Love.com (14 page)

Ian nodded. “I never questioned it. You might want to spend your lunch hour in the park for the next three weeks, and all your spare time outside of work. Sorry that might put a crimp in your social life, but it is what it is,
hon. Oh, and your nose is definitely growing longer. Ease up on those fibs, babe.”

Emily
self-consciously touched her nose. She wondered what she ever saw in Ian. He strode laughing out of her office, shutting the door behind him. She was furious he thrust the problem with the pictures into her lap, taking the heat off himself. Now she had to eat, live, and sleep at the public park because she was too embarrassed to admit she lied on her dating profile.

She snatched up her purse and vinyl lunch bag. A thousand cuss words ran through her mind as she stalked out of the office, seeing Ian’s grinning countenance as she passed to take her lunch in the park. What she ever saw in him was
debated as the doors to the elevator closed.

~
~ ~

Emily glared at her
perfectly-manicured fingernails, feeling foolish as she sat in the grass, watching the people in the park under the cover of dark sunglasses and a bad attitude. She was simmering in anger after her run-in with Ian. The man was really a total jerk! To think of all the nights she devoted to masturbating to his image made her squirm on the blanket she reclined on. 

Now
Ian had her where he wanted her. She was furious he would use something as innocent as a few white lies on a dating site to get out of the problem with the artwork. He had her over a barrel and she knew it. She had no choice but to haunt this park, hoping the people in the photos would return. It infuriated her to realize how slim a chance it was they would revisit this place before the deadline.

Leave it to her to be influenced
to this extent by her unhealthy crush. Where had it led her but to certain disaster? Ian was no closer to noticing her than he had been before, even mocked her inept efforts to resume dating. It hurt, those loose comments he made about her feelings for Eddie, having no idea how close to the truth he was.

She was furious she allowed Ian to get the upper hand so easily. She stewed until the hour was nearly up and gathered up her belongings to return to the office. What had she expected? The old lady and the little boy hadn’t shown up. There was a good chance she would fail to find them. Emily trudged to her car, feeling morose to know she could be unemployed due to her infatuation with Ian Sawyer.

He was gone when she returned to the office. She noticed Stu was lingering near her office door when she arrived back. By the look on his face, she knew something was up. His eyes were narrowed and mean as they settled on her.

“We need to talk, Emily.”
Stu followed her into her office and shut the door; his expression filled with obvious dislike. “How long have you been following me? Don’t bother lying. You were seen!”

Emily eyed Stuart with
an innocent expression. Figures Marty saw a way to make another fifty bucks. The little worm obviously gave her away. She shrugged and sat down, determined to brazen it out. “I haven’t been following you, Stuart. What are you talking about?”

He looked
furious, his face growing red. “Enough! The clerk at The Carlton described you to a tee, Emily. He said you followed me there. Don’t lie about it.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Stu.”

He looked uncertain for a moment, debating her words. “You didn’t follow me last week?”

“Why would I
ever follow you, Stu?” Emily looked him dead in the eye, seeing his sudden indecision. “What is this all about?”

Stu seemed to relax then. “Some guy said a woman who matched your description followed me to a meeting I had last week. I should have known the guy was
lying.”

“I can assure you I never followed you anywhere, Stu.” He appeared relieved
. She knew he believed her. “Where was this meeting at?”

Stu cleared his throat and avoided her gaze. “It doesn’t matter. It was
just business, but it wouldn’t look like it if it got out.”

“I don’t have the slightest idea what you’re talking about, but you’re secret is safe with me.” Emily sounded like she was joking
. She smiled to put Stu at ease. “Is there anything else you want to discuss, Stu?”

He shuffled and shook his head. “Nah, I got a lot of work to do. I’ll just be going.”

Emily watched Stu leave, cursing Marty under her breath. The little con artist almost gave her away. Stu’s insistence the meeting with Tabitha was just business gave her pause. Why did the pair have to sneak around if they weren’t having an affair? She wasn’t stupid. According to Marty, they met there every week, or had he lied of that to get money out of her? She chewed her lower lip, for she assumed the relationship, just by catching the pair in what looked like a compromising situation.

Tabitha caught her alone in the ladies room later that day. She waited until the stalls cleared out to confront her. Her dark eyes were filled with fury. “You think you’re so smart, don’t you? You don’t know shit, Emily! You have a lot of nerve following me! You just forget what you saw if you know what’s good for you!”

“What are you talking about?” Emily stared at the brunette with a deliberately bland expression. “What have I supposedly done now? This is the second time I’ve been accused of stalking someone today. I’m not amused.”

Tabitha proved
to be more distrustful than Stu. “You don’t know what’s good for you, Emily. I’ll make it real clear to you. One word of what you saw and you can start packing up your office. You know Evan would do just about whatever I ask. I just need to apply myself to getting rid of you and it’s a done deal.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure of that, Tabitha,” Emily said with more confidence than she felt. “Evan might be foolish enough to fall for you
, even give you a job here, but he wouldn’t get rid of the real talent. We both know you don’t have that kind of power over him.”

“No?
Are you so sure of that?” Tabitha laughed and tossed her dark mane. “Is that why he filed for divorce, Emily?” She laughed at Emily’s look of shock. “He asked me to marry him. I think a wife has a lot to say about a lot of things, don’t you?”

“
Congratulations,” Emily replied without letting the girl see her anxiety. “I still don’t know what it is you think I’ve done, but whatever. I have a lot of work to do, Tabitha.”

Tabitha glared at her. “One word
to anyone and you’re out of here!”

