Lacey wiped the tears from her cheeks and blew her nose. She needed to get away. She had not taken off anytime in the last three years of building this business, but now after her sister’s wedding, she wanted to escape.
She needed a break, yet now more than ever, she had to enjoy each day because her business might not have a tomorrow.
Opening the car door, she slid out and made her way up the steps to Amanda’s apartment. What if her friend wasn’t home? What if she’d gone somewhere? She needed Amanda.
Lacey rang the doorbell.
A few minutes later, the door opened, and Amanda stared at her, her eyes widening in horror. “What the hell is wrong?”
Tears clogged her throat. “I fell in love, and I’ve ruined everything.”
***
The next morning, sitting in the office, rage consumed Amanda. She’d spent the better part of the night reassuring Lacey the business wasn’t lost. Her reputation wasn’t ruined, and she hadn’t been crazy to let passion overrule her head and go with her heart.
Okay, so maybe that last one she’d had to really stretch for her friend, but she loved Lacey and would have done anything to help her. She’d never seen her so distraught.
Now, Amanda sat here at the office, waiting for Ty, who had called earlier and said he was on his way to pick up the cameras. She’d gone through their equipment looking for the film, but the cameras were empty.
If they had left the film in the cameras, she would have cut it to shreds.
Amanda wanted to rip Ty and Reed to tiny pieces, but that would make the news at seven, and she was already trying to find a way to finagle this publicity nightmare. So far, she hadn’t come up with any ideas as to how to make this situation look good in the press. And the television show might as well be history because certainly no one would want to put them on television with the trashing they’d receive with this film.
“Ty’s here,” their secretary called out to her.
Amanda marched into the room where Ty was kneeling on the floor, packing everything up. “I need you to be honest with me.”
Ty glanced up at her. “Hmmm, Reed warned me I could be walking into a war zone over here. Are you the first strike team?”
“Look, because of Reed, I spent the night consoling my friend over how we could save her business. So yeah, you could say I’m the first strike team, and you’re about to be toast,” she said, standing over him. She’d never wanted to drop kick someone before, but she felt that need now.
“I see all of my cameras are open.”
“That’s because I searched everywhere for the film.”
“Any film we shot that day has to go into the film safe at night. It’s not here,” Ty informed her.
Amanda crossed her arms, still standing above Ty as he locked everything into the cases he’d carried in. “Tell me the truth. How did Reed shoot this film? Does he make my friend’s business look bad?”
“I’m not at liberty to talk about this with you or anyone else,” Ty said, avoiding eye contact.
“I don’t give a damn about your liberty. I need to know how to prepare my friend and her business. The place that I come to every day to work. I need to prepare her and the business to face the press. Did Reed set out to ruin Lacey?”
Ty stopped his packing and sighed. “This is what I was told to say. We film documentaries. We show the business and let the viewers decide whether or not this is a legitimate bus—”
“Legitimate?” Amanda said, almost shouting. “You know damn well we’re legitimate. You know we care about our clients and do everything we can to make sure everyone has a good experience with our firm.”
Amanda stood just inches from Ty, looking down at him, her voice almost screaming. She so wanted to rip every long brunette hair strand from his head. Lacey was hurting because of these two.
Ty shrugged, his packing increasing with speed. “I’m just the messenger. I told you I can’t say anything.”
“You could be honest with me and tell me the truth. You could give me some indication of how Reed has shown Lacey. Did he show her in a bad way?”
“Look, Amanda. I like you guys. This has been a fun place to come to every day, but I’m just the cameraman. I don’t decide how the film is presented to the audience. All final editing is done by Reed. He’s the editor; he’s the moneymaker. I just shoot film.”
Ty’s position was a lot like Amanda’s, and though she was still furious, what good would it do to remain mad at Ty?
“But you know the intention of this documentary. Did he deliberately lie to Lacey?”
Ty put the last camera into its case and clicked it shut, locking the box. He gazed up at Amanda and sighed. “I will deny I ever told you this if anyone asks. Let’s just say it doesn’t look good. Graham Productions is in charge of the film.”
Amanda wilted, all the anger draining her. “She’s crushed. She loved him and now feels betrayed.”
Ty stood and begin to pick up the cases by the handles. “Reed is not a man to fall in love with. He’s a heartbreaker. I wouldn’t let my sister or any woman I cared about near him.”
“This is the first time she has ever let herself completely go without going through the twelve-step program, and now, all it’s done is break her heart. And probably cost her, her business,” Amanda said, clenching her fists, her heart aching for Lacey. For herself and all the hard work they’d put into this business.
Ty shrugged. “I don’t know what to tell you.”
“You can go back and tell Reed Hunter I hope he rots in hell,” Amanda said, as she walked out of the room.
Chapter Nineteen
A month passed, and Reed kept thinking any day now, things were going to get better. He kept thinking any morning he would wake up and be himself again, but each day only seemed to make him gloomier. And then he would go into the editing room and see Lacey’s face on film, and a deep sadness would overwhelm him.
