by Lexy Timms
Taking the stairs two at a time Simon dashed downstairs, barely breaking a sweat thanks to the effects of his morning workout routine.
As he walked over to her office to surprise her, his gaze landed on her office door. The door swung open and a tall, muscular blond guy walked out with Heather.
Simon stopped in his tracks and frowned. He recognized the man. A Dover employee. Highly respected in the accounts department. Drew something or other.
With a scowl, Simon watched as Drew leaned over to hug Heather. When they pulled away from each other, Heather smiled and waved goodbye to Drew as he walked away, heading towards Simon.
Simon forced himself to nod at Drew as he swaggered by. A painful pressure shoved down on his chest as he watched Drew disappear.
The way Heather had looked at Drew...
What emotion had been lighting up her hazel eyes? It was hard to describe the light that flashed in them. Those eyes. So full of admiration. Almost worshipful.
Clearing his throat Simon walked over to Heather, his apprehension hard to shake. “Heather. How are you?”
“Oh.” Her face fell when he approached. “Fine. What are you doing here, Simon?”
He flinched inwardly. Did she not want him here? His heart was hammering wildly at the sight of her, but his excitement at seeing her was being tempered by a dread rising in him that he couldn’t quite explain. “I thought I’d walk you to your car. Maybe makes plans for the weekend if you want.”
“Let me just grab my handbag,” she said before ducking back into her office.
Moments later she reappeared, her bang slung over her shoulder. She gave him a furtive glance, agitation radiating off her.
“Is everything okay?” he asked. “You seem distracted. If I’ve come at a bad time—”
“No, it’s not that,” she insisted sharply. “It’s nothing. It’s been a long few days.”
“I can imagine,” he said. “The electricians kind of dropped a bombshell on us over the weekend. Have you told your lawyer about what they revealed? That someone at Dover put them up to taking photos and taking my security system offline?”
She nodded. “Yes. I’ve told him.”
“Does he have some kind of plan?” he pressed. Since she refused to accept help from one of his more expensive lawyers, the least he could do was find out what her lawyer’s plan was. Maybe he’d be able to give her some useful advice.
“He thinks it’s enough to cast doubt against Gary saying I’m an unfit mother.” She forced out a heavy sigh, suddenly looking so fragile that she might break right then and there.
“None of the things your ex-husband says are true,” he said forcefully. “You’re not unfit. Don’t believe a word he says.”
“I try not to.”
“I’ve seen how hard you work to protect Finn,” he said. “Gary should be thanking you for how well you’re raising his child.”
“I just hope the judge will see that at the custody trial,” she said. “Anyway, I got a bit distracted today since Drew dropped by.”
Simon shoved his hands into his pockets and propped himself up against a wall. “What kind of work is the media relations department doing with accounts?” He kept his tone even, wanting the question to sound as innocuous as possible.
She bit her lip and averted her gaze. “It’s nothing really.” Her hands tightened around the strap of her handbag, the grip so tight her knuckles turned white.
Some distant alarm sounded in the back of his mind. Heather was holding something back from him. Something important.
The urge to demand answers was almost too strong, but he remembered how badly things went when he accused her of the hacking. After she had almost completely shut him out of her life, he had sworn to trust her going forward. It was a promise he intended to keep, even as his guts churned at the way she couldn’t even look him in the eye.
“I didn’t know you were friends with Drew,” he said.
“I’m not,” she stammered. “Things are kind of complicated between me and Drew.” Her face flushed bright red.
Was that embarrassment staining her cheeks?
Right now, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he had caught Heather doing something wrong. Something she had to keep secret.
His insides twisted painfully as the truth started to come into focus. She was seeing Drew.
They hadn’t actually agreed to be exclusive, but Simon had been loyal to her from the moment she had first kissed him that day backstage. It was well within her right to date other people, but that still stung like a betrayal.
The thought of being with another woman hadn’t even occurred to him. For most of his life, women came and went. None of them were permanent. Forever wasn’t something he had ever considered. But as he had fallen in love with Heather, forever was the only thing worth pursuing with her. Yet here she was, dating someone else.
“Any reason things are complicated?” he asked in spite of the pain lancing through him.
She frowned. “I really wish I could be upfront with you about this, but right now I’d rather not say.”
There it was. The truth. Like a punch to the gut that knocked all the air out of him. “I see.”
“Do you still want to walk me downstairs?” She shifted uncomfortably on her feet, the space between them crackling with unspoken tension.
It was as if the secret parts of themselves they only showed one another were now locked away. Hidden behind an impenetrable wall that only the truth could unlock. The truth that they were both hiding from each other. He was hiding his love for her, and she was hiding another lover.
Was this what they had become to each other? Strangers? Cowards?
Somewhere things had gone wrong. Or maybe they had always been wrong. Maybe if he had declared his love to her earlier, he might have already been able to claim her as his. To love her the way she deserved to be loved. He had kept everyone in his life at arm’s length. He supposed getting the same treatment was only fitting. A strange sort of karma.
