Chapter 43
Chapter Forty-Three
Lauren
“Getting to be a habit.”
I dropped my bag in the hall and made a face at Gunnar who had thrown out that shady comment.
“I had no water, information you decided not to share, so I had to shower at a friend’s.”
“I didn’t want to worry you until your flight got in. Didn’t expect you’d be early. And Nazarov was here when I left.”
I crossed my arms. “About that. You thought it was a good idea to invite him over to paint?”
He shrugged. “He has time on his hands.”
A clanging sound echoed from above my head. “Plumber’s here?”
“Yep. Should be sorted …” He checked his watch. “In the next twenty minutes.”
I rubbed my forehead. “This house is a lemon, isn’t it?”
“Nah. Needs a little TLC, just like you. Your husband provided, I hope.”
“Not discussing this with you.”
He raised an eyebrow. Waited me out.
“He made me dinner and I spent some time on a puzzle with his dad.”
He nodded solemnly. “How is he?”
“Well, he took a walkabout this morning that scared the bejesus out of Alexei. We found him at the park, looking for his chess friends.”
“That’s tough.”
“Right? I didn’t know him before, so I don’t have a baseline, but there was a moment when he didn’t recognize his son. And while I met him recently, he only remembered me from the past, from when I played hockey. Is that normal?”
“Short-term memory creation is generally the first to go, so that tracks. My mom didn’t recognize her newest grandkids, but she remembered that I had just signed with the LA Quake, my first team straight out of college. She also thought Kelly and the twins were still alive.”
That must have been so hard. Gunnar’s first wife Kelly and his four-year-old twins had died in a car crash a few years before he met Sadie.
“Did you tell her what had happened?”
“At first, but then having to tell her over and over was too difficult. Eventually we would just pretend that they were out at the zoo or the market and that she could catch them later.”
I hadn’t known any of this. Anytime I asked, Gunnar and Sadie were vague about it, and the fact Gunnar’s parents lived in Finland at the time meant I just accepted their version of events instead of pressing further.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you, G.”
“Nothing to be sorry for. You had your life. Still do. But anything you want to know, ask me. It might help you understand what Alexei is going through.”
Another clank upstairs was followed by some imaginative swearing.
“I want to be supportive, but …” I hesitated.
“You don’t want to give him any ideas about where your relationship is going.”
Was that it? Partly. Mostly I worried that I would start to see a side of him that softened me toward him. That made him more attractive. Hell, I was already seeing it. As if he needed anything else to up the hotness quotient.
“It doesn’t help that you have him here in my house.”
“He needed something to take his mind off stuff. If he can do that and you get some work done around here, then maybe you should just accept it.”
My phone buzzed with a call from … yes! Riley Thorne.
“I have to take this.” I stepped outside onto the back deck and avoided a section of termite-riddled wood.
“Hi, Riley, good to hear from you.”
“Hey, Lauren. Sorry I haven’t returned your calls. I’m on vacation with my family in Tuscany and it’s been kind of a no-business zone.”
“No worries. Tuscany must be awesome.”
“It is. Okay, I don’t want to waste your time, so I’ll get straight to the point. I’m signing with the Gordon Group; there should be an announcement in the next couple of days.”
My heart plummeted to the rotting planks beneath my feet.
“Okay. Can I ask what led to your decision?”
“I enjoyed our talk, and I think you would have been a great person to have in my corner. I liked the idea of working with a woman agent who knows the business and has been where I am now. But I heard some stuff about your boyfriend, about how he was asking your clients to invest in some shady shit.”
I closed my eyes. “I wished you’d talked to me about it. That was happening behind my back, and I’ve since parted ways with him. I never gave him leave to approach any of my clients. That was all on him, and I’ll be making sure he makes full restitution.”
She cleared her throat. “Glad to hear it. But it just felt easier to go with someone who doesn’t have that kind of drama surrounding them. My mom advised me to go with my gut, and unfortunately, you got the short end of the stick.”
I swiped at a tear. Thad’s actions were ripping my business apart.
“I get it. And I appreciate you reaching out to me personally to let me know.”
We exchanged pleasantries and I clicked off. For God knew how long, I sat there, contemplating how my life had been put in reverse.
I needed to stop hanging around the D-zone. Time to lace up and go on the offense.
“Okay, that’s the last one.” Esme ticked a box on the list of clients and held up her clipboard. “So, it looks like we have nine loyalists, four quitters, and three wishy-washy-I-wanna-think-about-its.”
