Lacey started to protest, but Morgan cut her off. “You said it yourself. You are there; they are not. You know this guy. And you’re good at what you do. Ackland wouldn’t have kept you on this long if you weren’t a good coach. Maybe it’s time you trusted your gut and did it your way.”
“But if Rick found out, I could lose my job.”
Morgan’s voice was dry. “And if you keep doing what you’re doing and Alex fails in front of the board?”
Lacey sucked in a deep breath. “I’d lose my job.” And worse, much worse, Alex would lose his birthright and the company and all of its employees would suffer as a result. There was too much at stake here to worry about getting in trouble with Rick.
Morgan was still prodding her on the other end. “All Rick and the other bosses care about is that you succeed, right? I mean, what do you have to lose?”
Nervous excitement swept through her as Lacey pondered the possibilities. “I could still continue with Ackland’s lessons,” she reasoned. “And implement my own exercises on the side. They couldn’t fault me for going above and beyond, right?”
“Right,” Morgan said. Lacey could hear someone calling her friend’s name in the background.
“Sorry, Lace, I’ve got to get to work. But don’t give up, all right? You got this, girl.”
“Thanks, Morgan.”
Lacey hung up and got to work but as her fingers filled in the necessary blanks in Ackland’s tedious forms, her brain was formulating a new plan.
She was just about done with the mundane paperwork when Dawn came into the office at the end of the day. “A bunch of us are heading to happy hour at a bar down the street. Care to join?”
Hell yes.
“Sounds good. Just give me a minute to finish up.”
The bar was halfway between the office and her hotel, and it was packed when she walked in with Dawn and Heather. Raj waved to them from a crowded table in the back.
“Looks like the gang’s all here,” Lacey said.
“Friday happy hours are kind of a tradition at Newsom,” Heather explained.
The three of them squeezed into a booth with two other assistants who were already several drinks in.
Lacey was dying to get the gossip on Alex and Jess, and there was no better outlet than drunk employees. She was trying to figure out how to bring up the topic when Heather did it for her.
“Did you guys see Jess at the office the other day?”
Everyone, it seemed, had an opinion about Jess and her sudden appearance at the office. “I can’t believe she just showed up like that,” one assistant said. “I hope he kicks her to the curb.”
Her friend took a sip of her Appletini and rolled her eyes. “You’re just saying that because you’ve got the hots for Alex.”
“No,” the first girl argued. “I just don’t want to see him get hurt again.” Her friend, Dawn and Heather all stared at her in disbelief until she relented with a giggle. “Okay, fine. And because I have the hots for him.”
“Who doesn’t?” her friend said.
Lacey could sense the topic was about to turn to hot guys in general, and she didn’t have nearly enough information to satisfy her curiosity. She took a quick sip and asked, “So what’s the deal there? I take it they have a long history?”
“High school sweethearts,” Dawn said with some authority.
“They split up when they went off to college, and they’ve been off and on ever since,” Heather added.
“They were together when he joined the air force,” Dawn said.
“Yeah, and then he went away, and she broke his heart,” Heather finished.
Lacey bristled at the thought of Alex pining away over the lanky supermodel. “And you guys know all this because…?” her voice trailed off in a question.
All eyes turned to Dawn, who blushed and offered an apologetic shrug. “I hear things.”
Heather turned to Dawn. “Mr. Newsom must be over the moon that Jess is back on the market.”
Dawn rolled her eyes. “You have no idea. It’s all he could talk about today.”
Well, that explained Mr. Newsom’s willingness to have Alex skip his lessons. Why work for it when you can sleep your way to the top? Lacey couldn’t believe she hadn’t made the connection earlier. Was she so blinded by her feelings for Alex that she couldn’t see his true motives when it was right in front of her face?
Lacey set her glass down with more force than she’d intended. She saw Heather’s eyes widen at the sight of something over her shoulder. “Oh my God, you guys, stop talking.”
