Reese checked her phone. “In ten minutes. Can’t believe she actually dropped everything to meet with me. She was probably afraid I’ll change my mind if she waits.”
"You’re committed to going through with it today?"
"I am. I think I'm a bit high on adrenaline, and I want to get it over with. I think that way, I'll be able to finally move on, and since I'm so dressed up, it would be a shame to postpone and waste the outfit.” I smirked when she added, “Vanessa said she’ll need a picture."
I knew this was her way of finding humor in this dreadful situation.
“You know, when he said he needed the job because she’s pregnant, I almost caved. I thought, ‘Whatever, I can bury the hatchet.’ But then he pulled this shit. Threatening us—what anass.” She shook her head, sipping her coffee while I wanted to punch in that moron’s teeth.
“You’ll be great, Reese. I’m sure of it.”
“Oh, I will be. I’m happy to get this off my chest. I’m relieved we’ve put this behind us.”
“So am I.” There was only one thing I wanted to do right now, and that was to go to the bakery and find my woman.
But first, I had to swing by my office.
CHAPTER 27
DECLAN
“How is Reese?”Luke asked instead of saying hello the second I stepped into his office. Travis and Tate were also there.
“I left her with the reporter. She seemed relieved to do it.”
“Good,” Travis said. “What exactly happened in the meeting? Reese only told Luke about the interview.”
I cleared my throat. “Malcolm wanted to blackmail me into getting his job back with the Halsey Group by threatening to give an interview himself.”
“What the fuck?” Tate exclaimed.
Luke looked murderous. “Shit! I wondered what made Reese decide to do this.”
Travis sat against the edge of the desk, frowning. “Please tell me you’re plotting revenge, not planning to lecture us on how not to lose our cool. Because I’m five seconds away from losing it.”
“Not at all. I told him, with his lawyer beside him, that he won’t be able to get a job anywhere anytime soon. That we have connections everywhere.”
Luke fist-pumped the air. “Yes we fucking do. We’ve got this. That fucking moron.”
“Then we have a plan,” I said.
“How is Liz?” Travis asked out of nowhere.
“I’m gonna stop by the bakery now and check on her. I wanted to drop by to update you all.”
She'd been on my mind all day. I wanted to sink inside her and forget the whole day happened. And I wanted to make it clear, once and for all, that her two-year plan would not end with her leaving. I would do whatever it took to keep her here.
"Dude, she's not in Chicago," Travis said. "Don't you know?"
I froze in my spot. "What?"
"I went by the bakery this morning. Thought I'd ask how business is going and if she wanted any more promo tips, but only her staff was there."
"What?" My heart pounded against my chest. "Why?"
"Liz had an urgent family thing."
"What kind of emergency?" I asked, bewildered.Is it something with her niece again?