Emily didn’t dignify it with an
answer. She tossed the paper towel into the trash and left the ladies room. She was inwardly shaken over the confrontation. Knowing Tabitha was marrying Evan changed things. She wasn’t naïve enough to not take the girl’s threats seriously. She made a very serious enemy at Stone and Watterman, one that could cost her everything if she wasn’t careful. Did it matter she never intended to use what she discovered to either Stu or Tabitha? Obviously the pair was up to something. If it wasn’t an affair, what was it?

Emily stayed in her office for the remainder of the day, working and avoiding thinking about the ugly scene with Tabitha
. She couldn’t shake the feeling something was going on. Once again, her infatuation with Ian led her astray and screwed things up. If she hadn’t been insistent on discovering his personal business, she wouldn’t have two very powerful enemies in the office ready to send her packing. She brought it on herself by skulking around, determined to catch him with Tabitha. She almost regretted following Tabitha, but at the time, she needed to know the truth. Her feelings for Ian tormented her.

The fact he didn’t know she was alive
in that way was obvious. Why risk her career over a man who wasn’t interested in her? If Evan married Tabitha, she could start looking for another job. The girl wouldn’t risk her going to Evan with what she saw.

Emily finished up and left the office, dismayed to know she allowed this obsession to undermine her professionally. She drove home and decided to skip the gym
tonight. Luckily Joan let her off the hook. Both her daughters were sick.

Emily made a chicken salad for supper
. She sat at her kitchen table picking at it moodily. She opened her briefcase and took out the files she brought home to work on. She hoped it would take her mind off impending disaster. She was wrong. After looking through her briefcase, she realized all the files were empty. All the work she’d done on the Ambidor account was missing.

Emily
braced herself, feeling another panic attack coming on. She felt like she would swoon and put her head down on the table. She underestimated how much Tabitha wanted her out of the way. It was obvious someone took the reports. Some of it was on her hard drive at work, she realized with sudden relief. Unfortunately, some of it wasn’t. She groaned inwardly to know this set her back weeks to make up the projection reports, not to mention the expense documentation. Anger filled her expression to know while she was in the ladies room with Tabitha, Stu must have gone through her office. It was the only opportunity the pair had that day.

Emily glanced at her watch. It was six o’clock. If she worked her ass off, she might be able to generate the most important documents before bedtime. She was furious to be in such a
precarious position, realizing the pair was quite determined to get her fired.

Emily forced herself to calm down
and breathe, feeling she was going to hyperventilate, knowing the morning meeting would have been her undoing had she not discovered the theft. She had time to fix this.

Within three hours,
Emily rose and stretched, dismayed to know she would have to pull an all-nighter to replace all the reports. Evan was a stickler to receive these weekly reports. Tabitha and Stu counted on her being unaware of them being gone. She had that on her side. She would have to lock her office when she wasn’t in it in the future. She would have to watch her back every minute she was a work. The sharks were circling.

By midnight, she sat back and sighed. She replaced the completed files in her briefcase. The fact they went to such lengths to undermine her at work told her whatever she witnessed at the Carlton Hotel was damning proof against both, but for what?

Emily
knew she should leave it alone. The idea of Tabitha being married to Evan set her teeth on edge. Her as the future Mrs. Stone could be a problem for anyone who got in the girl’s way, even Stu, if he didn’t realize it yet.

Emily’s eyes lit up. Yes, Stuart had much to hide
himself, and to lose, if his dealings with Tabitha came to light. If he didn’t realize it yet, Tabitha could easily get rid of him too. It was a risk, but she needed to put such a bug in Stuart’s ear. Maybe if he started worrying about his own future, he might not aid Tabitha in her vendetta against her.

~
~ ~

The look of surprise on Tabitha’s face told Emily all she needed to know as she passed out copies of the weekly reports. They were all seated in the conference room. Evan was on his cell phone
. They had a few minutes before they began. Stu looked down at his copies with a slight frown. Emily caught the accusing glare Tabitha tossed at him from across the table. So, she was right. Stu did steal the files. It was lucky for her she took her work home that night or she’d look like an idiot without the reports.

“Before we get started today,” Evan began with much throat-clearing and a lingering look at Tabitha. “I have an announcement to make.” They all quieted and waited. Evan sat forward and smiled at each and every one of them. “I don’t think it’s any secret my marriage hasn’t been a happy one. Mrs. Stone has recently petitioned for divorce. The fact we married here in California; she’s entitled to half the stock in Stone and
Watterman. She generously agreed to allow me to buy her out, so this affects none of you. Unfortunately, I will have to make periodic visits to New York until it’s settled. I’ll be leaving Emily in charge. I look to her as my right hand. Take any and all concerns to her.”

The conference room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. The look on Tabitha’s face was almost comical, going from red to nearly purple in the span of sixty seconds. It was obvious she hadn’t considered Evan would leave Emily in charge in his absence.

“I have to leave tomorrow to meet with my attorney. I’ll be gone all of next week,” Evan continued without missing a beat. “I don’t see this as a sad time, but one for new beginnings.” The possessive look he sent Tabitha was obvious in its implied meaning. “Tabitha will be coming with me. She can work from our hotel. Most of you might have guessed ours is more than just a working relationship.”

Tabitha was trying to cover her shock
, smiling lamely at his disclosure. Emily smiled inwardly, knowing the brunette would be accompanying her boyfriend to New York for a show of support whether she liked it or not. Knowing that would get Tabitha out of the way so she could work over Stu made her glean some relief from Evan’s surprising announcement.   

Emily was relieved the meeting turned to business then. Evan went over the weekly report, commended her on her work, and made suggestions for the others while she sat back in her chair and dodged the hate-filled looks Tabitha tossed at her.