Page 8 of Hooked on Lane (Hooked #1)

Chapter Eight

Jennifer

A bunch of clients caught wind of Mr. Longford’s retirement before he reached out to everyone, so the phones had been nonstop.

“Alright, that’s the last call you had to return. Looks like we are all caught up.” I plopped down in the chair in front of his desk. Lane was using one of the side tables as a workstation.

Mr. Longford took his glasses off. “At least my week has been busy. I’m gonna miss this place.”

Many of his clients were sad to see him go, but they got to meet Mr. Kneeland today, and he won them over. Seeing him in his element was nice; he was confident, charismatic, and very personable. He maintained one of the main things people loved about my current boss: personality.

“Looks like I have my hands full with all of your clients. How do you keep up with all of them?”

He was on retainer, but that didn’t mean he worked for them every month; he was just on standby if needed. Sometimes I wondered if I should have gone to law school so I could get paid like them.

“Listen, let’s all go to lunch today. The next few days are going to be a blur, and I’d like to have lunch with you two before I leave. Are you free?”

“Sure,” Lane and I said in unison.

Mr. Longford nodded. “I’ll have a car come pick us up at one.”

I walked back to my desk to get some more work done before we left.

Laura was typing away on her computer. Earlier, she came over to tell me that Mr. Curran just took on three more clients and that she asked for tonight off.

He wasn’t happy, but since she was never able to take all her vacation time every year, he didn’t decline.

When she caught my glance, I mouthed ‘girls’ night’ and she smiled.

We both needed it after a day like this one.

By one, I had answered sixty emails, got four case files put away, and was ready to go when they stepped out of his office. “Let’s hit the road.”

I grabbed my purse and followed them into the elevator. Mr. Longford continued the conversation they previously had from the elevator all the way until we pulled up to the restaurant.

“Sounds like you are getting everything together,” I said to Lane, and he looked down at me. “I don’t know how you do it.”

“Just imagine doing all this without an assistant. That was me before this firm.”

I was his first assistant? Now I understood why his calendar was so out of whack.

They quickly escorted us to our seats.

Mr. Longford beamed at us. “I’m so glad you both could make it.”

I had never been in a situation like this before—being invited to lunch with two influential and successful men. As long as I had worked for Mr. Longford, we had never been out to lunch together. We always had it delivered to the office.

The server brought out a menu and Mr. Longford talked about his plans for the following week while we looked it over.

“You seem to be quite knowledgeable about everything, Jennifer,” Lane said. “Mr. Longford here has been lucky to have you as his assistant.”

Mr. Longford chuckled at the comment and glanced at me. “She’s been a godsend. It’s good to have someone competent around to make life easier. God knows I have had my fair share of horrible assistants, but Jennifer here deserves another raise or two.”

Lane nodded. “It’s important to make sure the people who make our lives easier feel appreciated. It keeps them happy.”

My face flushed. Is there something hidden behind those words? Is he trying to tell me something? He seemed to keep his eyes on me most of the time during lunch. Just as I was about to ask myself if I was reading too much into things, Mr. Longford cleared his throat and changed the topic.

“This lunch is to get one last pleasant meal in with you guys before I go,” he said with a sad sigh. “My wife and I have been planning a trip to England, and I figured it was time to do it before I get too old.”

My heart sunk, and I asked if he was all right. “I don’t want everyone talking about it,” Mr. Longford said with a wave of his hand. “But my health has taken a turn for the worse, and I’m afraid this is the best choice.”

Lane nodded and patted the older man’s arm. “We’ll definitely miss you.”

“There are some things that I would like to see continue after my absence. Jennifer and I always get breakfast and coffee delivered on Friday mornings. We go over the agenda for the following week. Could you continue that?”

Lane smiled. “Of course. It’s a tradition, after all.”

My mind raced thinking of spending every Friday morning in his office. Laura was going to have a field day with this information.

Mr. Longford and Lane made the lunch more friendly than work related once they brought the food out. They were going back and forth, telling their best jokes. By far, Lane won, but I didn’t tell him that. Instead, I sided with Mr. Longford because I only had him in my life for such a short time.

“What about you, Jennifer? You have any funny jokes?” Lane asked, taking a sip of water while the server brought the check. “Let’s hear it. Everyone has at least one.”

He’s wrong! I didn’t have one. The only joke I knew... “Why did the bicycle fall over?”

Lane and Mr. Longford looked at each other and then shook their heads.

“Because it was two tired.”

They both chuckled, and I was sure it was just to make me feel better about having one of the lamest jokes ever. It looked like I would need to do some research for some funny jokes to have on standby. Apparently, they both thought they were comedians.

“Alright, gentlemen. It was nice, but I need to get back to work. I’m behind schedule and can’t stay late today.”

They stood with me and followed me out, hailing a cab, and riding back to the office with me. I ended up in the middle of the back seat, and it forced my leg to rub against Lane’s.

When the cab pulled up in front of the building, Lane hesitated getting out, and his hand landed on my thigh to brace himself. When he realized what he was doing, he removed his hand and locked eyes with me. “I apologize. Um… that was inappropriate and won’t happen again.”

As he extended his hand to help me out of the cab, I walked right into the building without looking behind me. This man was sending mixed signals, and he knew just how this could affect both of our careers.

I was so ready to go grab some drinks and sing some karaoke tonight. Laura would fish for information, like she always did, and at least I would have something good to tell her.