Page 79 of A Break in Communications

“Anna,” Kelcey’s voice sang, coming back into the room, looking happy enough she must have been suckered in and let Veronica kiss her again, and that was when I realized Kelcey had gotten the idea Lucy and I were talking about our wedding, and so in fifteen minutes, everyone—including the reporters, for some reason—would hear about it.

I guess maybe there was a bit of peace there. Never could have pleased Gould and Dobbs at the same event. Nice to be in the eye of the storm and pick one of them to be happy.

Of course, I was just choosing myself to be happy, really. I was selfish like that.

I interrupted the chatter by kissing Lucy, catching her with a hand on her waist and pressing my lips against hers, getting a surprised muffled sound from Lucy as she tensed up under me, just for a second before I pulled back.

Mom looked like she’d just seen the best thing in her life, as if I hadn’t already kissed Lucy a million times with her around. Berg stared blankly, Sean looked at us like he’d misunderstood everything in his life starting from birth, Gould just smiled like this was all normal, and Kelcey stopped and squealed, her hands over her mouth.

But all I cared about was Lucy, looking at me through big eyes, lips parted, and I guess just… damn it, I was in love with her, and that came first.

“Come on, darling,” I said, looping my arm with hers and pulling her away. “Let’s give everyone some space to chatter while we check with the coordinators and make sure everything’s okay.”

“Well… if Anna Preston herself says so,” she laughed nervously, letting me lead her along.

She was cute when she was embarrassed. I’d get another shot at the promotion another time. I’d rather miss that than miss how cute Lucy was when she got embarrassed.

Chapter 21

Lucy

I guess there was a press release. I wasn’t paying much attention.

Didn’t need to—Anna and I knew what we were doing, and we moved fluidly around one another touching base with everybody around the event space, making sure everything was lined up, greeting and flattering everyone who showed up, checking in with every wheel of the well-oiled machine without either of us really having to think about it.

Even managed to keep Anna’s parents and Veronica from causing any problems. Sacrificed Kelcey, poor girl, to placate Veronica, keeping the two of them busy elsewhere, while we just treated Anna’s parents like they were esteemed guests who were supposed to be here and gave them enough formal treatment that they realized they had to behave formally too, and they stopped trying to embarrass Anna for long enough for a proper event to take place.

Altogether, the event was mostly just a good way to keep myself moving, keep myself busy, and not spiral overthinking that kiss, but obviously I was lying to myself, because obviously I was still spiraling overthinking that kiss. I slipped Anna into every conversation I had, regardless of whether it was about her or not, just because the wordAnnakept coming unbidden from my mouth. Lined up with the way I spent half the setup time juststaring at her, whether by my side or across the hall, so I guess I was just staying in character.

But I broke character once we settled down, into the height of the event—Berg and Gould both up on the podium, the lights dimmed over the audience as they both went delivering their remarks, and Anna and I hung at the wings of the stage, watching from behind the curtains, just the two of us. Here in the low lights, it felt like we had a secret world for me and her, and I couldn’t hear a word Berg was saying. He could have been out there shit-talking me to the crowd and I’d be none the wiser. I was sitting next to Anna, and I managed to hold it in for about two seconds once it was just the two of us in the quiet.

“Say, Preston,” I whispered, and she sighed, her shoulders falling, looking up at the light rig above us, pointed out at the two on stage.

“I don’t want to dance around this, hide this whole thing, try to get the promotion under false pretenses and then keep hiding how I feel,” she said. “I can get a promotion another time. In some context where I’m not going to hate the promotion and the office. I already saw what it’s like to go through the work while you’re not around…” She pinched her lips tightly, dropping her gaze. “It’s… hard to focus,” she said, voice hollow, quiet, distant.

I swallowed, hard, my heart beating faster, as I looked at her like she was… well, like she was the most beautiful, radiant person in the world. Awfully easy to look at Anna Preston like that. “Anna… are you… trying to say something emotionally loaded and it’s difficult to get around to it?”

“Me? No. Never.” She tented her hands in her lap, sinking back on the bench seat, and she sighed. “Okay, fine. I don’t say this very often, but you win. I’m in love with you, Lucy, and I don’t want all the status and money and power in the world if itkeeps me further away from you. How’s that?” She shifted. “How did I do?”

I let out a breath, staring, lips parted, eyes wide, mind spinning in a circle. I was pretty sure I’d heard every word she’d just said individually, but I couldn’t put them together in any way that made sense. The way she said it almost seemed to imply that she was in love with me and didn’t want all the status and money and power in the world if it would keep her further away from me, but, well, that didn’t make much sense, now, did it? She was Anna Preston—divine beauty made real, radiant enough the sun had to stay hundreds of millions of miles away or be burned out by her light. She wasevery word from her lips is a sweet symphony,wasmade the mountains and the stars jealous they could never compete with her beauty,washumankind birthed civilization in hopes one day it could lead to her,and I was just Lucy.

“What?” I said, finally. Anna quirked a smile at me.

“What part did you miss? Should I start from the beginning again?”

“The part where… it made sense.”

She laughed, and in the low lights, I could barely see the hint of a flush in her cheeks, her gaze missing mine. “I don’t think that part came up anywhere. I don’t think any of this has ever made sense. But I do know my life doesn’t feel right when you’re not around, and I know when I think of the wordlove,it’s your obnoxious smile that comes to mind.”

“Are you—talking tome?”

“No, I’m practicing to profess my love for Kelcey,” she deadpanned. “Yes, Lucy. It’s as surprising to me as anyone.”

I turned to her, my heart pounding, my throat tight. “But you’re… I mean, you’ve been trying for a while to get your name on that… office door.” What the hell was I doing?Anna Prestonwas telling me she was in love with me and I was trying to talkher out of it? I had a fistful of winning lottery tickets I was trying to shove down a garbage disposal. But Anna just laughed, leaning back against the wall behind us, kicking one leg up over the other.

“Really thought I was in the lead,” she laughed. “But then you went and made me realize I can’t imagine life without you. Clever play, Masters. I have to give you credit.”

“Are you actually telling me youlove me?”

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