In Good Company: Chapter 2

I knew it was a bad idea to say yes to this dinner party. Laurent can be a raging asshole, which is truly saying something because I know I’m not always the nicest person to be around.

I only agreed because my best friend, Jude, was supposed to come with me. The fucker bailed last minute after something came up and he had to unexpectedly return to Manhattan.

I stupidly still came, and my night has consisted of listening to Laurent unnecessarily berate his employees and dodging the weird advances of Warren Simpson’s wife as he ogles one of the waitstaff members.

I’m staring at my lap, trying to come up with an excuse for why I need to leave the moment after dessert is served, when Laurent clears his throat.

“Here she is,” he announces. My eyes move from my lap to Laurent. Meeting the chef for the night might be the highlight of my evening. The food was incredible.

“I’d like everyone to meet Lily. You may have seen her waiting tables at the club, but she also cooks on the side.” He laughs, pretending that anything that came out of his mouth was even remotely funny.

The soft clearing of a throat pulls my eyes from Laurent to the chef he found for the night. “It’s⁠—”

My eyes go wide as I sit straighter in my chair. “Lucy,” I finish for her, blinking a few times to make sure my eyes aren’t playing tricks on me.

I don’t know who looks more shocked to see the other—me or her.

The last time I saw Lucy was at my family’s home in Greenwich. Her dark hair is far longer than it used to be, but her warm brown eyes still look the same. It’s a bit of a shock to see her standing there, her wide eyes pinned on me. For a moment, I don’t even know what to say. I never expected to see her here in the Hamptons and especially never would’ve guessed she’d be working as a private chef.

“I was positive your name was Lily,” Laurent pipes up. Neither Lucy nor I look at him. We’re too lost staring at one another to worry about the host and his inability to remember the name of the person he hired for the night.

One question after another fires off in my head. It’s been four, or maybe even five, years since I’ve last seen her.

Lucy pulls her eyes from mine and focuses her attention on Laurent. “It’s Lucy, Mr. Hughes. Was the meal okay?”

I’m surprisingly annoyed that she won’t look back at me. Instead, she just stares at Laurent, waiting for him to answer her. I fight the urge to ask how she ended up being a private chef. If my memory doesn’t betray me, which it shouldn’t because I typically have excellent recollection, she was adamant about being a business major in college.

“The meal was spectacular.” Ida—Warren’s wife, who has been a little too touchy-feely tonight—beats Laurent to the answer. “I’d love to get your information.”

Thomas Boucher clears his throat. “Do you have a permanent job for the summer?”

Lucy pulls her lip between her teeth. “Um…” A nervous laugh bubbles from her chest as she looks from Ida to Thomas. “No, not really. I’ve just been taking private parties as they come in and working my shifts at Pembroke.”

My head cocks to the side. How have I missed her at Pembroke? I only flew in for the season last week, but I’ve been at the club almost every day since returning. It’s possible I just missed her. Besides, we’ve only met a few times, and it was years ago. But with her standing a few feet away from me, I know I’m staring at my little brother’s ex-girlfriend.

And for some reason, she’s pretending not to recognize me.

Rina, Thomas’s wife, leans forward. “I feel like I’ve spent months doing different tastings with different chefs, and nothing’s felt right for the summer. But your food tonight was delectable. I’d love to talk more about you being our chef this summer if you’re up for it.”

I frown, my finger tracing my top lip as Lucy’s face breaks into a wide smile.

“Really?” Lucy questions, her voice full of doubt. Her fingers fiddle with the bow tied around her waist that’s holding her apron in place.

Both Thomas and Rina nod. “Of course. Maybe I could get your number from Laurent, and we could set up a meeting?”

I watch the interaction, unable to stifle my curiosity about what brought her to the Hamptons and how long she’s been working as a private chef. I haven’t seen her since Ollie broke up with her. I don’t remember the exact reason why he ended things, but it was right after that he started dating Sophia, who he’s still with today.

