at the foot of the bed. “You need to eat something.”
Reagan hesitated before propping herself against the headboard. Food was the last thing on her mind. She wanted to pull the covers over her head and pretend that what she’d done was just a nightmare, that she’d be able to go back to Edison & Curry when she returned to New York and all would be well.
She eyed the tray dubiously. “I don’t think I can.”
Serenity leaned to one side. “Lorelei didn’t mean to offend you. She’s angry with the friend who betrayed her, and she’s taking it out on you. You realize that, right? You’re just a proxy.”
“Of course I realize that. I’m not mad at her. I would loathe me, too, if I were in her shoes. I can’t believe I’m that woman, you know? The one everyone hates for being so stupid and selfish.”
Serenity’s eyes were sympathetic. “Everyone screws up—”
“Not like this,” Reagan broke in. She wasn’t willing to accept such an easy excuse. “There are enough regular setbacks in life, setbacks you can’t avoid. I’m furious at myself for causing my own downfall.”
“Downfall?” Serenity echoed. “Isn’t that a little...extreme?”
“Hardly. I can’t continue to work with Drew. I’ll have to quit my job, and I love what I do. Love where I work.” She’d had her eye on achieving partner from the beginning, and she was so close! She didn’t want to start over. It was much harder for a woman to climb that corporate ladder than a man. She’d had to do a great deal more to prove herself.
She shook her head in disgust as she remembered some of the partners in the agency mentioning how detrimental it would be if she were to get married, because she might lose her focus. Or, God forbid, have a baby, which would require the death sentence of maternity leave.
“You might find something even better,” Serenity said.
It was hard to be optimistic, given the situation, but she made herself say, “Maybe. I just wish I’d been smarter.”
As she shoved more pillows behind her back, she remembered Drew catching her hand as she started to walk out of his office. The next thing she knew, they were kissing and touching and, at some point, he kicked the door shut.
That had merely been a safety precaution, though. Everyone else had already left the building, except maybe a couple of accountants who worked on another floor.
If only those accountants had been closer, she and Drew would’ve had to stop...
“I should’ve quit my job as soon as I could tell he was beginning to have feelings for me—and that I reciprocated them,” she went on. “I’d still have to start over at another firm, but at least my dignity would be intact. And my reputation. I never dreamed we’d act on what we felt. He’s been a devoted family man ever since I met him. That’s partly what I love about him.”
“Does he feel as bad as you do?”
She thought of the many calls and texts she’d ignored. “I have no idea. I haven’t talked to him.”
“Since...”
“Since it happened,” she clarified.
Serenity sat forward. “Then this isn’t an ongoing affair?”
“No. It’s brand-new. I haven’t been back to work since.”
“Does his wife know?”
Reagan pictured Sally, whom she’d met along with their three boys, seven, nine and twelve, at various work functions. Had Drew gone straight home and confessed? Or was he keeping it from Sally until he could discuss it with Reagan?
And what about his other associates—her associates, too? Had they guessed what was going on?
“Who can say? Like I said, I haven’t talked to him.”
Serenity raised her eyebrows. “Wow.”
Letting her head fall back, Reagan stared up at the ceiling. “I was too confident, you know?” she said, looking at Serenity again. “I believed I had the self-control to avoid going that far. And then...”
When she let her words fade away, Serenity finished for her. “And then you made a mistake. It happened, and you can’t take it back. But punishing