6. What It Represents

Alittle before five on Friday, Braylon decided to go through his email. It'd been a crazy few days of putting out fires and trying to calm West down for something their younger brother Nelson did. So much for West giving Nelson a shot by sending him to Utah to get some information.

As he made his way through his email he landed on one from Lilian Baker. Could it be the same Lilian he had a lunch date with yesterday?

The one he hadn't reached out to since. He'd gone down to the lobby around one today and wasn't sure why. The chances of seeing her were slim and he hadn't. He almost went to her office to ask for her but then decided that might be too much too soon.

The easiest thing would have been to get her email address from the company's directory if he could.

Guess he didn't need to do that since she figured out who he was.

He opened it up and read: Someone in my office saw us out to lunch together. They think you're my fiancé now. And they know you. Which means I know you. Now I feel like such an idiot. I just wanted you to know.

He tried not to grin over the rambling. He could tell she was concerned, but he wasn't. He noticed she'd sent the email before lunch. If he'd checked it then, he could have offered to meet and talk.

No, he barely had time to go down to see if she was around and then return. He'd been slammed back to back with meetings and West had gone to the Hamptons this morning.

He replied back imagining she might still be at work and asked if she could meet when she was done. She could come to his office if she wanted.

He went back to answering his emails and five minutes later heard his go off again, switched screens and saw it was from Lilian saying she'd be working until close to six, but they could meet at some point.

He typed back to come to the top floor and he'd leave instructions for her to be let in by the security.

He wondered if that was presumptuous of him, but he had work to do anyway. There weren't that many around after five on Friday that he'd worry about.

Thomas left an hour ago for a meeting. West was enjoying the weekend while he worked with Abby by his side. Laken was somewhere on the road as always.

An hour later he found he was watching the clock. When six ticked by and then fifteen after, he thought for sure Lilian was blowing him off.

Or maybe security wasn't letting her in even though he left clear instructions for him to be contacted.

He got up from his desk and decided to wander down.

The minute he got to the hallway he saw her step off the elevator.

He rushed forward and opened the door. "She's here to see me, Bill."

The security guard nodded his head and turned back to his station.

"Just one guard?" Lilian asked. "Now that I know who you are, I expected more."

"As you know, you have to pass security to get in the building."

But this floor was tighter. He wouldn't tell her that there were cameras everywhere watching everything with security in a back room. Once everyone was gone for the night, alarms would be set and everything locked up. Later in the day like this, there were fewer on staff.

"True," she said.

He turned to look at her. She was following behind him on his way to his office and her head was swiveling as she looked around. "Relax," he said. "You look frazzled."

"I've been embarrassed over a lot of things in my life but not for being an idiot. This time, I'm a naive idiot not knowing who you were. I was going to buy you some cheap lunch."

He held back the laugh and turned to his office, his hand on her lower back. "I like that you asked me to lunch. I like it even more you didn't know who I was."

There was no way she could hide her reaction now. She couldn't be playing him as he might have worried about other women.

He was the one who made the first move weeks ago to help her out.

"Why?" she asked.

He shut his door. "Have a seat. Relax. I'm glad because you have no idea how many times people want to be around me or talk to me because of who my brother is."

She frowned. "That's wrong. But I guess it makes sense."

He grinned. "I know it's wrong, but you can't change people's thoughts and opinions. What makes sense?"

She told him what Evan had said to her and how she almost got caught up in her lie about who her ‘fiancé' was. "I was annoyed with his last statement."

"I'd be too," he said. "My brother West is dating someone. She works as an HR generalist for a grocery store chain in Albany. She comes from a background similar to what we were growing up. She didn't like the things people were saying about her relationship with West, but she wasn't going to quit her job and live off of him either."

Though he knew damn well West wanted that, he didn't see it happening. He wouldn't be surprised if Abby didn't move to the Hamptons at some point and find work somewhere close by. West would find her something if Abby even allowed it.

Sounded a lot like Lilian.

"Glad to know I'm not the only one. But then I decided to do a little search. Something maybe I should have done when I got your name weeks ago."

He kept his smile in place. "Have you been thinking of me all this time?"

"You think this is funny?" she asked. "I want to cry and I don't cry over anything."

"Hey," he said. "I'm sorry. Why are you upset?"

"I'm twenty-four years old. I just want a chance to put my education to work and find my dream job. I get it. That's stupid."

"Not stupid," he said. "You're working hard and doing things many your age wouldn't."

"I know, but I'm not beyond hard work. I couldn't be left alone to do what I need to each day. This is karma coming back to bite me in the butt. I bought a cheap thirty-dollar ring that I hoped looked real enough. It obviously didn't. I even got called out on it."

