Page 41 of Secrets, Scandals and Baby Shoes

After all, Keype made Elliot money, lots and lots of money, but it didn’t enrich his life in the way his time with Lucy did. Money didn’t seem as important anymore.

Elliot did his best to put the doubts out of his mind, but it was difficult.

“So tell me,” his friend Greg asked, lifting a glass of beer. “How did you like being CEO of two companies at once?”

“It was… a challenge,” Elliot said, sipping his own drink. He’d unconsciously chosen wine, which reminded him of Lucy all over again. “But a good one.”

“And how was your co-CEO?” Greg pressed. “She must have really been something, given how long you stayed away from Chicago.”

“True,” his friend Shaun said, grinning. “Almost nothing can keep Elliot away from Keype.”

“She was wonderful,” Elliot said. He sighed. “But it wasn’t meant to be.”

His friends rolled their eyes in unison.

“That doesn’t sound like the Elliot I know,” Greg said. “Not meant to be? From the man who built a multi-billion-dollar company from scratch? The man who never gives up until he has what he wants? I don’t believe it.”

Elliot shrugged and shook his head. It wasn’t like he could make his relationship with Lucy work through sheer dedication, the way he’d grown Keype. Love was much more nuanced than that, and Elliot couldn’t see a way to make things work out between them.

“Tell me about your girlfriend,” Elliot said, hoping to change the subject. “Melody, right?”

“Oh, she’s great.” Greg launched into a story about the wonders of Melody, and the conversation moved on. Elliot’s thoughts didn’t, though.

Slowly, days turned into weeks, and Elliot settled more and more into his old Chicago routines. He hit the gym, went to work, and ate most meals at his desk. His rare free time was devoted to more work and, occasionally, reading up on Borderless’s successes. Elliot had been right: Lucy was an excellent CEO all on her own. All the news from Borderless was positive, highlighting innovative new strategies, employee satisfaction, and sustained growth. No one had bought the shares Elliot put up for sale yet, but sooner or later, someone would. And, thoughhe didn’t want to, Elliot would probably make great money from the sale since Borderless was such an exciting company.

As more and more time passed with only positive news from Borderless and no word from Lucy herself, Elliot realized that he really had missed his chance. Even if he regretted choosing Keype over Lucy and Borderless, he couldn’t go back. Lucy didn’t need him. Borderless didn’t need him. If Elliot tried to insert himself back into her life, they’d both end up getting hurt a third time. It was better that Elliot let Lucy live her life and try to move on with his own.

Despite Elliot’s malaise, Keype continued to thrive under his leadership. With the crisis that had drawn him back to Chicago averted, it seemed more and more that running his own company was the only thing Elliot could do right. So, he would focus on Keype. He would stay in Chicago. He would watch Lucy’s successes from a distance, just as he had after college, and content himself to life as an eternal bachelor.

At least Dominic would have been happy.

CHAPTER 21

LUCY

Lucy hummed to herself as the elevator whirred up to her floor. It was early morning, and as usual, she was one of the first to arrive at the office. Her assistant, a young woman with long black hair and dark brown eyes named Brooke, was already at her desk, and she stood as Lucy approached.

“Good morning,” Brooke said brightly. “I got you black tea with cream and sugar and a bagel with cream cheese.”

“You’re a lifesaver,” Lucy said gratefully, accepting the to-go cup and the brown paper bag. “But I’ve told you, you really don’t have to get here before me. I know I work long hours.”

“It’s really no trouble.” Brooke smiled as they stepped into Lucy’s office. “Today, you have a meeting with the executives to discuss current business at nine, followed by a meeting with Monica Castillo from Pura Vida Vineyards. I really could get someone else to work on that, you know. Since you’re the CEO, you could devote your time to other things.”

Since Lucy had hired her assistant a few weeks ago, feeling swamped by the details of working as a CEO on her own, Brookehad launched a campaign to get Lucy to focus on the work of a CEO and step back from “needless” tasks. Mostly, Lucy had acquiesced. Brooke’s help had saved her a lot of time. But she’d stayed firm on the matter of Pura Vida.

“That’s all right. I’ll keep taking meetings with Pura Vida — although I appreciate you assigning my other accounts to new people.”

“Of course.” Brooke grinned at Lucy. She was familiar with her boss’s love of Pura Vida by now. “In the afternoon, you have a meeting with the creative staff, as requested, to discuss the new design direction. Which is looking great, by the way. You have a few drafts on your desk.”

“Perfect.” Lucy took a seat. “Anything else?”

“That’s all for now.”

“Thank you, Brooke.”

Brooke departed, leaving the door open as Lucy preferred. Lucy opened her laptop and dove into work, again feeling glad for her assistant when she saw that the emails had been tagged based on urgency. An hour flew by, then another, as Lucy worked and sipped her tea. Soon, it was time for the meeting with the other executives. Once upon a time, Lucy would have been nervous, but she felt confident now.

On the surface, everything was going perfectly. Lucy had stepped into the role of sole CEO with little issue, easily taking charge of the company she loved. Even the things that would have scared her before, like making huge financial decisions that would affect hundreds of jobs and thousands of app users, didn’t shake her anymore. It was as if Lucy had been born to be a CEO.

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