The Fate Date (Glengarry Curse #1)

25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Gavin

G avin savoured the first of no doubt many bitter cups of coffee he’d be nursing to get through the day. It was worth it though—the presentation was perfect . He’d combed through data. Researched new ideas into the early hours of the morning. He had a proposal for the future of the company that was rooted in stability, but fresh enough to open opportunities for innovative transformation. For the first time in his life, he was almost excited about the work. It wasn’t just a means to an end, but a creative departure for him. All of which would never have happened without Sabrina’s support.

She’d fiercely believed in his abilities, enough for the both of them, and that was the reason he was finally experiencing success. He wanted to shake his past self. His initial proposition, to invite her here to charm the board, seemed idiotic. It also only scratched the surface of her capabilities. Without her, he never would have stretched his professional relationships. Never would have made new friends. Never would have opened himself up to the thought of love. Given the early hour, he had precisely enough time to get back to the cabin and thoroughly make up for how stupid he’d been last night. He was even hoping they’d be slightly late for breakfast.

Satisfied with a final proofread of the slides, Gavin went to see if he could snag another coffee and an early morning bear claw for Sabrina. Lost in the fantasy of evaluating the numerous positions in which he might lavishly express his gratitude to her, he collided with Alfred in the main hall. His colleague’s clothes were wrinkled, hair standing on end, and there was more than a five o’clock shadow lining his chin. Perhaps Gavin wasn’t the only one who had pulled an all-nighter?

“Hey, Alfred, you’re up early?”

“Uhh, yeah. Wanted to get some coffee,” he grunted.

“Great minds,” Gavin said, holding up his now empty mug.

“I’m glad I found you though,” Alfred said. “There’s, uh—something I need to talk to you about.” His glassy eyes were wild, almost bulging out of his head. Gavin didn’t need Sabrina’s intuition to know that something was off.

“I need you to drop out of the race for CFO.”

Gavin gave a little snort. “Worried about the competition?” he joked, but it only served to make Alfred more agitated.

“I’m serious man, back out of the running or—” He swallowed and pulled out his phone, and pressed a “play” button on an app.

It was the audio equivalent of the blue screen of death. Shock paralyzed Gavin’s body like an all-systems failure. The recording was Gavin’s voice, his words, there was no denying it. He recognized the things he’d said, but they had been cut, spliced, and twisted. It sounded even worse than when he’d lashed out at Gilbert in the car the night of the “double date disaster” after he’d seen Sabrina with her ex-fiancé.

The first question that came to mind was: “How?”

A film of sweat framed Alfred’s temples. “Do you remember the McKinnon prototype you shot down a few weeks back?” Nausea joined the all-consuming dread that inundated Gavin. He remembered how rushed he’d been that afternoon before heading to his mother’s party. “I used the surveillance sticker on your laptop the night I brought it to you in the parking garage.”

His laptop had been in the backseat as he’d driven home with Gilbert. “That’s how you got my notes for yesterday too.” Gavin pushed his hair back. “Why the fuck are you doing this? ”

Alfred had the decency to wince. “It’s nothing personal, man. I need the raise.”

Gavin let out a humourless laugh. The irony that he would be in the same financial predicament was too much.

“The wedding plans are getting out of hand, the venue, the multiple dresses, the floral archway…next she’ll want penguins doing the fucking tango.”

“Then tell her no.”

“I can’t do that, man. I can’t.”

Gavin hated that he understood Alfred’s pathetic dilemma. He could see into Alfred’s future, because it mirrored his own. No raise, no bonus would ever be enough. In Gavin’s situation, there was so much to do on the house that he was fooling himself thinking he would feel any sort of financial stability for a very long while. And if Sabrina heard that recording, there was no way she would be part of his future.

“If I back out, you delete the recording?” Gavin said, trying to broker a deal to stem the damage of his reckless actions. “I’ll make the announcement at breakfast,” he specified, “and then I want to watch you delete it—otherwise I’ll get up to present.”

Alfred gave him a stiff nod. “One more thing though—I want your presentation.”

Gavin stroked the stubble on his chin, a distraction for his hand that would much prefer to be around Alfred’s throat. “That’s how you intend to do it? Make me back out, and steal my ideas to beat out Mariana?”

He didn’t deny it.

“Go fuck yourself, Alfred.” Gavin turned, trying to extract himself before his barely tethered rage surged further.

“I’ll play the recording,” Alfred said, voice strangled.

Gavin twisted around and grabbed him by the collar, so there was no misunderstanding. “I bow out. You delete the recording. That was our deal. If you pull any other bullshit, I’m dragging you down with me, asshole.”

