Page 67 of Sunset Serenade
Lillian cracked a smile. “Rose.”
She picked up the cup and swirled it in her hand. “What.”
“I promise we’ll find a way out of this. It’s going to be okay.”
She took a swig and set the cup down. “You’re right. I’m going to call Brett and ask him on a date.”
Lillian almost spit out a mouthful of coffee.“What!”
“That’s the solution. I’m going to take him on a date and convince him I like him, then get him to buy the company as soon as possible.”
“Rose! You can’t do that.”
She had her phone in her hand and her eyes narrowed. “Watch me.”
Lillian sat back and took a sip of her drink. She had to change her tactics. Rose wasn’t listening to her, and she wasn’t going to be stopped.
But maybe she could be helped.
Chapter Twenty-seven
It was going to be a late night. Craig could accept that. What he couldn’t accept was his state of mind.
While there was nothing more important than securing the future of the company, he couldn’t focus. The walls of his office felt like a cage, trapping him with his anger and frustration.
His mind kept jumping back to the day he met Rose, how he’d practically chased her down the street. Begged her to work for him.
Was it his fault he’d hired her, or had she tricked him?
He changed gears, looking at minutes from board meetings, and ran into a copy of her presentation. It was impossible not to click through. He had been so excited, so convinced of her genius.
Was it all an illusion? Had he trusted the wrong person, hoped the wrong hopes? Whatever the story, the reporter who hung around the office wouldloveto piece it together – how the COO tried to cover his feelings of inadequacy by coming up with the half-witted plan of hiring a matchmaker.
Someone to fix all their problems! A magical matchmaker! He might as well have hired a hypnotist. It would’ve worked on him because he wanted to believe. Because he was a rube.
Craig stood from his desk and went to look out the window. The sun had set not long ago, and the last hints of red lingered in the sky. He could see into the building across the street. Some offices were bright and warm, like beacons in the night, while others had fallen to darkness.
What would his office look like once he was fired? Who would they replace him with?
He turned away, back to his desk, determined to sell the company before anyone realized what he’d done. His best hope was Phoenix, who hadn’t liked the idea of a matchmaker in the first place. Craig had nearly convinced him to accept Rose as an important part of the company. How hard would it be to change his mind again?
He was deep in thought, scribbling in a notebook, when his assistant Lydia walked in.
“Hey, Craig? There’s someone here to see you. I found her wandering around the lobby.”
“Right now?” He looked at his watch. “I thought you had gone home.”
“You didn’t seem well,” she said, making a face. “I went to dinner and stopped back in case there was anything I could do to help you.”
She was too good. She didn’t deserve to lose her job because he was a failure. “That’s nice of you, but I’m okay.” He squinted at his computer screen, his eyes tense and strained. “Who is it? Can I send them away?”
Lydia laughed. “You’re the boss, you can do whatever you want. It’s Rose’s sister – or, at least, that’s who she said she was.”
He tried to keep the surprise off his face but couldn’t help raising his eyebrows. “Okay. I’ll handle it. Please go home and have a good night.”
“Thanks. You too!”
She disappeared and Lillian floated through the doorway, making Craig do a double take. He’d expected Lucy, and barely managed to sputter out a “Hi.”
