by Kelsie Fann
“I’m fine,” Liz said, her mind spun with her realization. Did she really have feelings for her boss? Her heart raced as she remembered him sitting in the main office, in a red folding chair, listening to her goals, then how he’d comforted her, and how he’d gotten Stella a new job.
“What about a chocolate pie?” Hilda asked.
Liz nodded and answered her first question to herself. Yes, she did. She really did have feelings for Darcy. She looked up at Hilda and answered her assistant’s question too. She definitely needed a pie. “Actually, that would be great.”
24.
“I went on a trip.” Caroline leaned against the doorway of Darcy’s office. He looked up at her. She was dressed in a full red pantsuit, like a human stop sign. He narrowed his eyes, which she took as a signal to enter.
Caroline sat down in the chair in front of his desk. “I went to Savannah.”
Did she see Liz? Even though he wanted to know every detail, he forced himself to remain calm. “Why did you do that, Caroline?”
“I needed to check on the flow of the office, which is terrible, if you want to know. Liz has no sense of appropriate office furniture layouts.”
Darcy couldn’t help but notice his heart rate pick up at the mention of Liz’s name. He hadn’t spoken to her in months, but a day didn’t pass when he didn’t read an email from her and want to pick up the phone. He was doing what was right, though.
“I’m sure you informed her of your expectations.”
Caroline nodded. She shifted in her chair and leaned toward him. “Also, ever since Liz was here, you’ve seemed distracted. I thought I could help with that, too.”
Darcy knew whatever she was about to say would not be good. “What do you mean?”
An email pinged on his computer, and he glanced over. It was his chairman with a subject line that said, “Fired yet?”
“I’m trying to protect you and the company,” Caroline said. “When I saw Liz walk out of the boardroom after talking to you, I knew I needed to step in.”
Darcy gripped the edge of his desk as Caroline continued. “I think she has feelings for you, Darcy. I know you’re too busy to see it, but I didn’t want her to go against company policy.”
His heart involuntarily skipped a beat.
“Don’t worry; I fixed it.”
He spoke slowly and clearly. “How did you fix it, Caroline?”
“I told her you would never have feelings for her, obviously.”
He held his breath, wondering how Liz responded. “What did she say?”
Caroline’s scoffed. “She denied it. But it was obvious she does have feelings. Isn’t that sad?”
Darcy never imagined that after everything that had happened, Liz might feel something for him.
Caroline read his silence as an opportunity to keep talking. “Can you imagine Liz thinking she had a chance with you?”
Darcy exhaled and allowed himself to feel one second of happiness. One second of thinking in another world, where he wasn’t her boss, that they might be together. Then he inhaled deeply and switched off his thoughts.
“Please don’t go back to Savannah,” he told Caroline. His phone lit up, and a text from the board chairman appeared. “I’ve got to get this.”
Caroline stood up slowly and tossed her hair. “I won’t go back to that place. Not in my lifetime if I can help it.”
25.
“Just a reminder,” Hilda texted Liz, “today is Georgia’s last day.”
“Thank you, Hilda,” Liz said, looking down at her calendar. It was the fifteenth of July, and Georgia had officially ended her six-month stay in Savannah. “Will you send her in?”
A few minutes later, Georgia walked into the executive office wearing a slim, gray pantsuit perfectly fitted to her small frame.
Liz looked around the office and realized how much Georgia had done in her short stay. Every paper, folder, portfolio was neatly cataloged in the file cabinets and coordinating shelves. It was so perfectly organized, everyone started referring to it as “Georgia’s wall.” “Can I take you to lunch for your last day?” Liz asked Georgia.
“Of course.” Georgia set down a stack of files and looked up at Liz. “Shell?”
“Sure.” Seconds after Liz approved Georgia’s choice, she regretted her decision. She hadn’t been back to the restaurant since she’d eaten there with Darcy and Georgia months ago.
So much had changed. Hamilton was going to be a father. Stella was going to be a mother. Liz finally had some administrative help.
