I wonder if he knows.
Aggressively shifting the gear in my navy blue Porsche Cayenne, I slam on the pedal and speed out of the office building's parking garage.
If Lucas doesn't know about the CEO position, then there may be a chance he'll quit. But Lucas thrives on challenges even more than my skin with a hyaluronic acid face mask.
The best course of action would be convincing him to quit. It's my best shot. When Lucas and I compete against each other all hell breaks loose. Exhibit A: The internship during my sophomore year at Harvard.
I grip the steering wheel tighter.
Forcing the thought out of my mind, I glance at my phone for the turn-by-turn directions. I've never heard of La Cucina before. It's probably a new up-and-coming restaurant that Lucas likes to woo his clients with.
As I pull into the parking lot, my gaze shifts back and forth from my phone, which lists I've arrived, to the restaurant in front of me. It's a small, hole-in-the-wall place that's painted bright yellow with a bright pink trim. 'La Cucina Mexican Food' is plastered across the top in many different colors. Did he send me a fake address to mess with me?
No. I spot him. He's just walking in.
I quickly park and make my way inside. The interior of the space is as colorful as the outside and aromas of beef and spices fill my nostrils. The place is mostly packed with customers eating and chatting away happily over the sounds of Latin music. While it's a fun and vibrant atmosphere, there's nothing fun and vibrant about what I'm getting into. Lucas probably chose this place to distract me, but I'm sure as hell not going to let him.
I often pride myself on never getting nervous about anything, but something about what I'm doing is forcing a fluttery feeling in the pit of my stomach. And for some reason, the feeling intensifies when I approach Lucas who's seated in one of the wooden booths facing the door entrance. I'm probably just bracing myself for what I know will be a difficult conversation, similar to how I was earlier with the board.
"Lucas." I slip into the booth across from him.
"Talia." He smiles bitterly and threads his hands together on the light brown wooden table.
"Hola amigos!" A cheery young man with a head of straight, short black hair places a bowl of chips and a smaller bowl of salsa on the table between us. "I'll be right back for your order," he says before moving to another table.
"This place is..." I trail off while briefly looking around. I still can't quite make out what to think of Lucas bringing me here. He's just trying to throw me off my game!
"We can't all live the lux life, Talia. Life's not all about five-star restaurants. Sometimes you just have to enjoy some free chips and salsa and be frugal with your money." Lucas smirks before grabbing a chip, dipping it into the salsa, and popping it into his mouth.
I scoff. "Oh please. I bet you shower with Perrier water only."
Lucas raises a pompous brow and grabs another chip. "Do you think about me showering often?"
My mouth drops open and any words catch in my throat. Yet it's only for a moment as Lucas looks too pleased to render me speechless. I see how it is. Well, two can play that game. "Oh, yes. I think about you showering all the time. In fact, just this morning I thought about it when I was in the shower."
Lucas is about to throw another chip into his mouth but his hand stops mid-air before slowly landing back on the table. He looks at me with a serious expression which forces me to smile. My insides do a little victory dance. I lean forward and clasp my hands together as I maintain eye contact with him. I continue in an almost whisper, "Forget I said this, but sometimes I even think about us in the shower together."
He still doesn't say anything and a far-off look glazes over him. The chip in his hand breaks and makes a little noise that catches my attention. I grimace briefly. He must know I'm being sarcastic. I continue, determined to make my point known in case it already isn't. "I usually think about it right after I write Mrs. Talia Handler in my diary thirty thousand times while skipping through a field of lilies and butterflies."
Whatever spell Lucas is under seems to break instantly. The way his lips twitch promises a snarky comeback, but he's cut off by our server who appears beside us. "What'll it be folks?"
I raise a questioning brow toward Lucas and smile. "What do you think we should do, my betrothed? I know you said you're allergic to corn, rice, cheese, beans, avocados, and lime, but there must be something you can eat here."
