Everything Changes

by Bybee, Catherine

  “Jewelry is meant to be worn, not sit in a box waiting for a special occasion,” he’d told her.

  And when the clock counted down, Dameon kissed her long and hard, and she vowed to wear his gift so the small fortune he’d spent wasn’t in vain.

  The evening had been nearly perfect. They wished everyone a happy New Year and left after pouring Omar into a cab.

  When Dameon walked her into his condo, she’d barely managed a glimpse before he whisked her off to his bedroom.

  But now, in the afterglow of their lovemaking, Grace felt strangely awake as her fingers played with the stupidly expensive sapphire dangling from her neck.

  Her thoughts shifted around to earlier in the evening when Max had flexed in front of Dameon’s staff and friends.

  “You’re awfully quiet for not being asleep,” Dameon said.

  “Don’t count on it lasting long. I’m exhausted.”

  He sighed. “I’m happy Max didn’t ruin it for us.”

  “You’re thinking about that, too?” She rested her head on the pillow so she could look at Dameon while they talked.

  “I’m sorry you met him like that. There was a day I called him a close friend.”

  “He’s obviously bitter. What do you think he was trying to gain by showing up tonight?”

  “I’m not entirely sure. Undermine my team? Gloat?”

  “Gloat about what?”

  Dameon rolled on his side, took her hand in his. “He was a silent partner from the day I started Locke Enterprises. Last year we had a falling-out. He took his capital and walked away.”

  “But you’re still in business.”

  “I am. Without Max’s help, it is harder. He knows that. It’s why he cut his finances out of the business. He wants to see me fail.”

  “Why?”

  For a second, she wasn’t sure he was going to answer. “Remember the woman I told you about . . . Lena?”

  “The Greek girlfriend?”

  “Yeah, her. When I broke it off, Lena met up with Max.”

  “Met up or hooked up?”

  “Both. I honestly didn’t care, but I think she thought she was going to hurt me. When I found out, I gave Max my blessing. I thought they were a better fit. She didn’t work, liked the lifestyle Max could give her. A few months went by. Max didn’t come into the office very often. We’d meet casually and I’d let him know how his investments were going. He told me he was going to ask Lena to marry him.”

  “I’m guessing that didn’t happen.”

  Dameon shook his head. “He threw a party, asked me to come. Lena was there, wearing his ring . . .”

  She had a feeling she knew where this story was going. “And then?”

  “Lena drank too much and came on to me. I pushed her away. She kept trying. I told her she was acting like a child, and how could she tell Max yes when it was obvious she wasn’t ready to settle down.”

  “Did Max walk in?”

  “No. But the next day I told him what had happened.”

  “Good for you.”

  Dameon shook his head. “Max didn’t believe me. Or took her side. Either way, our friendship ended and so did our business relationship.”

  “What happened to Lena?”

  “Last I heard they were still engaged.”

  “That explains his comments about sharing women.”

  “Which was all crap. Even in college. He said that to get a rise out of you.”

  Grace yawned. “It takes more than that. I know someone who’s grandstanding and know to ignore what they’re saying when they are.”

  “I really hope he wakes up before he actually marries her. But I can’t say any more than I already have. Besides, he isn’t listening to me any longer.”

  “It’s kind of sad.”

  “I agree.”

  Grace felt her eyelids getting heavy. “What about all the bankruptcy talk?”

  “I’ll find another investor before I let that happen.”

  “Then you are having trouble.”

  “Nothing more than any other growing business out there.”

  She wanted to ask him more questions, but she was having a hard time staying awake. “You don’t have to pretend with me.”

  “Shhh. Go to sleep.”

  She snuggled closer. “I mean it.”

  “Good night, Grace.”

  “Happy New Year.”

  The last thing she heard before falling asleep was him whispering happy New Year in her ear.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  A new year and a new beginning.

  That’s what Grace kept saying to herself as she geared up for the bimonthly meeting with her colleagues. She was bound and determined to set a new course with her job, starting with calling Richard out on his passive-aggressive way of dumping work on her by implying she wasn’t holding up her end. She needed everyone to collaborate on Dameon’s project. It was simply too much for one person to do. And on a personal level, she knew it was important for things to move swiftly to meet his goals. Besides, it was smart to bring others in. If her relationship became public knowledge, she didn’t want Richard accusing her of playing favorites. Which would be hard for her not to do, if she was honest with herself.

  It was afternoon nearly a week into the new year when Grace sat in the conference room with Evan, Lionel, and Adrian. The interns had switched out, and two new college kids took their places.

  Richard walked in a few minutes late. He was followed by Vivian Jewel, who was the head of their human resources department.

  Her presence wasn’t a normal occurrence, and everyone in the room seemed surprised to see her there.

  “I asked Vivian to join us,” Richard said before he took his seat.

  Evan looked at Grace and shrugged.

  The interns eagerly sat up with their notepads opened.

  Adrian started passing around a folder.

  Richard stopped him. “I thought we’d start with Grace today.”

  Grace felt her breath catch. Since when was she first . . . and when had he realized she had a first name?

  Adrian pulled his folders back, and Grace told her heart rate to slow down.