But so much hadn’t. Darcy was as cold as ever. She was working more hours, and it didn’t look like it was slowing down any time soon.
Liz felt her chest tighten with anxiety as she walked into Shell; the only thing she could see was Darcy, hitting the piñata, spreading candy across the floor. Liz stared at a new, shark-shaped piñata, hung full of candy. Darcy wasn’t there.
Georgia looked at the piñata where Liz’s gaze was resting. “You okay, Liz?”
Liz slid into a booth and stared down at the menu. “I’m great.” Liz knew if Georgia looked into her eyes, she wouldn’t be able to hide her feelings.
Georgia picked up her menu. “You’re not a very good liar.”
Liz laughed. She reached across the table and squeezed Georgia’s hand. “Okay, fine. I’m stressed, but I’m okay. I promise.”
“You’ve been quiet lately,” Georgia said. Liz nodded; Georgia was right. It had been two weeks since Caroline had visited, and the ambush shook Liz up more than she wanted to admit.
Liz was still trying to figure out why she was still thinking about Caroline. She’d had plenty of mean girl experiences through her overweight childhood, so she should have been able to let Caroline’s visit slide right off of her. But she couldn’t.
Now, something about being at Shell, the last place she saw Darcy outside the boardroom, made her feelings start to pour out before she could stop them. “I haven’t told anyone about this, but since you’re leaving, I guess it’s okay.”
Liz waited for a few seconds before she continued, “Two weeks ago, Caroline came by the office and totally insulted me. She said I’m not good enough to date your brother. She even demanded that if he asked me out, I should say no.
“I’m not even sure why the whole situation bothers me. I’m not dating your brother; he is my boss,” Liz continued.
“On top of that, there was this guy, Hamilton. I liked him—or I thought I did. Now Stella is pregnant with his baby, and he’s turned out to be a terrible human being.” As the words flowed out of Liz’s mouth, she realized she was talking more to herself than to Georgia.
“He is terrible,” Georgia’s soft voice interrupted Liz’s monologue.
Liz stopped and looked at the young woman across from her. Her stomach turned as she realized how much she had just revealed to Georgia, the person closest to Darcy.
Georgia pressed her hands together on the table top. “I haven’t told you this either, but I feel like I should tell you about Hamilton. Just in case your friend runs into trouble.”
Liz didn’t even breathe as she waited for Georgia to continue, and after a few seconds, Georgia started her own monologue. “When I was 18, I met Hamilton at my parents’ funeral. I was so stupid, Liz, but I didn’t have anyone else to talk to.”
A waiter appeared at their table and set down two plates of tacos. “Need anything else?” he asked.
Both women shook their heads. Georgia looked down at her plate, like she was deciding whether to continue.
“You can tell me anything,” Liz prompted.
Georgia took a deep breath and continued. “Shortly after the funeral, he started messaging me. And I immediately fell for him. Within two weeks, he told me he loved me and wanted to marry me. When he asked for a small loan, I gave him the money gladly. I was convinced he was going to be my husband. Then he asked me for a little bigger loan.”
Georgia’s voice was so soft, Liz could barely hear her. H
er heart broke for Georgia. “I’m so sorry.”
Georgia slumped against the back of the bench. “He asked me for $100,000 and said we would elope the next week.” Georgia finally looked up at Liz. Her eyes were filled with tears. “I was so stupid. I said yes.”
Liz grabbed Georgia’s hands, “I’m so sorry,” she told her.
“I felt all alone. Mom and Dad were gone. Darcy was busy trying to fill Dad’s shoes at the company. Hamilton was the only person I could talk to.”
Liz finally realized why Darcy hated Hamilton so much. Even now, Liz looked at Georgia and saw such a young girl. She couldn’t believe a grown man would try to take advantage of a girl who had just lost her parents.
“Luckily, I was stupid enough to ask Darcy for the money.” Georgia half-smiled. The pressure that had been building in Liz’s heart for Georgia finally released as Georgia told her the last sentence.