He threw Alfred backwards and stormed out of the main lodge. As his temper simmered, he let his feet wander where they wanted. There had to be a way to outplay Alfred. He needed to think this through rather than jumping on impulse—impossible when every fibre inside him was screaming to protect Sabrina at all costs.

But what would that decision mean for him, financially? He could keep his current job and payments to his family. Maintain the status quo of barely treading above water. He supposed he could find another job, but he was actually starting to like his work and colleagues. None of it mattered anyway—the roofers were coming next week and the list of renos was as numerous as the number of Post-its on Sabrina’s wall. He needed money now. Although Gareth had offered to help, asking him for cash would lead to questions Gavin didn’t want to answer.

His feet stopped at the sandy bank of Lac Gauvreau, near where he’d sat with Sabrina a few days back. Mariana paced the water’s edge. She was muttering to herself, her hands making controlled movements like she was explaining something. She turned towards him, and her boots dug backwards into the sand. “Oh, Gavin, you startled me.”

He tried to force the corners of his lips upwards in a non-terrifying fashion.

“Are you nervous too?” she asked him. “I thought a walk might help.” She gestured at the water.

“I had trouble sleeping,” he said.

“I’m sure you’ll do great.” She gave an awkward smile. He knew he looked a mess but it didn’t come close to the disarray occurring inside his head. He felt like a toddler had ripped open all the perfectly catalogued files in his brain and trashed the place. Emotion scrambled with logic. Intuition crumpled with reason. He couldn’t make sense of his decisions—which led to irresponsible consequences .

“Hey, Mariana, can I ask you something?” He approached her slowly, so he didn’t alarm her with his bigfoot-esque appearance.

She nodded.

“What made you apply for the CFO position?”

Her eyebrows went up and a small smile crept across her face.

“Can I give you an honest answer? You won’t tell the board, will you?”

Gavin shook his head.

“I didn’t apply. Bethany did.”

“What?”

Her face lit up, in much the same way Sabrina made his. “She was tired of seeing me passed over at my previous job, so she took it upon herself to apply.” Mariana kicked the sand. “She’s the reason the spouses were invited to the retreat. She negotiated it into the interview process. Some notion of protecting me from ‘corporate dickheads’.”

“Hopefully she found us to be dickhead-free?”

“Yes, we’re both very satisfied with the lack of dickheads.”

They shared a smile. “Won’t Bethany miss her job?” Gavin had spoken to Bethany yesterday about her work as an SLP with her local school board. It sounded like a lot to give up.

“We’ve talked at length about it. I insisted on a pros and cons list. I told her I would only consider a move if it was good for both of us. She’s floated the idea of starting a private SLP practice in Ottawa, which I think would be a good step for her career-wise. It would mean being able to do more therapy as opposed to focusing on assessments. If the columns didn’t balance, if it wasn’t a good fit for both of us, we wouldn’t be here,” Mariana added, like she was trying to convince herself of the fact. “But I still feel a bit guilty. A private practice takes a long time to build up.”

It sounded like a tough decision, but one that they intended to make together .

“I doubt she sees the decision like that. There are opportunities for growth for both of you. Ups and downs, but with the support of the person you care most about.”

She sat down on the piece of driftwood, looking out towards the white-capped water. Gavin went to join her.

“You sound like her. I’m glad she was here this weekend.”

“I should thank her too. I don’t know how I would have made it through without Sabrina.”

“She’s a darling. Bethany was raving about the reading she did for her yesterday.” Mariana looked back out towards the water. “I’m hoping that if I don’t get the CFO position, they might consider my candidacy for yours or Alfred’s role.”

“No,” Gavin said. Then continued quickly, given the shock on her face. “What I mean is, you’re going to get the CFO position. Provided you don’t botch the presentation, that is. Not only are you, truly, the best candidate, I’m backing out of the race.”

“Sorry?”

It was still a bit fuzzy. He still needed some time to parse out all the bits and pieces of his feelings, but one item had sifted to the surface of the pile. He loved Sabrina. Loving her meant putting her needs first. Protecting her from—well—himself. His past self. The man who had tried to ignore the depth of his feelings, only causing them to make a mockery of him. And he wouldn’t let those mistakes hurt her.

But how would he explain this to Mariana? To the board? To Sabrina?

“Getting to know you and my colleagues better over the course of the weekend has shown me that I still have a lot to contribute in my director role. And I think I could learn a lot from you as a boss.”

It was all true. Just not the full truth. Thankfully, Mariana seemed satisfied.

“Well then. I look forward to working with you. ”

Gavin gave her a nod and left the misty water in search of Sabrina—to keep her safe. He’d tell as much of the truth as he could, but he’d protect her heart at all costs.