Page 13 of Hooked on Lane

When the delivery arrived, I took the food and coffee into his office and set it down on the table. I was determined to show my appreciation. When Lane and Mr. Longford finally strolled into his office, it was almost nine.

Lane looked like he had a rough night. It wasn't my business to keep track of how much he drank last night, but it was a hefty amount. Yet he stayed in control, didn't act inappropriate, and got home okay. What happened last night would stay in the back of my mind.

Mr. Longford stood at the office window, hands clasped together behind his back. He had been standing in the same spot for a few minutes. “We’re going on a seven-day cruise to Cozumel next week. Can you imagine? I've never been on a cruise before. I'm so excited.”

He deserved to enjoy his retirement. The man had worked so hard for decades.

“My wife has always wanted to travel the world, and I told her she'd have to wait until I retired. Now that I have, we decided a cruise was the perfect way to start. We plan to go all around the Caribbean and then maybe head out to Europe this fall.”

I decided to get started on my work, leaving them to go over the last of the cases. The workday went by in a blur. Paperwork and emails kept me busy, but I didn't want the day to end because that meant Mr. Longford would leave for good.

“We better go,” Laura whispered. “People are gonna start showing up soon.”

We moved the retirement party into one of the bigger rooms because some of his long-term clients wanted to come and celebrate with him today. Thankfully, we did because people were already showing up and with all the firm's employees too, the other room wouldn't have sufficed.

I placed the microphone on the podium and made sure everything was set up correctly when the hushed conversations come to an abrupt halt and all eyes were on me. Mr. Longford arrived in the room, so I rushed back up to the podium.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” I whispered, my voice shaking. “I’m so pleased to welcome you here today to honor Mr. Longford'smany years of dedicated service to this firm. Mr. Longford has been part of this firm since its creation and has been an integral part of its success,” I continued. “Without his vision, dedication, and hard work, none of what we have today would have been possible. He has been a mentor and a friend to many of us here and for that, we thank him.”

There was a loud cheer from the audience and I took a step back, letting Mr. Longford step up. He cleared his throat and looked out at the crowd. “I’m overwhelmed by the number of people here today," he began. “Being part of this firm for so many years has been a great privilege. I've seen it grow from a little family business to what it is today, and it's been a substantial source of pride for me. Thank you to everyone here for all the hard work they have put in over the years to make this the success it is today. I also want to take a moment to thank my assistant, Jennifer. She's been an absolute rock and I don't know what I'd do without her.”

Mr. Longford thanked all the partners at the firm and then introduced the new partner, Lane. Lane raised his hand in the crowd and there was a round of applause.

“It's been an absolute pleasure working with all of you, and I will miss our time together, but I know the firm is in excellent hands and will continue to thrive. So thank you, and I wish you all the best of luck.”

I teared up as I watched Mr. Longford step away from the podium. Everyone was happy for Mr. Longford, but we all knew it would never be the same. Despite my sadness, I couldn’t help but smile as I watched Mr. Longford beam with pride. He deserved this moment, to be surrounded by the people who had worked with him for so many years.

When the party ended, it was time for us to say goodbye. I hugged Mr. Longford tightly. “Keep in touch and send pictures when you go traveling.”

“Of course. Just because you won’t be my assistant anymore doesn’t mean I won’t be checking in on you.”

I watched Mr. Longford step into the elevator. A lump rose in my throat as the elevator doors closed. I had to fight back tears. Laura stepped closer to me, putting her arm around my shoulders. Despite the pain I felt, I smiled at her.

“It’s going to be okay. Lane will be a great boss,” she said. “And Mr. Longford deserves to retire.”

She was right, but it didn’t make it any easier to watch him leave. It may be an ending, but it was also a new beginning.

In all my years in New York City, Mr. Longford had been the one constant in my life, a friend, mentor, and confidant—someone I could turn to when things got tough. I didn't normally get attached to bosses, but he was like a father to me and to see him walk out of this building for the last time broke my heart.

Now it’s time for the new boss, Lane, to live up to his legacy. Despite the sadness of having to say goodbye to my old boss, I had to admit that I was curious to see what Lane had in store for me. It was a new beginning, one that I was both nervous and excited to see where it would take us.

Chapter Thirteen

Lane

Friendsgiving was tonight and honestly I was nervous. Jennifer and I had been strictly professional since that night at the bar and it felt like there was a wall between us—a wall that made sense for both of our careers. Even so, her lavender perfume lingered in my mind, and as each moment passed, I wished I'd met her before I started working at the firm.

I ventured into the grocery store and grabbed a freshly baked pumpkin pie. Red or white wine? They seemed to like red, so I threw one in my shopping basket. My mother taught me never to show up to a gathering empty-handed. A little liquid courage wouldn't hurt either.

I hugged my long wool coat tight around me as I trudged through the freshly fallen snow to Jennifer's apartment building and I paused outside. It was a nondescript building on the Upper East Side. Taking a deep breath to steady my nerves, I opened the front door and headed into the elevator. After finding her apartment, Jennifer opened it with a smile, her face framed by her brown locks and bright-blue eyes. She was dressed in a sweater dress, her long legs finished with edgy black thigh-high boots with a small heel. Her eyebrows rose slightly in surprise at seeing me, her gaze flickering between the pumpkin pie and thebottle of wine before settling back into an understanding smile as she welcomed me in.

“You didn't have to bring anything.”

I shrugged, my hands growing clammy as I looked down at pie and wine tucked into my arm. “My mom taught me better than that.”

Jennifer stepped aside and opened the door wider. “Come in.”

The apartment was small and cozy. The savory smell of something cooking in the kitchen was an immediate comfort.

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