My morning was off to a great start. I held a staff meeting and planned to visit several properties in the afternoon. I was checking out the samples for our new brochures when my desk phone rang. It was Lenny, so I answered with a smile.
Hi, Laura speaking.”
“Hey, there’s a delivery at the front desk for you.”
“Thanks Lenny, I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
I left my office and went down to the lobby. The large floral arrangement took my breath away.
I couldn’t stop smiling. “These are wonderful.”
Lenny chuckled, “I can tell how much you like them.”
“Do I need to sign?” I searched for a card.
“No, it’s all taken care of,” Lenny replied.
My heart raced because they were probably from Rex, so I gave up searching the tropical flowers.
“Lenny, I can’t find the card.”
“I didn’t send one,” Cameron spoke from somewhere over my shoulder.
My smile felt glued on. Lenny was watching, so I tried to look cheerful. “Hi, what are you doing here?”
Cameron laughed, “I’m bringing flowers and hoping we can go out to lunch.”
I couldn’t respond right away. We were in plain view, and Lenny could hear our entire conversation.
I quickly picked up the vase, “Please follow me.”
“Okay. Do you want me to carry them for you?”
“Sure, thanks,” I waited until we reached the elevator to whisper. “You know I’m back with Rex.”
Cameron didn’t respond. I hoped he’d take the flowers and walk away. The elevator doors opened. My co-workers stepped in with us, so I kept smiling. Cameron didn’t say anything. That was a good thing because I didn’t want anyone to overhear us talking.
The elevator seemed to take forever to stop. I rushed down the hall to my office. Cameron followed me. I closed the door and kept my voice lowered. “I can’t accept the flowers or lunch.”
“You’re upset,” Cameron began.
“We’re passed that,” I cut him off. “We dated on and off for months. You could’ve told me the truth.”
“You did leave your phone in my car, but I found it sooner than I said.”
I shook my head, “You lied.”
Cameron set the vase on my desk, “I was protecting you. I’ve known you longer than Rex has. You’re passionate about everything you do, but you fell in deep with this guy and couldn’t see what was in front of you.”
“You had a chance before Rex came into the picture. We exchanged numbers and texted several times a week. You didn’t say anything.”
“I was in a relationship at the time. Things weren’t going well, but I was making it work.”
“You lied about being single.”
Cameron sighed, “I wanted to be, but she and I had this pattern. It was hard to break.”
“But you’ve been on dates, unless you lied about that too.”
“They were with her. I was earning her trust.”
I stared at Cameron. “And this whole time, I thought you were dating, and trying to figure it out.”
“Come on. You wouldn’t have given me a chance if I told you I was still in love with my ex.”
I sat down, “You’re right, but I would’ve understood. You don’t have to explain it.”
“I want to. I owe you that much,” Cameron sat down in a leather chair. He glanced at me, hoping I was willing to talk. I wasn’t but needed to speed things along.
“Okay, but you should leave after this.”
“Thanks for hearing me out. My ex cancelled. I told your Dad I was in a bind.”
“And he came to your rescue and asked me.”
“Yes. I wanted to tell you about the phone conversation with Rex, but you were upset after he left.”
“I didn’t see any missed text or calls. Why?” I knew the answer. I wanted Cameron to say it.
He noticed the look on my face and decided to be honest. “I deleted everything from your phone’s history. Your code is your birthday. I only checked it once.”
“I don’t believe it. Maybe, you were using me until your ex-girlfriend came to her senses because you didn’t care enough to tell the truth.”
“That’s not true,” Cameron’s eyes locked on mine. “So, you can’t forgive me, but Rex gets a pass.”
“Don’t go there,” I warned him. “First off, you and my Dad violated my personal boundaries. It doesn’t matter what your reason was. What else are you hiding?”
“All my cards are on the table now. I screwed up, but it won’t happen again.”
“I’m with Rex,” I repeated. “I keep saying it, but you’re ignoring it.”
“I was away on business for two weeks. So, all it took was for him to come back, and you’re with him again,” his voice was calm, but I could tell he was mad.
A knock on the door happened, so I loudly told the person to come in. I was hoping Cameron would take it as his cue to leave. The door opened, and my heart dropped when Rex walked in with coffee and pastries.
“I’m sorry to interrupt,” his deep timbre swept over me. Rex glanced at the tropical flowers, and I felt a wave of guilt. I couldn’t tell if he was angry or not, but he set the coffee and paper bag on my desk.
