I also miss sparring with Lincoln over Regis rolls every morning. Anytime I go upstairs, I fight back tears at the sight of Jane in his office.
A whole month passes before I can blink.
No one抯 heard from Lincoln since the day he disappeared.
I definitely haven抰。 I don抰 know what I expected, though.
He made it clear that I don抰 matter. I抦 the dirty little secret who blew him up and pushed him out of his career.
Anna and Jane have my back, working hard to shut down any lingering gossip. But it抯 almost like they don抰 need to. He抯 been gone so long we抮e creeping into life goes on territory, when news becomes memories and memories start to fade.
I head downstairs with a sigh, ready for another dull day. Cinnamon and butter punch me in the nose when I hit the marketing floor.
Jesus. It shouldn抰 still remind me of him.
I抳e avoided Sweeter Grind like the plague lately. Now, that抯 impossible with everyone holding one of those stupid colossal cinnamon rolls.
揌ey, Dakota.?Cheryl smiles and follows me on my way to Anna抯 office梩echnically now mine. 揧ou want me to grab you a Regis roll??
揘o. I抦梩rying out this low carb thing. It抯 pretty brutal. The entire diet is bacon and cabbage.?I stick my tongue out.
揥oof! You抮e braver than me,?she says with a laugh. 揂re you okay??
I nod briskly.
揇o I not look okay??
揧ou抮e smiling, but your eyes aren抰。 It抯 okay to be upset.?
Part of me loves her for going into office mom mode when she sees me having so much as a quiet moment. The rest of me feels annoyed.
揑抦 fine, Cheryl. No reason to be upset.?
揑 mean, I抎 still be raiding the drugstore every night for ice cream. Do they have a bacon and cabbage flavor??
I look at her and blink.
揑 don抰 want to find out. Also, it抯 been an entire month. I抦 over it, lady. If I can get over a crazy, cheating scumbag leaving me at the altar, I can also get over Lincoln freaking Burns.?
I wish those words sounded sincere.
Who am I kidding? Lincoln Burns is everything I ever wanted.
He抯 everything Jay isn抰， and now he抯 gone in a flash of shattered hearts.
I try not to scoff.
揑f you ever want to talk, I抦 here,?Cheryl says gently.
Oops. I guess that scoff was audible.
揧eah. Thanks.?
揂nd thank you for your feedback on the latest copy. I抦 correcting it today, and I抣l have it to you by lunch. It抯 way easier working for you!?
I plaster on a smile that doesn抰 feel real.
People keep telling me I抦 a natural in this role, but it makes me hate it more.
Just because you抮e competent doesn抰 mean you抮e happy.
I want to sling words梟ot manage people梐nd I desperately hope maybe Jane decides she wants her old COO position back so Anna will have to fall back to this. I抣l gladly give it up the second she asks.
揧our work rocks, Cheryl. Tons of improvement,?I tell her, ripping my mind off bad thoughts.
Cheryl beams, her soft silvery eyes twinkling. 揑 think it抯 because you showed me I抦 not afraid to take chances. If something doesn抰 work, you let me know without any ego in the way. We just change it up.?
My lips twist in thought. Her posts have gotten funnier recently.
揅an抰 wait to see what you bring me. I抣l see you later,?I say as I push open my office door.
I抳e barely been at my desk for fifteen minutes when someone knocks.
Now what?
揅ome in!?I call.
Whoever I expect, it抯 definitely not Tillie Burns marching through the door in a green blazer and gold necklace that look like they were just jacked from a runway model.
Can this day get any worse?
揗rs. Burns? What a surprise. I wasn抰 expecting you.?That抯 an understatement.
And Tillie is a nice woman but her sudden presence is like a sucker punch.
The biggest reminder of Captain Dipshit yet.
揌ello, dear. I抦 sorry I haven抰 been around the last few weeks to check in on everyone since Lincoln left. He asked me to lay low, actually, and thought it would make the transition easier. I agreed. I love this company, though, and I simply couldn抰 stay away forever. I抦 sure you抳e had one of my cinnamon rolls??
揢m, bacon diet. I wish I could.?I wrinkle my nose. 揃ut the whole office loves them. You抮e pretty much the hero around here anytime you bring Sweeter Grind.?
揙h, the pleasure is all mine. It抯 the least I can do to support my grown-up baby. I want this company to thrive with heart and soul for many years to come梕ven if my dearest son is a horse抯 ass.?
I bite back laughter, giving her a curious look.
Somehow, I have a feeling this isn抰 just about cinnamon rolls and waxing nostalgic.
Without hesitation, Tillie closes the door behind her and takes the empty seat across from my desk.
揇akota, I抦 so sorry,?she says abruptly.
Wait, what?
So that抯 what she wants. I was afraid of this.
I glance at her, guarded, and shake my head.
揧ou can抰 apologize for your son抯 behavior, Mrs. Burns. It抯 not your fault. If he really wanted to apologize梡lease don抰 take this the wrong way梑ut he抎 man up and do it himself.?
I try to keep my anger in check. It抯 not easy when I know he hasn抰 done it because he doesn抰 want to.
揙h, I抦 not apologizing for him,?Tillie says smoothly.
My eyebrows go up. 揟hen why did you say you抮e sorry??
揃ecause I feel responsible for this dreadful outcome.?Her body ripples with a sigh.
A single surprised laugh slips out of me.
揟his is not your fault in any way, shape, or form. Not even indirectly. It抯 partly mine for being stupid enough to get involved, to believe him. And a lot of it was his for being棓 I remember I抦 talking to his mom. 揢mm梬ell梥o Lincoln.?
She gives me a knowing nod.
揟he boy can be maddening. I know, considering I抦 the one who raised him. His father was the same way.?Her lips curl in this half smile, and her eyes are somewhere else. A different time and place.
揕incoln told me you adored his dad…？
揙h, I still do.?She shrugs. 揟hat didn抰 make him any less infuriating at times. But that抯 not my point. I抦 here to apologize for my role in this mess. I抦 the one who talked Lincoln into entertaining this fake engagement marketing ploy while I hoped it would turn into something else. If I抎 just kept my meddling mouth shut, the rest of this drama might have been avoided.?
I don抰 follow.
揧ou did??I whisper. I was under the impression Lincoln Burns doesn抰 do anything he doesn抰 damn well want to do.
Tillie nods slowly, frowning.
揇o you remember the first day we met??she asks.
揌ow could I forget? You found me crying…？She must think I抦 such a loser. The first time we met, I was having a nervous breakdown at work. Now I抳e had a tryst with her son that pushed him out of her company.
揟hat抯 the day. Lincoln came around the corner, saw you upset, and was ready to kill someone棓
揧our son was the reason I was hurt,?I tell her.
There抯 no point in hiding it if we抮e spilling truths all over the place.
揧es, I guessed as much.?She smiles sheepishly. 揑t bothered him, though. Deeply. I know when he抯 upset. In fact, the only time I抳e ever seen him so flustered is when that young man he looks after gets in real trouble棓
揥yatt??
揧es,?she says with a knowing smile.
揘ot to change the subject, but how抯 he doing??I sincerely want to know.
揌e抯 on the mend. It hasn抰 been an easy recovery, but when this all started, it wasn抰 even certain he had another chance in the cards.?