His sharp words hit their target, bruising her ego, but she wouldn’t back down on her report. “But I did disclose it,” she insisted. “I don’t understand why you’re saying all this when I haven’t even submitted my report yet.”
“Yes, you disclosed the problem, but then you followed it up with the recommendation that the deal still go through because Jonah had handled it in a fiscally responsible manner.”
“How...?” She hadn’t submitted her report yet, and he’d just quoted her own words back to her.
“I pulled it off our server and read your draft when I got off the phone with Mark. I couldn’t believe what I was reading. Would you have made that recommendation with anyone else, Emma? Tell me the truth.”
Emma couldn’t answer. She didn’t know. Perhaps she wasn’t as impartial as she thought. Perhaps Jonah had managed to get his way in the end without her even realizing he was doing it.
“You’ve lost your objectivity because you’ve gotten romantically involved with him, just as he’d planned. If I can’t count on you to do your job, Emma, I have no choice but to let you go. Come in tomorrow and pack up your office.”
She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. It was everything she’d feared and dreaded since the moment she laid eyes on Jonah. She thought she’d been so cautious, so careful, and yet it was all falling down around her. “Are you serious? You’re firing me?”
She heard the bed squeak and Jonah’s heavy footsteps coming down the hallway. He must’ve heard her say she was fired. Panic started to close her throat. She couldn’t deal with Tim and Jonah at the same time.
“I am,” Tim said. “I’m sorry, Emma.”
The line disconnected, leaving her dumbstruck. The phone slipped from her hand to the living room floor, where she left it.
Jonah appeared in the room wearing nothing but his boxers and jeans. “He fired you?” he asked, but she didn’t answer.
She couldn’t. Tim’s words were swirling in her head and muffling Jonah’s voice. She was pregnant and unemployed. She’d just lost her medical insurance. What was she going to do? Turn to her baby’s father? The same man who may have very well used her to close the deal with Game Town?
That was the part that really ate at her insides. She wasn’t the kind of woman Jonah was known to date. He’d pursued Emma from the moment he walked into his office and first laid eyes on her. Well before he knew who she really was, he was asking her to dinner, to coffee, buying her expensive flowers and pouring on the charm layers thick. Maybe Tim was right. All of this was just his way of securing the contract by any means necessary.
“Emma, what did he say? What’s happened? Did he find out about us? We were so careful.”
“Jonah, please,” she said, holding out her hand to silence him. “Just answer one question for me. That’s all I want to hear right now.”
Jonah’s jaw flexed as he held in his own questions and nodded. “Okay. What do you want to know?”
“Before you knew who I really was, why were you pursuing me so doggedly? The truth. Were you only feigning an interest in me in an attempt to distract me and keep me from finding that Noah stole all that money from the company?”
“Is that what Tim told you?” he asked.
“Just answer the question, please.”
Jonah’s blue eyes focused on her for a second before they dropped to the floor. “Yes,” he said after a prolonged and uncomfortable silence.
“Oh my God,” she said, tears rushing to her eyes.
“Emma, no. Listen to me. Yes, that was my original intention, okay. I wanted to charm you a little to see if it would help things. I don’t want to lie to you about that. But once I knew who you were, I was nothing but sincere. You’re my butterfly. I—”
He reached out to her, but Emma dodged him. “Don’t. Just don’t. I can’t have you touching me and calling me pet names when I’m trying to come to terms with the fact that you were just using me.”
“Emma, please. You’ve got to listen to me.”
“No, I don’t. The only thing I have to do is pack my office tomorrow and update my résumé. I need medical insurance and a way to support my baby.”
“Our baby,” he corrected.
Emma only ignored him. She couldn’t think about that right now. A future of dealing with him as her baby’s father was too painful a thought. “I need you to get your things and go home, Jonah.”
He took a step toward her, but she backed away and he stopped short. “I told you I’d never let you go and I meant it, Emma.”
His eyes pleaded with her, the deep blue tugging at her heartstrings, but she didn’t dare back down. He’d used her to get what he’d wanted and she couldn’t forget that. He’d destroyed her career and her reputation just to save his own ass. “I’m not giving you the choice, Jonah. I need you to leave. Right now.” Her voice was as stone cold and unemotional as she could make it with her feelings threatening to explode out of her.
This time, he didn’t bother to argue. He returned to the bedroom, gathered up the rest of his clothes and pulled them on without another word. Emma followed him to the front door, fighting to hold in her tears until he was gone.
“I didn’t mean to hurt you, Emma,” he said before stepping out the front door.
She closed and locked it behind him, and rested her forehead against the cold wood. The tears started flowing freely then.
“Well, you did,” she whispered.
Eleven
“Someone is looking awfully grumpy this morning.”
Jonah looked up from his desk to see his brother Noah standing in the doorway. Just the sight of him was enough to send his blood pressure rocketing.