“Darcy found us, and he offered Hamilton money to never speak to me again, and Hamilton took it. I should have been grateful to my brother. Instead, I was mad for a really long time. We didn’t speak for a year.”
Two tears fell down Georgia’s cheeks. “It took some time, but I realized he saved me from the worst decision I ever could have made—marrying Hamilton.”
Liz felt the weight of Georgia’s confession settle on her heart. “Thank you for telling me,” she said.
Georgia nodded and picked up a taco. “I’m just scared. I thought he was gone, but when Darcy told me he stole more money from him, I don’t think he’ll ever leave us alone.”
Liz looked into Georgia’s pain-filled eyes. “And it’s all my fault,” Georgia said.
Liz shook her head. “It’s not. This is Hamilton’s fault.”
Both women sat, lost in their own memories, as they slowly ate. When they finished, Liz changed the subject. “You don’t have to leave. I’ve got a position for you permanently if you want it.”
Georgia nodded. “I’ve thought about asking you to stay,” she said. “But, actually, I think I’m going to try out one more thing before I decide what my next step is.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Can it be a surprise?” Georgia asked.
The girl had already shared so much with her, Liz trusted that Georgia would open up when she felt ready. “Sure.”
When they were done, Liz walked out of the restaurant and looked over her shoulder one last time at the big piñata hanging in the middle of the room.
26.
Liz grabbed her phone out of her purse.
“We need to talk. —Darcy.”
Liz looked the text. It was from the last person she expected. It had only been twenty-four hours since her dinner with Georgia, and Liz’s heart was still in pieces over her intern’s revelation.
Liz knew they needed to officially clear the air, and now was as good a time as any. “Yes. Time and place?” she texted back.
“7:30, Alba,” he quickly texted back.
Liz’s stomach growled, remembering the bread pudding she’d eaten at Alba after starting at Pemberley Media. Her stomach flipped, thinking about sitting across from Darcy now that she knew what had happened to Georgia.
It all made sense now. Why Darcy hated Hamilton. Why he didn’t want her to date him.
She shook her head; she tried not to think about her boss as she finished her work day, but as she changed into a curve-hugging, knee-length black dress and tall pumps, she had no idea how she was going to act normal in front of her boss. The feelings she had for him made her heart beat recklessly.
Time froze as she walked through the immaculate restaurant, where every glass sparkled and every table cloth was smoothed perfectly. Across the room, near the back, a man slowly stood, wearing a not surprising—yet completely devastating—crisp black suit.
Liz forced herself to breathe as she walked up to Darcy. The last time she’d seen him, she’d stormed out of the conference room. Now she knew so much more. Ten steps left. Then five. Then they stood in front of each other, and Liz felt like she had a thousand things to say to him, but she couldn’t find the words for anything.
“Hello,” she said.
“Thanks for coming, Liz. You look wonderful.” Darcy kissed both her cheeks, and she closed her eyes as she felt his warm skin against hers.
“As do you, boss.” She stared as Darcy ran his hand through his dark hair before unbuttoning his black suit jacket. She wanted to reach out and touch the hem of his sleeve, to feel close to him, but she forced her hands to stay by her sides.
Darcy gestured toward her chair, and she walked toward it. Darcy pushed it in as she sat down. Then he walked around the table slowly and took a seat across from her.
Liz pulled her loose curls across her back and over one shoulder. She looked down and arranged her dress. Then, she put her hands on the white table cloth in front of her and looked at Darcy. And, for a lot of reasons, it felt like she was looking at him for the first time. She saw him as the man who had hired her, who protected his sister, and gotten her friend a job.
“I ordered a bottle,” Darcy said as a waitress brought a dark bottle of wine and poured rich, red liquid into two glasses.
“Thank you.” Liz took a sip.
“Do you know what you want to order?” the waitress asked.
“Sure.” Her eyes landed on a steak.
As the waitress left the table, Darcy leaned in. “Hope Alba is okay for dinner. I couldn’t go back to Shell.”
