Harlequin Special Edition September 2021--Box Set 2 of 2 by Marie Ferrarella

Author:Marie Ferrarella
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2021-10-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Philip arranged a meeting with Morales and representatives of East Ward Fair Housing Coalition before the following week was out. The community liaison he’d asked Leighton to appoint was in place, but Philip decided to stay on and oversee negotiations. He wanted to make sure things were done right. For the sake of the company, the community. For Val.

He had no occasion to communicate with Val between her personal tour of her neighborhood and the meeting. When the day arrived, he watched the conference room door attentively, beyond excited to see her again. She wasn’t the only reason he organized the meeting, but she was the biggest incentive.

She arrived dressed in a white, button-down business shirt that highlighted the flawless olive tone of her skin and sensible slacks that hinted at her curves. She’d tied her hair back into a ponytail that made her look incredibly young. When she caught sight of him, her smile was quick and spontaneous before she appeared to remember herself and toned it down. But it had been enough to buoy his mood.

They got down to work. While Morales led the meeting, Val impressed him with how deeply informed she was on minutiae about which most people outside of real estate and development didn’t bother. The meeting about the Victoria was part of a larger effort to codify protections into laws that future developers would have to work with, so Philip took great care with the details. They also scheduled a follow-up meeting to formalize a proposed Community Benefits Agreement that Andreas Wagner would approve.

“This was a good session,” Morales said by way of conclusion. “It far exceeded our expectations.”

“It will save everyone time and energy in the future. We’ll meet again after I’ve discussed the draft with my father.”

Morales shook Philip’s hand. “Excuse me if I run out of here,” she said, addressing Val, as well. “I have another meeting to get to.”

“Thank you,” Val said, giving Morales a quick hug before the lawyer took her things and raced as politely as she could from the room. Everyone else had filed out, leaving Philip alone with Val. She shuffled her already-sorted papers while he tapped his pen against his notepad. Even with everyone gone from the room, and the skyline stretching out endlessly beyond the wall of windows, Philip felt claustrophobic.

“I feel really positive about this,” Val said. “Thank you.”

“It was a group effort.” The last thing he wanted was her gratitude for something he felt was the minimum concession for a company to make.

“No one person can do everything alone.” She held her leather portfolio against her chest, and he was back on her street again, unable to say goodbye to her.

“It’s almost twelve. I don’t know what your afternoon looks like, but there’s a deli up the block that makes excellent sandwiches and they don’t make you wait too long.”

Val glanced out the window, the hesitation evident in the pensive way she stared at the buildings before turning her attention back to him.

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