Page 82 of The October Arrangement

“Okay.” She smiled.

I left the conference room and headed to my father’s office. I stepped inside, shut the door, and sat in the chair in front of his desk.

“Have you slept with her yet?” he asked the second I sat down.

“That’s none of your business, Dad.”

“I’ll take that as a yes. How flexible are you about not kicking her out on October 31st?”

“What are you talking about? What is going on here?” My brows furrowed.

“The entire time Bella was talking, my head was spinning with ideas. I want to create another division for MDG.”

“What type of division?” I asked.

“Montclair Living.”

“Montclair Living?” I cocked my head.

“Yes. A new division for MDG responsible for creating the lifestyle, experience, and identity surrounding our residential properties. Montclair Living will make people want to live in Montclair residences.”

“But that’s what our marketing department is for,” I said.

“And we see how well that’s working out, son,” he sighed. “We need to take this company in a new direction. Times are tough right now, and people want to make sure they’re making the right decision before buying. We can sell them that. Make them confident about buying from us. As Bella said, make them a part of our family. Montclair Development builds the property, and Montclair Living creates the life inside it.”

I liked where my father was going with this. I hadn’t seen him this excited, ever.

“I’m guessing you want Bella to head up this new division?” I asked.

“Damn right, I do. But first, before we do anything, let’s hire her temporarily for Montclair Tribeca. That will be our running ground for the new division. If she pulls it off, we’ll give her a director position with her own team. But you have to be willing to tear up those damn rules you put in place. Can you do that? Or will this be a problem?”

“As good as all of this sounds, I’m not sure about it.”

“Why?” His brows furrowed.

“Because if we give Bella the position, everybody will think it’s because she’s sleeping with me.”

“She won’t report to you. She’ll report to me. And I’ll make the announcement.”

“People will still talk,” I said.

“People always talk, son.”

“I just don’t think it’s a good idea to mix business with pleasure.”

“What is really going on here?” His eyes narrowed.

“Nothing.”

“Bullshit. You’ve spent your entire adult life making rules designed to keep everything separated. Women over here. Business over there. Family somewhere else. You know why? Because if nothing overlaps, nothing gets messy. Just like your stupid ten-rule list you have hanging on your refrigerator. Son, sometimes rules make sense until they don’t anymore. We’ll start with Tribeca and go from there. We’ll keep it temporary for now. But you need to rip up that rule list and forget it ever existed. Talk about it with her over dinner tonight. I’m sure she’ll be excited. Now, get out of here. I have to call Mary.”

I stood from my seat and headed toward the door. I stopped, turned, and looked at my father.

“You really think we should do this with Bella?”

“Yes.” He nodded.

“Even knowing the situation?”