Page 16 of Hidden Heart

“What happened?” she asked.

He folded his hands behind his head and threw his feet on top of her desk, knocking over the small framed picture of her parents. She frowned at him and stood the frame back up.

“Nothing happened.” He shrugged and grinned. She could almost see the arrogance dripping from his mouth. “I won. They’re going to settle.”

“What?” she asked in shock. “How? They were so determined to see this through the system.” She shut her laptop, trying not to get too excited. Nothing was straightforward with Jeremy.

“Oh, they were. I told them to give me a number, and they did. It worked out for us. The employees get half of what they lost back, our fees are paid, and the new corporation wants to put us on retainer to watch over their HR department to be sure they stay legal from now on.” His grin stretched to his ears.

“Half of their retirement money?” she said in disbelief. “Jeremy, some of those people are getting ready to retire now. How can they live with only half? Their money was stolen,” she pointed out, desperate to make him see the wrong in what he was doing.

“Bah! They should have planned better.” He waved his hand in the air and jumped out of his seat. “Never put all your eggs in one bucket. You’ve heard of that saying, right?” He paused at the door to wait for her answer.

“It’s basket,” she corrected, taking a calming breath. “Did they agree to this settlement?”

“They will. I need you to draft up the letter and have them all sign off on it. You can sell it to them, I know it. This new account will mean big things for the firm.” He snapped his fingers in excitement and disappeared into his office.

Her phone vibrated. Kelly’s pick—Hooters.

Great. At least they would understand the menu. She slid her phone across the desk and stared into the air.

The letter took longerto draft than she’d anticipated. Having to crush someone’s dreams of retirement tended to make words flow with less ease. Royce and Jessica entered the restaurant half an hour after the time the group agreed to meet. She’d been hesitant about Royce joining them for Friday night dinner, but Alex had already asked him if he would be joining them again this week. It seemed Royce was invited either way.

Royce had met her at her office, a surprise she didn’t mind for once. He was a welcome sight after the encounter with her grimy boss. The warm kiss and strong arm around her shoulder helped ease some of the tension from her shoulders. His fingers gently probed the back of her neck in the cab on the way to the restaurant while he asked about her day. She’d tried to shrug it off, but he insisted she share. Thankfully, he’d accepted a generalized statement that work had been especially shitty and she didn’t really want to talk about it.

“We ordered chicken wings for everyone. Some big platter thing,” Kelly informed them as they approached the round table in a far corner. Kelly had spied them walking in together, and Jessica cringed at the dropped smile and defeated look in her eyes.

She’d meant to call Kelly during the week to let her know what was going on with Royce. But Jessica couldn’t find the words to explain it to herself let alone someone else.

“That sounds great.” Jessica plopped into her seat between Alex and Royce and reached for the pitcher of beer.

“Whoa. Bad day?” Alex handed her a glass. Beer would not be her first choice, but it was already on the table, and she needed a drink.

“I don’t want to talk about it.” Jessica poured herself a glass and offered the pitcher to Royce, who declined.

“The douche?”

“Yep.” Jessica sipped her beer, doing her best to ignore its bitterness.

Jonathan and Erin broke in and told everyone their plans for the wedding. Erin was moving things along and finally beginning to shop for her wedding dress. Kelly offered to go with her, and before Jessica was able to join the conversation, a date had been set in two weeks to spend the day walking along the Magnificent Mile in search of the perfect dress. The date for the wedding, however, was still unsettled.

Royce leaned over and whispered into Jessica’s ear, “Only one beer. I have plans for us when we’re done here.”

She nodded, keeping her eyes on her friends chatting. Royce had made it clear in the cab that even though they were in public, he was still in charge. She hadn’t had the strength to argue or fight him. She’d enjoyed the warmth of his arm around her shoulders too much to ruin it.

“When are you going to drop that damn job and go back to school? They have grants and scholarships. You can do it if you really want to.” Alex started in on her job again after the dinner plates had been cleared away.

“Why not go for a new career with your English background?” Royce chimed in.

Jessica sought out help from Erin, who promptly threw her hands in the air. “Don’t look at me! I never understood why you switched gears like you did. You would make the perfect editor.”

“Thanks!” Jessica rolled her eyes, and then jumped at the sharp pinch on her thigh, snapping her attention to Royce.

He raised an eyebrow.

“Oh.” She realized the error she’d made and quickly returned her attention to her friends.

“I have no experience with anything in the publishing world.” She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and readjusted her seat.

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