Taking Chances (BYC #3)

23. Anne

23

ANNE

F illing out the checklist was less dreadful than I thought. Every item was familiar, courtesy of reading smut, but I never thought about them outside of fiction.

It’s hard to imagine any of those things happening in real life, better yet happening to me, so I do the next best thing, mark the items that get me hot while reading. Some of them I wasn’t sure about, but I reread a few book scenes and made the decision.

Turns out, I’m kind of a freak. In my mind, at least. Still, even with the fact that Lennox is a sex club member, I think most of those things are out of the question. They sound impossible at best, and dangerous at worst.

The opening to our new building is tomorrow so I finally gather the courage to send him the list, needing to focus on work.

“Everything ready on your part?” Natalie asks, walking by my desk. She’s been organizing the whole event, and I know she’s excited to see it come to life.

“Yup. All the volunteers RSVPed, just two of them aren’t able to make it. They also got the new schedule for next week and the week after.” Moving everything is a feat, so next week is a transitional period. Some of the programs will already be held in the new space, while the others will join the week after.

“Perfect.” She sighs. “The scheduling issues are dealt with?”

“Yes. We’ll need to hold off on opening a new dance group until next school year, but Jenna said that she can squeeze in a couple more kids.”

“Great. Thank you,” she says and heads to Danielle, our accountant. With the new space, we’ll have room to accommodate more kids. But again, we can’t take everything at once.

The end of the day is bittersweet. It’s the last full day at this office. Kiara got us a bottle of champagne and pours us each a glass or a cup (we, of course, don’t have champagne glasses at the office).

“This is… hard.” Her eyes are glossy as she holds her World’s Best Boss mug in the air. “Beautiful, but sad. The last twelve years here in this space were incredible. But it’s time to move on to greener pastures. Thank you, everyone, for making this place what it is. And now that we have a new, gorgeous space, make sure we never forget where we came from.”

There’s not a dry eye in the room. It’s a happy occasion, like she said. But this place also means a lot to us. Luckily, the lease isn’t up for another month, so we’ll be going back and forth to move all our stuff.

On the big day, we don’t go into work as usual. Rather, we get ready at home and head to the new office hours before the guests arrive. Kiara and Natalie coordinate the caterers, the band, and everything else, while the rest of us mostly squeal in excitement for the amazing new office.

We saw it a couple of weeks ago, but now, fully furnished and decorated, it looks even better. People start pouring in and I get into hostess mode. The first part is the ribbon cutting, so we’re all in front of the building. I wave to Connor, who is holding an arm around Eric’s shoulders and talking to someone. As I approach, I realize they’re talking to Lennox. Lennox who looks downright edible with his hair slicked back, in a black button down with the top few buttons undone and dark gray slacks.

Arousal pools between my legs, accompanied by the warmth in my cheeks, but I’m too excited today to be embarrassed about everything that happened between us.

“Hey, guys,” I greet them, scooping Eric in a playful hug. He giggles, still not too old for my shenanigans.

“Wait. There’s Mommy.” He notices her twenty feet away from us, so Connor and him leave to greet her.

“Hi, Firecracker.” That nickname does things to me. And I have a feeling he knows it. “You look good.” He sizes me up in a way that sends tingles through my body.

“You too.” Eye contact with his ocean-blue eyes makes me nervous, so I glance behind him to see who else has arrived. The first person I see is, unfortunately, my father.

“Oh, no.” Color drains from my face as panic rises. I haven’t spoken to him since that horrible Christmas dinner.

“Are you OK?” Lennox’s eyes are full of concern, but as soon as my mind catches up to the fact that he’s here, a decision is made.

“Sorry,” I murmur before grabbing his arm and pulling it around myself.

“Wh…” he starts to say, but he’s met with the arctic cold glare of Jack Bailey.

“Hello, Father.” I swallow my nerves down. “What are you doing here?”

“Hello to you, too. I came to support your little organization. I am one of the donors, after all.” He is, but even that is a power play on his part, showing me my work is so insignificant we rely on his charity to keep us going.

“Of course.” I plaster on a polite half-smile as he turns to Lennox.

“And you must be… the boyfriend.” Lennox pulls me by my waist, so I’m practically glued to him. My father’s jaw clenches but I instantly relax.

“Lennox Cade.” Lennox puts out a tattooed hand, and my father’s face scrunches in disgust for a brief moment. I barely contain a chuckle as I notice my father turning red from Lennox’s hard grip before he lets go.

“You should really come to family dinner, Anne. Hasn’t enough time passed?”

Here comes the guilt trip. I’m a spoiled little brat throwing tantrums that obviously should have ended already. There’s no chance that he did something wrong.

I refrain from rolling my eyes, which would only prove his point, and decide to take the high road. Today is too important for him to ruin it.

“I’ll think about it. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have people to welcome.”

