Page 4 of Broken Vows
“Good. Everyone seems to be enjoying themselves. There’s still a lot of talk about the fact that the big, bad CEO has taken up the managing director position so suddenly, but they’re mostly swinging with it.”
“Mostly?” I flick an eyebrow up.
Judith glances around before lowering her voice. “It turns out that the head of accounts thoughthewould be getting the position. He’s been the most vocal about the change, but he’s also very careful about who he’s talking to.”
Amusement tugs at my mouth. “Not careful enough, clearly.”
She grins. “Not much gets past me. You know that.” There’s a short pause, and when I glance at her, she’s looking at me meaningfully. “Are you going to go talk to her?”
I glance back at the Christmas tree just in time to see a man striding up to her side and looping an arm around her waist. She leans into him with easy familiarity, her head tipping back as she looks up at him.
“Not tonight,” I murmur, looking down at my assistant scowling in their direction.
“Isn’t that…”
“The head of accounts?” I finish for her. “Yes. Yes, it is. The irony is biting tonight.”
As much as the woman has enchanted me, I don’t get involved with married women. Still, I don’t think I’ve ever reacted so viscerally to someone before, and I know it’s going to be a long time before I get the image of her out of my head.
“Do you want me to get more information?”
“No,” I say quickly, not wanting the temptation of knowing more about her than I already do, even if the urge to demand the information is a drumbeat in my blood. “But I would like to know more about him.”
“Christopher Delcourt,” she supplies immediately.
“Delcourt,” I echo. “Why is that name familiar to me?”
“They’re old money,” Judith whispers as someone passes close by. “A powerhouse in this area…or at least, they used to be. Rumor has it that the father, Bradley Delcourt, almost lost the entirety of the family’s fortune through a series of bad investments. They’re clinging to ‘high society’”—she rolls her eyes on the words—“with broken nails and zero dignity.”
My brows lift. “Interesting choice for their son to go into marketing.”
She looks at me out of the corner of her eye. “He probably thought it was the easy option.”
My lips quirk at that. “Perhaps. Remind me to call Knox on Monday morning.” He’s an old friend from my college days, and one who only happens to live an hour away from me now. His talent has always favored technology—thekind of skills that mean he gets access and information he wasn’t always entitled to.
Judith dips her chin. “You got it, Boss Man.”
I flick her annoyed glance, but she only laughs, looping her arm through mine. “Let’s go mingle with the masses. We need them to get used to you, because your size is clearly still freaking them out.”
“My size?” I echo, offended. “I think they’re more freaked out by the fact that I’m the big, bad CEO.”
She gives me an assessing look before shaking her head. “No, it’s definitely your size.”
Chapter 2
Lynley
Three months later
“Iwas thinking I would try out for the baseball team,” Mase announces as he pushes his pancake around his plate, his expression already obstinate. “Isn’t that why we moved here?”
Christopher has his head down, eyes on his phone, so I’m the one who answers. “It’s one of the reasons. Your last school didn’t have a team, so it worked out that Sterling Creek Elementary does.”
Mase looks from me to his father, his brow dipping. “Well, I’m trying out.” His tone is defiant, like he expects an argument, but then he shoves his plate away and gets up, announcing, “I’m not hungry.”
He storms off but freezes when I call his name. “Plate away, please.” There’s a long moment of hesitation before he grudgingly comes back and grabs it off the breakfast counter, scraping the leftovers into the bin before placing the dish next to the sink. “Thank you, baby.”
His expression softens as he comes to me, leaningagainst my side and burying his face against my shoulder. I turn to wrap my arms around him, squeezing him as hard as I can, simultaneously loving the hug and hating how tall he already is. It won’t be long before he’s completely taller than me, but he’s only nine.
