by Kelsie Fann
As she watched Darcy walk through the door, her stomach churned again. He was dressed in the most impeccable, tailored, jet-black suit. Her fingers froze over the keyboard as she stopped working on the campaign she was proofing and tried to get her nervous stomach settled down.
Liz hadn’t felt so defeated since Mr. Chambers had unexpectedly shut down the only company she’d ever worked for. Darcy stopped a few feet in front of her desk. “I thought you were giving me until tomorrow,” she said.
“I couldn’t wait.” He sat down in the chair in front of her desk.
She didn’t know how to respond, so she distracted herself by looking at his black tie, impossibly white shirt, and the way his long fingers curled around the arms of the chairs. “First, I need to apologize. I’m sorry I called you stupid,” he said after a few seconds.
She nodded slowly. “Thank you,” she whispered. “I appreciate that.” And she did. Her stomach dulled from a medium churn to a small wave.
“Are you sure you accept my apology?” He leaned forward in his chair. “Because we need to trust each other if we’re going to move forward with this issue.”
She nodded once again and braced herself for the axe to drop.
He stood up, buttoned the suit jacket, and shut the office door.
This is it, she thought. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened her eyes, he was sitting back down in front of her desk. “This is my business, Liz. It’s serious.”
It only took those seven words to make her forget about being fired and get angry. “You’re telling me it’s serious?” Liz tried to hold back her temper. “I know it’s serious. I’m here every day, working my fingers to the bone to make sure it’s running smoothly and profitable.”
“Liz . . . ”
She wasn’t ready to hear whatever he was going to say. “I’m serious, Darcy. You’ve thrown all of this on me, and I’ve been working harder than I’ve ever worked.” Instead of being worried about getting fired, his comment made her brave. She looked into his deep brown eyes, daring him to find someone better.
“Liz, you’re right. Let’s start over. Again. I shouldn’t be telling you it’s serious. I should be telling you thank you. You’ve done more work with fewer resources than anyone who’s ever worked for me. You are the hardest working person I’ve ever hired.”
Liz looked up slowly. So he wasn’t firing her? He was giving her a compliment? She rested her back on her chair.
“I’m sorry about the money.” Liz crossed her arms and put her elbows on top of her desk.
Darcy shook his head. “It’s not about the money. It’s about finding out who did this. It’s about loyalty. Pemberley Media isn’t just a business to me, Liz. This is the company my parents started. It’s all I have left of them.”
His words sunk into Liz’s heart, and she felt the weight of it all. She could feel his grief over losing his parents. She couldn’t imagine how that felt.
Liz wanted to comfort him and tell him that he would never lose their memories, but he shifted uncomfortably in his chair before she could find the words.
Darcy put his hands on her desk. “I need you to believe me when I tell you something.” He looked at her intensely. “I know who is taking the money. I just need to know how it’s getting to them.”
She couldn’t believe what he was saying. He knew who was stealing money from him? And he hadn’t reported it? Why were they still sitting in the office? “Wait, what? Who is doing it?” Liz asked.
Darcy shook his head. “Hamilton,” he said, pointedly.
Liz shook her head. That wasn’t even in the realm of possibility. Hamilton had only been in Savannah once in the past few months, and he hadn’t gotten anywhere close to the company credit card.
Liz looked at her boss; she knew his hatred for Hamilton ran deep, but she definitely didn’t know it was borderline insane. “It’s not him,” she said. “I know you have a history, but he wouldn’t do this.”
“Trust me. From past experience, he would.”
She looked down at her hands. She knew what was going on. Darcy’s grief had twisted in his mind, and he was pinning a crime to his boyhood rival. Liz thought about Hamilton’s warm body pressed to hers. His lips on her cheek and on her lips. The pain his face showed when he talked about Darcy’s anger towards him.
Darcy was wrong, but she could tell by the way he leaned toward her that he wasn’t going to budge.
Liz looked into Darcy’s dark eyes. She didn’t know what to say, but she didn’t want to argue about Hamilton anymore.
