Avery clamped down on his tongue. One thing he learned in law school was to let people talk when they thought they had something to say.
“Look, you have to believe me. I’m keeping my nose clean. I promised my Mom I would. The only thing I did was give Celeste an envelope and pocketed a few dollars. The one you brought in here a few weeks back. She works for the company, so I figured it was okay. I thought those accounts were real, until you guys and that woman came in asking a lot of questions.”
“Why should we believe you?” Macy glared at Anthony.
He offered to take a lie detector test as if that would solve everything.
“Where do you live, Anthony?” Avery asked.
He gave his address, and then pulled out his license to prove he was telling the truth.
“I needed that job.” He nodded to the burned-out shell of Pipeline Delivery. “Ain’t nobody gonna hire an ex-con. I needed that job for my recovery. So what was I supposed to do?”
“Are you the father of Celeste’s baby?”
“Baby. She ain’t having no baby,” Anthony paused. “At least not by me. I was always using protection. I got three kids already, and I don’t want no more.”
“You do know protection doesn’t work all the time, right?” Avery asked.
Anthony backed away. “Can I go now?”
“Yeah, go ahead. If I need to talk to you again, I know where to find you,” Avery said.
“Hey, Anthony, thank you,” Macy added before he took off. She turned her attention to Avery. “Now what?”
He pinched the bridge of his nose. “I think you cracked this case. Now you just need to tell this story to Roxy.”
“She’ll never believe me. Celeste is her sister. She thinks her sister is perfect except for a few misguided decisions. Besides, I’m not even sure if I care about all this stuff anymore.” She threw up her hands.
“Are you serious? After all the work you’ve done, you’re willing to walk away?”
“I wanted to clear my name, to make sure that English doesn’t prosecute me. I think we have enough info to prove Celeste is behind this whole debacle. Right? You can tell Roxy this whole sordid story. As a lawyer, isn’t that your duty?”
He grabbed her by the hand. “You’re going to tell your own story. After that, you can do whatever you want.”
He pulled his cell from his pocket.
“Who are you calling?”
“I’m seeing if Roxy is free. Let’s get this over with.”
“Today. Now?” The panic in her eyes made him feel bad for what he was doing.
He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her into his side. “I’ll be beside you. We’ll do it together.”
Roxy accepted his call. He talked without releasing Macy. No way was he going to let her go while she shook with fear or the rush of adrenaline.
“Roxy, do you have some free time this afternoon? I’d like to talk to you.”
“Ah. I’m not sure,” she said quickly. “How much time do you need? I think I’ve got a few minutes around three?”
He agreed and ended the call.
Macy peeled herself away from him. “What time?”
“Three. That gives us some time to talk about how we want to present this information to her.”
“Should we try to talk to Celeste first? Maybe she’ll admit to everything and tell her sister.” Macy spoke using her hands to emphasize her words.
“Celeste wouldn’t admit to anything even if we tracked the money right into her account. I think you’ve been through enough, let’s tell Roxy everything we know and leave this mess in her lap. She helped create that monster of a sister. Now she can figure out what to do with her.”
“I’m exhausted. I didn’t think I’d ever say this, but I want to take the easiest route.” Her shoulders slumped.
He planted a kiss on her forehead.
She flinched. “Don’t do that. Don’t kiss me.”
Macy sat at the conference room table at English International. She tugged at the neckline of her dress. She tried to push her shoulders back to sit up straighter, but the weight of the last few days made it impossible. Even the air at English smelled foreign to her now. How could she have wanted to work for a company that abandoned her when she needed it most? Hadn’t she had enough of that in her life?
From the moment Anthony made his confession, her stomach knotted, and now it was even tighter. All she needed was to get this meeting over so she could move on to a real life.
Avery took the seat beside her, but his presence brought little comfort. What she needed was to say goodbye to English International and Avery Malveaux. Only then would she be able to gather up the strings of her life and put them back in recognizable order.
Nothing had changed between them. If Avery hadn’t shown up at English, maybe none of this would have happened. No matter what the outcome of this meeting today, he could go back to his solid gold world, and she would find her way around in her gold-plated one.
“You’re shaking,” he whispered to her.
“I know. I can’t stop. I just want this to be over. It’s after three, where is Roxy?”
“She’ll be here. I’m sure she’s bringing someone from personnel.”
Macy forced her hands into her lap. A whole new life was waiting for her beyond this meeting. All she had to do was hold her emotions together for a few minutes. Then she could wave goodbye to English. Waving goodbye to Avery wasn’t going to be easy, but it was necessary. They could fool themselves into thinking they could be a couple, but one day the rosy colored glasses would slip off, and they’d have to face the ugly reality.
Maybe she’d never learn to trust anyone, but at least she knew her shortcomings.
Roxy breezed into the room. As always, she looked as if she was rushing from some other emergency. The HR Director strolled in behind her, looking put out at having to be at the meeting. Roxy managed to look at Avery without acknowledging Macy.
Roxy took the seat on the opposite side of the table. The HR Director sat beside her.
“What is this all about?” Roxy directed her attention to Avery.
