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The line went dead before she could even say,Okay, let alone tell him what she’d been prepared to. Disappointment settled in, and Lacey took a few breaths, regaining her composure and absorbing all that had transpired since she’d walked into work this morning. Kevin was so wrong about Drew. If she didn’t despise him so much, she would have called him and said thatshetold him so. She shook her head, ridding it of all negative thoughts and taking a few minutes to calm down. After her heart rate returned to normal, she made sure she had bullet points written down of all the topics she wanted to cover with Pete. Then, with a slightly trembling hand, she picked up her phone and made the call.
“Carson.” His tone was authoritative.
“Hello, Mr. Carson. It’s Lacey Winters. Do you have a moment?”
“Hello, Lacey. Yes, I have time, and please call me Pete. I’ll assume you heard the good news?”
“Thank you, Pete. And yes, I’m thrilled to hear you’re signing on with Willem and Vance. I should apologize for not letting them know I surprised you with an impromptu meeting.”
Pete’s hearty laughter eased more of Lacey’s nerves. “It’s not a problem. Although they were a bit surprised and taken aback, I found it very refreshing. I can see what Drew sees in you.”
The blood drained from Lacey’s face. “What? Who?” No, he couldn’t have said what she thought he had. Drew promised her that he wouldn’t say a word to Pete.Trust. That’s what Drew had said time and time again—that she could trust him.
“Drew Mitchell. I understand the two of you are a couple. Apparently, your best weapon is the element of surprise. He’s a lucky man.” Pete kept talking, but Lacey could barely hear him over the blood rushing in her ears. What exactly had Drew told him? That Lacey kissed him on the beach to make her ex jealous? She knew Drew and Pete were friends, but he’d given her his word he wouldn’t interfere. “Are you still there?”
“Yes, I’m sorry, someone walked in my office,” she lied. “You were saying?”
“Let’s set something up for next week. I have a few loose ends to tie up on my end, but I’m looking forward to working with you.”
“Thank you, I appreciate that. I’m looking forward to it as well.”
They ended the call, and Lacey stared into space, thoughts racing. Only a few minutes ago, she’d been above cloud nine, but now she felt lower than the ground beneath the F train. Her phone vibrated with a text from Grace, letting her know she and Janine were on their way to her place. She was itching to get home and talk to her girls… Drew, on the other hand, was another story.
Chapter 25
“Do you know what Drew said, exactly?” Grace asked, sipping her margarita and scooping salsa onto a chip before sliding it into her mouth.
“No, but now I’m wondering if I got the job because of Drew rather than on my own. He promised me he wouldn’t sayanythingto Pete, but he clearly did. How could he do this to me? Do all men lie or just my boyfriends?” If Lacey wasn’t so mad and confused, she’d have been in tears.
Janine placed her hand on Lacey’s knee. “Maybe you should call him. You don’t know if maybe Pete talked to him after you met with him. Of course, if it was before, you’d be justified to be mad as hell, but you should find that out and not jump to conclusions.”
“Call him,” Grace chimed in, grabbing Lacey’s phone from the coffee table and handing it to her. “These should be celebratory drinks, not drown our sorrows drinks. If you could confront your jerk of an ex, you should be able to talk to the man who holds your heart.”
“Fine.” Lacey took her phone from Grace and called Drew. She silently prayed that he had nothing to do with it, that his conversation with Pete happened after he had already made his decision to hire her. She didn’t know when that was, exactly, but she’d do everything she could to find out.
It didn’t take him long to pick up. “Hi, sweetheart.”
Normally, she would melt at the sound of his voice, but she currently had ice in her veins, ice that would likely take a while to thaw.
“Hi. I have a question for you.”
“Sure, what’s up? Is everything okay? Are Grace and Janine celebrating with you?”
Lacey chewed on her bottom lip. Her heart jackhammered,knowing this conversation could hold severe ramifications. “Yes, I’m fine, and yes they are.”
“Why don’t you sound excited?”
“Why didn’t you tell me you spoke to Pete?”
After a beat of silence, which only amped up Lacey’s anxiety, he finally answered, “It’s not what you think.”
“And what is it that I think? That I got the job because of your ties to him? Because that’s exactly what I’m thinking. How could you, Drew?”
“I didn’t have anything to do with that.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes,” Drew said, now sounding annoyed by her interrogation.
