I trust her implicitly, but it helps that she’s also under NDA, like all of my other employees.
“So.” She puts the cup on my desk. “Tomorrow’s the big day.”
“Don’t start.” I take a sip and blow out a breath. Perfect. At least something about today can still make me smile.
“I’m not starting anything. I’m just stating a fact.” She drops into the chair across from me, crossing her legs. “You’re getting married. Tomorrow. To a man you met a week ago. Who happens to be a Molloy.”
“I’m aware of the circumstances, Jayne. I was there.”
“Yes, but have you fully processed it?” She leans forward, her voice dropping. “I set up that meeting, remember? I watched you walk in there like you were about to close a hostile takeover. And now you’re marrying the guy.”
“It’s complicated, like I told you.”
“Everything with you is complicated. And I get it, the circumstances are dicey at best.” She shakes her head. “But you scheduled a board meeting for today. The day before your wedding. Most brides are getting mani-pedis and freaking out about seating charts. I’m just saying, maybe you need to clear your head and take a breather before tomorrow.”
“I don’t have time for seating charts. There are twelve people attending this sham. They’ll figure it out.”
“That’s not the point.”
“Then what is the point?”
She stares at me. Jayne’s been my assistant for eight years. Started as an intern fresh out of college. Now she runs my entire life with terrifying efficiency. She knows me better than most people… when I’m deflecting, when I’m about to spiral.
“The point,” she says, “is that you’re allowed to fall apart a little. This is insane. Even for you.”
“Falling apart isn’t on my agenda.” I lift an eyebrow. “Or did you slot time into my calendar for a little freakout session?”
She grins. “Maybe I should.”
I wrap my hands around the warm coffee cup and stare at the caramel-colored liquid. “I can’t afford to fall apart. Not now. My father is in a coma. There are threats to my family. And in approximately twenty-two hours, I’m going to stand in front of a judge and promise to love and honor a man whose father orchestrated this entire disaster.”
“You know you don’t have to say love and honor. You could just say ‘I do’ and leave it at that.”
“Jayne,” I say with a roll of my eyes.
She shrugs. “I’m just saying. Keep the vows minimal. It’ll be less to feel guilty about later.”
Despite everything, my lips twitch. This is why I need this woman in my life. She has a knack for keeping me sane and centered. She’s also the only person besides Luna who can make me almost smile when I want to scream.
I click my tongue against the roof of my mouth.
Although… if I’m being honest, I did the almost-smile thing with Lochlan the other day, too. And I absolutely wanted to scream.
“The leadership team is expecting me in ten minutes,” I say, refusing to allow Lochlan Molloy any more airtime in my mind. “I need to brief them before the news about the wedding goes public.”
“About that.” Jayne shifts in her seat. “Patrick called this morning. Twice. He wants to discuss a press release.”
My stomach tightens. “No. Way.”
“He thinks getting ahead of the story will?—”
“Absolutely not.” I stand up, walk to the window, and lean against it. A deep sigh shudders my shoulders. The city stretches out below, completely indifferent to my crumbling life. “A pressrelease links me publicly to the Molloys. Everything I’ve built, the reputation, the credibility, it all goes up in smoke the second my name appears next to theirs.”
“It might go up in smoke anyway. People talk. Someone’s going to leak it.”
“Then let them leak it. But I’m sure as hell not handing them the match.”
Jayne is quiet for a moment. “What do you want me to tell Patrick?”
