Page 19 of Secrets, Scandals and Baby Shoes

After all, the last time he’d trusted Lucy, hehadbeen burned.

“Fine. We’ll give it a try. See you tomorrow.”

“Bye, then.” Lucy brushed past him and out of the empty office. Elliot sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. He made to follow her but then noticed where he was. The office had a large mahogany desk with a nameplate on the front that read Dominic Winter. There were pictures of Dominic with Lucy, with his parents, and with Elliot and their other friends from college. This was Dominic’s office.

Elliot’s heart clenched. He’d learned about Dominic’s illness two years ago, so he’d had time to prepare for this, but there would never be enough time to be ready for his best friend to die so young. Elliot took a deep breath. It would be hard, almostimpossible, to work with Lucy after how they’d ended things in college, but it was what Dominic wanted. Elliot couldn’t ignore his best friend’s last wishes, no matter how much he might want to.

With a sigh, Elliot ran his hand along the top of the desk. Then he followed Lucy out the door. He’d be back tomorrow, ready to move into this office and make sure Borderless became all it could be — all Dominic had wanted it to be.

He could do that. He had to.

CHAPTER 9

LUCY

Taking a deep breath, Lucy packed the last of her things into the cardboard box she’d found in the copy room. It was hard to say goodbye to the desk where she’d done such good work, and it was hard to imagine being a CEO, but she was excited, too. She knew everything Dominic had wanted for Borderless, and she was confident that she could make it happen just the way he’d hoped.

Lifting the slightly heavy box, Lucy made her way down the corridor towards Dominic’s old office. She’d have to share an office with Elliot, which wasn’t ideal, but she’d make it work. Anyway, she was in the office early, as usual, so Elliot probably wouldn’t be there yet. She could get settled in before he came. It would be a good way to stake her claim after he’d tried to oust her from her new role the day before.

Yet when Lucy nudged the door open with her hip, she saw that Elliot was already sitting at Dominic’s old desk. Her eyebrows shot up as she eased the rest of the way inside.

“You’re here early,” she said, trying to keep her tone neutral.

Elliot raised his gaze to hers. He’d been looking at something on his laptop, and several documents were spread across the desk in front of him. Lucy also noticed a paperweight with the Keype logo — a key and a circle — emblazoned on it and a silver pen in a special stand.

“I wanted to become more familiar with the company before getting started,” he said. His words were brisk, professional… and more than a little icy. Lucy’s heart froze. She bit her lip. In an instant, the harsh words Elliot had spoken to her back in college came rushing back, but she tried to ignore them. This wasn’t about long-ago feelings. This was about business.

“That’s great.” Lucy set her box down on the desk. “I see you’ve made yourself comfortable, but we’ll need to work out where everything goes.”

“What do you mean, where everything goes?” Elliot asked. “This is my office now.”

“Ha.” Lucy folded her arms. “What makes you say that?”

“Well, there’s only one desk in here, so only one of us can work here. I should have the office. I’ll need it more.”

“Why do you need the CEO’s office more than me?” Lucy shook her head. “Sorry, but that doesn’t make any sense.”

“I’ll be handling meetings with the C-suite and with investors, and I need a good office for that.”

“I’ll be handling those meetings, too.” Lucy’s temper flared. “You’ll need another excuse.”

“Try this on, then,” Elliot retorted. “I was here first. This is my desk now. Find another office unless you want to work on the floor.”

Lucy bristled, but Elliot did have a point. Therewasonly one desk. She picked up her box and left, her steps brisk. The door swished closed behind her, but she was almost certain that Elliot was gloating. He might think he’d won, but he hadn’t. Lucy went straight to the HR department, where she found a friend who’d started at the company around the same time she had.

“Gabriel.” She set her box on the edge of his desk. “I have a bit of a situation, and I need your help.”

“Anything for you, Lucy.” Gabriel tilted his laptop closed and looked up at her. “What’s going on?”

“Well, Dominic appointed me and Elliot Cobb as co-CEOs of Borderless,” Lucy began.

“Congratulations.”

“Thanks, but it doesn’t really feel like a promotion. Anyway, Elliot seems to have decided that he alone has claim on Dominic’s old office because there’s only one desk in there. Can you help me get a second desk?”

“Right away.” Gabriel stood, then hesitated. “Won’t it be a little crowded, though? I could get you your own office. I think the head of marketing just moved to another floor…”

“It’s about the principle as much as anything,” Lucy explained. “I need to show that I belong in Dominic’s old office just as much as he does.”

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