“Any chance you’d be able to forget?”
“Not on your life, sweetheart,” Cole declared, reaching for my hand and giving it a squeeze I felt right through my body. “But come on, Grace, why Wattle Creek?”
I took a breath. “That’s easy. This was home. My sisters, you know Georgia and Gabriella were here, so it was just the easy choice to …” I didn't know how to finish my sentence.
“To what?” Cole pushed.
I stared out across the yard into the darkness and a shiver passed down my spine. Before I knew it, Cole was on his feetwrapping a heavy woolen blanket around my shoulders. “Out here as soon as the sun goes down, so does the temperature.”
“Thanks,” I replied, snuggling into the warmth that smelt like smoke and something comforting.
“So, what is it? Let me guess, a guy broke your heart?” Cole’s question didn’t sound condescending, more frustrating and all-knowing.
For a moment I sat in silence, trying to figure out how to put into words the clusterfuck that was my life. Cole didn’t push. Instead, he pet Rocket, letting the dog lean against his leg and almost purr.
“Yes, but not in the way you think,” I began.
“Go on,” Cole encouraged, and I tightened the blanket.
“Ben, he was a good guy. He was my boss …”
“Tell me this isn’t the cliche, you slept with the boss then found out he was already married?” Cole practically begged, and I couldn’t stop the snort of laughter that bubbled out.
“Thankfully, even I’m not that stupid.” I grimaced at the thought of even touching Ben. “No, he was my boss. He head-hunted me for months. Promised me the world. Gave me everything I wanted to sign on the dotted line.”
“Sounds like he needed you,” Cole commented.
“He did. He didn’t even know how much until I was working for him and started to uncover things he didn’t know were going on.”
“What happened, Grace?”
“I uncovered what was going on.”
“And what? He didn’t like it?”
“Not at all. But he was thankful I found them and saved his ass. It could’ve cost him everything. Not just financially, it could’ve ruined his business and probably his reputation.”
Cole straightened his spine and leaned forward. I watched as he took a deep breath and balled up his fists. “Nothing illegal though?”
“Not like that. They were breaking a laundry list of legislated requirements and could’ve gotten to that point, but it was more the internal politics and bullshit.”
“Oh. Okay,” Cole deflated. “So, if you found all this out and fixed it, what happened?”
“I found it out. I found out the people who were doing it. And the quickest way to make enemies was to call them out. It didn’t take long for them to make my life a living hell. The bullying, the backstabbing, the childish games. They were trying to drive me out.”
“Please tell me they didn’t win and that’s not the reason you’re here?” Cole begged.
“Yes and no. Initially no, they didn’t drive me out. After months of trying to get through to him, Ben finally listened and heard how bad things were. I don’t think he was ignoring me but more ignoring the problem. It was like he didn’t know what to do about it, so he buried his head in the sand. The mean girls, that’s what I ended up calling them, had him wrapped around their fingers. It was a game I couldn’t win. One I didn’t even want to compete in.”
“Grace? What happened?”
“Ben promised me the world. He promised me he’d fix it. Promised I wouldn’t be out of a job. Fucking liar,” I spat angrily as a tear ran down my cheek and I batted it away. I took a breath and pressed on. Now I’d started spewing it all out, it was like I couldn’t stop. I didn’t want to. “There was something more going on in the background. More than even I knew. But Ben kept saying and doing all the right things that kept me believing him. He could see how much it was destroying me, so he offered me a new role. One I got to design myself. Write my own jobdescription. Report directly to him. Only to him. It sounded like a dream.”
“What was the catch?” Cole asked cynically.
“There wasn’t one. At least there wasn’t one I could see. I would work with the staff directly. Onboard new hires. Do all the things I loved about my job and get away from the drama and the gossiping. It lasted three months,” I scoffed as I shoved to my feet and started pacing, unable to sit still.
The memory of being marched down the corridor, seeing the looks on everyone’s faces was still too fresh in my mind. It was like a gaping wound and one I hadn’t recovered from yet. I would, in time, but not yet.