I’ve always had the suspicion he cheated on Lucy, but I’m not confident about that. Just how quickly he moved on was odd. I still don’t understand how he could choose someone like Sophia over Lucy. Our family loved Lucy the few times Ollie brought her home; it’s been years, and my family still isn’t sure about Sophia.

Lucy was easy to like. Even though I’d only met her a handful of times in the year she dated Ollie, I liked her. Who my family was didn’t seem to matter to her at all, and that doesn’t happen often. I’ll never forget coming inside after taking a phone call and finding her casually talking business with my father at the kitchen counter. Sophia can’t be bothered to have a conversation with any of us at any family gathering. My eavesdropping on the conversation between my dad and Lucy years ago is the only reason I remember her major being business. She’d told my dad all about how she was set to help her family business one day.

That’s why it’s such a shock to see her here cooking instead.

What’s more of a shock is the fact that she’s acting like she has no idea who I am. We met enough times that there’s no way she wouldn’t recognize me this close-up.

“Callahan?” Laurent’s stern voice as he practically barks my name pulls me from my thoughts. I lift an eyebrow as I slowly drag my gaze to focus on him, unamused that he thinks he can talk to me in that tone.

“Do the two of you know each other?” Laurent asks, but I’m still too stuck on the brash way he spoke to me to even bother with giving him an answer. No one talks to me like that. I could buy his company out from under him, and it wouldn’t even make a dent in my accounts.

“No,” Lucy answers.

A corner of my mouth lifts as I look in her direction. I cock my head to the side. Oh, this is a fun twist. Why is she lying?

Ida taps her nails against the wood table in curiosity. “Then how did you know her name, Cal?”

My back straightens as I turn to face her. “It’s Callahan,” I say coolly. “And I guess you could say it was just a lucky guess.”

I look back at Lucy, finding her wide eyes pinned on me. I’m not sure why she looks so confused by me playing along with her little lie. She started it.

“The meal was superb,” I continue, picking up my bourbon and taking a drink. Laurent is cheap and doesn’t stock the good stuff, so I try to hold back a grimace as I swallow it down. I manage another sip before I pull the glass from my lips and hold it in front of me. I stare at the amber liquid, twirling the glass in my fingers. “It was Lucy, correct?” I ask, suddenly finding myself enjoying this dinner party after all.

She twists her hands in front of her. “Yes. Lucy. And thank you.”

I watch her for a moment, the rest of the room seeming to fade away as I focus on her. She looks so much older now, a far cry from the college freshman she was the last time I saw her.

I bring my glass to my lips and take a slow drink, deciding what I want to say next. For some reason, Lucy pretending she has no idea who I am has woken up something deep inside me. She’s amusing me, and I’m not amused often.

Whatever game she wants to play, I’ll play along, and I’ll play it better.

“Now that you’ve been introduced, you’re dismissed.” Laurent waves his hand through the air dismissively.

Rina gasps, clearly taken aback by his sudden harshness toward Lucy.

I clench my jaw at his disrespectful tone. I knew he was an asshole, but before tonight, I didn’t know how much it bled into how he treated the people who work for him. The way he’s treated his staff during the party makes me want to never speak to the man again. It’d take one simple phone call and I could ruin the decades’ worth of work his family put into their commercial real estate business.

“Actually, stay a minute, Lucy.” I don’t bother trying to hide the blooming smirk on my lips.

“Mind your place,” Laurent hisses. He looks at me, red in the face, clearly not happy with the way I ignored his request.

Do I care? Not in the slightest.

The only reason I came tonight was because I thought it’d be great to speak with Thomas more. Hastings Inc. works hand in hand with the Boucher family. We handle all of their stocks, and I’ll admit, I even like Thomas. Next time, I’ll just invite him to my house and forgo having anything to do with Laurent.

“I’m talking to you, son,” Laurent spits.

