Chapter 26
Chapter Twenty-Six
Lorelei
My eyes were swollen from all the crying I had done last night. I dreaded going into the office and seeing Jack. If I never had to see him again, I’d be happy. I needed to start looking for another job and get the hell out of Sutton Magazine. The line that never should have been crossed was, and now I was paying the price.
“What’s wrong with your eyes, Mommy?” Hope asked as she stepped into my bathroom.
I bent down and kissed her head. “Good morning, baby. Nothing’s wrong. They’re just a little puffy. It must be my allergies.”
“I thought I heard you crying last night.” She pouted.
“You must have been dreaming. I wasn’t crying. I have nothing to cry about. Now go get dressed and ready for school. I’ll go make your breakfast.”
I couldn’t let my daughter see me like this. It had always been just her and me from the start, and I wasn’t about to let any man, especially Jack Sutton, destroy me in front of my kid. After getting dressed, I made Hope her breakfast and then dropped her off at latch key. My phone rang as I was on my way to Starbucks to get the asshole his morning coffee. It was Stella.
“Hello.”
“How are you today?”
“I’m trying to be okay. I need to be for Hope. I can’t let her see me fall apart over a guy.”
“I understand but don’t force it. If you need time to yourself to think about things or get yourself together, let me know and Sebastian and I will watch Hope for a few days.”
“Thanks, Stella, but I’ll be okay. Hey, listen, I just got to Starbucks. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Okay, sweetie. Call me and make sure you either get him the wrong coffee or spill it on his dumb ass.”
I smiled. “I will.”
I ordered his damn Americano just the way he liked it and headed to the office. My stomach was twisted, and I felt sick. The anger and disappointment in his eyes last night were unbearable to see. I saw another side of Jack when we spent time alone together. He was tender and sweet. He only wanted to please me, and I let him down.
As I walked down the hallway with his coffee in my hand, I was literally shaking. I prayed he wouldn’t be in his office, but he was. FUCK! I took in a deep breath as I stepped inside and set his coffee on his desk.
“Is it right this time?” he asked in an abrupt tone.
“I didn’t taste it. So hopefully, it is.” I walked out of his office and sat down at my desk.
The launch was in a few days, and I needed to finish the dress I was making. I just needed to get through this day. As I was sitting at my desk, the office phone rang.
“Jack Sutton’s office.”
“Lorelei, it’s Garrett. I want you to come down to my office in about thirty minutes. Jack has a meeting to go to, so he won’t know you’re gone.”
“He told you, didn’t he?”
“Yes. Just come down to my office, and we’ll talk.”
“Okay.”
Jack stormed out of his office without saying a word to me about his meeting. He always told me where he was going. But not today. I could still see the anger in his eyes, and it bothered me. I got up from my desk and went down to Garrett’s office.
“Hey,” I spoke as I poked my head through the door.
“Hey.” He smiled. “Come on in and have a seat.”
I sighed as I sat down across from his desk. Looking down, I played with my hands.
“How are you doing?”
“Not good, Garrett. I feel awful because of how he found out about Hope. I was going to tell him today.”
“Well, I want you to forget about Jack. He can be a real asshole sometimes. He’ll get over this, Lorelei. You just need to move on. Do your job, and everything will be fine. He can’t stay mad at you forever.”
“It doesn’t matter if he does or not. I want you to know that I’m going to start looking for another job.”
“I don’t want to see you go. Maybe I can transfer you to another department.”
“That would make Jack even madder. It’s best if I leave the company altogether.”
“I understand, but you need to stand up to Jack. He’s not going to fire you. That I can promise. You have leverage with him, and you can damage him and this company if he lets you go.”
“Thanks, Garrett, but I don’t want to use anything against him. I’m not that kind of person. I’ll just start looking for another job, and if I find one, I’ll let you know.” I got up from my seat.
“Okay, Lorelei. If that’s what you feel is necessary. Hang in there. He’ll come around eventually.”
I gave Garrett a small smile and went back up to my desk. When I got back, Jack was in his office. Shit. His meeting didn’t last too long.
“Where were you?” he yelled from his desk.
“Bathroom. Is that okay or did you want me to pee all over my desk?” I blurted out.
“Get in my office NOW!” he commanded.
Shit. Shit. Shit. Taking in a deep breath, I walked into his office.
“Shut the damn door.”
I shut the door and then turned and looked at his angry face.
“I don’t need your smart-ass mouth. Do you understand me?” He pointed at me.
“Yes. I understand.”
“Is Hope the reason why you didn’t go to Paris?”
I needed to sit down because my knees were shaking something terrible.
“Yes. I couldn’t leave her.”
“So, you fucking lied to me again?”
“Yes.” I looked down as I crossed my hands.
“So, your mother was never sick?”
I shook my head without saying a word.
“You’re quite the little liar, aren’t you?”
Tears started to fill my eyes. Oh, hell no. There was no way I was going to let him see me cry.
“I guess I am, and I’m sorry, Jack.”
“You’re sorry? Sorry for what? Lying to me? Letting me fuck you and get close to you? What? What are you sorry for, Lorelei?”
Suddenly, rage started to fill my body when he asked me that. A rage I never knew existed until now. My head shot up at him like I was possessed, and my eyes stared directly into his.
“I’m sorry that you’re angry, and I’m sorry that you can’t understand why I didn’t tell you about Hope. But I was going to tell you today.”
“Of course, you were. How convenient now that I already found out. Was your boyfriend who was killed Hope’s father?”
“Yes, and you know what the hardest part of all that was? He didn’t even know I was pregnant. He was on his way over to my house the night I was going to tell him. I made his favorite dinner, bought a pair of baby booties, and set them on his plate at the table. I kept trying to call him because he was taking longer than usual, but all I kept getting was his voicemail. I knew deep down inside that something had happened. I got in my car and drove the route from the shop he worked at to my house. That was when I saw the flashing lights of the police cars, fire trucks, and ambulances. As I got closer to the scene, I saw his car.” I wiped a single tear that fell from my eye. “I screamed his name and began to run towards the accident. A cop grabbed me and held me back, telling me that they were trying to get him out of the car. All I wanted to do was go to him, but they wouldn’t let me. That was when I heard the paramedic say he was dead. So, there are three things in my life that I’m sorry for. Not getting the chance to tell my boyfriend, whom I loved deeply, that he was going to be a father, for not telling you about Hope from the beginning, and for you never finding out what it’s like to truly love someone. But the one thing I’m NOT sorry for is having her. She is my life and my world, and I love her more than life itself. She was a gift from God that got me through his death. She gave me the strength to go on and move on with my life, and I would do anything to protect her.” I got up from my seat, leaned over his desk, and pointed my finger at him. “So, if you want to hold me having a daughter against me, then go right ahead. I DON’T GIVE A FUCK!” I yelled.
“I’m not holding it against you.” His voice was calm. “I just wish you would have told me from the start. That’s all. I told you before that I hate games and I don’t play them. So, let’s calm down and try to move on with our professional relationship.”
“Can you do that, Jack?”
“Yes, Lorelei. I can. We had our words and now we can go about our business.”
“Fine,” I spoke with attitude.
“Okay. You may go back to your desk. Or do you need to leave? Maybe collect yourself or something?”
“No. I’m fine.”
“Okay. You may leave now.”
I walked out of his office and took a seat at my desk. Now that Jack and I had it out, I felt somewhat better, but I was angry at myself for telling him everything I did about the accident.