own decision. I’d guess a lot of her attitude stems from her mom, but I won’t play pop psychologist. But the other thing is Sierra hadn’t said yes. I mean, she was wrestling whether to take the position. She’s fiercely loyal to her father.”

“Even to her own damn detriment,” I muttered.

“Exactly. But she did make a decision and say yes to the PCE position—before she knew all the travel that it entailed. So now she’s waffling. Big time. I suspect that’s why she ran to Wyoming. If she has to look her dad in the eye to turn in her resignation, then she’ll feel too guilty to leave DPM and it’ll give her an excuse to back out of the offer to run PCE.”

I briefly closed my eyes. Fuck. I wanted to talk to Sierra about this, not her damn sister. I hit the mute button. To Raj I said, “Change of plans. Take me to Sky Harbor.”

“Seriously, dude?”

“Yeah, the airport exit is coming up.”

I clicked the mute off to hear Rory say, “I’ll be blunt, Boone. This decision will affect both of you, but mostly it’ll have a lasting impact on
her
future. You want what’s best for her, right?”

I understood what Rory didn’t say.
But what’s best for her might not be best for you.

“Always.”

“Then do the right thing.”

“Which would be what?”

“Break up with her.”

I laughed.

Which pissed Rory off. “Why is that so funny, asshole? You left her broken-hearted before when it served
your
purposes. I’m asking you to do it again so Sierra will take this amazing career opportunity instead of passing it up because she’d rather be home baking fucking
cookies
for you, beings she’s afraid if she’s not with you all the damn time you’ll leave her.” She laughed. “But you and I both know that you’re going to leave her again eventually, so I’m just asking you to do it sooner, rather than later.”

I curled my fingers into my palm, forming a fist and then slowly letting it out. “Rory. With all due respect, you and I are not going to see eye to eye on this, so I’m giving you two choices. You either listen to me and do exactly as I say, or you put Dalton on the phone.”

“Why would you need to talk to Dalton?” she demanded. “Because he’s a man and I’m far too emotional?”

“No. I’d talk to Dalton because he understands what’s at stake when you finally go after the woman who has always fucking owned you—as I believe he did with you.”

Silence.

Then Rory said, “All right, West, tell me what you need me to do.”

I released the breath I’d been holding. “If the stars align…best-case scenario is I pull into Sundance eight hours from now. Keep Sierra occupied and from meeting with Gavin until she and I can talk.”

“Done. I’ll just tell him Sierra is on a rampage because the two of you had an epic fight. He’ll avoid her at all costs.”

Of course Rory would find a way to blame this on me. But if it worked I didn’t give a damn.

“One last thing. If you fuck over my sister again? I’ll come after you. I know how to use my husband’s ax and I’ll scatter pieces of you in the forest where no one will ever find you.” She hung up.