“Oh, I’m sure I did…”
She let it slide. The last thing she wanted was to get in a fight with her mother. She eyed the various bowls and ingredients arrayed on the kitchen island. “What are you making?”
“Those cucumber salmon boat hors’ d’oeuvres your father loves.”
“Need a hand?”
“Sure, sweetie, thank you.” Her mother pointed toward the baby bassinet/rocker contraption set up near the kitchen table. “You can set Carly in there. She loves that thing.”
Riley carefully set the baby down, strapped her in and grabbed an apron from a nearby hook.
It took her mother all of three minutes to bring up the topic. “I played tennis with Mrs. Windsor earlier this week… Her nephew Arthur recently moved to Atlanta.”
Riley cringed and remained laser focused on the piece of salmon she was trying to roll into a perfect cylinder. “Mmm hmm.”
“He’s single…”
Wonderful.
“And apparently, he’s quite handsome. He’s just accepted a job with Winkler-Peabody,” her mother said, referring to one of the big law firms in downtown Atlanta.
With a forced a smile she said, “Mom, thanks, really, but I’m not interested.” Why do we have to have this conversation every time I’m home?
“Come on, Riley, it can’t hurt to just meet him. You never know…”
“Mom,” Riley said, trying her best to suppress her frustration. “Please, can we just drop it?”
Mercifully, Bobby’s wife Lynn emerged from the study to check on the baby. Further discussion about the wonderful Arthur Windsor would have to wait until later.
During cocktails, the baby was the center of attention until Lynn took her up to bed before dinner. As soon as the baby was gone, Auntie Jo pounced. “Your mother tells me you aren’t seeing anyone…”
Riley grabbed a salmon boat off the platter on the coffee table and chewed it deliberately before responding. “I’m doing just fine, Auntie. No need to worry about me.” She gestured toward the coffee table. “These salmon cucumber things are delicious, aren’t they?” Her effort to change the subject was futile. Once on a mission, her aunt was not easily deterred. “My Charlie,” she said, referring to her youngest son, Riley’s cousin, “just got engaged. That means you’ll be the only Bauer who’s not…”
While her aunt droned on, Riley did her best to zone out, nodding occasionally, until she swore the word “sex” came out of her aunt’s heavily lipsticked mouth. All she caught was, “very important to your health.” As far as Riley knew, Auntie Jo had fairly conservative views about sex outside of marriage, and therefore, likely assumed Riley was missing out on this important aspect of life. She stared at her aunt. “I’m sorry, what did you just—”
“Time for dinner gang,” her father’s voice boomed. “Roasted chicken and all the fixin’s.”
Auntie Jo never had to be asked twice to come to the dinner table. She excused herself and waddled off toward the dining room. It was just as well. Riley really didn’t want to hear Auntie Jo’s thoughts on sex. It made her think about Auntie Jo and unkie, eww… She ducked into the powder room and tried to purge the image from her brain. After she’d used the toilet, she stared at herself in the mirror while she washed her hands. She looked tired. Probably because she and Kay hadn’t gotten a lot of sleep the night before. She let out a chuckle that sounded more like a grunt. If Auntie Jo thought sex was important to your well-being, Riley had been a downright health nut in the last twenty-four hours. If her aunt and mother only knew…
When she emerged from the bathroom, she wedged herself into a seat between her dad and her brother, mindful to sit as far from Auntie Jo as possible. Bobby hoisted the carafe of wine that sat in front of them. “Want some wine, Rye?” he slurred. Great. Bobby was already buzzed, and they hadn’t even had dinner.
“Just a splash. I need to drive home,” Riley said, pausing before she added, “I assume Lynn is the designated driver tonight?”
A flash of anger crossed his face. “What exactly are you implying?”
“I’m not implying anything, Bobby. It was just a question.”
He tossed back half his glass. “As a matter of fact, she is.”
“Gravy?” her father interjected.