In one movement, every woman at the table turned toward the door in time to see Alex and Jess walk in. They weren’t the only ones who stopped and stared. It wasn’t every day two stunningly gorgeous people walked in as if they’d just stepped off a runway.
Lacey turned away quickly. She didn’t want to be caught gawking. So when she heard Alex’s voice right next to her, she nearly dropped her drink.
“Hey guys, you remember Jess.”
Everyone but Lacey said hi to their old pal, Jess. Alex had the good grace to look slightly uncomfortable as he turned to Lacey.
“Jess, this is Lacey, the consultant I was telling you about.”
Jess smiled and offered her hand. “Nice to meet you. I hope Alex isn’t causing you too much trouble.”
Lacey laughed politely at Alex’s expense and tried to hide the toxic anger that was making pleasant chitchat extremely impossible. Jess, with her gorgeous hair and perfect face, had a hint of an English accent, like Madonna or Gwyneth Paltrow. She also had the air of a possessive girlfriend.
The consultant I was telling you about. What did that mean?
Jess’s possessive air seemed to slip a bit when she caught sight of the stupid ring that was still on Lacey’s finger. “Wow, what a beautiful ring. When’s the big day?”
All eyes were on her. Dawn and Heather looked particularly excited. Oh no. Oh no, oh no, oh no. How to get out of this? Oh, you see, I just use it as a prop. I’m actually very single and lonely but I’ve never learned how to say no.
“We haven’t set a date yet.” The lie slipped out easily. Too easily. There would be an avalanche of questions coming her way and she was so not prepared.
“What’s his name?” Dawn asked.
Yup, she should have seen that one coming.
“Sam.” She said the first name that came to her head and tried unsuccessfully to avoid Alex’s probing stare.
“How did you and Sam meet?” Heather was watching her with sweet, innocent eyes. Lacey wanted to kick her under the table.
“Well, um ...” She had a vision of her cat Sam meowing up at her from the Dumpster behind the bar. “He was a customer at a restaurant where I used to work.”
A hysterical giggle threatened to escape, and she took a quick gulp of her drink. Was she pretending that her cat was her lover? Yes. Yes, she was. Thank God she hadn’t named him Mr. Pickles.
“Did he come out to New York with you?” Dawn asked.
“No, he’s in San Francisco.” She shrugged and offered a rueful smile. “He couldn’t get out of work.”
Please, please, please do not ask what he does for a living.
Jess scooted into the seat beside her and gave her a sympathetic look. “That must be rough. Long-distance relationships can be so difficult.”
She saw all of the assistants glance not so subtly in Alex’s direction to see his reaction to that statement. After all, hadn’t it been the distance that broke him and Jess up in the first place? If he felt any reaction to the comment, it didn’t show. He pulled up a chair next to Jessica and offered to buy a round at the bar.
All of the women except for Jessica placed their orders with Alex.
“I’m afraid I have to make it an early night,” she said.
Lacey swallowed bile as she watched Jessica place a possessive hand on Alex’s knee. “Think about my offer, all right?”
Alex just nodded.
Offer? What offer?
“And please reconsider Daddy’s invitation to the club this weekend,” Jess continued. “He would love to spend some time with you. And it would mean so much to me.”
Lacey looked away from the intimate moment going on beside her. She was going to be sick. He was involved with someone else. Someone who is clearly in love with him. Did he feel the same way?
Jessica caught her by surprise when she swung around to face her. “Please tell Alex he should join my father at the club. Maybe he’ll listen to you.”
“The club?” she repeated.
Jess started to gather her jacket and purse to leave. “My father’s country club. He adores golf. He and his buddies go every weekend to golf and hang out in the sauna. I know it’s not exactly Alex’s cup of tea, it would be such a great opportunity for my father to get to know him better.”
