Bachelor Unleashed - Brenda Jackson [42]
A smile touched the corners of Farrah’s lips. “I know her secrets and she knows mine. She knows my weaknesses and my strengths and vice versa. We under stand each other, which is why we’ve been friends for so long. We might not agree on everything, and I’m sure there have been times when she would have knocked my head off if she could have, but in the end, no matter what, I know our friendship is one that defies the test of time.”
“I thought ours would, too,” Lori said softly, looking at her when Farrah knew she wanted to glance over at Kerrie.
“I’m not going to ask what happened,” Farrah said. “I just ask that no matter what, you remember what you had, what you still have and what will always be there no matter what.”
At that moment, Lori did glance over at Kerrie. “You think I’m only doing this because of Rudolph, don’t you?”
Kerrie met her gaze and asked, “Why wouldn’t I think it, Lori? Leaving the company in my hands was your idea. Saying that you would only want half up to the day you left was also yours. You also said that we keep things as they were to avoid any messy legal entanglements. It would be unnecessary, you said, since we fully trusted each other.”
Kerrie shook her head and said softly, “The sad thing is that I believed you. Stupid me.”
The room got quiet and Farrah spoke up. “Is this the first time your friendship has been tested?”
Both women glanced over at her with a bemused look on their faces, so much so that she couldn’t help but smile. “You both know that’s what this is, don’t you?”
Neither woman made a comment, and Farrah figured she had given them something to think about. She glanced at her watch. “You know, I think now is a good time to break for lunch. It’s a little early but I think we deserve it today.”
Instead of responding, both women nodded as they stood. Kerrie was pulling out her cell phone while heading for the door. Lori watched her leave before turning to Farrah. She could see the tears in the woman’s eyes.
“I didn’t mean to hurt her,” she said in a broken tone.
Farrah stood as she gathered her folders together. The last thing Lori needed was to be sent on a guilt trip, but in this case one was probably warranted. “Well, I hate to tell you this, Lori, but I think you did.”
Xavier read the report spread across his desk and tried not to glance up at the clock on the wall. How many times had he done it already? He had to believe that eventually Farrah would call him. She’d said she would, hadn’t she?
He threw the pencil he held in his hand down on his desk and leaned back in his chair as he squinted his eyes in thought, trying to recall exactly what she had said. I’ll call you tomorrow, Xavier. That’s the best I can do. Those had been her exact words. He recalled them clearly.
He was about to get up and pour another cup of coffee when his cell phone rang. If it was York, he was going to kill him. He’d called twice already. It seemed that York needed a life more than he did.
Xavier reached for the phone and exhaled a sigh of relief when he saw the caller was Farrah. He glanced at the clock. It was almost four. What had taken her so long? Of course he wouldn’t ask her that. In fact, he intended to sound cool, calm and collected. “Hello.”
“Xavier. Hi.”
“And how are you, Farrah?”
“Fine. Sorry it took me so long to call but it turned out to be a long session today.”
He nodded as he leaned back in his chair. “Did the women reach a resolution?”
“I wish.”
“I take it that they didn’t.”
“You’ve got that right. But I can say I feel we’re close. Hopefully tomorrow.”
Not if it means you’ll be catching the first plane out of here, he thought to himself.
“Anyway, I just wanted to let you know I’d love to have dinner with you.”
He couldn’t help the smile that touched his lips from corner to corner. “Good. Where are you now? Back at the hotel or still at work?”
“Still at work. I need to complete a few reports and then I’ll head back to the hotel.”
He glanced at the clock again. “Umm, how about around seven?”
“That’s good.”
“I’ll send a car for you.”
“A car?