Molly - Sarah Monzon Page 0,69

My fake smile was as wide as my eyes, but I couldn’t seem to get either one to go back to their regular proportions.

In a swift move, Jayden yanked down his Windsor knot and stripped himself of his tie. His hand knocked his hair, disheveling it like a coastal breeze. This was why I had such a hard time remembering to call him Mr. Weidel. All-American boy-next-door who appeared to be playing dress up in Daddy’s—or in this case, Uncle’s—work clothes didn’t elicit immediate office-space respect.

My smile softened with sincerity. I did like him better this way.

“Look, guys. I tried to talk him out of it. I really did.” His hands splayed in a please believe me sort of way.

Bill started chuckling at the foot of the table. A little one at first that grew into a full-fledged belly laugh. Henry’s fingers inched toward the conference telephone in front of him as he regarded Bill with all the caution a citizen of Gotham would give Jack Napier after he escaped Arkham.

“Joe has been threatening to go Texas on us for years.” He shook his head as his laughter fizzled.

Joe? He didn’t mean…

Of course he did. Bill wasn’t chairman or a relative, but he still played a round of golf at the boys’ club with big boss Joseph Whalen at least once a week. And Mr. Whalen hailed from Texas. Cattle money, if I remembered correctly.

Good-bye, cruise. Good-bye, glorious Riviera. Hello, dude ranch. My lips curled. What did one even do on a dude ranch?

As if reading my thoughts, Sam gave my question a voice.

Jayden picked up his stack of papers and passed them around the oval. “It’s a working ranch. My uncle believes that collaborating together in this type of environment will bring cohesion and synergy to the team in the office.”

The closest I’d ever been to a cow was when I ordered a medium-rare steak from a restaurant. I enjoyed the movie Secretariat, but I’d never ridden a horse in my life. Henry passed me a print-off, and I scanned the paper, my throat tightening at a four-letter word plus -ing.

Camping.

Money and Scarlett O’Hara had failed me.

“Anyone know of a cowboy-outfitters store nearby?” Donald laughed at his attempt at a joke, but his voice held a nervous pitch.

I snorted. Might as well make it a corporate field trip. Neither the left nor the right side of my closet held items appropriate for a week as Annie Oakley. Pumps and sandals but no boots. Business suits and Boho dresses but no jeans. That’s right, I didn’t even own a pair of jeans.

Tonya slid her cell off the table. Though she held her posture perfect, her gaze darting to her lap every once in a while gave her away. No doubt the woman was researching the ranch and making a list to prepare for the trip. A list she wouldn’t share with the rest of the group.

“There’s a Tractor Supply out in El Cajon.” Jayden spoke from the head of the table.

Donald’s face reflected my thoughts. Jayden not only knew there was a store called Tractor Supply, he knew its location.

Boss-boy flipped the handout over. “If you haven’t noticed, I took the liberty of adding a list of suggested items to pack based off the ranch’s recommendation along with a number of stores in the area where you can purchase said items if you don’t already have them at home.”

I turned my paper to the other side, scanning the list. The only recommended item I already owned was sunglasses. A line from Maria’s song from Sound of Music floated through my mind—Totally unprepared am I. Except I wasn’t about to face a world of men but a world of… I didn’t even know. Cattle and horses seemed a given. Dust. Insects. And yeah, probably men. Cowmen. Er, cowboys.

Oh well. Nothing to it. If I could conquer fiscal statements and wrangle expenditures, then I could surely figure out how to survive a week on a working ranch. I’d use the time before the retreat to study up on everything I’d need to know about horseback riding and—I glanced back at the hand-out—whatever team penning was, so that by the time I walked onto that ranch, I’d appear the confident cowgirl instead of the girl who grew up in the inner city and had never come face-to-face with an animal larger than a pit bull.

Jayden called the meeting adjourned, and I filed out of the conference room with the rest of my peers.