Lambert's Peace by Rachel Hauck

married.”
    â€œWow, I can’t imagine Taylor laying her heart on the line like that.”
    Will shook his head. “I told you love was in the air.”
    â€œI take it your response wasn’t ‘Yeah, let’s go!’”
    Will laughed. “No. I didn’t say anything for a long time. Too long. Finally, I babbled something about going to grad school. Never told her I loved her. Or that I would like to marry her someday. She jumped out of the car, ran inside, and the next day she was gone.”
    Bobby stood next to him on the edge of the bridge, shining the flashlight across the barren treetops. “And you didn’t go after her?”
    Will mumbled, “No,” then added, “I thought I would, eventually. Eventually never came.”
    â€œYou are one lucky man.” Bobby shone the flashlight on Will’s face. “Somehow, ten years later,
eventually
came to you.”

    Taylor knocked on Will’s office door. “Taylor Hanson reporting for work.”
    Will hopped up, sloshing coffee over the rim of his cup. “Good morning. Come in.”
    The heels of her designer pumps thudded against the hardwood floor.
    Will regarded her for a moment. “You look nice,” he said with a low whistle. “A little overkill, but very nice.”
    Taylor ran her hand down the front of her five-hundred-dollar suit. “This is a professional arrangement, is it not?”
    Their eyes met, and she wondered if he could see right through her to her rapidly beating heart.
    Will stuttered. “Of course, but you don’t need an expensive suit to impress the bosses around here.”
    She cleared her throat and glanced at the floor. “I’ll keep that in mind.” Why did it seem as if they were talking about more than her job at Lambert’s Furniture?
    â€œLet me show you to your office.”
    Taylor followed Will. He introduced her to some of the administrative and financial staff, though she already knew most of them.
    â€œMarkie, good to see you.” Taylor shook the hand of her old friend.
    â€œTaylor, welcome home.”
    â€œWell, home for now.” She felt shy about admitting her career failure. No matter how wonderful home might feel, it was a temporary stop.
    â€œHere you go.” Will opened the door, and Taylor stepped into a large, windowed office with a long, polished mahogany desk surrounded by old leather chairs. And in the corner, a stone fireplace beckoned.
    â€œWill, it’s beautiful.”
    â€œIt’s the old conference room. When we added the south wing we built a new one.”
    Taylor set her shoulder bag on the desk. “Are you sure you want me in here? This looks like a CEO’s office.”
    Will perched on the desk’s edge. “It’s your office now. By the way, I didn’t have time to get you any equipment.” He motioned around the room. “No computer.”
    â€œI’m going to need one of those.” Taylor winked at him, her hands on her hips. She liked being here, though the idea of being near Will both thrilled and terrified her. How he’d captivated her heart after all these years mystified her.
    â€œWe have about five thousand in the capital budget for a computer and software purchases, so—”
    â€œThat’s a good start. But save that extra money for training. All I need is a fast computer and a connection to the Internet.”
    â€œWe can handle that.” Will pulled out a chair and sat, then brought Taylor up to speed on their business plan and how a new system fit into their strategy.
    â€œI think HBS is a good choice, Will. I just want to make sure you don’t get stuck with a bunch of modules you don’t need,” Taylor said when he finished.
    She pulled her data assistant out of her case and made a note. “I know a few businesses who use HBS. I can give them a call.”
    Will nodded. “Bobby’s been talking to an