Maybe if they figured out the real culprit, Darcy would realize that Hamilton didn’t do anything wrong. “Let’s figure out who’s taking it.”
Darcy nodded. “Who had access to the credit card?”
Liz took a deep breath before she started to confess. “It’s been crazy around here without an admin, and at some point along the way, everyone has had access to it. But, please, don’t fire anyone yet. I need all the help I can get. I’m barely hanging on with the small staff I have.”
Darcy took the news better than Liz expected. Instead of bursting into a rage, he just opened his notebook and took out his pen. “Do you mean everyone in the office has had access?” he asked.
She nodded and looked down at her lap.
“Okay,” Darcy said. “So that’s Stella, Rose, and Elise, right? And the sales guy? Glen, right?” He wrote down each of their names across the top of a yellow legal pad.
“Yes,” she confirmed. Liz still hadn’t come to grips with the fact that most likely someone from her staff was guilty. A sick feeling settled into the pit of her stomach when she thought about the betrayal.
“Do you want me to call them in and interview them?” Liz offered.
Darcy laughed. It was a rich, deep laugh, and it made Liz feel at ease for the first time during the tense conversation. “Liz, I think you have enough on your plate right now. You don’t have to play detective for me, too.” He smiled at her for the first time since he sat down. “I’ve got someone who does this kind of work. Once I know, I’ll let you know.”
Darcy slowly reached his hand out and carefully put his fingers on top of hers. Liz’s breath caught in her throat at his warm touch. For a second, as she stared into his dark eyes, he wasn’t her boss. For a second, they just looked at each other. Then Darcy quickly pulled his hand back, and the moment evaporated into the office air.
Liz felt an overwhelming need to spend just a little more time connecting with Darcy. Before she could stop herself, a question flew out of her mouth: “Should we go over our new clients over dinner?”
Liz looked down at her mouse, moving it and pretending to check her email. Then she flicked her eyes up to Darcy.
“I’d love to, but Caroline is here.” Liz felt like someone punched her.
Darcy didn’t say goodbye; he walked through the glass door and out of the building before Liz even breathed.
It felt like another hit-and-run, but this time, instead of being completely angry, Liz felt like an idiot. Of course, Caroline was there. She was everywhere.
She tapped her fingers on her desk and instinctively picked up her phone. She texted two simple words, and she hoped she wouldn’t regret them. “In town?” she asked Hamilton. He was the only person she could think of who could take her mind off Darcy.
In seconds, he’d sent her a response. “I can be. Dinner tomorrow?”
“Pick me up at seven?” she asked.
“At the office?”
Liz shook her head. She didn’t know what would happen if Darcy saw Hamilton at his office, but she knew the world wasn’t ready for it. “My apartment, please,” she typed back quickly.
11.
“It’s Stella,” Darcy said the next morning. Liz blinked her bleary eyes. She’d been sitting at her computer for two hours already.
“What?” Liz asked.
“Stella stole the money,” he repeated.
Liz rubbed her eyes. “No
, she didn’t. I would have noticed something. Heck, she would actually have some money. She asked me to loan her lunch money last week.”
Darcy’s brow furrowed as Liz’s palms started to sweat. Stella was competitive, but they had worked together for five years, and she’d never done anything that would suggest that she would steal money. “No, Darcy. It can’t be true.”
“I’m sorry, Liz. It is.”
She could feel his eyes on her as she shook her head. She wouldn’t, couldn’t believe it. Darcy wasn’t backing down. He nodded again. She stopped for a second and looked deep into his eyes. “Darcy. Are you sure?”
“Yes.” He rolled his shoulders back against the chair. “I’m firing her today.”
She leaned toward him. “How do you know it was Stella?”
“I just know.” He didn’t budge an inch. Liz waited for him to say more, but he didn’t. For a man who always seemed to have the right words, Darcy was incredibly silent on the subject.
Liz looked at him, noticing for the first time that he wasn’t wearing a black suit, but a light gray one. She studied him for a second, her eyes scanning the light suit with a checked shirt underneath. Was he trying to ease his delivery? “You’re going to have to give me more than that.”
