Pierce’s face relaxed, and he picked up his paper again. “I could.”
And then silence.
He understood he could make her pay conventionally but had no plans to make her. The silence stretched out between us, and eventually I gave in and moved our conversation back on topic.
At times talking to Pierce was harder than pulling teeth. Nothing like the conversations I had with Oliver.
“About Melissa, is there something you can do?”
Pierce placed the paper back on the table again, this time with more force. “Yes, I can call the police and have her arrested.”
“You would?” I asked, barely able to keep my mouth from hanging open.
“Yes, I did her a favor. I should have fired her the first time I caught her snooping around in my bedroom.”
“What about her grandmother?” Melissa said she needed the money to pay her grandmother’s nursing home bills. I’d never been in charge of anyone but myself, so I only imagined the responsibility you’d feel being in charge of someone’s care.
Pierce appeared to have a harder time imagining the situation. He rolled his eyes. “Melissa’s grandmother is well taken care of at the home. I personally pay the expenses for her nursing stay. It was part of our agreement when she retired. Melissa is looking for cash to bail her boyfriend out of jail. I’m surprised you haven’t heard that by now.”
I didn’t tell him I had. Instead, I grabbed a glass of orange juice and took a long sip.
“And for future information, Melissa is an only child. If she comes talking to you about how she needs help for a sister or an incapacitated brother, don’t listen. Desperate people will say and do anything—even making up imaginary family members.”
“So you admit she’s desperate?” His word choice was correct. Only a desperate woman would behave the way she had the other day as she barged back into his home.
Pierce sighed and tapped one finger on the stack of papers. “Look, if you think there is something going on, then find evidence. Change my mind. But until then she’s fired, and that’s not going to change.”
I took another sip of my orange juice, savoring the rich flavor and swallowing the not-so-pleasant pulp, but I refused to complain about it. New Mari didn’t worry over such trivial things, not like old Mari who would have thrown a fit and demanded pulpless. “What clues should I look for?” What kind of evidence would Pierce consider enough?
He didn’t even take his eyes off his paper when he answered. “I don’t know because I don’t believe there is any. If you want to help the girl, you figure it out.”
My eyes narrowed, but he missed the expression as he was too interested in the reports on Oliver’s factory. I had nothing against Pierce and at times found him to be a trustworthy and handsome man, but at other moments he was so smug I wanted to tell him off for the sheer enjoyment of it. The man didn’t always walk around with an enormous head, but it could inflate fast.
He was so sure that Melissa was guilty he gave me free rein to look for clues. I’d find the evidence he wanted and prove she was only concerned with her grandmother’s welfare. Then we’d wipe that smug look off his face when he was forced to rehire her.
18
Mari
Ileaned over the railing at the top of the steps and listened to the front door close before I turned on a heel and dashed to Pierce’s bedroom. His door was shut, but the handle turned easily, allowing me to sneak into his private space. Didn’t anyone lock anything in this town? On the other side of the room at the far window, I separated two blinds just enough that I could see through them.
He backed his expensive car out of the garage and then used the driveway to turn around as he left the estate and headed into town. I held my breath as he left, and once his car was out of sight, I breathed a sigh of relief and dropped the blinds.
“Mari,” Oliver said, startling me from my spot.
I jumped and turned around, finding him leaning up against the doorway of Pierce’s bedroom. Why the hell did he look so hot doing simple things?
“I didn’t know you were here.” The last two mornings Oliver left before Pierce and I ate breakfast. I was beginning to think he was avoiding me as much as I’d been trying to avoid him.
“Why are you in Pierce’s room?” he asked, not moving from his position, which left me stuck in the middle of the large space with nowhere to retreat.
I pinched my lips together and shook my head, thinking of a quick excuse. “Oh, I was just admiring his view.” It wasn’t a lie because I couldn’t see the driveway from my room. The garage was set at a weird angle to the house and you only saw the driveway from this spot.
For real. I’d checked every window in the mansion during the last two days.
“Did you two break rule number three?” he asked and his eyes narrowed as he stepped into the space.
Did we make a rule about spying on your fake fiancé? “What’s rule number three?”
