Chapter 7 Lacey #2
Roman’s mouth lifted in a curve. “An internal situation.”
“That is the official medical term.”
He leaned closer. “Should I call an ambulance?”
“Do not.”
Roman’s laughter was low and warm, and she could hear the genuine happiness in the sound.
“I’ll have to talk to Tessa,” she said softly.
“Well, let me know if she won’t let you take a sabbatical or work remote. I have some pull with my birth mother.”
But what if Lacey didn’t want to take a sabbatical or work remote? Did she? She honestly had no idea what she wanted beyond the man in front of her.
“I’ll talk to Tessa,” she said, hoping that promise wasn’t another betrayal of Tessa. She’d found Roman—after Tessa said she didn’t want to seek out her son. And now…she’d leave with Roman?
Would Tessa understand? “We’re working tomorrow at the Summer House in the morning,” she told him. “I’ll talk to her.”
He looked surprised. “Oh. I thought she moved Tessa Wylie Events permanently to her new place.”
“So did I, but last week she started coming back to the Summer House for work,” she said.
“I mean, when she works, which is not much this past week. She’s been super distracted and busy.
She said she’ll explain what’s going on, but in the meantime, we’ve been working at ye olde dining room table on the beach.
” She shrugged. “Either way is fine with me. Plus, with her so busy, I’ve been getting some plum assignments. ”
He nodded. “Well, you talk to her and if you need help—”
She held up a hand. “I got this.”
But did she?
Their event management business wasn’t just a job. It was the first time in Lacey’s adult life that she woke up excited to work. The first time she’d felt competent and creative, like she’d found the world where she belonged.
But Roman was Tessa’s biological son! Surely she’d want them—Lacey and him—to be happy. And couldn’t she work remotely? It would be challenging, but possible if she—
“Are you sure, Lace?” He searched her face, looking for the truth. “You look like you’re second-guessing the decision.”
Wait. She hadn’t made a decision yet. She’d just said she’d talk to Tessa. “All I know is that I love you, Roman.”
He beamed and leaned close to her lips again. “I love you, too.”
“I want to be with you,” she murmured into a kiss.
He drew back, his expression softened, his golden eyes warm with affection. He reached his hand to her cheekbone, brushing his thumb along her skin like he was memorizing her face. “Then we want the same thing,” he said. “It’s just a matter of working out the playbook.”
Smiling at his football analogies, she leaned in and kissed him, certain that she and Tessa would figure something out. Tessa loved them both and she was the biggest cheerleader of this relationship, even if it meant Lacey had to give up her job.
At the thought, she slid her hand around Roman’s neck and pulled him closer to deepen the kiss, telling herself that he was the only thing that mattered. The only thing.
Lacey was still holding that thought the next day when she made her easy commute to work. In comfy clothes, she merely had to go downstairs, stop in the kitchen for coffee, and head either to the back office—they shared it with Eli and Meredith—or the dining room table.
Today, the architects had some client calls up at Pippin Lake, so Lacey walked to the small but totally functional shared office with two coffees in hand.
Tessa sat at the desk, hair pulled back, a pen tucked behind her ear, looking slightly…different. Not frazzled—nothing really threw Tessa. But distracted. And tired.
“You sleep okay last night?” Lacey asked.
“One word about the bags under my eyes and you’re fired.”
Lacey snorted and dropped into the chair across from her, setting the coffees on the table. “They’re barely noticeable.”
“And she lies.”
“No, she doesn’t,” Lacey countered, taking a sip. “What’s first on the agenda, boss?”
Tessa tapped the laptop keyboard. “We have some very daunting scheduling problems,” she announced.
Did they ever. But not with clients and events—with love and football.
Lacey swallowed coffee and the conversation she knew she had to have, letting Tessa take the lead.
But her boss just threaded her fingers through messy hair, turned her phone over to check it, and sighed.
“Seriously, Tess. Are you okay?” Lacey asked, trying a different version of the same question.
“Mmm.” She checked the phone again. “Long story, but let’s get through this agenda and if we have time, I’ll fill you in as much as I can.”
Intrigued, Lacey opened her tablet. She had a long story of her own, which she was happy to delay while they worked.
