Page 98
I follow her, perplexed, because literally nobody knows where I am. Okay, so Jennifer does, and so does my mom, but neither of them would call the house or even know how to get the number.
Unless there was an emergency. Oh God. I start to speed my steps, because now I’m panicking.
Barbara opens the door to Richard’s study, pointing me inside. “I put it through to here. You’ll be left in peace.”
“Thank you.” I flash her a smile and head over to the house telephone on Richard’s desk. I pick it up and take a deep breath.
“Hello?”
“Georgia?”
“Patrick?” I reply, relief rushing through me that it isn’t my mom or Jennifer with bad news. But it’s quickly followed by annoyance. “Why are you calling me here?”
“You didn’t answer your phone. I manage to wheedle your whereabouts out of Derrick.”
Oh God, of course he did. Derrick is so nice he thinks everybody has good intentions.
“But why?” I frown.
“You know why. It’s our wedding day. I wanted to make sure you were all right.”
I blink. “Of course I’m all right. What did you think, I’d be suicidal?”
He huffs. “You were pretty upset when we broke up. And you’re behaving strangely. Ignoring phone calls, taking trips alone. I’m worried about you.”
“I’m not yours to be worried about,” I tell him, not bothering to remind him that I was the one who called it off.
He ignores me. “It’s not like you to disappear and be off all alone.” He lowers his voice. “I was worried you might do something… stupid.”
“Like get engaged to you?” I retort, and immediately regret it. “I’m fine. I’m at a party with friends. I don’t need you to worry about me. It’s not your job anymore.”
He clears his throat. “Speaking of jobs, I read Sam’s emails to you.”
“What?” My mouth drops open. “You read our private emails?”
“They’re on the company server. They’re not private. And anyway, that’s not the point. Why are you writing for the competition? You do realize that’s a disciplinary offense?”
“It’s only an article.” God, I don’t believe this. “You’re the one who told us to look for other jobs. I’m doing just that.”
“What’s the article about?”
“That’s definitely none of your business.”
“We’ve terminated Sam’s contract early,” he says. “I’m trying to find a reason to stop the same from happening to you.”
“You did what?” Guilt tugs at my stomach. “But it’s almost Christmas.” I can’t believe they’ve done that to Sam. He was only trying to help me.
“Georgia, just tell me what the article is about. I can see if there’s any real competition there.” His voice is softer now. “Come on, throw me a bone. I’ve already told the board this isn’t like you. Let me stand up for you at least. Give me something to hang on to.”
I squeeze my eyes shut. If it will help Sam, I’ll spill my guts all over the floor. So I tell him. The whole damn thing. The pitch, the angle, everything except the fact that I’ve fallen for Theo. “Please explain that it isn’t Sam’s fault,” I say at the end. “He’s only trying to protect his staff from being without work.”
“You should come home,” Patrick tells me. “If you want to keep your job you should be here, not in London.” He lets out a breath. “I have other news, too.”
“What?”
“Molly and I have decided to stop seeing each other.” He pauses, like he’s waiting for my reaction.
What does he expect? For me to throw a party because he’s split up with the woman he was cheating on me with?