  She found her gaze collide with Vivian’s.

  The woman’s smile felt off.

  “Uhm . . . okay.” Grace cringed. When did she ever stutter? “I have a lot to go over.” She started with her most pressing files before moving on to Dameon’s project. “I’ve spent quite a bit of time on the early side of the Locke Enterprises project to help save time later. Richard, you told me when you handed me this last month that it was something new for me to tackle. When I took a good look, I realized there isn’t anything new here, just more of it. I need more hands if we’re going to expedite this project.”

  “What’s the hurry?” Richard asked.

  “Dameon . . . Mr. Locke,” she corrected herself, “told us both he wanted to break ground by spring. Get through the rainy season and acquire the necessary permits and zoning changes.”

  “We won’t rush anything if it isn’t right.”

  “I don’t believe I said we should do that. I’m saying I need more manpower to accommodate the land developer’s request. It seems reasonable—”

  “If you’re unable to do the—”

  “I didn’t say I was unable.” Why was he throwing words in her mouth? “I’m suggesting if anyone is leaving early or has a half a day to throw toward this, I could use them.” She looked around the room.

  No one said a thing. Even Evan looked too scared to come to her defense.

  “I’ll take that into consideration,” Richard said.

  Grace moved away from Dameon’s project. “I’ve put into motion a crew to begin work on the Sokolov project next week.” She slid over the necessary paperwork that needed Richard’s signature.

  Richard looked at it, looked at her, and slid it back across the table. “We’ve decided to work with the landowner.”

  “Excuse me?”

  �
�I met with Mr. Sokolov myself. Leave his file on my desk. That should free up a few hours for you.”

  “Did he hire—”

  “I have it handled, Grace. Is that all?”

  Why did she feel like she was in quicksand?

  “Yes.”

  Richard turned his attention away. “Lionel . . . where are we on the wash?”

  And the subject was changed. For the next forty-five minutes, reports were given and ideas were exchanged. For the most part, Grace fell silent.

  When the meeting was over, Richard and Vivian stayed behind while everyone else left the room and headed straight to the water cooler room.

  “Do you know what’s going on?” Adrian asked once they were out of earshot of their boss.

  “That was strange, right?” Grace asked.

  “Did someone file a complaint against Richard?” Evan asked.

  “Do you think that’s why Vivian was in there?” Grace asked.

  “Why else would HR be in our meeting?” Adrian poured a cup of coffee.

  Grace knew she didn’t file a complaint, not that she wasn’t willing to. And if Evan had, he would have told her.

  “I suppose we’ll find out sooner or later.” Lionel walked out of the room, Adrian followed.

  “Why did he start with me?” Grace asked Evan. “And he even used my first name.”

  “Maybe he wanted to impress Vivian.”

  Something didn’t smell right. Her hand reached for the necklace Dameon had given her and she heard his voice in her head. “Know your worth.”

  Thirty minutes before the workday was over, her olfactory senses were confirmed.

  Richard requested a meeting with her in a conference room.

  When she arrived, Vivian was there sitting to Richard’s left. A man she didn’t know was on Richard’s right. One chair sat on the opposite side of the table making it painfully clear she was sitting in the hot seat.

  “What’s going on?” Grace asked before she sat down.

  “Please have a seat, Miss Hudson,” the man she didn’t know said.

  Her palms started to sweat. This wasn’t good.

  She sat as calmly as she could and folded her hands in her lap.

  “Grace,” Vivian started. “This is Mr. Simons. He’s one of the city’s attorneys.”

  “Okay.”

  “Do you know why I’m here?” Mr. Simons asked.

  “I have no idea what’s going on.”

  The attorney kept a stoic expression while Vivian smiled.

  Richard was something in the middle. “The city received a formal complaint where you were named.”

  “What kind of complaint?”

  “The city has been accused of asking for money in order to approve permits.”

  “All permits cost money,” Grace told them.

  “Not a fee, Miss Hudson. A bribe.”

  Grace closed her eyes and sighed. Sokolov. “This is about Mr. Sokolov on the Sierra Highway project, isn’t it, Richard?”

  “So you know about this,” Mr. Simons said.

  “A bribe was offered. But not requested by me. I informed Richard the day after it happened.” Only Richard was looking everywhere but at her.

  “Why not immediately?” Mr. Simons asked.

  “It was late. After hours.”

  Richard sat shaking his head and saying nothing.

  “You explained to them what happened, right, Richard?” He finally made eye contact with her.

  “I told them what you told me,” Richard started. “And that you didn’t want to press charges.”

  “I didn’t think it was necessary.” Only now she was kicking herself for that decision.

  “When the city is faced with pending legal action of this nature, we have very strict protocols that have to be put in place,” Vivian said.

  “Sokolov waved his wallet at me. Not the other way around,” she explained.

  “You don’t have to get defensive, Grace. No one here is accusing you of anything,” Richard said.

  “Except Sokolov. And you are all listening to him.” Fury swelled inside of her.

  “We have to, Miss Hudson. He filed the complaint. Now, with your cooperation we can clear this up quickly and quietly.”