He had heard that but hadn't paid too much attention to the ring. Not everyone could afford something like he'd buy. "It's not about the value of the ring but what it represents."

When the first tear rolled out of her eye he started to panic. He jumped up and found tissues and brought them over. "I'm sorry," she said. "I feel like even more of an idiot now. What you said is true. I would have argued that too. But then you came to my side. Looking back, everyone seemed shocked. They must know who you are."

He shrugged. "More know me than I know them."

"I'm sure," she said.

"Do you wear your ring in the office too?" he asked. "You said a coworker saw us together at lunch but then assumed I was your fiancé."

She let out a big sigh and wiped her eyes. "I didn't wear it at first. I'd slip it on to get coffee on Monday, then take it off in my office when I got there. But one day I forgot to take it off. Evan had been flirting with me. He's a manager in another department. He'd asked me to lunch, then a drink. Not over the top, but he kept it up. The day I forgot to take it off he noticed it. Then he got mad and wanted to know why I never said I was taken."

"You didn't because you weren't. Are you interested in him and now the chance is gone?"

"God, no," she said. "I would never date anyone I work with. He's nice enough. I mean it's not like really creepy."

He frowned. "But creepy enough."

"I was handling it."

"With your fake ring?"

"Not funny," she said.

"It kind of is."

"At least you think so," she said. "But now he saw us and he thinks it's you. He's all nervous and indignant over it."

"He should be nervous," Braylon said. He'd make sure the guy stayed away if he knew who he was. He could find out easy enough.

"Why?" she asked. "None of this is true."

"We did go on a date," he said.

"That's far from my fake engagement ring," she said. "I'm waiting for it to turn green on me. It's only sterling silver. Maybe. I'm not even sure. I ordered it online. When I ordered it, it didn't seem like it was going to be that big."

"Now people have seen us together," he said. "So you should be left alone."

"Aren't you worried?" she said. "This might hurt you."

"It's not going to hurt me any," he said, touched she was concerned. "I told you that I wanted to know more about you. Why can't we just go with that? That ring is only a piece of jewelry. An accessory."

"It's what it represents," she said.

"Nope," he said. "It's what it represents to other people, not you. Right?"

"True," she said. "But I was banking on people to think that."

"Let them think it. Did you tell this Evan guy that I was your fiancé?"

"No," she said, shaking her head. "I didn't deny it but didn't agree either."

"Then if you're done working for the day, why don't we get some dinner and try to get to know each other more."

"Like a date?" she asked.

"Our second one. Unless you're not interested. If you're not, then just say you dumped me."

"No one in their right mind would believe I'd dump you unless you cheated on me. I don't tolerate that. Or any kind of abuse."

"My mother would kick my ass if I cheated on a woman let alone physically harmed one. Or even verbally did it. I'm afraid of her."

"I can't tell if you're joking or not," she said, her head going side to side.

"I am," he said at the same time as he shook his head no.

"Okay," she said. "I really am sorry about all of this."

"Don't be," he said. "I'm the one that came to your aid. So if anyone is to blame it's me. I started this."

"I don't think that is possible," she said. "It all started with a lie and that is one thing I don't like to do."

"Everyone lies, Lilian."

"I know. But there are degrees of lies and I don't even like the white ones, but I understand why they happen."

Braylon wasn't sure he'd met someone like her before. No reason to say that though.

He stood up and walked to his desk. He'd been sitting with her on the couch once he brought the tissues back.

He closed his laptop down and put it in his bag. "Why don't we get some dinner then?"

"Do you have to go back and change or drop your laptop off? I shouldn't be bringing mine around with me."

He wouldn't have his with him either.

"Why don't I get a taxi, drop you off at your place, you can run your laptop up, then I'll do the same and we can get dinner? Or do you want to change?"

She looked down at her black pants and flats on her feet. He'd noticed the heels she had on the other day and wondered if there was a pair in the bag on her shoulder.

"Can you drop me off and then come back for me? I thought I could wear jeans. I don't know what you had planned."

Which was her way of keeping things casual.

"That works," he said. He could be agreeable. "Better yet. My brother is in the Hamptons and his car and driver are here. Much easier." He pulled his phone out, texted West's driver and was told he'd be there in ten minutes.

"You just called up a driver?" she asked.

"Texted. My brother has two. One for Laken and me to use, but I rarely do."

"Laken?" she asked.

"My sister. She works here too. I'll fill you in on it all. Don't you think you should know a little bit more about your fiancé?"

"Not funny," she said again. "But dinner sounds good."