“You told her you aren’t half my age? As a reply to her stating we are together?” She shook her head, as if she could not believe it. “Why didn’t you just say it isn’t true?”
“I know I should have.”
“Maya thinks it was Cynthia who went to them and I do too. The timing, the note, the fact that she left without asking for a refund. Maybe she approached your mother and—”
“Either way.” Sarah stood up. “Either way you spoke to a reporter about my private life without telling me.”
“I tried to tell you. That’s why I wanted you to call me last night, but you didn’t.” It came out like an accusation and Sarah took it as such.
“You… so this is on me now?” She stood, eyes wide.
“No, not at all but …”
“Please leave.” She said it quietly, which was worse than if she’d said it any other way. “I need to pack up this office, and I can’t do that with you in it.”
“Alright but, are we okay? Are we…”
Sarah rounded on her. “Are we ok? No. We are not ok. I am out of a job. I’m going to lose my lawsuit against Jonathan and the whole world now thinks I’m an imposter who tricked a man into making her rich. And you contributed to that because you didn’t have enough common sense to simply say you’d rather not comment. No, Lizzie. We are not okay. I can’t look at you right now.”
“I’ll leave.”
“You should. In fact, I’m pretty sure Derek will be calling you into his office soon to let you go. So, there’s that.”
They stared at one another. Was Sarah really making this Lizzie’s fault? She knew she’d messed up but she hadn’t told the tale of Sarah’s childhood. Or her sexuality. And yet, here she was, bearing the brunt of the blame.
“Perhaps I should pack my things,” she said quietly.
“Perhaps.”
“Will I see you again?” Her voice cracked as she spoke. Sarah looked at her and then, she shrugged. And that shrug was all the answer Lizzie needed.
Chapter 27
Sarah
The knock came at ten in the morning. Sarah had been awake since six, staring at her laptop and pretending to review emails from her lawyer. The story was doing damage to her case. It was all circumstantial, yes, but still. It wasn’t great. Some of the national tabloids had picked up the story, trying to paint her as some grand gold digger. As if she were some wannabe socialite who’d snatched an octogenarian.
She snapped the laptop shut and went to the door. Carlos and Esmeralda stood there with coffee and pastries from the French place she liked.
“We’re staging an intervention,” Esme said, walking past her into the apartment.
Sarah closed the door behind them. “I’m fine.”
“You’re not fine. You’ve been holed up in here for a week.” Carlos set the pastries on the counter. “And we have updates.”
They sat at the small table. Sarah took the coffee but didn’t touch the food.
“Derek cut Chrisla’s hours,” Esme said. “Down to twenty a week. Rita and Maria’s too. Anyone loyal to you is being punished.”
Sarah’s jaw tightened. “I’ll talk to Stavros.”
“Carlos already did.”
“And?”
Carlos leaned back in his chair. “Stavros is trying. He promised to do his best to bring you back. But the board wants the story to die down first. They’re calling it a cooling-off period.”
Sarah set down her cup. “While Derek destroys everything we built.”