“No,” he said as the shooting pain of misery clawed through his heart. “I just remembered that I left something in my office and I have to go back and retrieve it. No sense in keeping you waiting.”
After a pause she said, “Okay. I guess I’ll see you later. Maybe we can have lunch together tomorrow?”
“Maybe,” he said blandly, her words barely penetrating his swirling, panicked thoughts.
By the time he snapped out of the fog at the sheer panic of losing her, Heather had disappeared. Leaving him behind to suffer alone through the unparalleled misery of a broken heart.
HEATHER HAD ALWAYS loved evenings after work. Work was wonderful but getting to pick up Finn was the highlight of her day. And today was extra special because she was having her parents over for one of their regular dinners together.
While she focused on seasoning the chicken at the kitchen counter, her father was busy chopping vegetables for a salad at another counter. Behind Heather, her mother was fixing a quick snack for Finn to eat to hold him over until dinner was served.
After a long day, she welcomed spending time with her parents and her son. Especially since lying to Simon earlier today had taken such an emotional toll.
Drew had dropped by her office to give her some more documents that might help with the investigation. He had been good enough to keep her updated on his efforts, but that just meant that her secrets were piling up. That was why she had avoided Simon all week. If she didn’t have to see him, she wouldn’t have to lie to him about working with Drew.
But then Simon had showed up and she had been a stammering, stuttering mess. Of course, her attempt at keeping the secret of Drew’s involvement with the investigation had been a disaster. She had never been a good liar, especially if that meant lying to the people she cared about.
A loud banging on the front door made her jump in surprise. She frowned. They weren’t expecting anyone. “I’ll go see who it is.”
After she quickly wiped her hands, sh
e rushed to the front door and opened it.
Simon was standing at the threshold. His dark hair was deliciously tousled like he’d been running, and he had the grimmest expression on his handsome face.
She gasped in surprise at finding him at her door. “Simon? What are you doing here? Is everything all right?”
“Are you dating Drew?” he demanded.
Her mouth fell open. That was the last thing she’d expected him to say. “What on earth?”
“I’m not angry if you’ve been seeing him,” he said gently. “I just need to know the truth.”
“The truth...” Her breathing hitched as she contemplated actually lying to his face. It was clear that the evasive tactics she had used earlier at work weren’t going to fly. Not by that anguished look on his face.
Simon was hurting so much she could almost feel it. He wasn’t angry. Just dealing with a pain that had been familiar to her for years. For years she had carried that heart-rending anguish over their breakup inside her heart. Now he looked like he was in pain.
But how could that be? She knew he had strong feelings for her, but surely not as intense as her feelings had been for him back when they were in high school. Simon was a cool, calm, measured man. It wasn’t like him to have such depths of feeling. Such passion.
When she didn’t respond he turned away from her, breathing heavily. “I know it’s none of my business. We haven’t decided to be exclusive, but I’ve been faithful to you this whole time.” He turned back to her, his jaw clenched like he was struggling to hold what was left of his emotions in check.
“If it’s none of your business, why do you want to know?” she asked, stalling for time.
“Wouldn’t you want to know?” he demanded, his voice tormented. “This isn’t childish jealousy, Heather. I can’t stand to see you with another man. I literally cannot stand it.” He paused, his torment turning into a something far more commanding. “Don’t date Drew. Stop seeing him.”
“We’re not officially together, Simon—”
“I love you, dammit.” He raked his hands through his dark hair and pulled away from her.
“No, I meant you and I aren’t officially together,” she said breathlessly, unable to keep the secret anymore. “Drew means nothing to me. He’s helping me with the investigation, nothing more.”
Her heart started to pound so wildly in her chest it was a miracle she couldn’t hear it. Had Simon just said that he loved her?
Hope flashed in his eyes. “You’re not seeing Drew?”
“Did you just...did you just say that you love me?” She took a step towards him, her entire body tingling with an electric heat she had never felt before.
“Of course, I love you.” His chest was heaving as his breathing grew heavier. “I love you so much I can’t stand to be away from you. I don’t know how I survived ten years away from you, because right now I don’t think I could last ten minutes without you, Heather.”
A strange sensation pricked the back of her eyes. And, try as she might, she couldn’t get rid of the lump forming in her throat. “Drew is just a colleague. There’s nothing romantic going on between us at all. I barely know him.”
He stared at her. “So why did you lie to me when I asked you about him earlier?”
“I didn’t lie exactly. I just kept the truth to myself because I was told not to tell you what was going on.” She sighed. “I guess I’ve screwed that up now.”
“He’s helping you with the investigation?” Simon frowned. “I mean, I knew we’d need an accountant’s help eventually, but we don’t have enough to go on yet.”
She held up her hands. “We do.” As quickly as she could, Heather filled in him on the details about Drew. The second payment to the electricians, the fact that the list of suspects had narrowed, Drew’s investigation into the executive account. All of it.
“So, you’re saying Linda is a suspect, too?” he asked.
“She is, but I don’t think she did it,” Heather said. “I know she didn’t,” she added firmly.
His eyebrow lifted skeptically.
