I figure if it gets me out of painting for a few minutes, then fine.
I’m on my way back, and when I turn the corner, Bea’s standing there with a box in her arms.
“Are we onto project two so soon?” I ask.
Her eyes flick to the wall.
My vision follows, and in gray paint, she’s written, McCain Zanders Advertising.
I look from the wall to her, and she’s smiling wide.
“So?” she asks.
“What are you saying, Bea?”
She puts the box at my feet and steps back again. Inspecting the box, I see it’s full of office supplies, including a giant pile of Post-it notes.
“Be my partner. We can run this together. Fifty-fifty.” She bites her lip.
Damn, if this isn’t the best offer, but I can’t accept this from her.
“I can’t put in half, Bea. This is you, and you don’t need me. I’m happy at Deacon.”
“I know, Dylan. But I want you here . . . with me. I think we’d be a pretty powerful team, and we could make something of this company.”
This opportunity is one that only happens once in a lifetime. I figured I’d be an exec at a top-notch firm one day, but to own my own? To have a say in what happens? There’s no comparison.
“I have three requests.”
“Requests?” She smiles and crosses her arms over her chest, waiting. “Please go ahead, Mr. McCain.”
“One, I pay you back as the company succeeds.”
“Hmm . . .”
“Bea.”
“Okay. Next?”
I walk over and grab the paintbrush, changing it to Zanders McCain. “Ladies first.”
“I can deal with that. Third?”
I drop down to my knee, pulling out the ring I bought her a month ago. “You marry me?”
Her hands cover her mouth, and a loud squeal escapes her throat. This wasn’t how I was going to propose. It involved going on a private boat with enormous amounts of flowers and a five-course meal, but impromptu has always worked for us. In the end, it only matters if she says yes.
“Well?” I ask since all she’s doing is staring down at the ring.
“Yes! Of course! Yes!” She jumps up and down and then falls to her knees, meeting me. Her two hands grip the sides of my face and pull me toward her, pressing her lips to mine.
“I love you,” she murmurs against them.
“I love you, too.” I take the ring out of the box and place it on her shaking left ring finger.
She tackles me to the ground, leaving me on my back.
“I think our first line of business is, every time we gain an account, we celebrate.”
“How so?” she asks, straddling me and unbuttoning my shirt as my hands glide up her bare legs.
“Naked and Fucking Day.”
“Deal.”