by Ava Hayworth
“I worked a lot.”
“Hm, that’s too bad.”
There is a pause in the conversation before Mark gets to the point of his call. “Lainey, I have a huge favor to ask, and I understand if you say no…”
It is unlike Mark to be so evasive. “What is it?”
“My parent’s thirtieth wedding anniversary party is coming up, and I was wondering if you would come. Not as my date or anything.” He hurries to assure me. “They like you and miss you. I know they will be disappointed if you aren’t there.”
I mull it over for a few minutes. His parents were great, and I had liked them a lot. I didn’t see why I shouldn’t go. “Okay, when is it?”
“It’s in three weeks The second weekend after Labor Day.”
“That should be okay. Send me the details, and I’ll get back to you. I’ll see if Sam can go too.”
“That’s a great idea. Thanks Lainey.”
I try to read James’s body language, but it is difficult when he is watching the road. “That was Mark in case you were wondering.”
“So I gathered.”
His terse comment makes me nervous, and I find myself babbling about Mark and his parents and their upcoming anniversary party and my plans to take Sam as my “date.” At his continued silence I burst out, “Aren’t you going to say anything?”
“Would it matter if I did?”
“Of course it would. You’re my boyfriend. Do you not want me to go?”
James waits a few minutes before answering. Sliding his gaze away from the cars in front of him, he gives me a steady look that I can’t interpret. “I am not going to be the bad guy here and tell you that you can’t go to an anniversary party.”
“But you don’t want me to go.” I finish for him.
“I didn’t say that.”
“You didn’t have to. There is nothing between Mark and me. I have no feelings for him. You know that.”
“Yes, but he has feelings for you, and I think it would be leading him on to go to his parent’s party. Raising his hopes.”
“He knows I am with you now. We met on Thursday and came to an understanding.”
His head snaps back in my direction. “And you were planning on telling me about this date with your ex, when exactly?”
Shit, I had forgotten to tell James about my lunch with Mark. The drama with Elizabeth had completely overshadowed it in my mind. I decide to brazen it out. “Now, I’m telling you about it now. I had lunch with Mark last Thursday. We decided that we were going to work on being friends.”
James gives a snort of disbelieving laughter. “Lainey, don’t be naïve. He thinks we won’t last and is biding his time.”
I bristle with outrage. “That isn’t true. I explained that you had nothing to do with my relationship with him. He is ready to move on.”
James keeps his eyes fixed on the road, and I notice his knuckles are white from gripping the steering wheel. “I can see that I won’t be able to convince you. Go to the party and learn the hard way.”
James’s opinion is making me doubt my decision to go. Surely, he is wrong. As a matter of fact, I will go and prove to him that Mark and I can be friends. “I think you’re wrong. Mark is moving on. I am sure he will be taking a date to the party.”
“Yea, and when he sees you both in the same room, he’ll forget all about her.”
“You don’t know that.”
“Baby, once someone’s had you, everyone else pales in comparison.”
Oh, his comment shuts me up, and his warm look sets off butterflies in my stomach.
It is late when James drops me off at my apartment. Sam is either sleeping or with Dylan. After I get ready for bed, I check my phone and see that I have missed a call from Jett. It is Monday morning in Taiwan, and he is most likely at work. I decide to call and leave him a message.
I am surprised when Jett picks up. “Oh, hi. I thought you would be working.”
“Hi Lainey. You aren’t by chance trying to dodge my calls?”
The thought had actually occurred to me. If I just left him a message, I could avoid talking to him about James. I wonder if my laugh comes across as fake to him as it does to me. “Of course not, why would I want to do that?”
The silence on the other end of the line is beginning to make me nervous. Jett finally answers. “James McAllister is why.” There is another long pause. “Are you seeing him Lainey?”
I screw my eyes shut tight and prepare for the explosion. “Yes?” Damn, why does that have to come out sounding like a question?
“Are you kidding me? I told you to stay away from him.”
I role my eyes. “Isn’t that a little cliché… the big brother warning his little sister away from his big, bad friends?”