  Grace looked the attorney in the eye. “I have nothing to hide.”

  “Good.”

  She sat back, knowing they wouldn’t find anything.

  “In the meantime, we need to place you on paid leave.”

  Grace felt like someone punched her in the stomach. “What?”

  “It’s protocol. You’re not to contact any of your clients while this investigation is taking place.”

  She immediately thought of Dameon. “Why?”

  Instead of answering her direct question, the attorney kept talking. “Nothing can be removed from your office with the exception of your personal belongings. An audit needs to take place. When we have questions, we expect your cooperation.”

  “This is unbelievable. Not only was Sokolov the one who offered the bribe, he took it further to scare the living hell out of me before I left.”

  “And you didn’t report it.”

  “I’ve dealt with bullies before, Mr. Simons. They thrive when they know they’ve gotten to you. Ignoring them is the only way to make them stop.”

  She was physically shaking.

  “I know this is hard, Grace. But I assure you that we’re on your side here.” Vivian’s soft voice tried to reason.

  “So what, I don’t come to work tomorrow?”

  “No. You need to fill out an incident report and tell us in your words exactly what happened the night Mr. Sokolov accused you of this. And any subsequent meetings with the man. Anything you can think of. We have investigators with risk management who are skilled in discovering the guilty party. If Mr. Sokolov’s accusations are found fraudulent—”

  “They are,” Grace interrupted.

  “Then you can return to your job without any disciplinary action.”

  “And how long will that take?”

  “It depends on many factors.” That was lawyer-speak if she ever heard it.

  “I’ll accompany you to your office so you can get your things,” Vivian told her.

  “Because you don’t trust me.”

  “It’s to protect you, believe it or not. The day you are notified of this serious of a complaint you have no way of removing any files. We will be interviewing your colleagues as well. It’s best you don’t discuss this with any of them. Or they may be implicated.”

  Even though she didn’t like it, the excuse sounded reasonable.

  Richard finally spoke. “That’s a beautiful necklace, Grace. Is it real?”

  Her hand reached for Dameon’s gift. “Excuse me?”

  The smug look on his face made her want to scream.

  “Richard.” Vivian said his name as if it were a warning.

  “What are you suggesting, Richard?” Grace was finding it hard to breathe.

  “Take the night and write down everything,” Vivian interrupted her. “Incident reports are brought up in court if it ever goes that far.”

  The whole thing was making Grace nauseated. “Can I leave now?” She looked directly at Vivian, ignoring Richard and Mr. Simons.

  “Of course.” Vivian stood and walked with her out of the meeting room. Her eyes started to well. The last thing she wanted to do was be seen leaving the office—no, being escorted out of the office—in tears.

  Some of the staff had left for the day, and that was a blessing.

  But Evan stood outside of his office when she and Vivian walked by. “Is everything okay?” he asked.

  She shook her head and tried hard not to cry.

  “There will be a staff meeting in the morning,” Grace heard Vivian tell Evan. “Grace has been asked not to talk to anyone right now.”

  “What the hell?”

  Grace sat behind her desk and looked around. She removed her purse from the bottom drawer and shoved in the few
pictures of her family. There were other things, but since she knew she was guilty of nothing, she didn’t bother packing them up. Besides, if she left things behind, people would know she’d be back. She stood and grabbed her coat from a peg on her wall.

  Vivian smiled.

  “You need to leave the cell phone the city issued.”

  Grace dropped her purse on her desk, dug the cell phone out, and placed it in Vivian’s hands. Without so much as a backward glance, Grace walked out of her office, past the gawking employees who stared, and out the door.

  Vivian watched her leave.

  Dameon had the music turned up and all the lights on while he painted the living room. Grace said she’d call him when she got off work, so he hadn’t bothered checking the time. The color on the walls did a great job of hiding the sins of the house. And the more he did, the more he wanted to.

  His back yelled at him, told him he hadn’t worked with his arms over his head for a long time.

  Rubbing the back of his neck, Dameon placed the roller in the pan and looked at his handiwork.

  The satellite radio station called out the time as six thirty.

  Dameon picked up his cell phone to check if he’d missed a call while he was working.

  He sent a text to Grace. Are you working late?

  When she didn’t respond, he assumed she was.

  Even though it was cold outside once the sun set, he opened a few windows to air the place out.

  He heard gravel kicking up in his driveway and saw lights flash into the house.

  Grace. He could hardly wait to see her.

  He set the paintbrush down and used a shop towel to wipe his hands.

  He made it to the door before Grace had the time to knock.

  Only when he opened the door, it wasn’t Grace standing there. A man he’d never seen before stood staring. Broad shoulders that looked as if he spent a fair amount of time either at a gym or in a field of heavy labor.

  “Hello,” Dameon greeted him.

  “Are you Dameon?”

  “I am. Are you one of the neighbors?”

  He shook his head. “I’m Matt, Grace’s brother.”

  Dameon’s first thought was that Grace was right. She said Matt would find an excuse to come over and here he was, unannounced.

  Only the expression on Matt’s face was concern and not curiosity.

  Dameon reached out his hand for Matt to shake. “Is Grace okay?”