Darcy set down the briefcase he was carrying in his left hand. “I think she took it for Hamilton, but I don’t have proof of that . . . yet.”
Liz rubbed her moist palms on her skirt. This was crazy. There was no way Hamilton or Stella could have stolen thousands of dollars.
There was definitely something Darcy wasn’t telling her, and Liz couldn’t stand it. She couldn’t let Stella get fired without knowing how Darcy was came to his conclusion. “You want me to fire a loyal team member because you think she’s stealing money for your competition? But you don’t have proof?”
“I’m the boss, Liz,” he said. His voice was low and controlled, and it made her want to scream at him. “First, I have proof she took it. I just don’t have proof she gave it to Hamilton. Secondly, I’m not asking you to do it. I’m going to fire her.”
He pushed off the arms of the chair and slowly stood up. He straightened the checked shirt under his suit jacket and looked Liz in the eyes.
Liz stood up, too. She couldn’t let Darcy fire Stella. “I’m already drowning in the amount of projects we have going on. I need Stella,” Liz begged. It was the truth. Stella had her faults, but she was the best at pumping out online content that ran for months and translated into all different platforms. “I need her.”
Darcy tipped his chin up a fraction of an inch. “She’s gone.” A few seconds passed between them, neither of them said anything. He turned slowly to walk toward the other side of the building where Liz’s team was set up in the back corner.
Liz took quick steps toward her office door and passed Darcy. “Let me talk to her first.” At the door of the executive office, she smoothed her black skirt and took a deep breath.
She was going to find out the truth. If Darcy was right, if Stella had stolen money, then she deserved to be fired. But if he were wrong, Liz needed to know fast. And the only way she was going to find out was from Stella herself.
Liz motioned to Stella to follow her into the conference room. She didn’t say anything until the door shut behind them.
Stella sat down and straightened the neckline of her flowy peasant top. “Everything okay?”
Liz took a deep breath. Somehow, even working for Chambers, she’d gotten lucky for the past twelve years. The people she wanted to fire had quit or found another job before she’d had to drop the axe. Now she was possibly firing her first person in the worst way possible.
Liz wasn’t sure how to start, so she was as vague as possible. “We have a situation.”
Stella checked her phone casually, then set it down. “What’s up?”
Liz glanced once at Stella’s glittery phone case. “For the past few months, we’ve been tracking some unapproved charges on the company credit card.” She watched Stella’s face carefully. An emotion flickered across Stella’s face. Was it guilt? Knowledge? Liz couldn’t tell so she continued. “Thousands of dollars have been stolen, and it’s by someone who works here.”
Stella’s hand gripped her phone as her lips pressed together. “I’m sorry, Liz. What can I do?”
Liz leaned in close to her friend. “Darcy hired an investigator. He says you’re stealing the money.”
Stella set her phone in her lap and shook her head. “I’m not.” Her eyes were wide as she looked into Liz’s. “You’ve got to believe me. I’m not.”
Liz looked into Stella’s hazel eyes. Her chameleon eyes were the first feature Liz noticed about Stella when they met. “I want to believe you, but he’s certain . . . ”
Stella put her hands on the table and scooted toward Liz. “Liz, you know me.”
Stella was right. Liz knew that even though Stella was irresponsible and young, she would never steal from her employer. Liz leaned back in her chair, debating what to do when the conference room door opened behind her. Liz looked at Darcy standing in the doorway.
“I didn’t do it,” Stella blurted out to Darcy. “I swear, I didn’t take the money.”
Darcy didn’t blink; he didn’t show an ounce of empathy or forgiveness. He looked Stella dead in the eyes. “The purchases came from your IP address. You’re fired. Please leave.”
“Darcy, no!” Liz spun her chair around to face Darcy. She couldn’t believe he was interrupting this delicate situation with commands.
“This is not a debate,” Darcy said.
