“Are you all right? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
No, just a weasel who wishes my fiancé were a ghost…“I’m okay, Betsy.” Oh, hell. She had to talk to someone. “No. You know what? I’m not okay.”
Betsy took her arm and led her over to the small table and chairs where they ate their lunches. “Tell me. I promise whatever it is, I can keep it to myself.”
Misty let out a deep breath. Then she proceeded to spill her guts. She didn’t tell her everything. Just the highlights. But that was enough.
Betsy’s eyes rounded as she listened.
Finally, Adam burst in. “That’s it. I heard what you said, and I won’t have you spreading lies to my employees. Miss Carlisle, you’re fired.”
* * *
Gabe heard the door slam upstairs. He needed to stand and walk around anyway. His body was stiff from sitting in the man cave.
Before he reached the basement stairs, Misty opened the door at the top. “Gabe? Are you down there?”
“Yes. Give me a minute. I’ll be right up.”
“No, I’ll come to you.” She jogged down the stairs and greeted him with a gentle peck on his lips.
“Was that you who slammed the door?”
Her cheeks turned pink. “I’m sorry. I was just so angry.”
“About what?”
“I got fired.”
“What? I thought you were giving your two-week notice.”
“Yeah. I did that, but…well…things went south.” She flopped onto the couch. “Sit down. I’ll tell you all about it.”
“I’ve been sitting all morning. I need to stand. Go ahead and tell me what happened.”
Misty stood up and wrung her hands as she paced. She proceeded to tell Gabe about Adam’s bizarre behavior. All the way from the car ride, which she still suspected was a ruse, to their argument that morning.
He was stunned. “Why didn’t you tell me this was going on?”
“I didn’t want you to worry. God, Gabe. You had enough on your plate. First, you learned you were going to be a father, something you never wanted—”
“I want it now,” he reminded her.
“I know.” She placed her hands on his chest. “That’s such a relief and a joy…you can’t imagine.”
“I’m sorry I put you through that, before I realized our baby was a blessing in disguise.”
“It’s all in the past now.”
“Yeah, but what’s not in the past is your boss firing you. You did nothing to deserve it.”
“I kind of did. I probably shouldn’t have confided in a coworker.”
“That chickenshit would have continued if he thought he could get away with it. By your telling a coworker, he knew he wasn’t going to get away with it anymore.”
“I should have just reported him for harassment.”
“The asshole sounds totally unstable, and you were scared. I don’t blame you for not knowing what to do. Shit. I wish I had been there.”
