Page 122 of Until You

Chapter Thirty-Two

Lanie went back to the store after her lunch with Tyler, if for no other reason so that she could come up with a plan for how to handle the employees. She still hadn’t told Stephanie about Tyler’s involvement in the shutdown. She couldn’t tell her in front of their employees.

Their training was going well, and a couple of hours after lunch, Lanie sent them home. When they were gone, she grabbed her purse. “Let’s go get a drink.”

“We still need to work on paperwork,” Stephanie said.

“No,” Lanie said, pulling out Stephanie’s purse and handing it to her. “No more work today.”

They locked up and walked down the street to the Irish bar. After they got their drinks, Lanie took a deep breath. “Tyler was the one who shut us down.”

“What? When did you find that out?”

She rubbed her forehead. “I knew his firm was behind it, but Randy had assured me that Tyler wasn’t involved, which was true until after Britt’s barbecue. And Tyler had bought my cover story so well, he’d never thought we were any part of it. He didn’t find out until this morning, when I had him drop me off at the store.”

“Oh, Lanie. Are you furious with him?”

“He had no idea I was involved. How can I be angry with him for being so good at his job?”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

“I talked to corporate,” Lanie said. “They want you in Phoenix a week from Monday whether our store opens or not.”

“And you’re going to Atlanta?” Stephanie asked.

“Yeah, I’m leaving next Wednesday.”

“I wish I was going with you,” Steph said, then grinned. “Maybe you could put in a good word for me with Aiden.”

“Are you serious?” Lanie asked in surprise. “You never hinted that you wanted to move on from Montgomery Enterprises.”

“It won’t be the same without you, so promise me that you’ll ask him.”

Lanie was surprised at the desperation in her eyes. “Of course, Steph. You and I are a great team. Aiden would be lucky to get us both.”

“So what are you going to do about Tyler?” Stephanie asked.

Lanie sighed. “One problem at a time.”

***

Several hours later, Lanie opened her apartment door. Tyler stood in the hall, holding a bag of sushi and a bottle of wine.

“I brought packing sustenance.”

She grinned, even though she felt like crying.

Tyler walked into her apartment and kissed her. “I love you, Lanie,” he said when he lifted his head.

“I love you too.”

He set the bag on the counter. “Let’s eat first and pack later.” He pulled out a container as he looked around the apartment. “For someone who doesn’t have much stuff, you have a lot packed.”

“I got a start on it the other day. And no, there’s not much left.”

“So you lured me here under false pretenses,” he teased, but his eyes were sad.

She grinned. “You must be the first person in the history of the world to complain about not packing.”

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