His brother had chosen the wrong day to come strolling into his office with that smug grin on his face. He hadn’t slept for days after the fight with Emma. He couldn’t eat. The worst part was that he knew he’d handled the situation with her all wrong. He didn’t know how he would fix things, if he even could. But he could get some justice by making the culprit that put him in that position pay.
Without responding, Jonah slowly stood up from his desk with his hands curled into fists at his sides. He had no doubt the waves of anger were rolling off him with the way the perpetual smirk on Noah’s face faded.
Jonah stalked his brother around the room like a panther toying with his cornered prey. Slowly. Deliberately. Silently. He would savor this punishment. Weeks of frustration, heartache, not to mention millions of dollars—all because of his reckless, stupid younger brother.
“Jonah...” Noah held his hands up and backed away toward the conference room table. “Let me explain first, please.”
“Oh, you’re going to explain,” Jonah said. “But you’re going to do it with a split lip and a bloody nose.”
“Oh, come on, Jonah. Physical violence? What would Mother say? I’m going to see her tonight. Do you want me to look like I’ve been in a fight?”
Normally, the mention of the grand dame would’ve given him pause, but not today. “Nope,” he replied. “I want you to look like you’ve lost a fight.”
Now Noah looked worried. He moved until the conference table was between them. “Why are you so angry? Did the Game Town deal fall through?”
“Did the Game Town deal fall through?” Jonah said with a near-hysterical edge to his voice. He had no idea. He hadn’t heard a word on the deal since he left Emma’s apartment Monday night. He laughed and continued to circle the table. “That’s the least of my worries at the moment, Noah.”
That puzzled his younger brother. “Well, wait. Really. What has happened? Because I spoke with the Game Town CEO yesterday and he sounded like he understood and everything would go through just fine.”
Jonah froze. He hadn’t. Noah hadn’t gone to their potential partner and spoken with him wi
thout even telling Jonah he was back in the country. He wouldn’t. “You what?”
“I’ll tell you everything if you sit down and promise not to hit me. That’s why I came here after all. I’m not stupid.”
Jonah sincerely doubted that, but he was more curious about his brother’s story at the moment. He couldn’t fathom a scenario where he could explain the theft to Carl and have everything be okay. “Fine. But I still might hit you.”
“Fine,” Noah agreed. “Please sit down and let me finish first.”
Jonah returned to his desk, his eyes never leaving his younger brother as he crossed the room and sat in his chair. Noah took a seat in the guest chair, perching on the edge as though he were preparing to make a quick getaway.
“Talk,” Jonah demanded.
“I got back from Thailand two days ago,” Noah explained. “The jet lag is unbelievable, really. I spent the first day in bed, and the next day Melody called me and told me there were whispers in the halls that the Game Town deal might not go through because of me and the money. I felt bad about the whole thing, so I went to Game Town and talked to the CEO myself.”
Noah Flynn was not known for his initiative, so Jonah refrained from interrupting him to see exactly what his angle was with all of this. There had to be an angle. Had to. Noah always had an angle.
“I explained to him what the money was for and that it was extenuating circumstances that would never happen again.”
Every word out of his brother’s mouth made Jonah angrier. “And what, exactly, was the money for, Noah?”
“Ransom.”
Well, that was certainly not what he was expecting. Was he serious? “Ransom for whom?”
“For my son.”
Jonah didn’t think his younger brother could shock him any more than he already had, but Noah was always full of surprises. “What son? You don’t have a son.”
Noah sighed. “So, about a year and a half ago, I met this doctor named Reagan Hardy at a charity event. We spent a week or so together, but not long after that, she took her next Doctors Without Borders assignment in Southeast Asia. She found out she was pregnant after she left and never told me. Her high-profile work in the community made her a target of the chao pho, the Thai mafia. They kidnapped Kai from the clinic where she was working. I didn’t know he even existed until she called and asked for help. They demanded three million dollars in seven days or they would kill Kai. If Reagan contacted the police or told anyone, they would kill Kai. I had to act quickly, so I took the money and got on a plane. I’m sorry it caused you trouble, but I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”
Somehow, the knowledge that his infant nephew had been in the hands of dangerous criminals made everything else seem trivial. “What happened?”
“I paid the ransom, and they returned him unharmed. The cops picked the kidnappers up the next day and we recovered most of the money, so I have it to pay back, as I promised. When I told Carl about it, he was understanding. It’s not the kind of thing that happens very often. He said that he wouldn’t hold that against you under the circumstances. Did he change his mind?”
Jonah shook his head. “I don’t know. I haven’t heard from Game Town. And at this point, I don’t really care.”
Noah studied Jonah for a moment with a curious look on his face. “The guy that nearly pummeled me a few minutes ago cared quite a bit. If you’re not angry about the Game Town deal, what is it?”
Jonah didn’t even know where to begin. How could he explain what he’d had with Emma and how he’d lost it?
“A woman has gotten to you,” Noah stated.
Was it that obvious? “It hardly matters anymore, Noah. She was the auditor involved in this whole mess and she lost her job because of me.”
