“How are you today?” A frown suddenly appeared on Elizabeth’s face. “You’ve been crying.”
“No, I just splashed a little water on my face. I’m fine.” Elizabeth saw everything, noticed every detail about people. Nothing got past Elizabeth Drake, no matter how hard Lexi tried.
Elizabeth sighed. “I know my phone call put him in a bad mood, but there was no reason to take it out on you.” Elizabeth tapped her nails on the arm of the chair. “I’m going to have a long talk with my son.”
“No, please don’t do that. My issues with Vincent today actually had nothing to do with the phone call. We argued about something entirely different.”
That caught Elizabeth’s attention. “Did he even mention my call?”
“No, but I might have overheard a little bit of his end of the conversation, and when we were at the end of our discussion, he handed me this and told me to bring it to you.” Lexi shrugged her shoulders and glanced out the window where she could see an airplane soaring through the cloudless sky.
“Well, since he was too much of a coward or too pig headed to tell you, I guess I will.”
Lexi felt her nerves kick into high gear. Something was off. Her senses told her this wasn’t an insignificant discussion they were about to have. “Ookay.
What d-do you want to talk about?”
Without hesitation, Elizabeth placed her hand on Lexi’s. “Relax dear, it’s not bad. I wouldn’t lure you into my office and fire you out of the blue. That’s not my style.”
An irrational thought popped into Lexi’s head as she thought back to the angry conversation she’d caught bits and pieces of. “Did Vincent ask you to fire me?”
“No, he didn’t. And for the record, I hired you so I’m the only one who can fire you. In the past, I’ve made the mistake of letting him pick his assistants and then he fired them, but your job is actually much more secure than even Vincent realizes, so don’t you worry, dear.”
“I’m sorry. I have no idea why I’m so emotional today.”
“It’s fine, dear. Everything is fine. The reason I wanted to talk to you is I have a proposition, if you’re game. I think it would be a great opportunity, and I hope you will consider it.”
The hint of excitement in Elizabeth’s voice was contagious, and before long Lexi found herself on the edge of her seat.
“What you and Vincent did with the Stone account was nothing short of amazing. It would have been amazing even if it was the original presentation, but knowing that you two put that together the night before, it was astonishing.”
Lexi blushed at the praise. “Thank you.”
“I want you to know that Vincent told me just how much of that presentation was your idea.” She sipped her water, watching Lexi’s expression of surprise. “He may be a hotheaded jerk, but he gives credit where credit is due, and to hear him speak about it, you deserve a great deal of credit for that presentation, so thank you. You really helped land an important account for the company.”
After the drama of the morning, Lexi was shocked to know that Vincent had been so honest with Elizabeth, especially when he didn’t need to be. He could have allowed her to think that all Lexi did were the typical assistant duties: running copies, taking notes, and feeding him while he created the fabulous presentation concepts. But instead, he’d praised her input and made sure Elizabeth knew about it. Of course, that was totally opposite of everything Lexi had overheard him saying that morning.
A frustrated sigh escaped from Lexi. “Your son’s the most confusing man I have ever met.”
“I know.”
“I’m sorry,” Lexi said, shaking her head. “I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“Let me cut to the chase. I like you. I think you’re a natural at this, and your ability to read people and situations is invaluable. Sean also told me that you did some freelance ad work for Hope’s shop, the Crowbar. I did a little research, and again I have to say am thoroughly impressed with your work. The concept, the style was perfect for what you were trying to achieve and the demographic you were trying to reach.”
Lexi felt the rush of blood to her cheeks as they flamed red. “Thank you,” she said timidly, “it was no big deal.”
“On the contrary, it is a very big deal. Those ads were brilliant, and the way you marketed the shop showed great ingenuity. Even Vincent remembered the ads that ran, as did Robert. They stuck with two men who truthfully can’t find the mustard in the refrigerator even when it’s looking them in the face, so for them to take notice is high praise.” Elizabeth laughed then became very serious. “Can I put all my cards on the table and have a very off-the-record conversation with you?”
Without pause, Lexi answered. “I’d never betray your confidence, Elizabeth.”
“I know that, dear. Thank you.” She slipped off her heels and casually folded her legs under her. “I wanted to give you a promotion.”
The suspicions she had earlier were confirmed with Elizabeth’s admission. She noticed that she said “wanted,” past tense. Rather than saying anything, she simply nodded and let her continue.
“You have amazing potential, Lexi, which I don’t think you even realize. That presentation I gave you that Friday in the copy room—do you remember?” Again Lexi nodded but remained silent. “It was a test of sorts. I saw what you had been studying in college, and I wanted to see if you still had it in you after being out of the loop for so long. Not only did you find the errors I purposely made, but some of the rearrangement you did to my final product was so fantastic, I used it in the actual presentation. Eight years away from your studies and yet you jumped back in the mix and impressed me, which I have to say is not an easy thing to do.”
The compliment overwhelmed Lexi. “I—I don’t know what to say. You’re too kind.” Tears welled in her eyes.
“Be clear, I’m not being kind, Lexi. People adore you. They respond to you. I can’t tell you how many clients I’ve talked to since the gala who have asked how you are doing. They remember you because you have this inexplicable spark. I know Vincent has explained that a good part of what we do is sell ourselves to clients, and you’re already mastering that. The area I think you need to work on is your confidence. You need to believe that you’re as good as I know you are.”