“How do you mean?”
“Does he want you to take the fall for it? Do you think it’s a little weird he welcomed you into his life and gave you half of his company with no experience? Not to insult you, but what do you even know about real estate?”
“I didn’t know anything at first, but I spent years with him in his Portland office. I’ve worked my way up. I’ve done my time.” Pausing, he turned to check his blind spot while he merged back onto the interstate. His lips were tightly pressed together. With the traffic heavier than normal, I sank back in my seat and remained quiet.
It was clear to me that this whole deal was a scam, and it had to be clear to Graham. Was Graham in on it? It was illegal, and he’d go to jail if he got caught.I could go to jail.Suddenly, the iron-clad employment contracts and lifetime non-disclosure agreements made so much sense. I swallowed, my palms dampened from sweat pulsing out my pores. How was I going to get out of this? Jonathan was a bad dude.
Would he kill me if he knew I knew?
twenty-two
Graham
We landed back in Tampa, got back in my car, and Elinora was quiet when I missed the exit to the office. She understood we couldn’t go back there yet. I drove toward the bay, finding an Irish pub, and took an upfront parking spot. “Let’s…uh, let’s get some food.”
We got out of the car at the same time, but I stepped behind her, allowing her to pick a table, and we sullenly slid into our seats. The waitress came over, wearing a low braided ponytail down the center of her back and a t-shirt with a logo on it. “Hey, guys! We have a breaded tilapia special today. It comes with fries and coleslaw.”
I shrugged, not caring to look at a menu. “Cheeseburger is fine.”
“Same.” Elinora echoed, and she scooted farther into the booth. “And water, please.”
“For me too, please,” I added.
As soon as the waitress disappeared, Elinora leaned in, “Is now a good time to insist you let me out of my contract?”
My brows beaded together as confusion about how she could even think about that clouded my mind. “That’s still your main focus?”
“Well, yeah. I’m sorry if it’s easy for you, but I can’t work with you, and I definitely don’t want to be part of any illegal scam. I can make a big deal about it, threatening to expose Jonathan, or you can shred the contract. I won’t say anything.”
“I wasn’t even supposed to scout that property, and actually—”
“Actually, what?” That sounded like a challenge.
My mind bounced from the sudden change of conversation as anger bubbled in my chest. “Jonathan told me to leave those acquisitions to the finance team. He seemed very stern about not needing me out in the field—”
She leaned forward with her palms on the table. “That feels like proof he’s doing something illegal, and his guys are in on it.”
I chewed the inside of my cheek. There wasn’t any other way to explain it.
“I also was told my job wasn’t a field job,” she spoke in a concealed voice. “Another reason I loved it was because after traveling nonstop for the university, I was most excited to sit on my butt and not go anywhere. I was there only to oversee contracts.” She tossed a glance over her shoulder, as if she was nervous to be seen. “Why did his guys have you go when it’s against his instructions?”
“They didn’t even know I was going to Naples today. It was never about the condo.” I trapped my bottom lip with my teeth while she gave me a look I had only recently seen in my dreams. I dropped my voice in volume but increased its urgency. “I didn’t need to come down here. It was the excuse I needed to get you out of the office so we could talk.”
“So, you lied to me.” Her gaze narrowed but didn’t flinch.
My stomach twisted, signaling my nerves to fire. “I didn’t mean to. I mean, not like that. I needed a chance to explain. I knew you’d avoid me in the office,ifyou even came in.”
“Explain what to me?” Hertwas extra sharp and seemed to echo. It wasn’t a good idea to have this conversation in public. Then again, she’d never go anywhere alone with me. At least here, she wouldn’t make a big scene.
Or maybe she would?
“It hurts.” I ran a hand through my hair, taking a moment to hydrate my lips, and decided it was either now or never, and I spilled my heart. “It kills me to see you and think about what I did to you.”
“Good. I hope it hurts!” she whispered-shouted back at me but dropped her voice as soon as the bartender looked over. “I hope you’re miserable,” she hissed. “That’s what you deserve!”
“I do deserve it. I was wrong to cut you out without at least explaining everything.”
“What is there to explain?” She gestured with both hands, inviting me to talk. “That I thought you had died, or something drastically wrong had happened to you? You didn’t even have the decency to explain that you were fine and living your best life with Daddy billionaire. You lied to me abouteverything.You said you wanted to be with me.”
