Read Coming To Reason (A Long Road to Love) for Free Online Page B

so happy for you. Tell her hello for me.”
    “Not happening,” he snapped before the line went dead.
    Clearly, rudeness ran in the Lancaster blood.
    She tried Trent’s number again, but he still wouldn’t pick
up. She tried Mars, the penthouse butler. Trent’s Long Island butler oddly went
by Mars, as well. They had different names, Marston and Martin, but both wished
to be called Mars, which saved Trent from having to remember two names.
    “Lancaster residence, how may I be of service?” Mars
answered with deep, rounded vowels.
    “You answer the phone so nicely. Maybe you could teach Sam
some phone manners.”
    He chuckled. “I have tried, believe me. How are you doing,
Miss Carrie?”
    She sensed great concern in his voice, but had no idea why.
“I’m doing great. I got a new job this morning, and my first day went very
well.”
    “Excellent news! Nothing like a new job to take one’s mind
off of other matters.”
    Man, he must think leaving Lancaster Chairs devastated me. “I needed to
leave. I had run out of things to improve.”
    “Well, you worked miracles, and for a short time, you made
my job much easier. Unfortunate ly , there are people in life who defy change.
    His response had her worried. Mars normal ly stayed on
topic. Did Trent misbehave on his first day of independence? Tossing her phone
out the window hinted at the possibility.
    “I called you because Trent can’t recognize the phone
number I’m calling from and thus refuses to pick up the phone. Would you let
him know I’m trying to call him?”
    “Do you think it’s wise?”
    So he did have a bad day! The revelation pleased her. She
didn’t want to be so easy to replace.
    “I’ve news to cheer him up.”
    “I’ll let him know then. I’m glad I had a chance to say good-bye,”
Mars said.
    “Are you leaving?”
    “I am. The Long Island Mars is retiring and I’m taking his
place.”
    “You’ll do great! I’m so happy for you.”
    “Thank you. And I believe you will go on and do great things
yourself. Change can be invigorating.”
    “I couldn’t agree more.”
    After wishing her the best in life, Mars hung up.
    Carrie spent five minutes investigating the dirty drawers
of her old desk.
    Note to self: bring cleaning spray and paper towels.
    She tried Trent’s number again. This time, he answered on
the first ring.
    “Where the hell are you? I’ve been calling you all day.”
    Ah, those genetic bad phone manners. “I left early this morning
to job hunt.”
    “Well, if you’d have bothered to answer your damn phone, you
would know I already got you a job.”
    God, he sounded as horrible as he had when she first
started working for him. Her absence must have caused a major regression. She
decided to overlook his outrage at her for not answering her phone, which now slept
with the fishies.
    She’d planned to tell him about her job, but if it sounded
less than the one he had found, he’d expect her to drop Dan’s and take his, and
she couldn’t. Dan needed her help, more than he even knew.
    “So tell me about the job.” Please be less. Please be
less. Please be less!
    “Secretary for the manager of a distribution center in
Trenton.”
    Thumping her chest to stop from choking, she replied, “Trenton?
That’s a worse commute than going into the city.”
    “Carrie, it’s in New Jersey. If it’s a long commute, then
move to Trenton.”
    How could any rational person suggest such a horrible idea?
Then the reason came to her. “You’ve never been to Trenton, have you?” He no
doubt chose it because it had his name in it. Trent’s Town.
    “No, but when you move there, I’m sure I’ll see plenty of
it.”
    “Well, thank you for thinking about me, but—”
    “Why does my phone say Dan Marshal?”
    She rolled her eyes. She’d explained this to him a hundred
times. “It’s telling you I’m calling from Dan Marshal’s firm.
    “You’re wasting your time. His clients don’t want
candidates with your weak