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“Of course! Can’t wait to hear the deets,” Chelsea chirps, backing away.
“No problem, Mr. Brandt.” The QA woman follows the other woman out the door.
I move to the open door and close it, shoving my back against it like there’s a hoard of zombies waiting to break through.
“But...there isn’t going to be a wedding,” I croak.
Ward shakes his head. “I know. It’s just his new pickup line, and he thought having some organic press wasn’t a bad idea. Shame he didn’t check the woman’s media credentials.”
I cock my head, still leaning against the door.
So far, this has been a nightmare and a half.
I can feel my resolve withering. A chill sweeps up my back, imagining everything I might have to do to earn this money.
“I’m not sure I’ll survive today,” I whimper.
“Suck it up. We’ll get through this and never have to see each other again,” he says as we walk to the conference room.
“Oh, that’s so reassuring. I’m keeping the ring,” I say.
“Of course. It was a gift. Relax,” he says, bathing me in that easy, deep laugh that says maybe this insanity won’t be my end.
“When you contort your face into something that could be mistaken for a smile, you’re not so bad, you know,” I say.
Ward shakes his head like he’s lost all hope in me.
In the conference room, Nick sits near the center of the table with two empty chairs beside him.
Ward stands behind the seat closest to Nick, and I take the one beside him. I open my laptop to start recording notes.
“I know we’ve had monumental changes around here recently when my grandmother retired. We’ve tried to make the transitions as seamless as possible, but Beatrice Brandt isn’t replaceable, so I know it hasn’t been smooth sailing. We’re here today because I have another change to announce. However, I don’t think it will affect your work in any way. I just want to be transparent per company rules. Miss Holly and I are—” He looks down at me. “Stand up, darling.”
Darling? Coming out of his mouth, it sounds like a foreign word.
I stand, knees shaking, plastering on a porcelain smile.
“We’re getting married,” he finishes.
It sounds rehearsed even to me, like a jury foreman reading a verdict, but Reese bought it this morning. Maybe Nick’s bait for the press was a smart move after all?
It has to be more authentic than Ward’s cringe announcement, anyway.
But everyone breaks into applause. More than a few whoops fly out.
Susan the HR honcho stands. “I need the wedding date so I can get an appropriately timed wedding shower planned.”
“Leave it to HR,” Ward mutters under his breath.
“Shut up before someone hears you.” I try not to move my lips when I speak.
“Thank you, Susan, but let’s leave it to friends. No big shows on the company’s dime,” Ward barks back.
I gaze out at the sea of people we’re lying to and try to force a smile that looks halfway natural.
Nope. Not happening.
They’re supporting us, grateful for some good news, and we’re lying to their faces.
Ugh.
I visualize the three-hundred-thousand-dollar check I’ll deposit before the end of the day. That helps flog my lips to curve up a little.
“How’d you guys keep it a secret this whole time?” Andrew the marketer says.
I look at Ward, fluttering my lashes with a loopy grin.
“Yeah, Ward, how did we keep this a secret? It wasn’t easy hiding how madly in love we are, right?”
Those eyes are a turquoise dagger, flaying me open.
“Great question. I’m glad you asked, because I wanted to talk about that too. You all know me well enough to understand my personal life doesn’t affect my work.” He shrugs. “Hell, I rarely have a personal life. Working with a beautiful woman hasn’t changed that. Miss Holly and I fell in love over memos and planning sessions. Simple as that. She’s still the executive assistant. I’m the CEO. That hasn’t changed one bit, and we’d ask that you respect our privacy when we’re off the clock.”
The room quiets.
Everyone looks on expectantly while I pray for a hole to open up under me.
“That’s it. You guys can go,” Ward says.
People start filing out.
Chelsea from earlier shuffles up to me. “Sooo, how long have you been a couple? Since the first day when he chased the weird guy off?”
“Uh, kinda,” I lie. “It wasn’t official or anything but...yeah, sure. He’s such a charmer. How could I resist?”
Ward’s gaze attacks me again.
I can’t decide whether I want to laugh my head off or be vaporized.
She pats my arm. “That’s so adorable. I’ll catch you later. Let’s do lunch sometime, Paige!”
“Of course,” I say.
Eventually, it’s just the three of us, my tomato of a head next to two sullen Brandt boys’ long faces.
“Holy shit, you guys.” Nick stands, adjusting his tie. “Holy shit, no. If this is going to work, you two have to do a hell of a lot better than that.”
