The two gentlemen stood, and Lacey did as well. “Thank you, so much.” Lacey shook both their hands.
“You earned it,” Mr. Vance said. “We’ll reconvene on Monday to answer any questions you might have and iron out some logistics. Welcome to the executive team. Also, Mr. Carson wanted to call you, but since we hadn’t met yet, he said for you to contact him at the end of the day.” He handed Lacey a card. “Have a good weekend.”
Lacey stood in the conference room, stunned and elated. She’d done this all on her own. She’d taken control of her personal life, and now her professional one was finally developing into something she had dreamed of.
Once back in her office, the overwhelming success almost made Lacey kick her feet up onto her desk. All the years of school and tedious work had finally paid off. Her face ached from smiling so much.
She had a bit of time before she needed to call Pete. Suddenly filled with confidence, Lacey gathered her things and headed out. Eating up the cold New York sidewalk with determined strides, she arrived at her destination in no time. She stared at the large glass door before tugging on the long silver handle.
The receptionist looked at her with wide eyes as she stepped inside. “He’s in a meeting.”
“It’ll only take a minute,” Lacey snapped back, knowing full well Kevin had her say that whenever someone didn’t schedule time with him. Lacey would have taken time to roll her eyes, but instead she bypassed any formalities and knocked once on his door before walking in.
Kevin, seated behind his desk, glanced up. His look of utter shock instantly morphed into a smug smirk. “Well, well… what are you doing here? Leave your fake boyfriend on the island?” He chuckled, leaned back in his chair, and crossed his ankles on top of his desk.
“No, for your information, I feel like I’m standing in my fake boyfriend’s office right now.” She let out a breath. “Look, I’m not here to argue with you. I just want to know why.”
“Why?”
“You cheated. Ninety-nine percent of me doesn’t care, but there’s one percent that does.”
He lowered his legs and stood. “Look, Lace…” She cringed at the nickname. “I’m not sure why, but if you miss me, then—”
Lacey’s jaw dropped, and she felt her nose crinkle in disgust. “Missyou? No. I’m very happy right now. I guess I was just looking for closure. I shouldn’t have come here.” She turned to leave, and he snagged the crook of her elbow. Instantly tugging it away, she glared at him. “What happened to Candi?”
“Nothing. We’re in the middle of planning our wedding.”
“You’re a pig. Did you know that?”
Kevin shook his head. “And you’re still uptight. Don’t think your pretty boy won’t figure it out sooner or later. No one’s a saint, Lacey, no matter how good he is at pretending to be one. He’ll let you down,just wait and see. Feel free to call me so I can tell you, ‘I told you so.’”
“I’m sorry I came here. And for your information, Drew doesn’t pretend to be anything he isn’t. But Iwilltell you the man has more morals in his little finger than you could ever dream of having in your entire body. I feel sorry for Candi.”
Kevin chuckled before sitting back down behind his desk. “I’ll give her your best.”
“Do better than that. Give her yours.”
She walked out of his office, barely able to believe she’d ever dated such a disgusting man. What in the world had she been thinking by confronting him and dredging up the past? The day had been perfect up until she’d made the disastrous mistake of attempting to get closure.
Her resolve strengthened as her steps took her back to her office. As though on a mission, she wove her way through the passersby, brushing up against one or two of them, but not caring. Lacey’s mind was on overdrive. Thoughts flipped through her memory like a slideshow. Each one had her scowling at Kevin, but then when Drew—the handsome, kind man who surpassed anything she could have wished for—popped in, she felt nothing but a surge of joy.
She thought back to their first kiss, how his lips had felt against hers. She should have felt scared in that moment, but she didn’t. He could have pushed her away for acting like a crazed woman, but he didn’t. Instead, he stood up for her on more than one occasion. If there were any doubt of his character, it had been extinguished.
She strode back into her office, her heart kicking into overdrive. Taking a deep breath, Lacey managed to calm down a bit. She picked up her phone, but before calling Pete, she needed to speak to Drew. Somewhere between leaving Kevin’s office and arriving at hers, she’d realized that she did in fact love Drew, and more than anything else, she needed to tell him this simple, life-changing fact. Even though she was dying to tell him she landed the Carson account, she also wanted to tell him how she felt.
Lacey had often thought about the day she’d truly fall in love,wondering when she would find that one person she wanted to share her life with. For a long time, especially after her parents’ passing, Lacey hadn’t been sure she’d ever find a love like theirs. Then, after dating a snake, she lost a lot of faith in the opposite sex. That was until she met a gorgeous man who had the ability to change her mind about so many things.
Still staring at her phone, Lacey wondered how he’d react when she said those three words to him. Testing the words, she first mouthed them before speaking them aloud to no one else but herself. “I love you.” Rolling her eyes at her own ridiculousness, she smiled and dialed his number. As always, he answered on the first ring.
“Hi, how did it go?”
“You’re speaking to the newest partner at Willem and Vance.”
“You got it!” It wasn’t a question but a statement. “I’m so proud of you, sweetheart. I wish I was there to celebrate with you.”
“Me too, but I’m glad I can hear your voice now. I can’t talk very long because I need to call Pete soon, but I wanted to make sure to talk to you first. Thank you for having confidence in me.”
“Always, Lacey. I need to go take a call—” A muffled voice sounded in the background. “I’ll get back to you later.”