Page 15 of Without Apology

“That sounds great.” I had to fight a shiver over the idea of flying in an airplane, let alone doing it over a large body of water. “So what brings you in to the office today? Everything okay?”

He sighed, causing my stomach to drop. If he was about to tell me Jeff was getting the promotion, maybe I wasn’t as anxious to quit my job as I’d thought.

“One reason I’m here is I’m hoping you’ll reconsider and apply for the CFO position.”

It meant a lot that he’d encouraged me for weeks to do so. “I did. On Saturday, as a matter of fact.”

He appeared pleased. But before I could bring up my concern over the travel, we were interrupted with a knock at the door.

I fought the urge to shout go away, so I could find out the second reason he was here, but of course, I couldn’t. “Come in.”

In walked a handsome gentleman I didn’t recognize, someone who gave me a smile which lacked sincerity and warmth before he turned to George. “Hello, George. Reception told me I’d find you here. We’re ready for you upstairs.”

“Okay. Peyton, this is Tom Sanders. Tom, this is Peyton Waters, my accounting director. Why don’t we grab Jeff, and all head upstairs, and I’ll finish explaining what’s happening?”

It appeared I was the only one in the dark. I looked over at Tom in his expensive-looking suit, Rolex watch, and slicked-back hair and got a foreboding feeling in my stomach. But nothing could’ve prepared me for what happened next. We got off the elevator two floors up and walked into a space I’d never been in before. Once there, my gaze zeroed in on the one person that I wouldn’t have expected to see in a million years.

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