“Sure, thanks, Dad.” She drizzled the rich brown liquid over the mountain of peas, mashed potatoes and chicken on her plate and passed the pitcher to her still somewhat irritated brother.
“How’s work kiddo?” her father asked.
“Um, work’s fine Dad. Never a dull moment.”
Chapter Sixteen
After spending most of the afternoon at the office, Kay had a splitting headache. On her way home, she stopped to pick something up for dinner, but she practically had to force the food down her throat. She knew she wasn’t getting enough to eat lately. Her once perfectly-tailored suits now hung off her frame, but after a few bites, she gave up and stuffed the containers in the fridge.
She tried to busy herself with chores around the house, but it was no use. She couldn’t stop thinking about the events at the office that afternoon: the empty drawers in Greg’s desk and Riley’s ill-timed arrival on the seventh floor. Had Riley seen her rummaging around Greg’s desk? It had been practically impossible to read her reaction. She’d handed Kay the pizza and fled almost immediately, although who could blame her? Kay hadn’t exactly acted happy to see her.
While she folded laundry, she cocked her head from side to side to try and release some of the tension in her neck and shoulders. When she was done, she went downstairs in search of her phone and began to compose a text to Riley but decided to call her instead. Maybe if they talked on the phone, she’d be able to garner a hint as to what Riley had or hadn’t witnessed at the office earlier that day. Riley’s phone rang a few times but went to voice mail. She was probably still in Buckhead. Kay stabbed the button to end the call without leaving a message and tossed her phone on the couch in her sunroom, only to snatch it up seconds later when it beeped to indicate an incoming text. It was her brother Doug. You watching the game? I’m already pulling my hair out.
Kay’s entire family was rabid Jets fans and tonight they were playing the New England Patriots, the team she and her brothers loathed with every bone in their bodies. She hastily responded and reached for her remote to find the game. Almost forgot. Turning it on now.
Doug responded immediately with an emoji-laden text. Almost forgot? I may have to disown you as my sister. But, moments later another text came in from him. Everything okay?
She smiled. Her brother knew something had to be seriously amiss if she’d forgotten about the big game. She responded to reassure him she was okay, even though she really wasn’t, grabbed a beer from the fridge and sank into the couch. At half time, she tried Riley again. Still no answer. Her anxiety level inched up a notch. She hammered out a quick text. Tried to call. Hope dinner with your parents was good. She paused and then added Miss you before hitting send.
The football game was a complete blowout. The Patriots were up by twenty points by the end of the third quarter. Kay clicked off the TV, turned out all the lights on the first floor and trudged upstairs to her room. There still was no word from Riley.
The sheets on her bed were twisted in a knot when she woke at six the next morning. She’d slept horribly. Her finger hovered over the snooze button on her alarm as she contemplated skipping her morning run, but a text came in from Riley before she had the chance. Morning. Sorry I missed your calls. Dinner with my parents was okay. See you at the office.
Kay stared at the words on her screen, frustrated that the message didn’t offer her any real clues about Riley’s sentiments. She tossed the phone on her nightstand and swung her feet to the floor. Ten minutes later she was out the door and jogging toward the park.
Later that morning, Kay made her way up to the executive conference room on the tenth floor of the Logan Headquarters. They were scheduled to give Logan’s senior leadership a st
atus update on the joint venture with Kamadori. The deal with the Japanese carrier was all but finalized and now it was time to figure out how to implement the various facets of the agreement. Kay stepped off the elevator and strode purposefully toward the conference room, but her confidence vaporized as soon as she stepped inside. A stern-faced Riley was standing in the far corner talking to Greg Brandywine. Her legs trembled slightly as she took her seat near the head of the large oval table.
Moments later, Howard Rome, Logan’s CEO entered the room and gruffly called the meeting to order. She caught Riley’s eye as she took her seat. Riley gave her a soft smile, but it did nothing to calm Kay’s nerves. When it was her turn to speak, she stumbled through her portion of the presentation. Greg approached her after the meeting and asked, “You all right, Kay? You seemed a little off today.”
