Lucas sat in an executive chair speaking to an assembled group of people.
Perfect.
She didn’t want to interrupt their meeting, but she would be able to catch him on the way out—as long as she wasn’t caught herself before the meeting adjourned.
She took a seat at an empty cubicle a few feet away and kept her eye on the conference room door. A part of her wished she had donned some sort of disguise. If Rebecca Moss came upon her now, she would never get this job.
Eventually, the meeting drew to a close. As all the men and women in the room stood up, Elise got to her feet too. She knew that she would have only one chance at this. She had to confront Lucas as soon as he came out the door.
And luck must have been on her side, because when the door opened, he was the one on the other side of it.
Elise stepped forward, placing herself right in his path so that he couldn’t miss her.
“Excuse me,” he said, stepping to the side, not really noticing her.
Then he froze in his tracks, turned, and looked again.
She swallowed hard. Now that the moment had come, she wasn’t exactly sure what to say.
“Hi, Lucas,” she said weakly.
His face was blank. “Elise.”
She had hoped for a warmer reception—she had allowed herself to think that he might even be excited to see her—but at least they were talking. “Can we go somewhere and speak privately?” she asked.
He looked annoyed. “This is my workplace, Elise.”
“I know that,” she said. “I mean, I know that now. I had an interview here yesterday. I saw you.”
“You applied to work at Quadra-Well?” he asked. “Why?”
“I…” She trailed off. He was being so confrontational. “I’d like to speak to you privately, if that would be possible.”
“I really don’t have time right now,” he said. “I’m in the middle of my workday, and I have a lot of meetings to take. If you wanted to speak with me, you could have gotten in touch with me weeks ago.”
“How was I supposed to do that?” she demanded. “I didn’t have any way to contact you.”
“I left you my phone number.”
“That number didn’t work—”
“Mr. Gainsborough?” A voice floated out from inside the conference room. “Is everything all right out there?”
“We’re fine,” Lucas said shortly.
“Would you like me to get someone?”
“No. We’re fine.” He took Elise by the arm and pulled her off to the side a little. “What is it?” he asked.
“Can’t we go into your office?” she asked.
“No,” he said. “I heard a rumor that a girl who interviewed here yesterday was trying to arrange a meeting with me. I’m guessing that was you?”
“It was,” she said. “But Lucas—”
“Say what you came to say,” he said brusquely.
She was furious, suddenly. Hadn’t he been the one who had given her a bad phone number? And now he was angry with her for daring to contact him via the only avenue that had still been open to her? What the hell else was she supposed to have done?
Well, that was just fine. If he didn’t want to have this conversation privately, they would have it publicly. It might hurt her chances of getting hired here, but maybe she didn’t want to work for him anyway if this was what he was really like.
“I came here to tell you that I’m pregnant,” she said. “And you’re the father.”
His jaw dropped.
He gaped at her silently for several long moments.
Gradually, Elise began to feel some empathy for him. She remembered how intense it had been for her when she learned the news. It was a lot to be hit with all at once.
“I wanted to tell you privately,” she said. “That’s why I asked you to go to your office. And that’s why I was trying to meet with you yesterday.”
His mouth opened and closed a few times. She could tell that he was searching for something to say.
“I just thought you had a right to know,” she told him. “And I want the baby to have a father, even if you don’t want to be super involved. I want the baby to know who you are. I don’t think that’s too much to ask, right?”
He shook his head, but she couldn’t tell if he was agreeing with her or disagreeing.
“How long have you known this?” he managed at last.
“A few weeks now,” she said.
“And you didn’t call me?”
“Lucas, I told you, the number you left me didn’t work,” she said. “I thought