“Let’s talk about the wedding,” Tessa started.
“The wedding?” All the blood drained from Lacey’s face, leaving her lightheaded. “We didn’t…there isn’t…”
“The Shakespearean-themed extravaganza for the lovebirds who met at a Renaissance Faire? Billy and Daria?”
“Oh, yes.” Lacey shook off her issues and climbed into work, tapping her tablet screen. “The beach meets the Bard. I talked to the bride yesterday.”
“Perfect. Where do we stand?” Tessa asked. “I know it’s not until September, but there’s a ton of work to do.”
“Yes, yes.” She pulled it together. “What we have are a whopping twelve bridesmaids in corseted gowns and flowing skirts, each one a different jewel tone. Flower crowns. Bare feet in the sand. Oh, Daria said she now wants a hand-lettered program quoting A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”
Tessa blinked. “Of course she does. What else?”
“The officiant needs to wear a velvet doublet,” Lacey said, reading her notes. “And the groom is insisting on carrying a sword.”
Tessa grunted. “If a single groomsman loses an eye, we double our fee.”
“They also want a falcon release.”
“No!”
“Fear not, I researched.”
“Of course you did,” Tessa said with a sigh of relief. “And?”
“It is against Florida falconry law, which says…” She tapped the screen and read her notes.
“That a captive-bred raptor may only be released with permission from the wildlife commission’s executive director, whose office says it is not happening.
We’re looking into doves and a handler, and I’ve scheduled that call for this afternoon. ”
“Perfect.” Tessa’s shoulders dropped. “Does she still want gardenias?”
“I told her they bruise just looking at them.” Lacey smiled. “White roses it is.”
“Excellent.” Sipping her coffee, Tessa leaned back, stress clearly lifting. “Now, the anniversary party?”
“Under control,” Lacey assured her. “I talked to the caterer and approved the menu—God bless that new chef at Blue Heron Banquets.”
“They got a new chef?” Tessa asked.
“A woman named Amalie, from France. Amazing. Anyway, we also have a meeting with the florist, and I found two quartets for the Gilsons to hear locally and choose for music. Invitations are printed—thank goodness for Elsie at Printers Plus, who did a rush for me and…”
Lacey looked up when Tessa let out a half-sigh, half-groan.
“Oh, you’re worried about those two things being the same weekend.” Lacey snapped her fingers, in the zone now. “I’ve got that figured out, especially since the party is at the Crystal Castle. The staff there is superb.”
“Perfect,” Tessa cooed. “Oh, and add this to the list. Seamus Donahue called me last night.”
“From the marina? The guy who loved to fish with your dad?”
“The very same,” she said. “You know he runs that ministry for underprivileged kids, helping them get refurbished fishing gear and a chance to go out on the water? The Abundant Catch?”
Lacey nodded. “I remember. I also remember he’s the one who saw Roman and knew he was Artie’s grandson.” She winced at the memory of how Tessa had found out she and Roman had gone behind her back.
“All is forgiven a hundred times over,” Tessa said, no doubt remembering the same thing. “But he’s having a little fundraiser at the marina.”
“And we’re going to organize it?” Lacey guessed, dreading yet another event to add to her seventeen-day—now sixteen-day—deadline.
“No, no, it’s a very casual thing. But he needs donations for a silent auction, and I was thinking…a signed football.”
Lacey grinned and pointed at her. “As a matter of fact, I know a guy…”
Tessa laughed but suddenly, her face crumpled and she looked upset.
“What’s wrong, Tess?”
“Nothing is wrong,” she answered with conviction. “Absolutely nothing is wrong because you, Lacey Knight, are a superstar event planner who deserves a raise, better hours, and my undying love for the way you pick up my slack.”
But did she deserve to…quit and go to Jacksonville? Lacey just smiled. “You’ve been…” She wanted to say distracted, but that didn’t sound respectful. “Busy.”
“While you became…indispensable.”
Oh, dear. That wasn’t good. She wanted to…dispense. “I don’t know about that, Tess—”
“I do. You know the vendors by first name. You’ve been to the venues. You anticipate the problems. You calm the clients, you call in favors, and you make everyone—including me—happy. I would roll up and cry without you.”
