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“I shouldn’t, right? It’s none of my business anymore. And it’s not like you’re hovering or hanging out with him where you can tell me anything specific, so…”
“He looks…sad,” Lucas murmured. “And before you ask, I haven’t talked to him other than to thank him for looking after my clients. I learned my lesson and didn’t want to bring up anything personal in the office, so…”
“Oh.” It was crazy to be both happy and sad over him looking sad, but…she was. The question of whether or not she should call him was on the tip of her tongue, but ultimately she kept it to herself. She missed him so much and regretted everything about the way she ended things, but calling Noah would only confuse them both and it wouldn’t be fair to either of them.
Or would it?
Ugh…I am so confused!
On the opposite side of the pool, there was a group of little girls dancing around in the shallow end. Lily couldn’t help but smile because they looked to be sisters or cousins—they had a definite family vibe—and the girls were laughing and giggling and it reminded her of vacations when she was little. They were just being silly and if she listened hard enough, they were singing along to something by Taylor Swift.
“Lil? You still there?”
“I am. Sorry. I’m looking at this group of little girls dancing and playing in the pool and it reminded me of me, Becca, and Sloane when we were kids.”
He chuckled. “You were always trying to get them to dance with you.”
“And they always hated it,” she said with a laugh of her own. “Listen, I’m going to get some sun and maybe go splash around in the pool with these kids. I feel the need to join the fun.”
“You should. You were always a good teacher. Your sisters might not have appreciated it, but your cousins did. Love you, kiddo.”
“Thanks, Dad. Love you too.”
Standing, she scooped her stuff up and moved over to the other side of the pool and prayed she didn’t come off like some creeper. Luckily, it only took a few minutes to introduce herself and join their group, and before she knew it, not only were the kids dancing with her, but some parents too!
* * *
It was Sunday night and Noah was clearing away his dinner dishes when there was a loud knock on his door. He seriously hoped it wasn’t his brothers back to check on him, but he had no idea who else it could be.
“Lucas?” he croaked. “Um…hey. What are you doing here?”
“Can I come in?”
“Uh…sure. Sure. Come in.” He stepped back and felt a wave of panic wash over him. What the hell was Lucas Montgomery doing at his place? Had something happened to William? To Lily? Was he here to fire him? Swallowing hard, he walked over to the kitchen. “Can I get you something to drink?”
“Sure,” Lucas said, looking around. “Water will be just fine. Thanks.”
Grabbing two bottles of water from the fridge, he handed one to Lucas and then motioned for them to sit down in the living room. “So…what can I do for you?”
Lucas let out a long breath. “First, I wanted to say I’m sorry.” He turned his head and looked Noah square in the eye. “I’ve been a dick to you for three years, and that’s not acceptable. I kept waiting for you to fight back, but you didn’t. You were always respectful and you could have easily gone to my father or human resources and lodged a complaint, but you didn’t. You didn’t do anything wrong, but you were the only one in that situation I seemed to take it all out on, so again, I’m sorry.”
He nodded. “Thank you for saying that. I know it’s all in the past now, but you have to know that I really didn’t…”
Lucas held up his hand. “Let’s not rehash it. My daughter was being a brat and dragged you into the middle of something, and I didn’t want to be mad at her, but I should have.”
Again, he nodded.
“Next, thank you for the way you handled everything while my brothers and I were away. You were a good leader for everyone in the office and you did a fantastic job with each of our clients. We threw that all at you at the last minute, and you rose to the occasion and did so well. Your promotion is greatly deserved.”
Wow. Color me surprised…
“However…”
Here it comes…
“I need to know if this is truly what you want to do,” Lucas went on. “Do you see yourself staying in Charlotte and working for us, or do you have dreams of branching out on your own?”
He thought of the conversation with his brothers from last week and knew that he was torn.
