“I just—we need to talk.”
“Joseph?” She frowned. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing.” He began walking back towards her family room. “I just want to talk.”
“You’re not going to take off your coat?”
He retraced his steps to the foyer as he shrugged out of his cashmere coat. Moments later, he was sitting beside her on the white linen couch in her family room, his arm stretched out along the back of the cushions behind her.
“Are you okay?”
He moved his hand to the side of her face, letting his fingers trail over her cheekbone, his eyes following the movement. “You’re so beautiful.” He met her eyes. “I never stop thinking that when I look at you.” He breathed in deeply and let his hand drop back to the cushion.
“Joseph, you’re scaring me. Are you okay?” She touched his hand.
“I don’t know.” His gaze traveled to the sitcom showing on her flat-screen television.
“What’s going on?”
He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees as he dropped his face into his hands.
“Did something happen at work?”
“No.” He turned his head, his gaze meeting hers. “This isn’t working for me.”
Her face paled. “What are you talking about? What isn’t working for you?”
“Us.” He sat up and turned to her, his eyes looking into hers. “I can’t do it anymore.”
“I don’t understand.” Tears came to her eyes. “We just spent ten days together. I thought we had a good time.”
“We did, but it’s never going to be more than that. And you’re looking for more.”
“I’ve never said anything about more. I’ve never pressured you.”
“Kathy?” He turned his head to the side. “I know what you want, and I’m not the man who will give it to you.”
“Joseph—”
“I’m never going to marry you.”
She pulled her head back as if she’d been hit, tears coming to her eyes. “I don’t understand. I—I thought you loved me.”
“I do,” he said, reaching out and taking her hand. “I do love you. It isn’t you—it’s me.”
“What does that mean? Did something happen in Gstaad? Tell me what’s changed,” she pleaded. “I don’t understand.”
“It doesn’t feel right. Something is missing for me.”
“Maybe you need more time. Maybe—”
“No.” He shook his head. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” He brought her hand to his mouth and kissed the inside of her wrist. “I never wanted to hurt you.”
“Are you breaking up with me?” she whispered, pulling her hand from his. “Are you telling me you don’t want to see me anymore?”
“Yes,” he said, his eyes meeting hers. “You deserve someone who—”
“Get out!” she cried, coming to her feet. “Leave.” She pointed towards the hallway.
“Kathy?” He came to his feet and moved to her, gripping her arm.
“Don’t touch me!” she cried, pulling her arm back. “Get out of my fucking house!”
“Kathy, please. Don’t act like this.”
“Like what? Like what, Joseph? Like you’ve broken my heart?” She wiped at the tears that were falling from her eyes.
“It doesn’t have to end like this,” he said. “We’ve had a lot of good times we—”
“I don’t want to ever see you again,” she whispered, meeting his eyes. “I don’t want you to call me in a few days because you need to have sex.”
“Kathy.” He shook his head. “Please, don’t. I’m sorry,” he said again.
“Me too,” she managed to say. “Now please leave.”
He watched her in silence for several seconds and then he was crossing to the front door, retrieving his coat and walking out into the chilly January evening.
9
Two and a half weeks after Joseph’s call to Nick Prossi, Lia received an official offer from Prossi Designs at an annual salary of fifty-five thousand dollars. So elated by the news, she only felt a minor panic when she received a registered letter from Zurtech the following Friday demanding six thousand dollars in restitution.
It was a few minutes past 5:00 p.m. when Joseph returned her call. “Thanks for calling me back,” she said as soon as she heard his voice.
“What can I do for you?” His voice was friendly but professional, and she felt a stab of disappointment, which was ridiculous considering she wasn’t interested in a personal relationship.
“First, thank you for calling Nick Prossi. I start working on Monday. It wouldn’t have happened without you, so I’m very grateful.”
“I’m happy I could help.”
“The other reason I called is because I received a letter from Zurtech today.”
“What kind of letter?”
“Do you remember the personal shopper from Neiman Marcus I mentioned?”
“Yes.”
“They say I owe them six thousand dollars. I signed something saying I’d pay them back if I left before six months. I’m not paying them back. I can’t believe they have the nerve to even ask me to.”
“Would you email me the two documents?”
“They’re hard copies, and I don’t have a scanner. Wait, I could go to my mother’s and—”
“No, that isn’t necessary. Can you meet me somewhere? I just left the courthouse in Fairfax, so I’m in your general vicinity.”
“Yes, of course.” Her heart instantly began to pound in her chest at the thought of seeing him again.
“Or would it be easier if I came to you? With Taylor and—”
“Taylor’s with Ned for the weekend. I can meet you.” She didn’t want him coming to her apartment. It would be too weird. “Where should we meet?”
“Do you know Pearson’s?”
“Yes.” She’d never been, but she knew of the exclusive club.
“Can you be there at a quarter of six?”
She glanced down at her jeans. “I’ll try.”
Twenty minutes later, Joseph entered Pearson’s, a members-only restaurant and lounge in Fairfax County, Virginia. The hostess greeted him by name and then, at his request, led him to an obscure booth in a quiet area of the restaurant.