Lacey took a shuddering breath, not sure how to react to the praise. Grateful, of course. But she didn’t want to be someone Tessa couldn’t live without because she was someone Roman couldn’t live without.
“You’re doing an amazing job,” Tessa continued, making everything worse.
“Tessa—”
“I’m serious,” she said. “This?” She gestured at the calendar, the files, the tablet with five tabs open. “This is running because of you.”
“That’s not true,” she said automatically. “This is—this is you. You’re the one who—”
Tessa cut her off with a shake of her head. “No. I started it. You made it smooth. You keep the trains from crashing into each other.” Tessa looked hard at Lacey. “And, girl, I need you to do that on steroids for one more month.”
“One more…” She swallowed. “Why?”
Tessa didn’t answer right away. She folded her hands on the desk, staring at them for a long beat and Lacey knew that whatever was working on Tessa was about to be revealed. After that, Lacey could tell her about Roman and Jacksonville.
Finally, Tessa said, “I am going to need to dial back for a month. A lot. Like, I won’t be around to do anything but put out a fire. Five-alarm or more.”
Lacey blinked at her. “Are you sick?”
“No,” she said on a laugh. “Crazy, maybe. Dusty and I agreed to help out one of his patients by watching a small child. I can’t say anything more than that, but I am now the proud caretaker of a two-year-old little girl.
And she’s…needy. Wonderful and dear, but needy.
And that means I’m needy. Like, I need you to run this business. ”
Tessa hesitated, then reached into a folder and slid a paper across the desk. Not a contract, not a vendor quote, this was a simple spreadsheet with numbers highlighted.
“I’ve given this a lot of thought and want to make it fair.”
Lacey glanced down and felt her eyes widen. “Is this…a pay increase?” ’Cause it was sizeable. “Tessa, what—”
“I know you’ve been wanting to move out of the Summer House—not that I can imagine why, since what could be more fun than sharing a room and a bed with Vivien.” Tessa smiled. “I did it for seven summers in the old place and all we did was stay awake and laugh.”
But Lacey didn’t laugh. She couldn’t think straight.
Last night had rearranged her plans so completely she hadn’t even caught up yet. The idea that Tessa was offering her a path forward—more money, more stability—felt like the universe doubling down.
“Listen, I know I’m asking a lot,” Tessa said softly. “I wouldn’t if it weren’t really important. I can’t give you details, but trust me when I say a life literally depends on it. Two lives—a hurting mother and a small child, still in diapers.”
Lacey searched her face, seeing the raw need and the depth of the request. This woman had never asked anything of Lacey, but had brought her into her business with bold confidence and true friendship.
Even when Lacey risked that friendship and looked up a person Tessa had specifically said she didn’t want to meet, they’d stuck together.
And now, Tessa needed her. Really needed her. She could tell. Was Lacey going to flippantly deny her friend and mentor, with disregard for a little kid, just because Roman wanted to move fast and furious into living together?
And it wasn’t just going to be short term, she knew. Maybe Tessa’s commitment was, but this kind of money meant her job was serious, secure, and had a long-term future—here, in Destin.
“Okay,” Lacey said slowly, because the word felt like mud in her mouth. “I’m honored. Truly. And yes, I’ll take on more responsibility, absolutely, but…”
But she’d promised her boyfriend she’d move!
“But what?” Tessa pressed.
“But…I do expect I’ll be in Jacksonville—”
“For home games,” Tessa said. “Which don’t start until early September, right? Pray the weekend of the Renaissance wedding is an away game.”
By then, Roman thought they’d be living together. He wanted her there for preseason games and training and…
“Right?” Tessa urged when she didn’t answer.
“Right,” Lacey confirmed.
She had no idea what was right and what wasn’t. All she knew was she had two lives colliding. Two futures, two loved ones, two directions.
Which road should she take?
“I’ll figure it out,” she said, as much to herself as to Tessa.
Roman was leaving soon. Tessa was counting on her. And Lacey—trying to love everyone—was going to break someone’s heart. Maybe her own.