She flashed Alex a brilliant smile before turning to Lacey who was clearly her new partner in crime now that the knowledge of Sam proved she was no competition. “It would be impossible for my father not to love him once he gets to know him better. And a positive endorsement from my dad would go a long way during the election.”
Lacey had a flash of how this could tie in with her own plans for Alex. “Absolutely. Alex should go to the club with your father,” she said with a little more enthusiasm than was called for. She saw Alex’s eyes shoot to her in panicked surprise. Clearly he was not a fan of this plan.
Jess, on the other hand, rewarded her with a little side hug. “See Alex? Even your consultant agrees.” She turned to Lacey, “I knew I could rely on you to talk sense into him. He can be so stubborn sometimes.”
Lacey gritted her teeth. She hated the knowing way Jess spoke about Alex. Like she knew him better than anyone. Like he was her boyfriend. She fought another spasm of insane jealousy and forced a smile as she watched Jessica put on her coat to leave.
“Oh, and you’ll come too, I hope,” the annoyingly beautiful model said.
Lacey blinked up at her in surprise. “Um ... what?”
Alex jumped in. “Of course she will. This will be a great way for her to meet some of the board members.”
She looked over to see Alex smirking at her behind Jess’s back.
She smiled at Jessica, ignoring Alex’s taunting look. “I’d love to join you.”
Chapter Seven
ALEX PUT JESSICA in a cab and returned to the bar, where Lacey still sat with Dawn and the others. He was dying to get her away from their prying eyes. He wanted to explain about Jess. He’d seen the look on her face when Jessica put her hand on his knee. He’d had to resist the urge to swat it away. He wasn’t entirely comfortable with Jessica’s sudden renewed interest in him but for Lacey to see that was unbearable. She’d looked ... hurt. And he couldn’t stand to see her in pain.
But then again, she was the one with a fiancé at home. Why should he feel bad? She’d made it clear she wanted nothing more than a business relationship. Maybe friendship, if he was lucky.
Alex placed an order at the bar and watched Lacey interact with the others. Her face lit up with laughter at something Heather said, and he felt like he’d been punched in the gut.
Good Lord, she was amazing. Stunningly beautiful, but more than that. So much more. She was genuine and passionate and she had a glow that made anything and everything around her light up when she was around. Including him. Did everyone feel this way around her or did she just have this effect on him?
He scowled at the bartender who handed him a drink as a dark thought crossed his mind. Sam probably felt that way every day.
Alex made the rounds among the employees, catching those he knew and introducing himself to the newbies who’d been hired on since his last visit. That had been nearly six months ago, just after his father died. He’d left after a blowout fight with his grandfather and had kept himself busy flying since then. Any excuse to stay away—from the memories and from the expectations. But his grandfather’s call two weeks ago had changed all that. There was no running and hiding anymore. It was time to step up to the plate.
Even if it meant failing in front of everyone and going down in a ball of flames.
Despite his best efforts to distract himself, Alex couldn’t keep his eyes from wandering to Lacey. He watched her sip her drink, laugh along with the others and watched as everyone at her table listened intently to the story Lacey was telling. Whatever it was, she was very animated. Her hands were flying around wildly and in the end, everyone around her was doubled over laughing.
Alex wished he was sitting at their table. When she made a move to leave, he did the same, saying a quick goodbye to the group of accountants he’d been talking to at the bar.
He met her at the door and swung the door open for her, causing her to jump in surprise.
“What are you doing?” she demanded.
He feigned innocence. “I’m holding the door open for you like a proper gentleman.”
“Why?”
“Because that’s the way I was raised.”
She rolled her eyes. “I mean why are you leaving with me?”
He gestured for her to walk through the door. “You’re letting the cold air in.”
She walked outside with a huff, and he followed behind her. “Why are you following me?” she asked.
She sounded cranky and tired, and somehow it seemed to Alex that she was sweeter than ever. How did she make cranky seem cute?
“I’m not following you; I’m walking you home. We’re headed to the same destination, remember?”
