Chapter 66

CHAPTER 66

MARLOW

T he next day, I drove to the office feeling both exhilarated and exhausted. Spencer had spent the night at my place, and we'd talked, laughed, and had sex until the early hours of the morning. We didn't get much sleep, but it was worth every sleepless second. Despite the exhaustion, I had more energy than I could remember having in a long time. Spencer had left early to go home to shower and get ready for the day. I told him I was a little embarrassed to show my face after storming out the other day. But he promised me no one was going to say a word except to welcome me back.

Once again, I had spent a stupid amount of time trying to find the right outfit that said I really was a professional and ready to work. If I was lucky, no one would even notice I missed a day of work.

I strolled through the lobby, nervous as hell but hoping I wasn't showing it. I skipped the coffee, knowing Kyla would probably bring me one. She was eager to be getting back to work. I knew she liked working for the company, which made me happy. I tried calling her earlier, but she hadn't answered. I was kind of hoping we could walk in together. It was like the first day at a new school.

As soon as I walked through the office doors, I could hear loud voices and laughter coming from the conference room. The desks and offices were empty. I slowly made my way toward the conference room, unsure of what to expect. When I rounded the corner, I was greeted by a huge welcome reception. Balloons and streamers decorated the space, and the sound of laughter filled the air.

I walked inside the room, assuming it was someone's birthday.

"Marlow, you're here!" Kyla grinned.

Everyone stopped their conversations and turned to face me. I could feel my cheeks burning.

"What's going on?" I asked.

Kyla was grinning like a fool and waving a sparkler around like a psycho. Graham held up a bottle of champagne. "We're celebrating!"

He poured me a glass and handed it to me. I had no idea what we were celebrating, but who was I to be a party pooper?

He raised his glass. "To Marlow, for coming back to us!" he declared, his voice booming. "We're all glad to have you back. You're an asset—and not to mention, you make Spencer less of a gloomy asshole."

I laughed, raising my glass to the cheers and applause from my colleagues. It was good to be back.

Kyla rushed to me and gave me a hug. "Are you surprised?"

"Uh, yeah." I laughed. "You could have given me a hint."

"That would destroy the element of surprise," she joked.

"Is Spencer here?" I asked.

"He was," she frowned. "I'm sure he'll be back in a minute."

Jax came up with a friendly smile. "Welcome back," he said. "I'm glad you're sticking around. I'm not sure we were ready to do this without you. I voted to dump Spencer if we could keep you ."

I laughed. "I don't think it's that easy."

"He's grown a lot, Marlow," Derrick said, giving me a warm smile. "But if he ever messes with you again, let us know. We'll put him in his place."

I chuckled, shaking my head. "I don't think that'll be necessary. I believe him when he says that version of himself is gone. We might have the odd bump in the road, but we'll work through it together."

Max approached next, pulling me in for a brotherly hug. "Glad to see you back," he said. "I honestly don't think I would have been able to work with Spencer if you wouldn't have come back. He was heading down a path of no return."

"I'm happy to be back," I said. "I'm sorry I left in a huff."

"He has a way of doing that to people." He chuckled.

He drifted away and then it was Graham who approached. "Glad to have you back on board," he said, his normally stern features softened by a genuine smile. His hand clapped me on the shoulder in a show of friendship that was equally surprising and welcome.

"Thanks, Graham," I replied, feeling a little overwhelmed by the warm reception I was receiving.

"Sebastian is around here somewhere. He's looking forward to welcoming you back as well," he said. "We had a client come in yesterday and requested you to work on their file. We managed to hold them off, but we were worried we were going to have to tell them you were no longer here."

"I look forward to seeing what the new project is," I told him.

"There's the woman of the hour," Sebastian said with a big smile.

I turned to see him, his black hair perfectly coiffed as usual, making his way through the crowd.

"I'm glad to be back," I said. "Thank you and all the others for giving me another chance. I promise to do better. I won't let you guys down."

Just then, Spencer walked in. His eyes found mine almost instantly and a smile touched his lips. He looked different than the last time I saw him in this space, less tense, more relaxed. His gaze swept over the room, taking in the balloons and streamers, the champagne glasses in everyone's hands.

"Welcome back." He grinned.

"Did you have anything to do with this?"

"Not really." He shrugged. "I let them know you were coming back. I think this was Kyla's doing."

I felt a deep sense of peace and contentment as I stood there, surrounded by my friends and colleagues. This was where I belonged.