Stella stood up, pulling down the hem of her top. “I know the truth. I didn’t take anything.” But before Stella walked out of the room, Liz saw another emotion flicker across her face. Then she marched out of the conference room, the glass door swinging behind her.
Liz watched Stella through the glass walls as she gathered up her things: books, a coffee cup, and a couple picture frames. The last item she grabbed was her big, multi-colored purse. She threw it over her shoulder and walked out of the big, oak doors, and disappeared from the office without another glance.
Liz sat frozen in her chair. On one hand, she wanted to run after Stella. On the other, Liz realized that the whole situation seemed off. Stella gave up way too easy for someone who was truly innocent. Did that mean she was guilty? Liz ran her hands down the smooth conference table, the same table she’d sat across from Darcy negotiating the future of Chamber’s Marketing. She didn’t know what to do, but she knew she didn’t want to be around Darcy anymore.
Liz stood up and walked out of the conference room. “Liz,” Darcy said. He reached out, and his hand brushed her elbow.
She didn’t turn around to look at him. Instead, she shook her head and walked back to her desk, praying he wouldn’t follow her. He didn’t. A few minutes later, she saw him leave the building, briefcase in hand.
By the end of the day, Liz was still sitting in front of her computer, but she hadn’t accomplished a single task. “Still want me to pick you up at your apartment?” A text from Hamilton lit up her phone.
Liz had completely forgotten about their date, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to go out with Hamilton anymore. Was Darcy’s accusation true? Did he make Stella steal money? Surely not. Hamilton was open and gracious, and he wanted Darcy’s forgiveness. There was no way he was going to sever their relationship even further by stealing money from him.
But the other scenario was equally as unfathomable: Stella stole the money for herself? Stella was unpredictable sometimes, but she wasn’t a thief.
Liz looked down at her phone. Maybe if she kept her date with Hamilton, then she would be able to prove Stella’s innocence to Darcy.
Since Darcy already left the office, and there was no way Hamilton would run into him, she decided to cut right to the truth. “Pick me up at the office? As soon as possible?”
“See you there,” he texted back.
Liz shut down her computer and walked ou
t of the executive office. She stopped by Rose’s desk before she left. “Did Stella tell you?” Liz asked her.
Rose nodded. For a second, neither friend said anything, both drowning in confusion about what happened.
“I don’t think she did it,” Rose said.
Liz leaned against Rose’s desk and picked at a thread on her leather purse. “Honestly, I don’t either, but Darcy is convinced. He has proof that purchases came from her computer.”
“You should go talk to him,” Rose said. “I went to get a coffee an hour ago, and he was waiting outside in his car.”
Panic flooded Liz’s body. Was the busiest man in Chicago really waiting in front of her office? While Hamilton was on the way? She couldn’t handle the thought.
Liz folded her arms across her chest, flashed Rose a quick smile, and walked out of the door. She couldn’t let Hamilton run into Darcy.
The setting sun beamed into her eyes, and even though the back windows of Darcy’s car were tinted, she knew her boss was sitting inside the car parked on the curb.
She stared at the black sedan. No. No. No. This couldn’t be happening. Hamilton would be here any second to pick her up for her date. Liz immediately texted Hamilton. “Something came up. I’ll meet you at Bistro South in twenty.”
Liz took long strides away from Darcy’s car. With every step she took, she breathed a little easier. As she turned the corner, she pulled her phone out of her purse and ordered a car. Three minutes. Her heart thudded in her chest as she counted the seconds until her ride—and hopefully not Hamilton—arrived.
12.
After Darcy fired Stella, he couldn’t look at Liz. Her typically bright eyes, the pair that looked like she was three steps ahead of everyone around her, were confused and dull.
She walked away from him, and she sat back down at her desk. She looked completely transformed. He knew he shouldn’t have cared what Liz thought about him. He was her boss.
However, when he got in his car, he couldn’t tell the driver to leave. Maybe she would want to talk. Maybe she wouldn’t, but he had to stay and make sure she was okay. Darcy pulled out his laptop and started emailing his secretary and James about their upcoming projects.
