Page 51 of Masked Secrets
“Good memory. I thought we could talk there without interruption from your jealous colleagues.”
“Again, I’m sorry you heard what they said.”
“Why are you apologizing? They were the unprofessional ones.”
“I know, but it reflects poorly on my firm.”
“Not on you.”
The doors open on the elevator, and we walk down the hall to my corner suite.
“Brooke, would you mind finding the menu and ordering lunch while I make a call to my dad? I’d ask you to join the call, but I want to check on his health as well as give him an update on the plan. He’s more likely to be candid if it’s just me.”
“No problem. I’ll take care of lunch. What would you like?”
“Whatever you select is fine. Be sure to order a bottle of wine. It’s already been a long day.”
“Will do. Do you want dessert?”
“Definitely, unless you’re too tired,” I say with a wink.
25
BROOKE
Ileave Stuart’s suite at the ungodly hour of 5 a.m. and take the elevator five floors down to my office.
Fortunately, there’s a dry-cleaning service for the building that picked up my clothes from Stuart’s suite last night and delivered them to my office this morning. They saved my ass.
I wasn’t going to let Stuart call some extravagant personal shopper again to deliver another designer suit and Le Perla lingerie with a snap of his fingers. Of course, I was grateful when he did that yesterday morning. It kept me from being embarrassed. It’s just frustrating to need his help. Usually, I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself. Well, I was before he entered my life.
An hour later, Stuart arrives at our law firm, and we head downstairs to meet the waiting driver. He’s scheduled for a morning appearance on a national talk show to promote the movie, which is opening in theaters across the country this weekend.
During the car ride, Stuart and I discuss the talking points Hannah provided. He’s a pro though, so he doesn’t need my advice.
After the thirty-minute ride, we walk into the lobby of the television station, where we meet Hannah. She hustles us into the studio. The station is flipping between local and national segments.
Stuart will be featured on the next national segment. Hannah and I wait behind the cameras while he is escorted to a chair on the set.
Soon, Stuart is welcomed by the well-known host in New York City who appears on the monitors. Stuart does a great job of promoting the newly released movie and encouraging everyone to see it over the next week. He also adeptly works in a plug asking for donations to the Foundation and explaining various ways that concerned citizens can become involved in solving the problem.
It looks like the interview is concluding without any questions about Mr. Champion’s death, which is a relief. Then the chatty host unexpectedly throws Stuart a curveball. She says, “If you don’t mind, I’ll ask one final question. We here in the states are always fascinated by the love lives of royals and nobles. Tell us, is there anyone special in your life?”
Stuart appears slightly taken aback, but visibly gathers his thoughts, saying, “I’m just here to share the importance of thoughtful agriculture, and how we can all work together to protect our waterways.”
The host doesn’t give up though, asking, “But might there be a wedding for you in the near future?”
Stuart’s eyebrows raise, clearly surprised by her persistence. After an awkward pause, he hesitantly answers, “No. There’s no one like that—I mean ... umm ...special ...in my life ... now.”
My heart sinks as the host turns to the camera, saying, “You heard it here. Single women take note. Lord Sandridge is unattached and available.”
Then the connection with New York is cut.
All he had to say was that there’s no wedding on the horizon. Instead, he specifically said there’s no onethatspecial in his life. Was that his way of casually reminding me where we stand?
I take a deep breath, reminding myself that I have no right to be upset. I’d just thought that even if we couldn’t be together long term, we had a special connectionnow. But I knew better than to involve myself with someone related to work. I knew he would disappoint me, and he did.
I also always knew that a relationship, even a short one, would interfere with my chance of becoming a partner at the law firm. And when the Triple Threat finds out, they’ll make sure that I’m screwed.