Despite the numerous people seated around Laurent’s dining room table, the entire room is so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

A rough laugh comes from deep in my chest. If Laurent actually thinks he can speak to me this way, he’s in for a big surprise.

“Laurent, Laurent, Laurent.” I click my tongue. What a disappointing man he is.

“It’s time you go,” he all but barks. I raise my eyebrows, thinking he’s speaking to me. He isn’t. His eyes are narrowed angrily but at Lucy, not me.

The nasty look he aims in her direction doesn’t sit well with me. Rage bubbles inside my chest as I adjust my position in the dining chair. “Don’t talk to her that way,” I growl. My jaw locks, and my teeth angrily grind against each other as I see nothing but red.

Thomas coughs nervously into his hand, clearly trying to ease the awkwardness in the room. I don’t pay him any attention. I can’t look anywhere but at the pathetic excuse of a man that is Laurent Hughes.

“Excuse me?” Laurent roars. His face is beet red, and spit flies from his mouth with every angry word he forces out. “What did you just say to me?”

I cock my head to the side, attempting to keep my temper at bay. He isn’t worth getting worked up over. “I thought I spoke pretty clearly. You’ve spent the entire night berating your own staff, and quite honestly, I’m sick of it. So let me say this nice and slow for you. Do. Not. Talk. To. Her. That. Way.” My words remain calm and composed, but they have the effect I want them to. There’s venom laced in every word, and the way Laurent’s eyes get wider with each one tells me they’re hitting home.

I pick up my bourbon to take a drink but decide against it at the last minute. I’ll wait and have the good shit when I make it back to my house. With a loud sigh, I push the glass in front of me and meet Laurent’s gaze.

“I don’t want to waste my breath arguing with you any longer. Don’t be a dick. Treat your staff with decency, and maybe, for once, you’ll be respected.” I laugh. “Although, after spending the evening here and seeing how you treat others, I don’t see you ever earning anyone’s respect. But anyway…”

My eyes move from Laurent, and I focus once again on Lucy.

Meeting her tonight would’ve been something I didn’t think much about if I hadn’t been so impressed by the meal she cooked…and if she hadn’t pretended not to know me. But both of those factors combined make me want to know more about the woman I thought I’d never see again.

She watches me carefully, her lips slightly parted and her chest falling with her quick breathing. The look on her face gives nothing away about what’s going through her mind right now. It bothers me that I can’t figure her out. I normally have an excellent read on others, but she’s unreadable to me.

“Lucy, could we please have the dessert? I’m dying to know what you so kindly prepared for us this evening.” I keep my tone polite, not wanting to let my anger with Laurent bleed into how I speak to her.

She smiles, her shoulders seeming to sag with relief that she’s been given an out to get away from this interaction. “It’ll be my pleasure,” she hurriedly answers before spinning on her heel and retreating to the kitchen.

I don’t blame her for wanting to get far away from the awkward tension in the room. Laurent places his balled-up fists on the table. He scowls, opening his mouth to no doubt scold me for what’s transpired in the last few minutes.

I hold up my hand to stop him. “Save it. Quite frankly, I don’t give a fuck what you’re about to say. Hold your tongue, or I’ll hold all the stock for Hughes Enterprise in my hands by Monday morning.”

His mouth snaps shut, and to my surprise, he actually listens.

I grin, letting my eyes travel over the people seated around the table.

I lift my eyebrows and coolly sit back in my chair, pretending nothing has happened after all. “The host is certainly lacking, but the meal has been fabulous. Anyone else agree?”

It’s quiet for a moment as everyone awkwardly looks around the table. Eventually, Thomas lets out a deep laugh. “Damn, I love summer in the Hamptons. There’s truly never a dull moment.”

I nod. My eyes wander to the doorway where Lucy disappeared. Thomas has a point. There’s never a dull moment when spending the summer here.

And it just got a whole lot more interesting with Lucy now here.