Page 113 of Until You

“I don’t know, but I know I won’t be part of it.”

Stephanie looked confused. “But won’t you be part of that decision if you’re the new VP?”

A lump filled Lanie’s throat, and she took a second to clear it. “No. I won’t be the new VP. I won’t get the promotion if we don’t open.”

Horror filled Stephanie’s eyes. “You didn’t tell me that part.”

Lanie shrugged, trying to play off the omission. “You didn’t need the pressure. Just getting the store open after all the delays was pressure enough. Besides, it’s my issue to worry about, not yours, Steph.”

“We’re friends, Lanie. Of course it’s my concern.” She was quiet for a moment. “What are you going to do?”

Lanie forced a smile. “I guess I’ll see if Aiden will still take me.”

“But you wanted to stay in Kansas City. What about the headhunter?”

Lanie shook her head. “There’s nothing here. I told her to let me know if she found something, and I haven’t heard a thing.”

“There’s an option you haven’t considered,” Stephanie said. “You can still come to Phoenix with me.”

A sad smile crossed Lanie’s face. “No. Even if I wanted to go to Phoenix—and I don’t—corporate would never let me. If we don’t open, my career with Margo Benson and Montgomery Enterprises will be over.”

“It was hard enough knowing you weren’t coming with me to Phoenix,” Stephanie said. “But at least I knew you’d still be my boss.”

The lump was back in Lanie’s throat. “But I’ll still be your friend.”

Stephanie bit her bottom lip and she offered a quavering smile. “I hope so.”

Lanie vowed to make sure their relationship didn’t die like all her others. “Hey,” she said cheerfully. “Let’s not plan the funeral yet. Legal is working on it, and in the meantime, we’re going to keep working as though nothing has changed. Then, when legal works their magic, we’ll be ready to open. In the meantime, I need to make a call to Aiden.” She paused. “Just in case.”

“What about Tyler?”

She shook her head. “I don’t know.”

Stephanie sensed her hesitation. “We’ll be ready. We will open on Monday morning. The attorneys still have a few days to figure something out.”

Lanie wished she was as certain. “Everything’s ready for our training session tomorrow, so I think I’m going home. I have a massive headache, and a warm bath might help.” She grabbed her purse. “But I’ll see you bright and early tomorrow morning.

Stephanie picked up her phone. “Let me call you an Uber.”

“No. I need the walk.” Maybe it would help her to clear her head and figure out what to do next. She started to open the door, but an overwhelming sense of doom washed over her, and she stopped with her hand on the doorknob.

“Lanie?” Stephanie asked, sounding worried. “Did you want me to call you a car after all?”

“I’m going to lose him, Steph.”

“What?”

She turned to face Stephanie. “I’m going to lose Tyler.”

Stephanie stood and pulled Lanie into a hug. “You don’t have to. You can make it work just like you and I will.”

Oh, God. She was right, but the suggestion had the opposite effect of comforting. She’d tried to maintain friendships with a few high school friends during college, and a few college friends after graduation, but with the exception of Aiden, every single one had failed because of distance. The only reason her friendship with Aiden hadn’t died was because the business world kept throwing them together, and he was too stubborn to let it go.

But it reinforced her belief about long-distance relationships. It wasn’t just her parents’ marriage that died because of distance. So had all her friendships. No wonder she’d walled herself off during the last nomadic five years. She’d been protecting herself from the inevitable heartbreak. Nothing lasted.

But she couldn’t tell Steph any of that. Steph still believed they could make it work, and Lanie wasn’t going to take that belief from her. “Yeah,” Lanie said with a tight smile. “Thanks.”

When she got to her apartment, she decided to skip the bath and, instead, changed into yoga pants and a T-shirt. No matter the outcome of the opening, she was moving out of this apartment within two weeks and she needed to pack up her meager belongings. Tyler had promised to help her on Sunday, but now she felt the urge to put as much distance between her and Tyler as possible.

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