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Before you accuse me of vanity, the calendar was produced for charity. Criticizing it would be deeply uncharitable. Only a limited number were printed, and I decided the CEO next door deserved one.

I remain confident that you’ll come to appreciate the many benefits of having Voss next door. I’m looking forward to a long, close, and mutually beneficial relationship.

Your future favorite neighbor,

Eric

P.S. I circled my birthday. No fuss is required. A signed access agreement will be enough.

P.P.S. If you ever pose for a charity calendar, I expect a copy.

I roll my eyes, but by the time I reach the P.P.S., I’m smiling. Eric clearly thinks he’s hilarious, and I’m not giving him the satisfaction of knowing he made me laugh.

I’ll send a polite email, let the staff enjoy their wine, and get on with my day. I won’t give any of this more attention than it deserves. Especially not June.

Mr. Voss,

On behalf of the Hartwell staff, thank you for the wine. They appreciate the gesture, but it doesn’t change my position. The Hartwell service lane isn’t available to Voss and never will be.

Your truck blocked the lane this morning and delayed our linen delivery. That is exactly why the lane cannot serve two hotels.

Please arrange any future deliveries with the Hartwell in advance.

Regards,

Rachel Hartwell

Chief Executive Officer

The Hartwell Hotel

I send the email, then pick up the mug again. The man staring back at me looks serious, controlled, and used to closing deals worth hundreds of millions. That’s the Eric Voss who appears on magazine covers and stands in front of council members as if approval is already his.

The rest of the world gets that man. Somehow, I get the one who sends me pens with his name on them, a mug with his face on it, and a calendar suggesting his abs are a charitable cause.

I put everything he sent into my bottom drawer. Not because I want any of it. I’m simply keeping the evidence that the CEO of Voss Hotels has lost his mind.

My laptop chimes before I can push the drawer closed.

Eric has already replied.

Rachel,

You’ve never hesitated to tell me when you dislike something. Since your email failed to mention my special gifts, I can only assume you loved them. I’m glad I could please you.

I’m sorry the truck blocked your lane. That was careless, and it won’t happen again.

We’ll have dinner together on Friday at seven. Between us, we’ll soon own every hotel on Hartwell Boulevard. It’s time we discussed our future.

I’ll make the reservation.

Eric

I read the email again. In Eric’s mind, his hotel is already approved, Hartwell Boulevard is ours, and we have a shared future to discuss over dinner—a dinner he is arranging without waiting for me to agree. But even if his hotel gets approved and we end up as neighbors, that doesn’t make us a team. It makes us competitors.

Mr. Voss,

No.