“James McAllister is no friend of mine… and of you either. Lainey, what can I say to make you believe me? He is a manipulative son of a bitch who will do or say anything to get what he wants.”
I think about the James that I know, and it just doesn’t mesh with what Jett is telling me. “You say that, but I just don’t see it. Can you give me any concrete examples?”
In the background I hear papers shuffling and muffled voices. “Lainey, listen I can’t talk more right now. I have to get back to work. I’ll call you tonight, but please, please listen to me and stay away from that asshole.”
We hang up, and I am left feeling unsettled. James had explained why Jett disliked him so much, but I can’t help wondering if there isn’t more to the story. Setting my alarm for the morning, I wonder what in the world I’m going to do.
CHAPTER 13
The next morning, I wake up to gray clouds and rain which is a perfect match to my mood. Maybe I should have stayed at James’s apartment last night then I could have ridden to work in the comfort of a car. I contemplate the clothes in my closet with an eye to what can stand up to walking through puddles. In the end I pull out a navy blue wrap dress.
I walk out to a quiet kitchen and am disappointed that Sam is not there. She must have decided to stay with Dylan. I throw my things in my bag including a yogurt and an apple which will be my breakfast when I get to the office. It isn’t cold, but I put on my red double breasted trench coat to protect my dress from the rain. I also pull on my cheetah print rain boots. Outside the rain is coming down in sheets, and I am sure I will be a dripping mess by the time I get to the office. Popping open my umbrella, I make a dash for the subway.
I don’t get a seat. More and more people push in behind me, and water from someone’s umbrella drips down my back. I am positive that my hair is now a frizzy mess, and I berate myself for not putting it up this morning. Wet and overheated, I am relieved when I finally reach the lobby of our building. I determine that a stop to the restroom to repair the damage will be the first thing on my agenda today. I ride up the elevator with several other wet, somber commuters. As I exit the elevator, I notice an unusual commotion at the reception desk and wonder what all the excitement is about. Anxious to shed my wet things, I hurry on past towards my office. The smell of smoke reaches me. I speculate that someone has blown up the microwave in the kitchenette. I am confused when the stench becomes stronger the closer I come to my office. Black streaks appear on the carpet which is also wet. When I reach the door to my office, I stop bewildered. There is a yellow police band across the damaged doorway. I am taking it all in when I hear someone calling my name behind me. I turn to see Valerie Rodriguez looking at me in concern. “Elaine, I’ve been trying to reach you. I called you several times this morning.”
“I was on the subway… no cell service.” I say distractedly, my attention on my devastated office. The walls are black, and everything from my desk lies in a heaping wet mess on the floor. “What happened?”
For a moment I start to panic about the Rothschild files. Then I remember that Patti had finished backing everything up digitally on Friday. I refocus on Valerie who wants me to follow her to the Lincoln conference room. She indicates that I should sit
across from her, and I sink down into my chair gratefully.
“Okay, right.” She begins. “There was a fire in your office. Fortunately, the firefighters responded to the alarm quickly and were able to contain it. Your office was the only one damaged.”
So many questions come to my mind, and I don’t know where to start. “But how…? What caused it?”
“We’re not sure. The fire marshal is investigating.”
I speculate that it has to do with faulty wiring and wonder if the building is safe. It isn’t something you should take for granted after the events of 9/11, and we are on the 33rd floor. Fear grips me, and even though I realize that it is unreasonable, I struggle to tamp it down. My throat tightens as a wave of nausea washes over me. I fight to regulate my breathing. Taking a deep breath, I hold it counting to five before slowly releasing it again. It seems to help, and I concentrate on breathing in and out. Valerie is speaking to me, but I cannot concentrate on what she is saying. There is an abrupt knock on the door. Andrew Mills walks in with a man in an official uniform, whom he introduces as a fire marshal. I am feeling a little more under control. Concentrating on keeping my breathing steady, I give a brief nod.
