Page 95 of My Secret Snowflake
“They also said that you’d prepared the paid administrative leave agreement,” she says.
“What? I didn’t prepare a paid leave agreement for you,” I say. “You didn’t believe that, did you? That I would have prepared that and not told you?” Did she really believe that? Did Colby and Xavier do that on purpose? Did Xavier suspect that there’s something more between us?
“It would be confidential,” she says.
“Okay.” I run my hand through my hair, frustrated. “But I could have excused myself as having a conflict of interest.”
“With my taking a leave of absence?”
“I’d have to include daily massages.”
She chuckles weakly.
“I did prepare a leave of absence for someone in marketing who had a health issue,” I say. “They must have used that one.”
I look down at the top of her head.
“Is that why you didn’t call me back? Did you think I was calling you as the company lawyer?” I practically bite out the words “company lawyer.”
“Youarethe company lawyer,” she says.
“I’m your boyfriend first,” I say, kissing her on the forehead.
Her phone rings again.
“It’s Jazmine,” she says.
“You should pick up. She’s also worried about you.” I tug her over to the iron chair and sit down, pulling her into my lap.
“I’m okay,” she says to Jazmine. “I’m in shock, I think. It all happened so fast, and it was so…surreal.”
She rests her head against mine.
“Amelia’s probably just saying she doesn’t believe it because she knows we’re friends,” Iris says. “If anything, my being willing to climb through the window should not speak well for me.” She half-smiles, and I hug her closer, relieved to see that. “Yes, I’m still coming to your Hanukkah party. I’ve already bought my gift for the Secret Snowflake exchange.”
Tessa comes outside. “I didn’t say anything, but Iris, are you okay?”
“I’m okay—for now,” she says. “Butnotif my name isn’t cleared.” Her eyes are huge in her face, filled with worry and fear. “I have to find the hacker who did this.”
“I’m looking for a lawyer for you,” Tessa says. “But they might be expensive.”
“I have the money I was saving for an apartment.” Her shoulders droop. “I can’t believe Raphael isn’t calling me back.” She turns to me. “Do you think he left because he was afraid he was going to get set up for this? I want to go out to his house again.”
“Let’s go over the clues that you have,” I say. “You know he was sending you coded information, so let’s try that approach first. If we go out there and he’s abiding by this NDA, which came with a significant grant of money, he’s not going to talk to you. Otherwise, he’d return your calls.”
“You’re right. I’m off my game.” Iris turns to Tessa. “Did you tell Lily?”
“No, but you should tell them. Lily will feel terrible if she feels like you couldn’t share this,” Tessa says. “She and Rupert will be happy for many years, so it’s not like her joy is going to fade.”
We go back inside, and Iris explains to her girlfriends what happened. They’re all upset, but mostly they feel helpless because nobody knows how we can prove that it’s not Iris—other than finding the real hacker.
Iris and I soon take our leave because we’re off to decipher the clues. I pick up the box of Iris’s belongings,Zero Trustright on top.
Iris didn’t trust me. I can’t think about that now. But it hurts. She’s not as deep into this relationship as I am. And that scares me. Because I’ve been here before. With Melody. And it didn’t end well for me.
Chapter twenty-eight
Iris
