The Relationship Coach by Sylvia McDaniel Read Free Book Online Page A

Doubt assailed her and she clenched her teeth. What if she’d just made the biggest mistake of her life? What if he would have filmed her business in a positive way? What if he’d trashed her business and she’d lost all of her clients.
    She took a deep steadying breath suddenly trusting her gut and knowing she’d made the best possible decision.
    Amanda shrugged. “Well, at least we’ve still got that chance with the television producer.”
    “I’m nervous about that deal. I want that show badly and it’s not good when all my hopes are on one project,” Lacey responded, her stomach clenching with nerves at the thought of her own television show. This was her dream, her big career goal.
    “Well, I have a new list of cities we’re taking the road show to, so that should excite you,” Amanda said her expression teasing, her voice trying for excitement.
    Lacey gazed at her best friend and groaned. “I’m trying to feel the love. I know its great exposure, but traveling is so tiresome.”
    “We’re scheduled for a week on the road, and then we return home.”
    “That’s not too bad.”
    “When is Dean returning?”
    “His plans changed again. He’ll be in tonight. Tomorrow, we’re going to take some time off and go look at one of the apartments I’ve found.”
    “So, you’re going through with moving in together?”
    Doubts assailed Lacey, like a hail storm battering a roof in spring. Yet, Dean was her perfect match. The man who fit all her criteria. Recently they’d hit a rough patch and all relationships occasionally had trouble.
    “Yeah, he convinced me it’s the next step. What about you and Jason?”
    “We’re not moving in together. We’re enjoying each other’s company, and if he asked, I’d say no.”
    “You haven’t discovered he’s a sex fiend with a closet full of whips and chains, have you?”
    Amanda laughed. “No, that was the last boyfriend. So far, Jason’s normal. Have you told your mother yet that you and Dean are moving in together?”
    Shudders skittered through Lacey leaving her cold, like the temperature had dropped fifty degrees.
    “Are you kidding me? At Kerri’s lunch, we snapped at each other. I decided to wait until later. I’m not ready for the lecture on why should he buy the cow, when he’s getting the milk for free.” Even though she was in her late twenties, she would catch hell from her mother for this decision.
    “Because you’re not sure you want to buy the bull.”
    Lacey grimaced at Amanda. “Funny. I’d rather find out before I go down the aisle than after.”
    “Amen. If the meeting with the producer doesn’t go well, are you going to be okay with your decision not to do the documentary?” she questioned.
    Lacey squirmed as turmoil ripped through her. Her gut instincts seemed to have gone on vacation. The idea of doing this documentary had been exciting, yet frightening at the same time. Turning Reed down had been gut wrenching. But his last responses to her questions had shown her he didn’t believe in what they were doing.
    “I don’t know. The company is growing, though slower than I had anticipated, and I want Mate Incorporated to be successful. I just think television is our next venue, and we need to do whatever we can to get there. The bottom line is I didn’t trust Reed Hunter.”
    ***
    “Did she take the deal?” Graham Turner, owner of Graham Productions, asked, sitting behind his big desk, making deals, creating story ideas, and changing or destroying lives.
    Reed’s stomach plummeted; his lungs no longer sucked air as he sat down across from his boss. He sighed. “No, she turned me down.”
    “Crap!” Graham said.
    “But, I can still film most of it without her. And I’m going to see if I can convince a couple of employees to speak with me on camera. I think we can still do this without her help.”
    Reed didn’t like doing individual, emotional subjects for films. He enjoyed taking down dictators and exposing unfair