Chapter 18

I blinked up at the multiple storied, sky-high office building of Argent Energy Systems. The last time I had been here, I had never met Casper Argent, and I was protesting his business decisions. By the end of that day, I’d been covered with glitter, and I had two tampons stuck up my nose.

Marla and Zoe were in the car with me now. She had driven me here, and now they were both beaming at me with their identical toothy grins. I couldn’t help smiling back at them.

“Good luck, Aunty Lily,” Zoe said, and she threw her arms around me to give me a tight hug. She could sense that something important and nerve wracking was going on with me.

“Thank you, baby. It’s not a big deal,” I said to her, closing my eyes with the warmth of her squeeze. When we parted, I noticed the way Marla was looking at me.

“What?” I asked her, suppressing a smile.

“This is a big day for you,” she said, and I bit down on my lip.

“I don’t know what you mean by that!” I tucked in some errant strands of red curls behind my ears.

“Lily Fitz never apologizes. I think the only person you’ve ever apologized to in your life is Zoe,” Marla said, gripping the steering wheel.

I rolled my eyes. “I’ve apologized to people before.”

Marla gave a high-pitched laugh.

“Why are you apologizing to this man, Aunty Lily?” Zoe tugged at my arm. I turned and ruffled her hair, a smile forming on my face.

“I’m not just apologizing to him, Zoe. I’m here to thank him as well. Our protest signs worked,” I said.

“So, the birds are safe?” she squealed, and I nodded.

“But remember to apologize, too, Lily,” Marla said, like an indulgent parent.

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll apologize for what I said to him,” I said, cracking the car door open as I began to step out.

“But keep your head high and walk out of there with poise,” Marla said, as I stepped out of the car and slammed the door shut behind me.

When I bent down at the window, my two favorite girls had their faces turned to me – shiny, expectant, adorable faces. I couldn’t help but beam at them.

“This is a good step, Lily. You’ll be able to get past all of this with dignity. An apology works,” Marla said.

“Time to move on with my life,” I added.

“You sure you don’t want us to wait for you?” she asked, as I began to walk away, blowing Zoe a kiss.

“Nah, I’ll be fine. I’ll take a cab. You go on off to work. See you girls tomorrow,” I said, waving my hand at them. Marla looked worried suddenly, but Zoe was my cheerleader, waving her hand at me furiously as I walked toward the building.

This was big. I had never felt so nervous before.

I could hear my heart thumping against my chest as I walked slowly toward the revolving glass doors of the magnificently tall, polished building.

I was taking a leap of faith. I didn’t even know if Casper was here or somewhere else, or if he would be willing to see me.

I caught a glimpse of myself in the glass doors just before I stepped in. I’d taken extra care with my outfit today. I was concerned about making the right impression. If this was going to be the last time we saw each other, I wanted him to remember me at my best. I’d chosen a pencil skirt in blue pastel floral prints that accentuated the curves on my hips. The blouse was the same pastel blue in chiffon with an elaborate ribbon bow at the collar. I’d tied my hair up in a loose bun on the side so that several bright red curls fell around my face, which I had to constantly tuck in behind my ear. The bun was held together with a blue ribbon, which I felt added a nice touch.

My trademark leather sandals and a bright red lipstick completed my look. When I looked into the glass, I was happy with the way I was going to present myself.

I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Casper since two days ago when we saw him on TV. I couldn’t stop imagining that he’d changed his mind about the wind farm because of me. I knew that was foolish. He’d asked me to stay out of his life. I was aware that he’d probably turn me away. That he might have already found someone new to fuck. But I couldn’t sleep at night. I needed to see him again. I wanted to thank him for the decision he made and apologize for my behavior.

There was nothing I wanted more than that. I repeatedly told myself that I was only here to thank him and for nothing else. And yet, as I pushed through the glass doors, I couldn’t stop the nervousness from gripping me hard. I couldn’t stop my mind from whizzing, playing out disaster situations, wondering if he was even there, what he might be wearing, how he might look at me.

It was all very foolish. I tried to calm my brain as I walked down the polished marble floor of the reception area. Everywhere I looked, busy-looking people in dark suits and smart skirts were walking past me. Never before had I felt this out of place, and I couldn’t deny that several people were turning to look at me, and not for all the right reasons.

