Page 12 of Hooked on Lane (Hooked #1)

Chapter Twelve

Jennifer

T he throbbing in my head was like a hammer.

I quickly grabbed the bottle of Tylenol from my bedside table and swallowed a couple with a gulp of water.

Today was Mr. Longford’s last day at the office, and I knew it was going to be a bittersweet day.

Not the best day to be hungover, but we had a blast last night anyway.

I heaved myself out of bed and shuffled to the bathroom to wash the grime and sweat of the night before. I dried off and threw on a shirt and pants, feeling more alive with each passing minute. I gave myself a little pep talk and headed to the office.

I ordered blueberry scones and coffee, Mr. Longford’s favorite.

It was going to be our last breakfast together.

As I waited for the delivery, I thought about all the years I had spent with Mr. Longford.

I had seen a lot of changes. Mr. Longford had kept every single client of his over his reign at the firm.

He had dedicated so much of his time and energy to the company, and I admired him for that.

When the delivery arrived, I took the food and coffee into his office and set it down on the table. I was determined to show my appreciation. When Lane and Mr. Longford finally strolled into his office, it was almost nine.

Lane looked like he had a rough night. It wasn't my business to keep track of how much he drank last night, but it was a hefty amount. Yet he stayed in control, didn't act inappropriate, and got home okay. What happened last night would stay in the back of my mind.

Mr. Longford stood at the office window, hands clasped together behind his back. He had been standing in the same spot for a few minutes. “We’re going on a seven-day cruise to Cozumel next week. Can you imagine? I've never been on a cruise before. I'm so excited.”

He deserved to enjoy his retirement. The man had worked so hard for decades.

“My wife has always wanted to travel the world, and I told her she'd have to wait until I retired. Now that I have, we decided a cruise was the perfect way to start. We plan to go all around the Caribbean and then maybe head out to Europe this fall.”

I decided to get started on my work, leaving them to go over the last of the cases. The workday went by in a blur. Paperwork and emails kept me busy, but I didn't want the day to end because that meant Mr. Longford would leave for good.

“We better go,” Laura whispered. “People are gonna start showing up soon.”

We moved the retirement party into one of the bigger rooms because some of his long-term clients wanted to come and celebrate with him today. Thankfully, we did because people were already showing up and with all the firm's employees too, the other room wouldn't have sufficed.

I placed the microphone on the podium and made sure everything was set up correctly when the hushed conversations come to an abrupt halt and all eyes were on me. Mr. Longford arrived in the room, so I rushed back up to the podium.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” I whispered, my voice shaking.

“I’m so pleased to welcome you here today to honor Mr. Longford's many years of dedicated service to this firm. Mr. Longford has been part of this firm since its creation and has been an integral part of its success,” I continued.

“Without his vision, dedication, and hard work, none of what we have today would have been possible. He has been a mentor and a friend to many of us here and for that, we thank him.”

There was a loud cheer from the audience and I took a step back, letting Mr. Longford step up.

He cleared his throat and looked out at the crowd.

“I’m overwhelmed by the number of people here today," he began.

“Being part of this firm for so many years has been a great privilege.

I've seen it grow from a little family business to what it is today, and it's been a substantial source of pride for me.

Thank you to everyone here for all the hard work they have put in over the years to make this the success it is today.

I also want to take a moment to thank my assistant, Jennifer.

She's been an absolute rock and I don't know what I'd do without her.”

Mr. Longford thanked all the partners at the firm and then introduced the new partner, Lane. Lane raised his hand in the crowd and there was a round of applause.

“It's been an absolute pleasure working with all of you, and I will miss our time together, but I know the firm is in excellent hands and will continue to thrive. So thank you, and I wish you all the best of luck.”

I teared up as I watched Mr. Longford step away from the podium.

Everyone was happy for Mr. Longford, but we all knew it would never be the same.

Despite my sadness, I couldn’t help but smile as I watched Mr. Longford beam with pride.

He deserved this moment, to be surrounded by the people who had worked with him for so many years.

When the party ended, it was time for us to say goodbye. I hugged Mr. Longford tightly. “Keep in touch and send pictures when you go traveling.”

“Of course. Just because you won’t be my assistant anymore doesn’t mean I won’t be checking in on you.”

I watched Mr. Longford step into the elevator. A lump rose in my throat as the elevator doors closed. I had to fight back tears. Laura stepped closer to me, putting her arm around my shoulders. Despite the pain I felt, I smiled at her.

“It’s going to be okay. Lane will be a great boss,” she said. “And Mr. Longford deserves to retire.”

She was right, but it didn’t make it any easier to watch him leave. It may be an ending, but it was also a new beginning.

In all my years in New York City, Mr. Longford had been the one constant in my life, a friend, mentor, and confidant—someone I could turn to when things got tough.

I didn't normally get attached to bosses, but he was like a father to me and to see him walk out of this building for the last time broke my heart.

Now it’s time for the new boss, Lane, to live up to his legacy. Despite the sadness of having to say goodbye to my old boss, I had to admit that I was curious to see what Lane had in store for me. It was a new beginning, one that I was both nervous and excited to see where it would take us.