She jumped down and strolled away, leading the pack of reporters like the pied piper. God, Lacey loved that girl. The room cleared, with Max the last to go, shooting her a dirty look. “You better be worth it, chickie.”
Soon, it was just Galen and her. She walked around to the side of the table where he sat and looked down at him. All the things she wanted to say, the speech she’d been practicing on the way over, it was all gone. Wiped from her mind like she’d been zapped with one of those Men in Black neuralyzers.
“How’ve you been, squirt?”
Panic lapped at her, and she fumbled for something coherent to say. She was blowing it. Again. “Okay. I quit my job,” she blurted.
To his credit, he barely blinked at the oddly timed declaration. “Congratulations.”
Now that the cover was off, she couldn’t seem to stop. “I’m going back to school. I’m not sure for what yet. I want to find a career I love.” The moments ticked by and a band of tension tightened around the back of her neck, like an unseen hand.
“That sounds like a great idea. How did your parents take the news?”#p#分页标题#e#
She opened her mouth to give her typical blow-off response and say that she saw things differently than her mother did, and that was okay. But that was a lie. It wasn’t okay, and likely never would be. It was time to accept that they would never be close.
“Dad was fine. Mother was Mother. She’s not speaking to me right now. Sometimes I think maybe it’s for the best. Either way, I’m done trying to placate her. I’ve done it my whole life, and it’s gotten me nowhere. It’s not like she loves me more for it or it’s helped our relationship in any way. From now on, I’m doing what’s right for me.”
He pushed his chair back and stood, propping his ass against the table. “And the merger?”
“Dead. Marty seemed so desperate to marry me in spite of what happened that my father got suspicious. He had his people do some digging and found out that the Clemsons were on the SEC’s radar and were a few months from an investigation. They had wanted to seal the deal with our firm in hopes of weathering the bad PR over the next year. Once we had that information, my father killed the deal for good. And lo and behold, the sky didn’t fall. Everyone still has their jobs, and the board is looking for alternate ways to diversify. It’s not the end of the world or the end of either business. Marty’s family will take a hit to their image, but that’s due to some questionable business dealings, not to me.”
“You must be relieved.”
“I am. And last I heard, Becca and Marty were shopping for rings. I guess when I told him there was no chance of reconciliation, he went back to her.”
“How do you feel about that? You angry?”
“Not even a little. I’m still really hurt by what Becca did, but at the same time, if not for her, I’d be Mrs. Clemson right now. I sort of feel like I should buy them some flowers or something.”
His lips twisted into a wry smile, and she resisted the urge to reach out and trace them with her forefinger.
She sucked in a breath, a sudden calm overtaking her. “You were wrong. That day, when you said my catching Marty cheating was the best thing that ever happened to me? You were the best thing that ever happened to me. Our time in Puerto Rico, loving and talking and boxing. I was never so happy in my life.” He opened his mouth to speak but she held up a staying hand. “No, let me say what I came to say.”
Taking his hand in hers, she looked deep into his eyes and spoke from her heart. “It wasn’t because we were on vacation or away from the daily grind. And it wasn’t because I was hurt, or confused, or on the rebound. It’s because I loved you. Hell, I think I’ve loved you since I was a little girl.”
His hand clenched over hers but he didn’t speak. She pushed through the fear threatening to choke her and went on. “Remember when you got that poster of Elle MacPherson in the blue bathing suit? I used to daydream of cutting her hair off.”
His mouth twitched into a tiny smile. “Are you the one who drew the mustache on her?”
She nodded, her cheeks burning with embarrassment. Who cared about a little humiliation? Galen was smiling at her again and her heart was singing.
“I blamed that on Cat and she never denied it.”
“Yeah, well, I’d taken the rap for her so many times before, she figured she owed me one. She couldn’t understand my unnatural dislike for the woman.”
“I have to admit, that mustache was likely there for a long while before I even noticed. I wasn’t looking at her face much.” At her long-suffering sigh and muttered, “Men,” he shrugged. “I was thirteen; what do you want from me?”#p#分页标题#e#