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“My word is good,” Troy insisted.
“The thing is, Troy,” her boss added, “I know Sage and her work ethic. I’ve never seen her unprepared before, which leads me to the conclusion that she was unaware the date had been changed.”
Although he’d been called out, Troy remained confident. “My understanding is the one who got the account would take over as the executive manager of Park Marketing. Am I right?”
“That was what I said,” Stanley Mowrey acknowledged.
“And which one of us gets the promotion?” Troy asked again, with the confidence of one who already knew.
“Sage,” Mowrey said, holding Troy’s gaze.
At the mention of her name, Troy nearly fell off his chair. “That’s not what you said. I talked to Dirk, and he personally assured me my team’s presentation was the far better of the two.”
“Yes, he told me the same thing,” Stanley said.
“Then how is it possible that Sage won the account?”
“She didn’t.”
Now Troy looked completely perplexed. “I don’t understand.”
“You got the account, Troy, but the promotion goes to Sage.”
“Wait a minute.” He was on his feet now, anger coming off him in waves. “You said—”
“I know what I said.” Mowrey cut him off. “I also recognize that you won the account by sabotaging Sage and her team. This company has a long history of integrity. What you did to Sage and her team revealed a side of you I’d never seen before. I can’t in good conscience hand over the reins to someone who will use unscrupulous methods to gain the advantage.”
Troy stood with his mouth sagged open as if he didn’t know what more to say. He knotted his hands into tight fists. “For someone who values integrity, you realize you’re going against your word.”
“My decision stands.”
“Then I quit.” Troy hesitated, as though he was waiting for Stanley Mowrey to refuse his resignation. When nothing happened, Troy stormed out of the office and seemed to take all the oxygen out of the room with him.
Mowrey released a long breath, as if relieved. “I was hoping that would be his reaction.”
Sage was too, but she wouldn’t admit it.
Her boss stood and extended his hand across the desk. “Congratulations, Sage. I am confident you’ll do a wonderful job.”
“Thank you,” she said, feeling both appreciative and humbled at the same time. “I’ll do my best to fill your shoes.”
“I know you will,” he said. “Now let’s talk compensation.”
By the time Sage left Mowrey’s office, the entire company was buzzing with the news that Sage had gained the promotion and Troy had quit.
Ethan was the first one to congratulate her. “I knew Mowrey was smart enough to recognize what Troy had done. From what I’m hearing, no one is sorry to see him go.”
Soon Sage was surrounded by the staff, who offered her their best wishes and congratulations. Mowrey stood in the doorway to his office with his arms crossed, watching the reaction. He smiled when he caught Sage’s eyes, nodded once, and then returned to his office.
After being caught unprepared for the presentation, Sage hadn’t been sure what to expect. Naturally, she was elated, but not nearly as much as she assumed she would be. Her gaze drifted toward Ethan’s office and her heart swelled with happy anticipation for the future.
Epilogue
Christmas one year later
“Auntie Sage, I didn’t think you’d ever get here,” Ricky said, grabbing hold of her hand and pulling her out of the cold and into the house. When he saw Ethan, Ricky got even more excited. “Ethan, you came, too.” His arms instantly went around Ethan’s waist for an enthusiastic hug.
Saffron came to greet them both, embracing her sister tightly. They’d grown close over the last year, communicating often, closer than at any time since their childhood. They talked once a week and often more. Saffron’s relationship with Tom had developed nicely over the months, as had Sage’s with Ethan. Sage was in love. Deeply in love. When in college she’d believed she loved Mark; however, her feelings for him paled when compared to the way she felt about Ethan. He was her soulmate. The diamond ring on her finger said everything about the way he regarded her.