Andrew regards me thoughtfully, “Elaine, are you alright? You’re looking a little pale.”
“I’m fine… just a little shaken.”
“Yes, well that’s completely understandable… under the circumstances.”
“Do you think you are well enough to answer some questions?”
“Yes, of course.”
After Valerie leaves, the fire marshal and Andrew sit down across from me. My hands and feet feel numb. I can feel my heart beating erratically, but I force myself to focus on the fire marshal.
“Can you tell us where you were last night?”
“I was at home.”
“Were you there all evening?”
I wrinkle my brow in confusion. Why are they asking me these questions about my whereabouts? “I was in the Hamptons over the weekend, and I got home at about eleven last night.”
“Can anyone substantiate your whereabouts?”
My lawyer instincts rear their head at this question. “Do you think someone deliberately set the fire? Are we talking arson?”
The fire marshal regards me steadily. “Yes, there is a clear indication that this is a case of arson.”
My mind reels in shock. Who would set my office on fire? And why? I refocus on the fire marshal’s last question. “I want a lawyer before I answer any more questions.” I glare at Mills. Could they be any more insensitive? My cell phone rings and I pull it out of a pocket in my bag. It’s James. I decline the call, and notice that I have four missed calls. Just as I return my attention to the fire marshal, my phone rings again. James is calling again. I turn my phone off this time.
Mills steps in to reassure me. “Elaine, no one is accusing you of setting the fire. They have to start somewhere, and since the fire originated in your office, they will want to cross you off the list as the possible arsonist first.” He pauses a moment to gage my reaction before continuing. “It is really in your best interest to cooperate with the investigation.”
I cannot help the bitterness that creeps into my tone. “And if I have no alibi, that makes me suspect number one? Just because it was my office where the arsonist decided to light his… or her fire? That makes no sense.” I am so angry that I am about to tell them both to go where the sun don’t shine when there is a loud knocking at the door. We all turn startled gazes to the door when James bursts in. His eyes make a brief sweep of the room before landing on me.
“This conference room is taken McAllister.” Mills tells James repressively.
“I was looking for Elaine.”
“Well, she’s busy right now. You’ll have to talk to her later.”
I can see that James has no intention of leaving. My mind races to find something to say to make James leave before there is an awkward scene. Then an idea hits me. I clear my throat which directs Mills’s attention back to me. “I would like James to sit in as my lawyer.” I am looking at Mills so I sense rather than see James becoming utterly still at my words.
Mills regards me thoughtfully for a few seconds before nodding his head in acceptance and gesturing to James to come in. “Take a seat.”
James slowly moves to the chair beside me and sits down.
“Now,” Mills turns to look at the fire marshal, “Can we continue?”
“Ms. Hart, do you know of anyone that holds a grudge against you?”
So they would be looking at other people not just me. That is slightly reassuring. I try to think of anyone who harbored ill will against me, but my mind draws a blank. “No… honestly, I can’t think of anyone.” Could someone dislike me so much that they would set my office on fire? I review everyone I have worked with, and my mind stops on Elizabeth. Could she really be that crazy? I think about how she is imagining a nonexistent relationship with James. She was mad at me when I got the office, but I hesitate to say anything. There is a huge difference in expressing resentment and lighting someone’s office on fire.
The fire marshal clasps his hands together on the table in front of him. “So you cannot think of any enemies. Let’s go through the people you work closest with or are friends with at the firm.”
I list Alex, who I note is a friend from law school, Nora and Patti, and Elizabeth, who had been my supervisor. I think about mentioning James, but decide to lump him in with the Rothschild team. “I’ve only been working here a few weeks.” I remind them. “I haven’t had time to develop that many relationships, working or otherwise.”
Jotting down a few notes, the fire marshal nods. “Then let’s move on to your personal life.”
I interrupt. “Why does this have to be about me? Couldn’t it have been random vandalism?”
“Yes, that is of course a possibility, but it is also quite possible that the arson was directed at you.”
I sit back in my chair feeling defeated.
