I thought back to the previous night, vaguely remembering sending her incoming call to my voicemail when I’d been drowning my sorrows.
I was quiet.I should have emailed her the second I’d written that check and handed it over to Larson; instead, I allowed many things to interfere with my job.I had also allowed my own feelings toward Colton to interfere as well.
“What is going on?I’ve seen some things in the paper regarding the two of you, and while I understand how the media works, they don’t normally drop things this quickly.Need I remind you again how important this case is for the firm?”
“You don’t need to remind me.I am on top of it.As a matter of fact, I am just sitting down to go over and approve the interview we ran yesterday morning, which should clear everything up from the fundraising event.”
“That’s funny, because an article was published a few hours ago from an interview you ran yesterday.”
“WHAT?”I said, panic setting in.
“Yes, you two look very happy together.In fact, if I didn’t know better, I’d say you two actually were a couple at one point.I mean that kiss…it’s also all over Puck-Lit-Love.”
I swallowed hard.“That’s a good thing, right?”I said, my voice shaking.
“I never said it wasn’t.I just don’t feel you are taking this seriously.”
“Why would you say that?”
“Well, because you’ve really pulled nothing together that is of any substance to clear his name quicker.His own PR team could have come up with these things.”
“Well, I know, and I’m working on that.Mr.Fox can be somewhat of a handful, and while I’ve come up with something that I know will clear his image and force the media to focus on the good he does for good, he has refused to allow me to use the information for now.”
“Emma, you are more cutthroat than this.You just do it.”
“Just trust me on this, please, give me the benefit of the doubt.It will come out.It’s just a matter of when.”
“Don’t play games.Why are you not with Colton now?He is at the away games, but I saw the charge on the company card for the flight back to Vancouver.”
I closed my eyes.“Yes, you are correct.I had to return because I needed to make sure I was here for the company to come in and stage his house for the in-home interview.”
“Right…Emma, I’m not paying you to be back in Vancouver.I’m paying you to be in the presence of Colton Fox to take care of things regarding your assignment.”
“I know.”
“Then what are you doing?”
“I promise you?—”
“Emma, if you couldn’t handle this assignment, you should have told me, and I’d have gotten someone else.Now, I have to go.You need to get your ass back to Colton before this man fucks up his entire career and mine in the process if we fail.I will approve this check, and once you are back in the office in the fall, we will then discuss a repayment plan.Talk soon.”
She was gone.I didn’t even reply.
I’d worked tirelesslyfor the last two days arranging furniture, unpacking many boxes of accessories to fill the main part of Colton’s house.I’d just placed the two blankets on the back of his couch and looked around the properly lit room now.
I was so happy with how the house had turned out.My choices had been perfect, working with the dark colors of his furniture, adding other furniture in the same dark wood tone and mixing it with neutral colours.This space finally had a comforting and inviting look to it.
I glanced at the time.Colton would be back in about three hours, so I got up from where I sat and made my way toward his bedroom.I slipped through his room and into his ensuite and looked over the large inviting jacuzzi tub in the corner.
My body ached the more I looked at it, and I knew that a shower wasn’t going to do anything to soothe my aching muscles.
“One bath won’t hurt,” I whispered to myself.
I walked over, turned the faucets on, and began filling the large tub with hot water.I ran to my room and grabbed my bath salts and then, once it was full, I climbed in and allowed the hot water to seep into my body.
When I’d had enough, I climbed out of the tub and caught sight of my reflection in the mirror, that stupid heart tattoo with the initials CF staring back at me.I swallowed hard.
I could still remember going to get it.I hadn’t been old enough to consent on my own, so I’d forged a note from my mother.I knew she’d kill me if she saw it, and so I made sure she never did.It had been a stupid mistake, but then that’s what teenagers did.