I pull Lennox after me, using him as a shield. As soon as we’re out of Dad’s reach, my eyes snap to his apologetically.

“Sorry.” I bite into my lip. “I panicked. And pulled you into my mess again .” I expect him to be annoyed and probably angry, which would be Bryce’s mood if I did something similar. But Lennox’s hand lands gently on my upper arm, moving in soothing strokes.

“Don’t worry about me. Are you all right?” His eyes aren’t angry or even annoyed. They’re full of care.

“I think so.” I nod. “It wasn’t pleasant, but I think I handled it well.”

“You did great.” His hand on my skin soothes me, his praise burrowing itself deep inside of me. There’s something about hearing the affirmation that hits me straight in the chest. Pushing the tears back, I nod again.

“I need to get back to work. Kiara’s speech will start soon.” He squeezes my arm emphatically before letting me go. The loss of his touch is like losing a life vest while floating in the deep, dark sea, but it’s time to get a grip.

I greet at least a hundred more people, a smile not leaving my face. Luckily, I don’t have any extra run-ins with my dad.

“Thank you everyone for being here today,” Kiara’s voice booms through the speakers. Lennox stands behind me, our bodies not touching, but I feel the warmth exuding him. “Without you, our supporters, we wouldn’t be here and there’s no one we’d rather celebrate this with.” The crowd erupts into applause. Smiling faces surround me, my colleagues all buzzing with excitement. “We owe the biggest thanks to this man here.” She points to an obviously uncomfortable Connor. “He made this dream that we haven’t even dared imagining possible, so give him a huge applause, though he made me promise I won’t make him come up on stage.” The crowd erupts into another round of applause, while Rina cheers louder than anyone, screaming into my ear. I bite the inside of my cheek to keep myself from laughing.

“This marks a very special moment for the BYC, probably the most important one since the day I founded this organization. Our new building isn’t just a gorgeous new place for us to do our jobs, though it is gorgeous.” Chuckles ripple through the crowd. “It’s also a testament to what the BYC really is. A community. And so we open our doors to you, ready to welcome everyone sharing our values, everyone needing a sense of community or support.” My eyes start to sting, my skin prickled with goosebumps. “We’re hoping this place becomes a second home for the beautiful people we work with, just as it has been for us all these years.”

“And since this marks a new time for us, what better day to announce another big change at the BYC.” Rina, Natalie, and I share a look, not sure what she’s talking about. “They say it’s better to go out on a high, and what better high there is than this speech right here.” Natalie sucks in an audible breath. “Being the head of this amazing organization has been an immense honor, and yet, it’s time for me to go. I should be scared. I should be nervous. But it’s hard to be any of those things when I trust the person I’m leaving my baby to more than I trust myself.” Her gaze falls on Natalie. “Natalie, please join me on stage.”

The sting in my eyes turns liquid as the first tear falls from them. Rina takes my hand, and I squeeze it, my chest filling with air for my friend. Matt gently pushes Natalie’s lower back, a smirk on his face.

Natalie climbs up in a gorgeous floral wrap dress and killer heels. She crushes Kiara in a hug, eliciting a chuckle we hear in the speakers. After she lets her go, Kiara offers Natalie a kind smile, along with the microphone.

Natalie takes a deep breath. “Almost two years ago, Kiara told me that she wanted to retire and for me to take over. I was honored, but no part of me thought she would do it. Actually retire.” She glances back at Kiara, pausing for a beat. “I have no idea why she decided to do it today, without me knowing.” She shoots us a pointed look, making us laugh. “But I will take care of her baby as I would my own.”

Rina wipes her tears with a tissue, and I steal one from her. Connor wraps his arms around her pregnant belly, but she doesn’t let my hand go. I’m grateful. I’m not the one with pregnancy hormones, but the romantic in me is eating this up.

“For once, I don’t have anything more to say.” The crowd laughs again. “How about we cut this ribbon, huh?” We cheer as Kiara hands Natalie the huge decorative scissors. They go back and forth before settling on holding it together.

The ribbon snaps in half, and we go wild. Natalie pumps her fist in the air and Matt runs to her, taking her in his arms.

“You knew,” she tells him.

He doesn’t respond to the accusation, saying, “Come on,” instead.

We all walk inside our amazing new space. It’s airy and cozy, all warm tones and open spaces, and even though I just saw it a couple of hours ago, I’m still looking around like a kid in Disneyland when I hear Natalie shriek, “Matt!”

Snapping out of my haze, I rush to see what’s going on. Natalie is entering an office with her name and the words “CEO” under it.

The office screams Natalie, with bright colors and giant flowers. It’s obvious Matt knew about Kiara’s retirement and helped make the office just as she would like it.

An imaginary fist seizes my heart before a huge palm lands on the small of my back.

“That’s cool,” Lennox notices.

“Yup.” It’s hard for me to talk with the lump in my throat.

“You OK?”

“I’m happy for them.”