“This is my favorite.” Liz shifted in her seat, ready to tell Darcy she had been completely wrong about his character.
“Thank you for getting a job for Stella,” Liz said.
“It was the least I could do,” he said.
“You didn’t have to do anything,” Liz said. “She helped Hamilton steal money from you.”
Darcy nodded and took a drink of his wine. “I felt, and still feel, responsible for not exposing Hamilton for who he really is.”
“Georgia told me about her—” Liz didn’t know what to call what Hamilton did, so she used the only word she could think of— “past.”
“I think she looks up to you.” The waitress dropped off two steaming bowls of soup, and they each took a sip.
Liz brushed a curl out of her face as she looked back at Darcy. “I think it should be the other way around. She’s an incredibly hard worker.”
“For you,” Darcy said. “She won’t even bring me a cup of coffee.”
Liz laughed. “Little sisters have to be little sisters sometimes.”
“She definitely is with me. She’s been through a lot. Hamilton. Our parents. School wasn’t easy for her. I’m proud of her.”
Liz took another sip of her soup. “You should be.”
Darcy set down his spoon and looked into her eyes. “Listen, I’m not proud of myself.”
Liz tilted her head to the side. What was he going to say? He of all people should be proud of what he’d done. He’d taken care of everyone in her life.
He continued, “Liz Bailey, you are the best employee I’ve ever had. And I should have let you hire a hundred people. Sometimes, I can really be a rich jerk.”
She looked into his brown eyes and let herself admit the truth. He wasn’t a rich jerk. He was her gorgeous, talented, sometimes moody boss. And she liked him.
“Yeah, you can.” She swallowed her feelings and teased him. “But I could have brought you more evidence to prove my point that I needed more help instead of just assuming you would give me whatever I asked for.”
“See?” she said. “I have my faults, too.”
He looked down at her hands. “At least you know how to talk to people.”
Liz took a sip of wine. When she set down her glass, she realized Darcy was the complete opposite of Hamilton, who talked so smoothly and always knew the right move to make. The man in front of her might not always say the right words, but he always did the right thing. She watched him lean back in his chair with a casual smile across his f
ace.
“One question.” She broke the silence. “How did you know Hamilton was behind the theft from the beginning?”
Darcy twisted the stem of his glass between his first and second finger. The glass looked small in his large hand.
“He asked Stella for the exact same amounts of money that he asked Georgia for. I knew from the beginning that it was Hamilton. I just didn’t know who he was using to get it. When the transactions came from Stella’s IP address, my detective followed her and saw Hamilton at her place a few days after I fired her.”
It was easy, almost too easy. It seemed strange that Hamilton tried to steal the same amount of money from Darcy that he’d asked Georgia for years before. “Why would he use the same amounts?”
“Hamilton asked me for money earlier this year. He threatened to expose Georgia with some pictures he allegedly had, but Georgia was certain he didn’t have any. So, of course, I didn’t give him any more money. I think he took the same amount because he wanted me to know it was him, that he found a way to get what he wanted,” Darcy said. Liz could hear the sadness in his voice.
Liz leaned back in her seat, holding her glass of wine in her hand and feeling incredibly grateful that she knew the truth about Hamilton.
Darcy loosened his tie, pulling on the top of the knot and looking more relaxed than she’d ever seen him before. Maybe it was just that all the secrets were out. He had nothing to hide; she had nothing to hide.
They finished dinner, chatting easily about clients, even a little about their loves for their separate cities. After they were done with dessert, Darcy reached out and put his hand over hers.
She could feel the heat of his skin under hers, almost burning into the top of her hand. They locked eyes, and Liz swallowed hard. She could barely stand his touch. After a few seconds, he lifted his hand away.
“Can I walk you out?” he asked.
She wanted to shake her head. This was the most relaxing dinner she’d had in forever, and every bone in her body wanted to soak up the time she had with Darcy before their relationship turned back into a working one.