Spencer put his arm around me. If anybody was wondering about our relationship status, he pretty much sent a clear message. Everyone was going to know we were together.

"You look nice," he said.

"Thank you." I smiled. "I was so nervous."

"Why?"

"I was thinking it was going to be awkward. You could have given me a hint, saved me some nerves."

"Did you really think they wouldn't be happy you came back?" he asked.

I shrugged. "You never know. I didn't leave on the best terms. And I feel like I caused a lot of drama."

Spencer squeezed my shoulder reassuringly. "Trust me, they're happy."

"I think they're happy because they're assuming you won't be quite the bear you were," I teased.

"Getting laid on the regular tends to help with that," he whispered in my ear.

I felt my cheeks burning. "Stop."

He chuckled. "You know it's true. It puts me in a good mood."

"Me too." I winked.

While we were celebrating, my phone vibrated in my pocket. I checked the screen to see Joshua Powell's number.

"I need to take this," I said. "It's Joshua."

Spencer put his fingers to his mouth and let out a loud, sharp whistle. "Everyone, be quiet."

"I could have just stepped out," I said.

"Answer it."

"Hello, Joshua," I answered.

"I've got some news," Joshua said, his voice full of excitement.

"Hold on, I'm with the team. I'm going to put you on speaker." I quickly pushed the button and held out my phone. Everyone was perfectly still and quiet. "Go ahead," I told him.

"Guys, I just got 350,000 orders from the early launch!" Joshua exclaimed. "I would've sold more, but the website crashed. I'm working with IT to get everything up and running again. Thank you all, especially you, Marlow, for everything you did. I can't wait to discuss another product after the Christmas season."

We all shared a look of disbelief and excitement. Jax pinched his fingers and rubbed them together, a wide grin on his face.

"Congratulations, Joshua," I said.

Everyone cheered before I ended the call.

"We're about to make a boatload of money off this kid," Jax said.

We all laughed.

"Good job," Spencer said. "I knew bringing you on was going to be a huge asset."

"Our golden goose," Jax said. "But with that said, it's time to get to work. We have clients that want our attention."

Slowly, everyone filed out of the conference room, heading to their desks to work. I felt like I really belonged there now.

"I'll see you around," Spencer said. "I've got to make some calls."

"I'll be here," I told him.

Kyla sidled up to me, a soft smile on her face as we walked to my office. "I'm so happy for you and Spencer," she said. "You two just make sense. Sort of like you and me, you know?"

I hugged my best friend tightly. "Thank you for being there for me," I whispered.

"Always," Kyla replied, her voice filled with warmth.

"Now, we need to get moving on that new client," I told her. "Being successful is great, but it also sets a pretty high bar."

"Yes, it does," Kyla replied with a bright smile. "But we've got this under control. You have a plan, right?"

"Of course," I answer confidently, thinking about the numerous strategies that had been brewing in my mind. "There's always a plan."

Later, I found myself perched behind my desk, scanning over client reports with fresh eyes. The office was buzzing with an infectious energy and the sound of ringing phones and rapid typing filled the air.

I found myself thinking back to the previous night with Spencer. We had talked about everything—our fears, our hopes, our dreams for the future. It had been raw and honest, and it had brought us even closer together. We were meant to be here, me and Kyla.

I was glad Spencer showed up when he did. I probably would have signed a lease and been trapped in an expensive contract.

"I'll get your emails sorted and a schedule," Kyla said. "I'm really glad we're back here. I like it. I like the people and I like having the company."

"Me too." I nodded.

"I'll get you coffee," she added. "Give me five minutes."

"Thank you."

She left my office, her heels clicking against the floor. I sat down at my desk, the taste of the champagne still on my tongue. Not exactly the typical way to start a morning. I turned on my computer and got situated. My office was exactly as I left it. It was almost like they expected me to be back.

I turned my attention to the screen, seeing the many emails that had gone unanswered when I had walked out. The only way to start was to just start. I opened one and then another.

"Coffee and a donut," Kyla said, coming back into the office.

"Thank you," I said. "Just what I need."

"I'll send your schedule in a few. I need a minute to get organized. I feel like the next few hours are going to be all about running uphill."

"Thank you, Kyla. Thanks for sticking with me and helping me get my shit together."

She laughed. "Anything I can do to help."

She left my office and me to the mountain of work. My neatly organized piles were still on my desk. Time seemed to fly as I immersed myself in the new client file I was hoping to land. I knew I had to convince Spencer it was a good account. I had a little pull with the success of Joshua's account, and I planned on capitalizing on it.