24. Andie
Ishould be exhausted. At some point around four in the morning, I fell asleep leaning against Elijah, only to wake two hours later with him still reading. I’m surprised he looks as alert as he does given he’d been mumbling in his sleep long before the nightmare finally woke him.
But here we are, walking into my office, him in dark jeans, black boots that look like they were made for combat, and a button-down shirt. The business skirt and jacket I’m wearing fit me like a glove, but since I’ve been living in jeans and a t-shirt, it feels almost alien to me.
Unwelcome.
“Good morning, Miss Montgomery,” Mia greets as she walks toward me on heels as high as stilts. Her gaze lands on Elijah. “Why are you here?”
“We’re dating,” I say quickly. It’s not entirely a lie—I don’t think—and telling her I need a bodyguard is attention I don’t particularly care for. When I told her to leave Hope Springs, I’d only said I needed more time to get the vandalism cleaned up. I’d left off most of the danger, not wanting word to spread.
While I don’t think Mia is a gossip, I didn’t feel like risking it. If the tabloids got word of what was going on, they’d be all over Hope Springs. And my hometown is a place I’ve wanted to keep private for a reason.
Many reasons, actually.
“How nice. I can get Mr. Breeth set up in your office if you’d like?”
“I will show him. Are they here?”
“Not all of them,” she replies. “Mr. Malik, Mrs. Velena, and Mrs. Sierra still have not arrived.”
“Perfect.” I breathe a sigh of relief. The last thing I want is to have kept them waiting. “Can you get us both coffees?”
“Of course. Mr. Breeth, how do you take yours?”
“Elijah,” he corrects. “And black is fine, thanks.”
She nods and strides off, so I lead Elijah to my office, passing what I call the production room in the process. Inside, it’s unusually quiet, likely because Mia sent everyone home as soon as the allegations came in.
No need for there to be an audience for this meeting.
Once we’re in the safety of my office, I shut the door and set my bag down. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to just blurt that out, but I didn’t want her to know.”
“I’m not bothered,” he replies. “Honestly, I’m relieved.”
“You are?”
“I want this to go somewhere, Andie. Once the dust settles and everything is clear, I’d like to revisit how we feel about each other.” He takes my hands, and my heart begins to race. What does it say that just a simple touch from this man can turn me inside out? “I know I said I wasn’t one for relationships, but?—”
“I feel the same,” I interrupt. “And I would love to see where this is going.”
Elijah beams at me. A true, unhindered smile that steals my breath. Then he leans down and presses his lips to mine. I wrap both arms around his neck and lean into the kiss. If any of the few employees still in the office were wondering who he is, there would be no question about it now.
Someone clears their throat, so I pull back and face the doorway, expecting Mia. Unfortunately, it’s not her.
Alec Malik is dressed to impress in a three-piece suit, his blond hair styled by someone who probably charged him a few hundred dollars. The man looks like money, and sadly, he thinks his finances give him superiority over everyone.
He’d been after a date with me the last year when he came on board representing an unknown donor but backed off a couple of months ago. Based on the jealous fury on his face, he was hoping I’d cave one day.
“Alec. It’s good to see you.”
“You too.” He breezes into the room and all but rips me from Elijah’s arms to pull me in for an embrace. Then, before releasing me, he kisses me noisily on the cheek.
Behind me, Elijah is practically vibrating with anger.
“This is Elijah Breeth. My—uh—boyfriend.”
“Mr. Breeth.” Alec holds out his hand, and Elijah takes it. “Pleasure.”
“Yeah,” he replies as he withdraws his hand.
“We’ve been worried about you,” Alec says as he refocuses on me. “When we got the call about your grandmother, we were all so upset. I never met the woman, but I felt like I knew her. I grieved with you, Andie, even though you couldn’t see me. I hope you know I was there.”
Has he always been this obvious? Or am I just seeing it clearly now?
“Thank you. Your words are kind.”
“I mean every one of them.” He tows me to his side then guides me toward the door. “Everyone is waiting for you. Let’s go clear up this nonsense so you can get back to doing what you do best.”
“I’ll be there in a minute.” I back away. “Please, go and wait for me.”
“We can walk together when you’re ready.”
“She said you can wait for her,” Elijah growls.
Alec glares at him. “We’re friends,” he says. “And I am going to be there for my friend.”
