I don’t even know how it happened. When I was a little girl, the apple of my daddy’s eye, I felt as if I could take over the whole world. I was sure I’d be a force to be reckoned with. But somehow, things didn’t turn out that way. I often thought of the seven year old Lacey, the little girl I’d been, and whether or not she’d be proud of the woman she’d grown up to become. I was certain she’d be dismayed if she knew the truth.
Rob was just the latest in a long line of guys who had completely and utterly let me down. My last real relationship had been with a guy named Matt. Most girls think the worst thing in the world is to find out that their husband is cheating on them. Well, I’m here to tell them, there’s one thing that’s a whole lot worse. Imagine finding out that you’re actually the woman that he’s cheating with. I’d dated Matt for two years. I’d committed everything I had to that relationship. I’d believed we were working toward building a life together.
And then I found out he was already happily married and I was just his bit on the side.
Yup.
Plus, as stupid as it sounds, I didn’t want to give Grant the satisfaction of knowing that I wasn’t seeing Rob again. I wanted him to think things were going great, that I had a new boyfriend, and that he’d royally screwed up when he let me go.
Chapter 15
Lacey
ROB ASKED ME TO MEET him at his clinic. He wanted to go out for dinner right after he was done, and he was really adamant that he was going to make the entire evening about me this time. He called me while I was in the car and spent about twenty minutes apologizing for his behavior the night before.
I finally told him to forget about it. We all had our little hang-ups and quirks and I was willing to move forward if he was. I was really glad I hadn’t spilled the entire story to Faith the night before, because I knew if I’d told her how he’d treated me, she’d have completely forbidden me from ever seeing him again.
Naturally, his clinic was in the fanciest part of the city, and as I drove through the security gate into the parking lot, I felt as if I was entering a top secret government research lab. People sure did take their cosmetic surgery seriously around there. The building was all glass and steel, and the sign on the side read Crawford Beauty Technology.
Rob met me at the door. I was a little awkward, but when he leaned in to kiss me, I allowed him to give me a little peck on the cheek. It was seven-thirty but the place was still open for business.
“I’m really sorry about this, but my last appointment of the evening is running a little long,” he said. “Would you mind waiting out here in the reception for a little while? I really didn’t expect this to happen.”
He was so apologetic that I couldn’t hold it against him.
“Don’t worry about it, Rob. It happens. I’ll be comfortable out here.”
“Oh, I’ve got a client reception upstairs,” he said. “It’s much nicer.”
He led me through the lobby, past the desk where a security guard in a brown uniform nodded at us. There was a glass elevator and we took it up one floor to another lobby overlooking the first.
There was another desk, and this one was manned by a stunningly beautiful blonde woman. She must have been in her early twenties, and I’m not kidding when I say I had to check twice to make sure I wasn’t looking at a life-sized barbie doll.
“This is Cassie,” he said.
I smiled at the receptionist and took a seat on a white, leather couch. There was a table of magazines, all about fashion, and a fancy cappuccino machine.
“All right,” Rob said. “I’ll be done as soon as I can. I really wouldn’t make you wait, but it’s a surgery and there’s no way we can leave it to my assistants. The client’s been under for three hours and we’re almost done.”
I smiled and watched him hurry down the corridor through a set of glass swing doors. I picked up the latest edition of Cosmo and began flicking through the pages.
Cassie cleared her throat before interrupting my reading. Her voice was high-pitched and a little on the bimbo side, just like you’d imagine from her appearance.
“You must be Rob’s date,” she said.
I wondered dryly if she had a team of detectives under the desk, helping her figure that out.
“That’s right,” I said, with a smile that was warmer than I felt.
“You’re a very beautiful woman,” she said.
I fixed her in my gaze. Was she being sarcastic? I mean, I’m not bad, but this girl had every single cosmetic enhancement known to man and she blew me out of the water. Her breasts were pert and as large as melons. Her skin was like a makeup commercial. Her lips were so full of collagen she might as well have written Blow Job Station on her chin. Even her eyes looked larger and brighter than was natural.
“Thanks,” I said, purposely sounding as bitchy and fake as I felt.
“No,” Cassie said, genuinely dismayed by my tone, “I mean it. You have perfect bone structure. Perfect skin tone. Beautiful hair. If I looked as good as you in my natural state, I wouldn’t have had half the work I’ve had done.”