Her eyes slammed shut, unable to look him in the face as she said the words. “Did you tell her we kissed?”
A loud cough came from Vincent, and Lexi’s eyes flew open in time to see his shocked expression. “Are you kidding? I don’t have a death wish, and I doubt you do either. Besides, why would I tell her that? It was no big deal.”
And with those five little words, Lexi was crushed. The same kiss that she had described to Hope as the best in her life, he called no big deal. She had felt sparks between them while Vincent felt … nothing. Lexi cursed herself for even daring to think in her wildest dreams that the kiss might have meant something more to him.
She had to get out of the room and far away from him, so she stood up and began walking toward the door. Vincent opened his mouth to say something, but quickly shut it.
“Is there anything else? I think I’m all talked out,” Lexi said.
With a sigh, Vincent held a file out to her. “My mother needs a copy of this, including the PowerPoint.”
“Okay.” When she reached out to take the file from his hand, he clutched it, refusing to let go until she finally met his gaze. “What now?” she sighed, emotionally exhausted.
“I’m sorry if I upset you.” His words were soft and gentle, his eyes apologetic.
There was no way for Lexi to have any idea what the apology was for exactly. He had said and done so many upsetting things that she had lost count. She was furious at herself for being a coward, for not telling him what happened with Jade, but that didn’t excuse his behavior. She was mad at him for everything, but mostly for being Vincent.
It seemed like a lifetime ago that she was sitting on that swing with him, her stomach filled with butterflies as she wondered if he was actually going to kiss her. And then later, when she was wrapped in his arms, sharing the most perfect kiss she would ever know, the world seemed like a much different place. But now, in this office with Jade lurking in the shadows, she found herself growing tired of his hot and cold treatment.
“Which time, Vincent?” Lexi shook her head sadly as she took the file and walked out of his office, slamming the door shut behind her.
Not even bothering to stop at her desk, Lexi walked right to the restroom and locked the door, needing just a few minutes to clear her head. There was far too much Vincent Drake rolling around in her brain for her to get anything done. The man was the master of mixed messages. He pulled her into his office and they had a discussion over a tiny phone incident, but the big topic of them kissing was completely dismissed. Then, right when she was ready to punch him out, he apologized. A girl could get emotional whiplash around this man. Could Lexi survive that?
She let the cold water run into the sink, chilling her hands as it flowed between her fingers. She splashed a small amount on her face in an effort to shock Vincent from her system. The mirror loomed in front of her, revealing a tired, weary woman that Lexi hated looking at.
“Get over it, Lexi,” she lectured herself out loud. “You did it once, you can do it again. Move on, find out where you really belong in the world.” She glared at herself. “And if you let Jade treat you like gum stuck to the bottom of her shoe again, I’m kicking your ass!”
∙ 20 ∙
r ejuvenated after scolding herself in the bathroom, Lexi grabbed the file and made her way to Elizabeth’s office. She’d only been down to Elizabeth’s office a few times. It was nestled back in the corner of the floor, away from the daily ruckus of the office. Behind the large, ornate desk, Laurence, Elizabeth’s secretary, greeted her with a warm smile. He was an older gentleman with salt and pepper hair. He had been with Hunter for over twenty-five years and was a wonderful story-teller with plenty to share from his years with the company. “Miss Lexi, how wonderful to see you.
To what do I owe the pleasure?”
The area outside Elizabeth’s office was very similar to where Lexi worked, with print ads lining the walls. The clients and products in the ads here, however, were very different. The work Elizabeth did was always so classically done, her attention to detail apparent in every shot. While Vincent was more about the big picture of a campaign message, Elizabeth tried to evoke emotion, not only with the things they said in the ad, but in the setting and body language.
“Good morning, Laurence. Vincent asked me to give this to Mrs. Dee. How are you today?” Lexi sat down in a chair and set the file on her lap.
“I’m very well. Thank you for asking. Mrs. Drake is just finishing up an overseas phone call and then she’ll be right with you.”
“That’s fine. I’m in no rush.” There was something about the tone of her voice that caught Laurence’s attention.
“How’s Mr. Drake?” he asked cautiously. Lexi’s eye roll response made him laugh. “That well? You know by now not to take his ranting personally, right?”
“Oh, this one was very personal,” Lexi said under her breath.
“There’s no excuse for poor behavior, but there might be a reason. Did you hear he lost the Walker account? With all of these clients choosing other firms, Elizabeth’s afraid he thinks he’s losing his touch.”
“When did Walker tell him? He just had his meeting yesterday.” Lexi slouched back in her chair.
“From what I heard, it was at the end of the meeting. He said Vincent didn’t impress him enough. Whatever that means.”
The door to Elizabeth’s office opened, and she poked her head out. “Laurence, I need to speak with … Lexi. Just the lady I was looking for. Come in, dear.” Her warm smile made Lexi temporarily forget the awful start to her day.
“Vincent wanted me to give you this.” Lexi handed the file to Elizabeth.
Elizabeth flipped through the pages and smiled. “Yes, we’ll definitely need this. Laurence, hold my calls please.”
Lexi was awestruck each time she walked into Elizabeth’s office. The huge panes of glass that intersected at the corner gave a breathtaking view of the city. Every day she had the city to look out at, to dream over, to make her smile. Tiny cars drove past on the network of roads below, and little dots of people scattered around as they moved through their daily lives on the streets of San Francisco.
Elizabeth sat down in a plush leather chair and set her bottle of water onto the tiny table beside it. She beckoned Lexi into the chair beside her and opened the folder, flipping through the contents and pulling out a few sheets before smiling at her.