The train was slowing for the next stop. It was my station.
“Thank you,” I said, standing. “For the tissues and the sympathetic ear.”
“Give him time to understand what he wants, dear.” She squeezed my hand as I passed. “And then see if he’s brave enough to come back.”
What if Dane never came to his senses? What if his need for data and logic was just who he was, fundamental and unchangeable? The man was who he was. Who did I think I was to come along a change him?
CHAPTER 34
DANE
Imarched down the hall toward the conference room, and when people saw me coming, they walked in the opposite direction. My prickly mood had become a topic of conversation throughout the office, but maybe that was for the best.
I sat in the conference room with Norma and two board members. Alex and Patricia, both of whom had been with Cupid’s Arrow since we way back. Both looked extremely unhappy to be here.
The feeling was mutual. I leaned back in my chair, my gaze drifting to the windows and beyond. It was raining, which seemed perfect for the gray clouds over my heart.
It had been twenty-four hours since Ina walked away. I was still fighting for her and myself. For us. It was a losing battle, but I had to try.
“Let me make sure I understand this correctly,” Patricia said, her voice crisp and professional with a touch of irritation. “You’ve been in a relationship with your executive assistant. A woman who reports directly to you. A woman whose salary you determine and career trajectory you control.”
I leaned forward and clasped my hands on the table. “You can just say executive assistant. And that’s an oversimplification.”
“Is it?” Alex matched my posture. “Because from where I’m sitting, this is a textbook case of inappropriate workplace conduct. The kind of thing that opens us up to lawsuits, bad press, and serious questions about leadership judgment.”
“It was part of the Valentine’s campaign,” I said. “It was Heidi and Lucas’s idea. The fake dating for publicity. It got out of hand, but it was always meant to be temporary.”
“So it was fake?” Patricia cut in.
I hesitated, and in that hesitation, I saw them both pounce.
“If it was fake, why are we having this meeting?” Alex asked. “Why are you considering restructuring options if it was just a marketing stunt?”
“Like I said, it got out of hand. I had to pivot.” I met his gaze evenly.
Patricia pulled up something on her tablet. “Either you were in a real relationship with your subordinate, which is a violation of company policy and potentially a legal liability. Or you were pretending to be in a relationship for marketing purposes, which could be seen as manipulative and potentially fraudulent. Either way, we have a problem.”
“It’s not a problem,” I said with a sigh.
“You’re a grown man, not a teenager,” Alex growled. The guy was in his late sixties and that was the only reason I was letting him get away with speaking to me like I was a child. “You had opportunities to stop this before it became a problem. You could have moved her to another department. But you didn’t.”
“I know. That’s why I’m pivoting.” I shrugged.
Alex pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. “Please stop saying pivot.”
“The question now is what we do about it,” Patricia said. “And frankly, the easiest solution is to let Ms. Lavin go.”
“No.” The word exploded out of me. “Absolutely not. She did nothing wrong.”
“Dane, I think you need to be reasonable,” Patricia said.
“If anyone is getting reprimanded, it should be me.” I tapped my fingers on the table. “And possibly Heidi for pushing this campaign in the first place. Probably the board, too, for missing such an obvious violation of company policy. Are you meeting with them next?”
Alex shook his head. “They weren’t dipping their pen in the company ink.”
I wrinkled my nose at him. “Now who’s being inappropriate?”
“Still you,” Patricia said.
