You’re a better man than him.”
Luke pulled his hands away. “I wouldn’t be too sure of that. You barely know me, Kasey.”
“I know you well enough.” But the words rang false even to my ears. I had known Luke less than two weeks. I had known Neil for eight months and had still missed such a huge part of his character. Maybe Luke really wasn’t the man I thought he was. But some part of me just couldn’t believe that could be true. I wanted to believe in Luke because I needed to be able to trust someone again. That’s when I finally admitted to myself that I needed Luke.
“We can finish this in the morning,” Luke said. He opened the door to my office. “You should go home. It’s late.”
“Yeah.” I couldn’t move. I could barely speak. I had finally admitted to myself that I wanted to be with Luke, and he was finally letting me go.
“Will you be attending the holiday party tomorrow night?” Luke asked, very formally.
“I’ll be there.” The words came out strained.
“Good.” Luke nodded. “I will see you tomorrow.”
As hard as it was to sit in the same room with Luke the next day, it was even more impossible for me to imagine not seeing him at all. Luke Donovan had gotten under my skin.
He looked strong and confident when he told Representative Thompkins that, sadly, Maverick, Inc. would not be able to help him with his current situation. The other members of Maverick’s executive board were not happy with the decision and made their feelings known the minute the Representative was gone. In addition to paying well, Representative Thompkins’s name was likely to draw a lot of attention to the company. They didn’t care that Thompkins was a philanderer; it was par for the course in this line of work. Luke hadn’t told them what I had said the night before about the Representative’s wife. He was keeping that information between us.
“Ted, I get that you are mad. But this is my company. My decision is the final decision.” Luke didn’t raise his voice or pound his fists on the conference room table. He had a way of exerting the power of his position without making other people feel small. “You’ll just have to trust me on this one.”
“You brought me on board to help with this kind of thing. You really should listen to me.” Ted wasn’t ready to back down yet.
“I take these kind of clients for selfish reasons only, you know that.” Luke leaned forward, hands folded together on the table. “I take the rich clients so I have the capital to help the poor ones. But I don’t need that man’s money, and this company definitely doesn’t need him as a client.”
“This is a big mistake,” Ted Sanders, the CFO, said one last time. “But it’s your call.”
“Cheer up, Ted,” Luke said. “I’ll buy you a drink tonight at the party.”
Ted smiled reluctantly. “You’ll be buying all the drinks tonight, Donovan.”
As the others left the room, I hung back. “Luke?”
He looked up at me with tired eyes. His decision today had been more taxing than he let on. “Yeah, Kasey?”
“Last night you said I barely know you. That I couldn’t know you were a better man than Neil.” I looked directly into his eyes. “You were wrong. What you did today, turning down Thompkins, that’s my proof. The non-profits that you help for little or no cost and the way you treat your employees, that’s my proof, too. You’re a good man, Luke Donovan. Accept it.”
He smiled sadly. “Thank you, Kasey.”
“Anytime.” I turned to leave but Luke stopped me.
“About tonight…” He thought twice about what he was about to say. “See you at the party?”
“Absolutely.”
Changing into my party dress in the bathroom stall was a bigger challenge than I anticipated. Keeping my feet from touching the sketchy floor was a lot of work and I nearly stepped into the toilet bowl two separate times. So it was surprising that I somehow managed to look presentable when I surveyed the
Luke pulled his hands away. “I wouldn’t be too sure of that. You barely know me, Kasey.”
“I know you well enough.” But the words rang false even to my ears. I had known Luke less than two weeks. I had known Neil for eight months and had still missed such a huge part of his character. Maybe Luke really wasn’t the man I thought he was. But some part of me just couldn’t believe that could be true. I wanted to believe in Luke because I needed to be able to trust someone again. That’s when I finally admitted to myself that I needed Luke.
“We can finish this in the morning,” Luke said. He opened the door to my office. “You should go home. It’s late.”
“Yeah.” I couldn’t move. I could barely speak. I had finally admitted to myself that I wanted to be with Luke, and he was finally letting me go.
“Will you be attending the holiday party tomorrow night?” Luke asked, very formally.
“I’ll be there.” The words came out strained.
“Good.” Luke nodded. “I will see you tomorrow.”
As hard as it was to sit in the same room with Luke the next day, it was even more impossible for me to imagine not seeing him at all. Luke Donovan had gotten under my skin.
He looked strong and confident when he told Representative Thompkins that, sadly, Maverick, Inc. would not be able to help him with his current situation. The other members of Maverick’s executive board were not happy with the decision and made their feelings known the minute the Representative was gone. In addition to paying well, Representative Thompkins’s name was likely to draw a lot of attention to the company. They didn’t care that Thompkins was a philanderer; it was par for the course in this line of work. Luke hadn’t told them what I had said the night before about the Representative’s wife. He was keeping that information between us.
“Ted, I get that you are mad. But this is my company. My decision is the final decision.” Luke didn’t raise his voice or pound his fists on the conference room table. He had a way of exerting the power of his position without making other people feel small. “You’ll just have to trust me on this one.”
“You brought me on board to help with this kind of thing. You really should listen to me.” Ted wasn’t ready to back down yet.
“I take these kind of clients for selfish reasons only, you know that.” Luke leaned forward, hands folded together on the table. “I take the rich clients so I have the capital to help the poor ones. But I don’t need that man’s money, and this company definitely doesn’t need him as a client.”
“This is a big mistake,” Ted Sanders, the CFO, said one last time. “But it’s your call.”
“Cheer up, Ted,” Luke said. “I’ll buy you a drink tonight at the party.”
Ted smiled reluctantly. “You’ll be buying all the drinks tonight, Donovan.”
As the others left the room, I hung back. “Luke?”
He looked up at me with tired eyes. His decision today had been more taxing than he let on. “Yeah, Kasey?”
“Last night you said I barely know you. That I couldn’t know you were a better man than Neil.” I looked directly into his eyes. “You were wrong. What you did today, turning down Thompkins, that’s my proof. The non-profits that you help for little or no cost and the way you treat your employees, that’s my proof, too. You’re a good man, Luke Donovan. Accept it.”
He smiled sadly. “Thank you, Kasey.”
“Anytime.” I turned to leave but Luke stopped me.
“About tonight…” He thought twice about what he was about to say. “See you at the party?”
“Absolutely.”
Changing into my party dress in the bathroom stall was a bigger challenge than I anticipated. Keeping my feet from touching the sketchy floor was a lot of work and I nearly stepped into the toilet bowl two separate times. So it was surprising that I somehow managed to look presentable when I surveyed the
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