Summer winced. “Not sure we want to call our valued clients quitters or wishy washy.”
“Ex-clients, because I’m not sure I trust anyone who says they want to mull it over.” Esme smiled at me. “Sorry, boss.”
“I see your point, but I’d rather give them the benefit of the doubt. They were likely just trying to avoid conflict by not firing me to my face.”
I needed to get out ahead of my public relations issue, so I had spent the entire morning calling each of the clients I had not seen on my recent road trip to assure them that Thad was not operating with my approval. I had convinced most but lost a few.
Meanwhile my ex was nowhere to be found.
I had stormed over to his apartment building this morning, where Donny the doorman told me that he hadn’t seen him in several days.
A couple of my rookies were out immense sums of money, and Thad would have to pay them back.
That was non-negotiable. If I could fix that, then I could go some way to making it good for my clients and restoring my reputation.
A text came in from Alexei.
You owe me a date. A real one.
This should have been another unwanted complication, but oddly Alexei was the one person I could rely on during this mess.
“Who’s that? One of our wishy-washies?” Summer shook her head. “You have me calling them that now.”
“Nah, that’s not it. Her mouth is doing that weird thing.” Esme leaned in as I raised my phone screen out of view. “Is that a smile?”
“I smile all the time.”
Esme gave a funny little snort. “No way. You’re the dragon boss lady, as you should be. But it’s nice to see you in a better mood, especially as Thad could never produce a reaction like that.”
Summer glared at our PA. “Esme! That’s not true.”
It kind of was. These Zoomers and their truth bombs. “Okay, my minions, you are dismissed. Off you go and try not to lose me any more clients.”
As Esme left, Summer lingered. “You know I don’t have to go on this vacation.”
Hatch and Summer were leaving for Paris tomorrow. My client would be checking in with Passepartout to do some publicity shots before the happy couple took in the sights in the City of Love.
“It’s part business and one hundred percent romance. You are going on that vacation.” I smiled to put her at ease. “Summer, there’s not much we can do now but wait for the dust to settle. I appreciate you thinking of the agency first, though.”
“I’m thinking of my friend. You know I’ve got you, girl.”
Once she had left, I returned the text:
What date? Doesn’t mac n’ cheese in your kitchen count?
Stupid Husband
No. Neither does marking your gorgeous tits with my cum.
Good God, my cheeks burned, not just at the words, but the memory of my husband claiming me in the foyer of his house. I had no response that wouldn’t have sounded prudish; luckily, Alexei filled the void with typical Russian pragmatism.
The floorboards in the kitchen have been replaced.
Me
Not sure I should be getting updates from you instead of the foreman.
Stupid Husband
I am the assistant foreman and head of personnel. Jason doesn’t like the color of the living room and Conor wonders why you have not used your brother-in-law’s riches to buy a better place.
I called him immediately. “You hired staff?”
“They are volunteers. Not worth paying, especially as they are full of absurd opinions.” He moved his voice away from the phone. “Young Kershaw, less chat and more wall coverage.”
I covered my mouth to stifle a giggle.
“Is Gunnar okay with this?”
“He has stepped out now that he realizes I have it all under control. There is a good chance this room will be done by the time you get home. Tomorrow we will start on the back deck.” A muffled voice of complaint sounded to which Alexei retorted in Russian.
This whole situation was doing amazing things for my libido.
Then I remembered the fix I was in.
“So Riley Thorne went with a different agent.”
I could hear him walking on the new floorboards, likely moving to somewhere private.
“I am sorry to hear that.”
“And I lost four more clients today. But I also called my entire roster and tried to get ahead of it.” I inhaled a shallow breath. “Sorry, I shouldn’t be so self-involved. How’s Sasha?”
“Calmer than before. The doctor prescribed a different sedative, which meant he slept through the night. And you have nothing to apologize for. We all have problems, but you might be about to solve one of yours. You still have Arkady in your back pocket.”
“I do?”
“Yes. I have explained the situation to him, and he is unfazed by gossip.”
I did a silent fist pump, but then doubt double backed for a visit. “But what if he doesn’t want to sign with me?”
“This is not the Lauren I know. I cannot force him to sign with you—well, I could, but I think you would prefer to win this contract under your own steam, yes?”
“Yes,” I whispered. “And I will. Thanks so much, Alexei. I really appreciate it.”
“Is this not what a husband does for his wife? And if not, I can think of several wicked things I could do.”
Cue the flush of heat through my body. “No comment.”
He was still chuckling as I hung up.