Page 80 of Off the Record

“Me too.”

“I hope showing up tonight means you’re going to give me another chance. Giveusanother chance. A real one this time, without all the bullshit.”

“I want to...but...but I’m not sure.”

I steeled myself, halfway expecting her to have reservations about trusting me, about going forward after the rollercoaster we’d been on in the last few weeks. “Robert was crazy.”

She raised her eyebrow. “What?”

“I can’t believe I ever trusted him, or that he’d ever been part of my inner circle.”

“Go on,” she replied. “I’m listening.”

“I wish you could’ve seen what I did.” I moved one step closer, feeling the tension loosen between us. “He was out of his mind with jealousy and greed.”

“Common qualities, it seems. At least...in your world.”

“Robert hacked the security cameras in my home. He’s the one who accessed the video, and he’s the one who released it. After that day in Rockbridge, I hired an independent firm to look at what happened. I was determined to get to the bottom of it all.” I grimaced. “But even I wasn’t prepared for what they found.”

Whatever color remained in her cheeks had drained away. “My god.”

“So, I immediately I fired him,” I said simply.

She sat down on the couch. “I heard about the firing on the news but this...”

“This is deeper than you thought.”

Rebecca shook her head and I saw something that looked like disbelief cross her face.

“I’m going to sue him too and ruin him. I promise. I’ve never felt so betrayed...or like I wanted to punch someone. Him.”

“I’d have wanted to punch him too.”

I sat down next to her. “I’m going to make sure he doesn’t come within one hundred feet of Sparks Innovation ever again.”

“What he did was criminal.”

I nodded. “My team handed all of what we found over to the police. You should see what they discovered—it’s crazy. Wouldn’t be surprised if there is a major criminal case that comes from this.” I paused. “I’m having the security system at the house overhauled, and from now on, there are going to be tighter restrictions in place. This is never going to happen again.”

She studied me for a long time and I thought I saw something pull behind her eyes. When she didn’t speak, I added, “I know this is asking a lot, but...I want you to give me another chance. I know I don’t deserve it. But...can you?”

“I’m not sure.”

“When I was with you...I felt something deeper than I have with anyone else.”

Rebecca hesitated. “I don’t know if I can do this. I don’t want to get hurt.”

There it was, the move I’d been waiting for, the moment I'd been thinking about the entire plane ride to Ohio. I’d practiced my words over and over, memorizing exactly what I wanted to say, but nothing felt as good as actually saying them to her.

I hooked a lock of wayward hair behind her ear. “We can salvage this if you let me. If you letus.”

“Us? You believe that?”

“Absolutely.” I smiled. “I’m looking forward to proving it to you.”

“What about the newsletter? I mean, I’m feeling so vulnerable right now, Landon. I worked so hard to buildAmerican Profileso I could tell honest stories. Things the public wants to read.” There was more than a hint of bitterness coating her words, alongside a tinge of helplessness that didn’t totally surprise me. The events of the last few weeks had cost her more than me. “My credibility is shot. Forever.”

“Not forever.Nothingis forever.” I was close to pleading now, hoping whatever I said would reassure her, would allow her to open to me again, to let me into her life and her heart. “That’s something I’ve learned. There’s a future after this moment, after this scandal.”

---