At first, he’d tried to contact her, but she wasn’t taking his calls. According to her secretary, her response had been that he could go fuck himself.
Lacey’s crew had circled around her like a protective shield. They weren’t letting him near her. And he wanted her like his next breath. He had shown up at her office with flowers. Her secretary and Amanda had made it very clear he was no longer welcome. They had thrown his flowers in the trash, shown him the door, and told him they’d call the police if he returned.
For the first time since he’d graduated college, even sex didn’t seem to hold the interest it once had. He felt lost and rambled around his house every day, trying to get interested in his life once again. Not once did he think of going out to chase women. It no longer held any appeal.
Never before had a woman disrupted his life in such a way. The break-up of his engagement had been a cake walk compared to the pain he’d experienced in the last month. He’d lost ten pounds, wasn’t sleeping well, and had no clue what he would do when he finished this documentary. Always before he’d had two or three ideas ready to start on once he finished editing the current film.
This time, it seemed nothing inspired him. This time, he felt like a fish out of water, flopping on the bank of life, gasping for his last breath.
How could one woman cause so much pain? How could one woman disrupt his life so much? How could one woman make his heart ache with longing and regret?
But he missed Lacey with every breath he took. Ty had been right. This film hurt. Looking at Lacey day in and day out, trying to find the right angle on the story, hurt too much. He’d been unable to edit more than five minutes, before he walked out of the room and turned off the light.
He was a selfish bastard who used women for sex, until one woman had completely disrupted his life and made him realize his destructive ways. Even that last character he’d filmed had more integrity than what he’d done.
Lacey made him a better man. She made him think of things in a different light. She saw the good in him, even when he was at h
is most disastrous, attempting to tarnish her good name and reputation.
And God help him, he loved her. He’d sworn never to experience this weakness again. Yet he loved Lacey, pure and simple. And that was the reason he hurt so bad. Because like before, an overwhelming sense of sadness and loss filled him.
He’d screwed up royally and hurt the person he loved.
Settling down with just one woman had never been an option he’d considered since his broken engagement, but now, if that would bring Lacey back, he would gladly reconsider.
He was hurting, and he’d done nothing but bring this pain upon himself. Somehow he had to get over this crippling depression.
Flipping through the morning paper, trying to get the energy to go in and start editing the film, he came across an ad for one of Lacey’s seminars. His stomach clenched at the cancelled stamp across the seminar, and a phone number telling people where to call to receive a refund.
Why would she cancel a seminar? Why would she give up on doing what she loved? Unless she was sick or injured. What if she’d come down with some catastrophic disease and was dying?
God, she had to be all right.
He yanked his cell phone out of his pocket and called the office. “Hello. Amanda, please?”
A few minutes later, he heard her voice. “This is Amanda.”
“Is Lacey okay?” he asked.
Silence greeted him.
“I’ve got to know.”
“No, dick wad, she’s not okay. She’s quitting the business. Are you satisfied?”
The news stunned him. He stared at the phone, not knowing what to say. An overwhelming sense of sadness overcame him. “Could we meet somewhere and talk?” he asked, desperate to hear in person if he was the cause of Lacey walking away.
“Why would I do that? So you can get more ammunition for your film?”
Reed cringed inside, his chest aching, knowing he deserved her mistrust. “No, I’d like to talk.”
Amanda paused, and he thought she was going to tell him no. A long minute stretched out to what seemed like forever.
“Meet me at the Starbucks on Main Street in half an hour.”
“I’ll be there.”
The phone clicked, and the dial tone echoed in his ear. What would he say? He didn’t know, but he had to find out why Lacey was quitting the business she loved. Grabbing his keys, he ran out the door.
He raced to the meeting with Amanda, speeding and even ran a red light, knowing he had to get there. He parked the car, walked into the coffee shop, and hurried over to Amanda, waiting in the corner.
“Hi,” he said.
“Make this quick. I’ve got to get back.”
“Why is Lacey cancelling her seminars and quitting the business?” he asked, slumping down into the chair across from her.
Amanda shook her head like she couldn’t believe he would ask this question. “Lacey thinks if she’s barely visible when your film comes out, then maybe she might survive. She’s quitting for a while.”
“Why wouldn’t she do as much business as possible before the film comes out?”
“Because she’s hurting. She’s lost the desire to do what she loves. She is going to close the business. She’s lost weight. She’s accepted the loss of the television show.”
Reed stared at Amanda. “What television show?”
“For months she’s been meeting with a producer who was shopping the idea of a talk show. It was the reason she did the documentary. The studio was interested in doing a pilot program. They were waiting for the documentary to come out before they started filming.”
“Lacey never mentioned a television show.” How many of her dreams could he somehow have managed to squash?
“That’s because they told her to keep it quiet.”
“But, I would…”
“You would have done what? Filmed more clients who don’t like Lacey? Done more shooting to show her at a disadvantage? What? How much uglier can you be?” Amanda asked, her face filled with anger. “You’re going to destroy her because you got dumped and that tanked your ego.”