I still pasted a smile on my face and walked with pretend confidence over to the reception desk where a prim-looking receptionist sat with a microphone on a headband near her mouth.

She looked extremely busy and hadn’t even noticed me walk over to her.

“Hi, good morning.” I was fumbling with my words and realized too late that it was already four in the afternoon.

The woman looked up, training her narrow, dark eyes on me with a jerk. I could see that she was studying me thoroughly, from the ribbon in my hair to my worn leather sandals. And she did not approve of what she saw.

Her hair was sleek and blond, tied in a thin, tight ponytail behind her head. She wore a dark silk blouse, and that was all I could see. She had gone for that heavy makeup look used to try and portray a no-makeup face. I could see the foundation congealing on her cheekbones.

“Good evening. How may I help you?” she asked. Her fingers were poised above the keyboard while she paused her typing to stare me down. I had never met such a high-brow receptionist before, and I raised an eyebrow at her while she continued to look at me down her sharp, long nose.

“I’m here to meet with Mr. Casper Argent. My name is Lily Fitz,” I said, as sweetly as I could.

The woman looked away from me and started typing again.

“Do you have an appointment with Mr. Argent, Lily Fitz?” she said, and I cleared my throat. So, this wasn’t going to be as easy as I thought it would be.

“No, but he knows me, so if you call him and ask, I’m sure he’ll see me,” I said, still forcing myself to smile.

“I see.” The woman was still typing furiously. “And is he expecting you, Lily Fitz?” She was saying my name like she was trying to stab me with each syllable.

I sighed, my smile slipping for a second with my frustration. “No, but like I said, he knows me,” I said, and began to tap the floor with my shoes.

Her fingers stopped typing on the keyboard, and she stared down at me with her narrow, dark eyes. It almost scared me into submission, but I held my ground. Now my nervousness was gone, and it was replaced with a new kind of bravado. Who did this woman think she was?

“Look, Mr. Argent is a very busy man. If you wouldn’t mind just leaving the leaflet with me, I promise he’ll have a look at it when he can,” she said, her lips curling in an evil smile.

“I’m not selling anything!” I raised my voice slightly as I shook my head with anger. “I’m here to talk to him, and he knows me personally.” I gulped as I said the words.

Now the idea was dawning on me, especially since this woman had repeated my name so many times, that Casper might have actually put a ban on me. He might have spread the word in his office that under no circumstances was anyone to allow me to enter the building or see him.

“I understand, Ms. Fitz, but Mr. Argent is busy in meetings at the moment, so you will have to come back.” The woman seemed to enjoy the way my face was now reddening with anger.

“I’ll wait if he’s busy,” I snapped at her. I wasn’t smiling anymore. I couldn’t hide the fact that I was deeply offended.

“Miss, I suggest you come back later. In fact, here is my card. You can call me tomorrow, and I’ll let you know if he’s available to see you,” she said, and turned to reach for her business card.

Something inside me did a somersault, and I was gone in a flash. I took the opportunity of the woman’s inattention to make a run for it. I was running for the elevators at the end of the lobby, my sandals slipping on the polished marble floor.

“Ms. Fitz! Stop!” the receptionist called in a high-pitched voice behind me. Then the hurry of boots, and when I looked over my shoulder, two uniformed guards were chasing me toward the elevators as well.

I kept running, my breath catching in my throat, my curls flying behind me. This was insane. But I was doing it.

The elevator doors pinged, and I could see people getting out. I pushed past them and pressed the penthouse button. That’s where I was taken on the day of the protest.

In typical Hollywood style, the doors closed just as the guards reached them. I shrugged my shoulders at them.

The elevator started moving, and I rested the back of my head against the steel wall and closed my eyes. What had I been thinking? I knew that security would be waiting for me on the other side of the door, or they might stop the elevator on a different floor and pull me out. Would I be put in handcuffs? Would they call the police? Was I going to be arrested? It would be such a shame to be arrested when I wasn’t even protesting something that I believed in.

I sighed as I watched the lights on the buttons move, up and up and up. I tried to catch my breath, and I could feel a film of sweat on my forehead from all the running. What would Marla say when I told her this? She’d probably laugh if I got away with it, or rebuke me if I got arrested.

The doors pinged open, and I straightened up immediately. Surprisingly, there were no guards waiting on the other side.