Maddie saluted and grabbed her coat, giving her a quick kiss before leaving. She was meeting some of the others related to the wedding at the festival, something Ryann had wanted to do herself, but it was out of the question today. Anyway, they’d see each other later that night for the bachelors’ party. Still, she resented the interim more than she cared to admit. Luckily, she lost herself in the work again, and she and her board managed to cover a lot of ground together. She didn’t like making anyone else work on a Saturday, but as most of the new paperwork had been delayed a couple of days, they hadn’t been able to do anything sooner. It was going to be like this for a while now—solid, all-day work every day of the week, including Saturdays, and likely for at least another month or two until the deal was firmly underway and running smoothly. Already, she had to plan how to make up the missing day for the wedding on Tuesday, as well as the time she’d lose on her trip home Wednesday.

The very thought of going back, of leaving Maddie behind, was enough to distract her again, so she forced her mind elsewhere whenever she discussed dates and meetings with her colleagues. She couldn’t worry about that now.

By the time the final meeting was wrapping up, she was nearly spent. The moment the last of her board members logged out, she immediately loosened the tight bun she’d had her hair in all day, scrubbing at her scalp with her fingertips, hard.

Ted laughed. He was the only person left in the virtual conference room, clearly holding back to talk to her one-on-one.

“I thought that went well,” she said.

“Yes. And you didn’t even see what I saw here in New York.”

While she’d been virtual, and some of the others had as well, many of the older board members had been together in person in the Manhattan office all day, which meant Ted had to be there, too.

“What did you see?”

“The overwhelming jealousy and spite some of these guys have for you and this deal. Not a single one of them had the vision for it, and not one of them could do a damn thing in London. Yet there you are, half a country away, handling it like a pro. You’d be eating it up if you could see their pinched little faces. They hate you more than ever.”