Say You Still Love Me(74)

Christa’s sage advice from last night lingers in my mind. As always, she’s right.

I need to figure out if Kyle even fits in my life anymore. And if he doesn’t . . . I need to let go of my fond memories and move on.




“Thank you,” Renée offers, rushing into the elevator beside me. I used the need to stretch my legs as an offer to walk her down—mainly so I have an excuse to stop by the security desk. “Mark said you made this happen.”

“I just set up the interview. And, trust me, this is more advantageous to Mark and me than it is you.”

“Are you kidding? Yesterday I was pounding pavement and handing my résumé out at restaurants in desperation, and today I have this dream job!” She looks ready to squeal.

Her interview with David lasted nearly an hour—forty minutes longer than any of his other interviews.

“I hope you still feel that way after your first day. David’s expectations of what an assistant should do are a tad high at times.”

She waves my words away with a broad smile. “Oh, don’t worry, Mark gave me the whole rundown on David. I’m ready for it. Bruce, my old boss? He used to make me clean his office fish tank every week.”

I cringe.

“Yeah. And he made me do recon on the birthday party his ex-wife was throwing for his daughter so I could plan another party for her. And I mean everything, from printing the invitations to booking the spa and the food. And it had to be better than his ex’s party.” She shrugs. “Sometimes these guys are clueless.”

I decide that I like Renée. She has an easy, charming way about her. It’s no wonder Mark has been pining over her for years. The question is, does she realize his adoration for her? I push that thought aside for now; it’s too early to start trying to play matchmaker for my assistant. “You’ve come to the right place, then. You won’t have to make children’s birthday invitations for him, but David is definitely clueless at times. I should know—I almost married him.”

“Mark told me.” Her blue eyes widen. “What happened?”

“I smartened up.”

“Well . . . I guess I shouldn’t be surprised you two were an item. He’s so . . . I mean . . .” Her perfectly shaped brows pinch together as she searches for a way out of the unprofessional hole she just stepped into. “Oh God.” Her manicured hand flies to cover her mouth.

I let her squirm for another second before I laugh. “It’s okay. Yes, he’s gorgeous. We all know it. He definitely knows it.” The elevator doors open and we step out.

“Oh, hey, Piper! I was just coming up to see you.” Serge’s gaze flickers to Renée, where it sits a moment, his olive skin taking on a pinkish hue.

“You go ahead with your meetings. I’ll drop my badge at the desk.” Renée reaches out to give my forearm a friendly squeeze. “And again, thank you so much. You’re a lifesaver.”

“It was nothing. I’m glad it worked out. You should get an email with all the necessary paperwork from HR within the next few hours. If you don’t, call Mark and he’ll help straighten it out.”

She flashes one last beautiful smile and then strolls off toward the security gate, her heels clicking against the travertine.

My gaze catches on Kyle, his attention glued to the security camera monitors. I’ve lingered around Gus long enough to know those are the ones aimed at the parking garage. He’s standing, giving me a full view of that cut body and those muscular arms.

“So I just got off the phone with my guy from Jameson about the Marquee project,” Serge says, snapping my attention back to him. “Apparently he tried to set up a meeting with Tripp so we could go over the proposal and Tripp told him that we’ve decided to go in another direction.”

“He did what?” It comes out in a hiss, though the voice inside my head is screaming.

Serge takes a step back, as if he can see the rage ignite in my eyes. “I’m guessing you didn’t know.”

I take a deep, calming breath. “Thanks for telling me. I’ll take care of it.”

His forehead pulls together. “So that means we haven’t made any decisions on the construction contract, right?”

I force a wide smile. “That’s right. I will call Gary right now and make sure he knows that Calloway Group is still very much interested in their proposal.” A third-generation Jameson, Gary is a burly man who has an affinity for cigars and the Vegas strip, but he has always been a reliable partner. I can’t imagine the mood in his office right now. We’ve had dozens of conversations about the Marquee project already and all of them conveyed the same message—that Calloway Group had every intention of signing on with Jameson if the terms lined up.

Does my father know about this?

“Okay, I’ll just . . . keep the team working until you and Tripp figure out which direction we’re going.” There’s a hint of annoyance in Serge’s voice and I can’t blame him; I’m annoyed and I’m not the one managing all the finite details.

“We’ll have this sorted soon. I promise.”

Musical laughter carries from the lobby as Serge ducks into the elevator, holding me back from joining him.

Renée is leaning against the security desk, one leg crooked so only her toe touches the tile. Gus has just said something—charming, I’m sure—but her attention keeps shifting to Kyle.