Kay stood tall and looked him in the eye. “Yeah, I’m fine, Greg.” She almost mumbled something about being a bit under the weather but held off. She had never been one to make excuses. Greg shrugged and walked away without saying another word, which was just as well. She was eager to catch Riley before she left the meeting. She rounded the table, but Mark Peters, the assistant general counsel, cornered her before she reached Riley. Mark was a brilliant lawyer, but he was also an arrogant prick. By the time he finished droning on, Riley was gone. Kay pulled out her phone and sent her a text. Are you free for lunch?
A response came back immediately. Sure. Meet you downstairs in a few?
In an attempt to get her emotions under control, Kay took a few deep breaths during the elevator ride to the first floor. It was futile. Her heart was excited to have lunch with Riley, but her brain was in freak out mode. When she stepped into the lobby, Riley greeted her with a smile. That was a good sign.
“Do you have enough time for Fitzgerald’s?” Riley asked, referring to the small café a short walk from Logan’s headquarters.
Kay checked her watch. “Yeah, that sounds perfect.”
“I tried to catch you after the Kamadori meeting,” Riley said as they began walking, “but good old Mark Peters was talking your ear off.”
The tension in her shoulders eased ever so slightly. “God, I know. The guy is such a bore.”
“I’ve heard he’s a bit of a womanizer too and he’s clearly a card-carrying member of the Kay Corbett Fan Club.”
“He’s enamored with anything that has tits. He’s been trying to get in my pants for years. Poor guy doesn’t realize I bat for the other team.”
“I considered running interference, but you’re a tough cookie and I figured you could handle yourself.”
“He’s such a worm, but yeah, nothing I can’t handle. If he ever crossed the line, I’d put him in his place so damn fast…”
Riley chuckled. “I bet he’d have an aneurism if he knew we were sleeping together.”
Kay laughed out loud. “Ha, you’re probably right.”
By the time they got to the restaurant, Kay had almost forgotten her worries about Riley, but they came roaring back as soon as they were seated in the restaurant. Nothing Riley did or said seemed out of the ordinary, but still, Kay couldn’t shake her paranoia. What had Riley seen the previous day at the office and what were she and Greg talking about that morning before the Kamadori meeting? Over the course of lunch, Kay almost came right out and asked her, but she couldn’t get up the nerve. What if she didn’t like the answer?
That night when she got home from work, Kay was a complete wreck. Greg had avoided her all afternoon, and Riley had left for a two-day business trip to Boston. On top of that, she still hadn’t finished weeding through the data she’d pulled from Greg’s computer two weeks earlier. She grabbed her phone and called Ethan.
As soon as he picked up the phone, she started to cry. Big tough Kay Corbett was starting to crumble. Ethan patiently listened as she told him about sneaking into Greg’s office for the second time, only to find nothing and the possibility Riley had caught her in the act. She described walking into the meeting that morning and seeing Riley and Greg talking quietly in the corner. She ended by saying, “And Riley and I had lunch before she left for the airport.”
When she finally came up for air, he asked, “Did you ask her if she’d seen you in Greg’s office?”
She ran her hand through her hair and sighed into the phone. “No. I was too afraid to hear the answer. What if she did?”
“You really like her, huh?”
“Yeah, Ethan, I do.” She sat down on one of the stools in her kitchen and rested her elbows on the island. “And now, what if she thinks I’m a thief and a liar?”
He didn’t respond right away. “You need to talk to her,” he said finally. “There’s no way your relationship with her can move forward if you don’t. Even if she didn’t see anything, you’ll drive yourself crazy wondering if she did.”
“So, what am I supposed to say? Hey Riley, did you happen to catch me snooping around my boss’s office on Sunday afternoon?”
“Yes, something like that.” He shifted into lawyer mode and laid it out for her. “Let’s consider the scenarios,” he said. “Scenario one. She didn’t see you.”
