offer in Jasper. I didn’t have answers for him, because Easton had remained silent. The more time that passed, the more certain I was that Easton wasn’t going to call. How could he ignore that much money? Was he an idiot?
He had to have looked at the paper I’d shoved in his pocket. Which meant he was serious about not selling. My stomach dropped as my phone fell silent once again. Less than a minute later, a message crossed the screen. Dad had left another voicemail.
I couldn’t face my father yet. There was no way I could explain this failure. It was supposed to have been a simple one and done. Not only had I not secured a deal, but I’d had no opportunity to negotiate. When Dad asked what all I’d done, I would have nothing to show for my weekend.
Zilch. All I’d managed to accomplish was to chase a stubborn cowboy around a barn and through the filth.
I could hear Dad now. All those high praises he spoke when I’d left Edmonton would turn to disappointment and embarrassment. Resentment. He’d no doubt told everyone of importance how I was off to secure one of the company’s biggest deals to date. When I went back emptyhanded…
I pushed those thoughts away, unwilling to explore them any deeper. They’d already kept me up all night. It was why I hadn’t answered his calls all morning. It was why I hadn’t left Jasper. At least this way it gave me time to think. It gave Easton a chance to change his mind and get a hold of me.
Who was I kidding?
Easton wasn’t calling.
I sulked at the defect in my new loafers, scratching a nail over the scuffs.
My phone rang again.
“I’m not answering you. Give up already.” I snapped my phone off the bed and glared at the number. It wasn’t Dad. It was Christian.
I hesitated. Dad could have told him to call. He could be hovering over him right now, waiting for me to answer so he could express his sheer displeasure at being ignored. Hell, knowing our father, he could have confiscated Christian’s phone, knowing I was more likely to answer if I thought it was him.
It stopped ringing, and I waited, wondering if he’d leave a message.
A bar flashed across my screen a moment later, indicating a new voicemail. I tapped the message and put my phone on speaker.
“It’s me, not Dad. Answer your damn phone, idiot. I’m calling right back.”
On cue, it rang again.
I tapped the Accept Call button. “Hey.”
“Don’t ‘hey’ me. Where the hell are you? Dad’s having a shit-fit, and somehow, it’s all my fault.”
I scrubbed my face. “Fuck. Why does he do that? I’m in Jasper still.”
“You’re what? You’re supposed to be at the office. Or at least home by now. What are you doing in Jasper still?”
“Because the guy shut me down.”
Silence. How often did I fail at making deals? It was rare. Was Christian gloating? Probably.
“Okay. It happens. No big deal. Did you—”
“You don’t get it, Chris. He wouldn’t discuss anything. He barely talked to me. There was no negotiating, no chatting or dealing, or anything. The guy made me run down the offer while he shoveled shit into a wheelbarrow. I ruined my new shoes. I couldn’t show him numbers or diagrams or anything. He wouldn’t have coffee with me, let alone give me five uninterrupted minutes sitting at a table. What the hell am I going to tell Dad? He’s going to be irate. Somehow, this will turn into some purposeful sleight against him. This failure will somehow make me solely responsible for every minute setback our company sees from now until the end of time. You think I’m exaggerating, I’m not.”
Christian sucked in an audible breath and took a minute before responding. “Relax. Not every deal gets made. He knows that. Not every idea can come to full fruition. Sometimes, there isn’t anything we can do to change that.”
“Oh yeah? Tell it to Dad. He should have sent you.”
Christian huffed humorlessly. “Thanks. Why? Because he expects me to fail? I’m sorry, golden boy, but you can’t win them all. That’s life.”
I frowned, hating the edge of hostility in my brother’s tone. “That’s not what I meant. These people in this town … they would respond better to you. You would have stood a half a chance. I don’t mesh with them here. I don’t speak their language.” When I considered blazer guy Josiah from the brewery and Easton’s distinct manner of