“Not tonight, we need to go home.” Star watched as Skylar’s face fell.
But Mary jumped in: “You can come back with Mummy and Damian at the weekend. I know Rosy and the puppies are going to miss you.”
Skylar beamed at Mary, her excitement clear. “Can we, Mummy?”
Star shot Mary a look, which Mary returned with an unapologetic glance.
“I’ll discuss it with Aunty Mary before we leave, but I’m sure that will be all right.”
Skylar skipped off back towards the stairs and Mary turned as if to go, before swinging back round, and saying, “Don’t despair yet …”
Star smiled, but her heart wasn’t in it. It was time to pull on her big girl pants and get to work. She had Skylar and her future to think about. Damian had become a distraction. It was time she refocused and thought about what was best for them. She’d proven herself more than capable with the Morris project, and her promotion was now guaranteed. To land Felts Beverages as a client would be a game changer, affirming her rightful place as a top executive at the firm. All her dreams were finally coming true. She no longer needed to rely on Toby and Laura’s generosity, and for the first time since Skylar had arrived she was going to be independent. Why then, did she feel so empty inside?
Damian and his father were talking at Lucas’s desk when Star returned. Both men stood as she entered, and Damian directed her to the seat next to him after giving her a kiss on her cheek. Her heart fluttered at his open sign of affection; he certainly wasn’t hiding their relationship from his father anymore. Lucas was beaming from the other side of his desk, which took Star by surprise, leaving her feeling as if she’d missed some major announcement.
“So, Damian has informed me Friday night went well,” Lucas said, looking at Star. “I’m also aware that Christian Dupree is Skylar’s father. Is that going to be an issue, Star?”
“No,” Star replied, holding his gaze. “Damian and I checked with Toby – the adoption is watertight. As far as the law is concerned, Christian signed away his rights to Skylar the day he signed the papers.” Star’s voice sounded convincing even to herself, but her insides churned uncontrollably. The “what if”s were still flying round her head, feeding the little devil sitting on her shoulder. Despite what Toby had said, Star was still petrified.
“Good. You know you have our full support should there be any backlash,” Lucas added with a nod.
Star was a little taken aback. She could not and would not let this undermine the company’s chances of winning this business. She couldn’t do that to Lucas, Damian, or her colleagues. This opportunity was huge. If the time came and there was an issue with Christian, she had already decided she would resign. She just hoped it wasn’t going to come to that.
They talked about the meeting for the next hour and a half before agreeing it was time to pull together a team and bring the clients into the office. Star was surprised when Damian and Lucas asked her opinion; she had been sure Damian had only invited her to bring them closer, but instead they both made her feel like a valued member of the team.
∞∞∞
“Don’t look so shocked,” Damian said when they finally returned to his room to grab their things before heading to the office.
Star spun round, her wash bag in her hands. Damian grasped her hands, pulling her towards him. “You spent that entire meeting looking shell shocked that we’d included you. You seem to have a very warped idea of your worth. You are where you deserve to be, Star. Not because you are in my bed, but because you’re good at what you do. More than good. Dad recognises that. He wants you on the team. You wouldn’t be here if he didn’t have total confidence in your ability.”
Star looked up into Damian’s face for any sign he was playing her. There was nothing but honesty. “It’s just hard to take in. I’m one of the newer members of staff. There are many more who have years more experience than me,” she said, looking down.
Damian grasped her chin, forcing her to look at him again. “Experience isn’t everything. You should know that by now. It is a gut instinct; it’s about understanding the client’s wants and needs. You have that in bucket loads. Plus, you are so creative! You proved that on Friday night. I’ve already had Henri on the phone singing your praises this morning and telling me how he wants you on the team. You made that impression, not me. You need to start believing in yourself. What happened to the girl I met – the one who wanted to take on the world and believed she could? You still can, Star. You have the talent to do it.”
Star stepped back, a warmth spreading through her chest at Damian’s praise. But she wasn’t the same girl he had known seven years ago. She was a shadow of that person, although she was fighting hard to get her back. The fact he’d noticed worried her. Maybe she wasn’t what he wanted anymore; maybe the old version was the one he loved and he was now realising that version no longer existed.
“Stop it,” Damian said pulling her close again. “I can see where your mind is going. You are not less than you were, Star, you just need your confidence back. I get it! You ended up as a single mum at twenty-one, not through any fault of your own, and you’ve done an amazing job. You need to start seeing what everyone else can see.” Damian kissed her forehead before continuing, “Jackson was jealous – that is why he spread the rumours he did. He knew he’d never shine as bright as you. Your understanding of the job and clients was superior to his, so he tried sabotage instead. You are going to be up against it. Some people are not going to like you being in charge on this project – they are going to sling mud, but it doesn’t have to stick. Rise above it, and do the job you know you can do.”
“You sound like you know what I’m about to go through,” Star said, looking closely at Damian.
He grinned in reply. “Boss’s son, remember. It’s one of the reasons Dad wanted me to work away, so I could prove myself. I know about the conversation he had with you seven years ago, Star, and I’m pissed. I can’t change it, though, so there is no point looking back. I want us to look forward.” With that Damian dropped his head, his lips capturing hers in a kiss that left them both breathless.
Stepping back, Damian ran his fingers through his hair and said, “We really need to get ready for work otherwise, we’ll end up back in that bed and won’t make it in at all.”
Both their eyes flitted to the bed.
“Dammit,” Damian said, pulling her to him. “Who said we aren’t still in a meeting.”
Chapter Sixteen
Star and Damian made it into the office a couple of hours later. Star’s team were hard at work, although excited to see her when she arrived. After fielding questions about Friday night’s meeting and questions regarding Lucas’s health, she finally sat down at her desk and saw she had a missed call on her mobile.
When she accessed the voicemail, her heart stopped.
“Star, it’s Christian Dupree. I’m sorry to bother you at work, but I didn’t know how else to get hold of you … Look, I’m sorry about Friday night. I didn’t mean to ambush you. I spent a lot of the weekend thinking how my appearance must have seemed.” Star held her breath at his pause. “I really want to talk. I was wondering if you’d be willing to meet me? I know it’s a lot to ask, but if you can bring yourself to speak to me, you can contact me on this number. I really hope I hear from you.”
Star listened to the voicemail several times, before staring blindly at his number on her mobile. She didn’t want to meet with Christian Dupree or have anything to do with him. But if the company won the contract, she knew that was going to be impossible – they would be working together.