Coming To Reason (A Long Road to Love) (27 page)

“Which Dan could wave,” Dave replied.

She grabbed his hand. “Let me go talk to Dan. If he’ll
release me, then I’ll try to help you.”

Dave smiled. “For future reference, division presidents never
use the word ‘try’. They either get it done or they get fired.”

Carrie nodded. This might be the shortest-term job of her
life, but she couldn’t pass up the opportunity. “I’ll go to Dan now.”

Dan stared at one of Carrie’s reports, wondering how the
hell he could stop her from leaving. She had a contract, but Ian could get it thrown
out within the blink of an eye. No judge would believe an employee at her low
level who left in her second week could cause irreparable harm to his business.

Nor would he ever take her to court. If she wanted to
leave, he’d let her go. But damn it all. He couldn’t let her leave him.

Ian’s words kept running over and over in Dan’s mind. His
stupid rule about rebound love had pushed this into motion.
If he’d only
listened rather than drifted off last night—or even better, realized sooner
Carrie couldn’t have a rebound love.

 Ian had nailed the truth. She would begin their affair
believing she could resist falling in love with him, but she couldn’t. She was so
hungry for love, she’d even fallen for Trent. Ian ranked far better, even being
married.

He had to stop this, to get her back before her heart
locked onto Ian.

What if she already had? He had no doubt the cheerful bastard
who arrived to gloat this morning had come from making love with Carrie. Ian
would never show his hand while the game remained in play.

Still, Dan had to try.

“Helen, can you ask Carrie to come see me.”

“Yes, I can. He’ll see you now.”

The last part appeared to be spoken away from the phone.
Before Dan could make sense of it, the door opened to reveal the love of his life.

***

Carrie entered Dan’s office with trepidation. She sent a
prayer up.
Please, God. Let this work.

He stood the moment she entered, pain all too apparent in
his eyes. Did he already know? Did he plan to stop her from leaving?

She approached him, afraid he’d never agree to this
fabulous opportunity. “Dave Massey has bought Lancaster Chairs and wants to
hire me as division president. The company fell apart when I left.”

After a flicker of shock crossed Dan’s face, he walked
around his desk and sat on its edge. “And you want me to release you from your
contract?”

She moved to him, closing the space to inches between them.
All through her life, those who should have loved her always tried to stop her
from succeeding, but Dan seemed different. “Yes.”

Confusion clouded his warm brown eyes. “What about Ian?”

Ian. She’d forgotten about him and his plan. Her hand
swatted the air like an unwanted fly invaded her space. “My personal life will
have to wait.”

He stared at her in shock. “Don’t you at least want to
discuss this with him?”

She sat in the chair. If only she had never put her stupid
plan in motion. She tugged at the empty chair beside her. “Could you sit, so
you don’t tower over me?”

A faint smile crossed his lips. He sat down, even slumped
to make the height difference less. God, she loved him. She reached over and
gripped his hand. “I’m guessing Ian told you about my plan to make him my rebound
lover.”

He nodded.

“I never intended to go through with it. I’m sorry for misleading
you. He thought it would force you into realizing I didn’t need another lover. But
it was wrong and deceitful, and I regret it.”

Dan stood up straight. “Then you didn’t consummate your
relationship with Ian this morning?”

“No!” God, how could he think such a thing? What had Ian said
to make him think something happened? “I’ve never even
kissed
Ian. And
after I realized he cared about me, I knew making him my lover would lead me
down a path that…” She looked away, afraid she might see the same look of
disgust she’d seen last night.
I can’t afford to be a coward
.
I need
to know the truth.
Breathing in, she faced him.

“I knew the path would never lead me to you. Ian thought
the threat would make you rethink your stupid rule.”

“Ah…the rebound rule.”

“I shouldn’t have called it stupid. I’m sorry. Destiny told
me how strong
ly
you believe in it. But I’ve a new proposition and I hope
this one can get us to the right place.”

Before he could respond, she hurried on, “I need you to
consider Premier Frontline as my lover, given it’s all I can focus on for the
next six months…assuming you’ll let me go.” She gripped his hands. “Then once I
get things righted at work, and I’ve done my rebound time, maybe you and I can
go on a date?”

She studied Dan for any sign of discomfort. His loving eyes
and a heartfelt smile indicated he liked her idea. After what seemed an
eternity, he replied, “I think it a much better course of action.”

Carrie couldn’t remember a happier moment in her life.
Professional
ly
, she had the job of a lifetime and, personal
ly
, the best man
she’d ever met had opened the door to a way they could someday be a couple.

Dan stood and led her to the couch. He sat down and pulled
her to his side.

She fell into him, soaking up his love and soothing calmness.
Finally, she’d found the man she wanted to marry.

He pressed his lips to the top of her head. “Would you mind
if I make a few improvements to your plans?”

She smiled at the word ‘improvement’. “Please do.”

“First of all, I know from experience, being an island of
one can get lone
ly
. While I agree you’ll have to put in brutal hours, you’re
going to need advice, a sounding board, and someone to give you hugs along the
way.”

She smiled. Dan gave the best hugs in the whole world. They
would help sustain her through the hard months.

He turned her face up to his. “You realize your
relationship with your staff will be different now? Before, they saw you as the
kind EA, standing between them and a monster. Now, you’re going to be a very
young, beautiful female division president.”

She groaned at his description of her. “Oh, God. Everyone’s
going to say I’m sleeping with Dave Massey.” Before her heart could start to
panic, his arms tightened around her, soothing her.