He’d heard from Sam Malone, who was still in the preliminary stages of his investigation, two days earlier. He’d conducted a thorough background check of Stan Hall. Hall was married with two kids, living in a $2 million home in Oakton, Virginia. His mortgage payment was over $5,000 a month, which wasn’t inconceivable with a salary including bonuses of about $300,000 per year. He’d been with Zurtech for eight years, starting as a division lead and rising to Director of Marketing in less than three years.
He’d studied business at Penn State, where he received above-average grades and met the woman he would later marry. Fifteen years later they were still married, but for the past four years he’d been having an affair with Zurtech’s Director of Human Resources, Cecile Mann.
The Zurtech House turned out not to be a Zurtech property. It was owned by Mike Hall, Stan Hall’s younger brother, who was also the millionaire owner of Tia Tacos, a successful food-truck business with a fleet of over thirty trucks, serving areas on both coasts. The house was purchased three years prior and, as far as Malone could tell, was used exclusively by Zurtech’s B2B division. Malone figured Hall had arranged to have Zurtech pay his brother for use of the property.
Malone’s investigation of Lia didn’t hold any surprises. She grew up in Northern Virginia. Her parents divorced when she was still young and her father remarried. She had one brother, who lived in the same town in California as her father, and three half siblings. She appeared to be estranged from her father.
Her mother remarried when Lia was twenty, and she appeared close to both her mother and stepfather. Lia married Ned Merrick the summer after her junior year in college and dropped out of school to work full-time while Merrick attended law school. The two had their
first and only child, Taylor, a year before Merrick completed law school. Merrick began an affair with Candice Blackman, now Candice Merrick, soon after becoming an associate at Blackman and Associates. Candice’s father was the founding partner. Merrick left Lia for the other woman less than six months after taking the position. Lia had briefly moved in with her mother while she completed her undergraduate degree, and she was now living in a two-bedroom apartment off Route 7 in Tyson’s Corner. She owed a little over $7,000 in credit card debt and $10,000 on a car lien and had less than $800 in the bank. She had never been arrested and there was no evidence of drug or alcohol abuse. Malone included a couple of recent photos of her, which Joseph had studied for more than a few minutes the evening before.
Joseph glanced at his watch. It was 6:00 p.m. He opened his briefcase and took out some files.
Lia parked her Honda between a Lexus and Land Rover and quickly headed through the parking lot to the restaurant. While she liked nice things, she’d never given much thought to how much money other people made, until recently. As she struggled to make rent, she was very conscious of the thirty-year-olds driving around Northern Virginia in fifty-thousand-dollar cars.
She sighed as she turned and retraced her steps to her car, where she’d left the letters. First, she’d forgotten them in her apartment and had to backtrack five minutes, and now she was trying to go into the restaurant without them. She was acting like she was meeting him for a date instead of a business meeting. And now she was thirty minutes late.
“May I help you?” the hostess asked coolly as she approached.
“Yes. I’m here to meet Joseph Craig.”
Lia knew she didn’t imagine the widening of the other woman’s eyes at the mention of his name. “Right this way.”
She felt her heart jump as soon as she saw him sitting in a corner booth in the back of the restaurant and was thankful for the extra time she’d spent on her appearance, even if it was one of the reasons she was late. “Thank you,” she said absently to the hostess before slowly approaching his table.
He lifted his eyes when she was still about fifteen feet away, and then he was coming to his feet, looking incredibly handsome in a dark gray suit. “Hello.” His eyes were even more incredible than she remembered—a light shade of brown with a depth she could lose herself in.
“I’m so sorry I’m late. I left my place without the letter and had to go back, and then traffic was bad, and—” She stopped, realizing she was rambling. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s perfectly fine. It gave me time to catch up on some work. Please”—he held his hand towards the booth—“have a seat.”
She lowered herself into the cushioned seat, letting her eyes move over his face, noticing his full lips and day’s growth of beard.
“What would you like to drink? Scotch, perhaps?”
Her eyes flew to his, and she realized he was teasing her. “I think my scotch days are over.”
“If you could just learn to sip, you might actually enjoy it.”
She scrunched up her face. “I don’t actually like the taste of alcohol.”
“A girlie drink it is,” he said. “What would you like?”
“A Cosmo.”
A waitress appeared, and he ordered Lia’s drink. Then he began gathering up some papers and files and slipping them into his briefcase. “May I see the letter?”
“Oh.” She reached for her purse, surprised at how quickly he turned the conversation to business. “The copy of the contract I signed is attached.”
He slipped on a pair of black reading glasses and remained silent as he read the letter and then flipped it over and read the contract she’d signed. “I’ll take care of it.”
“How?” She leaned back as the waitress placed the Cosmo on the table. “Thank you,” she said softly, her eyes remaining on Joseph.
“Don’t worry.” He refolded the letter and placed it in his briefcase. “You won’t have to pay the money back.”
“I wouldn’t pay it. I’d rather them take me to court.”
“I’ll take care of it.”