“Hi, I don’t believe we were introduced,” Cameron stood up to shake Rex’s hand. “Cameron Wright.”
I jumped to my feet because things were about to go from bad to worse. Rex shook his hand but held it.
“Rex Andrews,” his grip must’ve tightened because Cameron winced a little.
I softly pleaded with Rex, “Please don’t.”
He loosened his grip. Cameron took a step back to compose himself. Another knock happened, and I was relieved to see Miss Barbara.
“Mr. Andrews the small conference room is set up for you. Let me know if you need anything else.”
“Thank you, Miss Barbara,” Rex smiled. “I’ll be there in a minute.”
She nodded and closed the door. I was grateful for the interruption and quickly went around my desk to stand between the two men. Cameron shook his head, “Did you get him a job here? Laura, this is crazy.”
Rex’s eyes locked on mine, “Are you alright?”
“Yes. Cameron came with flowers. I didn’t want to cause a scene, so we came up here to talk. I wasn’t doing anything,” I quickly added the last part.
Rex was amused.
Cameron wasn’t. “Listen, I was here with Laura when you decided she wasn’t worth your time.”
Rex calmly sipped his coffee. “I love her, so how you feel, and what you want will never matter to me.”
“Guys, we can’t do this here,” I turned my attention to Cameron. “You should go.”
He stared at me, “What will you do when he leaves you? Rex doesn’t care about you. He’s here to see what he can get. Maybe he returned your Dad’s cash because he’s after something more. You gave him a job. What’s next? He’ll probably want to move in with you.”
“I didn’t give him a job. He’s the CEO of Amcor.”
Cameron stared at Rex but didn’t say anything.
Rex kept sipping his coffee. He didn’t even flinch when Cameron barreled past him.
My office door slammed shut seconds later.
I sighed, “I’m sorry. I didn’t know he’d be here.”
“I’m not worried about him. Are you okay?”
“Yes. Cameron wanted to have lunch and talk. I said no, but we couldn’t stay in the lobby since people come in and out. I didn’t want anyone to overhear us, “I stopped rambling when Rex stepped closer to me.
“He was with you when I was away, so you two probably needed to talk.”
“Cameron called days ago. He knew it was over then. I’m not sure why he came in here like this.”
“You’re being honest, but he came for you,” Rex’s heated gaze caused my breathing to hitch. “It’s hard to walk away from you. I couldn’t stand it. I’m damn glad you gave me another chance.”
I felt a little relieved but still had to ask. “Does this mean you’re not mad?”
I’m not angry, but Cameron can’t keep crossing the line. My meetings will run into the afternoon, but we can talk more over dinner. Does that sound good?”
“It’s perfect,” I replied. We were a respectful distance apart, but I wanted to be kissed.
“I know what you want,” Rex winked at me. “Enjoy your day Miss Reynolds.”
I smiled, “Thank you, and you also.”
Rex left my office. I picked up the vase because there was no way I was keeping the flowers. I was hoping Miss Barbara would love them. I carefully carried them down the hall. Rex was in the conference room. I drew his eye, and he smiled for me. I took the elevator up two floors and went down the hall.
Miss Barbara’s eyes lit up, “They’re so beautiful.”
“I thought so too. I want you to have them.”
She touched an exotic flower, “I figured you were in the middle of something complicated when I came to get Rex.”
Miss Barbara was with the company for twenty-five years. She became Mr. Emerson’s assistant right out of college, and she definitely knew most if not all the happenings around the office.
“Cameron stopped by unannounced. You’ve seen him in the past,” I tried to explain, but Miss Barbara smiled.
“I was worried about losing my job after Mr. Emerson retired. You came by every day and asked for help you didn’t need. I knew darn well you could’ve handled it all on your own, but most of the managers followed your lead, so I’ve had consistent work to take care of while helping Rex transition to his rightful place. Things will be wonderful around here again, and you’re in love,” she winked at me. “I’m so happy for you two, and I’m here for whatever you need.”
“Thank you, “I blushed, “Honestly, I’m worried about my job. I didn’t know about Rex’s position with the company, but everyone will think otherwise.”
Miss Barbara shrugged, “You shouldn’t care what they think, and you’re the light around this place, so keep doing what you need to do. Now, tell me, how am I supposed to take care of these beautiful flowers.”
I talked with Miss Barbara and felt ten times better afterward. I returned to my office for my things. The plan was to spend time at the rental properties. I was back into my work routine, so my love life was on hold until after hours. 66Please respect copyright.PENANAbAhDRbvv1k