Macy cleared her throat. “Roxy, I wanted to share some information with you. Avery and I have been investigating the missing money in my selling expense account.”
Roxy placed her right hand on the table and covered it with her left hand. She pressed her ample bosom forward. “No one asked you to do that.” The ice in her voice chilled Macy.
“I did it to prove to the company and to you that I did not steal from the company. I had to find out for myself.” She pulled the papers from her bag. Once they were spread out on the table, she talked Roxy through everything they’d found.
Thirty minutes later, Roxy’s face was frozen. There was no color left in her cheeks. She glanced at the papers in front of her, but she hadn’t touched a single document. “You want me to believe my sister was stealing from the company? My sister.” She shook her head. “That has got to be the most preposterous thing I’ve ever heard. Macy, I was flabbergasted when I found out money was missing from your account, but I never thought you’d stoop so low as to blame Celeste for this.” Roxy’s hands hadn’t moved. They remained locked in place on the table. For a woman as animated as she was, her stoic position could only mean she was holding back her fury. She directed her attention to Avery, leveling her gaze at him for several moments. “Avery, what the hell is going on here? Why would you allow Macy to waste my time like this?”
“Roxy,” he started, using a tone she hadn’t heard before. If Macy never heard it again, she’d be just fine. Maybe this was the way he spoke when he was in a courtroom. “Let me assure you, we didn’t come here today to waste your time. The information Macy has shared with you is factual. She’s done her homework. I stand behind it without a doubt. It may be hard for you to look at this objectively because we’re talking about your sister. But data doesn’t lie.”
The four of them sat in silence for a moment. The tight draw of Roxy’s jaw didn’t relax. Macy watched as she grinded her teeth. The HR Director adjusted his tie. He cleared his throat several times without looking up. The only sound in the room was the large office clock, ticking off the seconds.
Macy refused to look away from Roxy’s glaring stare. Macy could almost see her brain churning out a way to blame her for this entire debacle.
Macy pushed away from the table. “There is one more thing.” She reached into her bag and removed her resignation letter. There was no use in giving it to Roxy since she refused to examine any of the paperwork. Instead, she placed it closer to the HR Director. “This is my resignation. After everything that’s happened, I think this is a good time for us to part ways.” Without waiting for Roxy to lob another insult across the table, she walked out of the conference room.
At the elevator, Avery caught up with her. “Good job in there. How about we do something tonight to celebrate?”
Her heartbeat outpaced her breathing. Talking to Roxy was difficult. Telling Avery this was goodbye seemed impossible. But she couldn’t fool herself another day. He deserved better and so did she. “Can we talk in the coffee shop on the first floor?”
This late in the afternoon they had their choice of seating. Macy selected a small round table near the door, hoping to make an easy exit.
“Would you like a coffee?” He was poised to get what she wanted.
“No. I have something to say. The sooner I tell you what’s on my mind, the better.” She patted the table, hoping he’d sit and make this easier for her
Telling Avery, they weren’t going to be a couple would have been easier if she’d done it in the elevator or, the cold hardened halls of English. Sitting this close, looking into his dark eyes, the task seemed insurmountable. After everything he did to help her, she needed to act like an adult. Stare him in the face. Tell him her truth.
She had years of twisted interest in the Malveaux family, a few months with him wasn’t about to change anything.
“How do you think the meeting went?” Avery asked.
“About the way I expected. Roxy indulges her sister. No matter what, she wasn’t going to take that news very well. The company will probably write off the missing money and pretend it never even happened,” she said. “I can’t imagine Roxy will prosecute her sister. I don’t care what they do. It’s not my problem anymore.”
“But why did Celeste think she had to steal the money? Roxy probably would have given her what she needed.”
“Roxy’s husband was getting tired of funding the money train. She told me he was going to put a stop to it.” Macy tapped her index finger on the table.
“I didn’t know you were going to resign. I mean you mentioned you might, but I didn’t think you were going to do it today. Are you sure you want to quit?”
She nodded her head. “After that meeting, I’m sure I did the right thing. Did you see the way Roxy looked at me? She made me feel like scum. I never want to feel that way again.” She paused. “That’s also why I wanted to talk to you in private. Now.”
The small talk eased the lump that pressed on her chest. Sometimes the best way to handle a difficult task was just to do it. Was this how her father felt when he contemplated leaving his family for his mistress? Had he been torn between what was right and what his heart wanted to do? He had taken the easy way and followed his heart. She was going to follow her head and do what was right.
“Avery, this is goodbye for us. We had some fun, but if we’re both honest, really honest, then we know a relationship isn’t possible.”
“I thought we were in a better place. You understood why I had to tell Roxy.”
“I do. You’re an honorable person. And without your help, I don’t think I would have solved this whole thing. But, we’re so different…”
“We’re probably more alike than you’re willing to admit. I have a few more zero behind the amount in my bank account, that’s our only difference.” His eyes were wide and the disappointment she saw challenged her decision.
“I need to focus on finding a job and my family.” She leaned across the table. The kiss she planted on his cheek would have to last her a lifetime.