“Can you think of anyone in your personal life who might mean you harm?” He pauses waiting for my response before prompting, “Disgruntled boyfriend… jealous girlfriend?”
My eyes are firmly fixed on the fire marshal, but I sense James tensing beside me. “No, no one.”
The fire marshal and Mills look at me as if waiting for me to make some grand revelation. I gaze back at them blandly. The idea that someone from my personal life would do something like this is so abhorrent that I refuse to give it the least bit of credence.
James, who has been silent up until this point, addresses the fire marshal. “If Ms. Hart thinks of anyone, she will be sure to notify you. Now, if that is all…”
The fire marshal continues to stare at me. “We will still need you to substantiate your whereabouts last night.”
James cuts in. “During what period of time are we talking about?”
“We don’t have a definite time when the fire started yet. At this point the time period would be from early yesterday evening until this morning.”
James turns his head in my direction and looks at me. “Ms. Hart?”
I don’t understand the look that James is giving me. Does he want me to tell them I was with him? “Like I told you… I spent the weekend in the Hamptons with a friend, and we drove back yesterday evening. I got home around ten pm.”
“Can your friend corroborate if necessary?”
“Yes, if necessary.”
“What about after ten? Can anyone attest to your whereabouts?”
“No, my roommate wasn’t at home.” Then I remember my phone call with Jett. “Wait, I did speak on the phone with my brother. I’m not exactly sure of the time, but it will be on my phone.” I am not sure what James will think of me talking to Jett, but I don’t look at him.
The fire marshal seems satisfied for the moment. “We may need to get the name of your friend to verify, and if you don’t mind, I’ll have a look at your phone.”
I look over at Jame
s, who gives a nod, and I slide my phone over to the fire marshal after typing in the security code. The fire marshal checks some different screens and takes some notes before sliding the phone back to me.
The meeting finally comes to an end, and Mills walks the fire marshal out. I sit as if rooted to my seat. My office is now a blackened hole, and I’m not sure where I should go. I wonder if my old desk next to Patti and Nora is still available.
“Lainey,” I look numbly over at James who repeats my name. “Lainey, you should go home.”
“What? I can’t just go home. I have work to do.”
“Lainey,” he says gently. “You are not going to be able to get any work done with the state your office is in. Not to mention that you have suffered a shock.”
“You saw it?” I ask referring to my office.
“Yes….” He stops as if unsure of what to say next. “Come on. You can come back to my office for now.”
“Don’t you have to work? Meet with clients?” I trail off uncertainly.
“I had Melanie rearrange my morning. It will be fine.” Melanie is the assistant that he shares with Dennis Belinsky. James touches my elbow and I stand a bit unsteadily. “You haven’t even taken off your coat.”
I feel like a wet, bedraggled cat next to James, who looks razor sharp in a navy blue suit that fits him to perfection. He is wearing a silver tie, and I find that the combination particularly suits him. We move down the hall to his office, and he leads me to his desk chair. Confused, I look at him in question. “It’s the most comfortable chair. Sit down. I’ll go get us some coffee. You look like you can use some.”
I couldn’t disagree with this statement. “Okay. Thanks.” I watch James’s long masculine strides as he leaves his office and closes the door behind him. At that exact moment I hear a cell phone and realize it is not my ring tone. I glance over at James’s desk and see that he has left his phone. Picking it up, I think I might be able to catch him when I notice that the caller is Elizabeth. Why would she be calling him on this phone? She must be calling him about a case they are working on together I reassure myself. I am still holding the phone in my hand as it stops ringing. I can’t resist looking down at the screen and see he has several missed calls. Feeling slightly guilty, I swipe my thumb across the screen. Most of the calls appear to be from Elizabeth. I know I ought to put the phone back down because I do not want to be the snooping girlfriend, but my curiosity gets the better of me. I want to see if Elizabeth has been texting him as well. Opening the text message screen, I am shocked to see how many messages he has from Elizabeth. Why hasn’t he said anything? Going to the most recent I read the opening lines.