Reed stared at Amanda, his heart sinking like a stone as he thought of Lacey. She was about to get a television show, and now he was destroying her business and her dreams. He couldn’t do this any longer. He didn’t want to hurt her. “Okay, I admit it. I’m an ass. Call me names. Do whatever you think you have to. I wake up each morning, knowing something is missing from my life. I want to make this right. What can I do?”
Amanda sat back and stared at him like he had two heads. “Are you just saying this or do you really mean it?”
Reed didn’t know how to convince Amanda. “I can’t stop thinking about what she said to those clients of hers. How love is putting the other person’s desires before your own. How loving the other person makes you a better person.”
“Go on.”
Reed suddenly knew what his subconscious had been trying to tell him for weeks. And he knew what he had to do. “Love is-I know what the hell I have to do.”
Amanda shook her head. “You frighten me. I don’t trust you.”
“I don’t deserve your trust. But I’m going to make this right.” He stood. “I’ve got to go. I know what I have to do.”
***
The phone rang, waking Reed up from a deep sleep. He glanced at the clock, it was after midnight. He picked it up.
“Hello,” he said, his voice groggy with sleep.
“Is this the only way I can get you to answer my calls? Call you at midnight?”
Reed sat up in bed, dreading this phone call. “Sorry. I’ve been busy working on the film.”
“You’re almost done?”
“Yes, sir. It’s in the final stages,” and you will never be happy with what I’ve done, he thought. “I should be finished very soon.”
“Great. I’m going forward with the plans then for the opening night showing. When can I see the film?”
Reed knew he was going to be fired. He’d never get to do the exposé he dreamed of doing, only because he would soon no longer have a job. “Give me a couple of weeks, and I’ll give you a date for a private showing. Just you, Lacey, her staff, and a couple of other people.”
“You’re going to invite her to the private showing?” Graham asked.
“Why not? It will be good for her to know what she’s going to be facing.”
Graham chuckled. “I like the way you think. I’ll be in Spain the next two weeks.”
“Why don’t we schedule the showing for after your return,” Reed said.
“But that means I won’t be able to see the film until the night of the private showing.”
“Graham, you’ll enjoy it that much more. You’ll see how we got the bitch.”
There was a moment of silence on the other end. Would he agree to wait and see it at the same time as everyone else?
“You know I wouldn’t usually do this, but we were both burned by this woman. I trust you, Reed.”
Reed smiled. Problem solved. He’d be fired, but still, there would be nothing Graham could do to stop the showing of the film Reed wanted to produce. “Graham, I have one more request. Would you donate ten percent of the proceeds from this film to a scholarship fund for young filmmakers?”
“What, are you crazy?”
“No, I want to help kids who need a way to get to college.”
“And who’s going to oversee this scholarship fund?”
“Well, that’s why I thought we would name it the Juliet Fund, and maybe your old girlfriend, who was an accountant, would manage it for us.”
Graham laughed. “You’re a sly dog.”
“No, I just thought that maybe after Juliet sees the film, she’d come back to you. You know when she sees how wrong she was about Lacey, and then you could get her to manage the scholarship fund.”
There was a pause on the line.
“Unless you’ve moved on to someone else.”
“No, I’d take Juliet back in a heartbeat.”
“Well then, maybe this will bring her back into your life.”
“Are you feeling okay?” Graham asked.
“Why?”
“I never thought I’d see the day you were trying to help bring a girl back into the relationship? Are you going to invite Blair?”
“Hell, no,” Reed said. “My relationship with Blair never had a chance, even long before she ever took Lacey’s seminar. I just wanted to see if maybe you and Juliet could get back together.”
“Thanks, Reed. I’m surprised. But I like the idea and maybe she’ll see reason.”
“Let’s hope so. We’re all set for the private showing?”
“I can’t wait,” Graham said, laughing. “Watching Lacey Morgan go down is going to be quite enjoyable.”
Reed sighed knowing that documentary would never be seen if he could help it. “Have a safe trip to Spain, and I’ll see you at the private screening.”
***
Two weeks after his meeting with Amanda, Reed stood in front of Jose’s family’s home, knocking on the door. He’d buried himself in his work, and now the film was in production and would soon release.
He only hoped he wasn’t too late.
Jose opened the door and stared at him. “What do you want?”
“Can we please talk?” Reed said, knowing the kid was still angry he hadn’t received the scholarship.
The boy walked out the door and closed it behind him. “Graduation was over weeks ago. What are you doing here?”
“I came to check on you. What are you doing this summer?” Reed sat down on the concrete steps, while Jose walked out in the yard, his hands in his pockets, his gaze down on the ground.
“I’m working with my Papa, doing yards.”
“How do you like it?” Reed asked.
The kid raised his gaze to Reed, his brown eyes flashing with anger. “I hate it.”
“Are you still filming?”
He shrugged. “When I get a chance.”
Reed nodded. “Can’t give it up, can you?”
Anyone who loved working in film had tried several times to give it up and had been unable. It almost felt like an addiction. It traveled with you everywhere.
The Relationship Coach Page 25