“Simon, please try to trust her,” she pleaded. “Linda has been there for you all this time. And she’s helped me so much ever since I started working at Dover.”
“I want to trust her,” he said with a heavy sigh. “I just... everything’s so fucked up.”
“Then trust her.”
“It’s hard to trust,” he said.
She nodded. “I know it is. But trust doesn’t make you weak or foolish. I’m not saying you should trust Linda just because you like her. Trust her because she’d done everything to try to be transparent. She’s the one who told me she was on the suspect list, and she really didn’t have to do that. She didn’t have to fill me in on what Drew found. Trust her because she’s been putting her job on the line to prove how trustworthy she is.”
“You’re right.” He seemed lost as he stood on her porch.
“Do you want to come in?” she asked. “We’re having a family dinner, but you’re more than welcome to join us.”
“You’re okay with Finn meeting me?”
“Well—”
Before she could complete her thoughts, a car came careening into her driveway.
Simon turned to look at the car and he suddenly gripped her arm tightly. “Heather, don’t argue with me. Go inside right now. I recognize that car. It’s the police.”
Chapter 17
Simon was gently pushing her inside. He followed after her, kicking the front door shut as he stepped inside.
“What’s going on?” she asked desperately.
“Is there a way to get out here?” he barked. “A back door or something?”
Her pulse raced when she caught the grave look in his eyes. “Simon, if it’s the cops maybe I should go with them.”
“Without a lawyer? Are you crazy?” He hustled her down the hall to the living room. “At best, they want to take you down to the station for questioning. At worst, they’re here to arrest you. Neither scenario is good. If we get out now that buys us some time to clear your name.”
A loud banging on her front door made her freeze in place.
“Ms. Hall!” a loud, booming voice sounded. “This is Detective Adrian West. Open up. We need to talk to you!”
“I have to take Finn,” she said.
“No, you can’t,” he said. “If you run away with him they’ll just use it against you later. Is there somewhere you can drop him off?”
She didn’t like running away like a criminal, but if Simon was right, going with the police would be a complete disaster. Her ex-husband would use it against her and take Finn away from her. Heather refused to let that happen. “My parents are here.”
“Good, we’ll sneak out the back and have them answer the door,” he said. “Your parents can stall the cops and tell them you aren’t here.”
Finn would be safe with her parents. Leveling her shoulders, she said, “Go out the back, Simon.”
He paused.
“Don’t argue,” she hissed, throwing his words back at him. “I need to say goodbye to my parents. Then I’ll join you.”
“I’m not leaving you here,” he said firmly.
The pounding got louder.
“Fine. Wait here until I get back.” She raced into the kitchen and found her parents surrounding Finn, trying to comfort him.
“Heather, is that the police?” her mother asked, wide-eyed.
She nodded. “It is. I have to leave. I can’t tell you much more than that, but I’m trying to clear my name.”
“We can keep the police busy while you make a run for it,” her father said grimly. “We’ll look after Finn.”
She blinked back tears as she rushed up to her son and pulled him into her arms. “Mommy is going to be back soon, okay?”
Finn gripped her tightly. “Don’t go!”
Her son’s anguished wails knifed through her heart. She didn’t know how she found the strength to let him go and pull away
from him, but she did. “I love you, Finn.”
As tears threatened to fall, she raced out of the kitchen and back into the living room.
She didn’t have time to get her bearings as Simon immediately reached for her hand, and together they rushed towards the back door. They slipped out together and started ducking behind nearby houses, trying to outrun the police.
“Now we have no access to a car,” she said.
“Can we catch a bus from here?” he asked.
“Yes.” She nodded and motioned for him to follow her. She altered directions slightly and raced towards a nearby bus stop.
They got to Dover headquarters less than an hour later and used the private elevator to head up to Simon’s office. When they stepped inside he locked the door behind him.
She slumped into one of the chairs, fighting desperately to keep it together. Simon had confessed his love to her and the cops had showed up on her doorstep all in one day. After he had confessed, she had invited him to dinner. Heather hadn’t been sure how she was going to handle Finn officially meeting Simon, but she had wanted the chance to try. Wanted the chance to gather her courage over dinner to tell Simon how she really felt about him. But that all seemed like something in the distant past, now that she was hiding from the police.
“What do we do now?” she asked.
“We figure out who the real hacker is,” Simon responded. “Get proof and hand it over to the cops.”
“Do you think that will be enough?” she asked.
He reached inside his jacket pocket to retrieve his phone. “I’ve been texting my lawyer. He seems to think so. One of the other lawyers at his firm is willing to take you on as a client. I know you don’t want my help, but I won’t let the police take you away from me. Don’t ask me to do that.”
“I can’t afford a lawyer like that—”
“Too bad,” he said. “I’m paying the lawyer. Whether you actually decide to use the lawyer’s services is entirely up to you.”
“A lawyer like that is too expensive.”
“It’s my money,” he said. “I’ll spend it however I damn well want. Maybe if you stopped being so stubborn you’d acknowledge that everyone needs help sometimes. Even you.”
