“Now,” Melissa began, “we keep doing this. I have a double-date set up with you two, and Alexandra and Maverick for this weekend. I’ll tip off the press that you’ll be there, so be sure to sit by the window for better photos. After that, we have another gala. This one’s at a library.”
“How long will we have to keep this up?” Bec asked eagerly.
I raised a brow, “Ready to get rid of me already?”
She rolled her eyes, “I’m ready to get back to normalcy, not this play pretend world we are living in right now.”
I tried my best not to let the comment hurt. I had thought we were growing closer, even becoming friends. The logical part of my brain knew the comment only bothered me because I was tired; the less-than-logical part was hurt.
Melissa glanced between the two of us, bewildered. It was obvious something in our dynamic had changed… I couldn’t put a finger on what it was, though. Bec still despised me,and I still pushed all of her buttons… but something had changed.
Melissa cleared her throat, trying to break the tension, “I’ll keep working my magic; you two keep working yours.”
I nodded in acceptance, and Bec chuckled as she flipped through a magazine, “I think you’re about to have even more fan girls.”
“What do you mean?”
She handed me the magazine that she had been reading, and I skimmed the contents. There was an entire section dedicated to me.
“An in-depth look at New York’s newest heart-throb, Sergeant Rome Cipriani,” I read the title aloud. “At least they got my rank correct.”
Melissa smiled, “I made sure of that. I may have leaked some details about you two.”
“Good job, Melissa,” Bec praised and leaned back into her chair. “It seems your crazy plan may just save the day.”
Melissa glowed under her praise. She flipped her hair over her shoulder, “You didn’t just hire me for my good looks. I’ll keep this going.” She stood and left, probably already game planning the next part of this scheme.
I skimmed through the article. They had photos of my family, childhood photos of myself, and even a few from my time in the service. I slammed the magazine shut at the photos of me and Malachi, not ready to open that wound.
Bec looked at me, perplexed. I shook my head, hoping she understood I didn’t want to talk about it.
“What’s running through that mind of yours?” I asked, hoping to keep the conversation off of myself.
She sighed and leaned back in her desk chair. It was interesting to see Bec in her office. She was dressed in a black top and black slacks that somehow made her look taller. Her hair was straight today, flowing down her back, but her usual red lipstick remained. It was her armor in this world that was constantly criticizing her. Bec had an aura that followed her everywhere, but in this office, she truly looked larger than life, sitting behind the massive oak desk, surrounded by law books on the shelves and her degrees framed on the wall.
“This feels too easy,” Bec finally declared.
“Too easy?”
She nodded, “I have been fighting with the board's view of me for years. They were against it when I became CFO, and before that, when I was the VP of Finance. Not once have they supported my position within the company… so why are they changing their mind so easilynow?”
“Why do you want to work here if you’re constantly fighting against the company itself?” The words basically fell past my lips. I shouldn’t have asked, but I needed to know. If I had to spend years fighting against the company I worked for, I would have gone out in a blaze of glory… not continue to put up with the bullshit.
Bec tapped her red nails against the wood of her desk, the sound aggravating my exhausted brain, putting me further on edge. “Would you judge me if I said it was to prove a point?”
I shook my head, “I’ve done plenty of stupid things for stupid reasons. What point are you trying to prove?”
“That Icando it, and that I can do it better than anyone expected.”
“Who are you trying to prove this to?”
She chuckled without any humor, “I don’t even know anymore. The board? My dad? My brother? Maybe myself. All I heard growing up was that I wasn’t as good as Will. That he could do it all and I couldn’t… that Ishouldn’t. At some point, I must have internalized it.”
“Did this just come from your dad? Or your brother and mom too?” I asked.
“Just my dad,” Bec explained as she began to play with her nails again. She did it whenever we broached too close to topics she preferred to avoid. “Will has only ever encouraged me. From afar, however. My mom thinks I can do anything. But it almost makes it worse, because I need to prove her right, too.” Bec laughed humorlessly, “Look at me, trying to live up to my mom’s expectations and prove my dad’s wrong. And if I fail? I let everyone down.”
I sighed, understanding that feeling well. “I promise you are far from failing. Trust me. I would know.”
