VOLUME TWO
THE TENSE DUET
CHAPTER ONE
Sophia
"You look like hell,"Cadence says as she slams my apartment door shut with her foot. "Take these from me, Soph. I think my hands fell asleep on the train."
I reach forward and grab the handles of the two large shopping bags that are clutched tightly in her fists. "You have to let go if you want me to take them."
She chuckles as she looks down at her hands. "Good point."
"Why did you bring so much food?" I ask even though I already know the answer to that question. When Cadence panics, she cooks. It's the only way she can calm herself down. Since she told me she was pregnant, I've repeatedly joked with her that once the contractions start, she'll be in the kitchen whipping up a four-course gourmet meal. She laughs it off, but I'm not convinced it won't happen.
She finally uncurls her hands to let me take the bags. "You didn't eat dinner. I'm going to cook that for you now and then I'll make something you can heat up for breakfast. You need all theenergy you can get when you go see Mr. Foster to fight for your job in the morning."
I doubt like hell I'll have to fight for it. Nicholas told me two hours ago that Mr. Foster fired me, but I haven't heard a thing from my boss all night. If there's one constant about Gabriel Foster, it's that he's a reasonable man. I may have witnessed him fangirling all over Nicholas in the office the other day, but he's not the type to succumb to gossip.
Mr. Foster relies on cold, hard facts and in this case, there aren't any that support the accusations Nicholas was throwing at me. I even have the flash drive that he gave me with his book on it as proof. I found it in the clutch Dexie loaned me. That's where I put it after Nicholas handed it to me at his place and that's where it was tonight when I went looking for it after getting home from Hibiscus.
I didn't chase after Nicholas when he left the restaurant. I couldn't. I know that he wasn't open to listening to anything I would have said. Wasting my time trying to convince him that I didn't steal his manuscript would have been pointless. The mere fact that he thinks I'm capable of it pisses me off.
"I think Mr. Foster will see my side of things." I place both bags on the kitchen island. "He's always telling me that I'm the best assistant he's ever had. He's not going to fire me based on the crazy rantings of a man he barely knows."
"You don't think it matters that the man in question just so happens to be one of the most successful novelists on the planet?" She tugs a bunch of carrots and an eggplant from one of the bags. "Why would Nicholas tell you that you're fired if you're not?"
"Why would he say any of the things he said to me?" My tone is clipped. I explained every detail about what happened between Nicholas and me at Hibiscus to Cadence on the phone on my way home. I don't want to go there again. I've beenstruggling to keep it together since Nicholas walked away from me. Crying won't solve a thing, so I'm fighting back the urge to do it.
She eyes me suspiciously. "You're so damn calm, Soph. How can you be this together right now? Your boyfriend just got you fired, threatened you with a lawsuit and broke up with you. Nicholas Wolf messed up your entire life in the span of one night."
"I didn't do anything wrong, Den. Nicholas has no proof. I have the truth on my side. He can think whatever he wants about me, but I know that I'm innocent and there's no way he can prove otherwise."
"If you need a character witness to back you up when you go talk to Mr. Foster, I'll be there."
I reach for the one cutting board she left behind when she moved. "I can handle Gabriel. I'll march into his office in the morning and tell him exactly what happened. I'm innocent. The only thing I'm guilty of is dating a jerk."
"Mr. Foster?"I ask tentatively. He's in early, which rarely happens now. Before he met his wife, my boss always arrived at the office before me and each afternoon when I left for the day, he'd still be sitting behind his desk in the exact spot he is now. "Can I speak with you, sir?"
His head snaps up. He'd been staring at the screen of his laptop when I first got in twenty minutes ago. I took my time hanging up my coat before I turned on my computer, checked my emails and then finally got up to approach his open office door.
"Sophia?" His brow knits when his gaze meets mine. "I didn't expect to see you today."
Shit. Maybe Nicholas Wolf did convince Gabriel to kick my ass to the curb outside this luxurious office tower.
"Why not?" I ask bluntly. I came to the office with my emotional armor on and my battle plan in place. I won't leave this building without a fight.
He pushes both of his palms against the edge of his desk and rises from his chair. I watch in silence as he rounds the desk and moves to close his office door.
I swallow hard. Mr. Foster has only closed his door twice when we've been talking. The first was when he told me he was going to be a father. His eyes had welled with tears and his voice cracked. I knew that day he closed the door so no one would see his strong façade crumble. The other time was when I'd messed up on an email I drafted for him. There was no harm, since back then he always double checked the emails I'd send on his behalf. He was disappointed in me though and when the door closed, I could see it immediately in his expression. I don't see that now. There's something else simmering just below the surface.
"Please have a seat." He taps his fingers against the back of one of the two chairs that face his desk.
I hesitate briefly before I lower myself into it, taking special care to tuck the fabric of my skirt in place in my lap. I wore this particular outfit today because I always like to have a Plan B in case Plan A goes up in smoke. Today, my Plan B is to sell Mr. Foster on my designs if he fires me from my job as his assistant. This dress is one of my first creations and it fits the Arilia label to a tee. I may be delusional in thinking he'd even consider giving my work a place on a rack in his store, but I'll always wonder if I don't try.
"I emailed the manager of the Liore store in Paris just now." I tug on the end of a small loose thread on the left side seamof the skirt. "I sent her the inventory list for next month. She likes to plan her display window at least two weeks ahead of the products hitting the racks. I sent along my suggestions as I do each month."
He takes a step toward me but stills at my words. His gaze travels over my black skirt and red blouse. "I'm very impressed."
