The Billionaire's Masquerade: Betting On You Series: Book Two by Jeannette Winters

there was a sense of reverence and respect. She thought he respected her as well.
    Now, sitting behind her desk, she wiped the few tears that had made their way down her cheeks. How she wished her office didn’t have glass walls so she could have broken down and let them flow freely. Instead she struggled to push past the heartbreak. Elaine contemplated grabbing her purse and going home but remembered she’d just committed to reorganize in days what it had taken Victor months to plan. Leaving now would only risk not meeting the Friday deadline.
    Pulling the list from her purse, she knew exactly what she needed to do first: find a new venue. Reluctantly she turned on her computer and Googled the location. It wasn’t like there were a lot of options in that area. Now she understood why they needed help. Unfortunately for them, they had chosen her. The most experience she had at this was searching for a restaurant to place an order for takeout. This was not something she was going to be able to pull off alone. But she knew someone who could. Picking up her cell, she dialed Jill and hoped she would answer.
    “Thank you for calling Another Chance, this is Jill; how may I help you?”
    “Hi Jill, it’s Elaine. I hope I’m not catching at a busy time.”
    “Elaine,” Jill half screamed into the phone, “how’s New York? Things aren’t the same around here without you.”
    It was nice being missed. She could say the same about Jill. Things were not the same without her daily warmth and enthusiasm. “Things are good; I’m settling in. Unfortunately I took on a project that was not something I normally handle. I was wondering if you would be willing to help me with something for old time’s sake?”
    “Of course. Anything. Things have been so boring around here with both you and Lizette in New York. Really, if it gets any quieter I might have to move to New York, too.”
    “We would love to have you here.” And that was the truth. Jill’s happiness was infectious. There was not a day at Another Chance that Jill didn’t burst into the office to share some funny story. That was far from the case at Davis Enterprises. The only time the staff appeared to smile was at the signing for a new acquisition. If it weren’t for Wendy popping her head in occasionally to say hi, she probably wouldn’t be missed if she never showed up to work.
    Elaine filled Jill in on exactly what she was looking for. Within thirty minutes, Jill had directed her to the two locations available that could accommodate their needs. This girl’s a miracle worker!
    “Jill, I can’t thank you enough. I owe you for this.”
    “How about you let me stay with you when I come up for dress shopping? I hear we need to get gowns for Lizette’s wedding, and New York is the place to do it.”
    “You’re on, Jill. I can’t wait to see you.”
    Dress shopping. Elaine let out a heavy sigh. Oh, I can’t wait. From all her research, she would need to mentally prepare for what many call a painful experience: go to several shops, try on dozens of dresses, and let the bride pick her favorite. Please don’t let it be taffeta. She could only hope Lizette didn’t pick one of the many colors in Jill’s hair, though the colors definitely matched her personality. How she wished she was comfortable enough with herself to say, This is me, take it or leave it. Elaine always presented herself as what she needed to be: strong, independent, and in control. Many days she could have won an Oscar for her performance. If only people knew the real her. Lonely, insecure, a person searching for answers to her past, and living in a box she’d created for herself. One day this would change. She would let others in on what haunted her, but she wasn’t ready yet. For now, this was the Elaine they know and the Elaine they get.
    After she’d hung up with Jill, it took a few minutes to break away from her own thoughts and concentrate so she could be productive on the task at