“I’m sure you could help her find a new job. Hell, just hire her to work here.”
Jonah shook his head. He knew Emma would say no, even now. Especially now. Everything blowing up in her face was just proof that she was right all along. “She wouldn’t accept my help—I know it. Her reputation was the most important thing to her and I ended up ruining everything. Not just her job, but I screwed up us. She was the one, Noah. I love her. She’s having my baby. And what did I do? I lied to her, trying to cover up the missing money and save our asses. It all blew up in my face.”
“Is this the same woman from the Mardi Gras party? The one with the tattoo?”
Jonah could only nod. Just the mention of that night made the whole thing that much worse.
“Well, then you’ve got to fix it.”
Jonah frowned. Things were always so simple to Noah for some reason. Even a harrowing kidnapping seemed to go smoothly for him. “How? I don’t even know where to begin. I don’t think she wants anything to do with me anymore.”
“Probably not, but that doesn’t mean it can’t change. You said the most important thing to her was her reputation. So step up. Talk to her boss, tell them it wasn’t her fault and get her job back. Taking the blame and making things right for her again is something you can offer her.”
That all sounded good, but was it really enough? “What if she doesn’t forgive me? Or does, but doesn’t want me back?”
“Then you’ll have to be content knowing you did the right thing.”
For once, Jonah had to admit that Noah’s idea was a good one. He might never win back her trust or her love, but he could make things right for her reputation and her career.
“Unless, of course, you’re ready to make your big move.”
Jonah’s brows went up. “My big move?”
Noah held up his left hand and waggled his ring finger. “Give her everything she could possibly want from you in a two-pronged approach—restore her job and her reputation at work, and then restore her personal reputation and faith in you by declaring your love for her and asking for her hand in marriage. If she’s that concerned about what people think of her at work, how does she feel about the fact that she’s having your baby out of wedlock?”
“I already asked her to marry me. She said no.”
“Well, ask again. And not because of the baby, but because you love her and you want to spend the rest of your life with her.”
Once again, Noah was right. Jonah wouldn’t say it out loud, though. Instead, he turned to his computer and looked up a few numbers. He had quite a few calls to make to put all this to rights.
“Who are you calling?” Noah asked as Jonah picked up his office phone.
“Everyone.”
* * *
Emma was moping and she knew it. It had been a week since she’d been fired. At least she thought it was. She’d honestly lost track of time spent wallowing. She was pretty certain she’d worn the same cartoon-clad pajama pants three days in a row and hadn’t washed her hair. She couldn’t work up the enthusiasm to care. What did it matter? She had nowhere to go. No one to see. She was unemployed, single, pregnant and miserable.
Her phone rang just then, but she ignored it. She knew who it was just by the ringtone. Harper, Lucy and Violet all seemed to be taking turns checking in on her unsuccessfully. This time it happened to be Lucy calling. Emma had no doubt that before too long, they would show up at the door. They were on the visitor list and Violet had a key, so there would be no putting them off in that scenario.
It didn’t matter. It felt almost as though little did. At least for now. After a few more days, she’d have no choice but to pick herself up, dust herself off and move on with life. There were bills to pay and soon, a baby to feed. She could borrow money from her parents, she supposed, but that would require her to confess what a mess her life had become lately. She wasn’t ready for that yet.
That meant she had to work.
Emma had been looking at jobs online. Her only hope was that perhaps she could find another position before word got out about why she
’d left her last one. They would eventually call a reference and her company would disclose that she was terminated and ineligible for rehire—she couldn’t help that—but that would be better than the rumors that would build as they circulated. Especially once she could no longer hide her baby bump.
So far, she hadn’t run across much of interest. There was a financial analyst position at Sandlin-Kline. That was probably a demotion, but she’d take it if they offered because they were a big firm where she could grow. They even had a day care for employees, which she would need before too long. There was also a CPA position at a large tax firm, which she could do, but it was a last resort. Taxes were not her favorite.
The only other job that had piqued her interest was the finance director at FlynnSoft. She’d giggled with hysteria when she saw the posting. Obviously she was a masochist for that to catch her eye. There was no other excuse as working with Jonah on a daily basis would be pure torture.
As it was, she would have to deal with him where the baby was concerned. Seeing him day in and day out, having him as her actual boss this time... That was out of the question. She was qualified for the position, and he’d already offered her the job twice, but that door had closed for them both when he lied to her. She would bag groceries at the corner market before she’d go crawling back to him for a job.
George and Pauline Dempsey would have a stroke if they caught their pregnant, single daughter bagging fruits and vegetables. But she’d do it, because if nothing else, she still had her pride and she would work to support her child. At least once she got out of this funk and moved on.
Emma was pondering eating ice cream for dinner when her phone rang again. This time it was Tim’s number. She frowned as she picked it up and studied the screen. Why would Tim be calling? Her last check was coming via direct deposit. She’d already cleaned out everything from the office. If he thought she’d be willing to answer questions about her accounts after he fired her, he would be sadly mistaken.
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