“Go,” I say with a forced smile. Unfortunately, Alec is one of the people who hold the cards of my business in his hands. If he chooses to say anything to the man he works for, he could withdraw his support. The others will follow, and I’ll have no funding. I might be doing well for myself, but if I lose financial support, my business will tumble like a house of cards.
“Very well. I’ll see you in there.” He turns and leaves the room.
“Well, that was—” I turn toward Elijah.
“He has a thing for you.”
“I know. He’s been asking me out for years. I think seeing us together must have triggered his jealousy. He’s not normally that bad.”
But as I speak the words, I can already see Elijah’s wheels turning.
“You’re going to run a background check on him, aren’t you?”
“I am. In fact, I need the names of everyone in that room.”
“I’ll have Mia give them to you.”
The door opens, and the very person we’d been talking about strolls in with two coffees. “Here you go.”
“Great, thanks. Listen, can you get Elijah the names of our investors? He’s starting a file system for me.”
If she’s suspicious, she doesn’t show it. “Sure. I can bring you a list once I get the rest of the coffee delivered to the conference room.”
“Great, thanks.” I turn back to Elijah. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.” I set my coffee down beside his then lean in and give him a chaste kiss before retrieving the coffee again.
“Are you sure you don’t want me in there?” he asks.
“I’ll be fine, Elijah. This is what I do. Well, part of it, anyway.”
After leaving the office, I head down the hall to the conference room and take a deep breath. Every one of the people in this room believed in a vision I had before I ever brought any of it to life. I couldn’t get a business loan to save my life, but one of the instructors I’d had at the design institute set me up with a meeting so I could pitch my ideas. She’d believed in me when no one else did.
And because of her, I built what I have.
Now, I might lose it all.
Keep it together.With a smile on my face, I enter the room. The round table has eight seats, and half of them are filled. Alec has taken the chair closest to where I will sit while Pria Hardin sits beside him, and the other two investors—Emma Velena and Poppy Sierra—are in chairs across from him.
The mood is somber, their expressions grim.
“It’s great to see you all, even if it is under such horrible circumstances.”
“We hope to clear up any confusion,” Poppy says.
“Great. Because that’s what I’m hoping for.” I set my folder down and take my seat. “Mia didn’t give me many details over the phone, though she said someone called and made a false accusation about my designs?”
“Yes. We received word that you’d stolen the designs from a young woman who shadowed you for a time.”
“I’ve never had anyone shadow me,” I tell them truthfully. “You can ask anyone who works for me. I work alone. Always have.”
“That’s not what she said.” Emma withdraws a written letter from a folder in front of her, followed by a handful of designs too similar to some of the ones in my current sketchbook.
“This makes no sense.” My heart begins to pound. “These are my drawings. A near exact match.”
“That’s what we were worried about.” Pria shakes his head. “We put our trust in you. Helped you build everything you have. And then this happens? I will not have my name tied to a company that cannot be trusted. I’ve been in this industry far too long to allow a virtual No Name to take me down.”
“But that isn’t me,” I insist. “I didn’t steal them because these are mine.”
“Is it possible she got ahold of your work before it was designed?” Alec asks.
“No. Unless she was helping me physically put it together, no one sees my sketches until the first outfit is ready to be worn. I keep everything in hand.”
“Then how can you explain the fact that she brought these to us before you ever sent the final photos over?”
My body goes cold. “What?”
“We’ve had these images for months now,” Alec says. “Before your last show.”
“Months? And you said nothing?”
“Why would we? We wanted to see if it was true.” Pria replies. “As it turns out, it is. She warned us you’d be showing us that exact dress. The design is truly one of a kind—it was easily recognizable when we saw it at the showcase before you left.”
“Yes, then you take off suddenly, claiming a death in the family?—”
I shoot up from my chair. “Are you saying that I made up my grandmother’s death?” I growl, fury lacing every single word.
“No one is saying that.” Alec reaches out and touches my hand. “Are we?”
My vision blurs, and heat creeps up my neck. The room begins to spin, and I can feel every single beat of my heart straight down to my toes. Anger. It’s just anger. “My grandmother died,” I say. “I did not make any of it up. This is a lie. I don’t know how, but it’s a?—”
I stop speaking as the spinning room tilts and plant my feet to remain standing.
My breathing grows labored, each inhale more difficult than the last.
“Andie?” Alec asks, standing.
“I—get Elijah.” I fall over, and my head slams into something—though I’m already so far gone that I’m not sure what.
And then everything goes black.