“Okay, fine, but if she and I have this conversation, I’ll be admitting I snuck into Greg’s office. I’ll have to give her a damn good reason for why I did.”
“That’s okay. I think it’s time you spell the whole thing out for her.”
“You mean tell her about Concordia?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t know, Ethan. I trust her, but is it really fair to suck her into this mess? I mean, I’m not exactly playing in the kiddie pool here. There are a lot of risks.”
“You need to tell someone else at Logan. You need an ally, and think about it, she works in Finance. Maybe she has access to documents that’ll help support your case.”
Kay stood and paced around her kitchen. “I hear you, and I don’t disagree. I need an ally, but I also don’t want to be selfish. If I tell her, I can’t un-tell her. She’ll be forced to take on the burden of knowing about Concordia.”
“True, but what she does with that information is her decision. She may decide she wants to help, or she may decide she wants nothing to do—”
“With me,” Kay said with a laugh.
“I bet she’ll want to help.”
“I hope so.”
“Think about it. If the situation was reversed, wouldn’t you want her to tell you, and wouldn’t you be eager to help in any way you could?”
“I guess. Maybe you’re right.”
“I am right.”
“What if she flips when I tell her about the price fixing and explain my involvement?”
“If you two keep seeing each other, there’s no way you’ll be able to keep this whole thing hidden from her. Think about it. You’re completely consumed by it. You can’t just push it aside when you’re with her. Better to find out now how she’ll react to the news.”
“I suppose,” Kay said and sighed deeply.
“But we also need to consider the other scenarios.” He cleared his throat. “Scenario two. She saw you but hasn’t told anyone.”
“In which case, it would also be better to come clean and explain myself.”
“Exactly, because otherwise, the foundation of any relationship you build with her will be built on distrust. But, let’s also consider the third scenario… She saw you and ratted you out to Greg.”
Kay slumped against the counter. “Then I’m just royally fucked.”
“Maybe, maybe not. At least you’ll have a heads up that shit is about to hit the fan and you can bring what information you have to HR. You know, get ahead of this thing.”
“You make it sound so easy.”
“Just promise me you’ll talk to her.”
“I will.”
As soon as she got off the phone with Ethan, Kay sent Riley a text—Can you come to my place for dinner when you get back Wednesday night?—and paced her house while she impatiently waited for a resp
onse. When her phone finally chimed, she snatched it up.
I’d love to but you’ve already cooked me dinner once. Why don’t you come to my place instead?
You can cook me dinner another time, I have something I want to show you.
It was only eight o’clock, but Kay was exhausted. She wandered upstairs, brushed her teeth and climbed into bed. Her once orderly life was becoming more chaotic and complicated by the minute. For someone who generally tried to steer clear of drama, she was doing a pretty good job of creating a lot of it. Granted, not all if it had been her doing, but much of it was. She was the one who’d decided to try and bring down Concordia, she was the one who’d welcomed Riley into her life, and she was now poised to ask Riley to join her at the edge of a cliff.
Why was it she’d willingly stepped in quicksand? She stared at the ceiling, knowing sleep was a long way off.
Chapter Seventeen
As soon as she landed in Atlanta on Wednesday evening, Riley drove straight to Kay’s house. The second Kay opened the door, she knew something was terribly wrong. It wasn’t just that she had dark circles under her eyes. There was a coffee stain on the arm of her hoodie, baggy sweatpants hung low on her hips, and although her long, dark hair was pulled back in a ponytail, it had not seen a brush recently.
“What’s wrong?” Riley asked.
“A lot. Come inside and I’ll try to explain.”
Riley shrugged off her coat and hung it on the hook near the door. “Did you go to the office today?”
She shook her head. “No, I called in sick…for only the second time in ten years.”
“Do you think you are coming down with the flu or something? We can postpone din—”
“No, I’m not sick, at least not in the traditional sense.” A weak smile crossed Kay’s face. “I certainly wouldn’t have invited you over if I thought I had the flu.” She pointed toward the kitchen. “Can I get you anything to drink?”
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