Page 60 of Office Affairs

“You’ll come?”

The relief in Miranda’s voice spurred me to shove my feet into my sneakers and grab my keys. “I’ll be there as soon as I can. Where can I meet you?”

“I’m outside right now, but I’ll meet you in the lounge. See you soon.”

She ended the call, and I stared at my phone for several seconds while waiting on Keith. Should I call Russell? He’d want to know. So would Chase and Garrett, but I didn’t trust they’d listen to me without Russell there. Whatever Miranda had found might be exactly what I needed to clear my name once and for all. Russell acted like he trusted me. He’d been the only one who didn’t accuse me today. But he might have his doubts after Chase and Garrett got him alone. This was my chance to prove myself once and for all. Not to Dad, but to the men I loved with all my heart. I’d do anything for them, give anything.

A quick look at Keith and my belly and I amended the thought. Almost anything. My children were my first priority. Children. Holy shit. The reality of the pregnancy test almost knocked me down again. I palmed the wall to stay upright. Which man was the father? Would it matter to them?

“Why are we going to your work?” Keith slung a plastic bat around his head before pulling on his shoes and tying the laces. “Are we going to spy?” His eyes lit up briefly before the glow faded. “Are we the bad guys?”

How much of the conversation in Dad’s office had he understood? Obviously not all of it.

I hunkered down in front of him and cupped his face between my hands. “We are not the bad guys. We’re going to try and catch the bad guys who have been stealing from Grandpa Leon and Mr. Russell.”

“Really? Do I need to bring my computer? Uncle Markus showed me a cool hacking trick today.” He raced to his room for his laptop and came back with his backpack bouncing on one shoulder. “Let’s go.” Grabbing my hand, he dragged me toward the front door. “I can’t wait to tell everyone at school.”

Oh boy. Poor Mr. Chandler. I’d better expect a call from him next week when word spread. No one would believe Keith, and with his current track record of fighting, I’m sure the principal would want to talk to me again. This time about Keith lying for attention. “Slow down, buddy.” I hooked the strap of his backpack and pulled him to a stop so I could close and lock the door. “I hope we find out who the thief is. That’s the whole reason I went to work for Mr. Grady.” And I had the added desire now to prove my innocence from the whole debacle.

“Is it going to be dangerous? Should I bring my bat?” Keith made a mock swinging motion with his arms. “Will the police be there?”

“So many questions.” I managed a laugh. “We’re going to talk to Miranda. That’s all.”

His expression fell. “That sucks. I wanted to catch a bad guy.”

“Me too, buddy. Me too. But maybe we can have a look around while we’re there. You can show me that cool hacking trick.” Nothing appeased a computer kid like Keith more than the chance to show off. He brightened and ran for the car, leaving me staring after him with all his questions swirling around in my head.

What had Miranda found, and what exactly was I about to walk into?

32

SABRINA

I really, really wished I didn’t have to bring Keith along for this. The kid was way too excited about the prospect of apprehending the thief, even though I’d told him over and over that we were only going to talk to Miranda. By the time we made it into the building, I’d heard a dozen possible scenarios of how Keith would incapacitate the thief and hold him until the police arrived. I’d given up trying to convince him that nothing even remotely exciting would happen and nodded along with his stories.

“There’s Miranda.” I directed Keith with a hand on his shoulder. “Let’s see what’s going on.”

Keith surveyed the coffee lounge with a keen eye. “Everything looks good. No sign of the thief anywhere.”

Thank God he kept his voice at a whisper. A handful of employees watched us approach Miranda and sit. Voices rose and fell with what sounded like dismay. I filtered them out and took the coffee Miranda offered.

Keith hopped into a chair and cradled the hot chocolate she’d ordered for him while continuing to scan the room.

“Okay.” I sipped the coffee and patted Keith’s knee. “Listen to Miranda.” I turned my attention to my friend. “What’s going on?”

“Well.” She propped her elbow on the table and cupped her chin in her palm. “I thought I saw one of your half brothers the other day.”

A bucket of ice water dumped down my back could not have chilled me more. “What does that have to do with anything?”

Miranda raised one perfect eyebrow. “He was here. In this building. When I stopped to talk to him, he said he was here to see you.”

“Yeah, right.” I scoffed so hard my nose hurt.

Keith sat wide-eyed, his head tipping back and forth as he followed the conversation.

“See, that’s what I thought. He took off into the elevator before I could ask him anything else. I didn’t really think too much about it. Thought maybe things had gotten better since you moved out, you know?” She shrugged her slim shoulders. “Anyway. I didn’t say anything to you. Figured if you wanted to talk about it, you would.” Another delicate shrug.

The ridges and curves on the ceramic mug dug grooves in the pads of my fingers from my increased grip. I took a deep breath through my nose and held it until I could talk without raising my voice. “Still not sure why that’s a problem. Maybe he couldn’t find me.” It wasn’t like everyone had access to the CEO floors. “Which one was it?” That didn’t really matter either, but maybe it would spark something. I didn’t know anything about a visit from any of my half brothers. Though if Bailey knew where I was working, I wouldn’t put it past her to send one of them to spy on—and/or sabotage—me. No way Bailey had figured out I worked at Grady. No way. I refused to give her that much credit. She might be an astute accountant but that was the limit of her skills. That and ruining my life. Okay, so maybe she did have a knack for figuring things out … when it came to me, anyway.

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