“Unless you are in a strong relationship with a man whom
you adore and who reciprocates those feelings.”

She snuggled tighter against his chest, liking the
direction his ‘improvement’ headed. Not only did he seem to wish to forego the
six-month rebound period, but he wanted to be the understanding boyfriend who
would be there when she needed comfort. “Go on, what other advice do you have
for me?”

“Well, you have a very long commute to work, even if you
acquire a driver. Some nights you won’t leave before midnight. You need a place
in the city, a sanctuary to refresh and revive you much the same as your home
in the suburbs.”

She opened her mouth to object when she thought he intended
to suggest she sell her home in Denville and buy something in the city, but
then smiled, realizing he meant something better. “Do you have a place in
mind?”

“I do. It’s a beautiful brownstone with a love
ly
garden in the
back, and several beds from which you can choose.”

He had opened his home to her, but how much commitment came
with the offer. “Can I have my own closet?”

He pressed his lips to her temple. “You can have every
closet in the place…except for Destiny’s.”

She slipped her hand beneath his jacket and caressed his
chest as her heart fluttered with pure joy. Still, after last night, she needed
to be sure they had aligned now. Too much depended upon it. “Does this mean
you’ve given up your belief about rebound lovers?”

“Complete
ly
and absolute
ly
.”

Only one thing remained. Would he place her needs over his
own? “And you don’t mind me leaving your employment?”

“My company will
miss
your brilliance, and I will regret I can no longer spend
every day with you, but, Carrie, I love you with my whole heart and I would
never stand in your way. You’ve been offered an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
You have to take it.”

“Final
ly
,” she whispered and hugged him with all her might. After
two very bad choices, she had found her perfect man. She pushed back so she
could look him in the eyes.

“Dave wants me to start working today, which I want to do.
However, we need to start our forever love off right, as well. Do you have any
suggestions how we can achieve both?”

His long hands cupped her face. “I do.” He leaned in and
kissed her. When she opened her mouth to his, her body purred with pure joy.

This time she got it right; this time she found her
forever
love
.

***

Trent’s Redemption:

Book Four of A
Long Road to Love

Trent Lancaster lay on the sidewalk where his driver had
tossed him. For one glorious month, life had been perfection. Well, he’d
thought the first week was hell, but compared to his life now, it looked like
Nirvana.

He’d lost Carrie forever, broken a love he’d thought to be
impervious to damage. Due to a stupid error he’d made months ago, a cascade of
problems had rained upon him, which he tried his hardest to protect Carrie from,
only he couldn’t. He thought if he hid her away in Trenton NJ, she might never
find out the truth, but Carrie chose to work in NYC instead and then Angela
broke her agreement and wrote a scathing article for Gossep, revealing all the
shit he’d done in his desperate attempt to keep Coco’s father from going after
the finest woman he’d ever met, Carrie Hanson.

Tears streamed down his cheeks for all to see. Normally,
he’d be horrified to allow common people to gawk at him, but his self-respect
and pride had been stripped away when Sam, his driver, had to pull him from his
limo to save Carrie.

From him.

He’d almost raped her—the woman he loved more than anything
in the world. He’d thought if they could just make love, she’d forgive him. But
he managed to break the unbreakable and she wanted nothing more to do with him.

Burying his face in his hands, he sobbed. There was no way
back to his month of happiness. Everything good in his life was gone.

A gentle hand touched his shoulder. His heart leapt in joy.
Carrie had returned and forgiven him. He looked up and stared at an old man in
black—a priest—staring down at him. “Are you ill? Do you need help?”

The old guy studied him with worried eyes and furrowed
brow. Maybe the man
could
help him. “I think I need an exorcism.”

***

Trent had never been in a catholic church before but the
high ceiling cathedral gave him certainty ancient wisdom permeated these stone
walls. The fanciful stained glass art would have made him cringe in the past,
but now in his darkest hour, with the sun shining through the bright colored
glass, he felt at one with the men in robes, especially the tormented ones with
flames around them.

As he followed the priest down the main aisle of the nearly
empty church, a few people sat in the pews with their heads bowed. He thought
it a strange place to nap, but the church did hold a sense of peace hard to
find in New York City.

His penthouse had once held the same feeling of rightness
and calm. His memories returned to Carrie snuggled against him, watching a
video of her near deaths and him saving her life, then getting arrested for
doing so. 

Having no clue how good things had been, Trent had thought
it the worst week ever, when in fact it had been part of the best month of his
life, a time when Carrie loved him and everything was perfect…well, almost
perfect. He had Carrie and nothing had stood in their way.

A gentle hand settled on his back as the priest led him
through a door to a small room with two high back chairs angled before an empty
fireplace. The old man encouraged him to sit while he turned on the gas jets
and created the illusion of a fire burning fake logs.

Rather like his life. He’d never gotten the real thing,
except for one month. Then it all fell apart and nothing he did could stop it.

The priest sat down in the other chair and began a soft
chant.

Trent was about to interrupt the fellow because the chant
was soothing and had no shot of exorcising a demon. But he caught some of the
words the man spoke. Forgiveness of Sins.  Delivery from evil. 

He silenced his protest before he ruined his chance for
salvation. What did he know about exorcisms? Movies were notoriously wrong
about details.  His thoughts turned to Carrie. She had had the ability to sooth
his anger with just a touch or kind word. She had made his life tolerable, and
then in their precious month of perfection, happy. For the first time in his
life, he’d been happy.