Lia paused, unsure of what to say. She’d been upset about the letter all day, and less than five minutes after meeting with Joseph, the problem was gone. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
“You’ve done more for me in the past two weeks than anyone in the last…” She trailed off, dropping her eyes. “Thank you,” she said again. “I wish there was something I could do to repay you.”
“You could stop thanking me,” he said, lifting his glass.
“You got me a job,” she said.
“No, your skill set got you a job. I made an introduction.”
“That’s everything,” she said as she carefully lifted her glass to her lips. “Plus, he told me you’re his silent partner.”
“Did he?” He smiled. “Well, I’m not too silent then, am I?”
“I won’t tell anyone.”
“Thanks.” He winked at her and her heart jumped.
“Does ‘silent’ mean you aren’t involved at all?”
“I have a financial stake in the company, nothing more.”
“I saw online that you invest in a lot of companies.”
“Online?”
She blushed, realizing she’d basically admitted to stalking him. “I researched you before we met,” she lied, her embarrassment growing at the knowing look in his eyes.
“I saw your ex-husband today.”
“Really? At the courthouse?”
He leaned back, one hand lightly gripping his drink, the other stretched out along the back of the booth cushion. “In the courtroom. I destroyed him.”
“You did?” She didn’t attempt to suppress her smile.
“Yes. I enjoyed it.”
“I would have enjoyed watching.”
“So you’re not on friendly terms?”
“No, not at all.” She dropped her eyes and took another sip from her drink.
“I’m sorry. It’s none of my business.”
“It’s fine.” She sighed. “It’s fine.” She returned her gaze to his and felt momentarily lost in his eyes. There was something so familiar about him.
“He’s not very bright,” he said, and they both knew he wasn’t referring to his skill in the courtroom.
“That’s probably true, but I don’t think I am either. I married him.” She took another sip of the Cosmo and realized it was almost gone. She needed to slow down.
“Tell me about you, Lia,” he said.
“Why?” She raised her eyes to his, surprised at his request.
“I’m curious about you.”
“I’m sure your story is more interesting,” she said. “In fact, I know it is because I read about you in the Washingtonian magazine a few months ago.”
Joseph smiled, revealing his deep dimples. “What did you think?”
“I think your story is a lot more interesting than mine.”
“But I already know my story. I’d like to hear yours.”
“It’s boring.”
“Humor me. Please,” he urged.
For the next ten minutes she gave him a synopsis of her life. “I told you it wasn’t interesting,” she said as she finished. “No one’s going to write my biography.”
Joseph watched her in silence for a long moment before finally speaking. “I’m about to say something unprofessional.”
“You are?” She couldn’t imagine what he was going to say.
“Yes.” He continued to meet her eyes. “I’ve been thinking about you since you came into the law firm. I’ve been thinking about you a lot.” His voice was low and steady. “I want to see you. Socially.”
Lia was stunned speechless by his bluntness. And when she recovered she was embarrassed. She’d obviously not done a very good job of masking her feelings. And then she was mad. Mad he’d asked her out when he knew that she knew he had a girlfriend. “Are you sure your girlfriend would be okay with this?”
; He brought his eyebrows together in a frown. “Kathy and I broke up.”
“Oh.” She dropped her eyes. “I’m sorry.” She shook her head.
“Don’t be. I’m not.”
Lia closed her eyes as a panicked feeling began to grip her chest. He was so handsome, and she was so lonely, but she knew she couldn’t handle getting hurt again. Not so soon after Eric, probably not ever and certainly not by him. “I still can’t date you,” she rushed out. “I can’t.”
“Are you seeing someone?”
Lia let out a humorless laugh. “No. And to be honest, I don’t think I ever will again.”
“May I ask why?”
“I’m not good at it. Every relationship I’ve ever had with a man ended with a great deal of pain,” she admitted, her voice barely a whisper. “Pain for me. I don’t want anymore.”
“Mr. Craig?” the waitress’s voice interrupted.
“Give us a minute,” he said, holding up his hand, his eyes remaining locked with Lia’s. “I’m not interested in causing you pain,” he said as soon as the waitress was out of earshot. “Quite the opposite actually.”
Lia dropped her eyes and shook her head. “I can’t,” she whispered. “I just can’t.”
“Let me buy you dinner.” He reached across the table and covered her hand. “Please.”
Her whole body began to tingle in response to his touch, and she felt tears coming to her eyes. The thought of getting up and leaving him and going home to her lonely apartment was intolerable, and yet she knew if she had sense it was exactly what she would do.
“Just dinner?” she asked softly, lifting her tear-filled eyes to his.
“Hey.” He ran his index finger beneath her eye, catching a tear. “Don’t cry. I’m not the bad guy. I just want to buy you dinner.”
It was three hours later and she was beside Joseph, walking across the darkened parking lot towards her car. “Thank you for dinner. It was nice.”
“It was.” They continued in silence, the only sound coming from the gravel kicking up under their feet as they crossed the parking lot, both lost in their own thoughts.
Lia took her keys from her purse as they approached her car. “This is it.”
When I Saw You Page 12
