Laurene: Hey, long time, no talk. Give me a shout.
I put my phone down and call for Lizzie. “You rang,” she says, coming into my home office. I look up at her. “If you called me in here to make you coffee, I’m going to …” We got home this morning and just decided to head home.
I put up my hand to stop her from telling me what she would do to said coffee. I learned a long time ago that she was my assistant, but she would never fetch me coffee. To prove her point, she would get the order wrong every time, or she served it scalding with no milk. It was just not going to happen. “I have a meeting at six.”
“Do I have to come?” she asks, and I shake my head. “Is it Manning?”
“Yes,” I say. Manning came over not too long ago to let me know that he’s leaving his wife. I wasn’t shocked in the least, and it was about time. I’ve worked with Murielle a couple of times, and all I wondered was how someone like Manning could be with her. She wasn’t horrible per se, but she wasn’t the nicest. Where Manning does not want to be recognized, she wants everyone to know what she is doing.
“I mean, I’m not going to say it’s about time,” Lizzie says, “but it’s about fucking time. That woman is horrible.” I look at her, pinching my eyebrows together. “I didn’t tell you, but once in the beginning, she thought I was going after Manning because I laughed at his joke. Called me a horny bitch and told me to stay away from her man.”
I look at her in shock. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because it was a non-issue,” she says, and I just shake my head. “Are you going to let her keep her position on the foundation?”
“As long as she acts respectfully, I don’t see why not,” I say, and she laughs.
“That lady wouldn’t know respect if it came to the house and knocked on her door,” Lizzie says. “I also have the press release ready for Manning.”
“Perfect, I’ll let you know when to release it,” I say, and she gets up. “You can take the rest of the day off,” I say, and she throws her head back and laughs.
“So kind of you,” she says. “It’s four thirty.”
I laugh, looking at my Rolex. “Okay, then take tomorrow off.”
“Bye,” she says, walking out and holding her hand up in a wave. “See you tomorrow.”
She is not one to just lay around and take the day off, even if I suggest she should. I get up and go to my bedroom to slip on something more comfortable. The past three days have been a fucking roller-coaster ride.
From rushing to Buffalo to signing Graham, it’s just one thing after another. I smile, thinking about how none of it would have been possible without Becca. I don’t know what she told Martin, but he didn’t even try to fight to keep Graham.
After changing into my jeans, I grab a white T-shirt and slip it on. Grabbing my keys and leather jacket, I walk out of the house and make my way over to the address Manning sent me. I pull up and see the lights on inside and outside.
I walk up and ring the doorbell, my heart beating a little bit faster than it was before. I blame it on walking to the door, but my head laughs at me. The door opens, and I see Becca. God, she is even more beautiful than she was the last time I saw her. She is wearing white pants that hug her hips but fall to the floor, and her orange turtleneck looks so soft my hands itch to reach out and touch it. To touch her. “Hey,” I say to Manning, and then I turn to Becca. “Good to see you.”
She just nods at me as the doorbell rings again. I move to the side so she can open the door, and I hold my breath at her proximity and tuck my hands in my pockets to stop from touching her. Candace comes in, and I wonder how she is doing with all this.
I follow everyone into the dining room, listening to Becca talk, and I’m not surprised about what all she did. I just lean back in my chair and watch how she handles herself. The way she taps her finger on the table when she’s listening.
“Hopefully, this will be over very soon, and we can pop champagne for another reason,” I say, getting up at the end of the conversation after Jaxon calls his father. “Becca, why don’t I take you to dinner?” The words are out of my mouth before I can take them back, and I look at her, afraid that if I look at Manning and Candace, they will see something I don’t want anyone to see right now.