“I can walk myself home.”
“I’m sure you can, but if you don’t mind, I’d like the pleasure of your company. You’re just so charming this evening.”
He saw the corner of her mouth twitch in amusement at his sarcasm, but she didn’t let up. “What will your girlfriend think if she hears we left the bar together?”
So that was it. Warmth spread through his chest. He loved that she was jealous. It was with a bit of reluctance that he let her in on the truth. “I don’t have a girlfriend.”
“That’s not what it looked like tonight.” She waved a hand in the direction of the bar.
“We used to be together, but we’re not anymore.”
“That’s not how it looked tonight,” she said again. This time, she said it through gritted teeth and Alex looked over in horror to see tears brimming in her eyes.
He stopped in his tracks. “Are you crying?”
“No!” She stopped as well, and he reached out and placed his hands on her shoulders, helpless in the face of tears.
“Lace, I didn’t mean to hurt you. I swear, if I’d known—”
“I’m not hurt, you idiot. I’m just mad,” she said, her voice choked as she clearly struggled to fight back the tears.
His heart ached. He never wanted to see her cry again.
She broke out of his grip and kept walking toward the hotel, practically stomping in her high heels. He scrambled to say something that would make things right.
“Jess and I, we’re not a couple. Not anymore. I mean, maybe she wants to get together but this is just about business for me.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, he realized how bad it sounded.
Lacey stopped walking and spun around to face him. “Nice, real nice. So you’re just using her for her connections?”
“No, it’s not like that. She knows the score. But she wants to help me. And my grandfather insisted that I hear her out. You’ve got to admit, I need all the help I can get with this election.”
The look of disgust on her face made him wish the earth would open up and swallow him whole.
“Anyone with eyes can see that she still has feelings for you. And the fact that you’re using that to get ahead in business is despicable.” She jabbed a finger at his chest. “Does she know that you slept with someone else two nights ago? Have you been stringing her along this whole time?”
Alex sucked in a deep breath. Anger warred with frustration. Jess had ripp
ed his heart out and stomped on it all those years ago. And now she was back. And she was offering to help him get everything he wanted. He knew her well enough to know that she was in it for herself, but if it meant he could make his grandfather happy and save the company, he didn’t have much of a choice. He would take any help he could get, even if it came from the ice queen who’d broken his heart. It wasn’t like she could do it again. His heart was safe—from Jess, at least.
But Lacey was still glaring at him, accusations in her look. Who was she to judge him? And the idea that she was sticking up for Jess, of all people. That was too frustrating for words. “You have no idea what Jessica is like,” he said. “Believe me, you don’t need to worry about her. I guarantee she has her own agenda—she always does.”
Even he could hear the bitterness in his voice and he latched on to the anger. “Besides, where do you get off being all offended by my having an ex-girlfriend in the picture when you have a fiancé at home.”
She flinched at the word fiancé before turning away from him again. “You don’t understand. Sam and I. We’re not—I mean, we’re not really—”
He held up a hand to stop her from continuing. “It’s complicated. I get it.”
Alex didn’t want to hear it. He didn’t want to be the shoulder she could cry on about her boyfriend troubles. There was a man in her life; that’s all he needed to know.
She looked like she was going to say something more but she didn’t.
“It’s complicated between Jess and me, too. So can we lay off the accusations for a while?”
Lacey pursed her lips as she considered that and gave a jerky nod. “I suppose.”
They both started walking again, and Alex resisted the urge to wrap an arm around her shoulder. “So we’re good? The truce is on?”
She gave him a grudging smile. “It’s on.”
“Fine. Then maybe you can explain to me why you threw me to the wolves.”
She raised a questioning eyebrow.
“Why do you want to see me humiliated on the golf course?” he explained.
“Are you such a terrible golfer that you’d be willing to pass up an opportunity to schmooze with Wingate and the other board members?”
The Morning After: Starting from Zero Box Set Page 37
