I couldn't even get joy out of how excited he looked. Ian had a crush on Jen for as long as I knew him. Maybe he'd finally tell her that he liked her this weekend. Weddings were romantic.
Ian turned into the parking garage beneath our apartment building. I grabbed my dress off the hook in the back seat.
"Thanks for the ride, Ian."
"Would you like me to carry that up for you?" he asked.
"No, that's okay. Thanks." I got out of the car and walked slowly toward the elevator.Please don't know. Please don't know. Please don't know.
I leaned against the side of the elevator and closed my eyes. Even if he did know, I could just tell him I couldn't tell him what had really happened. He had to believe me. He trusted me.
I unlocked the door and walked into our apartment. James wasn't in the living room or in the kitchen. "James?" I called as I walked upstairs and into our bedroom. There was no answer as I hung up the dress. Maybe he was picking up dinner somewhere. I walked over to our bed and grabbed the box full of notes and pictures that Isabella had sent me. I didn't want to talk about any of this. It was time to let all of this go. I walked out of our bedroom and back down the stairs, with the box under my arm. If I could believe James hadn't cheated on me after seeing these pictures, then he could believe me when I told him whatever ended up coming out of my mouth about his missing 20 million dollars.
God.I was so screwed. Maybe I could tell him I made an investment. Or that the dress cost a lot of money.Or just tell him the truth.But I couldn't risk it. Isabella was watching mesomehow. She knew what I was doing. I didn't know how, but she did. She had eyes and ears everywhere.
"How did it go?"
I almost jumped when I heard James' voice. I put the box on the kitchen counter and turned around, shielding it from his view. "Good. I think you're going to like the dress."
James had a glass of scotch in his hand. He sat down on the couch and took a sip. He looked tired. "You look beautiful in everything, Penny." He said it without looking up at me.
I glanced down at the box and then back at him. I'd throw it away in a minute. I walked over to the couch and sat down next to James. "Are you okay?" He must already know. I could tell something was bothering him. He never drank alone unless he was upset.
"I got a few interesting phone calls tonight."
"Yeah?"
He took another sip of scotch and set it down on the coffee table. He wanted me to say something, but when I stayed silent, he said, "My parents called."
"They did?" I couldn't help the excitement in my voice.
"Apparently Isabella actually talked to them. They want to come to the wedding. They want...well, I don't know what they want. Another chance, I guess? They said they were sorry."
"James, that's great."
He shrugged. "I guess. Isabella really came through." He shook his head. "She's changed. She's actually changed."
No.She hadn't changed at all. I bit my tongue. Maybe she was being nice to him to his face but she had just stolen his money. I needed to tell him. Were the photos leaking worse than him thinking I stole money from him? My hands were shaking so badly that I had to tuck them under my thighs so he wouldn't notice. "What did you tell your parents?"
"That I needed to talk to you first."
"James, I think they should come."
"I knew you'd say that. That's not what we need to talk about. What were you doing tonight?"
"Getting my dress." My throat felt dry.
He looked back down at his half empty glass of scotch. It didn't seem like it was his first glass. He seemed distant and spaced out. "I got an email from my stock broker, Bill O'Neill, today. A memo for the stocks I sold after work today. You can jump in any time, Penny."
Shit.I had forgotten to tell Bill to not send any emails. I bit my lip. I didn't know how much James knew. Offering any information would just make it worse.
James downed the rest of his scotch. "So, I called him. Apparently I'm investing in Uber? Again?" The more he talked the angrier he looked.
I still stayed silent.
"So I called my bank to see what account the money had been transferred to. But it was gone. Once the money came through, it was transferred to an account that wasn't mine. Why aren't you saying anything?" He looked so mad.
"You don't understand."
