Page 111 of Obsession Falls

He pulled out his earbud. “What?”

“Never mind.”

Out of the blue, Lou’s office door opened. He always made me jump when he did that. So far, Lou had been nice enough. But he spent so much time in his office, it made him seem broody and mysterious.

Not in a sexy Josiah Haven way. In a make-me-scared-of-him way.

So when his furrowed gaze turned on me, my stomach did a flip.

“Audrey. Can I see you in my office?”

His gruff voice was so ominous. I glanced at Sandra, but she didn’t seem concerned. She just shrugged and took a bite of her muffin.

“Yeah, of course.”

I got up, feeling shaky. It occurred to me as I walked into Lou’s office that he was probably so intimidating because he reminded me of my father. That dark brow, protruding belly, and booming voice were so much like my dad.

Swallowing hard, I took a seat across his cluttered desk while he sat in his big office chair.

I knew if I spoke first, I’d start rambling, so I kept my mouth shut and waited. My heart beat uncomfortably hard and I clasped my hands in my lap, trying to keep still.

“We have a problem,” he said. “It’s partly my fault. When I hired you, I didn’t bother checking your references. Your resume looked good and you didn’t annoy me in the interview. That was enough for me. But it seems that there are some things you failed to disclose.”

I had no idea what he was talking about. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what you mean.”

He held up a piece of paper. “When you filled out the online application, you didn’t make it clear that you’d been fired from your last job for cause.”

“I wasn’t fired. I was laid off.”

“Yeah, that’s what everyone says. But I’ve been told that you were fired for some very serious offenses, including theft.”

“What? I never stole anything.”

“I’m not going to report you to the authorities or anything like that. But some very serious allegations have been brought against you. I need to look into it.”

“Who did you talk to?”

“That’s confidential information.”

“If someone is accusing me of a crime, I have a right to know who it is.”

“I can’t tell you at this time.”

“Do you even know who it is?”

He hesitated. “They have asked to remain anonymous but they were able to verify that their information is reliable.”

“How?”

“Look, this is an internal matter, and I have to do my own digging to see if it’s true.”

“Lou, I swear, I didn’t get fired from my last job. They were downsizing and I got laid off. And I never stole anything. I’ve never even been accused of stealing.”

“My source has provided evidence that suggests otherwise.”

“Have you talked to my old boss? She can clear this up in two seconds.”

“I haven’t been able to reach her yet. She’s not with your previous employer anymore.” He tapped his desk with a thick finger. “Audrey, just tell me the truth. I mean it, I won’t involve the authorities.”

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