Lucas laughs and turns to the server. "She's joking. I'll have two beef tacos with extra guac."
His chuckle does something to my chest. I press my hands to my sides as I lean forward. "Oo extra guac? Someone's being reckless with their money."
Lucas maintains his gaze on the server. "And she'll have the Doritos Mac and Cheese Burrito. Make sure to go extra on the cheese, she's on Cheat Day today. Isn't that right, my chosen one?"
I roll my eyes playfully and shake my head in amusement while Lucas lets our server know that's all we want to order. What are you doing Talia? Don't joke around with him! He's trying to take your job!
"You know I'm not going to eat that, right? You're just wasting your money," I say after our server leaves. "Also, I'm not trying to have a meal right now. We need to discuss this disaster of a plan that our boards have concocted."
Lucas nods. "What do you know about it?"
"Why? What do you know?"
"I asked you first."
"Oh my God!" I wave my hands in the air while I speak. "Just stop with the games! Are you going to quit or not?"
"Hell no, I thought you might be the one that's quitting."
I suck in a sharp breath. "Excuse me? No way I'm quitting."
"So I guess you know then?"
"It depends. Know what?" I squint as I try to analyze the turmoil on Lucas' features. He likely knows about the CEO position but I can't be too sure. I want to hear him say the words.
He squints in response and then after a moment of us staring at each other, he leans back. "You know," he says in a statement rather than a question.
For the moment Lucas appears to be deep in thought, I assess him. His jawline looks sharper than I thought it was and a couple of freckles are faintly visible along his cheekbones. He's in a well-tailored, navy blue suit over a crisp white button-down. It's strange he's not wearing a tie and the top two buttons of the top are open. Did he take the tie off before he arrived or maybe his office has a relaxed dress code?
My thoughts are interrupted by Lucas taking in a dramatic breath. "Okay, so we're both not going to quit. But then how exactly do we make sure the merger goes smoothly?"
"I don't know, maybe we just stay out of each other's way and have you not try to sabotage me? Kind of like what you didn't do with the internship."
Lucas rolls his eyes. "Here we go again. For the millionth time, I did not try to sabotage you on that internship. If anything you were the one that got me kicked out!" Lucas' deep voice is getting loud but it doesn't matter to me. I can go louder.
"Oh come on! I know for a fact you did so stop trying to deny it! And as if I would go that far to get you kicked out. You accomplished that one all on your own." While the internship was over fifteen years ago, the memories still tighten my lungs, making it harder to breathe. It wasn't just about what Lucas did to me, but about the kind of morning I had the day of the interview and what I experienced after I got the job.
I hoped Lucas had grown up over the years, but our run-ins always prove otherwise. I sigh and look around. People are watching us. I turn back to Lucas and continue in an even tone. "I don't know how we can do this merger without one of us murdering the other. So let's just agree to take it one day at a time and stay out of each other's way."
Lucas' jaw clenches and he nods. "Fine. But just know, the only world in which I quit is if you win the position."
"Can't handle the thought of being managed by a woman?" I ask as I cross my arms.
He shakes his head. "I can't report to someone who doesn't trust a single word I say and who I have little respect for."
"Well, that makes two of us. I'd rather join the Mary Kay cult than have to report to you," I respond bitterly. While I already know that Lucas feels that way about me and I most certainly feel the same way about him, it still forces the wrap around my lungs to tighten. One day at a time, Talia. Just take it one day at a time.
"Then may the best President win."
Before I can stand up, our server swings by with our dishes. "Here you go, my feisty friends! Enjoy your meal and just be sure to chew gum before kissing each other. There's a lot of garlic in the Doritos burrito," the man says facing me before leaving to attend to other tables.
"Goodbye, Lucas." I grab my purse and shimmy out of the booth. "Enjoy the burrito." Without waiting for his response, I turn and make my way out of the restaurant. My heart beats fast all the way to my car.
God, what am I going to do?